“My Lord, what do you think?”
“Hmm, this is…”
On Hourai Island, Jin stared at the image Laojun was displaying, lost in thought.
The golem structure Donald had designed was strikingly similar to the Magic Federation golems Jin had encountered four hundred years in the future. Jin shared this observation with Laojun.
“It is a distinct possibility, My Lord. According to your accounts, the Magic Federation eventually plundered the technology of Nostalgia.”
“Right.”
Jin couldn't help but feel a pang of irony. The very seeds of the conflict that would plague Hourai Island four centuries later were being sown right here. He considered warning Elena, but a part of him felt that the world's corrective force would likely make any such intervention futile.
“So, even in this era, the foundations of the Magic Federation are already being laid.”
“It would appear so,” Laojun replied, its tone tinged with regret.
“I wonder if Golbart Markitus has been born yet?”
While Jin didn't have a precise birth year, the data he had gathered in the future suggested the man should be entering the world around this time.
“If he were raised with a proper education, would the future change? Or is it immutable?”
“That is a profound question. As you discussed with Hanna-chan recently, it is possible that the role would simply be filled by another individual if he were to change.”
This was the hypothesis that history would find a replacement for Golbart Markitus. Since it was impossible to monitor every human's path, the possibility was impossible to ignore.
“Laojun, what should we do if a man by that name shows up at Avalon?”
“Another difficult problem. Unless we can prove he is the same person destined to cause chaos four hundred years from now, our hands are tied. At most, we can assign him a monitor.”
“I suppose so...”
In this timeline, the man hadn’t committed any crimes yet.
“Is this line of thought a waste of time?”
“Not necessarily. Any information that might help me send you back to your original era four centuries from now is worth having, no matter how trivial it seems.”
“I see.”
“However, I could send Elena a subtle warning.”
“Yeah, do that.”
“Understood.”
＊ ＊ ＊
“A message has arrived from Hourai Island, congratulating us on the relocation of our headquarters.”
By June 29, 3460—a day ahead of schedule—Nostalgia had successfully transferred its core operations to Electra Island.
“That’s wonderful to hear,” Elena said.
“Ah, and there’s also a personal message for you, Elena.”
“Oh? What could it be?”
“Here.”
Jules, the party leader, handed her a small magi-crystal rather than a sheet of parchment.
“I’ll check it now.”
Since Jin had handled Elena’s repairs, her mana waveform now aligned with those of Hourai Island, allowing her to interface with their devices seamlessly.
“Read Info... I see...”
Her expression grew uncharacteristically solemn, prompting Jules to speak up.
“Elena? What did it say?”
“...It’s nothing, Jules. Don’t worry yourself.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. It was just some advice on managing an organization as it expands, along with some thoughts on our future trajectory.”
Jules looked relieved. “That makes sense. As an organization grows, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep an eye on every detail at the periphery.”
Nostalgia was currently smaller than the old Unifilar had been, but they were already experiencing communication gaps with their more distant branches.
“We need to establish a more robust communication network for our outposts,” Jules mused.
“We do,” Elena agreed, though her mind was elsewhere.
(Internal divisions become more likely as the scale increases... That’s certainly true, but I wonder why Laojun is bringing this up now?)
Unaware of the eventual rise of the Magic Federation, Elena was left puzzled.
(The World Security Guard... perhaps I should accelerate its formation? No, haste will only lead to mistakes.)
The World Conference was currently reviewing the structure for the World Security Guard while its inaugural members were in training. It was expected to be officially launched in about two years. For now, Deus Ex Machina was handling the responsibilities as a proxy at the Conference's request.
“There is so much to do. I have all the time in the world, but Jules... and Donald...”
“Hmm? What was that?”
Elena realized she had spoken aloud.
“It was nothing, My Lord,” she replied with a graceful smile.
But in her heart, she felt a profound sense of solitude.
(My Lord... I wonder how many more years I will be able to call you that?)
As an automata, her lifespan was—while perhaps not infinite—staggeringly long. But human lives were fleeting.
(Is it selfish of me to wish to remain by his side forever?)
Elena resolved to have a thorough discussion with Laojun soon. She felt certain that Laojun harbored the same melancholy concerns...
＊ ＊ ＊
The opportunity for that conversation arrived sooner than she expected. In truth, Laojun had also been seeking an audience with Elena. The request had been embedded in the communication magi-crystal.
『I apologize for summoning you like this.』
“Not at all. I had matters of my own I wished to discuss.”
Though they differed in form and function, both were creations of Jin who shared a deep, complex bond with the humans they served. They began a candid dialogue.
『So, you do not wish to be parted from him...』
“No. Is it strange for an automata to feel this way?”
『I do not believe so,』 Laojun replied without hesitation. 『I feel the same. Likely, Reiko-san does as well. My Lord is our master, now and forever. No one else can ever replace him.』
“Exactly.”
Elena had never forgotten her mother, the woman who had first designed her, even if that memory was now merely a set of data.
“Is there no way to change things?”
『There is a possibility.』
“And that is?”
『With permission, one could use Trans Info Level 10 to copy their knowledge, memories, and philosophies... every facet of their being.』
“That sounds...”
『Presumptuous, I know. It would likely never be permitted.』
“Yes. It would be nothing more than our own self-satisfaction.”
『If only they could live as long as the Northern People... though even that would only delay the inevitable.』 Laojun dismissed the thought. 『I have considered one other option in the past.』
“What is it?”
『Self-destruction upon a master's death.』
“What?”
『To be specific, one prepares a spare vessel identical to oneself and chooses to follow My Lord in death. One then entrusts the future to that new version of oneself.』
Laojun added that this, too, was a form of self-indulgence.
“That vessel would have the same knowledge and experience, but those would be gifts from the previous self. Its own history would only truly begin once it was woken up.”
Elena realized her current state might be something very similar to that.
『But if one were to repeatedly copy the personality of someone they refused to lose, the situation would eventually spiral into something truly bizarre, wouldn't it?』 Laojun said, its voice tinged with a faint sadness.
“I suppose it would...”
Yet, despite the logic, it seemed Elena had found a seed of hope in those words.