"G-gh... ugh..."
"What's wrong?"
Markitus clutched his head. Concerned, Jin asked him what happened.
"...It is just my usual headache. It is nothing to worry about."
Despite his words, Markitus’s complexion was deathly pale.
"Diagnose."
Sensing something was wrong, Jin had Jin D cast the medical spell. The result was immediate.
"...A brain tumor?"
There was an anomalous mass inside the skull. It was highly likely that this growth was pressing against his brain, causing the headaches.
Jin had Jin D explain the situation.
"...W-what? A tumor in my brain?"
"Yes. Since it originated from your own cells, normal Healing magic likely won't be able to fix it."
"..."
That said, Jin had no experience treating brain tumors.
"...What should I do?"
"My Lord, perhaps it would be best to leave him be?"
"Hmm, I suppose... but it’s weighing on my mind for some reason."
"...Assistant automata. Can you remove the tumor from my brain?"
<Yes, Master Markitus.>
"Very well. Remove it."
<Understood.>
"What!?"
Jin was stunned. It wasn’t just that the assistant automata possessed such advanced medical knowledge—it was the fact that they had left it alone until now despite being capable of treating it.
Perhaps that was simply the nature of the Progenitors' designs. They were passive golems that never interfered excessively, performing only the tasks they were ordered to do.
And yet, their capabilities were so high that they could perform feats one would never expect.
(Well, I suppose it would be possible if I mobilized Nurse, Lise, and Jack, too.)
Nurse was a nursing automata, and Lise was a doctor (healer) automata modeled somewhat after Sally Mileshann. Then there was Jack, the surgical mini-golem. Jin had named him after a doctor from a certain manga about a man in black, and though his name now overlapped with the control brain at Uni, that was a story from a long time ago.
<—The extraction is complete.>
While Jin was lost in thought, the surgery had already ended. It was a swift procedure, no less impressive than the medical golems on Hourai Island.
"Whoops. Healing."
Jin hurriedly had Jin D cast the spell. His mana, which contained sub-ether waves, was likely to have a positive action on the recovery.
<Jin Nidou-dono, you have my gratitude.>
The assistant automata that had performed the surgery thanked him.
<Master Markitus should regain consciousness shortly.>
"—That was fast."
"Father, I have recorded every detail of the operation. I have also transmitted the data to Laojun, so we should be able to perform similar procedures in the future."
Reiko reported to him in a small, discreet voice.
"I see. That alone made this visit meaningful."
However, the situation did not end there.
"...That thing is the root cause."
"Eh?"
"I am telling you that thing is what drove Markitus to his madness."
"Is the one speaking now the spiritual lifeform?"
"Yes. Markitus's own consciousness is still in a state of stun from the surgery."
"Let me see..."
Jin tried to process the information he had just been given.
"So there was a tumor in Markitus's brain, and that's what made him commit those atrocities?"
"To put it simply, yes. However, it was not a tumor. It was brain tissue."
"Brain tissue?"
"Correct."
"...Diagnose... I—I see."
Checking again with the spell, he confirmed that the mass was undoubtedly made of the same material as brain cells.
"This was likely the cause of his aberrant behavior."
"...If you knew that, why didn't you say something sooner?" Jin D asked rebukingly.
"...I am truly sorry for that, but my own consciousness... my ego only became clear just a short while ago."
Jin D couldn't find any words to counter that.
"This has certainly turned into a strange situation."
Jin, the one actually controlling Jin D, was currently in the command room on Hourai Island. He sighed as he spoke to Laojun.
"It truly has, My Lord. Even I could not have predicted this development."
I suppose not, Jin thought.
"We had too little fundamental data to go on."
"Indeed. However, it seems the threat posed by Markitus has been neutralized. In the end, My Lord's decision to launch an incursion with the Doppel was a success."
"Result-wise, it all worked out."
"That is correct."
Overwhelming an enemy in combat wasn't the only path to victory. Jin re-evaluated that fact once again.
"What should we do now?"
"Would it not be wise to withdraw at this point?"
"I suppose you're right..."
Jin was someone who wasn't even supposed to exist in this era. He had intervened because he couldn't stand idly by, but the rest of this case was a matter for the World Security Guard and Nostalgia.
"...Jin Nidou. I no longer have any desire to be hostile toward you... or toward this world."
Jin felt that these words from Golbart Marukitasu were spoken from the heart.
"Even so, I can't be the only one to make that judgment," Jin answered honestly.
"I suppose not. However, I am not long for this world. As I said before, I will be gone before your laws can ever judge me."
"...Maybe that's for the best."
Jin felt a complex mix of emotions.
"I'll just watch from the sidelines."
"...Is that truly all right with you?"
As if unable to believe Jin's words, Golbart Marukitasu looked at him with an expression of surprise.
"Yeah. One way or another, the invasion is over."
Jin D turned away.
"Reiko, let's go."
"Yes, Father."
"Jin Nidou, farewell."
"Yeah, see ya."
With no obstacles remaining on their path, Jin D and Reiko stepped outside the base.
While they were underground, dawn had broken, and the world was now overflowing with the light of morning.