“Speaking of which, what happened to Markitus?” Lordtoss asked Jin.
“Didn’t a report reach Avalon? I thought it was officially recorded that Deus Ex Machina III dealt with him.”
“No, I haven’t heard anything to that effect.”
“That’s strange… Well, regardless. Markitus passed away of old age a week ago.”
“I see…”
“His physical age was over four hundred and forty, after all.”
Lordtoss tilted his head curiously. “My great-grandmother is five hundred and twelve, though.”
“That’s likely because he was a half-blood, or perhaps it was a result of his poor lifestyle.”
“No, more than that, I suspect it was because he lived for so long in lands with low free ether concentrations,” Marikka offered her theory.
“Ah, that may very well be it,” Lordtoss agreed.
Free ether had the property of preventing the transformation and degradation of matter containing magiatoms.
“Oh, that reminds me—what became of the Fragment of the spiritual lifeform?”
“That thing…”
＊ ＊ ＊
Jin had rushed to the scene the moment he received word from Lise, the medical automaton he had left to monitor Markitus, that the man was in critical condition.
“I’ve caused… so much trouble.”
Those were his final words.
His remains were cremated shortly thereafter, following the instructions he had previously given to the assistant automata in his will.
Jin had waited to see if the Fragment of the spiritual lifeform would attempt to make contact, but no matter how long he stayed, nothing happened.
Having no other choice, Jin returned to Hourai Island. When a week passed without word, they finally arrived at a conclusion.
‘It likely lost the ability to contact us once its vessel was gone.’
As a precaution, he had ordered Laojun to continue transmitting weak sub-ether waves, but there had been no reaction whatsoever.
“I suppose spiritual lifeforms really can’t communicate with normal living beings in this world without help.”
『Yes, My Lord. Alternatively, there is the possibility that they could no longer maintain their existence once the physical body serving as their vessel was lost.』
Or perhaps they had successfully possessed someone else, only to lose their ego for some unknown reason.
“Either way, we’re at a dead end.”
『Indeed.』
It seemed there was nothing more Jin and his team could do.
“It can’t be helped. We’ll put this matter on hold for now.”
『Understood.』
…And that was how the matter had settled.
＊ ＊ ＊
“Now that Markitus is gone, what has become of the bases he used?” Lordtoss asked.
“…I’ve taken over their management.”
“Well, that was to be expected.”
“However, I intend to leave the public oversight to Deus Ex Machina III and Nostalgia.”
Jin had investigated the facilities, but there wasn't any technology he desperately needed for himself.
Actually, there had been one thing: the efficient application of Gravity Magic.
However, the assistant automata Jin had secured already possessed that knowledge, and it had already been transferred to Laojun via Trans Info.
“That’s right—you mentioned ‘reloading knowledge,’ didn’t you? Did you figure out how that worked?”
“Yeah, I did. It’s roughly the same method the homunculus named Rokure tried before. In this case, it was essentially a Trans Info process for an automaton.”
Jin had already formed a general hypothesis the moment he heard the description.
“In that case, nearly all of our concerns have been cleared, haven’t they?”
“On this end, yes. How are things at Avalon?”
“There are no problems to speak of at the moment.”
“I see… Once Kachea and Eira arrive at Avalon, I’d like to go and see them.”
Hearing Jin’s murmur, Lordtoss thought for a moment before replying.
“It should be about another half-month, I expect. Once the situation in the Mercana Principality stabilizes and the villages and towns are reasonably reconstructed, they will be able to come to Avalon with peace of mind.”
“I suppose so. Thanks.” Jin nodded.
＊ ＊.＊
“Elena-sama, the recovery of the destroyed combat golems is complete.”
“Good work.”
Nostalgia was busy attending to its own various cleanup operations.
“Since we recovered Markitus’s golems as well, our stockpile of materials has increased.”
“Yes. That is a small mercy.”
Recalling the formidable assistant automata they had faced, Elena thought back to the battles against the Magic Federation, which had been one struggle after another.
(If Jin-sama had not returned, I would not be here now.)
With that thought, Elena turned her focus back to her duties.
“What is the status of the Magic Federation?”
“Yes. Since their backup from Markitus has been completely severed, dismantling them will be easy.”
“True. However, let us proceed carefully. If we move too quickly, it may cause chaos within the leadership of various nations.”
“Understood. There will likely be those who wish to defect to our side as well.”
Elena knew there were still people who had originally belonged to Nostalgia; she intended to let them retain their positions if they proved trustworthy.
“And the reclamation of Electra Base?”
“Yes, we have finished reclaiming every section. It is under our complete control.”
“I see. That is excellent news.”
Elena let out a soft sigh of relief. Since she did not breathe, it was merely a simulated gesture, but the sentiment behind it was genuine.
“Peace finally seems to be returning to the world.”
As members of Nostalgia, they couldn't help but pray for the world to remain tranquil.
(Jin-sama’s strength is still very much needed… In that sense, the news that Jin-sama has apparently become unaging is a blessing for this world.)
Created by the female magi craftsman Sienna and restored by Jin, Elena had, without even realizing it, begun to view Jin as a second parent.
＊ ＊ ＊
“So this is Avalon…”
“Whoa… i-it’s incredible…”
“I’d heard stories from Master, but I never imagined it was this grand…”
A few days later, Avalon welcomed its newest residents.
“It’s quite warm here, likely because it’s so far south.”
Since Eira hated the cold, the fact that she could walk around in short sleeves despite it being January was a welcome change.
“So this is my room? It’s a bit cramped… Huh? The research labs and workshops are in a separate building? Well, that’s fine then.”
“Indeed. In Eira-san’s case, it’s probably for the best to keep the research areas and living quarters strictly divided.”
“Exactly.”
“What’s with you two?!”
Eira, Kachea, and Groma seemed to be functioning quite well as a new team.
Floating upon the vast blue ocean, Avalon remained peaceful today as well.