Marikka's farewell gathering was held solemnly.
There were floral tributes from representatives of various nations, words of gratitude from her disciples, and memorial addresses from her relatives.
Scenes of the event were being transmitted to Hourai Island using the Peeper and Magi-mic operated by Laojun.
As an aside, this reportedly gave Jin an idea: Wouldn't it be great if we could broadcast events to the entire world like this from now on?
In short, television broadcasting.
Setting that aside, everyone on Hourai Island was glued to the magi-screen.
"Ah, Sion appeared on screen."
"She still looks like she used to. What a lovely old lady."
"Could that person over there be Prince Ernest's descendant? I feel like they look a bit alike."
"Look, look! It's His Majesty the Emperor of the Empire! Ernst II, it says. Ah, the lineage is still continuing, isn't it?"
And so forth, the room was quite lively.
Compared to the solemnity on the other side of the magi-screen, the atmosphere here was bustling and energetic.
And naturally so, considering that the very person being sent off—Marikka's homunculus—was right there among them.
"Still, looking at it like this, continuing to live on as a homunculus feels like cheating, doesn't it?" Beena muttered quietly as she listened to the representative of the Kingdom of Egerea read a memorial address.
"Yeah, true. Not that we can go back now, though," Saki agreed.
"You can understand why Onii-chan says it's best not to interact with 'living' humans as a rule." Hanna sounded a little wistful.
"I wonder which would be better to live on—Hourai Island or Planet Hehl?"
"Living on Planet Hehl doesn't sound half bad either."
"Let's discuss it once Jin gets back."
Everyone agreed with Goose's suggestion.
On the screen, the farewell gathering was drawing to a close.
"……Sion, I'm sorry," Marikka muttered under her breath.
Then, the magi-screen went dark.
"All that remains is the departure of the attendees," Laojun's voice resonated.
"Mm, thank you, Laojun."
"Thank you, Laojun."
The members of the Jin Family expressed their gratitude to Laojun.
"Not at all. I am honored by your kind words."
"It was a lovely ceremony."
Jin, who was among the last group leaving the ceremonial hall, spoke to Sion walking beside him.
"Thank you. All the hard work setting it up was worth it."
Large-scale ceremonies like this often suffered from schedule delays or unexpected issues, but absolutely nothing of the sort had occurred, and the entire proceeding had gone remarkably smoothly.
"……Come to think of it, how is Hanako doing?"
The automata Hanako, whom Marikka had created with Reiko as her model. Jin was concerned because their dynamic mirrored his relationship with Reiko.
"Right now, she seems to just be daydreaming around Marikka's house in a daze."
Wondering if that was another case of Master Loss Syndrome, Jin made a mental note that he would need to think about what should be done with Hanako.
"……So, what are you going to do after this, Jin?"
"There's a banquet, right? I'll show my face."
It was a gathering that, in the modern Japan Jin had once lived in, might have been called a post-funeral feast.
And since it was being held on a scale of two thousand people, Jin felt deeply moved by how much the food situation in the Nord Federation had improved.
"My word, this Devil's Potato <Devil Bulb> dish is simply exquisite. The seasoning differs from our country's, but that gives it a wonderfully fresh appeal."
The delegation of the chief ambassador from the Kingdom of Elias showered praise on the food while savoring the dishes made from the new topopo.
"This fish dish is superb as well! It's not just the seasoning—there's an indescribable flavor to it."
The party from the Klein Kingdom was thoroughly enjoying the fish dishes as well.
"Jin-dono, it feels so lonely, doesn't it?"
"……It truly does."
Chief Administrator Tomax Bertman of Avalon was conversing with Jin, holding a glass made of zirconia in his hand.
"I miss my younger days, when I was receiving Marikka-sama's guidance."
"You are still quite young, Tomax-san. Please continue to do your best from here on out."
"Yes, I want to lead a life that does not bring shame to Marikka-sensei's teachings."
Just then, Sion walked over.
"Oh, Sion-sama."
"Tomax-san, thank you very much for traveling all this way today."
Sion seemed to be going around greeting the primary guests.
Naturally, not only Sion, but Lordtoss, Vita, Rolona, Belialus, and the others were doing the same.
There, no trace could be found anywhere of the barrier that had once divided two races that fought and labeled one another the demon race.
On Hourai Island, the members, having finally exhausted their excitement, were holding a serious discussion.
The primary reason, however, was simply: "We've got nothing to do until Jin gets back."
"Hey, about the Empire's air traffic control..." Hanna brought up. "Long ago, didn't they used to use flashing communicators?"
"Yeah, they did," Marcia replied.
"If I recall, wasn't that idea brought up during the maiden voyage of the Bernstein?" Rodrigo answered, reminiscing about those days.
"Right, right. They had decided on several signals based on flashing patterns, didn't they?"
"And wasn't there that person, Tenkunhan? I feel like he made a magi-device for long-distance communication that was like a Morse code machine too," Goose said, also recalling the past.
"Yes. The Empress and the Chancellor back then said it was wonderful," Elsa added, seemingly remembering those times as well.
"Hmm, but they've fallen out of use nowadays, haven't they?" Hanna said with a touch of regret. "I wonder why."
"Well, let's see..."
Everyone tilted their heads in thought.
Amidst this, Reinhard seemed to think of something.
"Wasn't it because it was too directional, making it hard to use?"
"Ah, that might be it."
Using light meant it couldn't be used unless it was visually identifiable; there were many situations where it would be hard to see, such as in thick fog or when looking directly against backlighting.
The issues on the receiving side in particular were likely substantial.
"So they weren't able to solve that problem," Hanna nodded in understanding. "And it wasn't suited for long-distance communication."
"So you're saying it could be used for air traffic control, Hanna-chan?" Beena voiced her thoughts as well.
"If we do it right, don't you think it could work?"
"Exactly!"
With that, led by Hanna, the group decided to hold a discussion on putting flashing communicators into practical use.