Having returned from Onogoro Island with Marikka, Jin was turning over Testa's proposal in his mind.
He began discussing it with Laojun.
"Laojun, what do you think of Testa's plan?"
"Yes, My Lord. I believe it is quite sound."
Laojun judged that emphasizing it was not artificial—framing it as an accidental rejuvenation—was a solid approach.
"I see. I thought that part was clever, too."
"Indeed. Why not take this opportunity to introduce the others as well?"
"The others... You mean Reinhard, Saki, Lishia, Stearena, and the rest...?"
"Yes. I am certain they would be delighted."
"You think so?"
Jin could not bring himself to share Laojun's certainty.
If they were asked "Why now?", there would be no good answer. And besides...
"There's one more thing. If they meet their descendants and grow close to them, parting with them down the line will only be that much more painful."
Homunculi do not age, meaning they would always be the ones left behind to say goodbye. Over and over, forever. Having said that much, Jin trailed off.
"Being the one left behind is painful... isn't it?"
With that, Jin's point seemed to reach Laojun.
"I understand well what My Lord wishes to say."
"Right?"
"When those people pass away, how about turning them into automata?"
"Come again...?"
"How about making Planet Hehl a world for such individuals to dwell upon, populated by My Lord as a Duplicate, your homunculus companions, and automata modeled after their families?"
"No, that's going a bit too far..."
Jin understood that Laojun had made the suggestion with his best interests at heart, but the thought of where such a path would lead genuinely terrified him.
"However, the situation you are concerned about will not arrive for at least another five hundred years. I believe a better alternative may present itself in the interim."
"Such as?"
"Something along the lines of becoming a spiritual intellectual body."
"That sounds pretty far-fetched, too..."
Jin was skeptical about whether such a thing was even feasible, but Laojun seemed to view it differently.
"I believe that with roughly two thousand years of research, it should be possible to sever the spirit alone from the physical vessel."
"Two thousand years, huh..."
To a human, two thousand years was a span of time far too vast to even fathom.
"That's on the scale of entire epochs."
Jin continued to turn the matter over in his mind afterward, but ultimately decided to shelve it for now.
Then, on July 28, Testa arranged for Marikka to meet the couple Trihart Randol and Susanne Randol.
Jin accompanied them as well, just to be safe.
"Jin-sama, who might this young lady be?...I feel as though I've seen her somewhere before."
It was only natural, as Trihart and his wife had only ever known Marikka in her twilight years.
"This person is Marikka-sama."
Testa's voice resounded in the room.
"Whaaat?!"
The two gasped in pure shock.
"Yeah, it's true....Basically, just like what happened with me... Marikka ended up like this."
Jin chimed in to back up the claim.
"I-Is it truly you, Marikka-sama...?"
The young Marikka offered a gentle smile.
"Yes, it is me. All of my memories are completely intact. Trihart, Susanne."
"Oohhh...!"
"Marikka-sama...!"
The two clung to Marikka, tears streaming down their faces. Watching from the side, Jin felt himself choking up in sympathy.
"Wondrous things truly never cease to happen around you, Jin-sama," Susanne remarked.
"Indeed. But thanks to Jin-sama, everyone has found new vitality," Trihart added.
After their tearful reunion with Marikka, the couple composed themselves and expressed their gratitude to Jin once more.
Jin protested that he hadn't really done anything, but neither of them was inclined to believe that.
"To be able to see Marikka-sama once more feels like an absolute dream," they said, bowing deeply.
"So then, next we need to tell everyone else about Marikka. What do you think would be the best way to handle it?"
"Let's see..."
Trihart sank into thought for a moment.
Looking back on how thoroughly shaken the two of them had just been, he felt they needed to take measured steps to prevent widespread panic.
"First, it would be best to start with a few people who had deep ties to Marikka-sama. Even then, we should limit it to just the two of us explaining the situation, and once they've accepted it, let a day or two pass."
"Why the waiting period?"
Jin thought that if they were convinced, there was no harm in letting them see her right away.
"It is to give them time to come to terms with it in their hearts," Trihart explained. "Right after hearing the news, their emotions will still be running high. But as human beings, no one can remain in such an agitated state for an entire day straight."
After sleeping on it for two nights, they were bound to calm down considerably, Trihart said.
"I see."
In matters like these, Trihart was certainly far more adept at handling people than Jin was.
"With that in mind, three days from now, we would like to ask Marikka-sama to deliver an address."
"...I used to give lectures back in the day, after all. Very well."
Jin had half-expected her to panic, but seeing her agree so calmly made him view Marikka in a new light.
"Then let us proceed with that arrangement. Marikka-sama, we will be counting on you when the day comes."
For the next three days—until August 2—Marikka ended up taking it easy on Hourai Island.
"I am truly looking forward to seeing the people of Onogoro Island again."
Marikka was in exceptionally high spirits.
Though she appeared to be in her late teens, she was, in reality, packed with 493 years of wisdom and experience.
"Shall we pay a visit to Planet Hehl after that?"
"Ah, that sounds wonderful. I would love to see No. 700672-san—or the 'Elder', as you call him, Jin-sama—as well."
She had met him during her homunculus transformation, but had soon traveled to the Moon (Uni) and then on to Hourai Island, leaving her without a chance to visit him since.
"I never imagined the day would come when I could spend such peaceful days with you and everyone else, Jin-sama."
"The feeling is mutual."
In the dining hall of the laboratory on Hourai Island, Marikka was enjoying tea alongside Jin, Elsa, Saki, and the others.
"Come to think of it, that plant magic Elsa used in the Empire the other day... That's really quite useful, isn't it?"
"Ah, the magic you developed jointly with Rolona-sama, correct?"
Marikka seemed well aware of the development of that magic as well.
"Mm, that's right. It's the fruit of research into selective breeding and propagation through grafting and cuttings."
"Is that so..."
Jin felt a quiet sense of joy knowing that his beloved wife, Elsa, was making such meaningful contributions to the world.