On September 8, Jin was relaxing on the veranda of the House on Hourai Island after a meal.
"My Lord, the refurbishment of the former grounds of House Tierra in Naminte is complete," Laojun reported.
"Oh, is that so? Good work."
With this, there would be nothing to worry about even when the Lauren Continent Northern Investigation Team arrived.
"Has Palma returned?"
"Yes. Everyone, including the Smiths who were working on site, has returned."
"That's good to hear."
Replying thus, Jin lost himself in thought for a moment.
"...Jin-nii, what are you thinking about?"
Noticing his mood, Elsa walked over and sat down beside him.
"Well, I was just thinking that when it comes to relics, a person's emotional attachment is truly what matters most..."
"What do you mean?" Elsa tilted her head.
"Hmm, not quite making sense, is it?...Well then..."
Having time to spare, Jin gave some genuine thought to finding an easy analogy for her.
"For example... Suppose you have two daggers that look identical."
"Mm."
"One is a memento from your parents, and the other is just an ordinary blade with no connection to you. If you had to give one away, which would it be?"
"The one with no connection." Elsa answered without a moment's hesitation.
"And why is that?"
"Because the memento is precious."
Jin nodded.
"Right. But to a third party looking at them, they couldn't possibly see that difference, could they?"
"............Ah. I see what you mean."
At last, Elsa seemed to grasp his point.
"I understand why emotional attachment is what matters." Elsa gave Jin several small, deliberate nods. "You mean the difference between the House Tierra currently standing in Naminte and the genuine House Tierra we relocated to Hourai Island, right?"
"Exactly."
Of course, the replica constructed in Naminte had subtle differences, and strictly speaking—or even broadly speaking—it wasn't identical.
Even so, Jin simply wanted Elsa to understand his introspection—why humans instinctively sought out the physical form.
"What matters most is the feeling, the heart. Yet the heart still yearns for a physical form."
"I suppose that's true."
"...It's complicated."
As shown by the dagger analogy, Elsa acknowledged that the human heart held depths beyond one's own control.
Here, Jin shifted the conversation slightly.
"Personally, I believe human thoughts and feelings have some sort of real meaning. If they didn't, it would be a little sad, wouldn't it?"
"Sad... Mm, I agree."
Saying so, Elsa leaned softly against Jin's shoulder.
"After all, even Magic Theory hasn't fully unraveled mental energy yet."
Jin smiled warmly at Elsa's slightly tangential remark.
"Mental energy, thoughts, souls... I feel like I once heard a theory that they exist in entirely different dimensions."
"Dimensions?"
"Yeah, dimensions. If I remember right, string theory or something claimed the universe has eleven dimensions."
It was a piece of knowledge—or rather, a keyword—Jin had picked up from a science or sci-fi magazine back when he lived in modern Japan.
"I don't understand that at all."
"Neither do I....Though maybe spiritual lifeforms understand it."
"But if you understood everything, the world wouldn't be very interesting."
"Haha, you're right about that. I completely agree."
Jin felt a deep sense of contentment.
He was happy to have Elsa as a companion—someone with whom he could share such idle, rambling conversations and enjoy quiet, peaceful moments like this.
"I wonder how humans... or living things in general look from higher dimensions."
"They might just see us as incomplete forms."
"Speaking of which, that question from before about why magi-craft works on severed branches—I came up with a tentative explanation for it."
"Tell me."
"Right....In short, there's that higher-dimensional 'something' known as a soul. It's what separates living things from inanimate objects. While part of a whole tree, a branch is protected by that 'something,' but once severed, it falls outside that protection. That's why magic starts to affect it. What do you think of that idea?"
Elsa pondered for a moment.
"...It makes sense," she answered.
"Since that higher-dimensional 'something' is sub-ether, or exists in an even higher dimension, magic—which is a free ether phenomenon—can't interact with it."
"Mm, that sounds plausible....Then what about Healing?"
"Healing contains sub-ether components, which is why it works on living organisms. The same goes for mental magic."
"...I see. That seems to explain it."
"Right?"
Jin suddenly wondered if spiritual lifeforms spent all day from morning till night thinking about things like this—though concepts like day and night probably didn't exist in their realm.
If they did, he couldn't help feeling a twinge of sympathy, thinking they must be terribly bored.
Or perhaps that was precisely why they found a material being like Jin novel enough to lend him a hand.
"Following that premise, what happens to a severed branch that's planted as a cutting, takes root, and grows into a tree?"
"Oh... Well..."
While the original life force no longer acted upon the severed branch, once it grew into a new plant, it would become a living organism that magi-craft couldn't affect.
"Living things must carry something like a 'seed' of that 'something'... don't you think?"
"While it's just a seed, magic can affect it, but once it grows, it no longer works... I see."
Elsa found herself convinced by this hypothesis as well.
"...Playing these thought experiments with Jin-nii is really fun."
"What a coincidence. I enjoy it too."
Just then...
"...I suppose this is what they call two peas in a pod."
A voice called out from behind them.
"Saki?!"
"Saki-nee?!"
Turning around, they found Saki and Goose standing there with wry smiles.
"W-What brings you two here all of a sudden?" Jin asked, slightly flustered.
"Well, we went to inspect the House Tierra replica in Naminte and came to give our report..."
"Kufu, only to be treated to the sight of a happily married couple flirting away."
"..."
"S-So, how did it look?"
Elsa flushed crimson and fell silent, leaving Jin to awkwardly push the question forward.
"Yeah, looking at that replica, no one would ever suspect it was built after the fact. You did exceptional work, Jin."
With Goose, an accomplished scholar of archaeology, giving his seal of approval, Jin breathed a sigh of relief.
"Good. That's a weight off my mind."
"Indeed....It reminded me of the time we visited New El together with you, Saki, and the others."
Goose smiled warmly, a nostalgic look in his eyes.