"Reiko, are there any abnormalities?"
Jin D asked Reiko once again.
"No, Father. Everything is fine."
"I see."
Through Jin D, Jin could clearly see that there was nothing wrong with Reiko's body.
However, watching this mock battle with Loubel from Hourai Island, Jin harbored the thought that if things remained as they were, Reiko's superiority would eventually disappear.
Reiko's strength largely stemmed from her domination over free ether and mana—or rather, it owed a great deal to her magi-reactor.
Another factor was the lavish use of carefully selected rare materials.
"Those advantages will shrink or disappear someday, after all."
"My Lord, do you have something in mind?"
"Of course... If we've reached near the limit physically, then the rest has to be done magically."
To Jin's response, Laojun deduced the correct answer two seconds later.
"Sub-ether, is it?"
"Exactly."
Here, Reinhard, who had been quietly observing the situation and listening to the conversation, spoke up.
"Jin, could it be magic reinforcement?"
"Spot on."
It seemed Reinhard had also arrived at the correct answer.
"Um, so, if we use Toughening and Hardening as examples, the current reinforcement increases the bonding strength between molecules and atoms. And what Onii-chan is aiming for is beyond that, right?"
Hanna also shared her thoughts.
"That's right."
The Toughening and Hardening that Jin applied were already reinforced to nearly the theoretical maximum. Going beyond that would mean...
"It means reinforcing the atoms themselves, right? In other words, at the subatomic particle level and below."
"That should be it."
At this point, Hanna puffed out her chest and began to speak.
"Ahem... I've actually been researching that this whole time!"
"Oh? And how is it going?"
"It's progressed quite nicely!...I feel."
"Just a feeling?"
Jin asked Hanna with a wry smile.
"Well, to be accurate, maybe I should say it's because I can't verify it?"
According to Hanna, while the theory and results were linked, there was no way to confirm whether what was happening inside the atoms was truly according to theory.
"Microscopes and electron microscopes are out of the question, after all."
A sub-ether microscope might do the trick, but there was currently no prospect of being able to create one.
"But if I keep researching for another twenty or thirty years, I might figure something out."
"That's a long-term plan."
Even so, having gained the ageless body of a homunculus made continuing such long-term research possible, which was a massive advantage.
"I'll do my best!"
Hanna was full of energy.
Marcosius looked completely relieved, as though a heavy burden had been lifted from him.
"Jin-sama, thank you. With this, the lingering bitterness within me has vanished. I am more than willing to settle the score of my past."
"Father!"
Marukonen cried out in panic. But Marcosius shook his head.
"It is fine....One must take responsibility for one's actions."
Then, turning to Reiko standing beside Jin D, he entrusted his fate to her.
"Automata who knows of the evil deeds I once committed. You, surely, can judge me."
However.
"...I don't care."
"What?"
"Please do not decide on your own. I decline to mete out your punishment."
Reiko stated coldly.
"The person who had the right to pass judgment on you is no longer in this world."
"...I see."
To the crestfallen Marcosius, Sion D spoke up.
"Marcosius, you committed sins in the past. You seem to be suffering over that. But since that cannot be undone, think about atoning, and how to atone."
"How to atone...?"
"Yes."
Sion D nodded once and continued.
"You are a citizen of the Nord Federation. In that case, it should be fine for me, also of the Nord Federation, to judge you."
"Indeed, that is true."
"Then, I proclaim to you: use your knowledge and technology for the development of the world. Educate your disciples and make yourself useful to society."
Sion D's words were heard simultaneously by all members of the Jin Family who were on Hourai Island that day.
"Mm, that's good."
Hearing that, Elsa nodded with a slightly conflicted expression, and Saki concurred as well.
"Kufu, that might be the best way in this case."
And Reinhard too acknowledged the utility of it, saying:
"Clearly, Marcosius's technology is somewhat different from Adriana Barbora Tsetse's lineage. That kind of technical lineage is also necessary for the world, after all."
To that, Laojun also declared:
"Indeed, everyone. Eventually, I will do my utmost to organize the technical system of the Marcosius lineage."
"If we can combine the best parts of Adriana Barbora Tsetse's lineage with Marcosius's technology, which likely inherits the flow of the Origin Clan, it might become something incredible."
Reinhard said he looked forward to that day.
"Rai-nii, but isn't Marcosius's lineage the same as the Elder's lineage?"
Elsa pointed out, but Reinhard answered:
"No, while the roots are the same, I feel the subsequent development stages are different. So I'm sure there will be aspects that prove useful."
With that, Elsa was convinced as well.
"...For the sake of the world, is it?"
Marcosius lifted his face and muttered.
"Yes. Today's world has grown far wider than in the past, spanning the Lauren Continent, the Gondoa Continent, the Pandor Continent, and the Lashier Continent. Therefore, no matter how many talented people there are, it is never enough."
"I understand. I do not know how much I can achieve, but from now on, I will continue to foster disciples and send them out into the world."
"Yes, please do. And from now on, the Nord Federation will support you all."
"Eh?"
To the puzzled Marcosius, Sion D smiled and said:
"Marcosius, because you are unmistakably our compatriot."
At those words, Marcosius trembled in shock, tears welling in his eyes.
"...Thank you....I thought... I was always alone."
Sion D gently patted his shoulder.
"If you possess the desire for atonement, do your best. You are not alone."
Back then, being called the demon race and conflicting with the Lauren Continentals was not the responsibility of Marcosius alone, Sion D said.
"The sins you committed may very well be the karma that all the Northern People must bear."
However, setting that aside, building a better future is something that benefits all of humanity, she concluded.
"I understand, Sion-sama."
Marcosius seemed to have cast away all hesitation.
"Sion made a wonderful point."
Jin, having temporarily entrusted the piloting of Jin D to Laojun, left the cockpit and contemplated the future together with the Jin Family members.
"Passing judgment on another person has always been a difficult problem, since ancient times."
Reinhard said with a smile.
There was not just one way to atone for one's sins.
What was truly the best path was perhaps not something humans could easily decide, Jin thought.
While the wind blowing across the northern Lauren Continent already carried the chill of winter, here on Hourai Island, warm sunlight poured down in abundance.