After staying overnight in the All-Creation Clan territory, Jin returned to Hourai Island the following morning.
"Welcome back, My Lord."
Laojun greeted him before continuing:
"If I may, Marikka-san has already arrived. Saki-san and Hanna-san are here as well. I expect Elsa-sama will be arriving shortly."
"Oh? What's going on?"
"Marikka-san has brought us some new information."
"Oh, really?"
Hearing that, Jin figured Marikka must have questioned Testa after he left and managed to draw out some useful details.
(Testa would probably speak more openly without me around, anyway.)
It was entirely possible that Testa had stayed silent about things it could only share with Marikka simply because Jin had been present.
Whether Marikka chose to tell Jin afterward was beside the point. That was simply how a creator's safety protocols functioned.
Jin headed to the dining hall where everyone was waiting.
"Welcome back, Jin-sama."
"Welcome back, Jin."
"Welcome home, Onii-chan."
Marikka, Saki, and Hanna greeted him as he walked in.
"I heard you were over at Sion's place. Did you make any headway?"
"Yeah, pretty much. I got some valuable advice on how to develop the primary industries in the Principality."
Jin then gave a brief summary of his conversation with Rolona.
He explained plans such as continuing to grow established crops on existing farmland while introducing new varieties on newly cleared land, as well as starting out with hardy livestock like capri and sheepa that could subsist on leftover straw and chaff after harvest.
"Kufu, I see. As expected of Rolona-san."
"A realistic plan is essential, after all. Since the Principality ranges from tropical to subtropical, there are bound to be tricky factors to consider."
Saki and Hanna each offered their thoughts.
"So, what kind of information did you bring, Marikka?"
"Ah, yes. Well, I thought Testa might speak more freely if I were alone, so I went back to ask again."
"Kufu, that makes sense."
"You have a point. Especially with Testa."
Saki and Hanna supported Marikka's reasoning.
"And when I did, I learned a few things."
"Yeah, let's hear them."
"Yes....First of all, Testa can also manufacture the 'euphoriant.'"
"Oh? Really?!"
Saki immediately leaned in with interest.
"Kufu, in that case, I wonder which one is superior: Testa's euphoriant, or the one I made..."
"Saki, cut out the weird rivalry."
Jin retorted, wondering how one would even grade something like that as superior or inferior.
"Well, fair enough."
"U-Um, so then... May I continue my explanation?"
"Ah, yeah, sorry, Marikka. Go ahead."
"Yes. I learned that the 'medicinal herb' is a plant called 'Papium.'"
"'Papium'?"
"Yes. It looks like this."
Using a magi-crystal containing data received from Testa, Marikka projected an image of the plant onto the magi-monitor.
"Ah, so it has flowers like that."
"The flowers are pretty."
"...A poppy?"
To Jin's eyes, it looked identical to the plant known as the poppy.
Because opium, a narcotic, could be extracted from a certain variety of poppy, unlicensed cultivation was strictly prohibited in modern Japan.
When refined, opium produced morphine—a powerful analgesic—making it medically invaluable.
However, since opium served as a narcotic and further processing of morphine yielded heroin, the plant required extreme caution in handling.
(Is that why it serves as the raw ingredient for the euphoriant?) Jin wondered.
Marikka then continued her report.
"...Um, there is one more piece of good news. Testa is capable of curing people who have developed an addiction to the euphoriant."
"What?"
This came as both welcome news and a surprise.
"Though... I see... Even if it causes no physical harm, there's still the danger of it disrupting everyday life."
"That's definitely true, Onii-chan."
"Kufu, no matter the luxury item, consuming nothing else is bound to end badly."
What if someone took the euphoriant from dawn to dusk just to chase that feeling of euphoria?
What if they neglected food and drink, consuming only the euphoriant?
What if their life devolved into one where they abandoned work, study, and all other interests just to indulge in the euphoriant?
Everyone present realized that, in such a state, it would be no different from a dangerous drug, capable of destroying households and tearing apart the fabric of society.
Just then,
"Elsa-sama has arrived."
Laojun's voice echoed through the room.
A minute later, Elsa stepped into the dining hall.
"...Sorry I'm late. I was... looking into something."
Turning toward Jin, she gave a small greeting.
"Jin-nii, it's been a while. I'm glad to see you're doing well."
"Yeah, it's been a while. You look well too, Elsa."
"Mm....The thing you asked me to do, I finally finished it."
The "thing" Elsa referred to was the treatment for the euphoriant.
"I see....Marikka was just telling us that Testa can cure euphoriant addiction, so we were about to hear the details."
"...I'm interested. I'd like to hear."
With that, Elsa took a seat next to Jin.
"Marikka, sorry for interrupting you....Please go on."
"Ah, yes....Um, Testa mentioned using a 'forbidden spell.'"
"A forbidden spell, huh..."
"Yes. Inferring from that, I believe it likely involves 'memory manipulation.'"
"...Yeah, that sounds plausible."
Laojun chimed in with agreement.
"The likelihood is high. After all, one would simply need to make the subject forget the sense of fulfillment brought on by the euphoriant."
"Hmm, that's a pretty heavy-handed method..."
Amnesia was a spell that erased memories in reverse chronological order, starting from the most recent.
As Jin frowned, Hanna offered a thought:
"Onii-chan, knowing the Progenitors, I'm sure they could do it without having to erase everything in order."
"Mm....If you use Trans Info to transfer part of the memory into a magi-crystal first, you could selectively erase only the unwanted memories....I think. If you take a backup like that, erase the person's memories, and then restore the backup with Trans Info... I'm sure it would work."
Elsa offered her hypothesis as well.
"...Hmm, that certainly sounds doable. But I wouldn't want to resort to that."
"I agree. What I just described was purely theoretical."
Because it involved a forbidden spell, neither Elsa nor Jin—nor Saki, nor Hanna—had any desire to use it lightly.