All the equipment, including that around her, had been set up with the awakening of the Ancients in mind. She hadn’t planned to sleep for so long, and she certainly hadn’t expected to be left alone.

So she had to check the other cities, which were now completely empty. Records of organisms that had entered the junkyard from the outside, machines that had gone out because of her, the movement and operational status of what were now called relics in this place.

There was simply too much information to sort through in a short time, covering tens of thousands of years. It was so vast that some data had even been lost in the middle.

And it was probably in one of those missing pieces that the information she needed could be found.

If pursed her lips in frustration at the lack of information.

A signal had been triggered as she retraced the steps of the past, checking things one by one.

Could it be another humanoid like her? It was too faint to be considered a biological signal, but too clear to be dismissed as nothing.

“Hmm…”

“If you want to go to Kalipe, then go. You said it’s not far from here.”

“Yeah. No matter how much I think about it, I just can’t figure out what that signal is. I feel like I need to see it for myself.”

If nodded and reached out to gently touch Ethan’s empty right arm.
Before that, she’d have to make him a new arm first. She had stored the data for it in Belphirn, so retrieving it wouldn’t take too long this time.

If she sent the data directly to the workshop, the arm could be produced quickly. In the meantime, she also needed to check the maglev train, so she’d dispatch a repair robot as well. After attaching the arm, they could head to Kalipe.

“Ethan, let’s start by making your arm again.”

At her words, Ethan looked at his right arm and nodded.

“Well, you said it wouldn’t take long… and yes, having an arm would definitely be more convenient.”

“Come to think of it, you said If made your arm before, too, right? Oh – does that mean I finally get to see the process of making a relic?”

Burke’s eyes sparkled as he looked at Ethan’s arm. Even if she had created healing medicine or magical nullifying devices, only Ethan had ever actually seen them.

He had often seen If walking around with some strange machines, but something had always been missing to make them truly ancient relics.

The only thing more impressive than the magic was the map that materialized in midair, so it was only natural that his curiosity overflowed.

“We need to go that way.”

As she pointed to an end of the wall that looked like a dead end, a door that fit seamlessly into the surface slid open silently. When the door disappeared into the gap in the wall as if it had always been part of the passageway, Burke let out a low whistle.

“I saw it from the outside too, but this is really fascinating technology. How is the cut so smooth?”

Walking behind Ethan, Burke examined the slick wall. How many tools out there could make such clean cuts that the edges fit together so precisely?

“It was cut with ultrasound.”

“What?”

“A thin film piezoelectric technique that uses high frequencies to grind at mph.”

Ethan deftly used his short forearm to cover If’s mouth. She gave him a sulky look as if to ask why, but Ethan just stuck out his tongue and shook his head.

“Instead of getting curious, just accept that it’s ancient technology and move on.”

Burke, who had already given up trying to make sense of what he was hearing, nodded silently. He remembered how impossible it had been to talk to her – let alone convince her – when Ethan had collapsed. Now he had no choice but to give up even asking questions.

At Ethan’s words, If didn’t bother to hide her pout.

‘I only explained because he asked!’

Still, when she leaned her head gently against Ethan’s shoulder with a soft thud, he let out a small chuckle.

If quickly relaxed her expression and turned her attention to the forearm that had covered her mouth.

‘There’s a lot of good material here… maybe I should make it sturdier than before.’

So he wouldn’t get hurt this time.

She wanted to modify it further, but Ethan would probably hate that, wouldn’t he?

With a pout, If buried her face in Ethan’s shoulder.

Whenever she talked about her own body, Ethan would tense up.

When he asked if it was strange that she didn’t feel anything, she asked what she should feel.

Wasn’t it a good thing to live long and feel no pain?

There were still too many things she didn’t understand to really understand Ethan.

***

“I thought nothing could surprise me more than to see your arm being made right before my eyes.”

He took that back now.

Burke let out a helpless laugh as he stared at the massive maglev train in front of him.

Metal smoother than the most expensive mirror.

The huge black structure towered more than twice their height and stretched so far that the end could not be seen.

“So this is the maglev train? The one that can get us to the capital in three minutes?”

“Yeah. Come this way.”

She stepped down from Ethan’s arms and walked forward. Her bare white feet made soft pattering sounds as they touched the cold metal floor.

As soon as she reached the door of the train, it opened with a slight vibration.

The exterior was painted a dark black, but a bright light shone from inside, making the interior look almost white by comparison.

Inside the train were plush couches and tables on both sides. There were also rounded structures for lying down, a shower at one end, and other amenities – all for comfort.

Naturally, she lay down on one of the rounded structures. The egg-shaped chair, open at the front and perched on a tall column, wrapped around her body, perfectly conforming to the curves of a human form. With its soft fabric lining, it was perfectly comfortable.

Burke, who had followed her in with a dazed look on his face, stood gaping as he looked around in awe.

Ethan, who had entered before him, walked slowly through the room, taking it all in as he walked behind Burke.

It was larger and more spacious than his house in Rigo. It obviously hadn’t been used for a long time, but there wasn’t a speck of dust or a single stained surface – everything was pure white.

Ethan opened his palm and pressed it against one of the couches.

The soft, sinking sensation that wrapped around his hand was incredibly pleasant – so pleasant it was almost disconcerting. Startled, he quickly pulled his hand away, and the sofa immediately returned to its original shape.

There were some familiar pieces of furniture, but many others were unlike anything he’d ever seen. Ethan ran his fingers along a round glass cylinder. It was completely hollow inside and he had no idea what it was for.

“That’s a shower.”

If said, having walked up beside him without him noticing.

Ethan furrowed his brow.

“This is for washing? In this tiny space?”

“For us, bathing is really just about getting rid of dust. The shower system just has to s*ck up the fallen particles from underneath.”

Even as he listened to her explanation, Ethan clicked his tongue and lifted her into his arms. As he wrapped his hand around her small, fist-sized foot, he felt a chill between his fingers.

“Why are you walking around without shoes? You usually float just fine.”

“Oh, I can’t float when the train is moving. The gravity control device only lets me hover in place or fly at a moderate speed, but it can’t keep up with the speed of a maglev train. If I stayed in the air while the train was moving, my body would stay still and I’d slam right into a wall.”

“…Wait, while it’s moving? You mean that huge thing is moving right now?”

“Yup.”

Even with her clear answer, Ethan let out a hollow laugh. This huge thing was moving, but there wasn’t a hint of vibration or even a sound. If she hadn’t said anything, he wouldn’t have noticed it moving at all.

If they’d just arrived, he would have thought that some kind of magic had been used to teleport them.

“Oh, we’ve arrived.”

“……”

Once again, Ethan found himself speechless in the face of a relic that shattered his understanding of the world. At this point, it wasn’t even the technology that amazed him – it was the imagination it must have taken to create something like this in the first place.

Just a few minutes.

The departure had been so quiet that he hadn’t even noticed when they had started moving – and the arrival was even quieter.

Ethan and Burke, holding If in their arms, stepped off the train and looked around. Kalipe – capital of the Granat Empire and home to the Imperial Palace.

The ancient ruins below seemed no different from those they had seen before.

But she could sense that there was something different about Kalipe.

If that was the case, then this was probably the ancient ruin the Crown Prince had discovered.

Ancient ruins beneath the Imperial Palace – just hearing those words together sounded ominous.

“Where shall we go?”

The ancient ruins were full of dead ends.

To be more precise, there were countless doors that only she could open.

The Crown Prince was probably in the same condition as her, so he probably couldn’t search too deep.

She rolled her eyes at his question, then raised her hand to point in a direction. 

“That way.” 

A dead end appeared, as if it had been waiting for them. 

Burke took the lead, spear in hand. 

With its long reach, the spear gave him an advantage, allowing him to react faster than the others, no matter what might appear. 

With them close behind, it made sense for him to take the lead, just in case. 

Noticing Burke’s caution, Ethan looked up briefly and spoke. 

“You mentioned that it was similar to the Ancients, but different. When I heard about it, you said all the Ancients died in Belphirn.”

“Hm, it’s a bit ambiguous. The life signs are weak, but it’s not nothing.”

“So are you saying that there are ancient humans who just managed to survive?”

…like the test subjects he imagined.

Ethan furrowed his brow. If shook her head quickly.

The reason she had described it as ambiguous was clear.

“It’s not alive. It showed too little response to be considered a living organism.”

There was no heartbeat.