Seto
Kirito had been transported near the third planet of a star system in an uncharted area of the universe. Fortunately, the damage caused by Ryo-Ohki missed vital systems and did not affect her spaceworthiness. Azusa quickly ascertained that it would take about a week to complete repairs. If anything, Azusa’s physical injuries, caused by Kagato, were more serious. He was receiving treatment in a regenerator, but the wound had crushed bone and organs, and his synchronization rate with the Tree, still reeling from the aftermath of the battle, was low. Healing was taking longer than expected. He remained conscious, however, and recovered to the point where he could walk.
Azusa ordered Jijii to calculate their location and discovered that this third planet was registered as a Juraian colony. It was the planet later called “Earth.”
“A Juraian colony all the way out in this remote region…” Azusa mused.
“According to the year of application, from around the foundation of Jurai, it must have been registered by one of the research ships that were not able to return. But something is odd.”
“Odd?”
“Yes, sir. There’s something strange about the registration. It was made so that it would register only when someone tried to survey this area of space. The application is hundreds of thousands of years old, but it was only accepted about a year ago.”
Azusa stroked his chin and pondered, “Hm. Simply put, someone wanted to keep this place secret until it was discovered by someone else. But that was a year ago?”
“Some research vessel must have come by. But why register it this way?”
“So it’s registered as a Juraian colony?”
“Do you know anything about it, sir?”
“Oh, there’s probably no reason…” Azusa looked away with a wry smile, as though something had occurred to him. Interest flickered in his eyes as he gazed at the image of the blue planet displayed on the forward screen. Was he interested in the beautiful planet, or…? “If it’s a Juraian colony, it might not be a bad idea to recuperate down there. Jijii, what level is it?”
Pulling up the data, Jijii blinked his mono-eye and mumbled, “Interesting…humanity in its initial stages lives here.”
“The seeds had reached this far?” queried Azusa.
“They’re the product of our prehistoric civilization from billions of years ago. There have been few records of them reaching so far.”
“I’m amazed the research vessel found this place. Where can we land?”
“Hold on, sir. I detect an energy reading.”
“That must be the research vessel that accessed it a year ago…”
“It’s using too much energy to be a research vessel,” Jijii stated. “This is irregular…”
“Can you detect a ship in the area?”
“No… They’re probably jamming signals.”
“Hm… Any possibility that their mothership malfunctioned and they crash landed here?” Azusa asked after a brief pause.
“Since there’s no distress signal, I doubt it. It would be safe to presume they’re poachers,” answered Jijii.
“I see.”
As Azusa rose, Jijii swiftly admonished, “Young master, no!”
“Now what? What’s the problem?”
“You’re planning to go vanquish them. I’m well aware of how you think, sir.”
“All right, all right.”
“Whoa…! Sir, what are you doing?!”
Azusa calmly grabbed Jijii’s sphere, shoved him into a wooden box, and locked it for good measure. He would be in there for a good long time. Azusa transported to his quarters and changed into casual clothes, grimacing at the pain of his wounds, while gazing at the blue planet beyond his window. “These are unexpected circumstances. Not even the old bat will be able to come after me.” He felt that he had outwitted Seto and reveled in a meager sense of superiority.
Azusa set foot on Earth two hours later. While walking through the woods on a low hillside, he thought that this planet smelled similar to Jurai. Both planets were covered in abundant greenery.
I’m supposed to be enjoying my freedom, yet I feel nostalgic for home. I’m human, after all. He quickened his pace towards the energy reading. He still felt pain, but his sense of adventure overpowered it. While he was not full-blooded Juraian, there were moments when he felt he was an Imperial Family member, and if these people were as Jijii reported, he had personal reasons that drove him to keep going.
The grass around his legs was wet with dew, as if it had rained in the early morning hours. However, Azusa’s clothing stayed dry. His clothes were those of a Juraian Imperial Family warrior, deploying a nanoscopic defensive field. The field fluctuated, with darker colors signifying an increase in defense. He had been injured during his battle with Kagato even though the field was at maximum. That in itself showed how powerful Kagato was.
“I will never forget that name. Kagato…”
The bushes rustled abruptly. Azusa turned and realized from the sound that several of something was running toward his location. One was running in front, and four others were chasing it. He approached at a brisk pace, and saw between the trees a girl running desperately, and what were probably bandits chasing after her. The men were wearing clothes similar to the natives, but what looked like guns concealed by their right hips did not escape Azusa’s sharp eyes.
Pirates—I knew it. Scum. They’re the same everywhere. Azusa instantly slipped between the girl and the pirates. The girl saw his broad shoulders act as her shield and gasped; the pirates shot glares at him.
“Kidnappers?” The pirates did not bother to answer and immediately attacked. They had to remove all obstacles; there was no need for a conversation, as they only needed to kill him. But they made the wrong decision. Even if he was wounded, even if they held guns, this was a Juraian Crown Prince. There was a fleeting shimmer of Azusa’s body, and the four men fell one by one, muddied, faces writhing in agony. Azusa breathed heavily, but it was because of his wounds, not the battle.
“Um…” The girl peeked out from behind a tree upon realizing the battle was over. Still an adolescent, her black hair was tied back by her shoulders. She bowed deeply, though she was still somewhat wary of Azusa. “Th-thank you…”
“It’s nothing…” Azusa was about to speak, but suddenly felt “danger” behind him. One of the pirates was pointing a stun gun they used for capture at him. “Look out!” He took a direct hit due to his delayed reaction speed and his move to protect the girl, but his warrior’s outfit absorbed half the damage.
“Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Let’s go!” The girl peered down at him with concern, but he made her get up and they ran. His instincts told him not to push it any further right now. Fortunately, the pirates showed no sign of coming after them, but if they lingered any longer, it was likely their friends would show up. It was not a good idea to fight heavily armed pirates while defending the girl in his current condition. They ran for a while and saw a wide trail beyond the woods. The girl looked relieved upon seeing the familiar terrain, and Azusa was assured that she would be able to return home.