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So they were at the right time and place to inspire you.

But you said you transferred out of dome work. Why, when you've already formed such a special bond with our big, transparent friend above?

I...

Lucilla! The tribunal is about to start. You want to sit here?

Sorry, my colleague is calling out to me. Anyway, welcome home, Laurentina, and I wish you the best of luck.

Pretty much everyone's here...

Hey, where you going, Doctor?

The Hunters draw too much attention.;I'll just be watching from the stands.

Kal'tsit's words really got to you, haven't they?

As you're all well aware, Milliarium has successfully made contact with Iberia. As such, the Waterway Program now enters its most critical phase.

A thread of light leaves the massive coral-shaped terminal to surround her, forming a giant ethereal ring in the air that dances to the consul's words.

More threads weave together to form cities and tides, Hunters and Seaborn, transmuting words to images and giving substance to sound.

The crowd quiets down.

And at this crucial juncture, we also welcome home our surviving Abyssal Hunters: Gladiia, Skadi, and Laurentina.

The results of their physical examinations and Gladiia's mission report have been uploaded to the Sophontheatrum's terminal and are available for your perusal. I'm sure many of you have already done so.

Concerning the irregular circumstances therein...

I now call upon Consul Gladiia—leader of Ægir's Honor Exercitus, and Chief Designer of Warfare of the Abyssal Hunters—to answer your questions.

You navigate through several rows of Ægir and sit in one of the back rows. With plenty of room around you, you have a clear view of everything happening in the Sophontheatrum.

The tribunal has already begun. The speakers do not raise their voices, yet every word is clear in the massive ring-like structure. Gladiia steps forward, drawing everyone's gaze.

Suddenly, you hear footsteps so soft they are almost inaudible, like a shadow from the somber dome touching the floor.

Not a sound.

Or I'll crush your throat.

Consul Gladiia, is it in your opinion that the issue does not lie with the battle itself?

Correct. What you see before you is a projection of the battle plan. If anyone here notices a flaw I haven't, I'd expect it to be pointed out.

No, I have no objections to the battle plan. It was the most suitable one, given what we knew at the time.

However, I would like your opinion on what we knew at the time.

I have to admit that Ægir's knowledge of the Seaborn back then was deeply flawed. As such...

What are they trying to say?

Still not used to their way of thinking, are you? You never did like thinking much, even back home.

They mean no ill will. They're simply seeking the truth they need.

Identify every flaw and question all perfections. The most heated debates will uncover truth in its full beauty and reveal the right way forward.

Just leave it to Swordfish.

If you don't want to listen, just take a nap.

...In conclusion, our greatest error when designing the warfare five years ago was failing to make allowance for flaws in our knowledge.

Until every last truth of Terra is revealed, we must admit that our understanding of the Seaborn will remain flawed. Our warfare design must reflect this revelation.

I concur. Your conclusion should be incorporated into our future battle plans.

It has been an honor to reflect upon this critical battle and reach a fruitful conclusion with you.

That said, the battle five years ago is not our only concern.

We have more pressing issues to worry about.

Your physical examination has revealed mutations that cannot be ignored. The same goes for Skadi and Laurentina.

I do not doubt your loyalty, but we need to know how assimilation by Seaborn genes will affect your behavior.

Apologies for my candor.

Milliarium will soon identify the locations of the remaining nests. Then, the Seaborn will be driven out by Class IV weapons, opening up a Waterway.

Is there any possibility that the Abyssal Hunters will become an enemy of Ægir, and of yourselves?

Hunters out of control pose a greater risk to Ægir than the Seaborn.

The Abyssal Hunters are the flipside of Ægir. Created in Ægir's most despicable attempt at salvation, they are now both feared and pitied by their creators.

Abyssal Hunter Ulpianus, I presume?

Shouldn't you be down there too?

You're much calmer than I expected. And you know who I am.

It seems Gladiia has built a relationship on land with more than just the one doctor.

I've never seen you in any of the operations. You're not an Inquisitor, nor an Islander.

The doctor from Rhodes Island brought you to Ægir, but kept your identity a secret.

I'm just Kal'tsit's colleague.;I'm also from Rhodes Island.

You may introduce yourself however you like.

However, the point is that you can help the Hunters.

Why don't you just go to Skadi?;Why don't you just go to Specter?;Why don't you just go to Gladiia?

This is not her forte.

You mean Laurentina?

This is not her forte.

Now is not the time.

You don't trust the Hunters?

On the contrary. I do trust them. But I also know them all too well.

Skadi acts before thinking. Laurentina has not been lucid for long. Gladiia will inevitably be the one to make decisions.

I've already shared much of what I know with her. She <i>should</i> be on guard. She knows the potential restrictions, but nevertheless decided to return to Ægir.

Overeager to return to a familiar environment, she is oblivious to the fact that she has placed herself in the spotlight, where all that can and cannot be trusted have the power to scrutinize her.

Now is not the best time for the Abyssal Hunters to come home. Their decision is a big gamble.

Why did you sneak into the city, then?;Sounds like you care about them, after all.

Gladiia and the others are not in a good situation.

They underwent modifications, but unlike me, they were not part of the Abyssal Hunter project's core research. Explaining the changes in their bodies will be difficult for them.

I'll pass on some information to you, and I'll need you to help Gladiia if necessary. Convey my warning to her later.

As for the rest—

May I say I few things?

...Blandus. He's here too?

Blandus?

Isn't this just like the old days? You and Ulpianus used to get into arguments with the research staff while I was napping.

Your comments would be much appreciated, Advisor.

You flatter me, Consul.

I was the technical advisor for the Abyssal Hunter project, responsible for the gene splicing research used in the modification process.

In other words, at this exact moment and in this exact place, I am the leading authority on Abyssal Hunters.

Gladiia, Laurentina, and Skadi have been fighting on dry land too frequently and for too long. It is indeed cause for concern regarding their physical condition.

As such, your concerns are not without reason. But my answer is this:

No—

They will not become Seaborn.

The hall goes silent.

Blandus clears his throat.

Let me try to explain this in layman's terms.

Under ordinary circumstances, Seaborn genes exhibit abnormal dominance and will irreversibly overwrite any preexisting traits in their host.

In Abyssal Hunters, however, we have managed to extend the timeline of this process until it far exceeds the natural lifespan of any given Hunter.

Furthermore, the Academy of Technology made a critical breakthrough, allowing us to implant an 'auto-adaptive junction' in all the Hunters before their deployment to eradicate the Firstborn.

The auto-adaptive junction was implanted at the splice point between human and Seaborn DNA to assist the Hunters in more closely monitoring their Seaborn genes.

If the Seaborn genes exhibited abnormal dominance, the junction would signal the body to resist their attempt at taking over.

While there has undoubtedly been some degree of decay of their auto-adaptive junctions after five years without maintenance, the changes they've undergone remain well within acceptable ranges.

So you say, Advisor, but there is a record of a failed auto-adaptive junction surgery in the Abyssal Hunter Lab archives.

...That was Ulpianus.

The archives should also note that multiple clinical trials have demonstrated that the incident did not produce any adverse effects.

For this, I gladly take full responsibility and will answer any queries.

Now that the Abyssal Hunters have returned to Ægir, their condition will be under control.

Am I to infer that you already have an effective means to contain their mutation?

There is an Abyssal Hunter Lab in the city we can reactivate. I will personally perform maintenance on their auto-adaptive junctions.

What of Ulpianus?