Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Star of the Beginning #2
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Luther recalled that the Earth he remembered might still exist.
That single fact alone made his heart race.
But the journey to Earth wouldn't be easy.
The absence of the Galactic Federation meant they couldn't use the warp gates they had originally planned to rely on.
"Can we reach Earth just with hyperspace jumps without warp gates?"
Star Integra fell silent for a moment before responding to Alectra's question.
[It is possible.]
[However, it will undoubtedly take years.]
"How many years exactly...?"
When Karen followed up, Star Integra tapped her fingers as if performing calculations before giving her answer.
[One way will take approximately 5 years and 2 months.]
[If we turn around immediately upon arriving on Earth, it will be about 10 years and 5 months from now before we can return to Altea.]
It was far longer than they had imagined.
And the issue wasn't just the time.
"Ten years... Can we even endure that long?"
Aru's simple question was a natural one.
Having been born and raised at sea, she knew all too well about voyages.
The most crucial element in long-distance sailing was a sufficient stockpile of supplies.
The Land of the Yellow Dragon was enormously vast, but the ship had set out with provisions calculated for a journey of about three months. Did it really have enough stockpiles to last over ten years?
Moreover, if the Galactic Federation they were supposed to stop at didn't exist at all, resupplying midway would be impossible.
But no one shared Aru's realistic and serious concern.
"Resupply won't be a problem. It's a self-sustaining system. And there are only six of us. If we just focus on food and survival, we could last over a thousand years."
Aru widened her eyes in surprise at Alectra's response but soon nodded.
A place as vast as the Land of the Yellow Dragon could surely support farming inside it.
"What about fuel? We'll need hundreds of hyperspace jumps."
Hyperspace jumps were a feature that didn't exist on the Arknights.
It was something the Arknights crew, united with the Divine Dragon Volpid, had created by combining science and magic after long research—the hyperspace jump device on White Noah.
Karen, being primarily a warrior, didn't know much about the hyperspace jump device, but she did know that each jump consumed an enormous amount of energy.
Was it really feasible to perform hundreds—no, thousands—of such jumps?
Aru's face filled with worry again at Karen's question, but Alectra replied in her usual calm voice.
"That should be fine for now too. We've got a semi-permanent engine packed with dragon hearts from ancient dragons. As long as we don't overuse it continuously... as long as we avoid overheating, there shouldn't be any issues. The five-year estimate is based on performing hyperspace jumps without overheating anyway. Right?"
[That is correct.]
[However, since these calculations are based on the Galactic Federation's star charts, the actual voyage time could be shortened or lengthened once we set out.]
Star Integra answered crisply, then turned back to Luther.
[Though not shown on the charts, we can also resupply various materials from planets not yet explored by the Galactic Federation.]
[The voyage to Earth is entirely feasible.]
In the end, the real issue was the time, just as initially mentioned.
In truth, ten years wasn't a huge problem for the group.
Most of them were beings who had half-escaped the constraints of lifespan.
Even Aru, the only ordinary one, was a merfolk with a much longer lifespan than humans, so ten years wasn't such a big deal.
But it was still ten years.
The royals of the Malkuth Kingdom, including Aru, had surely left Altea expecting the voyage to take at most one or two years.
Was it okay to return after ten years?
Everyone's gaze naturally turned to Aru, and the perceptive girl quickly understood why they were all looking at her.
And so, her response came just as quickly.
"I think it'll be fine."
"Really...?"
When Integra asked, Aru smiled as if it truly was no issue and nodded.
"My sister will inherit the throne anyway. What big trouble could come from just ten years?"
As expected, ten years for humans and ten years for merfolk were different.
Aru casually crossed her arms, keeping her smile as she continued.
"Still, we should at least give them a heads-up that it'll take about ten years. Can we send word to the Malkuth Kingdom—to Altea?"
"That much is possible. The Holy Knights should be managing the ground facilities."
Aru smiled and nodded at Alectra's answer, then slyly approached Luther.
"Then that's settled. But... since it'll take ten years... you'll take proper responsibility, right?"
Integra flinched at her suggestive tone, and Karen gave a strange look.
Amid all these reactions, Luther looked straight at Aru and said,
"Understood. I'll take responsibility and escort you all the way back to the Malkuth Kingdom."
"Huh? No... that's not what I..."
The responsibility she meant wasn't that kind of responsibility.
But before Aru could continue, the mood was already ruined.
Integra clung to Luther's arm with the world's happiest smile, while Karen and Alectra gave wry smiles.
Aiter wriggled on the floor as always.
"What about everyone else...?"
At Luther's question, the group nodded one by one.
For Integra, asking was pointless from the start, and Alectra had no strong attachment to Altea anyway.
But Aiter and Karen were different.
Like Aru, they had left their loved ones behind.
"If we can send word like for Princess Aru... it'll be okay. Though it'll be a shame to miss Max's kid's early years."
Karen chuckled as she spoke, and Aiter nodded while lying down.
"It's fine. Galosh can hold on for another 30 years easy."
They could meet again upon returning.
So it was fine.
Hearing everyone's answers, Luther felt a warmth in his chest.
After all, everyone here, now that the Galactic Federation was gone, was heading to Earth together for his sake.
"Thank you. Thank you all so much."
Aru and Karen smiled warmly at Luther's natural words, while Alectra chewed on a candy bar to hide her expression.
Aiter smiled languidly as always.
And in the midst of this heartwarming moment, Integra—the only one feeling a strange impatience and sense of crisis—changed the subject by asking Star Integra,
"Stigra, even you've never done a long-distance voyage like this, right?"
[No.]
[However, we have secured data from ultra-long-distance voyages conducted in the early days of the Galactic Federation from the Arknights database.]
[In such ultra-long voyages, crew members typically entered cryogenic sleep.]
"To save on supplies?"
[That's one reason, but it's also because of the boredom of ultra-long voyages. Waking from cryogenic sleep makes five or ten years feel like an instant.]
[There are other reasons as well. In eras when lifespan extension was rudimentary, they used cryogenic sleep to preserve life.]
As the explanations continued, Integra looked up at Luther again.
"Master, should we go into cryogenic sleep too?"
It was a whopping five years one way.
As Star Integra said, cryogenic sleep didn't sound bad.
They didn't have to sleep the full five years straight; they could wake midway.
"That might be best... What do others think?"
"I'm fine with it."
"Me too. Sleeping is nice anyway."
Alectra and Aiter answered immediately, and Karen and Aru nodded.
Unlike the others, Aru was hearing "cryogenic sleep" for the first time, but she could guess what it was from the conversation.
"Then let's do that."
They would head to Earth in cryogenic sleep.
[I will inform Altea of the updated schedule.]
[Preparing for cryogenic sleep.]
As Luther listened to Star Integra, he looked around at everyone again.
The reality of going to Earth together finally sank in.
'They'll be shocked, huh?'
What reactions would his old acquaintances from his Lee Yun-ho days have upon seeing everyone from the Land of the Yellow Dragon?
'And their reactions too.'
Though the group already used Galactic Federation super-science, their daily life and culture were still at a typical fantasy world level.
What would they think of Earth's civilization?
Just imagining it brought a smile to Luther's face.
'Of course... assuming the timeline matches.'
What era was Earth in now?
How far back in time had he come?
Amid a slight anxiety and fear, Luther turned his gaze far away.
Toward the direction of Earth.
* * *
Preparations for the voyage to Earth proceeded quickly.
White Noah and the Land of the Yellow Dragon, developed based on the immigrant fleet Arknights, already had full cryogenic sleep facilities.
"I'll sleep a bit later."
No one was greatly surprised by Alectra's declaration.
As the de facto engineer of the Land of the Yellow Dragon, everyone expected as much from her.
She would likely enter cryogenic sleep only after confirming that Star Integra could handle the voyage alone once everyone else was asleep.
The group exchanged final goodbyes before cryogenic sleep and took their places in their respective pods.
Integra briefly insisted on sharing a pod with Luther, but only for a moment.
She knew it was impossible anyway.
"Good night, Master."
"Sleep well, Archangel."
"See you later, Luther."
"A little... scary. But it'll be fine, right?"
Integra, Aiter, Karen, Aru.
As the group fell asleep one by one, Luther finally lay down in his own pod.
Alectra sat by his head, operating the pod as if seeing him off.
"Alright, settings complete. Just sleep soundly now. Unless something unexpected happens... you'll wake up on Earth."
Not as affectionate as Integra, but with a gentle tone, Alectra glanced around before leaning close to Luther.
"By the way, Archangel, did you know?"
As Alectra spoke, the pod's sleep device activated.
Perfectly timed, as if on purpose.
In his daze, Luther looked at Alectra, who placed her hand on the transparent pod cover, caressing his face through it, and continued.
"It's not just Integra who waited 500 years."
She wasn't the only one.
Who had waited for Luther.
Who had dreamed of the day he would return.
"Good night, Archangel. Dream of me sometimes."
Alectra lightly tapped the pod, stood with a slightly wistful smile, and Luther closed his eyes.
He fell into a deep slumber.
* * *
Luther saw darkness.
The night sky, dimmed to pale purple, turned pitch black, then became a sea of twinkling stars.
Far away, Earth was visible.
But instead of approaching, Luther instinctively turned around.
A pair of man and woman stood there.
Emitting a faint glow like stars, their faces were indistinct, but they were clearly a man and a woman.
They saw Luther too and smiled.
Luther closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, he faced Integra's face.
"Master!"
"You're awake?"
"Good morning."
"We've arrived on Earth."
"Long time no see."
It wasn't just Integra.
Beautiful faces appeared one by one, each with joyful voices.
"We've really arrived. Earth, Master."
Luther took Integra's outstretched hand, closed and opened his eyes once more.
Slowly rousing his consciousness from deep sleep, he sat up.
And Luther beheld it.
The blue and beautiful star beyond the ship's window.
Earth.
The starting star where everything began.
Integra hugged into Luther's arms, and Luther embraced her back with a smile.
He gazed at the Earth they had finally returned to.