Chapter 138

On Planet Ragav, a fair number of intelligent beings still remained at this point in time. Bunaha, who had been delegated by Leen, was making preparations to ensure the residents could evacuate from Ragav without incident, all the while worrying about Leen, from whom there had been no contact.

"I wonder if His Majesty was able to make contact successfully."

Today again, another ship departed from Ragav. They were relocating to an artificial celestial body intended for habitation. Each person carried belongings that would likely become memories of Ragav. The people of Ragav were a species with an exceptionally strong attachment to their home planet.

If there was one thing Bunaha was concerned about, it was that. Leen, the King, possessed an extremely strong centripetal force, but that stemmed from a deep love for the planet Ragav. He had petitioned the Federation Congress numerous times for its rescue. If that affection for Planet Ragav became too overt, he might not even consider the risks to the Federation.

The upper echelons of the Federation likely held a low opinion of Ragav. Bunaha understood that, but had been unable to convey it to Leen. After all, the same problem would arise even if someone other than Leen were king. This deep attachment could only be described as a terrible affliction shared by all intelligent beings living on Ragav.

Then—

'Bunaha'

A message came from the terminal installed in Leen's private room—the long-awaited contact from their master. Hurrying to the terminal, Bunaha saw Leen's face. They looked somewhat haggard.

It seemed the negotiations had been quite tough. Rather than showing concern for Leen, Bunaha decided to confirm the results first. Their long relationship made it clear that Leen would likely prefer that.

"How did it go?"

'We have secured the cooperation of Terapolapaneshio.'

"Oh! Wonderful."

Bunaha expressed their joy without reservation. However, Leen's expression remained gloomy.

It appeared that their clouded face was not due to fatigue alone.

'As you suggested, I asked Kait Third-Rank Citizen (Enec Lagif) to act as intermediary. It seems he did indeed possess the influence to move Terapolapaneshio.'

"I'm glad. It seems the information I gathered wasn't wrong. So, what happened? For someone who succeeded, your complexion doesn't look so good."

'Hmm, really? Then perhaps I was affected. That Earthling was a terrifying individual.'

"Huh...?"

Bunaha responded half-heartedly as Leen massaged his brow. They didn't quite understand, but perhaps Leen had gone through something extraordinary.

The rumor that Terapolapaneshio was searching for lifeforms similar to themselves was a widely whispered Federation gossip. According to the information Bunaha had obtained, on the Earth—homeland of the Earthlings—there just so happened to be a species that matched what Terapolapaneshio had been seeking. Kait, upon first contact with the Federation, had provided that information to Terapolapaneshio, gaining a favor in return.

Bunaha had thought it was a stroke of luck to be able to gain a favor from the Federation's most powerful entity right from the start. They had judged that this time too, if the matter was approached from the perspective of "What if Earth were in Ragav's situation?", it would gain traction.

Since Leen wasn't very good with words, Bunaha hadn't expected things to go well from the beginning. The plan had been to just make introductions at first and then provide guidance afterward. However, just a brief conversation with Leen had been enough to get Terapolapaneshio to act.

It seemed that Kait, the Earthling and Third-Rank Citizen, was not only lucky but also reasonably clever. Bunaha raised their evaluation of the Earthling named Kait a little.

"So, what kind of cooperation have we received?"

'...With the approval of the Federation Congress, Ragav will be offered as a testing ground for new technology.'

"Huh!?"

The content was so outrageous that Bunaha couldn't help but let out a stunned cry.

***

With the arrival of official documents from the Federation Congress, Bunaha was forced to believe Leen's preposterous explanation.

No matter how many petitions had been made or how much groundwork had been laid, the Congress had remained immovable until now. The lawmakers who had always rejected them using Federation law and past precedents as shields had become this cooperative just by going through Kait, the Third-Rank Citizen.

Bunaha couldn't help but double-check Kait's publicly available profile in the Federation's citizen registry. There was no doubt that Kait had only recently joined the Federation. Considering the timing of Earth's entry into the Federation, it seemed impossible that he'd had time to build such connections.

"So, Representative Asheid lobbied the Congress, and if the proposed technology can help Ragav overcome this crisis, the method will be publicly released under the Federation's name?"

'Yes. I've already had meetings with the persons in charge of the project. Things are progressing smoothly—absurdly so.'

Leen spat the words self-deprecatingly. It must have been a strong feeling of helplessness. After all, the situation had already begun slipping out of Ragav's hands. Leen had likely never before been faced so clearly with the fact that they had done nothing and could do nothing.

However, if looked at from another angle, it could be seen as the responsibility shifting away from them. Even if it failed, it would be seen as the Federation's failure, not Leen's misgovernance. Leen's centripetal force would remain intact.

"By the way, what exactly is this new technology? It wasn't specified in the documents."

'...About that.'

Leen's expression grew even darker.

What could it be? Leen seemed to find this method undesirable. With a grimace, he took several deep breaths.

'We will remove Planet Ragav from the Ragav star system.'

"...What?"

'In other words, we will relocate Planet Ragav to a different star system.'

"That's insane!?"

Bunaha couldn't help but shout. They now understood why Leen found it undesirable. Moving a planet to a different star system was a method no one had ever considered before.

Light from the star, gravitational interference from surrounding planets—just thinking about it brought up multiple reasons why Ragav's lifeforms could go extinct. But even if Leen claimed it was undesirable, the conclusion had not changed.

So the Federation Congress believes this is feasible?

'As for Ragav's lifeforms, the Federation will collect and preserve them in advance using artificial celestial bodies. This includes soil, rivers, and atmosphere.'

"You mean they'll scrape the surface of Ragav!"

'Yes. They will take environmental changes into account, but nothing is guaranteed. There's a risk that the soil's properties could change drastically.'

"Can't we refuse? This is far too absurd, and if it ends up destroying Ragav's ecosystem—"

At Bunaha's words, Leen weakly shook his head.

It seemed Leen had raised the same objections. However, the fact that these documents had arrived meant Leen's protests had gone unheard.

The method Bunaha had envisioned was defending the planet by deploying a massive barrier. With Terapolapaneshio's cooperation, the success rate would have increased significantly. That had been the hope.

'Impossible. They agreed that if it were just a near-miss with the star system, it could be defended. But if the situation escalated to a stellar collision, not only Planet Ragav but even the entity deploying the barrier would be obliterated. They said such a risk was unacceptable. I agree with them.'

"But still...!"

Bunaha continued to resist. They even considered accusing the Federation Congress of tyranny, but realized that lodging a complaint with the very body imposing the tyranny might be meaningless.

'Either way, if we reject this proposal, the Federation Congress will withdraw from Ragav. Naturally, Terapolapaneshio's cooperation will also be nullified.'

"Wouldn't that be better, actually?"

Perhaps there was a bit of anger in those words. However, it seemed they didn't reach Leen's heart. He slowly shook his head, speaking heavily.

'If that happens, Ragav will likely perish anyway. If we're going to fail whether we act or not, then we have no choice but to bet on the chance of success.'

"Your Majesty..."

How much inner conflict must he have endured to reach that conclusion?

Perhaps the true reason for Leen's clouded expression was that very conflict. Suppressing their dissatisfaction and distrust, Bunaha deliberately spoke in a cheerful tone.

"Understood. Then I will promptly complete the evacuation of the populace."

'Please. Also, I have a favor to ask.'

"What is it?"

'I want you to record the current state of Ragav in as much detail as possible. It will be used for environmental restoration after the planet's relocation succeeds.'

"Understood. I won't leave anything out."

'Please. ...Whether the planet's relocation succeeds or fails, just having that record will bring comfort to the people's hearts.'

"...Absolutely."

The King's smile was painfully sorrowful. Unable to look at it directly, Bunaha instinctively bowed their head.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.