Chapter 91   - Lifting operations

*(Note: POV of the Black-Furred Kemonomimi from the previous chapter; also, since this chapter is from the perspective of a New Human, I shall refer to New Humanity as merely Humanity, since, well, from their perspective, they aren't "new," they just "are.")

It was about 100 million years ago that humans, having evolved from various animals, were born on Earth.

Since then, as humans achieved various magical and technological developments, they ventured out from the Earth in search of resources and expanded their range of activities to the far reaches of the universe.

They continued to expand their range of activities, using their powerful army to fight against other stars.

The invaded stars formed a "coalition of planets" to fight against the Earth, but they were powerless in the face of the overwhelming might of the Earth's military.

One after another, the stars were conquered by the Earth, and the United Planets was driven into a corner.

It was indeed the era when "Earth reigned as the ruler of the universe," but it did not last long.

Simply put, humanity was exhausted.

Our lives are managed in order to dominate the vast universe.

The constant days of repeated invasions to maintain control.

Furthermore, all materials and technologies had already been discovered.

Humanity has come to know everything in the world.

Even a baby can understand long-distance transport magic.

We also have the power to live as individuals, without belonging to a society.

Immortality, which was sought by ancient powers, is available to anyone who desires it.

Energy problems, environmental problems, racial problems, religious problems, and many other problems are already in the past.

*(Note: But the conflict between White Hairs and Black Hairs? My guess is that that ended when New Humans abandoned the universe and fled in small groups to the outer fringes. This chapter takes place during that era after all.)

For the omniscient and omnipotent humanity, the universe had already lost its appeal.

As a result, vast space and resources were no longer necessary for human life, and Humanity abandoned stars one after another.

Huge space fleets, prosperous cities, and the perfect system to manage humanity…

Humanity abandoned everything and left the universe.

And then, as if in the twilight, mankind disappeared from the vast universe.

A short time later, humans followed their homing instincts and began returning to the Earth in waves.

Apparently, the population was in the hundreds of billions at that time, but as time went on, the population continued to decline.

*(Note: "millions" to "billions." A spacefaring society wouldn't have a smaller population than our current one I feel.)

At some point, humanity decided to abandon continents and built a huge flying island that would travel through the sky and settled there.

When the flying island, the fruit of humanity's wisdom, was completed, the total population was already less than 10,000, but no one saw it as a problem.

(We can finally end the long history of humanity)

Such thoughts were running through the minds of the people.

Perhaps there were people from Earth on some other planet, but no one cared anymore.

(If you want to go back to Earth, go ahead; if not, do as you please.)

Everyone thought that they were the only ones who could do it.

On the huge flying island, humans slowly met their demise.

People who had become immortal died one after another the moment they grew tired of their own lives.

The various art forms, cuisine, and even magical technology that mankind had created could not hold people together in this world.

And recently, I became the last person on earth.

The last person I saw off was my neighbor.

We had never spoken or even said hello to each other, and I had never even seen the other's face until I saw it in a portrait of him or her.

We never stepped out of our homes and just waited for the time to pass.

One day.

I was just staring emotionlessly at some image magic created long ago.

Then, I received a message from the flying island.

The message read:

"You are the last of the human race, and this island belongs to you."

The text was neither happy nor sad.

When I read the message, I knew that my neighbor had had enough of this world and had chosen death.

His funeral was a simple one.

There was no will, and without a will, the homunculi were supposed to hold a simple funeral.

My neighbor's body was carefully cremated by the homunculi.

I attended my neighbor's funeral dressed in mourning clothes and was the last person to see him off.

When I die, there will be no one to see me off.

My body will be disposed of by homunculi, just like my neighbor's.

But I didn't think anything of it.

The next day, I stayed inside and waited for the time to pass, reading books and listening to music.

One day, I suddenly felt like going for a walk.

As I strolled around the perimeter of the flying island, I noticed something in the distance out at sea.

It was a huge island that had been known as a mystery since time immemorial.

It was then that it occurred to me.

(Come to think of it, what kind of people live on that island?)

With this thought in mind, I landed the flying island right next to the mysterious island.

Then, I cut a hole in the powerful barrier magic that protected the flying island and stepped outside.

I walked across the water and arrived at the huge mysterious sea island.

Then I touched the magic of the sea island.

As I had expected, the area around the sea island was covered with the same kind of barrier magic as that of the flying island.

(Ah, with such a powerful barrier magic, no matter how many times our ancestors attacked, they couldn't even scratch it.)

With that in mind, I decided to take a closer look at the barrier magic of the sea island.

I touched the magic with both hands, closed my eyes, and began to analyze it with the full of my concentration.

I concluded that it was possible to open a hole through in which a single person could pass, although time was needed.

At that moment, I suddenly felt a gaze.

When I opened my eyes, I saw a girl dressed in white standing right in front of me, staring at me.

I was so startled by the sudden appearance of the owner of the mysterious island that I froze for a moment.

However, the girl showed no sign of anger; rather, when she understood what I was doing, she smiled happily and left with a fluttering wave of her hand.

Over the next few days, we developed a curious relationship.

Every day at a certain time, a girl would appear in front of me and watch me work on removing the barrier magic with a smiling face.

I smiled back at her.

We smiled at each other and looked at each other.

At that moment, I felt it.

(I think I can be a good friend to this person.)