Episode 22

Right after the practical test was halted, we were detained.

It wasn’t just us, in fact.

Students and supervisors present at Stellarium that day, as well as tourists who had stopped by this planet for a vacation, were all detained.

The planet was sealed off.

“We are now conducting an interrogation. Please cooperate.”

The investigation began.

I was the first among the students to be taken away for questioning.

There was no other reason for being the first.

“Are you really saying it wasn’t you?”

The only reason was that I am ‘Aidel von Reinhardt’.

A worthless troublemaker abandoned by his own family.

Yet, due to the damned Federal law, they are inevitably forced to live under the same ship with me, the worthless piece of trash.

A son who’s closer to a juvenile police officer than to his own father…

…That’s precisely why I was the first.

Being abruptly summoned by the well-known officers in the area was something I had anticipated.

Of course, I felt wronged.

“Even so, do you really think I did it because I was out of my mind?”

“Well.”

Detective Terence, of the Southern Galaxy Region’s Police Department, looked at me intently, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He specialized in handling juvenile crimes in this vicinity and frequently had conflicts with Aidel.

It seemed that even he thought the accusation was absurd, as he could only let out a hollow laugh.

“Don’t you know the principle of presumption of innocence?”

“I know, jerk. I just called you to see your face.”

Detective Terence stroked his dark beard and sighed heavily. His face, glistening in the light of the interrogation room, was the epitome of exhaustion.

“We’ve secured all the CCTV footage. The prosecution considers it highly unlikely that you’re the perpetrator. There are others who are far more suspect… Anyway, I have some questions for you. That’s why you’ve been brought in.”

“Go ahead.”

“Calipers.”

I nearly leapt out of my seat.

“…is that what they’re called? I thought it was a tool from the past. Anyway, you were seen holding it on the surveillance camera.”

“Ah, that…?”

“Where did you get it?”

I felt a chill down my spine.

“I heard that personal items are prohibited in the testing area…”

I’m in trouble.

No, more than trouble, it’s an awkward situation.

Admitting an Outer God gifted it to me would surely land me in what’s ostensibly a mental hospital—in reality, a facility for containing galactic monsters.

Conversely,

If I claim that a Constellation bestowed it upon me, I would immediately be subjected to further investigation by the inspectors. If it is then revealed that there is no hidden agenda, it will clearly only result in attracting more undue suspicion.

For reference, the existence of Outer Gods cannot be detected using the primitive inspection methods of humanity.

After running through my calculations, I arrived at a conclusion.

The conclusion that there was only one remaining option.

“I’m not sure about that.”

“You, you, you always dodging the question like that, huh?”

“How can I remember something I truly don’t recall?”

I decided to stick to playing dumb till the end.

“You need to know this. That, um, that….”

“That I’m no longer a minor under the law?”

“Yeah, that’s right, that. You know it well!”

Detective Terence spoke as if issuing a veiled threat. Essentially, he was saying not to lie because I could now be held criminally liable.

But what can I do about it?

Do you think I’ll be intimidated by this?

I am confident.

“I find it ridiculous too—calipers? I had absolutely no idea what they were, just picked them up and swung them around.”

Some might find it so absurd that they can’t help but laugh.

Really, can you believe a mere 16-year-old kid (albeit a C-class one) went around smashing monster skulls with ancient tools and managed to resolve this terrifying crisis?

But then again, what else could you expect?

Aidel.

That name alone turns all the improbability into something plausible.

If someone is crazy enough to attempt arson on a residential building just over a minor insult, then it indeed makes sense for them to brazenly take on monsters with nothing but a tool in hand.

Of course, it also stands to reason that they could have smuggled that tool in.

However, given that I was thoroughly frisked before entering the practical exam venue, there was no way for me to hide calipers the size of a human forearm. It was more logical to assume they were already there.

Fortunately(?), Terence seemed to buy my story.

“Well, because it’s you.”

“Yes, because it’s me.”

It’s really convenient at times like this.

“Still, I hope we don’t have to meet under these circumstances again. It’s hard on you, hard on me, what’s the point?”

“You’re the detective in charge of juveniles. Won’t we be parting ways soon enough?”

“Because of you, I might be transferred to the violent crimes division soon.”

After that, Terence asked me a few more questions. Some of them were directly or indirectly related to calipers.

But what can be done? The person in question claims not to know.

I played dumb until the very end.

It was advantageous to pretend ignorance until the last possible moment, as it could negatively impact future college admissions.

Moreover, the fact that I had started holding the calipers and was in the CCTV blind spot at that time worked in my favor as a stroke of luck.

In the end, Detective Terence had to let me go without any significant findings.

After Aidel left, Detective Terence proceeded to question the other students one by one.

“I don’t know.”

That was the response from Ceti, who was notoriously on bad terms with Aidel.

“… Well, I’m not sure.”

Rustila, a girl who had helped subdue the monster at the scene, gave a similar response.

“Do you… know where the calipers might have gone?”

“I am not sure. I don’t remember.”

No one knows.

Not a single soul.

The whereabouts of the calipers.

Detective Terence sat with his legs crossed.

An ordinary person might think, ‘Why is that important?’

But Terence had a sharp intuition.

‘There’s something here.’

It would have made sense if Aidel had used a plasma sword to subdue the monsters,

‘There were sixteen swords distributed throughout the testing ground. Apart from those, there were no other weapons capable of killing the monsters. However, the presence of those tools means…’

The thought continued.

‘The monsters were exchanged with golems. The exact moment of the switch has not been determined. Nor can the time of appearance and whereabouts of the calipers be ascertained.’

A commonality was observed here.

The primary material of the replaced golems was metal, and it was likely the same for the calipers.

Both sparkled, a telltale characteristic of metal.

‘Metal, metal, machinery…’

At that moment, a spark of deduction flashed through Terence’s mind.

“Was your name… Rustila?”

“Yes.”

Rustila straightened up and nodded her head.

“Did you feel any particular sensation when you struck them?”

“They felt like chunks of metal.”

“Chunks of metal, huh.”

There was something that needed to be verified.

“Student Rustila, according to your earlier response, you mentioned that you have made a contract with a Constellation. Surely, it’s with a Divine Spirit…”

“The God of Purity and Persistence.”

The God of Purity and Persistence.

A Constellation corresponding to the main-sequence star named ‘GJ-721’, located in a region of the Milky Way.

… ‘GJ-721’ is a classification used among scholars, but among the general public, it is better known by its true name, ‘Vega’.

A Constellation so renowned that its true name is widely recognized.

It could be said to have been a part of human history. Likewise, there was much known about Rustila’s Constellation.

Among the known aspects was the skill ‘Heart’s Eye’.

“I’ve heard that you can read into others’ inner thoughts to some extent. Whether they’re good, bad, sane, or insane….”

Honestly, Terence felt a bit uncomfortable even mentioning this.

The idea of reading someone’s inner thoughts…

Of course, it’s not about precisely reading their deepest thoughts, but rather providing a rough outline, like a sketch.

Nevertheless, interpreting or guiding the outcome of this reading is not straightforward.

Constellations were, quite literally, beings beyond the law. And humans under the protection of Constellations were somewhat similar.

Nations that existed before the Federation, which attempted to arrest these beings for political reasons, or rashly sought to supervise and manage them, or engaged in various other misdeeds, were all completely annihilated.

That was the judgment of the Constellations.

And the meddling of the Outer Gods.

As a result, openly displaying discomfort towards these beings or their actions was not an option.

“…Ahem. Anyway, have you ever used your ability to observe the inner thoughts of a student named Aidel?”

Asking this much was all he could do.

Rustila twined her fingers together nervously under the desk as she replied.

“No.”

After all, it was unlikely that someone who had made a contract with a Constellation would use such power on just anyone.

The Constellations were entities that came only to a select few virtuous individuals.

From the start, the very notion of having a backer like that was a guarantee of the statement, ‘I am someone who can live without the law!’

There was no point in probing further.

“Alright, that’s enough. Let’s stop here.”

Detective Terence dismissed Rustila and became lost in thought.

It was certain that it was the work of the Outer Gods, and it was even narrowed down to which of the Four Legions it belonged to, but…

‘I don’t know exactly which one did it or why.’

No matter how much he thought about it, it seemed there was no Outer God foolish enough to cause such a nonsensical commotion during the academy entrance tests.

Knock. Knock.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door of the interrogation room.

“Detective, you have a visitor.”

“A visitor? Who is it?”

There shouldn’t have been anyone looking for him at this time.

“A journalist named Oh Fey would like to request an interview with you, detective. They have some questions regarding the Stellarium case…”

“…Journalists are a bother.”

If they come without even sending an email, it doesn’t bode well.

-Send them away.

Terence was about to say that, but he hesitated.

For some reason, he felt that he shouldn’t dismiss them.

It was an intuition honed from years of detective work.

“I’ll be right out.”

Terence trusted that intuition.

Upon entering the lobby, he saw a man bundled up in a thick coat and fedora, his face well-hidden. Detective Terence surmised this must be the journalist his subordinate had mentioned. He approached the man and initiated conversation.

“I’m Detective Terence. Were you looking for me?”

The man nodded and then spoke.

“Do you know a student named Aidel von Reinhardt?”

“Yes, I’m aware of him.”

“I understood that you’ve known the student for quite some time.”

“Yes, but…”

As he said this, Terence exchanged a light handshake with the man.

“Have you come to interview the student?”

“More precisely, I’ve come to interview the detective who knows the student.”

During their brief exchange, Terence caught the scent from the hand he had shaken with the man.

‘…He is not a journalist.’

“You came to interview me?”

“Yes, though it’s not a big deal. You just need to tell me about any incidents involving a friend named Aidel from when he was younger.”

“Disclosing someone else’s information is not something I should do as a public servant.”

“Haha, I’m not asking you as a public servant. Did I ask you to expose his criminal records?”

“…?”

“I’m just asking you to share what you know, within reason.”

The man, who had been somewhat rude at their first meeting, soon took off his hat. As the brim lifted, the grinning face of a young man was revealed.

Terence tried to show his discomfort but instead laughed helplessly.

It was someone he knew.

Not just an acquaintance, but a friend he had been close with since their youth.

“I need to interview that student soon… but I can’t just set the date as I please.”

“…”

“Could you allow me to do a preliminary visit?”

“… Sigh.”

‘Oh Fey’—really. He should have been more thoughtful when choosing a pseudonym.

To his knowledge, there was only one person among his friends who would show up without warning and play such pranks.

Terence laughed incredulously and said,

“You haven’t changed a bit, Feynman.”

The man who heard the name also laughed in response.