50: Welcome only comes from knowing. ※

This story is told from Vee's perspective.

"Thank you! Vilijani...!"

"Stay back."

"W-what...?"

The scooter controlled by Memo lands at the harbor.

I smile as I step off, Satu frowns with a stern expression, and Memo remains expressionless as we disembark. Our eyes turn toward a group of individuals resembling corporate colony representatives.

Then, as a man approaches from the group with a joyful expression, Satu quickly grips a titanium rod and raises it in readiness.

"Memo, report the situation's end to them?"

"We haven't taken any action yet. Since the farm behind the incident—the rocketcorn farm—remains unresolved, there's no reason to lower our guard. In fact... only a few people in the control room and those involved in scooter rentals know that rocketcorn is approaching this colony. You two aren't among them."

The faces of the gathered people turned pale.

Still, most of their expressions were hard to understand.

I see. Most of them seem to be innocent bystanders merely incited by others.

"W-we're... "

"We don't consider you enemies. So, calmly and without suspicious movements, return into the colony. We'll hear your story later."

"W-we understand... "

The suspicious one... Ah, there they are.

I don’t really feel like dealing with this kind of thing right now, but if you’re heading that way, I won’t hold back.

“Gyaa!?!”

“……T?!”

“Vee!?!”

Thus, unannounced gunfire.

“Sneaking up on the riot-control robots. Would you really overlook that under these circumstances?”

“Yeah, you couldn’t really ignore it.”

“A sound judgment, indeed.”

Using a stun blast to knock off his shield, then striking the man directly with a non-lethal blast, I brought him down.

The man I had just knocked down was standing in front of a device meant to urgently activate riot-control robots.

If activated under current circumstances, those robots would attack us—people who aren’t corporate personnel.

Even if activated, I don't think it could match the current Sata and Memo, but I've decided to stop it before it starts, so I'll hold it back.

"Now, I'll say this once more. Go back inside the colony."

"Y-yes, I understand!"

The remaining people—likely only those influenced by the man who just collapsed—enter the colony one by one.

As for the man who had collapsed, Sata apprehended him, and he was kept restrained until police or military arrived—confirmed by security personnel from the corporate colony, people deemed trustworthy by the management office.

"Anyway, that guy was probably just a disposable low-level pawn. If he were a high-ranking official, he wouldn't have stayed in a place that should've been reduced to splinters by now."

"That's right. It's plausible that someone who sold some technology from the Tricity Factory to terrorists, now cornered and desperate, would say something like that."

"Whether it was just one person or several, and what other companies are involved... well, that's beyond our scope now."

We temporarily relocate to a room near the harbor.

I placed the memo on the bench as a cushion and made a makeshift resting spot, then lay down and closed my eyes.

I really overused my eyes this time.

I can faintly feel a warmth in them.

"Satā-sama. Could you send me the information about the mod used in the rocket cone? I'll share it with the intelligence unit."

"Understood."

It seems Satā and Memo have already shared the information while I was resting.

I understand that they're both space monsters and Gairoid, so their stamina is vastly different from mine... but it's a bit frustrating to be the one left out when we're in a situation like this.

"Why is there a note about taste?"

"Ability-wise, eating it is the easiest to analyze. And because it was so awful, I couldn't help but write that note. I can't forgive the culprit behind this, even in this aspect."

"……You know, the general consensus was that rocket corn is actually delicious."

"I want to eat proper rocket corn once this whole situation is resolved..."

Speaking of which, was it really okay to send rocket corn to the space where Sata's main body is located?

Since it's a completely different space from ours, the rocket corn sent there should wither away immediately, but it shouldn't happen instantly.

Let me check just in case.

"Satā. I sent rocket corn to the space where your main body is located. Was that okay?"

"Uh? Ah, don't worry about that. The space I inhabit isn't the kind that could be damaged by an explosion of that scale, and my true body is no different. The taste was awful, but it was definitely just food—solid in quantity and nutrition."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Looks like everything turned out alright after all.

"By the way, based on the information I got from the rocket cone I sampled, we now know the enemy's location... At least we can directly assault their affiliates... What should we do about it?"

"That... what should we do about it?"

"Master Sata. Does that mean the farm was the launch site?"

"I don't know. All we managed to obtain was the coordinates—nothing more than 'somewhere within the Glogrobeta system.' And since those coordinates are based on my own perception, we can't even share them with the Imperial Army. Still...

"Still?"

"Given that this location was specifically marked as one to avoid, despite the rocket cone carrying no stars or planets, there must be some deliberate intent behind it."

"I see. That's quite fascinating."

You can directly charge into what is highly likely to be the enemy's main camp.

There's no other way to describe it—truly a creature from outer space.

If there's a chance the perpetrators might escape due to the rocket cone's failure...

"Note: Contact headquarters and share the information and my location trace."

Understood, Master Vee.

"Sata. Let me know what preparations I need to make. I'll head over once the fever in my eyes has subsided somewhat."

...Got it.

Let's head there.

As quickly as possible.

10/10 typo correction