105: Follow-up on the Magnelina Incident

"Hmm-hmm-hm♪ Perfectly done!"

"Wow, you actually managed to cook, Satu..."

"Well, some things just shine a little more when you make them yourself, even if they're not perfect. Oh, don't expect gourmet quality. Mine's strictly home cooking."

"Sniff sniff. Smells great!"

Night.

We're still staying at 'Pumpkin Witch' tonight.

Thus, I prepare a soup based on saikyo-eel preserved in oil and serve it up.

Hmm, the oil seems to trap heat, making it feel like it'll warm the body nicely.

The saikyo-eel itself is naturally delicious, and the other ingredients, while amateurish, are quite sufficient—pairing well with the bread I've prepared as a staple. Shouldn't be a problem at all.

In modern society, it's not uncommon for people living in apartments to prepare home-cooked meals, but it's equally common to buy prepared dishes or bento boxes from various stores, or to eat meals at restaurants.

The busier people become, such as those in the aristocracy or other elite classes, the less likely they are to cook for themselves unless it's a hobby.

Therefore, if it's normal for Villigianira to have never cooked before, it's equally normal for me to be able to prepare at least basic meals.

"Excuse me during dinner, Your Highnesses, Lord Sata, Lord Johalis. We've received additional information regarding the Maeglinia incident from the Imperial Military Intelligence Corps."

"Additional information?"

"Yes. A summary of the intelligence gathered since the elimination of Maeglinia up until now."

"Quite thoroughly investigated, aren't you? The Spefana baronial family was in such a state."

"It seems the key factors were that some data had been cloud-stored on servers, and Maeglinia's hidden warehouse had been discovered."

"Fufufu. With our superior skills, once we identify the culprit, the investigation moves forward in no time at all."

At that moment, Meokushi arrived with new information, so I set aside the dummy and checked the data directly using my main body.

Hmm.

First, it seems the hidden warehouse in Maglenia was concealed within the sewer system.

There are signs that the victims' eyes were stored there, but the actual items are missing.

After Maglenia destroyed the Spafana noble family, they probably stopped by and either took or seized them.

Moreover, it's said that numerous cameras were installed along the entire route leading there, so with Maglenia's abilities, it's possible she could have remotely conducted experiments or other activities simply by connecting to information terminals via the cameras.

Incidentally, following this incident, investigations appear to have been launched in sewage systems across various regions of Planet Flaretanbo 1, reportedly uncovering several discoveries.

Things like criminal organizations' hideouts, hidden assets of corrupt politicians rumored to be involved in shady dealings, or illicit supplies from a few unethical corporations—those kinds of things.

"Is telekinesis inherited from ancestors?"

"Looks like it."

A few ancestors of Meglinia were said to have possessed telekinetic abilities.

Due to Meglinia's remote location within the Flaretanbo star system and the limited human traffic, these few individuals' genes became concentrated over time, causing the ability to re-emerge in Meglinia through a kind of ancestral regression.

The documents state that the manifested telekinesis may have been enhanced by the abilities of the cosmic monster, resulting in such immense power.

"Um...?"

"Satā?"

"I won't deny it's somewhat like a ancestral return, but the manifestation of telekinesis probably started after becoming the cosmic monster. I can't imagine it appearing in childhood and allowing me to slip past the imperial surveillance network. On the other hand, regarding later development, considering the cosmic monster possesses its own OS and can generate mods when needed, it's easy to think the missing piece could be seamlessly integrated, making manifestation effortless."

"...Please send that information to the reconnaissance unit."

"Got it."

Yeah, if you ask the cosmic monster, it's not just about enhancement—it's also about supplementation and construction.

It was only because they inherited fragments from their ancestors that telekinesis could manifest so easily. Without becoming a cosmic monster, telekinesis probably wouldn't have manifested at all.

Meglenia is probably of that type.

"The cosmic monster look-alike died at the collision site of the Gigarok Space Pirates. But witnessing that event caused Meglenia to awaken as a cosmic monster. Sat, what do you think about this?"

"I don't know. It's written in her diary—she wanted to remember that moment so badly that she couldn't bring herself to show it to anyone, so I believe it's genuine. But how exactly a person becomes a cosmic monster... I just don't understand."

"I see."

The circumstances surrounding Megurinia becoming a cosmic monster... according to her own diary, it happened when she witnessed a monster-like creature emerging from the wreckage of a collision between two spaceships of the Gigaroku Space Pirates near the Flaretanbo star system. At that moment, something inside her apparently snapped.

Though she never says it aloud, her operating system must have been rewritten from the original 'Vanilla OS' into something entirely her own at that instant.

And during the process of rewriting herself, as mentioned earlier, her telekinesis must have manifested.

Well, I have no idea how one might rewrite the operating system inside a human.

After all, I'm a born cosmic monster.

Only the mastermind behind that fake cosmic monster—presumably—could possibly understand such a thing.

Apparently, the fake cosmic monster seen by Megalonia couldn't fully adapt to space—it either couldn't move at all despite surviving, or simply withered away and shattered while Megalonia watched, drifting off toward outer space.

Kind of the most disappointing cosmic monster I've seen so far, huh.

"Lord Vee. We may receive further updates regarding this matter, but can we generally consider it resolved?"

"Yes, I believe so. The main points have been accounted for. Therefore, we won't be involved in this matter any further."

"The suspect is dead, so we just need to tidy up the remaining details... Honestly, what's more concerning is the group that kept the abandoned guide colony accessible through simple operations."

"Well, as Lord Flaretanbo, you'd better check that out right away. Depending on why they were using it, a crisis in the star system could happen again."

As for Maglenia herself, we can consider that matter settled for now.

Going forward, we'll need to investigate the unstable elements within the 'Cosmic Monster Cult' and whoever was using the abandoned guide colony, tracing back from Maglenia's connections.

Hmm, this seems like it'll take ages, and it's probably not something we can actually get involved in.