120: Poison Called Discord ※

This story is told from Vee's perspective.

"Uh, Vee. May I ask about the evidence and the specifics of the attack?"

"Of course. Sata."

Nodding to Sata's words, I adjust the documents I'd been showing earlier so that Sata and Jo哈尔is can see them too.

However, these documents contain information based on my studies at the Vanilla Side Empire University, so someone seeing them for the first time—let alone Sata—wouldn't be able to fully grasp them, even with notes.

So, both Sata and Joharis glance away after reading it briefly, then turn their gaze toward my face.

"The basis is the overall decline in operational efficiency across the Niliyanipotts system, and the effectiveness of various measures implemented to improve it. This document evaluates each aspect from a third-party perspective, but the operational efficiency the Niliyanipotts system is capable of producing is strangely low."

"Isn't this more about the qualities of the people working the job? Or perhaps the capabilities of those in leadership positions?"

"There are also compatibility issues, you know. There are just people you can't stand, after all."

"You're both right. But this document shows that even accounting for those factors, the cause of the unexplained drop in efficiency remains unclear."

"……"

There are countless possible reasons why operational efficiency might decline.

There are countless possible causes—some clear and fixable, others due to simple coordination or skill gaps, some tied to geopolitics or history, and even things akin to cultural afflictions. Truly, the reasons are varied.

But what’s been set up in the Nelianipotts star system is simple, yet troublesome.

"Still, the cause remains unclear from the frontline perspective. From the viewpoint of those in charge, the reason is obvious."

"Specifically?"

It's discord. But of a kind that doesn't become a real problem.

"What do you mean?"

The nature of the attack deployed in the Niliani Potts system is discord.

Not the kind that causes a decisive rift, but merely a slight delay in work that causes irritation, a small hesitation in decision-making, a tiny desire to outmaneuver a colleague... truly just a tiny bit of discord, and just a slight delay.

This should be clear from the information Johari has obtained through 'Eniweatsu' and the demeanor of the intelligence officer we met at 'Vanilla Press'.

However, in the Nelianipotts system, where people are constantly swamped with preparations for events, their execution, and all related tasks, even such a minor accumulation of delays eventually adds up to delays of several minutes, or even tens of minutes, ultimately reducing efficiency.

"I see. But if that's the case, couldn't we adjust staffing or get instructions from above... Ah, no, I suppose that's already being done."

"That's exactly it. The governing body of the Nelianipotts system is addressing the issue. Yet even if they address it, the very person spreading the poison of discord remains at large. Even if they capture that individual and administer long-term education to prevent and neutralize the poison, the toxin continues to spread throughout the entire Nelianipotts system. That's why I described it as sabotage-based attack."

"I see... that makes sense."

Moreover, what makes matters worse is that this poison, by absorbing the nature of the Nelianipotts system—which favors competition—does not merely hinder detoxification, but has also partially affected even mechanical intelligences, which should normally be immune.

This is evident from the report in the memo.

Given how sophisticated this is, it's now clearly not a naturally occurring phenomenon.

"But if that's the case, doesn't it make our current situation of whispering like this kind of awkward?"

"Yes, it does. Right now, we're perfectly being used as the other side's move."

"Just as Lady Vee feared, the outside intelligence units are beginning to notice each other's presence. Yet instead of cooperating, they're choosing to ignore one another."

"Ah, I see. So the information isn't being shared effectively, leading to wasted personnel and time, and ultimately someone somewhere sowing discord and profiting illegally from it, is that it?"

"Pretty much."

What makes this poison particularly dangerous is how nearly impossible it is to pinpoint the root source.

After all, the toxin is almost certainly being spread legally.

And once the poison is scattered, it naturally intensifies among the populace, requiring no further action from anyone at the root.

The fortunate aspect is that this isn't done unconsciously, out of mere curiosity, or as a human mistake—but rather intentionally, for personal gain... likely to delay investigations into something someone desperately wants to keep hidden, or to avoid arrest.

Thanks to that, if we can expose whatever it is they're trying to hide, there may be a way to deal with it.

"So, how do we handle it?"

"Dealing with the poison of discord itself is the responsibility of the governing authority in the Nelianipotts system—not ours. And since our opponent is someone who resorts to such tactics, if we recklessly escalate the situation, we won't be able to apprehend them until they're gone."

"Hmm, hmm."

"So for now, at least on the surface, we'll act just like usual. And once the opponent shows a weakness, we'll pull them in from there."

"In other words, just keep things normal."

"Exactly. Though... if we get a report about the matter we asked Satā to handle, we might be able to act a bit more aggressively."

"...Got it. I'll do my best to hurry up."

"Thank you."

Now, the real question is, what are we trying to conceal... From Satā's report, it's clear that in the Nelianipotts system, there's a constant game of cat-and-mouse between criminal organizations and the governing authorities.

If we're searching for something, that's where we should start.

That said... if my suspicions are correct, we might need to consider the possibility of alienating the technicians adjusting the Sw system.

"Then, shall we proceed as usual on the surface?"

This is a crime unique to the Nerialnipots system, one that's particularly difficult to solve—specifically, secretly administering performance-enhancing drugs to athletes competing in various tournaments.