161: Clues Leading to the Mastermind

"Master Satou, Master Vee. If we're to secure the target, please be extremely careful not to be noticed. If the mastermind behind the space monster impersonator is involved, we can't predict where traps might be set."

"We understand. That said... are there any samples that won't be detected by any of the eyes watching—competition organizers, athletes, spectators, cameras, or anyone else?"

"Wait a second. If it's a large part or one that requires precise movement, they're all separated individually. It might be fine now, but it'll probably be obvious later..."

It's now clear that there exists an old-fashioned rifle containing fragments of a mass-transformation mod disguised as residual effects from another mod.

Now that we've realized this fact, we must recover the component in order to locate the mastermind who planted it, as well as to prevent any worst-case scenario from occurring.

However, in the traditional rifle race, selecting the right components is crucial to progressing through the competition, and most parts are kept under constant surveillance, making it difficult to secretly transfer them to one's possession.

"Master Sata. What about the cartridge cases? They're sorted by size, but since each competitor may use several, a large number are prepared. If we only need one from among them..."

"Um, wait a second... Yeah, I found it. Some of the cartridges contain the usual mod fragments mixed in."

"Can't we recover all of them?"

"No way. That'd definitely be noticed."

Having received advice from Mebokushi, I turned my attention to the cartridges.

A cartridge is essentially a container for the bullet, gunpowder, and primer, but due to the requirements of the race, there are various sizes, each prepared in sufficient quantities.

Cartridges containing fragments of the mass conversion mod... well, there are quite a few of those.

Stealing all of them would definitely draw attention.

But not stealing all of them feels risky... normally.

"Vee. What about threats?"

"I don't sense anything. So if you can trust my eyes, I believe completion here today isn't possible."

"Amazing perception, as always."

"Preventing anything after today can be handled after the competition ends. For now, securing evidence should be our priority."

Yeah, we've got Vilijanira's eyes on this.

If Vilijanira says she's fine despite fully recognizing the true nature and danger of the threat, then she must be fine—for now.

So, for now, we can focus solely on stealing a single cartridge.

"Got it. Transferring to the room now."

"Yes."

"Understood."

"Recording it for later."

When I grab the shell containing the fragment of the mass conversion mod at the bottom of the shell mountain with the main body, I transfer it all the way to the doll's hand.

That was the moment we all recognized the brass-colored cartridge shining brightly.

Sata!!

Viljaniela screams.

No instructions have been given.

But from the way he was shouting and the situation, it was clear what he wanted.

Therefore, I immediately activated the mod-destruction ink, completely destroying the mod contained within the cartridge.

At the same time, by making the puppet's grip strength dependent on its core body and forcefully clenching it, I physically shattered the cartridge completely.

"……. It seems safe now."

"Phew……"

"I understand the general idea, but could you please explain the specifics?"

"The cartridge's image has been preserved, so we can trace exactly where, by whom, and at what time it was manufactured."

Vilijaniela slowly exhaled.

Together with that, the tension that had built up among everyone in an instant began to ease.

Now, I should find out what Vilijaniela felt.

"Please wait a moment... Yes, it seems best to make that judgment after all."

Vilijaniela's eyes turned toward the cartridge storage area in the venue.

She seemed to be verifying something.

Yet, as far as I could tell with my own eyes, no one in the venue had noticed that a single cartridge was missing.

There was no footage showing the camera capturing the cartridge storage area.

That means, no one in the Empire could possibly have realized I had moved the cartridge...

"What I felt was simple. Right when Sata transferred the cartridge, only that cartridge's threat level skyrocketed dramatically. It seemed to keep rising until just before Sata crushed it, so if Sata hadn't crushed it, something dangerous would've likely already emerged by now."

"Got it. Sata, can I see the cartridge you transferred?"

"Please."

The threat has escalated, then.

There's no doubt about the accuracy of Vilijanila's eyes.

That means something dangerous was truly approaching.

If so, then it's logical to assume that, for some reason, the mastermind behind the space monster imposter has learned that I stole the cartridge...

I checked the room and venue for any suspicious devices emitting unusual radio waves, but found nothing. I also reviewed the camera footage, but there's no recording of the moment when Miss Satou stole it.

From our investigation, it really does seem to be just an ordinary shell. There's no sign of a transmitter, nor any complex structural components at all.

As for the mod, there was nothing other than the fragment of the mass-transformation mod. I checked it before transferring.

I can't figure out the mechanism at all.

At the very least, there was no mechanism built into the cartridge itself.

"Perhaps the mysterious figure behind it possesses the ability to detect any movement that deviates from a predetermined pattern."

"«««……»»»"

That would make Vilijaniura's answer seem increasingly likely to be correct.

Moreover, if such a power exists, it might explain the timing of the previous appearances of the fake space monsters.

In the case of the *Tsumebakei* incident, the anomaly occurred shortly after the illegal human manufacturing device was destroyed.

During the Grogrobeta system incident, it happened when the humans turned into fake space monsters attempted to escape from their hideout.

It had been a little while after we were cornered during the recent Inakaini incident.

We don’t know the details, but the space monster-like creatures Megurinia spotted seemed to appear at an odd, almost suspicious timing.

Yeah, now that I think about it, they felt a bit off—like they were slightly behind the pace. Maybe they really do possess that ability, releasing their power to transform into space monster imitations only after sensing the target.

"Sata. Deliver this information to Seiryō Corporation. Be sure to include proper notes, and deliver it yourself, Sata."

"Noted."

"Memo. When investigating this information, exercise extreme caution. In the worst case, you might be transformed into a space monster imitation. Never investigate it directly."

"Understood."

"Joharis. Prepare a flight plan at any time to the Syblasmiss System... or, depending on circumstances, to the Imperial Planet Vanilla Sid. Make sure everything is ready. I believe we'll be fine, but we can't rule out the possibility of an emergency situation developing."

"Understood."

In any case, it's clear we can no longer afford to leisurely enjoy the old-fashioned rifle race.

Taking advantage of the fact that we had no access to the VIP seating area, we investigated and compiled the information.