249: Siltrilichi and Funaka

"Hmm, hmm."

The Siltrilichi system exists in a remote corner of the Vanilla Universe Empire.

It's incredibly distant—so far that even with the fastest faster-than-light travel, a one-way journey still takes a full week.

If another system near the Siltrilichi system were ever colonized, the situation might change, but as things stand now, it's essentially isolated.

As a result, within certain intelligence units, being assigned to the Siltrilichi system is reportedly considered a form of 'exile.'

The region between the Empire and the Siltrilichi system is plagued by poor security, with numerous space pirates and cosmic beasts roaming freely, effectively making it a lawless territory.

Because of this, those in charge require substantial authority, which is why the Nemofera family, as rulers, have been granted the title of duke.

Incidentally, the Nemofera ducal family is said to have split from the imperial lineage around the emperor's great-great-grandparents, making it an esteemed and historically significant house.

Culturally, there is nothing particularly distinctive about them.

However, due to geographical circumstances, they have developed a tendency toward independence and a unique direction of their own.

That said, if nearby star systems were to be colonized, the resources obtained there might suddenly change everything.

Moreover, it seems the guide colony on the Siltrilichi system side was recently destroyed by a space monster, making travel even more difficult.

Well, that's about the basic information.

"Upon closer inspection, there appear to be far more than we initially thought."

"Yes. If they were being stolen by space pirates during transport from the Siltrilichi system to the empire, the numbers seem excessive, and the losses don't quite add up."

How about using the library's records, data from Chilariism-Conplarix, and our own intelligence to take a thorough look at the back of the Siltrilichi system?

Yeah, in that case, there's no doubt it's a hotbed of crime.

And not just any crime—this is a system where Siltrilichi isn't a victim or a follower, but the one pulling the strings.

As seen in the Nelianipotts system, when pirates' stolen goods are disassembled, sorted, and reassembled, a neat, Siltrilichi-system-produced item emerges.

Examples like this have been verifiable for about twenty years now, if you look closely.

There are also countless others—sources of slaves, destinations where slaves were sent, origins of illegal drugs... yeah, there's just an overwhelming number of them.

But what's notable is that this surge began roughly twenty years ago... making it hard not to suspect Funaka's involvement.

For now, though.

If they're orchestrating something on this scale, it's safe to regard the current Duke Nemophila as nothing more than a puppet controlled by Funaka.

Given that the imperial intelligence unit has been infiltrating this region with considerable frequency, yet still fails to obtain critical information regarding these kinds of crimes, it's safe to assume the Siltrilich System is fully under Funaka's control.

In some cases, we should also consider that intelligence officers who return safely may have been brainwashed.

Yeah, looks like you're thinking the same thing—I see Mekoshi already starting to compile a list.

It's likely that the Great Mother of Mechanical Intelligence has already done something similar... Still, it wouldn't hurt to double-check.

"Are the reports about the fake cosmic monsters limited to just the past few months?"

"Meanwhile, there have been eighteen incidents across the empire unrelated to our involvement."

Incidents related to cosmic monsters, if limited to those clearly involving contact, should have occurred only once every several decades or a century across the entire empire. Therefore, there's no doubt that the recent number of occurrences over the past few months is highly abnormal.

Now, while we're at it, let's discuss the case of Funaka and the topic of cosmic monsters and their imitations.

Yeah, ever since the incident involving me and Virijianira on the cargo ship *Tsumebakei*, the number of such cases has surged dramatically.

There seem to be star systems currently experiencing ongoing suspicious incidents, and even cases we weren't involved in have caused significant damage.

The common thread, it seems, is their sudden appearance.

Truly out of nowhere, something transforms into a cosmic monster and attacks those around it.

However, despite becoming cosmic monsters, their size remains small, and the damage they cause is limited to colony-level scales. There's just something about them that still feels like a mere imitation, really.

In fact, every individual that has clearly begun causing chaos has, so far, been hunted down and eliminated—none have managed to escape.

Whether this will change as their frequency increases remains uncertain, but for now, the Imperial Army appears to be handling the situation within manageable limits.

Hmm, yeah... it still feels too weak to be called an alien monster, really.

"..."

"Sat? "

"No, nothing at all."

I suddenly thought to myself.

ChilariZm = Conplerekus said regarding Funaka, that my involvement was necessary, but that the threat was one humans alive today could handle.

In other words, this battle situation was within ChilariZm's expectations.

However, Fuunaka's actions—based on our investigation—began as far back as twenty years ago... even earlier if you include the preparation period.

Twenty years ago... that was long before Virijianira was even born.

Was the entire span from then until now within ChilariZm's expectations?

Even with some deviations, was it still within the expected range?

...

Exactly where does ChilariZm = Conplereks' palm begin—and where does it end?

There's something unsettling about how broad their reach is—so vast, in fact, that it's almost impossible to properly sense the fear anymore.

And their personality is definitely terrible.

I think Funaka said they came by accident, but an accident from someone who could predict this far? I can't trust that at all.

They definitely noticed it on purpose—deliberately overlooked it because it served their goals, right...?

"Just realized again how terrible a certain person's personality truly is."

"...Ah, I see. That makes sense."

"Their perspective differs from ours. Let's assume that's the case."

In any event, our course of action remains unchanged.

Even just a little—precisely because we lack information, even the faint outlines that emerge from the void—we should use them to investigate Funaka.

That's what we need to focus on today.

Not on the palm of the Buddha, but on the palm of the president.

04/11 Correction of typo