Ch.22Interview (1)

After the practical evaluation was suspended, we were detained.

Actually, not just us.

All students and supervisors who were at the Stellarium that day, and even tourists who had stopped by the planet for vacation, were prevented from leaving.

The planet was sealed off.

“I’m here for interrogation. Please cooperate.”

The investigation began.

I was the first student to be dragged away for questioning.

There was no other reason than that I was ranked first.

“Are you sure you didn’t do it?”

Because I’m “Eidel von Rheinland.”

The delinquent son even his family had given up on.

Yet thanks to the damn federal law, I’m garbage they’re forced to live with under the same ship.

The kid who’s closer to juvenile officers than to his father…

Because I’m that kind of person.

Being summoned out of nowhere by police officers familiar with this area was something I had anticipated.

Of course, I felt wronged.

“No matter what, would he be crazy enough to do something like this?”

“I suppose not.”

Detective Terrence from the Galaxy Southern Region Police Department stared at me intently while rolling a cigarette. He specialized in juvenile crime in this area and had frequent run-ins with Eidel.

This time, he seemed to think it didn’t make sense either, as he just let out a hollow laugh.

“Don’t you know the presumption of innocence?”

“I know, kid. I just called you here to see your face.”

Detective Terrence rubbed his dark beard and sighed heavily. His face, glistening in the interrogation room light, looked extremely haggard.

“We’ve secured all the CCTV footage. The prosecution says there’s a very low possibility that you’re the culprit. There are many others who are more suspicious… Anyway, I have a few questions for you. That’s why I called you in.”

“Go ahead.”

“Calipers.”

I almost jumped up.

“…is that what it’s called? I heard it’s an old tool. Anyway, you were caught on surveillance cameras holding it.”

“Oh, that…?”

“Where did you get it?”

A chill ran down my spine.

“I heard personal items were prohibited in the exam room…”

I’m screwed.

No, rather than being screwed, it’s awkward.

If I honestly say that an outer god gave it to me and I was carrying it around, I’ll definitely be dragged to a mental hospital (disguised as a Galaxy Monster Management Center).

On the other hand.

If I say a constellation gave it to me, I’ll immediately be subjected to additional investigation by the examiners, and if it’s revealed that I don’t have a backing constellation, I’ll obviously attract unnecessary suspicion.

For reference, outer gods cannot be detected by the primitive human examination methods.

Having calculated this far, I reached a conclusion.

The conclusion that there was only one option left.

“I don’t really know.”

“You, you, you, are you denying it again, huh?”

“How can I help it if I really don’t remember?”

I decided to maintain complete ignorance until the end.

“You need to know this. That, what is it, that…”

“That I’m no longer a juvenile protected by law?”

“Y-yes, that’s right! You know it well!”

Detective Terrence spoke as if making a threat. In simple terms, he was saying I could be held criminally responsible, so don’t lie.

But so what?

Does he think I’ll be intimidated by this?

I am confident.

“I just noticed at some point that I had something like that. Calipers? I didn’t even know what it was called, I just picked it up and swung it around.”

Some might laugh at how ridiculous this sounds.

I mean, a sixteen-year-old kid smashed a monster’s head (albeit a C-class one) with an ancient tool and helped resolve this terrible situation?

But what can I do?

Eidel.

This one word completes all plausibility.

If someone is crazy enough to attempt arson on a residential building just because they acted a bit weird, then it makes sense that they would also confront a monster with just a tool in hand.

Of course, it also makes perfect sense that he could smuggle that tool in secretly.

But since there was a thorough body search before entering the practical exam site, there was no way I could have hidden a calipers the size of a human forearm. It was right to assume it had been there from the beginning.

Fortunately(?), Terrence nodded at my words.

“Well, that’s just like you.”

“Yes, that’s just like me.”

It’s convenient at times like this.

“Still, I hope we don’t meet again for something like this. It’s hard on you, hard on me, what is this?”

“You’re in charge of juveniles, right? Won’t we be saying goodbye soon anyway?”

“Because of you, I might be transferred to the violent crimes unit soon.”

After that, Terrence asked a few more questions. Some of them were directly or indirectly related to the calipers.

But what could I do? Even the person involved claimed not to know.

I played dumb until the end.

It’s advantageous to pretend not to know about these things until the very end, as they could negatively affect future admissions.

In addition, it was fortunate that I was in a CCTV blind spot when the calipers first appeared in my hand.

In the end, Detective Terrence had to let me go without gaining any useful information.

***

After Eidel left, Detective Terrence continued to investigate other students one by one.

“I don’t know.”

He heard this from Seti, who was notoriously on bad terms with Eidel.

“…I’m not sure.”

The girl named Rustila, who had helped subdue the monster at the scene, gave a similar answer.

“Do you know where that tool… the calipers went?”

“I’m not sure. I can’t remember.”

No one knew.

Not a single person.

The whereabouts of the calipers.

Detective Terrence sat with his legs crossed.

An ordinary person might think, ‘Why is that important?’

But Terrence had good instincts.

‘There’s something here.’

He would have understood if Eidel had used a Plasma Sword to subdue the monsters.

‘There were sixteen swords placed throughout the exam site. There were no other weapons that could kill monsters. But the fact that this tool existed…’

His thoughts continued.

‘The monsters were swapped with golems. It’s unclear when the switch happened. And we don’t know when the calipers appeared or where it went.’

There was a common thread here.

The main material of the swapped golems was metal, and the calipers would have been similar.

Because both were shiny. Shininess is a typical characteristic of metal.

‘Metal, metal, machine…’

At that moment, a flash of deduction crossed Terrence’s mind.

“Your name was Rustila… right?”

“Yes.”

Rustila adjusted her posture and nodded.

“Did you feel anything particular when you cut those things down?”

“They felt like chunks of iron.”

“Chunks of iron.”

Then there was something to check.

“Student Rustila, according to your earlier answer, I heard you have a contract with a constellation. Specifically, the deity…”

“The God of Purity and Resolve.”

The God of Purity and Resolve.

A constellation corresponding to the main sequence star named ‘GJ-721’ located in a part of the galaxy.

…That’s the classification among scholars, but it’s better known to the public by its true name, ‘Vega.’

A constellation famous enough that its true name is known.

In a way, it could be said to have existed alongside human history. And as such, much was known about Rustila’s constellation.

One of those things was the skill ‘Deep Eye.’

“I heard you can read a bit of other people’s mental images. Whether they’re good, bad, normal, or crazy…”

Honestly, Terrence felt a bit uncomfortable bringing this up.

Reading other people’s minds.

Of course, it’s not about reading exact thoughts, but rather getting a rough picture, but still.

However, he couldn’t complain about it.

Constellations were literally extralegal beings. And humans under their protection were similar.

Countries before the Laniakea Federation that arrested such people for political reasons, tried to supervise them recklessly, or did other bad things were all annihilated.

It was the judgment of the constellations.

And the meddling of outer gods.

He couldn’t openly show his discomfort.

“…Ahem. Anyway. Have you ever observed the inner thoughts of the student named Eidel with that ability?”

That was all he could ask.

Rustila fidgeted with her fingers under the desk as she answered.

“No.”

Of course, just because someone has contracted with a constellation and received such power doesn’t mean they would use it on just anyone.

Constellations only approached a select few good people.

Having a backing constellation in the first place was like a guarantee saying, “I can live without laws!”

There was nothing more to dig into.

“Alright, that’s enough. Let’s end it here.”

Detective Terrence sent Rustila away and fell into thought.

It was certain that an outer god was behind this, and he even had a lead on which of the four forces it might be, but…

‘I don’t know specifically which one did it, or why.’

No matter how much he thought about it, there didn’t seem to be an outer god stupid enough to cause such a senseless disruption in an academy entrance exam.

Knock, knock, knock.

Just then, someone knocked on the interrogation room door.

“Detective, there’s a visitor outside looking for you.”

“A visitor? Who?”

There was no one who would visit him at this hour.

“A newspaper reporter named O. Fei. He says he wants to interview you about the Stellarium incident…”

“…Reporters are troublesome.”

If he’s coming without even sending an email first, it doesn’t look good.

– Send him away.

Terrence was about to say that, but hesitated.

For some reason, he felt like he shouldn’t turn him away.

An instinct gained from years as a detective.

“I’ll be right out.”

Terrence trusted that instinct.

When he went to the lobby, there was a man with his face completely wrapped in a thick coat and fedora. Detective Terrence figured this must be the newspaper reporter his subordinate had mentioned. So he approached and spoke to him.

“I’m Detective Terrence. Were you looking for me?”

The man nodded and opened his mouth.

“Do you know a student named Eidel von Rheinland?”

“Yes, I do.”

“I understand you’ve known him for a long time.”

“Yes, but…”

Terrence shook hands lightly with the man.

“Did you come to interview about that student?”

“More precisely, I came to interview you, Detective, who is acquainted with that student.”

While having this brief conversation with the man, Terrence smelled his hand that had shaken the man’s.

‘…He’s not a newspaper reporter.’

“You came to interview me?”

“Yes, though it’s nothing grand. I just need you to tell me what kind of things Eidel did when he was younger.”

“Disclosing information about others is something I shouldn’t do as a public official.”

“Haha, not as a public official. Who asked you to expose his criminal record?”

“…?”

“I’m just asking you to share what you know, casually.”

The man who had made somewhat rude remarks to a stranger soon took off his hat. As the brim lifted, the face of a handsome young man with a bright smile was revealed.

Terrence was about to show his discomfort but ended up laughing helplessly.

It was someone he knew.

Not just anyone, but a friend he had been close with since his youth.

“I need to interview that student soon too… but I can’t choose the date freely.”

“……”

“Would you mind letting me do some preliminary research?”

“…Ha.”

‘O. Fei’? He should at least come up with a decent alias.

As far as he knew, there was only one person among his friends who would pull such a prank, showing up without notice.

Terrence laughed incredulously and said:

“You haven’t changed, Feynman.”

The man who heard that name laughed along.