Ch.283The Switch (3)

The goal was one of two things.

Either kidnap Eidel. Or kidnap his personal android Sonia and offer her to the ‘Altar of Steel’.

Three male devotees with the most exceptional infiltration skills set foot in the Rozenium planetary system.

They occasionally conversed while moving stealthily.

“Couldn’t we just kill Rheinland? I don’t understand why we need to kidnap that android.”

“You don’t even know that? Geez, you idiot.”

The thin-faced man lightly smacked the chubby man’s head.

Slap! The sound of flesh jiggling echoed.

The tall man with a generous appearance clicked his tongue.

“Why are you crushing his spirit? You should be taking better care of your junior.”

The chubby man stroked his gleaming head and replied.

“So there is something to it after all.”

“Have you heard about the Altar of Steel?”

“Only the name.”

“What’s your position again?”

“I’m still just a layperson since I joined recently.”

The middle-aged man nodded.

“The Altar of Steel refers to the innermost part of the Holy Maiden’s prayer room. It’s a secret space that only the Holy Maiden can enter.”

“Only the Holy Maiden can enter… then perhaps…?”

“Yes, it’s exactly what you’re thinking.”

“A room for self-pleasure?”

Whack! The chubby man’s skull rang once more. He clutched his head and protested his innocence.

“I’ve never seen such an idiot…”

The thin, shrewd-looking man spat out a light curse. The generous middle-aged man also clicked his tongue and scolded the chubby man.

“I believe that while the Holy Maiden dresses modestly, she’s not that promiscuous. Actually, that room is where she makes contact with the Steel Outer God. It’s also called the Oracle Room.”

“Ah, the Oracle Room.”

“The Steel Outer God, true to its name, is extremely fond of metal and mechanical devices. The rarer the metal, the higher the complexity and precision of the mechanical device…”

“So it’s like an offering concept.”

“Now we’re talking. Yes, it’s like a sacrifice to the god. But it feels different from the gods of the old era. According to the Holy Maiden, the Outer God gives immediate rewards when offerings are presented.”

“What kind of rewards?”

“Only the Holy Maiden would know that.”

The chubby man clapped his hands and said with a bright expression.

“She might be wishing for the Outer God to lead us to Idea. Perhaps the amount of offerings is still insufficient for it to be fulfilled.”

“That makes sense too. The Holy Maiden is a kind-hearted person after all.”

The middle-aged man rolled his eyes upward and smiled deeply.

He seemed to be thinking about the Holy Maiden’s benevolent smile, beautiful face, and sculptured figure.

The chubby man and the thin man also recalled the image of the benevolent Holy Maiden. Her ample bosom and sturdy thighs, her waist and hip curves like an orchid in bloom.

“Hehehe.”

Originally, the three men were from the border regions. Being born male, their instincts naturally stirred at the sight of a beautiful woman.

Anyway, the three set foot in the Rozenium planetary system.

After deceiving the entry inspection patrol with entry visas given directly by the Holy Maiden, they reached the research facility.

Western Particle Physics Research Institute.

This is where the target mentioned by the Holy Maiden was located.

“Did you bring the net?”

“Of course.”

“This net has special treatment, so handle it carefully.”

“What kind of treatment does it have?”

“I don’t know the details. But the Holy Maiden said that even a constellation couldn’t escape once caught in it, so it doesn’t hurt to be careful.”

“The security seems tight. What if we get caught in the middle?”

“No need to worry much. The Outer God is watching over us and will turn back time for us.”

The three men infiltrated quickly. They were already notorious in the frontier regions before joining the Magnus Order. One belonged to a gang, another was an assassin, and the last was a hitman.

This should be a piece of cake.

But it wasn’t as easy as they thought.

“Damn, we’re screwed.”

Soon, the three men failed. They were caught by security while trying to infiltrate the research facility, arrested, and permanently expelled from the planetary system.

“That Rheinland bastard is no ordinary guy. Why is there a guard at every corner?”

“He’s already waged a jihad once. He even threatened to stage another uprising if research continued, so it would be strange if security was lax.”

The three men grumbled. The middle-aged man touched the screen to report their mission failure.

And shortly after.

[— Time is being rewound.]

The world changed.

Memory and the flow of time ran backward.

Their bodies felt like they were stretching like taffy, then returned to normal.

When they came to their senses, the three were at the entry inspection point.

“What is this…?”

“…We’re back.”

The middle-aged man muttered. The other two men blinked in confusion.

“The Outer God has bestowed a miracle. It’s forgiving our failure and telling us to try again.”

“Is, is this real?”

“I can’t believe it.”

“If you can’t believe it, try passing through the gate. If we can enter again, we haven’t been expelled yet.”

Surprisingly, the three passed through the inspection point easily.

They succeeded in infiltrating the research institute once more.

“Wow, it’s true.”

“Time has been rewound.”

The two men couldn’t hide their surprise as they checked the time on the telescreen watch on the wall.

After chanting “Long live the Outer God, long live the Holy Maiden” three times, the three men continued moving.

And after dozens of failures, they finally broke through the security.

After knocking out janitor androids and disguising themselves in their clothes, the three men moved with automated cleaning tools.

“Phew, that was tough.”

“Shh, walk quietly. Act like machines.”

The three men spent some time cleaning the research facility, familiarizing themselves with every corner. And finally, they discovered it.

Eidel and Sonia’s private research lab.

“This must be it.”

Their lips curled into wide grins.

***

Unlike Eidel, who had more freedom after completing his doctoral program, Ireh was having exhausting days.

Keeping up with school classes and assignments.

Following Eidel’s research and writing papers.

And monitoring Eidel at the request of Rustila and Zernya.

It was enough to tear her in ten directions at once.

Especially, disguising as Sonia was quite burdensome. Today too, Ireh finished her daily routine with fatigue at its peak.

“Ugh.”

A groan escaped her lips.

“Good work, Sonia.”

“You worked hard too, young master.”

By now, she was quite accustomed to imitating Sonia. She could even match her tone almost perfectly. It was truly remarkable progress.

“You must be tired, let’s rest today.”

“I do have some work to catch up on…”

“Are you going to finish it all before sleeping?”

“No. I really can’t hold on today.”

Due to the lingering effects of the Great War, Stellarium College switched all second-semester classes to remote learning.

And as a result, Ireh was bombarded with hellish assignments.

It was miserable, but the remote learning itself was a good thing.

Ireh sat at her desk, turned on her tablet, and started scribbling.

“I’m going to pull an all-nighter today.”

“You should sleep early, young master.”

“My advisor just finished his work. This is the only time we can discuss. I’ll be back soon.”

“…Understood.”

Eidel left with Sonia, who was disguised as Ireh. Ireh sat at the bedroom desk and worked on her assignments.

A long yawn escaped her.

Perhaps due to fatigue, she couldn’t concentrate well.

“Maybe I’ll sleep a little…”

Ireh flopped onto the bed with her tablet. She looked at the window, then scanned the door once.

At first, she worried that assassins from the Magnus Order might come.

But two months had already passed.

Nothing happened during that time. It was thanks to Eidel’s continuous efforts on security.

Moreover, Rustila and the Western Federal Army were determined to root out the Order.

‘Perhaps this time too, like during the Great War… it will pass easily.’

She knew that the Maxwell system’s Outer God was behind the Order. She also knew they could turn back time.

But rewinding time requires the effort of the one called the Holy Maiden, one of the Five Kings. Taking one day of her lifespan allows rewinding 10 minutes.

Even the Holy Maiden cannot rewind time indefinitely.

‘We’re winning.’

Perhaps the Order is being dismantled by the federal army before it can even establish a proper system.

Recruiting Zernya.

Saving her with the resonator.

Victory in the Great War.

And now this period when the Dark Holy Spirit Order is rampaging.

Ireh was indebted to Eidel many times over. She felt ashamed of herself. All she could do was study and research harder.

‘Really, just a short nap.’

Her eyes closed from fatigue. Ireh fell asleep on the bed.

And after some time.

Clunk.

The door opened.

With that sound, Ireh snapped awake. Somehow, the footsteps sounded suspicious. With an ominous feeling, she tried to get up.

The next moment.

A black net swallowed Ireh along with her single-sized bed.

“Wh-what!”

She immediately realized.

This was a hostile attack.

Ireh tried to draw her spirit gun before her eyes were fully open.

But something was wrong.

The gun wouldn’t come out.

‘…The current aether flow is blocked?’

She couldn’t consume the aether needed to draw the gun. It felt like a stream of water stagnating instead of flowing. She had never encountered such an artifact in countless regressions.

Thud, thud.

Three pairs of heavy footsteps approached.

Ireh looked at the people approaching beyond the net with a hardened expression.

“Hello, little android lady.”

Three men with sleazy appearances.

It didn’t take long for Ireh’s eyes to fill with dismay.