Ireh's "Stealth Bullet" effect naturally dissipated. Her stealth skill is useless against opponents who have already detected her presence.

"...Kashu von Adelbein. I heard you committed suicide."

"I did."

"What happened?"

"..."

So he's not going to talk.

Well, I had expected he wouldn't actually be dead. Someone as high and mighty as an Adelbein would certainly know how to fake his identity.

"This is a secret treasury that only Adelbein family members can enter. What business do you have here?"

"The family head gave me permission to enter."

"Don't lie."

It's the truth, though.

I already got permission from Zernya. So it's not theft. Probably.

"I came to retrieve something."

"Hey, are you crazy? How can you just say that outright!"

Ireh scolded me, too flustered to maintain her professional demeanor. Kashu's eyes narrowed to slits.

"Something? You say something?"

"Yes, something very important."

"Everything here is Adelbein family property. Rheinland, I won't hand over even a single diamond to you."

"So you do remember my surname."

I thought he might have forgotten after all this time.

"Of course I do!"

Kashu bellowed.

He pointed at me accusingly, spittle flying.

"Eidel von Rheinland, you humiliated me that day. And from that moment, my life began to unravel. My subsidiary companies were dismantled, and the main family tried to sacrifice me as a scapegoat."

Wait, humiliation?

What exactly did I do to this person?

"Since then, I've been faking my death, waiting for the day of revenge. And now you're trying to interfere with even that! In that case, I can't let you live!"

Before I could think, something sharp came whistling through the air.

"Dodge!"

Ireh grabbed me by the collar and rolled across the floor.

I nearly died from a blind dagger.

"What was that just now?"

"Feathers. Probably Swan's power."

Swan. A named entity among the Darwin-system Outer Gods.

Living in the Cygnus constellation, it's skilled in bird and feather-related sorcery and can mimic the voices of constellations. I remember it tried to possess Zernya but failed.

I quickly checked Kashu's status window.

[Kashu von Adelbein: 500/1000]

[— He is working on a quest received from an Outer God. He shows mild symptoms of madness but is still capable of conversation. He is extremely agitated, so engaging with him is not recommended.]

I see. Now things are starting to make sense.

But predictions are just predictions. To get accurate information, I'd need to capture, treat, and interrogate him.

"With your vulgar upbringing! Don't stand in my way!"

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh!

The feathers flew at me again. Thanks to activating "Future Sight," I barely managed to dodge. Even after just rolling a few times, I could feel my breath reaching my throat.

Damn, my stamina is terrible from doing nothing but research lately. I need to exercise if I want to see my child's face.

[— Summoning "Wisdom's Calipers (A)"]

[— Using "Ballistic Prediction"]

I deflected the feathers flying like bullets using "Ballistic Prediction" and "Future Sight."

[— Paying 500 Pron to use "Mental Homeostasis"]

The mental stability skill I added honed my mind to be as sharp as an experienced special forces operative. Thanks to that, I maintained the courage to face the ferociously approaching feathers.

But the limitations were clear.

Each time I deflected the flying blades, it felt like my hands would tear apart.

In any case, I wasn't accustomed to combat. There were bound to be subtle gaps in my movements. I couldn't summon the superhuman strength I had during the Celestine incident. It's been over two years since I last held a sword.

Swoosh!

A feather grazed my shoulder.

It hurt like hell. I took cover behind a stone table to catch my breath.

The bleeding doesn't seem... serious enough to need treatment.

I calmly observed the situation, waiting for Ireh to arrive.

"Eidel!"

After throwing a smoke grenade, Ireh leaped over with ghost-like footwork and whispered.

"Are you okay? You need to be okay."

"This is just a minor injury. More importantly, we have another objective now."

Kashu Adelbein was someone the prosecution had been desperately searching for. Handing him over would greatly help Zernya's business. I gave Ireh a meaningful look.

"Let's capture him alive."

"Capture? Not kill him?"

"It's more beneficial not to kill him."

"If you say so, then whatever."

Ireh pulled out her gun and fired at my shoulder.

[— The "Healing Bullet" effect is closing your wound.]

"You shouldn't waste coins on something like this."

"Don't you know wounds from Darwin-system entities need immediate treatment regardless of the reason? Want to die from infection?"

I silently laughed while flexing my now more comfortable arm. She's kind of like a big sister in these situations.

"You little rats! Where are you hiding!"

Kashu shouted from beyond the smoke. His presence was getting quite close. Ireh and I exchanged hand signals before splitting up.

[— "The God of Wisdom and Curiosity" is watching your judgment.]

Honestly, Ireh isn't as combat-proficient as Rustila.

However, there are two areas where she excels beyond Rustila.

[— "Weakening Bullet" X 10]

[— "Paralyzing Bullet" X 10]

[— "Guided Spirit Bullet" X 3]

First, her sense for ranged combat.

Click, click, click!

I could hear the sound of invisible bullets piercing Kashu Adelbein's limbs. Despite the smoke preventing me from seeing even an inch ahead, Ireh was accurately pinpointing the opponent's position and pulling the trigger.

"You insolent fools! Ugh!"

I can imagine how it feels to be hit from somewhere you can't see.

Despite being hit by Ireh's bullets, Kashu continued to move, dragging his feet. His endurance was extraordinary.

"I'll kill you, Eidel von Rheinland!"

Well, Darwin-system entities are always tough regardless of the reason. Plus, since I told her not to kill him, Ireh was likely adjusting the power of her spirit bullets.

This is where Ireh Hazlen's second advantage comes into play.

[— The "Agility Bullet" effect makes your body nimble. (+100%)]

[— The "Strength Bullet" effect increases your muscle power. (+100%)]

[— The "Beast Bullet" effect sharpens your senses like a wild animal. (+150%)]

Second, support.

In gaming terms, Ireh is a buffer and ranged damage dealer. She deals decent damage while providing buffs to teammates. Something neither Rustila nor Zernya can do. She's an essential asset in battles like this.

As the smoke cleared somewhat, I could confirm Kashu's position. I carefully approached him from behind. Sweat began to bead on my hand gripping the calipers.

Good, he hasn't noticed me.

Thwack!

After lightly striking the back of his head, Kashu collapsed limply. The situation ended with a clear, crisp sound.

[— The "Wisdom's Calipers (A)" secondary effect has removed the possession effect.]

[— You gain 3000 Pron as a subjugation reward.]

This was probably the first time I'd hit a person with an A-grade calipers.

From now on, I get Pron not just for defeating monsters but also for subduing people possessed by Outer Gods. Of course, the function to remove possession was expected.

"Phew, it's over."

"What did you hit him with?"

"I used this."

"Calipers? Don't tell me an Outer God gave you that?"

"Yes. It's an artifact. Ordinary people would go crazy just by touching it."

[— "The God of Wisdom and Curiosity" is proud of his invention.]

"Go crazy just by touching it? And you hit someone's head with that?"

"It only affects the mind, not physically. Don't treat me like I'm crazy for hitting him hard."

Ireh gave me a sharp look as she spoke.

"If it only affects the mind... could it be from the Descartes system?"

[— "The God of Wisdom and Curiosity" stiffens his expression.]

Oh no. I forgot she's more perceptive than anyone when it comes to Outer Gods.

[— "The God of Wisdom and Curiosity" is displeased.]

Cartesia doesn't like having his identity revealed to others. Probably because he doesn't want to be called a pathetic Outer God who's controlled by someone like me.

From a human perspective it's hard to understand, but it seems even Outer Gods can be ostracized for such things.

I looked around while hoisting the collapsed Kashu over my shoulder.

"Now we need to find the 'Star Egg.'"

"I found it while moving around earlier. This one."

Ireh held out a cone-shaped jewel with a reddish glow.

"Of course it had to be the red one."

"Weren't there any others?"

"Unfortunately not."

I received the Star Egg.

There are seven "Star Eggs" in total. Their locations and types are random each time. However, one is definitely present in both the Adelbein family treasury and the Spirit Church headquarters. And we got the red egg.

I couldn't help but smile.

"Why is the red egg bad?"

"You know too. If you use the red egg..."

I raised my hand to stop Ireh's words.

"What's that?"

There was something else that looked like an egg besides the "Star Egg." It was a semi-solid white object that collapsed into a gelatinous form as soon as I touched it. After some time, it returned to its original shape.

"This is... a 'Foam Charm' used by Darwin-system Outer Gods."

Foam Charm.

It's an artifact that acts as a kind of signal. Darwin-system entities use it to communicate with each other.

"Did he bring this?"

"Probably. We should take this too."

Research material, more research material, and even more research material. Today's harvest is better than expected.

Around four in the morning, Ireh and I tied up Kashu Adelbein and loaded him onto our spaceship. I didn't forget to hand over the "Star Egg" again.

"You go ahead. I'll return on the shuttle."

"Will you be alright?"

"I'll be fine, so hurry."

After telling Ireh to head to the Southern Spirit Office, I went to the annex and lay down on the bed. When I woke up after sleeping, three hours had passed. I grabbed the doorknob, thinking of excuses for Ireh's disappearance.

"Did you sleep well last night?"

Jerome was standing there.