Chapter 159

Kait decided to return to the Central Star Cluster for the time being.

Part of it was because he needed to submit various reports, but more importantly, he felt it necessary to hear what the Federation Congress had to say.

Upon returning to the Central Star Cluster, Kait didn't stop by the Earthlings' residential sector, but instead returned to the dwelling provided when he was registered as a Third-Rank Citizen (Enec Lagif). He had already submitted a report and requested a meeting with the Congress. When requesting a meeting with a legislator, it usually takes some time. Kait, being a Third-Rank Citizen, would be given priority, but he still had to wait.

The message came after he had taken a short nap. After making minimal preparations, he headed to the office of the person he thought most likely to understand him.

"Hey, Kait. I've reviewed your preliminary report, but I'd like to hear more details."

'Regarding the Divin matter, we've placed yet another burden on you, Third-Rank Citizen Kait. I apologize.'

Asheido and the legislator Terapolapaneshio were waiting for Kait and Emotion.

After a brief exchange of greetings, Kait also took a seat.

"Before we begin, I'd like to confirm something. The remaining three locations—"

"Ah, they're fine. Everyone has been safely brought into the Central Star Cluster, so no need to worry."

"Thank you. Now I can finally breathe easier."

Kait had fulfilled his responsibility as an Earthling. From here on, it was up to Rebecca and the other Earthlings to decide their path.

Even if they all obtained citizenship of Seventh-Rank or higher (Tetna Ilchi) and chose to migrate to a naturally habitable planet, Kait had no intention of accompanying them. He also wouldn't intervene in their return to Earth, and had already told them to negotiate directly with Terapolapaneshio and the Federation Congress.

Now then, the topic turned to Divin. While he honestly didn't want to get involved, trouble had a way of finding you whether you wanted it or not.

"By the time I arrived, it was already annihilated. I've already sent the footage, right? The wreckage was scattered all over that sector."

"Yeah. Since the coordinates of the sector were specified, the investigation team arrived shortly after. Your concerns were spot on. Those weren't wounds caused by Federation-standard weaponry."

'Rather, they looked similar to the damage inflicted by your Queen Bee, Third-Rank Citizen Kait. The investigator even suggested that perhaps you were the one who did it.'

"I figured. Even I wondered if I had lost control and gone on a rampage."

Currently, not only in the Federation but across the galaxy, combat was primarily conducted with fighter ships. Laser and other optical weapons were common. While physical ammunition posed supply issues, optical weapons only required energy to fire.

The Worker Bees Kait used with the Queen Bee were classified as physical ammunition. Using a bizarre tactic like recovering wreckage from downed enemy ships to replenish ammo was only possible for Kait due to his psychic power—an unfair advantage.

That said, even if physical ammo had been used, there was still something odd. The kind of tearing destruction Kait witnessed didn't seem like something linear physical ammo could cause.

"Was there anything among the wreckage that could be identified as physical ammunition?"

"Apparently not. Just to confirm, if your Queen Bee used its 'hands', could it create that kind of damage?"

"I think it could. But if it were me, I'd do it more elegantly."

"I'm sure you would. Anyway, we don't believe you did it."

Asheido seemed relieved that Kait admitted it so straightforwardly. Kait knew well that trying to dodge the question in times like this only made things worse. Since he had nothing to hide, he might as well answer confidently.

And it seemed Asheido and Terapolapaneshio had evidence proving Kait wasn't the one responsible.

With just a look, Kait urged them to continue, and Asheido nodded.

"Their ship, you see—the power core had been stolen."

"Stolen? Not destroyed?"

"If it had been destroyed, a wide area would've been blown away. Since the damage resembled your attacks, we can say that kind of heat wasn't generated. In fact, there was no wreckage unique to a power core, so we believe someone took it and left."

Divin's ship had originally been a Federation vessel. Since it followed pre-exile Federation technology, it was behind current standards. Of course, Divin had likely made their own upgrades, but even so, the Divin ships captured on Earth were inferior to current Federation models.

The same applied to their power cores. Divin's power cores were quite large on their own. The Queen Bee, being a small vessel by classification, couldn't even fit one.

'In fact, the power core of a large Divin ship would be bigger than the Queen Bee. Unless Third-Rank Citizen Kait went crazy and carved it out just to discard it elsewhere, it must've been someone else.'

That would indeed be madness. Divin was officially recognized as an enemy of the Federation. Even if Kait had destroyed them, it wouldn't be an issue, and there'd be no need to frame someone else. There was no reason to do something so pointless.

They decided to move the conversation forward.

"So now the question becomes—what was this someone's motive?"

'Indeed. The analysts are leaning toward a theory of deep-seated grudge. The suspicion toward you seems to stem from that line of thinking.'

"I don't think I can forgive them, but I don't really hold a grudge. I believe the right to hate them belongs not to us, but to those who lived on Earth before us."

That was Kait's true feeling. It was a line he couldn't compromise on. He believed neither he nor the other Earthlings had any reason to hate Divin, nor did the original species of Earth, who were wiped out by Divin, have any reason to hate them in return.

That said, he had no intention of forcing his stance on others. If someone was targeting Divin out of hatred, there were countless candidates.

"I like that way of thinking, Kait. Very few Federation citizens can be that clear-cut."

"Which is why I'm being suspected."

"Exactly. There are even members of the Congress who say, since you're involved, it's now an Earthling issue and the Federation should step back."

Kait didn't need to ask who said it. It was obvious. Even if Kait had done it, they couldn't prosecute him. So they were trying to harass him in other ways. And they genuinely believed he was the culprit. Their understanding of people was far too shallow.

Legislators should have more neutrality and fairness. But considering Terapolapaneshio's involvement with Kait, it was a difficult thing to bring up.

It was a troublesome situation, but if it could be proven that Kait didn't destroy Divin's ship, the attackers' arguments would lose their weight. The fact they brought it up implied they were subtly telling him not to leave the Central Star Cluster for a while.

"Good grief. I'm stuck in the Central Star Cluster again, huh?"

"That's what it comes down to. Sorry about that."

'Since you're here, why not relax in the Earthlings' residential sector?'

"No thanks. I won't be going there for a while."

'Oh?'

It wasn't hard to imagine Rebecca lying in wait.

If he approached carelessly, he'd surely be elevated to the position of Earthlings' representative. While he remained in the Central Star Cluster, he resolved to stay somewhere out of their reach.

"Still..."

"Hm?"

"If they had the power to completely shred Divin's ship, why would they bother stealing the power core?"

'That's something we're wondering too. For now, we've sent out other search teams besides the investigation fleet to the sector you encountered them in. If this is driven by hatred, it's probably not the last time.'

Terapolapaneshio believed that if hatred for Divin was the motive, similar attacks would continue. Kait agreed. That's why Asheido and Terapolapaneshio were telling him to stay in the Central Star Cluster for now.

"If we can find them, we'll understand their motives too, right?"

'Indeed.'

At the very least, the Congress didn't intend to leave judgment of Divin to some unknown party. Understanding the Federation's stance gave Kait some peace of mind.

Unlike when he was searching for Earthlings and confirming their intentions, he now had both mental and temporal leeway. For now, he planned to kill time somewhere he wouldn't run into Earthlings.

As he was thinking that, a message came into the office.

'Legislator Asheido! The investigation team just reported receiving a distress call from Divin!'

"...Well now."

It seemed his innocence would be proven sooner than expected.

Trouble always tried to move quickly when you finally had some peace.

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