Chapter 67

After confirming that she couldn't move quickly, I called the number of Detective Loiman that I had memorized.

From an outsider's perspective, it was a terrible situation, but since she was the one who pointed the gun first and tried to shoot, I hoped for some leniency.

"Hello, this is Loiman."

Detective Loiman answered immediately, so I pointed the camera of my bracelet terminal at her and reported the current situation.

"Sorry, I was attacked at the marina. I've made it so she can't move easily and am keeping an eye on her."

"I see. She must have been an impatient accomplice. We'll come to arrest her, so don't let her escape."

"Understood."

After ending the call, I switched the terminal to recording mode.

She winced in pain but glared at me bitterly.

Suddenly, her face turned as if she was about to cry, and she screamed,

"Help! I'm going to be killed!"

I was fooled.

She probably screamed when she saw someone approaching the marina.

I hoped Detective Loiman would arrive quickly, but if someone other than Detective Loiman came, it would be obvious that I would be at a disadvantage.

In the worst case, she might escape.

Understanding this, she smirked and screamed again,

"Help! Hurry up!"

Someone, apparently hearing her voice, slowly approached and said,

"That weird otaku suddenly asked me for the key to my boat, and when I refused, he shot me! Hurry and catch him!"

She lied through her teeth, taking advantage of the situation.

However, the approaching figure didn't rush to her aid in surprise.

"That's odd. Didn't the young lady ask him for the boat?"

"Dan?!"

The approaching figure was Dan.

He took out a comb, fixed his hair, and kept a wary eye on her.

"I saw the young lady heading to the marina. You were probably planning to steal an unsuspecting person's boat."

She was furious that Dan didn't take her side.

"Why are you siding with that weird otaku instead of me? Normally, when a beautiful and charming woman like me is in trouble, people should unconditionally take the side of a beautiful and charming woman, right?!"

She seemed to have a lot of confidence in her beauty and was lashing out at Dan.

Still, despite the pain from where I shot her, she was talking non-stop.

Was it because the adrenaline from anger made her less sensitive to pain?

"I saw you ask him for the boat. And being beautiful and charming aren't always the same thing."

Dan smiled nihilistically at her angry outburst and denied her beauty.

She became even more furious at Dan's words and shouted,

"Don't joke around! What do you mean I'm not charming?!"

She was supposed to be in pain and unable to move, but I had to be on guard in case she tried to escape.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Where is the criminal?"

At that moment, Detective Loiman arrived with a police force.

Seeing this, she screamed, seizing the opportunity.

"Help! They shot me! The criminals are them!"

As the police approached her, she wore a triumphant expression.

However, instead of rescuing her, the police restrained her.

"Excuse me?! Why am I being restrained?! The one who shot me is that weird otaku, and the one with the slicked-back hair is his accomplice!"

Naturally, she protested, but

"Unfortunately, you are the one being arrested. The video and audio from his bracelet terminal have been recorded. When we received your information, we checked all the surveillance cameras, including the marina, and immediately found the footage of you pointing the gun first. We also have evidence that you were an accomplice to the murderer. You can't talk your way out of this."

She flinched at Detective Loiman's calm, thin smile and the light in his eyes.

When she fell silent, he turned to me and said,

"Thank you for your cooperation. It seems the actual perpetrator has also been arrested, so the curfew will be lifted soon."

He reported this to me with a tired expression, different from the one he used with the accomplice.

Thus, she, a member of the anti-imperialist ideology group named Mary Dilivan, was arrested.

By the way, I thought it was solved by some great detective, but it turned out to be a victory of scientific investigation.

The detective who happened to be at the scene was apparently the hesitant one.

After the criminals were arrested and the police left, the visiting nobles also left, but they scattered like spiders' children, probably not wanting to stay where a murder had occurred.

At the explanation meeting after all the guests had left, the security chief, Mr. Dorthas Twill, told me that the client had promised the full amount plus a bonus for driving away the criminals.

After all the work was done and most of the mercenaries had left, I departed from the colony.

It took over 18 hours of gate transfers from the colony on planet Latasaka to return to planet Itz.

After arriving, I left the guild building without stopping at the reception counter and went straight home in a taxi.

Since it was late at night, I went straight to bed.

The next day, I spent the whole day cleaning, shopping, and watching anime.

The day after that, I went to the guild to complete the necessary procedures.

"You got caught up in a nasty case. There are still foolish nobles who will automatically frame a commoner as the criminal if a noble is killed."

While processing the payment, Mr. Loanz muttered.

"I'm thinking of getting an exorcism..."

After all, being threatened with a gun multiple times in a short period made me wonder if I was possessed by something evil.

As I was thinking this,

"By the way, about that Ako Shandela..."

Mr. Loanz started talking about the person who caused all this.

According to Mr. Loanz, during the interrogation, she made insane statements like,

"It's the fault of that commoner man who defied me, a noble."

"What's the problem with a noble pointing a gun at a commoner?"

"It's normal for a commoner to offer all their property to a noble."

However, when she was told that she was no longer a noble and shown a copy of the imperial decree revoking her title, she screamed and thrashed around.

It seemed certain that she would be sentenced to actual imprisonment, but there was also a possibility that she would be sent to a psychiatric hospital in the capital.

"Here's your reward. Good work."

As he finished talking, the payment process was completed.

The amount was not the initial fixed amount of 360,000 credits but 450,000 credits, as promised.

The crisis was averted.

If the protagonist had let her escape, he might have been recruited or put under surveillance and asked to accompany her.

Thank you for your comments, opinions, and any corrections.