Chapter 10: Is There Such a Way to Die?
A few days ago, in the plaza district, there was an incident involving a runaway private Echo.
Although no one was injured in the end, thanks to the intervention of a mysterious black-haired woman—namely Rover—the repercussions of this event were far from insignificant.
With the Order of the Deep overseeing public Echoes and Montelli pushing for the promotion of Personal Terminals, this alone was enough to ignite tensions between the two sides.
At the time, many within the Order were eager to exploit the situation. If Aeron hadn't deliberately bungled the execution of the matter from below, things could have escalated far more dramatically.
During his stay at the Montelli residence these past few days, Aeron used this incident as a stepping stone. Drawing on his experience within the Order and a sliver of the extraordinary wisdom left over from his past life, he pinpointed his next target—Capollo Montelli.
From there, it only took a bit of deduction to guess what they would do next.
Just like now.
Seizing the moment, Aeron turned and ducked into an alley, neatly cornering the wary man who had just entered from the opposite end.
He gave the man a quick once-over: beneath his coat, he wore Montelli attire, his furtive movements and suspicious demeanor all but confirming it—Aeron had caught his man.
Cornered abruptly, the man's expression shifted sharply, his hand instinctively moving to the pistol at his waist.
"No need to be so tense, brother. Just a chance encounter—let's have a chat?"
Aeron leaned lazily against the moss-covered wall, blocking the only way out.
When the man recognized Aeron as the one blocking his path, a complex emotion flickered across his face before he spoke:
"Priest Aeron, I'm merely following Mr. Capollo's orders to handle some affairs. Please step aside."
"This path leads toward the Order, doesn't it? What business could you possibly have over there?"
With his attempt to conceal his movements exposed so bluntly, the man's expression darkened further.
"...This is family business. There's no need to report it to an outsider like you."
He tried to sound firm, but the unease in his tone was hard to miss.
"Is that so? I'm also a priest of the Order. Whatever it is, you can tell me right here, and I'll relay it for you."
"Tch..."
Clearly annoyed by Aeron's persistence, the man's displeasure showed plainly on his face.
Ever since Aeron arrived at the Montelli estate, he had been using the authority granted by Carlotta to investigate matters linking the family to the Order, which had drawn Capollo's attention.
The man's mission was precisely to deliver certain documents to the Order, safeguarding the agreements between them and Capollo.
But neither of them had expected Aeron to track his movements so quickly.
The man glanced around, confirming no one else was nearby, then hardened his gaze and drew the pistol from his waist, aiming it at Aeron in an attempt to intimidate him.
"Priest Aeron, I don't know why you're helping the second young lady, but if you stand in my way, don't blame me for being impolite."
His intention was only to threaten Aeron, to make him back down.
Yet, faced with the dark muzzle of the gun, Aeron showed no fear. Instead, he stepped closer.
"Ah, I'd rather not either. How about doing me a favor and coming clean? Leniency for those who confess, severity for those who resist—you know how it goes."
"Hah? Are you joking? Don't come any closer!"
As Aeron gradually closed in on him, the man grew increasingly frantic. How could this clergyman—clearly an ordinary person—remain so calm when facing something that could take his life with a single shot?!
Yet, despite the threats, Aeron continued to advance relentlessly.
"Look, there's no need for you Montelli folks to be so hostile toward outsiders, right? I'm a reasonable person—whatever the issue is, we can—"
"Are you deaf? I said stay back!"
Finally, to stop Aeron from approaching further, the man fired a shot at the floor in front of him, hoping to halt his progress.
Bang!
[Focus Fire, activated]
But the bullet had a mind of its own.
The steel bullet first struck the damp floor tile, ricocheting at a precise angle. It then lifted the tile edge, and—as if guided by some miraculous force—veered straight toward Aeron's head.
"Raa!"
Aeron let out a short, strange cry, dramatically clutched his forehead, and then stiffly toppled backward, landing with a thud on the ground, motionless.
The alley fell into sudden silence, leaving only the bewildered man and a corpse.
"...?????"
Staring at Aeron's fallen form, the man was dumbstruck.
So, he had aimed at the floor in front of Aeron, and the next second, Aeron was headshot?
What was that? Was this guy's head a magnet? Did he have some kind of cheat? Or was there a spirit inhabiting the gun?
He had only meant to intimidate him—since when did bullets develop a will of their own?!
"Hey, wait... this... huh?"
The man's brain completely short-circuited as he stared at the motionless Aeron. He glanced at his gun, then back at Aeron on the ground, and finally looked up at the sky, wondering if the Sentinels had set him up.
As a member of Montelli, he had just killed a priest of the Order—an absolutely unforgivable act. If this were discovered, Mr. Capollo's preparations for cooperation with the Order would be ruined.
Within seconds, a resolute expression crossed his face. "I'll take my own life!"
He believed Mr. Capollo would lead Montelli to a brighter future and refused to let his mistake bring about their downfall.
Just as he steeled himself and raised the gun to his own head, he noticed something.
Did the corpse beside him just... move?
[Cause of Death: Unexpected (?) ricochet headshot]
[Rating: B. Bet you didn't see that one coming]
[Reward Obtained: Instant Mastery—When you acquire an item, you naturally master its usage]
[Status Refreshing]
The next moment, Aeron actually climbed to his feet, shouting incomprehensibly, "System, you motherf—!"
"?????"
Now, the would-be suicide was utterly stupefied.
Watching Aeron stand up, he collapsed to the ground, the gun slipping from his hand. He was speechless, gaping, his mind consumed by a single thought:
What in the world is this man?
"Good grief, you Montelli folks really are all cut from the same cloth."
Aeron slowly approached the traitor whose mind had completely shut down, picking up the fallen firearm. Blood continued to drip from his head.
[Instant Mastery, activated]
With the System's prompt, the firearm's structure, weight distribution, firing mechanism, recoil control, and even the muscle memory for quick aiming and shooting instantly flooded his mind.
At the very least, the abilities granted by the System proved somewhat useful.
After reloading the chamber, Aeron raised the gun to point at him, a ferocious smile spreading across his blood-soaked face.
"Now, tell me everything you know—every single detail!"