The question Vincent asked—about Bree’s origins—was nothing new. Every beastman who had learned she was a human female had asked the same thing.

So when Vincent brought it up, Bree didn’t think much of it. She simply repeated the answer she had already given countless times.

"I come from a very distant planet. I don’t know how I ended up here. I only remember that I was about to go to sleep... then suddenly, there was a flash of white light. When I opened my eyes, everything around me had changed."

A faint tremor entered her voice as she continued, "Luckily, I met Sylas Ruan. Otherwise... I would have died at the jaws of those ugly mutated beasts."

On the other end of the call, Rory frowned slightly.

The story... It sounded eerily similar to her own experience. But one answer alone wasn’t enough to confirm whether Bree truly came from the same place she did.

She remained silent, continuing to listen.

"I see..." Vincent nodded thoughtfully before asking his next question. "On your planet... do you also worship the Beast God?"

Bree shook her head. "Our world is entirely human. We worship human deities—not the Beast God."

Every word she spoke was fabricated. After all, none of these beastmen had ever been to her so-called human planet. There was no way for them to verify her claims.

A flicker of curiosity crossed Vincent’s face.

"Then what do your human gods look like?" he asked. "Do they live on a sacred mountain like our Beast God?"

Bree smiled softly.

"Our gods look like me—they’re human. They also reside on a sacred mountain. But on that mountain stands a grand, towering palace. And the mountain is filled with wondrous, mystical plants..."

Hearing this, Rory’s doubts crystallized into certainty.

This Bree was absolutely not from the same world as her.

Vincent asked a few more questions—variations of what the higher authorities had already asked before.

Bree answered each one smoothly, without deviation.

Once he was done, Vincent instructed the military doctor to continue taking care of Bree and Yilan, then turned to leave.

"Vincent, you’re leaving already?"

Yilan frowned, clearly displeased.

He had come all this way, yet only spoken to Bree—and now he was leaving without even acknowledging her.

She reached out instinctively, wanting to stop him.

"I still have matters to attend to."

Vincent sidestepped her hand without hesitation and strode out of the medical bay.

The door slid shut behind him.

The moment it sealed, Vincent’s expression turned cold with undisguised distaste.

"To the adjutant," he said flatly, "once we return, dismantle this medical pod and transfer it to another warship."

Just thinking about Yilan’s cloying behavior—and the fact that she had lain in that pod—made his skin crawl.

He had a cleanliness obsession. He didn’t want it anymore.

Still, high-grade medical pods were expensive.

Better to let soldiers without a Female Master use it instead.

Back in the command room, Vincent closed the door and activated his light-brain.

He switched to video mode and Rory’s projection appeared instantly before him.

"Rory, did you hear everything just now?"

His gaze softened the moment he looked at her.

He wanted nothing more than to return to her side immediately.

"Yes, I heard it all." Rory nodded. "I can confirm now—Bree is not the kind of human female I was thinking of."

She wasn’t from Blue Star. That much was certain.

From the side, Xarion—who had been dozing in his chair—opened his eyes and looked at her intently.

He had listened to their earlier discussion about testing Bree’s identity.

And one thing had become clear—his Female Master seemed unusually knowledgeable about human females.

After a moment, he spoke. "If she’s not the kind of human you’re referring to..."

His gaze sharpened slightly. "Then what is she? Another kind of human from somewhere else?...Or not human at all?"

Vincent sat back in his chair, fingers lightly tapping against the surface of the desk—a slow, measured rhythm that betrayed the gears turning in his mind.

He looked at Xarion, then at Rory’s projection, and spoke with quiet clarity.

"I have two suspicions."

His voice was calm—but heavy.

"First—Bree might actually just be an ordinary beastman female. It’s possible her blood simply has the unique ability to enhance a beastman’s power."

He paused, then continued. "Second—she is neither a human female... nor a beastman female."

A brief silence fell. "She might be insectoid."

"Insectoid?!" Rory and Xarion both stared at him, stunned.

"That’s impossible," Rory said instinctively. "Aren’t insectoids supposed to be... ugly?"

Her voice trailed off mid-sentence.

A memory surfaced—the first time she had seen Bree, outside the hospital.

That face... Was almost too perfect.

As if it had been sculpted with deliberate precision.

Not natural—crafted.

A chilling thought crept in.

Could that face... have been manufactured?

Rory’s understanding of insectoids was limited to what she had seen on her communicator—and that one encounter with a grotesque creature covered entirely in eyes.

Everything she knew pointed to one fact: Insectoids could not perfectly mimic humanoid forms.

No matter how they evolved, some part of their true form always showed—distinct, inhuman traits that couldn’t be concealed.

Like that creature with eyes all over its face.

There was no hiding something like that.

"Female Master... did you think of something?" Xarion’s voice pulled her back.

Rory hesitated, then spoke slowly, "Do you think it’s possible... that Bree really is an insectoid? And that her appearance... has been altered somehow?"

"I’ve had the same suspicion." Vincent nodded. "When I was in the medical bay, something about her presence felt... off."

His gaze sharpened. "I’ll investigate as quickly as possible. If she really is insectoid..."

A dangerous edge entered his voice. "I won’t let her live."

At the moment, Bree was being treated as a rare human female by the higher authorities.

Without concrete proof, Vincent couldn’t act. The charge of harming a human female was far too grave.

But neither could they afford to delay.

If she truly was an insectoid and could infiltrate this deeply, deceiving even the highest ranks, then the implications were terrifying.

"I’ll have Yuel look into Sylas Ruan," Rory said.

If Bree really was an insectoid, then her blood shouldn’t have been able to elevate Sylas Ruan’s Rank.

So how had he advanced?

That discrepancy mattered.

As the three continued discussing the matter, the door to Rory’s room suddenly opened.

Yuel stepped inside.

Rory blinked in mild surprise. She had just mentioned him—and here he was.

"Yuel, come here," she said quickly. "I actually needed you for something."

Yuel walked over to the bedside, smiling faintly.

"What is it, Rory?"

Without delay, she explained everything—their suspicions about Bree possibly being an insectoid, and the need to investigate Sylas Ruan.

"I need you to look into him."

"Insectoid...?" Yuel’s expression turned serious immediately.

He then nodded. "I’ll arrange for someone to investigate right away."

Rory studied him for a moment, then asked, "Weren’t you with Vangar? Why did you come up here?"

At the mention of Vangar, Yuel’s expression shifted—somewhere between helpless and urgent.

"Just now, Aren saw Vangar... and mistook him for his father again. He’s downstairs right now—feeding him fruit."

Yuel exhaled. "Vangar doesn’t have the best temper. Rory... you should probably go take a look."

The moment those words fell, Xarion, who had been slumped lazily in his chair, suddenly stood up.

His eyes locked onto Yuel, sharp and dangerous.

"...Yuel."

He spoke each word slowly, distinctly. "Who did you just say?"

Beside him, Vincent had also risen to his feet.

His gaze, too, fixed squarely on Yuel.