episode_0045

The Central District, an empty warehouse near the Brotherhood. It was nicknamed the ‘Violet Barracks.’

Numerous Violets were seated in their respective spots. Some Violets had laptop computers and notebooks on their desks, writing something down. Other Violets set up large whiteboards and drew maps.

Currently, we were receiving real-time information from our other selves in the distant Polaris underground facility.

Since the facility was quite large and complex, we set up a temporary command center for efficient exploration. Though it looked crude, everyone was doing their job well. In the center of the command center, No. 1, sitting cross-legged in an old armchair, gave various instructions.

“Alright, everyone move calmly. For now, we’re just briefly surveying, so don’t do anything that might stand out too much.”

No. 67, who was scribbling a movement route on the whiteboard, grumbled, looking at No. 1 who was gesturing wildly as if conducting an orchestra.

“Tsk… Anyone would think you’re the leader. You might be No. 1, but we’re all equal!”

No. 1, who had been busy directing, paused for a moment and then stuck out their tongue at No. 67 playfully.

“Yeah, not a leader. I’m a monarch of a constitutional monarchy. Like the British Royal Family! Because I’m the first!”

“Ugh!”

As No. 1 puffed up, No. 2, who was arranging paper cups and drinks on the table, casually interjected.

“British Royal Family, my foot. Don’t forget you have neither the authority nor the power of even a Japanese Emperor.”

No. 1, feeling stung, shouted.

“It’s not that bad! I also have the authority as a ‘citizen Violet’…”

“Alright, alright! Focus. We’re working now. Stop bickering.”

We, who had been watching the brief quarrel, shrugged. Under everyone’s pressure, the fighting clones fell silent and refocused on their work.

“Democracy doesn’t need kings.” No. 67 grumbled. No. 28, hearing this, rebuked them.

“Be quiet. We might not need a king, but we need traffic police.”

In fact, everything we all said was right. It was true that No. 1 was the first, but they didn’t have significant authority.

After the entrance ceremony, we held the first Violet meeting and became aware of our existence. We operate through a parallel-connected consciousness structure. It was safe to say there was no concept of a ‘main body’ with absolute control.

However, ‘I’ as the symbol of the ‘First Violet’ truly existed. The being who had lived since possession, died and resurrected during the entrance ceremony, and whose clone had ‘1’ written on its left arm. ‘Clone No. 1’ corresponds to the First Violet.

While not everyone was entirely convinced, the argument was that since the clones had numbers on their arms in the order they were created, No. 1 must be the first. Everyone agreed.

The symbol and impression derived from the number ‘1’ were not light. But a symbol was just a symbol, and Clone No. 1 had no special authority. Therefore, the authority I, No. 1, possessed was merely an insubstantial symbolism.

Since everyone considered themselves a Violet anyway, even this symbolism had long faded.

Let’s assume these three elements—memory, consciousness and self, and control over clones—as political power or sovereignty.

The previous Violet was an absolute monarch who monopolized political power. Other clones simply had to move as instructed, and even if they had consciousness and self, they were ultimately subservient to the main body.

But everything changed when the absolute monarch died, crushed by an outdoor unit, and resurrected bearing the number 1.

Everyone gained their own self and began sharing each other’s memories. Furthermore, they individually controlled their own bodies and acquired equal Aether manipulation abilities, such as clone creation and de-creation.

The original main body, the First Violet, became Violet No. 1 at that moment. To use an analogy, it was like the monarch of a kingdom abdicating for some reason and becoming a citizen of a democratic republic. They had the right to vote, but nothing more.

All Violets were direct democrats who could freely elect and sanction each other.

The Violets advanced quite deep. The passages twisted like a maze. So far, they hadn’t seen a single person, let alone an insect.

“Everyone, found anything?”

“Lots. Let’s check the action cam footage and review it later.”

Small action cams were attached to the heads of our Violets scouting the underground facility. While the vision and information from the clones deployed on-site could be received in real-time via the Violet network, we bought and attached one each for review purposes, in case any information was missed.

Of course, buying electronic equipment for exploration cost a lot of money.

“I know it’s necessary, but it’s a waste of money.”

“Can’t be helped. If we duplicate electronic devices, their performance becomes strange.”

Unfortunately, our unique ability was useless against objects above a certain level of complexity. We either got empty shells that didn’t work at all, devices that just emitted bright light from the screen, or ones that only vibrated continuously.

No. 12, who was standing guard near the barracks entrance, fiddled with a used 10-shot crossbow bought recently. Their fingers slid over its jet-black fiberglass body.

“This one duplicates well. Maybe semiconductors are the problem? Or batteries.”

“Right, Aether has properties that disrupt or block electromagnetic waves.”

Though they only speculated about the cause, as long as it could be overcome with money, it wasn’t an urgent issue. It was a problem that time would solve.

As they navigated the passages, the surroundings visibly grew more complex. The number of pipes attached to the walls and ceiling increased, as did the lighting. Metal structures supporting the ceiling also grew. Warning signs like and indicated that this was a passage used by people.

Occasionally, while passing through the passages, they also found storerooms or unused rooms.

“People! Hide!”

Clone No. 27, who had gone deepest, was startled and immediately retreated as soon as they turned the corner. This was because people could be seen bustling back and forth beyond the passage. Even though it was only a few meters away, the atmosphere of the space had changed. No. 27 bent the tip of the endoscope camera and carefully poked it out beyond the wall. We all observed the scene displayed on the smartphone screen, forgetting to breathe.

The first visible space had a wide, high ceiling. There was an arched ceiling covered with metal panels, at least 4 to 5 meters high. Below it, aluminum scaffolding was haphazardly installed, and steel stairs extended downwards. It seemed to be a temporary workspace. Several people in white gowns moved up and down.

White gowns?

Our heads throbbed for a moment. No. 1 calmed everyone down.

“Alright, everyone take a deep breath. This isn’t the Raphlaxia Research Institute. Calm down. Got it? Ugh…”

Breathing slowly helped them feel a little better. They resumed their observation.

Under the bright lights illuminating the wide space, various large and small machines were laid out. Wires of different thicknesses, connected to the machines, were neatly arranged on the floor.

Several large transparent whiteboards with complex equations written in white marker were visible. On some whiteboards, several large papers with magic circles of various incomprehensible shapes and colors were attached.

Next to them, researchers observed multiple monitors. Graphs and various figures, showing unknown data, were changing in real-time. On one side, a researcher inserted electrodes into a small piece of gray matter inside a transparent glass container.

“Looks like they work until this hour.”

“I wonder if they get overtime pay?”

But there was one thing that was most impressive.

When the camera turned slightly to the left, a pipe was visible, curving and extending from one end of the facility to the other.

“Is it a sewage treatment facility?”

“Looks more complex than that. And there’s no smell.”

It was a large metal pipe, tall enough to reach an adult man’s chest. The sight of the endless pipe resembled a giant bow. Seeing the end of the pipe disappear beyond the tunnel suggested its true size was greater than what was visible.

“Look! I found that pipe too.”

Just then, No. 49, who was wandering the underground facility, also discovered the pipe. It was a long tunnel where the pipe extended endlessly.

“It looks similar to the pipe from before. They must be connected.”

“It’s not just a simple pipe.”

The Violets at the central command center measured the positions of each Violet located in the underground facility. Since the map was not yet complete, they couldn’t determine the exact directions or the size of the facility. However, they could discern that No. 27 and No. 49 were in completely opposite locations.

The pipe in question extended quite far.

“We brought GPS, didn’t we? Can’t we calculate based on that?”

“Your signal isn’t being picked up. Probably because it’s underground.”

As they looked around, a neatly dressed gentleman in a cloak appeared in No. 49’s view. He was a man with ash-gray hair tied back in a long ponytail. Behind him, a familiar young man with similar hair color was visible.

“It’s the Chairman!”

“The Student Council President is there too.”

This was the second time seeing the Chairman in person.

As the two walked down the stairs, the researchers working below scrambled and formed a line. A moment later, an elderly researcher came out to greet them. The Chairman said something, then raised his right hand and gestured lightly. Only then did the standing researchers disperse back to their places.

Only the elderly researcher remained, continuing to converse with the Chairman. From their demeanor, he seemed to be in charge of this place.

“They seem to be talking, but it’s too far to hear.”

“Did you trade the sound amplifier for candy? Get it out quickly!”

No. 49 pulled out a long, black device from their inventory. It looked similar to the endoscope used a moment ago, but it had a dish-shaped antenna attached to the tip of the microphone. Considering that sound amplifiers are usually held and used like pistols, this one was unusual.

“They said it’s a hunting aid. It’s expensive, so use it carefully.”

“Alright. Stop nagging… I hear it.”

No. 49 put on the headset. Through the loud mechanical hum, the two men’s voices could be heard. The Violets holding laptops at the command center hurriedly typed.

A deep male voice and an older voice echoed in their ears in succession.

“…Thank you for the requested budget increase, Chairman-nim. Thanks to it, the plan is progressing step by step.”

“No need to thank me, Dr. Sturges. The Aether wavelength-synchronization theory you proposed in your youth has contributed significantly to this grand endeavor. No, without it, we wouldn’t have even started. The board is ready to grant whatever you request.”

A doctor, so that researcher was also an important person.

Because of the noise, the conversation was interrupted and hard to hear at times.

“Haha, you flatter me. When the legendary mage of Magnabyss needs me, of course I must step forward. I merely followed instructions… This task, the linking of magic, Aether physics, and two-dimensional biology, would not have been possible without the Chairman-nim’s advice…”

“…Doctor, there’s no need to be overly humble. Excellent individuals deserve excellent treatment… If there is anything else you need, please tell me.”

“In that case, if you’ll excuse me… for the project to proceed on schedule… more research personnel are needed…”

“You don’t need to report such things individually. I’ll leave it to your discretion…”

The Chairman and the doctor’s insipid conversation quickly ended. The smartphone screen showed the doctor returning to his place. There wasn’t as much to gain here as expected. The Chairman and the Student Council President were seen slowly touring the facility.

“This must be it.”

“No! Keep holding it! Don’t you hear voices?”

Seeing the Chairman and the Student Council President standing together, they looked like brothers. I knew the Chairman was quite old, but he appeared young on the outside. It was a setting where powerful Awakened individuals could delay aging, wasn’t it?

“…Kroshel, did you see it well? The plan is progressing smoothly. What do you think about…”

“Chairman-nim, I don’t think there’s anything more for me to say. At this rate, the project will be completed within recent memory…”

“By the way, I heard there’s been a small problem recently. Among the students who enrolled this time…”

“That… it seems the administrative office and admissions department staff made a mistake. How did they screen the documents to let in the daughter of the Demonic Spear…? Once she’s enrolled, it’s too late to expel her. Still, soon…”

“Kroshel.”

The Chairman cut off the Student Council President. It was a brief remark, but anger could be felt through the headset.

On the screen transmitted by the camera, the Student Council President quietly bowed his head as the Chairman glared at him.

“…Do you know how many resources the council expends on internal control? We’ve put in no small effort over the past few years to block the various voices leaking out. Let alone the cost incurred to stop that childish girl’s unpredictable actions…”

“…I apologize.”

“Does this look like a problem that can end with an apology? Kroshel, Kroshel! You’ve always been like this… In the name of loyalty, you’ve always done things I didn’t even order. Even this entrance ceremony… Why did you do that?”

“To prevent low-level ‘species’ who didn’t meet the plan’s conditions from… coming in…”

“…My child. I gave you the authority to distinguish the good from the bad [lit. jade from stones]. I did not give you the authority to break them. I am not scolding you for there being casualties. But this time, far too many died… there must have been other ways.”

“I will be more careful.”

“…I understand your thoughts. From now on, don’t let personal feelings influence your work. I trust you…”

Afterward, they said more, but their voices were drowned out by the noise and hard to hear. A short while later, they were seen climbing the stairs back up. Was there another entrance?

Even after the Chairman and the Student Council President left, they patrolled the research institute for several hours, but couldn’t obtain any clear information immediately.

They de-created the clones and recovered the recorded data.

Before dawn approached, they discussed briefly.

“Just seeing and hearing isn’t enough.”

“Then what should we do? Should we sneak a document or something?”

No. 1, who had been resting their chin on their hand, suddenly lifted their head.

“I have a good idea.”

“What is it?”

Before No. 1 could speak, a single idea permeated the minds of all Violets through the network.

Everyone’s eyes widened simultaneously like lanterns.

Sometimes this was inconvenient. The fact that the other ‘mes’ quickly caught on before I could even voice a thought or idea. It lacked dramatic flair.

Still, this reaction wasn’t bad. Everyone was so shocked that their thoughts came to a halt.

I, seeing their reactions, raised the corners of my mouth in satisfaction. I prided myself on it being a truly wicked smile, even by my own standards.

Before everyone, now steeped in silence, I, No. 1, declared:

“Let’s kidnap a researcher.”