episode_0113

Initially, we pondered who the attackers on Irene were.

The Violets thought.

“Who could have done such a thing?”

We put our heads together and thought. Honestly, it was a pity. We had tried to capture a prisoner, but then the Inspector suddenly appeared.

“Didn’t Irene seem to know something? Was it just me?”

“I don’t know. But according to the setting…”

Irene appears as the leader of the Helios Clan in the main story. However, there’s an implication that her path wasn’t smooth. When she inherited the clan leader position, the four major clans interfered and stripped away various assets.

Their past glory and prestige vanished, and the clan members scattered in all directions. All that remained for her was the husk. There were descriptions of her being burdened by debt, struggling in a small office.

Irene’s situation could be summarized in one phrase: a young head of household.

“Everyone knows that place goes to ruin. The important thing is *why* it ends up like that!”

I should contact Irene later. See if she knows anything about the attackers. And I should also check on the Inspector’s condition.

“Let’s ask the manager. We should be able to find out the internal situation of Helios.”

In this situation, there’s only one thing we can do: utilize our versatile manager.

Aside from the unfolding events, the conversation took a different turn.

“Our Violet Command gained an important lesson from this battle.”

“What is it?”

“We need airplanes too!”

The enemy mercenaries were powerful. But we could suppress them to our level. The hunters were also strong. But if a Violet carrying tens of kilograms of bombs rushed at them, they could be shattered.

Streagonics was a powerful weapon, but if it hadn’t been a rescue mission, we could have somehow destroyed it by utilizing our numerical superiority.

However, we realized something important. One was the lack of an escape method.

“It would have been great if we had a helicopter.”

“Then we would have immediately loaded them up and flown away.”

Our plan was almost successful. But it went awry in the final part. We ended up wasting time waiting for a vehicle to escape.

Although we stole a car and fled the scene, that was only a temporary measure.

As we talked about helicopters, the topic shifted. The importance of elevation for reconnaissance and attack became a hot topic.

“Those damn suicide drones!”

The suicide drone attack that came at the end caused little damage because we quickly dispersed. However, the word “bombing” brings significant pressure. We don’t like being unilaterally battered.

Violet 493 offered an opinion.

“Let’s buy drones too! We can use them for reconnaissance and attach bombs to drop!”

Violet 5 voiced an objection.

“No! You can’t use drones in dungeons. Did you forget you can’t use wireless control?”

“But there are wired drones that you control by hanging a line, aren’t there? Look!”

Violet 493 pulled out her smartphone and showed it. Everyone’s gaze converged on it.

“Oh, it’s real? Then let’s buy one of these.”

“Alright. But this one’s too small.”

111 also spoke.

“Wait, drones are one thing. What about an escape method? I don’t know why drones suddenly came up. Are we going to hang from a drone and escape?”

“That’s it!”

“That’s it? What are you suddenly talking about?”

Violet 49 suddenly pointed at the ceiling.

“We can just fly in the sky too!”

“Are you talking about flying magic or artifacts? We don’t know how to use those. Artifacts are even harder.”

“Idiots, I mean airplanes!”

Violet 49 continued.

“You all saw it. The Inspector flies around in an airplane too! Wouldn’t it be great if we had such a means? We could do reconnaissance, attacks, and bombing.”

There had already been a demand for airplanes before this. It was something I had brought up to the manager a few times. There were also dungeons where airplanes could be usefully employed depending on the internal terrain.

“Wasn’t that about fighter jets?”

“Yes, it was.”

In fact, after meeting Armas, we had tried to purchase fighter jets. We didn’t even wish for jet fighters. Propeller fighters that might have been used in World War II would have been sufficient.

However, there was a problem.

“Boss-nim, I won’t ask about your purpose. But I have one question.”

“What is it?”

“Do you have a pilot’s license for an airplane or helicopter?”

At the unexpected point, our minds went blank.

Later, we found out that what was needed to operate an airplane was not just one or two things. It cost an enormous amount of money. Even the Violets, who continuously supplied funds through delivery work and dungeon grinding, found it difficult to afford.

“We’ve been looking into it, but airplanes and helicopters are too expensive! Look here. The fuel alone is no joke!”

Airplanes were very delicate beings. Unlike the Violets, who proliferate on their own if left neglected. Most importantly, an airfield was needed. Helicopters were somewhat free in this regard, but they cost a lot of money.

There was also a new approach.

“Oh! Guys. There’s something good here!”

“It’s a jetpack!”

“A jet bike!”

We widened our eyes in surprise. Objects straight out of science fiction were before our eyes. As expected, the Academy City’s scientific power is the best!

“Wow, what we were looking for was here!”

“Too expensive!”

But after seeing the price tags, we became dejected. Although they met our desired conditions, each of these also cost as much as an airplane. They said they used materials found in dungeons.

“They say they only sell to clans? We can’t buy them.”

“Should we ask the manager?”

“You know smuggling makes it even more expensive, right?”

The cost of buying weapons and making bombs was already substantial, and in the current situation, this was also impossible.

“At best, it’s something we’d like to have. It’s not immediately urgent, is it? This is a luxury.”

“If we ever have to carry out another escape plan or rescue operation later, we can just do it more systematically. We probably won’t need a helicopter.”

As opposing opinions gradually increased, the idea of acquiring an airplane melted away like snow in spring.

Just as the Violet meeting was about to delve into serious discussion again, a new suggestion came from the explosives workshop.

“Guys! We don’t need airplanes. We can fly in the sky!”

“What are you talking about?”

We shifted our gaze towards the workshop. We were astonished. To think there was such an ingenious method!

“V-1! Prepare for launch!”

***

The explosives workshop originally handled bomb manufacturing. An abandoned warehouse on a desolate construction site, left after development was canceled, provided ample space for work. A nearby advantage was that there were no civilian houses, so minor explosions could be overlooked.

Various homemade bombs, smoke grenades, and incendiary bombs that we usually used were made here.

However, the workshop sought to expand into a new domain: the sky.

Before our eyes lay an object larger and more elongated than a Violet. This crude object, named Violet-1, was a rocket.

“Is this the thing being developed?”

“It’s a prototype!”

The Violet in charge of the workshop smiled proudly. This rocket, made of iron pipes, sugar, and fertilizer, was developed to compensate for the Violets’ insufficient magical abilities.

Its destructive power had never been tested, but considering the weight of the warhead it contained, each one was estimated to be roughly equivalent to a Violet’s self-detonation.

“You have no idea how many died for today!”

“It won’t explode now.”

The V-1 rocket, developed in this way, was originally created for the propagation of violence and destruction. Just like rocket weapons in Earth’s history.

However, rockets developed to kill people also contributed to sending people to the moon and launching satellites into space, enriching human lives.

Therefore, the Violets’ inventions too could extend into a new realm of creation, transcending mere destruction!

“Prepare for launch!”

Violet 34 was tied to the rocket mounted in the middle of the wasteland. The warhead at the front had been removed. According to our calculations, the rocket could carry a Violet and fly sufficiently.

Most of the Violets from the workshop hid in the dirt pits they had dug beforehand. 512 ran and ignited the rocket.

“Launch!”

The rocket spewed fire and shot into the sky.

“Wow! It’s flying!”

The fierce wind whipping her face was felt. 34 shouted excitedly. We shared 34’s sensations and felt the thrill of flight.

“I’m flying!”

-Crash!

And then the rocket exploded in mid-air. 34 died instantly. Debris fell to the ground.

“Aaagh!”

“Huh? It failed.”

“Ah…”

The Violets from the workshop became dejected.

“V-1 prototype. Failure…”

“Noooo…”

Although the prototype rocket weapon failed spectacularly, the Violets did not give up on failure. The workshop received more budget and personnel.

“Carrying a person was a stretch, but did you see the thrust?”

“If we used that for attack…!”

While the Violets of the workshop strived to complete the V-1 rocket, the discussion about the Violet squad acquiring flight capability resumed with fervor.

There was only one reason: the sensation of flying, experienced through 34, was absolutely amazing.

However, the rocket was excessively unstable. And there was no way to control it.

The Violets racked their brains.

“Guys. There’s something good here!”

While the glider faction, the catapult faction, and the hot air balloon faction were debating, Violet 46, who was browsing the internet, discovered an interesting shop.

“Why didn’t we think of this? It’s so simple, isn’t it? And it’s cheap!”

“If we have this…!”

The Violets slapped their knees. To think there was such a method.

The method of flying was cheaper and more affordable than expected.

“They say if we order today, it’ll arrive tomorrow?”

“Order it immediately! We’ll start practicing right away from tomorrow!”

The next afternoon, several large boxes appeared in front of the Violets’ house.

The Violets grinned as they opened the boxes.

Wing suits and powered hang glider parts revealed themselves.