episode_0207

The Streganix modification surgery was a success. Of course, it was a temporary measure, making immediate deployment into combat difficult, but its psychological effect was tremendous. To think the people in the banquet hall would be convinced in an instant like that.

“It was good that we talked right after I woke up.” “You can’t imagine how surprised I was when you explained our situation.”

Orion now ordered the people to retreat to the clan headquarters. Though, in truth, he likely wanted to have a private conversation with his brother. The people in the banquet hall began to evacuate, escorted by the trackers from the search and excavation departments. The inspector siblings also seemed to read the atmosphere and withdrew.

What remained were Violet and Rigel’s faction.

Orion asked Rigel, his faction, and the relatives from both families why they had committed such acts. “No! We were just acting for the clan’s sake…” “We were tricked! This is all…”

Meanwhile, Irene quietly posed a question to the purple-haired woman before her. “Aunt, why did you do it?” “…I just needed some money. That was all.”

Asking the others was a pointless exercise. All that remained was Irene’s pathetic uncle. “Why did you do it? We’re family. If you were short on funds, I could have given you more…” Rigel gritted his teeth and muttered. “Ha, so you just let your sister-in-law die like that? Huh?” “That was… an accident.” It seems he’s talking about Irene’s mother’s death. Rigel began to wail. “This is all your fault!” “…?” “You don’t know! What it feels like to live in the shadows! Father, Mother, even my peers! Everyone compared me to you and ignored me! No matter how hard I tried, I could never measure up to you. In sports, academics, popularity… everything!”

Perhaps he had some awareness himself, for Orion’s speaker cautiously emitted a voice. “Rigel, I’m sorry for that. I didn’t know you felt that way…” “Shut up! What’s there to be sorry about now? Don’t be so hypocritical!” Rigel cut off his brother’s words and shrieked. “You even stole my last hope! I liked Zora first!” I whispered to Irene. “Who’s Zora?” “…That’s my mother’s name.” “Oh, for god’s sake…”

Gah, surely this guy isn’t a pedophile, is he? For us Violets, who advocate for a healthy family culture, this situation was simply unacceptable. We aimed our guns and prepared to execute the incestuous individual.

Suddenly, Irene and I felt a chill run down our spines. Could it be that the uncle threatened his niece because of…? “Y-you madman! You’re not looking at Irene like that, are you?!” “You monster!” I was wondering if I should just kill him quickly when he spat. “How utterly disgusting. What? Why would I want that girl? It’s laughable. Confessing now, do you know how uncomfortable I felt every time I saw her face?”

We grew increasingly disgusted. “Irene, you’re a desecration of my last remaining memory! Those eyes, that nose, that face! Why is that attached to Zora’s face of all things! You’re a monstrosity that should never have been born!” While Irene remained stunned by the absurd outburst, Orion spoke. “No. I’m sorry, but Zora confessed to me first. I didn’t even know you felt that way until we talked.” “What?! That’s impossible!” Ugh, it’s terrible to hear. It seemed he hated seeing his brother’s face mixed with the appearance of the woman he secretly loved. But that’s his own problem. Irene is a wonderful beauty! Unable to listen to his ranting any longer, I slammed the butt of my weapon into his head. He let out a grunt and fell silent. “No, dear, this is…” “Rigel, why…?” Rigel’s wife and even Orion looked bewildered by the shocking confession. “…Ugh!” Irene mumbled. “Is it a side effect of the modification surgery after all…?” The Streganix body, which had been moving awkwardly, trembled. We looked at the Streganix’s condition. Various readings on the tablet were dropping. Perhaps due to his brother’s disgrace, or the hastily performed surgery, the neural synchronization worsened. “Then I’ll take him!” Orion was taken away again. I’ll have to make the Magnabys slaves work even harder for a while.

*

As the Streganix body withdrew, the Violets drew their weapons. The click of a charging handle being pulled, the sound of a round being chambered. The whistle of a sword being drawn from its scabbard. “Let’s kill them all!” “Purge!” That is, until an unexpected request reached the ears of the girls who had planned to clean up the banquet hall. “What? Are you sure you’re okay?” “Thank you. But I’m fine.”

Irene thought. ‘I’ve finished talking with Father.’ Though he was saddened and depressed, her weakened father couldn’t stop his daughter. And she herself had no intention of backing down. Because she had to be the one to put an end to all of this. ‘This is something I have to do.’ The work she had started, she couldn’t leave this to her friends. The dirtiest work had to be done by her own hands. It was a task only she, not her father nor the Violets, could do. Irene stood facing Rigel’s faction, spear in hand. As the Violets withdrew from the prisoners, doubt and unease flashed across their faces. “Surely you’re not going to release us, are you?” a man asked with trembling hope. Irene shook her head. There was no hesitation in her golden gaze. “No.” With a cold, dry answer, she delivered her verdict. “Close your eyes, everyone.” “Wh-what are you talking about…?” someone stammered. “Hey… we’re still family!” A cry verging on a shriek burst out. “Your relatives have already passed away.” There was no emotional fluctuation in Irene’s voice. It was as cold as if she were speaking to the dead. “Aaaaargh!” And the end came. One by one, the people of Rigel’s faction, who had been restrained, fell. At the crossroads of life and death, some resisted desperately. A few trackers forcibly broke free from their restraints and charged. The golden, magic-infused spearhead mercilessly cleaved through them. “You broke free. The restraints were indeed weak.” She muttered with bloodied lips. “Yes, come on. If you can defeat me, I’ll give you a chance to live.” “Aaaaaaargh!” “Die! Just die!” Irene’s spear cut through the air. There was no hesitation, no wavering. She merely sliced through flesh mechanically and coldly. “Wait! Irene! We were wrong! Is money not enough? We’ll give you anything else!” A man pleaded with tears of blood. But there was no ripple of emotion on the girl’s face. “Don’t worry. You will officially be recorded as having died in battle against a magical beast.” Irene continued calmly. “According to regulations, compensation and condolence money will be delivered to your families. May you rest in peace.” “You… you’re truly insane…” Rigel, who had been watching, gasped in a voice filled with horror. Irene gave a self-deprecating smile. “That’s right, I have to be insane.” She looked around and murmured. “A mad academy, a deranged board of directors. And a twisted family history.” Dipping the spearhead in blood, she whispered. “I’ve only now realized how confined a cage I’ve been living in.” The girl who emerged from it decided to paint her own vast picture of this world, using blood as paint. “Pl-please spare me!” A desperate scream echoed. Another horizontal slash. He was split in two. An unknown cousin’s head was severed in one swift blow. The blood-soaked corpse rolled on the floor. A mountain of corpses piled up. Climbing the bodies of her own blood as if they were steps, the girl became an adult, step by painful step. Blood splattered profusely with each swing of her spear. “Aaaargh!” “No! Kelly!” As even his wife fell, Rigel, the last one remaining, screamed like a madman. “You were looking for our mother just now, and suddenly you miss your wife, I see.” “Ugh…!” “I don’t care. I don’t give a damn about your shallow personal matters anymore.” The uncle’s enraged screams no longer evoked any emotion. “You wicked wench! I’ll surely have my revenge! If not me, then my other subordinates… or even my child will take revenge!” A declaration of vengeance shouted with venom. What followed was a dry response. “Your child’s revenge? Alright. Wait for him in hell. I’ll send Betel right away. He must miss his parents too.” The moment he heard that, Rigel regained his sanity. The instant he hastily faced his niece, he almost stopped breathing. ‘What? What did I just say…!’ There was no trace of emotion left in Irene’s eyes. All that remained was icy coldness. Imagining the calamity that would befall his only young child, he fell into despair. ‘I… I’ve created a monster with my own hands…’ In his final moments, he begged. “No! Please, spare Betel…!” As the blood-stained spearhead flashed, Rigel’s consciousness faded into darkness. His bleeding head rolled away. When the slaughter ended, the Violets approached, catching their breath. Irene stared into the void and murmured. “It’s strange. I feel nothing.” “What do you mean?” Violet asked, puzzled. “I thought I’d feel the bitterness of regret, or the exhilaration of revenge…” She smiled. But the smile was only sad and hollow. “Now, there’s just no emotion. I just feel empty.” The Violets hesitated, then asked. “By the way… what about the children of the ones who died?” Irene pondered for a moment, then shook her head. “The work ends here. If they challenge me later, I’ll face them anytime, but I’ll try to let them live without knowing anything.” She murmured, looking down at the blood-soaked banquet hall floor. “Parents are heroes to their children. Just like my parents were to me. There’s no need to shatter that.” A hint of remorse appeared in her golden eyes. Her golden gaze stared into the void. “Even if there are complicated circumstances behind a mask, a child doesn’t need to know. Well, whatever choices they make in the future, that’s their freedom.” Irene stood up. Leaving behind the blood-soaked mountain of corpses, she slowly began to walk. “Whatever choices they make in the future, that’s their freedom. All I have to do is accept their choices.” The banquet hall doors closed, and the remaining Violets began to clean. The mountain of corpses vanished without a trace, as if it had never been there.

**

On the way back to the clan, Irene changed her clothes. Her clothes and weapons were all covered in blood. It would be difficult to attend a meeting like this. “Let’s change clothes first!” Soon after, a cute young woman in a suit appeared. The car stopped in front of the headquarters. “Young Lady…” Perhaps having heard the circumstances, Land Team Leader looked at us with a troubled expression as Irene and the Violet escorts boarded the elevator. Their destination was the conference room. Due to the nature of the year-end party, all major executives were gathered, so an emergency board meeting could be held immediately. Because of the location, only two Violets could enter, but it wasn’t a major problem. “…No matter what she decided herself, how can a child act as a proxy…” “Are you saying you don’t trust her? With that level of power…” Opening the door, they saw the executives who had been whispering. Familiar faces and new ones were visible. One of the board members asked. “Um… Miss Irene. Where are the others? That group…” “As of today, they have all resigned.” At that moment, the people sitting in the conference room flinched. Their gazes crossed. Having finished speaking, Irene approached a seat in the conference room. She headed for the head seat. “W-wait. Where are you…” “You’re late. Acting CEO.” Just as someone stammered a protest, Director Morgan cut him off. He looked around the people present, as if to assert his dominance, then spoke. “There was a lot of work to handle.” “So, what will you do now?” “We intend to discuss that now. First, the expansion into the western sector…” Director Viktor turned his gaze towards us, as if to hear them out. His eyes held anticipation and curiosity. “Then, let the meeting begin.” With two Violet escorts behind her, Irene sat down in the chair. In the head seat of the conference room, the one once occupied by her father, the clan’s leader.

**

As they left the conference room, the Violets realized an important fact they had forgotten. “Come to think of it, when’s our entrance exam?” “We have about three days left!” To think it was already that soon. We shrieked. “Aaaaaaah!”