episode_0209

“Ugh, I thought my brain would explode.”

As expected of a prestigious academy, the transfer exam was difficult.

“By the way, does everyone remember the essay questions?”

“Oh, those? They asked all sorts of bizarre things. The terrorist story reminded me of someone…”

Listening to Daphne and Kalia talk, I remembered the essay exam I had just taken.

What was it about again?

“By the way, Violet. What did you write?”

At Kalia’s question, I answered without thinking.

“Nah, of course, I wrote that all enemies must be killed.”

I answered proudly. My friends stared at me, dumbfounded for a moment.

“Ha… as expected.”

Irene shook her head.

“Anyway, now it’s the practical exam. Let’s do it properly. Got it?”

“Don’t worry, practicals are my specialty!”

I gave a thumbs up.

A moment later, we ate lunch and headed to the practical exam venue.

The initial practical tests involved assessing magic release and control, as well as body enhancement abilities.

“Please stand in front of the measurement device.”

As the supervisor spoke, I stepped forward. In front of me were several cameras and complex measurement equipment.

With the judges watching us, I closed my eyes and concentrated magic throughout my body.

Intense red magic enveloped me.

Following the instructions, I picked up various tools, injected magic into them, and even imbued my sword with sword energy.

“Next, we will begin measuring body enhancement abilities.”

Various types of exercise equipment linked to sensors were lined up in front of me.

I lightly walked over and lifted them one by one according to the instructions.

“Ugh…!”

Compared to before, they were lighter, but still heavy for my body.

There was nothing I couldn’t lift, but my body enhancement ability was still insufficient.

Afterward, we performed various minor tests in front of the supervisors.

Magic creation, reaction speed measurement, sensory amplification.

“Good. That concludes the basic tests. Now, we will proceed with the practical combat test.”

Following the supervisor’s guidance, I moved to the next location.

Everything we had done so far could be considered a physical examination.

I opened the door and entered.

Upon entering the spacious training ground, we were greeted by a large metal giant with a sleek appearance.

‘A Stregonix?’

‘No, that… I feel magic. It’s not a robot.’

Soon, we understood its identity.

The object before us was an automaton, a puppet operated remotely by a wizard. It was similar to golems found in fantasy genres.

“What we will be conducting now is a close-quarters combat test. Please demonstrate your skills against the training automaton.”

The test method was simple. Just smash this tin can, and it would be over.

“Before entering the test area, please select one weapon you like from those available. You can use magic, your unique ability, or any other means to withstand or defeat it for 10 minutes.”

If we got hurt, medical staff waiting nearby would treat us.

It was reassuring to know that the person controlling it would also adjust its strength appropriately.

On the shelf were cold weapons of various sizes.

I asked the supervisor a question.

“Can I use all of them?”

“…All of those? If you can, go ahead.”

I gathered an armful of practice weapons from the shelf and entered the test area.

The automaton stomped towards us.

I generated clones and simultaneously charged at the automaton.

“Alright, bring it on!”

‘Commencing attack!’

Red magic swirled, and ten of my clones appeared on the battlefield.

The supervising judge’s eyes widened.

“Shriek!”

Violet’s legion began its synchronized attack.

– Clang! Crash!

Blades cut through metal, and magic flew in arcs.

‘Tear it! Kill it! Break it!’

‘Hahaha!’

The clones each drew weapons and ferociously attacked the automaton. Fighting together, there was no difficulty.

– Thud!

We laughed as we tore the automaton apart.

“Target processed!”

I left with a victorious smile. The judges must be watching from somewhere, right?

Several more tests followed.

‘Hahaha!’

After the shooting test, a simulation test began. The location was a magic virtual reality training ground.

“The scenario for this simulation test is as follows. A sudden gate has opened in the city where the background is currently set. Annihilate the monster horde that has invaded the streets, eliminate the awakened terrorists, and rescue the isolated citizens.”

Scores seemed to be based on the number of monsters killed and citizens rescued.

Donning the simulation equipment, the Violets moved to the virtual city.

“Growl!”

Monsters covering the streets let out terrifying roars. Skullkits snarled and charged.

“Die! You mutts!”

I charged at them with my clones. Polygon fragments were torn to shreds before our swords and magic.

‘Pull it!’

‘This is fun!’

The Violets excitedly grabbed the monsters’ limbs and tore them off.

While the terrorists were split in two, other Violets forcibly dragged out NPC citizens and ran.

“Ugh!”

After pulling the citizens to a safe zone, I ended the simulation.

Quickly and effectively suppressing the enemy, that’s our way!

“…Simulation complete. Mission successfully executed.”

Taking off the simulation equipment and stepping out of the training ground, the gazes of those around me focused on me.

Half were supervisors, half were students.

‘What is it?’

For some reason, the eyes of the people watching us were half admiration, half horror.

‘Did we do something wrong?’

Various other tests continued afterward. Magic circle interpretation, first aid…

The final test was a person-to-person combat.

It was a different test from the previous one against the automaton.

“Nice to meet you. I am a third-year student who has participated to assist with this test…”

“Hello! Charge!”

“Kyaaaah!”

After beating up the woman who appeared to be a supervisor, I dusted my hands and left.

‘What did she just say?’

‘No idea!’

By the time the practical exam ended, it was already getting dark outside.

“All tests are complete. You’ve worked hard.”

The supervisor said in a tired voice.

It was a long day. My whole body was drenched in sweat, but I felt satisfied.

This should be a perfect score.

**

Weeks after the exam, the results were finally announced.

As expected, the news was that all of us had passed.

Naturally, my name was proudly listed on the list of successful applicants.

“Yay!”

Our Violets’ shouts echoed through the house.

“But there’s still a second interview. Don’t let your guard down.”

Irene said cautiously.

That’s right, it’s too early to celebrate. We have to pass the interview for a complete acceptance.

The acceptance letter had the interview date written on it.

‘A second interview, huh… What will they ask?’

‘Nah, what could be so hard? Can’t we just answer however we want?’

But deep down, I was a little worried. I had no idea what they would ask.

‘Surely they won’t criticize my answers, right?’

I tried to shake off unnecessary worries and waited for the interview.

**

After the first exam, a heated debate was ongoing in the Aegis Academy’s conference room.

Normally, transfer exams tended to be less scrutinized than entrance exams, but this time was different.

“Some transfer students this year are quite remarkable. It makes one wonder why they didn’t take the entrance exam.”

Professor Myers of the Tactics Department said with admiration.

The professors’ gazes were fixed on the various documents on the table.

“There are several particularly outstanding talents.”

“Are you referring to the successor of the Helios Clan?”

Professor Larc of the Exploration Department asked.

Professor Myers smiled, nodded, and turned on the monitor on the wall.

As the video played, a purple-haired girl was seen neatly subduing an automaton and successfully completing a simulation and person-to-person combat.

“Both her written and practical scores are excellent. I heard she recently acted as a proxy CEO in place of her ill father.”

“Although the actual operations are handled by executives, it seems they’ve already started the succession process.”

Afterward, the professors continued to review the documents, scrutinizing the transfer students.

“What about this student? Her combat power isn’t great, but she excels in a support role. Especially her unique ability…”

“She’s from the Central District Academy? A mix of one-handed sword and small firearms. She seems rough.”

“She’s adept at magic at a young age.”

“Oh, these students are also from Polaris. Their written scores are a bit low, but their practical scores, specifically certain areas, are excellent…”

As the discussion continued, Professor Larc brought up a new name.

“What about this student? Both her practical and written scores were almost perfect.”

On the document he pointed to was a photo of a blonde girl with red eyes.

“Violet Dunhind Ruzilin… Her skills were truly outstanding. She demonstrated overwhelming combat power.”

Professor Myers replied with a serious expression.

“However, frankly, there are some concerning aspects. Her answers to the essay questions were quite shocking. She seemed to have no regard for ethics or morality.”

“Essay questions?”

“As you all know, there are no correct answers to essay questions. They are a means to understand how students comprehend and think about problems. But…”

Saying so, Professor Myers distributed copied answer sheets to his colleagues.

The professors frowned as they read.

A question asking about choosing between a colleague’s life and mission execution.

[I would do both. I must approach it with the mindset that I can do it. A colleague’s life is the top priority, and I must act with the mindset that I would die. I must sacrifice myself unconditionally. Then, the operation will succeed, and I will save my colleague.]

A question asking how to respond to an awakened terrorist holding hostages.

[Terrorists are already those who have resolved to make extreme choices. Dialogue with them is meaningless, and all actions should be assumed to be trickery. Depending on the situation, we must simultaneously utilize various methods such as taking terrorists’ families hostage, torture and intimidation, propaganda, and precision strikes. If hostage rescue fails, to prevent similar cases and set an example, for every hostage killed, ten terrorists and their collaborators must be taken…]

The top priority action policy in combat.

[…To protect my comrades, the existence of the enemy must be eliminated unconditionally. That is the top priority for victory. There will be no surrender…]

“What kind of lunatic is this?”

Someone looking at the answer sheet clicked their tongue.

“This looks like a typical adolescent student engrossed in delusions. How can she call this her argument…”

“That’s not it! Look closely. I thought it was written as a joke, but it’s quite serious. She has her own logic. Extremely dangerous ideas are embedded in every phrase. This must be disqualified. If we accept someone like this…”

“Extreme sacrifice of the few for the many, and obsession with the goal, a very collectivist mindset. She’s from Polaris Academy, right? I wonder if she was influenced by that environment…”

“Other students from there aren’t like this. This one is strange!”

Several professors murmured.

After the collapse of Polaris Academy, its severe internal irregularities and the disorganized state of the academy had long been exposed to the public.

A woman with bright green hair, Professor Sharia of the Magic Department, spoke.

“I’m worried. This student showed quite aggressive and violent tendencies throughout the exam. Let’s see.”

A video of the practical exam appeared. Girls were seen mutilating an automaton in the close-quarters combat test.

– Yaa! Let’s kill it!

– Grab its limbs!

The simulation test. Scenes of them playfully tearing off the limbs of monsters in virtual reality and slaughtering terrorists.

– Hahahaha!

– Hehe… let’s tear them apart!

Compared to other students, she was quite aggressive.

Her eyes were unusual, as if she felt pure joy in destruction and violence.

“In the final person-to-person combat training, she violently beat up a third-year student who participated as a volunteer. While her combat power must be acknowledged, I doubt whether we can fully control this student.”

“Oh dear…”

“Look at her unique ability. It’s clone creation. What if she causes trouble at the academy with that?”

Just as voices of concern began to rise, a solidly built man with his arms crossed offered a dissenting opinion.

“Wait a minute. What we are fostering are trained awakened combatants. A certain level of cruelty and decisiveness is necessary when dealing with monsters.”

As Professor Masus of the Close Combat Department strongly argued, other opinions followed one after another.

“That’s right. The important thing is how we refine that cruelty and use it effectively. Isn’t it our role to teach that?”

The discussion continued for a long time. As the professors kept talking, the conference room door burst open.

“Excuse me, but I have a word to say.”

“…Headmaster-nim?”

When the Headmaster of Aegis Academy suddenly visited, the professors fell silent.

Why, when it was just a transfer exam?

“It may be an impertinent interference, but I think it would be good to examine this student. How about examining her more closely in the second interview? Let’s make the final decision on acceptance there.”

The professors were skeptical, but there was nothing particularly wrong with the Headmaster’s opinion, so they silently agreed.

Thus, Violet’s interview was decided.

**

On the day of the interview, Violet entered the interview room with a slight sense of nervousness.

‘Hmm… what did Daphne tell me to do?’

‘She said to follow common sense!’

She recalled the day before the interview. Violet hadn’t understood, but her friends, having heard about the essay exam, worried about what kind of gaffe their innocent friend might blurt out.

“We need to instill common sense in Violet. She passed the first exam, but the problem is the interview.”

Irene muttered with a serious face, and Kalia gritted her teeth in frustration.

“You’re right, this kid might just say, ‘Anyway, I just need to kill everyone!’ in front of the interviewers. Ugh…”

“That won’t do! They’ll definitely disqualify her.”

“So we have to teach her, right? Help me out.”

The three girls made a resolution. Because of that, Violet had to be subjected to her friends’ common sense education for several days before the interview.

‘Boring!’

‘Bear with it, they said it’s the secret to passing the interview!’

Upon entering the interview room, several interviewers looked at her with sharp gazes.

The atmosphere was as if they could see right through her.

“First, please introduce yourself.”

Violet did as her friends had told her.

“Hello, my name is Violet Ruzilin…”

After a brief Q&A, the interviewers spoke with serious expressions.

“Miss Violet, your scores for both the written and practical exams are excellent. However, we have a few questions for you.”

“First, how would you react if a colleague were in danger?”

Perhaps due to nervousness, Violet forgot her friends’ advice to answer with common sense and blurted out.

“I’d save my colleague and kill all the enemies.”

The interviewers’ eyes widened.

“I see. In that case, what criteria would you use to act when subduing an enemy?”

“Criteria? Hmm… if the enemy is a threat, I should kill them all!”

“What would you do if there’s a need to capture them alive after subduing them?”

“Cut off a body part!”

The professors shook their heads at Violet’s answer.

“It seems you’ve misunderstood the intent of the question; the ‘enemy’ here refers to people, not monsters…”

“What I just said was based on humans.”

The moment the interviewer frowned, Violet realized she had answered something wrong.

She shouldn’t have crossed the line of common sense her friends had instilled.

But it was too late to turn back now. She had temporarily forgotten the common sense criteria her friends had mentioned anyway.

She could recall it if she thought about it, but thinking was bothersome.

Violet decided to just answer whatever came to mind.

“Let’s move on to another topic. In your previous essay exam, you wrote about using torture and intimidation in the process of subduing terrorists…”

I shrugged.

“Yes, I’d torture them, and if I have to kill them, I’d kill them. Protecting my colleagues and friends is the top priority.”

“What if your own sacrifice is required?”

“I’d do it. It’s okay if I die!”

The interviewers clicked their tongues in disbelief.

“Student, aren’t you taking life too lightly?”

One professor pointed out with a sigh.

“But I don’t want my friends or colleagues to get hurt.”

It was another statement that baffled the professors.

“So you mean it’s okay for you to sacrifice yourself for others?”

“Yes.”

The interview continued for a long time, with sharp questions, but Violet remained unshaken, answering according to her own standards.

“What do you think is the way to uphold justice?”

“Strength and violence!”

Eventually, the professors sighed and concluded the interview. Their eyes were filled with confusion and worry.

After all the interviews were over, the professors entered a discussion.

“That child’s way of thinking is unusual. It goes beyond cruelty; she seems to lack any sense of ethics!”

“She’s a truly concerning student. It will be difficult to accept her as is. What if she gets in and other students are put in danger?”

“But her skill and potential are undeniable. When else would we have a student like her to nurture? Judging by her talk of friends, she’s not completely lacking in social skills. And she’s not selfish either.”

Amidst the professors’ back-and-forth, the Headmaster, who had been quietly observing, spoke.

“…How about we give her character education? She doesn’t give off the impression of being simply evil or having a twisted personality. Something is missing. If we teach her that, I believe she’ll return to normal. Isn’t it our job as educators to guide her to use her abilities properly?”

“No! It might sound ridiculous to say this after just one interview, but I must say it. She’s a monster in human skin!”

“But she had no criminal record, did she?”

“You never know. She might have hidden it!”

As the pro and con debate continued heatedly, the Headmaster made a conclusion.

“She doesn’t seem selfish. Many people show such attitudes, but it’s rare to find someone who considers their own sacrifice natural. And she has skill. Isn’t it a shame to just let go of someone with the potential to become an excellent hunter?”

“That’s true, but…”

The professors reluctantly nodded.

“Then let’s make it conditional acceptance. She’ll receive counseling for a certain period and have interviews with me.”

With that, the Headmaster walked out. The professors looked at the door with puzzled expressions.

“Why is the Headmaster suddenly acting like this? Did he receive some kind of hint?”

“Indeed. He’s not usually like this…”

**

Late December. The final acceptance results were announced.

“Yay! We all got in!”

Now we are Aegis Academy students. A happy academy life awaits Violet.

‘This is exciting!’

‘I can’t believe we got in…!’

But why did we get in? Honestly, I was curious.

‘Maybe we convinced them?’

‘Could be!’

Violet’s logic might surprisingly be flawless.

‘Aegis Academy! Here we come!’