episode_0118

I didn’t know where the misunderstanding began or how far it had gone, but the current situation was becoming a headache.

First, those guys currently thought I was something akin to a ghoul.

“Hey! Stop for a second! That’s my clone!”

“How can I believe that? It was clearly a corpse! I even checked its pulse!”

Lucian ran without looking back. Judging by his speed, it seemed he had even activated the magic in his body.

“Aaaaaah! I hate ghouls!”

“Damn it! I’m not a ghoul!”

“Oh my god… oh my god!”

Seeing the situation, it seemed words wouldn’t convince them. Three students who had run out of the dormitory were seen heading towards the factory exit.

“Unit 198! You’re nearby, right? Block the entrance quickly! They’re trying to leave the dormitory!”

“This won’t do. Clone deployment!”

The moment they stepped outside, Unit 198 blocked them in the middle of the street.

“Kids, calm down for a moment and let’s talk!”

“Oh, damn it…!”

Lucian and his group stopped. They had no choice. A platoon of soldiers in black combat suits had blocked the entrance.

The group turned around. However, the three people’s expressions turned even more desperate. Violets had appeared from behind them too. The boxes stacked outside the dormitory began to shake, and several swords imbued with red magic shot out. From within the shredded boxes, Violets stood up. We tore through the packaging plastic like butterflies emerging from their cocoons.

In less than a second, the Violets’ attire changed to black combat suits.

“What is that now…?”

Granite, in a panic, mumbled. He was trembling, unbefitting his large stature.

Lucian and his group were instantly surrounded by the Violets. Lucian ignited his fighting spirit and deployed magic circles in both hands.

“As if the student council president wasn’t enough, now you guys too… Could this be a trap?”

“Hey, I’m telling you, let’s talk! It’s a misunderstanding!”

“A misunderstanding? Then why don’t you put away that gun?”

As Lucian’s black eyes glared at me, I nodded and lowered the gun.

“Sorry, it’s a habit. Could you put away that magic circle too?”

“How can I trust you?”

We stepped back slightly, but Lucian still didn’t let go of his suspicion. I didn’t know what we had done wrong for him to be like this.

As the standoff continued, Irene’s voice came from behind.

“Alright, everyone calm down. What’s going on?”

Lucian’s face brightened when he saw Irene.

“Irene! You came at a good time. Do you know what that guy put in the basement?”

“I know. I just saw it.”

“Then you’ll understand quickly! That guy is suspicious! Clearly…”

Irene raised her hand to stop the agitated Lucian.

“Calm down. It’s a bit strange, but… that’s just Violet’s unique ability. Right, isn’t it?”

As Irene explained, Lucian, though still skeptical, lowered his hand and retracted his magic circles. I, too, loosened the encirclement so they wouldn’t be too tense.

“Yes! That’s right. That’s my unique ability.”

“Right, that’s how it must be. Haah… Who in the world stacks their own clones like that…?”

Somehow, Irene sighed and muttered something. It hurt a little that my friend was looking at me strangely.

“Ugh, Irene is looking at us strangely!”

“That’s too much…! Wouldn’t Daphne understand?”

“I don’t think so.”

It was sad that there was no one who could fully understand Violet’s individuality. Still, it was true that she had given me a chance to explain. Thanks to that, I could explain diligently.

“Those aren’t corpses! They’re my clones. I can generate clones and preserve them for a long time in a hibernating state. This way, I can save magic power.”

Lucian, who had been glaring at me, closed his eyes and fell into thought for a moment. Soon after, Lucian opened his eyes and stared at me.

“…Alright. Each Awakened person has their own unique abilities, so that might be possible. Let’s assume it’s a clone ability for now. But why are they wrapped in plastic? Like corpses in a morgue?”

“If I don’t store them like that, bugs and rats will chew on them!”

Lucian’s face went blank after hearing my explanation. Having heard my valid explanation, he couldn’t find an answer to refute it. I could feel him deliberating again.

“Haah… You’re not wrong. Then let me ask one more thing. Why do you stack your clones like that?”

“Because they’re useful.”

“Useful for what?”

“I can’t tell you that!”

Hearing my answer, Lucian looked at us suspiciously again. Irene quickly stepped between us.

“Alright, Lucian. First, calm down and listen to me. Violet has personal circumstances that warrant this. And Violet, you don’t need to pull out a gun right away. Put it away for now.”

“But they tried to run away the moment they saw our secret.”

“Who in the world stacks their own clones in a basement? You did something that would cause a misunderstanding.”

“Ugh! I did my best.”

Lucian stared intently at the two of us as we talked. He seemed to sense something strange, crossing his arms and scrutinizing us.

“Wait, Irene, you seem to know something. Don’t you?”

“I didn’t know Violet was stacking her clones in the basement either.”

“‘Didn’t know they were there?’ So you know other things, then?”

Lucian’s sharp eyes swept over the Violet squad.

“Yes, I felt it in the dungeon too, but now that I see it, it’s definitely strange. Clone abilities are normally supposed to move slower than the original body. But look at the clones Violet controls. They move too perfectly in unison. Their duration is long too. And they’re all heavily armed. What about that gun? It’s a Federal-issued weapon. They even have grenade launchers on their backs. Isn’t that a bit excessive for a mere student to possess?”

“Ah, well, that is…”

My answer became awkward, and I stammered. While I was struggling to think of a reply, Lucian suddenly took a step back.

“I understand. I won’t ask any more questions.”

“Huh?”

“Since you saved us, that’s a fact. But, Irene and you, what organization do you belong to? It doesn’t seem to be Helios.”

Oh no, Lucian was making a serious misunderstanding. Irene stared at him, dumbfounded.

“What are you talking about?”

“…Is that so? It must be hard to say. Are you part of the Federation or one of the other Four Great Clans? You saved us because you needed someone to testify about the academy, right?”

“A secret organization? There’s no such thing.”

“I know, I won’t ask any more. It’s the kind of place that would only cause trouble if ordinary people found out, isn’t it?”

Granite’s eyes, listening to his words from behind, widened like lamps.

“The Federation’s se… secret special forces! I knew it. Everything makes sense.”

This is crazy. Why is he acting like that too?

As Granite made a fuss, Levi, who was next to him, looked around like a rabbit that had lost its burrow, startled.

“Secret special forces… are we, are we hostages?”

“Hey, I think you’re misunderstanding something…”

As strange misunderstandings continued on the dark street, a familiar voice came from behind.

“Oh, Violet. What in the world are you doing here?”

“Eek! Kalia, why are you here?”

“Well, I stopped by to deliver something to your place, but it was noisy, so I came to check it out and found this situation. Who are they?”

Lucian’s eyes lit up when he saw Kalia.

“Could it be, another agent?”

“Agent, what do you mean…”

Kalia, who didn’t understand the situation, was bewildered. I didn’t understand it either. How did those guys come to mistake us for secret special forces?

Irene looked around blankly, then whispered in my ear.

“Violet, if they’re like this, explaining it properly to them would take all night and still not be enough.”

“Yeah…”

Breaking the atmosphere of this strange misunderstanding were new uninvited guests.

-Screech!

Several vehicles with headlights on screeched to a halt in front of us.

“What? What are those?”

Rough-looking men got out of the cars, holding guns and axes. In the suddenly changed atmosphere, everyone forgot the previous situation and stood blankly, staring at the uninvited guests. The man in a suit at the front, holding an axe, pointed a finger at Kalia.

“So you were here, Kalia Blaze. I’ll send you to join your uncle!”

“Osprey ends today!”

Kalia seemed to snap back to reality and drew her sword. I asked Kalia,

“Do you know who they are?”

“They’re the Scourer Axe Gang! They started appearing in this neighborhood a few months ago, threatening people.”

I pointed a finger at the guy who was standing at the front and making a ruckus, and asked,

“Can I finish them off?”

Kalia glanced at Lucian’s group and asked,

“…What about those people behind us?”

“They’re my friends. It doesn’t really matter.”

Actually, they weren’t friends, but given their strange misunderstanding, I couldn’t resolve it immediately. I had to quickly deal with the task at hand first.

“Irene, could you take those three and step back for a moment? I’ll handle this and then come.”

“…Alright.”

The four people retreated from the street and re-entered the factory. I approached the leader of the Scourer Axe Gang, who was still rambling.

“You, are you the leader?”

“What are you? Is this cosplay?”

The man in the suit scoffed the moment he saw me.

“You’re the leader, right?”

“Yes, I’m the leader.”

As soon as the man in the suit finished his reply, I made a pistol shape with my hand and aimed it at him.

“What, are you messing around? I don’t know why Kalia isn’t stepping up and you are, but…”

“Bang.”

The moment I shouted that single word, the next instant, his head shattered like a watermelon.

It was the work of a Violet waiting on a nearby rooftop.

“B-Boss!”

We charged in quickly.

***

After quickly dealing with the pathetic gang members and even cleaning up the corpses, I went back to Lucian and his group. Since I had finished what needed to be done, it was now time to clear up the misunderstanding.

But their atmosphere was unusual.

“Indeed, my prediction was correct. Violet, you were from a secret special forces unit.”

“That many in an instant… without hesitation!”

Perhaps they had vaguely witnessed our actions; Lucian nodded to himself with an expression of certainty, and Granite looked at us with a mix of awe and confusion. Levi’s reaction was the most dramatic.

“Ugh… I won’t run away. I’ll cooperate! Please don’t kill me!”

This was getting troublesome.

To make matters worse, someone who shouldn’t have been there suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

“Oh dear… Excuse me. What in the world is all this commotion? To think bullets would fly into my room…”

“What?! Why are you here?!”

Perhaps woken by the commotion, Teacher-nim Yurik had come to inquire at our house. He lived right next door, so he came to ask. But of all places, Irene and Kalia were right there. I tried to hide it immediately, but it was too late.

“Excuse me, but who are you?”

“Me? Uh, I’m the person who lives next door, kidnapped by that person over there. No! Not kidnapped, but…”

By the time I covered Teacher-nim Yurik’s mouth, it was too late. He confessed on his own that he had been kidnapped.

“Kidnapped? He said kidnapped! Didn’t I tell you? They’re a secret organization!”

“Aaaargh…”

Hearing that, Lucian and his group’s delusions intensified.

“V-Violet. What are you talking about? Kidnapped?”

Irene was dumbfounded, and Kalia scrunched up her face, grabbing my shoulder and shaking me back and forth.

“I misheard, right? Kidnapped? What have you been doing outside?! Answer me!”

“Ugh!”

This was a big problem. I had no idea where to even begin explaining!