episode_0173

Although one casualty occurred, the first outdoor firing exercise was successful. Gaining confidence, the Violets took out other heavy weapons on the uninhabited island and proceeded with test firing.

“We have plenty of ammunition. Let’s check if they work properly!”

On the field atop the uninhabited island’s cliff, large and small heavy weapons were arrayed as if a weapons exhibition was taking place. The sight resembled a war museum. Once all preparations were complete, the muzzles of the weapons were aimed out to sea beyond the cliff.

“Aim, fire!”

-Rat-a-tat-tat!

The barrel of the heavy machine gun, placed on the tripod at the very front, rotated. A violent roar, closer to the engine sound of industrial equipment than gunshots, echoed, and brilliant streaks of light extended down the cliff. As the bullets struck the sea’s surface, large and small splashes erupted, painting the blue sea with white foam.

“Wow…! It’s raining bullets!” “It’s powerful!”

The Violets watched the heavy machine gun firing with admiration. When fired at maximum rate, emptying a 200-round magazine took less than two seconds. If caught in that barrage, even an average awakened person’s Aether defense would be instantly eroded.

As the machine gun fell silent, the autocannon and high-speed grenade launcher positioned next to it spat fire. Their rate of fire was slower than the previous weapon, but when the heavy shells directly hit the water, much larger splashes erupted.

“It’s firing well. Let’s shoot at a target this time.”

The Violets, observing the firepower demonstration from the command center, issued new instructions. A short while later, a fishing boat appeared below the cliff. It was an old fishing boat purchased for target practice. The moment the silhouette of the fishing boat aligned with the machine gun’s reticle, I pulled the trigger.

“Attack! Attack!”

A deluge of metal shredded the fishing boat. The boat was instantly riddled with holes, turning monstrous. Perhaps a few bullets hit the engine, as smoke began rising from the stern of the boat.

-Thump thump thump!

A heavier shell than before struck the swaying boat. Soon, a small explosion occurred on the flame-engulfed boat. Water poured into the numerous holes punched in the hull. However, it wasn’t the autocannon that delivered the coup de grâce to the boat.

“I’ll shoot!”

Something new caught Violet’s eye as she looked at the fishing boat. A projectile spat fire as it flew over the sea. When I focused magic into my eyes, I could see a thin wire connecting to the launcher, amidst the flames and white smoke erupting from both sides of its body.

-Boom! Crash!

An anti-tank missile flew and struck beside the hull. A larger explosion erupted than before. Following that, black shells flew in succession. This time, it was a recoilless rifle.

The fishing boat, struck repeatedly by anti-tank weapons, split in two at some point. The boat quickly disappeared into the water.

“Hahahaha! It’s the best!”

The Violets superimposed the silhouette of the fishing boat disappearing into the sea onto enemy cars or helicopters. With this level of destructive power, even armored vehicles or shields would be instantly turned into burning coffins.

“Excellent!”

Afterward, the Violets continued to practice by taking out various direct-fire weapons and shooting them into the sea. Other Violets in rubber boats ceaselessly dragged buoys for target practice.

While the sea turned into a mess from our unauthorized dumping, other Violets manipulated black, hollow, metallic cylindrical objects. In front of them, another Violet hammered a white and red striped rod into the ground.

“They’re all planted. Spacing and distance confirmed.”

Once the aiming stakes were set, the Violets, one by one, inserted shells into the muzzles of the mortars placed before them.

“One, two, three!”

With a light explosive sound, the mortar shells soared into the sky. A moment later, columns of water rose in the distant sea. Seeing this, we exclaimed “Wow!” once again.

“They just launch themselves if you just insert the shells. The aiming method is a bit tricky, though…” “It definitely seems to have a shorter range than field artillery.” “But the shells’ trajectory is higher, isn’t it? They’ll be good for use in urban areas or dungeons! Their structure is simple enough that we can completely replicate them with our abilities.” “There are many types too. Three flavors, you could say! Supply has become a bit more complicated, but we can choose and use them appropriately depending on the situation.”

We nodded, looking at the mortars in front of us. I had bought a total of three types of mortars. The smallest one had a diameter slightly smaller than a tennis ball, so a single Violet could handle it like a grenade launcher. The next one’s muzzle diameter was similar to a mug. The largest mortar’s barrel diameter was as wide as a roll of toilet paper. According to the weapons dealer, its firepower was even greater than that of field artillery.

Violet-1 said, impressed.

“Amazing! Our Violet artillery’s firepower has been strengthened. With this much firepower, we can blow away enemies hiding in buildings. Let’s start training right away! It’ll be fun!”

Hearing Violet-1’s words, Violet-2 offered a reinforcing opinion.

“First, we need to master the operating procedures. Don’t forget that shells are precious. Although we bought many, considering the quantity needed for actual combat, we can’t afford to waste them. For training other than live firing, let’s use practice rounds. These ones!”

Replicated shells appeared in the hands of the Violets operating the field artillery and mortars. The power of the replicated shells varied greatly, but they were suitable for loading and operation training. There was a risk of the barrel wearing down or breaking, but this could also be solved with replicated barrels.

In addition, a group of Violets sat down, spread out copied textbooks, and began to memorize them by heart. They planned to utilize the collective intelligence they had used during their previous exam studies.

“Artillery is the god of the battlefield!” “Violets are gods too!”

**

While the Violet artillery entered training, Ennis, who had been working in the workshop, appeared holding a short black rod. The result of the magical weapon we had ordered finally appeared.

“Is this it?” “…Yes. As you can see, you can use it right away by attaching it under a gun like this. Here, if you hold this part and inject magic…”

Violet examined the black object that had once been a staff. On one side, it had a rail to attach under a firearm, and complex magic circles and mana circuits were embedded in it.

“I guess I’ll try it out.”

The staff, having left Violet’s hand at home, returned to the uninhabited island. I took out my rifle, attached this ‘staff’ under the gun body, and simultaneously injected magic while consuming one Vision memory chip. For now, just one fireball as a test.

-Whoosh!

A magic circle unfolded at the end of the staff, and a fireball was shot out without warning.

“It worked.”

I felt excited. Although it wasn’t a heavy weapon, a small advancement made in Violet’s infantry weapon development thrilled me. Now, Violet’s enemies would witness the rare sight of lightning bolts and superheated laser beams shooting from the ends of rifles.

“Let’s call it the Magic Projector!” “That’s a cool name!”

In return for developing the Magic Projector, I decided to reward this slave.

“Ma’am! Good job. I’ll give you a reward. Is there anything you want or want to do?”

Ennis hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth.

“Well… it’s nothing else. Could you possibly check on how my parents are doing? You gave me a chance to call them last time, but I’m still worried…”

“Oh, those people? I went and checked on them a while ago. They’re doing well, you know? There was nothing particularly unusual around them either. Look.”

I shrugged and handed her my phone.

“…Huh? Bu-but already…”

Surprise, relief, and a hint of sadness welled up in her eyes as she saw her parents on the screen.

“Thank you…” “Alright? If there’s nothing else, I’ll just give you something tasty!”

Hearing my reply, Ennis thanked me repeatedly, then turned to leave, but suddenly stopped.

“What is it? Did you think of a wish?”

When I asked, she hemmed and hawed, then spoke.

“…Could you call me by a different title than ‘Ma’am’? Perhaps ‘Unnie’ or something…” “No! I refuse.”

“Ah, ahh…”

I chuckled, seeing Ennis’s crestfallen face. If you round up, thirty years old makes you a ma’am. One must accept the reality of not being a beautiful girl. ‘Unnie,’ that’s strange.

After that, I teased Ma’am a bit more before returning to the command center. It was time for a meeting.

“Alright, everyone’s gathered, right? Let’s stop talking about Ma’am now. She looked a bit sad.” “Then let’s discuss the plan!”

The Violets from the central and western sectors, connected via the Violet network, discussed the plan’s progress.

“Good, weapons and ammunition have been secured. Vehicle acquisition and modification work will also begin soon.” “Now, what’s left is information, isn’t it?”

The plan’s progress appeared within the Violet network. Weapons, equipment, and training progress were proceeding as scheduled.

“The work of organizing the previously prepared kill list is complete. Some people were removed because they were unrelated to the plan or had low influence and status. The main targets haven’t changed, though.”

The human targets had been set long ago. All targets except the chairman were to be either killed or kidnapped.

“We’ve also checked the locations of the academy facilities, and the buildings of organizations and corporations under the Magnavis Clan. We secured the blueprints through the director’s side. We even spirited a few away. Let’s discuss what would be best to destroy first.”

Setting facility targets was much more difficult. They had to consider what to destroy to weaken them, and also the potential collateral damage. Carelessly self-destructing in the middle of a city could sweep up innocent civilians.

“Ugh, this is difficult.”

Setting targets and enemies, and deciding what forces to deploy, was easy. However, figuring out when and where to fight was tricky. Moreover, some facilities were in the middle of the city. They had to avoid fighting the police or the Inspection Bureau.

“Should we occupy a broadcasting station?” “That’s impossible. For now, I’ll consider hacking electronic billboards.”

There was only one conclusion. They needed more information than they currently had. They needed to ascertain more precisely where the targets on the kill list lived and what they primarily did at what times. Only simultaneous decapitation strikes by the Violets could sow confusion among the Magnavis main forces, the chairman, and the Vanguard.

Violets must descend like lightning.

“Alright, let’s prepare to tail the kill list targets.”

After discussion, we reached a few conclusions and concluded the meeting.

**

Early in the evening, an old, stout man opened the door to the principal’s office at Polaris Academy and stepped out.

“The Chairman, really… I don’t know what he’s in such a hurry about. Things seem to be going well down here, too.”

John Wilbur grumbled to himself as he walked down the corridor of the faculty building. He was angry that he was leaving work 30 minutes late because he’d been caught up in a board meeting call right before he was supposed to leave. And that wasn’t all. Board members had incessantly badgered the principal about security concerns and student control issues.

‘Why are they looking for the first-year new students again? It’s obvious they died in the dungeon anyway. How annoying…’

The principal thought this, recalling the inner workings of the recent freshman field trip accident. Confidential information leaks, the sudden collapse of a research lab, and disposal disguised as an unforeseen accident. The board had nagged him incessantly, saying they needed to prepare for the possibility of the academy being attacked.

‘Anyway, there’s not much I can do. I just do whatever those clan bastards tell me to. Damn it, I wish that greenhorn kid would just disappear from my sight.’

Just as he was lost in thought, a young, silver-haired student came to mind. The principal’s eyes involuntarily contorted. That rude brat, pretending to be a student.

‘Sigh. Can’t be helped. The student council president answers directly to the chairman. It’s ridiculous. What a sorry state for someone who’s supposedly the principal.’

Wilbur shook his head, trying hard to dismiss the annoying thoughts. The former head of Magnavis and current chairman was strict and overbearing, as befitted his reputation, but he was not stingy with rewards. That was why he had faithfully served as their subordinate for five years.

‘Damn it, they said it’ll be over soon, right? I’ll quickly wash my hands of this and leave Lustrum. I’ll pick out a good spot on Cascadia Island. How much would a beach villa cost?’

As his retirement plan came to mind, the principal, in a good mood, hummed a tune as he went downstairs and exited. Suddenly, a directive from the board came to mind.

‘By the way, that instructor. They told me to fire him, didn’t they? They must be planning to dispose of him. The administration office said he’s on vacation right now, so perfect. I should tell him to clear his desk immediately.’

He secretly scoffed at Instructor Frederick. He was a foolish human who didn’t even know what was happening right under his nose, clinging to the wrong things all in the name of protecting the school.

Suddenly, John Wilbur felt a strange premonition. Something rustled and circled around him.

‘What was that…?’

The principal fiddled with the sword at his waist and scanned his surroundings. Just moments ago, he had felt something moving about. He focused his magic on his ears and eyes and looked around for a long time. There was nothing around. Puzzled by the inexplicable feeling, he went outside. Outside, a chauffeur was waiting with a car.

As he got into the car, the principal thought.

‘Was it a delusion? It must be that my senses have dulled, as it’s been a long time since I quit hunting.’

The car carrying the principal smoothly left the academy, without him noticing what had climbed into the trunk.