episode_0199

The Violets underwater cautiously circled the boat.

Human figures were visible above the rippling surface of the water.

Security guards armed with swords, spears, guns, and crossbows were patrolling the cruise ship’s deck.

“What on earth did they gather for?”

The Violets watched for an opportunity to board the ship, but the armed guards were keenly monitoring the surroundings, making it difficult for them to surface.

“This won’t do! Our cameras and listening devices, they’re somewhat waterproof, right? Just stick them out of the water for now!”

“Surveillance team! Boats or motorboats, it doesn’t matter. Move to a nearby bridge or building and start filming!”

While the Violets attempted to eavesdrop as much as possible, the gathering arranged on the cruise ship began.

The interior of the small cruise ship was filled with lavish decorations.

Champagne and meticulously prepared appetizers were displayed, and the place was bustling with many people.

However, despite the opulent atmosphere, a sense of tension hung over the small banquet hall.

On the surface, this was a celebratory party. But in reality, it was a meeting place for the Rigel faction.

As people whispered with uncomfortable expressions, Rigel Solstice rose from his seat, surveyed those gathered, and began to speak.

“Everyone, thank you for coming to celebrate Helios’s recent exploration achievements. However, I apologize for breaking the celebratory mood, but we need to discuss something more serious.”

He declared slowly, with gravity.

“A short while ago, Magnabys collapsed.”

Upon hearing those words, some relatives showed signs of agitation.

This was because a massive clan that could have been their backer had fallen.

Seeing their gloomy expressions, Rigel quickly continued.

“These are unsettling times. A massive clan that could have been our patron has been annihilated, so you must feel uneasy.”

As a frightened relative tried to speak, Rigel interrupted, raising his fist and shouting.

“But crisis is opportunity! The massive clan that oversaw the Western District has disappeared, creating a power vacuum. We should see this as a chance to expand our influence.”

Rigel enthusiastically explained the benefits the Helios Clan could reap.

Services they could provide amidst the unstable security and power vacuum.

The opportunity to explore dungeons Magnabys had monopolized and claim new artifacts for themselves.

The businessmen standing behind the relatives seemed to be calculating, lost in thought.

Rigel’s gaze fell upon them.

‘These are the neutral faction guys.’

“But first, we must resolve our internal issues.”

Rigel declared resolutely.

“As you all know, Helios Frontier Service has no leader. My elder brother Orion, the chief supervisor and manager, is still unconscious. We have been in disarray for years. What is the reason? The absence of a leader!”

Some hunters nodded with gloomy expressions.

The clan’s ventures had been a continuous string of failures for years. Every attempted business ended in losses.

The absence of a charismatic and capable leader was too significant.

“This cannot continue. Change is needed…”

A purple-haired woman spoke.

“Son-in-law, let’s get straight to the point. Why did you call us here, even throwing a party like this? If you have a plan, please state it.”

The men standing behind the relatives also showed curiosity.

“Mr. Rigel, there were talks of a new alliance, who is it?”

Rigel took a breath, then spoke in a low voice.

“First, before I introduce our alliance, there’s one more issue I need to address. It’s the ‘Ariel Group’.”

“The Ariel Group, do you mean those terrorists?”

When a naive-looking young man blurted out the question, Rigel frowned slightly then managed to force a smile.

“I’m talking about the secret escort unit my impertinent niece possesses. They might be coincidentally named, or they might truly be those individuals, but you know, don’t you? Their combat prowess is beyond imagination.”

The banquet hall stirred once more. Because they had vividly witnessed the 13th Street shooting incident.

Rigel raised a hand to calm the people and continued speaking.

“But I have a secret plan to overcome this crisis. We’ve gained a new friend who is willing to help us. Allow me to introduce Mr. Caleb Listen of the Luminexa Research Foundation!”

Rigel nodded and gestured.

A well-groomed man with dark green hair rose from his seat.

“Greetings, members of Helios. I am Caleb Listen, Head of Policy Cooperation at the Luminexa Research Foundation. I thank Mr. Rigel for inviting me to this distinguished gathering.”

A relative abruptly stood up.

“Lu… Luminexa? The one from the Eastern District?”

Caleb replied.

“After Magnabys’s fall, the Western District was seized by the Federal Army. This shatters the clan’s autonomous order. Someone must fill the void in order. We at Luminexa believe that Helios will become the center of that order.”

“Our foundation’s objective is simple: we wish to invest in Helios. If you meet our conditions, we are willing to provide our advanced technology and financial resources.”

Caleb’s proposal caused a stir in the banquet hall. Some relatives whispered at his words.

A middle-aged man raised his hand. He was a man with the Solstice surname.

“I don’t believe this is free. In exchange for your help, what does Luminexa desire?”

“We are requesting 30% of the Helios clan’s shares, along with priority rights to specific artifacts and historical sites. We are confident that mutual cooperation will generate even greater profits.”

He continued with a smile.

“This is our official proposal. However, personally, I’d like to have a more in-depth discussion with Mr. Rigel. As you know, there seem to be areas where our technology and capabilities would be needed. If our mutual interests align, we might be able to discuss even more special cooperation methods.”

A strange atmosphere permeated the banquet hall at Caleb’s words.

Now, the anxiety that had lingered among the relatives and his faction members vanished as if washed away, replaced by confidence.

“If the Western clan supports us, we can correct the thinking of the conservatives and some of the neutral faction members.”

“Is sponsorship from Laphlaxia also coming in? Their medicines have good performance.”

“We’ve won.”

The relatives laughed lightly.

The employees and executives belonging to Rigel’s faction looked at him with expectant gazes.

The opportunists of the neutral faction applauded.

Rigel Solstice scoffed inwardly, watching his people laugh and chatter.

His target was his elder brother.

‘I’m sorry, but once the will issue is resolved, you’ll have to slowly disappear. You took everything I ever wanted, Brother. This is only fair.’

In the changed atmosphere, he continued to speak, unable to hide his satisfied expression.

“Alright, we need to address the last issue. It’s the matter of my impertinent niece, Irene Solstice. It seems she got scared and went into hiding. Let’s find our poor, fatherless niece as soon as possible. As adults, let’s responsibly manage the clan shares for her. Understood?”

A hunter drew his sword and shouted.

“I will serve your niece with my utmost best!”

“Oh my, please take good care of her!”

Rigel’s wife cackled. Confidence filled the eyes of the people.

Rigel’s ambitious smile stretched across his lips as he witnessed it.

“Then, let’s all raise our glasses. To Helios’s prosperous future!”

Cheers erupted.

“What a show they’re putting on!”

We grumbled, watching the people raise their champagne glasses.

The scene of Irene’s uncle speaking was being broadcast live via radio waves to the Violet barracks in the Central District.

And it wasn’t just the Violets who were vividly watching the scene from headquarters.

“…It’s confirmed. Blocking my account and ordering that day’s attack, it was all Uncle.”

The golden eyes calmly observed the screen. Irene’s agitation was minimal. She had suspected it all along.

“But… I never thought Aunt would be involved.”

Her gaze went to the purple-haired woman in the blurry screen.

I asked my friend, who was watching the cruise ship on screen with sad eyes.

“Irene, what are you going to do now?”

“What do you mean, ‘what’s I’m going to do’? You’re not thinking of…”

“Yep, I’m going to kill them all!”

Irene stared blankly at me, then let out a sigh.

“…You haven’t started yet, have you?”

“Of course, your opinion is the most important!”

“At least you’re asking now. Should I call that progress…”

Currently, Violet units were deployed near the river.

Regardless of his despicable nature, Rigel Solstice was an excellent A-grade hunter.

The security guards deployed there were clearly members of the Helios Clan.

Among those relatives, there was a significant proportion of awakened individuals, so dealing with them easily would be difficult.

Of course, that’s by the standards of ordinary fixers.

“Bombs ready! I’m ready to turn them into fish food right now. If they fall into the water, I’ll rip them all apart!”

“Anti-tank missiles are aimed. Should I fire? Or not?”

The Violets at headquarters chattered in excited voices.

The violence-genius Violets described various methods of killing like hawking merchants.

And to our fervent requests, Irene calmly refused.

“No. Stop everything.”

Sadly, our dearest friend rejected all attack proposals.

“Could she be hesitating because they’re family?”

“Maybe she has an aversion to terrorism!”

When we expressed our doubts, Irene explained the reason.

Thankfully, it wasn’t for ethical reasons.

“I checked with Mr. Cress and others. The name ‘Ariel Group’ itself hasn’t leaked, but rumors about me having an unknown escort unit have been widespread internally for a long time.”

Mr. Cress, wasn’t he Irene’s father’s secretary?

“I see, but why does that matter?”

“Here’s a question: what would happen if Uncle and those people were all massacred?”

“What would happen?”

“Well, here’s the thing. If we just indiscriminately wipe out Uncle Rigel and his gang right now, I’ll be the first one suspected. Considering your abilities, I might be able to hide it, but I’d still be suspected. Then it would be difficult for me to gain support not only from my father’s loyalist faction but also from the neutral and conservative factions. My position within the clan would become difficult.”

“Loyalist faction? What’s the neutral faction? And conservative faction?”

Suddenly, unfamiliar proper nouns appeared.

We Violets scratched our heads, awaiting Irene’s answer.

“Hmm, first, I’ll tell you about the share ownership within our company.”

Irene continued her explanation in a calm tone.

“Helios Frontier Service can be broadly divided into four factions based on the people who hold clan shares and their supporting forces.”

Saying that, Irene raised her index finger.

First, there’s the loyalist faction.

“It’s not their actual name, I just made it up. This faction, as the name suggests, consists of people who follow my father. It’s made up of people like Mr. Cress, who directly assist my father, and hunters.”

The loyalist faction was Irene’s father’s faction, and they were the people who supported and cheered for Irene.

Sadly, Rigel had either driven them all out or sent them to inactive positions.

“If Father were healthy, this wouldn’t be happening, but as long as he’s unconscious, the shares are useless. There’s no one to exercise the authority.”

“Irene doesn’t have shares, then!”

“So, the faction with the most influence right now is the innovation faction. It’s composed of Uncle Rigel and his group.”

While called ‘innovation,’ it actually means changing the existing system centered around Orion Solstice. It doesn’t sound very positive.

“Uncle’s shares are the second largest in Helios.”

It’s a regrettable situation. All of this is because the leader who should be at the forefront of the clan has become half a corpse.

“The third group is… the neutral faction. They’re a mixed bag of people from inside and outside the clan. Some simply don’t want to belong to a specific faction, while others prioritize profit without considering the clan’s operational direction or the leader’s inclinations. Their allegiance changes constantly depending on their interests.”

Oh, I see. Then what’s the remaining faction?

“Finally, there are the people I’ve named the ‘conservative faction’.”

“Conservative faction? Are they perhaps people who dislike communists?”

“You’re saying weird things again. Are you even listening to me properly?”

Ugh, I got scolded for thinking something else.

“The name ‘conservative faction’ was given because they tend to focus on maintaining the status quo. This faction consists of people who have been with my father since the early days of the Helios Clan’s establishment, and veteran hunters. They are people who gathered because of my father’s abilities and charisma. In the clan, they hold the next largest share after my father and uncle.”

They had another characteristic: they didn’t like Rigel!

Apparently, whenever a meeting was held, it was their job to oppose what Rigel’s faction said.

“Then are they on Irene’s side?”

“I wish they were, but…”

Sadly, the conservatives’ inclinations also differed from the loyalists’.

Their goal was the prosperity and glory of the clan that Orion Solstice had built.

“For them, the most important thing is the ability to lead the clan. Everything else is just a minor factor.”

Apparently, they definitely dislike Rigel, but it seems they won’t simply follow Irene just because she’s the former leader’s child.

From this perspective, calling them the ‘competence faction’ rather than the ‘conservative faction’ might be more accurate.

“I’ve heard about the factions. But what does that have to do with assassination? Could it be…”

The Violets put their heads together and thought.

Why did Irene bring up this story?

“Even if we wipe out the Rigel faction, the other factions won’t stand idly by?”

“Correct.”

Her sparkling golden eyes momentarily curved into an arc.

“Objectively, the awakened society often relies on force to solve problems. However, the clan’s hunters are also people. If we ruthlessly wipe out Uncle Rigel’s gang, there will be resentment within the clan. The presence or absence of justification makes a world of difference.”

“But Uncle attacked you first, didn’t he? Can’t we use that as justification?”

“It’s only circumstantial evidence. And if we use dirty tactics just because the opponent did, it will turn into a messy mudslinging fight.”

Ugh, it seems it’s ultimately a political problem.

“And the biggest problem: if we make a move, there are almost no loyalists within the clan who would support me. The neutral faction would be afraid. The conservative faction would be wary of me. There’s a risk of a major conflict erupting within the clan. In the worst case, the clan could dissolve. People would wonder how they could work under someone who indiscriminately massacred relatives and engaged in schemes.”

“Ugh.”

“Realistically, I’m still a student. Just because I inherit shares as written in my father’s will, there’s no reason for other people within the clan to support me.”

She paused to take a breath, then added.

“First, we need to sort out who can be on our side. We can’t just turn everyone into an enemy if there are people who can cooperate. If we eliminate everyone, there’ll be no one left in the clan.”

My friend had thought of everything.

“How do you know all this?”

When I asked, Irene gave a bitter smile.

“I asked Mr. Cress and others, then organized the information.”

The Violets were impressed.

Without us knowing, she had done quite a lot of preparation on her own.

“Sigh… Alright, I’ll stop the attack then.”

Irene’s analysis seemed correct.

Acting impulsively could lead to greater trouble.

“Still, we can’t just stand by. What are we going to do? I also have to prepare for the transfer exam…”

Irene pondered for a moment, then replied.

“It won’t be easy, but we need to find a way to secure justification. After all, simply killing everyone won’t solve it.”

In the end, the problem was in the realm of real-world politics.

My friend wouldn’t fully secure control of the clan just by killing those people and seizing their shares.

“First, I’m asking Mr. Cress to gather the loyalist faction again. And among the other factions, there are people who can cooperate or be brought over.”

Office politics seem really difficult.

Is there any good way?

“First of all, thanks for the wiretap. The recording you provided expanded our options. I need to meet with people. To think he plans to sell the clan completely to Luminexa…”

Ah, that was it.

By the way, that Head of Policy Cooperation introduced in the middle is concerning. Luminexa after Magnabys, it’s amazing where he gets connections like that.

“Surely Laphlaxia won’t get involved too, right?”

We have bad memories with them.

Well, anyway, Irene’s plan seems to be to gather her own people first. Even if she only gathers enough force to expel Rigel, that would be sufficient for now.

But antagonizing Rigel and listening to Irene are separate matters. How will she make them obey later?

“How about killing everyone who doesn’t bow?”

“Then no one will be left in the clan.”

We continued discussing with Irene.

“Ugh… Can’t we just blow them all up like those Magnabys guys?”

As I complained, a familiar voice came from behind.

“Blow them up? Violet, what kind of plan are you cooking up this time?”

“Scholar-nim…?”

Irene stood up from her seat.

I turned around in surprise. I saw the scholar-nim entering with Sophieel Unnie.

“Ugh! Why are you here!”

I wondered why the scholar-nim had come, and there was a reason.

It was Sophieel Unnie’s call.

“That’s too much… eavesdropping…”

“But I couldn’t just stand by. This is my job. And more importantly, it seemed like you needed help.”

It seemed that monitoring us wasn’t just observing.

To think she’d eavesdrop on our conversation and call the scholar-nim.

Since things had come to this, we decided to explain everything.

“Irene, this is your chance! We might be able to get help from the scholar-nim and the Audit Bureau. Everything we’ve talked about, your situation. Explain it all!”

“What…? What are you suddenly talking about?”

I stepped back for a moment and persuaded my friend.

Irene looked troubled but ultimately followed my request.

“The protagonist can be trusted!”

When the story finished, Sophieel Unnie’s mouth was slightly agape in surprise.

“My goodness, I had no idea about such circumstances.”

By the way, the scholar-nim’s reaction was unusual.

He was muttering, deliberating with a serious expression.

“…Did Irene have circumstances I didn’t know about?”

“Anyway, Scholar-nim! Can’t you help us? A student here is in a difficult situation.”

Sophieel said with a troubled expression.

“Violet. While it’s a regrettable situation, it’s impossible. The Audit Bureau’s job is to manage issues between the academy, students, and clans. Interfering within a clan is outside their authority.”

“I heard the scholar-nim’s scope of authority can be interpreted more broadly!”

I stared intently at Seijis. With a feeling of ‘can’t anything be done?’

The scholar-nim shook his head.

“That’s right. There are limits to the scope of my interference. That’s the principle.”

“Ugh. It’s not possible…”

“Violet. Why did you make such a request? I apologize, everyone, my friend is a bit thoughtless…”

Suddenly finding herself bowing. Perhaps feeling embarrassed, Irene apologized on my behalf.

“That’s right. The scholar-nim was a stickler for principles, wasn’t he?”

As the just and upright image of him from the main game came to mind, we realized our mistake was inevitable.

“It was an unreasonable request. Sorry…”

I lowered my head.

An unexpected reply popped out from the scholar-nim.

“By principle, yes… but the world doesn’t always operate solely on principles.”

“…Huh?”

Seijis’s dark gaze turned to me, us, and Irene.

“The scholar-nim cannot help, but Seijis Arklight can step forward. Ms. Irene. I will do my utmost best to assist you.”

“Wait, you… what did you say?”

Sophieel, feeling flustered, looked over in shock at her brother’s slip of the tongue. I, however, read firm resolve and determination in the scholar-nim’s words.

“Scholar-nim. What do you mean…”

Irene’s expression filled with surprise and bewilderment. It contrasted sharply with Seijis’s face, full of compassion and determination.

“Your situation is clearly wrong. I will rectify it, no matter what it takes.”

The network, which had been so stifling that we couldn’t see an inch ahead, glowed with delight.

“No matter what it takes? Could it be!”

Unit 1 read a strong, crimson will.

That was a metaphor implying violence.

“Wow! The scholar-nim was on our side too!”

I stood up, overjoyed.

“Scholar-nim! Include us too!”

“Let’s kill them all!”

“Hooray!”

The scholar-nim was on our side too!

Good. Let’s abandon all this serious office politics. We’ll make them yield by force!

A startled Sophieel and Irene blocked us.

“I didn’t mishear that, did I?”

“…Violet!”