episode_0232

Outside the window, an endless forest of green trees passed by, and behind them, a heavily armed armored vehicle convoy followed with a heavy engine roar.

Inside the car, Cordo, seated, took a deep puff from a thick Alevor cigar.

Across from him, his chief secretary, looking at a tablet PC and reading down the screen, spoke.

“Commander-nim, we just received a call from the Aegis Academy escort team.”

“What did that old man Brecht say now?”

“Well… young master Sebastian reportedly got into a brawl with some students.”

Cordo’s eyebrows shot up.

“Ha, what a brazen fellow. Which impertinent punk dared to challenge Sebastian first?”

The chief secretary, listening to the report from the scene, wore a troubled expression.

“No, sir. On the contrary, it seems the young master’s escort knights initiated the confrontation. It appears a verbal argument escalated into a fistfight with the students.”

Cordo clicked his tongue and shook his head.

“Sebastian, you pathetic wretch. To think you can’t even control your own subordinates.”

As a noble heir, brawling with mere commoner students was simply disgraceful for a descendant of a great royal family.

“Commander-nim, the situation is a bit strange. The two senior knights deployed at the scene should ordinarily be under probation. They have a record of being disciplined recently for excessive friction with outsiders.”

At the chief secretary’s words, Cordo frowned. He had heard they were both incompetent and lacking in common sense.

While he hadn’t paid much mind to it, he knew that the knights of Restrade, including himself, were often criticized for being overly arrogant.

“What? Why are such imbeciles deployed to such an important position…”

It was standard practice to deploy personnel with relatively moderate dispositions to important posts, so what was the problem?

“Let’s see, if those kinds of fools were assigned as Sebastian’s escorts right after his return to school, it’s obvious. It’s a scheme to get Sebastian into trouble and damage his reputation.”

Pushing a bomb into the opposing faction to ruin a rival’s reputation. A simple political tactic.

“Whose doing could it be? Surely not…”

“Only a handful of individuals can meddle with troop deployment. I have a rough idea who it is.”

Cordo felt a slight annoyance at his illegitimate children’s childish games, but at the same time, he nodded as if understanding.

“Is it that one? Or perhaps that fellow. I thought they were quiet, but they’re rather clever. Commendable.”

“What should we do? Should we intervene now and…”

Cordo shook his head.

“No, leave it for now. We’ll observe the situation first.”

“What? But he’s an heir, after all. The young master’s reputation…”

“I have children overflowing, so what’s the big deal? What matters is the family. If he’s going to be stumped by such a minor issue, he shouldn’t even dream of being an heir in the first place.”

A sneer played on Cordo’s lips.

Restrade is not a place for the weak.

The weak, who cannot achieve the family’s long-cherished ambition, deserve to be culled.

“The path to restoring the royal family’s glory is paved with countless thorns. If he’s swayed by a mere storm in a teacup, Sebastian is unqualified.”

Cordo left behind a significant remark and leaned back against the seat. His gaze was as sharp as a chess player calculating their next move while looking down at the chessboard.

Beyond the car window, the sprawling Aegis Academy came into view. As the limousine entered the campus, boisterous shouts and screams could be heard from afar.

Beyond the bulletproof glass, a spectacle unfolded. Surrounding students drew back in surprise, and security guards and professors were rushing over in a panic.

“Commander-nim, what should we do about the students involved?”

At the chief secretary’s words, Cordo let out a short snort.

“It’s a shame for the students to get hurt, but once everything is over, just give them a few coins as compensation later.”

They were more valuable than commoners who couldn’t even use magic, but compared to the great noble families, they were still ultimately commoners.

He commanded his chief secretary.

“For now, let’s just watch. I want to see how Sebastian handles the confrontation.”

A series of crashing sounds could be heard, and in the distance, armored knights were seen fighting girls who appeared to be students.

Beyond the dust, a blonde female student was noticeably fighting Sebastian.

“Who’s that again?”

Cordo muttered in bewilderment.

“Ha, how disgraceful. Losing to a mere child…”

The girl put up a decent fight against Sebastian. Cordo contacted the heavy armored vehicle in the rear.

“Ostro, I trust your judgment. Observe the surroundings appropriately, then halt them.”

“Yes, Commander-nim.”

***

Our Violets exist everywhere. This fact bestowed upon our Violets one extraordinary advantage.

Namely, the ability to protect our friends anytime, anywhere.

So, we watched from afar what that nasty red-haired high-class punk was doing, then intervened.

「How dare he do that to Daphne!」

「Trash cans!」

From the looks of it, he’d clearly ordered his subordinates to do it after being rejected.

A terrible thought flashed through my mind. A scene of that nasty red-haired tanned punk kidnapping Daphne.

「Kyaaang! Friend! No!」

「Hey, hey, your friend is my wife from now on. Farewell! I refuse your refusal.」

「Kyaaak! Save me, Violet!」

The chilling imagination swept through the Violet network like a tsunami. Enraged Violets picked up their weapons and charged.

The target was Sebastian. In situations like this, subduing the leader was the only way to resolve everything.

“Kalia! Irene! Please! Take care of those tin cans!”

“Got it. How did it end up like this…”

“Leave it to us! We’ll smash that bastard!”

“Ugh! Get out of my way! You insolent brat!”

The two began fighting the tin cans.

Since those two were handling the knights, we were relieved. Just then, the escort Violets also quickly transferred Daphne.

I charged without hesitation and swung my sword.

-Clang!

Sebastian parried my attack with a bewildered expression.

“You’re… that one from earlier!”

“You lecherous scoundrel harassing women! Die!”

“Shut your nonsense!”

Numerous sword strikes. His greatsword and my one-handed sword clashed.

Magic and magic collided, sending sparks flying so intensely it stung the eyes.

“This is a misunderstanding! I merely conveyed my feelings!”

“What misunderstanding?!”

He babbled on, seemingly indignant, even as he retaliated against my attacks. It was truly the pathetic excuse of a pervert.

-Clink clank!

“Stop! The young master is innocent! This is…”

A bonus was the foolish tin can suddenly inserting itself between us. But temporarily, it became a 2-on-1, which was disruptive.

「Annoying, quickly crush it!」

「Confirmed!」

Soon, newly generated Violets swarmed in and pulled the knight away.

“Clone magic? Where did such a number come from…! Ugh!”

After tying up one knight with clones, No. 16 confronted Sebastian once more.

“Hmph!”

“Ugh! You idiotic girl!”

-Clang!

“Agh! I’m flying!”

No. 16 was hit by the flat of his sword and sent flying far away. Behind them, No. 567, who had been waiting, rushed in.

「Ugh! This guy is strong!」

There’s no denying it. His skill surpasses ours.

He might be a lecherous and nasty fellow who chases women, but he is, after all, the heir to one of the three great clans. Indeed, his swordsmanship and strength are overwhelming.

And the flow of ether rising like a heat haze is formidable as well.

I tried to subdue him, but a direct confrontation was impossible. Countless versions of me were sent tumbling to the ground or flying into the air.

“Kyaaak!”

“Whoa!”

「Ugh! If only we could use explosive rounds and heavy weapons…!」

「Let’s use magic!」

「No! Then the surroundings will get caught up! We might get scolded by the Principal and the Inspector-nim!」

As long as our promise with the Principal bound us, we couldn’t gain a decisive advantage.

Violet Command issued an impromptu operational order.

「No. 567, No. 1250, No. 1802! Prepare! It’s time to use Violet Stream Attack!」

Soon, three Violets lined up and charged.

“What is that…”

“Violet Stream Attack!”

Sebastian stepped back in surprise. The three Violets charged in succession.

“Hmph!”

“Yaaah!”

Using the sacrifice of two Violets as a stepping stone, one Violet gained an opportunity to strike his flank with an axe.

“Gah!”

However, it was the Violet who fell. He skillfully wielded his greatsword, toying with us.

“Damn it! You ignorant women! This woman or that woman. Why is there no one who listens to me and obeys?!”

Kicking away another newly generated clone, Sebastian screamed.

He was huffing and puffing, clearly enraged about something.

“Why should we listen to you? We are free people! You philandering pervert!”

“Shut up!”

Enraged, he now drew forth even more magic.

“I won’t go easy on you just because you’re a junior female student. As your senior, as a knight, I shall guide you!”

Just as he charged, I pulled out a flare and shot it into the sky. Sebastian paused for a moment.

“Huh, what trick is this?”

I quickly dropped to the ground and shouted.

“Broken Arrow!”

He turned his head. Beyond the academy campus, Sebastian’s face stiffened as he saw countless beams of light raining down like arrows.

“You despicable bastard!”

No sooner had he shouted than a barrage of bolts rained down like a storm.

「It works, as expected!」

「Radio Violet! Tell Levi to keep pouring fire on coordinates 3-4-5!」

「Copy!」

During the brawl, Violet Command devised a means to substitute explosives, heavy weapons, and powerful magic.

「We need to adjust the power appropriately!」

「We can’t kill him here. But we need enough power to make it really hurt!」

Might as well hit him with a powerful shot. And we have a friend with the marksmanship and equipment to do just that.

“Levi! Mortar fire, coordinates 6-7-8! Ammo type: scattershot!”

“Got it, loading scatter bolts!”

A secluded spot far from the scene of the brawl.

Radio Violet gave instructions, adding roughly anything.

Next to her, Levi fired bolts, imbued with appropriately adjusted magic, in an arcing trajectory.

The result was impressive. Sebastian was utterly disoriented by the barrage of scatter bolts raining down.

“Violet, you cowardly wretch! Not only a surprise attack, but sniping too!”

“It’s not cowardice, it’s strategy!”

The bolts, carrying a small amount of magic, lacked the power to inflict wounds but were sufficient to cause appropriate pain and pressure.

While fighting us, he also had to worry about the bolts raining down from the sky.

「Subdue him like this!」

Seizing the opening, 20 Violets rushed in, surrounding him 360 degrees.

“Get him!”

“Whoooa!”

Charging. Getting closer. Surrounding him!

And, three seconds later, our Violets were flying through the air.

「Huh? Why am I lying down?」

「We’re flying!」

A delayed explosion resonated, hitting their ears.

-Boom!

“You, what are you?”

Sebastian, dumbfounded, saw a knight standing before him, clad in armor larger and more ornate than that of the other armored knights.

“Guard Captain? Why are you here…”

“It’s time to stop playing, young master.”

As the fallen Violet, the main one, lifted her head, a cold, rough hand grabbed her by the collar.

“Gah!”

***

Cordo, observing the situation, felt a slight displeasure.

‘How pathetic. How are Restrade knights being pushed back by mere students?’

An armored knight is a modern masterpiece, perfected through sweat and toil, exquisite swordsmanship, and the armored suit, a crystallization of cutting-edge engineering.

They are walking epics and heroes reborn.

Thus, Cordo had expected this minor disturbance to end quickly.

The only remaining outcome would be humiliated students and a slight blemish on their reputation.

The outcome was different.

-Clang! Clang! Clang!

“You damned punk!”

“You tin-can bastard! Why won’t you break through?!”

“Kalia, try to aim for the gaps. You can’t get through from the front.”

-Ka-clang!

“Your opponent is me! How dare you ignore me?!”

“Get out of the way.”

The two students were fighting the armored knight on equal terms.

Even if those knights were the lowest-skilled in the clan, this was a humiliation.

If it weren’t for the armored suits, the clan’s pride, it would be shameful to say that the outcome of the fight couldn’t be guaranteed.

“Chief Secretary, once the fight is over, deal with those bastards immediately!”

“Yes. I will handle it as such.”

After giving his instructions, Cordo watched the battle between Sebastian and the blonde student. His son had the overall advantage in power and technique, but the blonde girl was continuously creating variables.

‘That one, she knows how to fight.’

While observing the fight, a communication came through to the Guard Captain’s side.

“Security and professors are arriving. What should we do?”

“Is that so? Then finish it quickly. And give that blonde girl a light scolding.”

Regardless of the cause and effect of the incident, an heir is the clan’s pride. To challenge that cannot be overlooked for honor’s sake.

With a loud boom, Ostro burst in between the two, interrupting the fight.

At the sudden intrusion, others also stopped fighting for a moment in surprise.

He grabbed the fallen girl by the collar and lifted her.

“So you’re the student who fought our young master.”

“Gah! Let go of me!”

“You seem capable, but you don’t know your place. You’ve messed with someone you shouldn’t have.”

The Guard Captain threw Violet directly onto the ground.

-Thud!

“Ugh!”

The fallen Violet felt pain as she got up. The Guard Captain raised his arm.

“First, as an adult, I shall rebuke you—”

A dark figure stepped between the girl and him. The gauntleted hand, poised to strike a slap, stopped mid-air with a metallic clang.

“…!”

The Guard Captain was slightly stunned by the stinging impact he felt on his right hand.

“Who are you?”

The black-haired woman before him smiled lightly.

“I’m a visiting lecturer. Even if a student makes a mistake, it’s not right to resort to physical violence immediately, is it?”

“Sophieel Unnie!”

The Guard Captain glared with a terrifying intensity, but the current Inspection Bureau agent and disguised visiting lecturer merely shrugged.

“Do you know who you dared to stop? Can you handle the consequences?”

“Perhaps you should look behind you first?”

The Guard Captain’s confusion didn’t end there. Several glowing arrows struck his back in succession.

“Guard Captain Ostro! Stop this instant!”

Turning around, he saw Adela standing there, with a rarely seen furious expression.

“Oh, isn’t it Young Lady Adelaide.”

“Answer me! What are you doing in our academy?!”

Guard Captain Ostro finally surveyed his surroundings.

“Look, isn’t that Sebastian Senior? Why is he acting like that?”

“That blonde-haired kid. Does anyone know who she is?”

“Those thugs! The rumors were true after all. They said armored knights would beat people up whenever they were bored, and it was true!…”

The murmuring of the crowd was palpable. If he acted further, the clan’s position would become difficult.

“Consider yourself lucky, whelp. Young master, let’s go.”

The Guard Captain clicked his tongue in displeasure and retreated. Sebastian followed him, looking dejected.

Violet looked at Adela and Sophieel with joy.

“Wow! Unnies helped us!”

The gazes of the two crossed as they watched Violet cheering.

“What in the world…”

They couldn’t understand why such a thing had happened.

So they demanded an explanation from Violet.

After the explanation ended, the minds of the two women, different in age and origin, seemed to connect, and the same thought simultaneously arose.

‘Another incident has occurred.’

Their gazes crossed once more.

For some reason, they felt they could understand each other’s thoughts. That this child must not be involved with Restrade again.