episode_0330

We Violets spent our time waiting in front of the academy until Enrica finished her test and came out. It was impossible to know exactly when the test would end, but it seemed like it would be over quickly. While the general curriculum of each academy might be similar, there were always differences in their specific characteristics.

“This academy definitely holds its tests a bit late, don’t you think?” “Yeah.”

Unlike other academies that started multiple rounds of tests and interviews as early as April or by May at the latest after application, Vesperia Academy’s tests were conducted somewhat later. This was because Vesperia Academy was extremely strict and selective in choosing applicants.

[I was in the middle of solving test problems, and someone just grabbed my shoulder, pointed to the exit, and told me to leave. Why?] [The interviewer just glanced at an applicant and immediately sent them away, saying they didn’t like them. Are they crazy?] [Me? They handed me something like a crystal ball and told me to touch it, then they scrunched up their face and told me never to see them again…]

The academy shortened its screening process by ruthlessly rejecting applicants it disliked. They claimed that even with later tests, there would be no problem with the start of the new academic year in September.

Just listening to the interview and test reviews from here and there revealed how unbelievably strict Vesperia Academy’s screening criteria were. It seemed they applied incredibly demanding standards, ruthlessly eliminating applicants they didn’t like and selecting from the remaining ones.

“That’s why their screening doesn’t take long.”

It also meant they had immense pride. Aside from Magnavis’s in-house talent development programs, Vesperia Academy was considered the top institution for specialized magic education.

“It’ll be fine!”

Come to think of it, Enrica had an unexpectedly sharp mind. After all, wielding magic itself required a deep understanding of natural laws and mathematical ability.

“Still, not as good as us Violets!” “Right, we’re the true geniuses!”

While discussions about our Violets’ unparalleled genius continued endlessly, the rest of us either did our assigned tasks or took a break. First, we needed to monitor the production work and the endless battles at the Karnak base.

“Bunker 12 has collapsed! Construction Violets, prepare for deployment!” “A suspicious soldier tried to extort money in the alley, so I knocked him out and came back. We won’t get caught, right?” “Don’t worry, they’re idiots!”

Occasionally, we’d talk about incidents happening outside the Rustrum Archipelago and meticulously review the process of replenishing weapons and ammunition.

“Hey, these bullets are too stiff to fit into the casings properly. Is the press machine old?” “Press harder!”

Recently, we’d bought some manual machines to slowly replenish bullets and steel balls. Compared to the clans, which bought in bulk by the box, our scale was small, but it was perfect for making hard-to-get, expensive special ammunition. Time flew by as we immersed ourselves in work while playing music or videos.

Several hours had passed in the blink of an eye. When I looked up, soft, curly orange hair caught my eye in the distance.

“How was it?”

A confident smile was on Enrica’s face.

“I think I passed!”

Well, the outcome went without saying.

**

Around early summer, Academy City finishes recruiting new talent. Analysts at the Luminexa Foundation called this period, when the transient population in Rustrum is at its highest, the Season of Purification. This was primarily because hidden talents and businesses often revealed themselves around this time.

The streets appeared peaceful on the surface, but beneath, dangerous ideas writhed.

Technologies infringing on patents, strange artifacts or concepts, talented individuals with unusual abilities. All these dangers threatened the order of Academy City. It was as dangerous as a child with a grenade.

It was the duty of adults to control children, so knowledge and technology should only go to those who are qualified.

Thus, today, agents of the Intellectual Property Containment Enforcement Department dealt with another dangerous technology.

—Crack!

“Aaaaargh!”

No, it would be more accurate to say they rescued them. Under the Foundation’s warm touch, the young CEO of Raskrin Company was freed from the heavy burden of innovation, at the cost of their spine. “Your company has been found to have unlawfully infringed upon and unjustly used the Luminexa Foundation’s patent rights LN-4214-BNC and LN-9312-NCC related to quantum integrated circuits and superconducting wires, in accordance with Foundation Regulation RR-53. Therefore, it shall be sealed.”

The CEO, prostrate on the floor, lifted their head. With the core of their company and their own back simultaneously broken, deep, thick tears welled in their eyes. These must have been tears of gratitude for having their genius recognized.

“…Wh-what nonsense! This is a project we’ve been working on since college! What patent infringement?! This is forced…!”

“Objections will not be accepted. This is a burden you cannot bear. It is a danger, so we are dealing with it for you. Activating Nemesis Protocol.”

“Aaaaargh!”

Poof, all of the company’s data evaporated in an instant. Freed from the heavy burden of knowledge in their brains, the employees cried out with the exhilaration of liberation.

“Ah, ahhhhh! I can’t remember! Why?!”

Sadly, the agents of the Containment Enforcement Department still had much work to do.

“Your company is accused of manufacturing illegal artifact weapons using the mass-energy equivalence principle, in violation of the Teatime Treaty. They will be recovered immediately. Resistance is futile.”

“What are you talking about? Do you think this is a nuclear weapon? This is an artifact for energy production. It’s like a generator. If it really violated the treaty, we wouldn’t even be able to operate it! Besides, our clan discovered it first—choke!”

The leader of the Espree Clan couldn’t finish his sentence. An electromagnetic acceleration bolt precisely struck his weary cerebral cortex, freeing him from his anguish. From the small hole flowed worries and concerns about artifact disposal. Another Hunter abandoned their duty of artifact preservation and found peace in the Foundation’s warm embrace.

“Captain! No! Aaaaargh!”

“Artifact secured. Containment procedures beginning.”

“Choke…!” After physically subduing those who desperately longed for the departing artifact, the Containment Enforcement Department agents moved forward for their most important task.

It was a duty rightfully owed by adults. To save a prospective Hunter whose future was uncertain.

“Your enrollment is suspended. Your ability, primarily focused on magic emission, is uncontrolled. We will proceed with the sealing procedure. Follow us. We will safely protect your talent.”

“Wh-what are you talking about? L-let go! No! Mom! Dad! Help me!”

The cries of joy were cut short. The girl entered a stasis chamber. The stasis chamber was loaded onto a vehicle and headed for headquarters.

Another wandering lamb entrusted itself to the Foundation’s cradle—what a heartwarming sight.

Thus, Academy City became a little safer thanks to the efforts of its wise adults. Thanks to the Luminexa Foundation’s endless dedication, the sky over Rustrum is clear today.

At least, that’s what was recorded in the Foundation’s reports.

While diligently carrying out their weed removal duties, an agent adjusted his sunglasses and shifted his gaze. A low-frequency hum emanated from his wrist. This sound was the bell guiding Luminexa’s rightful hand of duty.

—Hum!

This signal usually rang when new protection targets were updated in the data list.

The agents checked their terminals.

The screen displayed a list of new technologies and inventions to watch out for, a roster of notable businesspeople and academics, and information on young Awakened individuals requiring special management.

“Aren’t these the Awakened individuals from that research institute we stopped tracking last time?”

“Confirmed. It appears to be that place.”

[Upload complete—List of missing persons from Sellafield Research Institute.]

The agents carefully reviewed the information. It was truly regrettable. Girls entrusted to a research institute as if abandoned by their parents at a young age—it was utterly tragic.

Among them, the girl at the very front possessed an uncontrollable power.

At such a young age, to have a constitution that continuously emitted high-concentration radiation, combined with unprecedented high-power magic, was truly an unprecedented occurrence.

Who could care for this cursed child, abandoned even by her parents?

Only the Foundation.

“We’ll start the search as soon as this is over… First, check the academy enrollment list.”

“Confirmed.”

The Containment Enforcement Department agents grumbled but prepared to move again. True to their nickname, their fatigue had accumulated from repeatedly striking down companies that defied the Foundation using patent rights as an excuse.

There was no time to rest.

Forbidden knowledge is like a Schrödinger’s cat—it is everywhere and nowhere. Luminexa seals uncertainty with force. The agent recalled the Foundation’s motto.

‘You men of knowledge, bear the burden of the wise. With patient endurance, cover the threat of fear, and beware of idleness and the foolishness of strangers…’

He gave it no thought. It was merely a proposition deeply ingrained in his mind since his trainee days.

Wherever the Foundation’s hand reached, dangerous talents were safely managed.

Unstable power was peacefully suppressed. This was the Foundation’s burden. The Intellectual Property Containment Enforcement Department now turned its attention to the rescue of troubled youth.

**

Unfortunately, the Foundation’s gaze, cherishing young and inexperienced Awakened individuals, did not extend to the South.

The roar of motorcycles echoed through the streets.

—Rat-a-tat-tat!

“Gasp!”

The warriors of Restraid, whose love for knowledge and culture was only slightly better than that of the Violets, focused solely on violence and fostering camaraderie.

The ignorant behavior of adults who failed to care for children led to the birth of violent delinquent student gangs.

—Bang! Bang-bang!

“Aaaargh! I clearly blocked it with a force field!”

This fact was truly tragic for the robbers who were looting a truck. The young men, who planned to sell experimental equipment and spend the money on youthful pleasure and passion, ended up being trampled by ruthless bikers.

“Die, you robbers!”

“This is our equipment!”

Gas-masked girls on scooters ruthlessly suppressed the economic activities of ordinary citizens with their maces. Amidst the tragedy of a collapsing free economy, a motorcycle with an engine displacement incomparable to a scooter charged like lightning.

Its target was the robber directly in front. The individual was aghast. The front of the bike was ablaze.

“Wh-what? Aaaaargh!”

—Crash!

The truck’s reliable physical force worked to some extent even on Awakened individuals. However, the impact was greater than the robber had imagined. As he flew through the air like a bowling pin from the impact, the robber realized in pain,

‘Damn it! They imbued the vehicle with magic power?!’

More precisely, intense flames were blazing from the fairing and front fender covering the front of the motorcycle. The robber skillfully imbued magic into his muscles and joints, narrowly managing to rotate half a turn and land successfully.

“What crazy bitch… What the hell—”

—Clatter!

The moment he tried to see who the madwoman was who had set her own motorcycle on fire and charged through the air, the robber felt a terrible heat binding his body.

“Oh, ohhh! Aaaaargh!”

Even with magic, he couldn’t break the chains. The chains were strangely tough, and bright magenta flames flickered from each strand. The fire gnawed at the man’s body like shark teeth, inflicting pain.

“P-please, surrender! Save me! Please save me!”

A slender girl appeared in the robber’s blurring vision as he screamed.

“I was wrong! Please let me go! It’s burning! It’s burning!”

“No! I released my ability! Why is it doing this? Wait a moment! Hold on!”

Violet, who was approaching with a fire extinguisher, giggled.

“Kalia, you did release your ability! His clothes are just on fire.”

After the fire was extinguished, Violet pondered as she injected a recovery potion into the charred robber.

Perhaps due to the recent growth of her unique ability, or thanks to various creative self-improvement attempts, Kalia had grown quite a bit.

Her willingness to help this time must have been due to her confidence in her own ability.

However, while she had expected her to use the chains from Vittorio Arcade, she hadn’t anticipated her weaponizing a motorcycle.

[Didn’t she originally ride it like this in the main story?] [She did.]

Suddenly, a laugh escaped No. 6821’s lips. The crazy pyromaniac biker girl student who would ruthlessly run people over with her motorcycle four years later was now utterly helpless against a merely charred robber.

“Hey, um… S-sorry. Sorry. I tried to put out the fire, but…”

“Ugh! Please save me! Please! Big Sis!”

“No, ‘Big Sis’…?”

—Whack!

“Quiet!”

Violet, annoyed that the robber, who had narrowly avoided becoming a human barbecue, was begging for mercy, struck his head with her mace. The irascible spinster nagging her in real-time through her earphones had worn down her patience.

—Did you recover the equipment? That’s equipment Mr. Pereira needs. Do you know how much it costs? It’s well over tens of millions of Credits! Idiot! Aren’t you going to answer?!

“Yeah, Aunt. I recovered it. I’ll be near him soon, so hang up!”

—I told you many times, I’m not an aunt…

To think she would have to go through such trouble for mere robbers who stole research equipment. Violet roughly hung the robbers from an overpass with ropes, then recovered the truck and headed for the meeting point.

[I am a robber I will accept judgment]

The robbers, with signs hanging on them, swayed like a baby mobile from the ceiling, sobbing weakly.

“Ughhh…”

Kalia, touching the charred cover of the motorcycle, looked back with a sense of discomfort.

“…Is it okay to hang them like that? Couldn’t we, like, drag them into an alley or something…?”

“Someone else will take care of it, I guess. They’ll probably die soon anyway? Their bones are broken, and they’ve lost a lot of blood…”

First, recovering the research equipment was the priority. Fortunately, the truck was undamaged, and they were able to safely recover it and return to the meeting point.

Bernike, waiting at the roadside with her hood on, came into view.

“Aunt, you seem to be on vacation quite often.”

Violet’s red eyes subtly changed, like parents seeing a soldier home on leave from the air force. It was astonishing to think it was a secret research institute when she came out so frequently.

“Even so, I am a special existence. In that research institute, I’m just below the final decision-maker. No one can interfere with me except that bald supreme commander. So, you should express your gratitude for me taking care of you. Instead of using imprecise titles like earlier…”

Violet cut Bernike off.

“Alright, so you came to see our V-animals, right?”

“V-animals… To give such an ignorant name.”

Bernike grumbled incessantly as she opened the cargo compartment and inspected the equipment inside.

“Ugh! Look, it’s scratched. It really was right to check it before leaving. How did those robbers drive this truck… Well, at least it still works. Thank goodness.”

When she finished tidying up, Bernike closed the cargo compartment and swept her hand across her forehead. To Violet, the equipment didn’t seem to have any major issues.

“Well, since I’m in the middle of something important, I can’t stay as long as before. I used the excuse of needing agents for escort to finally get rid of them and be alone. I have to check on those creatures and go straight back.”

“Should I show you now?”

No sooner had she spoken than a mouse poked its head out of No. 3323’s pocket and waved its paw.

[Hello!]

“—he says. His name is Lemon.”

“Oh, so it really is connected. I’ll have to look at the observation data.”

Bernike’s yellow eyes gleamed with interest at the sight of Lemon. When she bent down to look at the mouse, Lemon, in the pocket, tilted his head and sniffed.

“Squeak…?”

“Hmm, I can’t tell just by looking.”

It was around the time Bernike was about to step back. Suddenly, Lemon squirmed as if something was wrong, squeaking urgently.

“Squeak! Squeak squeak!”

“He’s as particular as his owner, what’s the problem now?”

“What do you mean? You scared him, Aunt.”

[Boss! That woman smells strange!]

“Smells strange? Didn’t you wash, Aunt?”

“What did you say?”

[That’s not it! There’s something strange on her body! Suspicious! I’ll show you!]

Suddenly, the mouse leaped to the floor. As it ran towards her, clinging and climbing, Bernike frowned.

“What is it?! Why is it coming at me? Did you order it? Is this fun? Make it stop right now!”

“It’s not a joke! He says something’s stuck on your body, Aunt!”

Lemon burrowed between the professor’s outer clothes and soon snatched a dark object, returning to the floor. Held proudly in its raised front paws was a squirming black object.

“Eek! It’s a cockroach! Lemon! Throw it away! It’s disgusting!”

Kalia’s eyebrows shot up.

“Oh? Didn’t he catch a bug for that professor? Did you know by the smell?”

“Squeak squeak!”

Kalia let out a short gasp of admiration as the mouse nodded as if to confirm. Violet continued to interpret the mouse’s words.

“It wasn’t just a bug? A strange smell, what kind of smell?”

[Look! Boss! This bug is weird!]

Hearing the words relayed through Violet, Bernike seemed to realize something and knelt down halfway. Without hesitation, she picked up the cockroach that the mouse was holding.

“Ugh, how can you touch that disgusting thing…”

“Be quiet, you idiot.”

All three pairs of eyes instantly focused on the cockroach’s head. From the cockroach’s head to its chest and back, countless yellow wires, thinner than hair, were neatly arranged in a straight line. A small electronic chip embedded in the center sparkled.

“This is a microchip for insect control.”

“What are you talking about? Weren’t we the only ones who could control animals?”

“No, you’re just resonating with that lab mouse. Cockroach controllers are assignments for undergraduates. No, this is even more precise than that… Surely not.”

Bernike frowned, then ruthlessly threw the bug to the ground and stomped on it.

“Surely, a tracking device?”

“You’re quick-witted. Let’s get out of here. Quickly!”

The three hurriedly drove the truck away from the spot. Everyone looked around nervously, while only the mouse chattered.

[Boss! I did well, didn’t I?]