episode_0067

Most importantly, there were hardly any people around. No guests were visible either.

This was why I and the two other girls chose this place as our meeting spot. A private place was considered more suitable for a confidential conversation than an open space like a cafe.

Of course, we didn’t forget a few security measures.

“Checked! Don’t see anything particularly suspicious, do you?”

“Good job, Unit 31!”

As soon as I brought Daphne and Irene into the room, the first thing we did was search the interior.

Unit 1 sat down leisurely. Meanwhile, the other Violets, holding hidden camera detectors and bug sweepers hastily bought a few hours earlier, searched every corner of the room. All suspicious-looking holes were taped shut. It reminded me of some self-proclaimed human rights activists with paranoia, but it couldn’t be helped.

Seeing the Violets moving around, Irene’s mouth dropped open. While it wasn’t too strange for Daphne, who had been with me for a long time, to see another clone in the room, it seemed to be a new experience for Irene.

“Wow…Violet, I felt it during the duel too, but your clone manipulation ability is truly amazing.”

“This? It’s nothing special.”

“Nothing special? Most people can’t do that! Clones formed through magic or unique abilities require intense concentration from the caster. That’s why their movements are unnatural… Huh, they even talk?”

It seemed Irene was misunderstanding something. Since I would explain it later anyway, there was no need to clarify now. I just chuckled and let it pass.

“Mana? Do you feel anything?”

“I checked. Nothing else particularly detectable. Ms. Solstice, did you find anything?”

“Well… nothing I can feel with my senses for now, but I can’t use magic.”

Daphne used a simple magic to detect mana and surveyed the surroundings, completing all procedures. Of course, high-level magic or other unique abilities would ignore such measures, but to block those, one would have to enter a highly secure sealed room in the first place.

Now, we were ready to start the conversation.

“…So, Violet, what is it you wanted to talk about?”

“You said it was important, coming all the way to a place like this to talk.”

With the Violets encircling the room, I felt thirsty and drank a glass of water. As two pairs of blue and yellow eyes met my red ones, I cautiously began.

“I’ll get straight to the point. Buried beneath the academy is a massive particle accelerator and research facility.”

“…?”

“And in three months, it’ll be turned on, and everyone at the academy will either die or turn into ghouls!”

“…!”

The smile faded from Daphne’s lips, and Irene’s face twisted as if she had heard something absurd.

Their reactions were similar to someone listening intently to an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist claiming that getting vaccinated would turn you into a middle school beauty controlled by the CEO of an electric car company.

“Does that even make sense? What, is this some kind of sci-fi movie…?”

“Violet, even if this academy is abnormal, that’s just too far-fetched.”

As expected, they thought it was too preposterous. I gave an instruction to the other Violets who were squatting in the corner, messing around.

“The data.”

“Got it!”

Immediately, a mountain of data spilled from the Violets’ hands.

“What is all this…? Where did you get it?”

“Violet? What are these photos?”

Based on the overwhelming flood of data, I calmly proceeded with the explanation. It didn’t take long for their attitudes to do a complete 180.

*’See, I told you! Who would believe it if I just said, “There’s something buried under the school, and we’re all going to die” from the start?’*

*’It would be more believable to claim there’s a North Korean warp gate buried under Jeju Island…’*

*’Ugh, did I go too far from the beginning?’*

The reactions of the two, upon hearing the truth, were varied.

First, Irene.

“If this is true… this isn’t something we can handle. We need to contact the inspection bureau immediately.”

Next, Daphne, who covered her mouth in shock.

“Oh my god, ah, this…Violet, since when have you known about this?”

“I sensed they were up to something, but I only found out about the exact timeline a few days ago.”

“…So that’s why your complexion hasn’t been so good lately.”

Irene, who had been lost in thought, said something.

“You said it was an experiment, right? Actually, I was caught up in a strange phenomenon while walking around the school a while ago.”

“A strange phenomenon?”

From what she said, it was a bizarre sensation, as if someone was trying to enter her mind. Even Irene herself, explaining it, didn’t fully understand what it was, but she tried her best to extract any clues from that memory to tell us.

“Wait a minute! I experienced something similar too!”

Daphne also spoke up. She also experienced the phenomenon Irene mentioned. What was even more surprising was that when she came to, everyone in the classroom was staring blankly upwards.

“After a few seconds, everyone acted as if nothing had happened. I thought I was the strange one back then. Turns out I wasn’t.”

From the description, it sounded like a type of mind manipulation magic.

“But Violet, why are you specifically telling us this?”

I pondered how to answer Irene’s question. I couldn’t explain that it was because they were among the few survivors of Polaris Academy and destined to become great heroes.

“It’s because you two are the only ones who will believe this. I need help!”

It seemed the only argument I could put forth was an emotional one.

“Of course. I’ll help as much as I can. But, Violet.”

Irene paused, choosing her words carefully, then spoke cautiously.

“This might be unpleasant, but I’ll be blunt. Violet, you’re weak. Just look at the recent duel. Even if I don’t know what you plan to do, reality is different from a duel. You could actually die.”

“It’s okay! I’ll handle the important things myself. And regarding the danger…”

Perhaps it’s time to tell them the second truth.

“Actually, my true ability is…”

At first, I hesitated whether to tell them or not.

Due to the nature of my unique ability, the fewer people who knew about it, the more effectively I could use it. However, since Kalia already knew, I needed to tell these two about my ability.

Otherwise, they might try to sacrifice themselves needlessly, saying ‘we must protect the main body.’

*’I don’t want to see some melodrama like “Violet! Run!”‘*

Borrowing a phrase from the legendary Archmage, I declared.

“Listen everyone, I’m actually not singular.”

They blinked, unable to understand what I was saying. My explanation must have been too vague. To help clarify, the other Violets in the room moved.

“Alright, want to see us? I’m Violet Unit 2! That one’s Violet Unit 5.”

“I’m Unit 13!”

The two girls’ reactions this time were milder than before, but there was something… It felt like they were looking at a mad person. Daphne approached, touching my head and checking my complexion.

“From what I see… I’m sorry, but dissociative identity disorder is suspected.”

“…Violet, you’re not mistaking yourself for actually being multiple people, are you? To me, it just looks like a puppet show.”

Being treated like a mad person by a trusted friend made me a bit sad.

“I’m not crazy!”

I repeated the explanation I had given Kalia last time. After I finished, they quickly understood my words but remained skeptical.

“Multiple entities sharing memories and senses in real-time? And they can increase indefinitely as long as there’s mana? I’ve never heard of a unique ability like this before. Is ‘clone technique’ even the right term for this?”

“We just call it that for convenience, you know.”

They were staring at us with fascination.

“From what I understand, Violet… you can revive even if you die. Is that right?”

Daphne hit the nail on the head. She’s a quick study.

Their expressions were still filled with confusion. It would be good to show them some plausible evidence. Could I show them the numbers written on my arm?

Unit 5 rolled up her sleeve. If I focused mana here, could I show it to others?

The attempt succeeded. It worked.

“On your arm… numbers…”

“It’s real.”

Their eyes widened upon seeing the numbers written on the arm.

Indeed, seeing is believing.

“Alright, everyone understands now, right? I don’t die! So you don’t have to worry about me.”

“But even if there are many numbers, they’ll be swept away instantly in front of a trained awakened one.”

“I know. I won’t act recklessly like in the last duel. That’s why I’m confiding in you.”

“Violet, may I ask your true intention for telling us this?”

“Indeed, it doesn’t seem like you’re just thoughtlessly spilling this dangerous secret. What’s your goal?”

“I’m going to destroy the academy!”

I witnessed reactions from my two friends that I had never seen before; they were absolutely dumbfounded.

***

To conclude, I succeeded in making them understand my intentions. However, I was told repeatedly to never act recklessly no matter what I did in the future, and to always tell them if I needed to discuss something or needed help.

Well, nothing much to say, is there? It’s my karma.

“…And when you go outside, we’ve decided to have one of us stick to each of you.”

Finally, I conveyed one more thing. From now on, one Violet would be assigned to each person. It was a kind of close protection.

“Won’t they be too conspicuous?”

“I won’t be clinging to your side every day either. We’ll follow from a distance. And we’ll use disguises. Like this!”

I pulled out a wig, put it on, and then added a mask and sunglasses.

“It looks awkward.”

Oh, dear, I need to learn better disguise methods. Or find some kind of perception-hindering mask quickly. I wonder where the academy city’s black market is.

After somehow concluding the conversation, we decided to perform a few tests.

*’The oil, ready?’*

*’We have plenty of that. It’s a shame we couldn’t get any explosives yet.’*

Unfortunately, explosives seemed difficult to acquire without contacting the black market or specialized brokers. Even trying to secure them through legal procedures was complicated. It might even be faster to acquire the manufacturing method and make them myself.

For now, it’s a test. Let’s find out the academy’s disaster preparedness capabilities.

The next day, unknown fires broke out in the forest behind the academy and in several buildings.

*’It burns well.’*