episode_0285

Upon receiving the call, I arrived at the house in the Central District, where the Inspector was waiting. Seijis’s face looked incredibly tired. His black hair was unkempt, unlike usual, and the shadows under his eyes were even darker.

“Hello, Inspector! Are you sick?”

“It’s nothing serious. I’m just a bit tired from sorting out some issues at the academies in the Eastern District.”

The Inspector suddenly looked at me with suspicious eyes.

“By the way, I’ve been hearing a lot of rumors about you recently, out at sea. Why did you go outside?”

I fell into thought for a moment. I had felt it before, but a small impulse to go out into the wider world had surged from somewhere deep inside me.

“Yeah! I got bored and wanted to go out to sea!”

“…Is that so.”

The Inspector’s stern face, which had been staring blankly, relaxed slightly. It wasn’t in a positive way; rather, it was a look of utter disbelief.

Unable to hide his bewilderment, the Inspector shook his head briefly. I heard a click of a tongue from somewhere, but it must have been my imagination.

“So, what about that text message?”

“You mean about Professor Bernike.”

I decided to ask about the professor first. I needed to know why the Inspector had asked about the professor at such a precise moment.

“Something came up that I specifically needed to ask Dunhind Security Service for help with. It’s about…”

“The professor rescue mission, right? I’ve already heard all the explanations from the university and even signed the rescue plan contract!”

“It’s already come to that, I see. Then there’s no need to explain what it is or what needs to be done.”

“Oh… I see. But why?”

I stared blankly at the Inspector. His face had returned to its usual poker face, but I could faintly sense a feeling of satisfaction, as if things were going exactly as planned.

I wondered why that was, and the next moment, I was surprised by the Inspector’s sudden declaration.

“I’ll help with that. Is that alright?”

“What?! Really?”

At the unexpected offer, my eyes widened. For someone as capable as the Inspector to offer help, it felt like winning the lottery.

Still, a question suddenly crossed my mind.

“I’d be grateful for the help! But why are you helping me with my work, Inspector? Isn’t your job related to Awakened academies?”

Seijis replied firmly.

“Professor Bernike is an important person.”

“Is that all?”

“…”

Silence. An important person, he says… I guess she’s on the same level as Professor Sturges. Considering he’s personally stepping up to rescue her.

“More importantly, I’d like to meet that intermediary for a moment, if possible. I’ve looked into things myself, but it would be better to see the information provided by the university firsthand.”

I agreed. Though the maglev high-speed train was fast, it would take time for the other Violets and the Director to return to the Central District. Since they were taking their time coming up, I’d probably see them by evening.

“Oh, right, Inspector. Can I introduce you like this?”

A fun idea popped into my head, and when I explained it, the Inspector’s reaction was positive.

“It’s sudden, but not bad.”

As evening fell, the Director returned, visibly exhausted. He was surprised by the man he’d never seen before, but we quickly made up a story.

“Who is he?”

“He’s the commander of the Ariel Group! Just know that much.”

Seijis, silently sitting with a dark mask on, exuded an overwhelming presence, making Leslie, who was just an ordinary person, break out in a cold sweat.

“…Haha, I didn’t know there was another commander.”

Watching the Inspector receive the information, I suddenly felt good. Hehe, I made the protagonist, of all people, our leader.

「Hmm, if it’s the Inspector, then it’s acceptable!」

Originally, there is no one who can be the leader of us Violets. We are our own masters. However, people like Seijis or Sophieel are exceptions. For people like them, we can gladly let them be the commander of the Ariel Group.

After watching them exchange information, we parted ways.

Every time he closed his eyes, the sight of the world crumbling vividly resurfaced in Seijis’s mind.

The Southern District burned. In the sky, grotesque giant aircraft exchanged fierce barrages with aerial battleships, and on the ground, countless hordes of monsters rampaged, brandishing weapons of slaughter.

As the adults crumbled for their own reasons, it was the inexperienced students who stood against the monsters. Young and inexperienced Awakened were utterly powerless before the otherworld’s legions.

The enemies, facing their day of harvest, mercilessly slaughtered humans, and all of humanity’s efforts to stop the alien nightmare collapsed futilely like a sandcastle before a wave.

With a few exceptions.

“How was it, Inspector… my skill?”

As the crackling, hazy radio transmission gradually became clearer, the figure of a steel giant kneeling on the Aegis Academy’s front defense line came into view.

Around the giant, comparable to a skyscraper, lay strewn the corpses of enormous monsters. Seijis quickly climbed onto the giant’s body. From its knee to its hand, then from its hand to its shoulder.

Upon entering the cockpit, a red-haired young man laboriously lifted his head and grinned.

“How was it, Inspector… did you see? Our juniors must have seen it clearly too, right? The form of a true knight…”

All Seijis could do was nod and gently close the young man’s eyes.

After coming back in time, Seijis pondered what he should do with the time he had left.

His task was clear. To actively support those he needed to back and push forward.

The list was already prepared.

There were several things he needed to do. For example, removing external disturbances so families like Cascades could do their work, and providing hints that would help the businesses of clans like Helios.

And also managing and recruiting students who would enroll in the future.

The variable was that the development of future events had been somewhat twisted due to unpredictable elements like himself and Violet.

“The Erosion Zone incident in the South was originally something that happened much later than this time, wasn’t it?”

At Sophieel’s question, Seijis rummaged through his memories.

“As far as I remember, yes.”

The remnants left by the disintegrated Magnabyss were a good example of that.

The mages who pursued secrets fled to the continent with most of their assets, but some technologies that should have remained locked away in vaults were released into the world.

“Perhaps technological development will accelerate by a few more years. It has already scattered everywhere.”

Seijis nodded at Sophieel’s words. Before his eyes, the waves of change were already rippling.

“I get that. Irene’s father is like that, isn’t he?”

However, somewhere in the world, a premonition of even greater change stirred.

“The Apostle has never been captured this quickly before. And never alive, at that.”

The Colossus had to be completed quickly. Restraid was a stubborn organization, but their steadfast attempts, single-mindedly focusing on one thing, had surprisingly succeeded. As a method that had once succeeded, it was attractive.

Though the pilot and ownership would have to be handled by different people.

And the core to completing the mechanical god that would stand against the otherworld’s legions was one: understanding and application of the enemy.

“According to what I heard from Professor Bernike before, she was supposed to start researching the Apostle three years from now.”

There was a hint of tension in Seijis’s voice.

If the research started earlier, humanity might get their hands on a decisive weapon to counter the Apostle and super-large monsters sooner. But would that power be a blessing or a curse?

Even the twin sisters before him looked troubled, their expressions serious.

“Yes, we definitely need to rescue that person. But I’m a bit worried. If those aristocratic supremacist thugs get their hands on such weapons, wouldn’t they run wild even more arrogantly? I question whether we should unconditionally welcome this kind of technological acceleration.”

At the worried words, Seijis opened his mouth without hesitation.

“We’ll just have to take it from them.”

A few days later, our house seemed to have transformed into a military operations center. A table was spread with maps and documents. As the Inspector began the briefing, tension filled the air.

“I’ve compiled the data obtained from the Inspection Bureau, the Federation, Helios, and Cascades.”

“Whoa, already?”

I couldn’t hide my surprise. The Inspector I knew from Part 1 was merely a capable combat-savvy educational official, but the Seijis before me seemed like a veteran military strategist.

The map on the table was filled with complex military symbols and diagrams. Where on earth did he learn all this?

“For now, we’ll assume various locations, but let’s start with the most probable one.”

As the screen changed, images of massive rocky islands appeared.

“Pax Nova Island is a natural fortress. The entire island is formed on a volcanic rock base, giving it substantial natural defenses. Most of its coastline consists of cliffs, and accessible beaches are extremely limited.”

The satellite images displayed before my eyes looked like intelligence files from a secret agent.

“Before the Great War, during the Kingdom Era, the kingdoms of Libria used it as a labor camp for prisoners and captives. They were mainly forced into salt production or pearl oyster harvesting. After the Great War, it became Federation property. Due to the influence of underground areas within the island, the surrounding seabed, and various Gates, it’s classified as an unstable danger zone, despite being a Green Zone area.”

The thought of a Red Zone made me a little uneasy.

“There aren’t any mutations on the surface or elsewhere, right?”

“That’s right, it hasn’t been eroded, so for now it’s a Green Zone. However, intermittent spikes in Ether concentration have been observed. This leads to a high frequency of monster appearances, and its effects on the human body are not negligible. Currently, it’s famous for its mines. Large quantities of high-temperature superconductor materials are being extracted from the main island and the surrounding small island mines.”

The problem was that our crude fleet couldn’t even enter.

“Due to the influence of small-scale Gates presumed to be on the seabed and the Gates existing on the island itself, the nearby waters are teeming with monsters. In particular, the frequency of large marine monster appearances is high. Electromagnetic interference is severe, making radar and radio communication almost impossible. Satellite navigation signals are out of the question, of course. The detection range of electronic sensors also decreases. This fact will act as an advantage for us, but…”

Even if we managed to break through there, a greater danger awaited.

“As you can see, the entrance is defended by numerous coastal artillery batteries and anti-ship missile launchers. Due to radar limitations, their effective range is about half, but if we enter their range, we’d be instantly sunk. The composition varies, from small-caliber naval guns to railgun naval guns. There’s also information that underwater infiltration prevention measures, such as smart mines and anti-monster cutting nets, are deployed. Direct confirmation is impossible, though.”

Listening to the Inspector’s detailed explanation, I realized that this mission was far more dangerous and complex than I had anticipated. At this rate, it’s like we have to assault a giant fortress.

What appeared in the photos were images of various weapons.

“Furthermore, numerous patrol ships, combat airships, and helicopters are on patrol around the area. They’re under 24-hour rotating surveillance. According to intelligence, based on the quantity of smuggled supplies, it’s estimated that there are three battalions of troops deployed inside, including armed mercenaries who were once hunters. Most are non-Awakened combatants, but all are using Federation-made equipment. Considering the defender’s advantage, even a 3:1 attacking superiority can become meaningless. A frontal assault would be tantamount to tactical suicide.”

I listened to the explanation and thought. What if we were to land directly on the coastline?

「Charge! Charge!」

Violets landing on the beach by boat. Most of the boats couldn’t even approach. The moment the Violets who barely managed to approach by diving stepped onto the sand, countless barrages poured down.

「Ah, no! Enemies everywhere! Run!」

「Hyahhh!」

Simulation ended. The Violet version of the D-Day landing operation failed miserably. It was a simple imagination, but a frontal breakthrough was certainly terrifying.

“What about infiltrating by air?”

The Inspector shook his head.

“That’s also difficult. The enemy’s aerial forces are unknown. There doesn’t seem to be an airfield, but they are equipped with numerous anti-aircraft guns and missile batteries. We’ve also confirmed magic-based defense systems here, such as high-output Ether generators and magical beam emitters. They can respond to any situation, from small monsters to large aircraft.”

Seijis took a short breath and continued speaking.

“Most importantly, it’s the quantum radar system. Although its performance might be degraded in a high-concentration Ether environment, it has the ability to neutralize even stealth aircraft. Low-altitude infiltration and high-altitude drops are both dangerous. Aerial infiltration would only heighten their vigilance.”

Once again, my imagination activated. Violets pouring down from the sky via wingsuits. In the dark night sky, Violets deployed by transport planes descended, breaking through the barrage.

「Falling! Falling!」

But enemies, who had swarmed from all directions, soon surrounded and annihilated them one by one.

「Ughhh! Enemies everywhere!」

The Violet paratroopers hunted down before they even had time to create clones. When the imagination ended, I unconsciously frowned. It was the worst possible outcome.

“Oh, then we can’t rescue her?”

“There’s a way. Listen carefully…”

The Inspector explained in detail how to infiltrate the interior. As we listened, our interest grew. It seemed quite feasible.

“Wow. A smuggling route! Is that really possible?”

“It won’t be too difficult for you, Violet. However…”

The Inspector hesitated, as if realizing what he was about to say wasn’t quite right, even after starting to speak.

“It’s going to be quite arduous. While escaping won’t be difficult with your abilities, you’ll see a lot of harsh things. Are you alright with that?”

I answered without hesitation.

“It’s fine, it’s an infiltration mission, isn’t it? It sounds fun!”

A week later, at a small island mine near Pax Nova’s main island.

Led by the hand of fate, a lottery drawing, the fate of the Violet who took on the infiltration mission was miserable.

“Waaaaail!”

The Violet, degraded to a mine slave, wailed sadly. In that scream was a longing for freedom and the pain of reality.

“Shut up! Aren’t you going to move that cart quickly?”

A navy soldier, watching, applied an electric shock without hesitation.

The moment blue sparks flew, the Violet, as if nothing had happened, quickly got up and pulled the cart.

「This is hard! It’s imperialistic!」

Even though they could use magic, No. 2881 was enraged by the terrible labor intensity that made their limbs tremble.

What an unforgiving treatment. It was an outrage that truly evoked the exploitation of the Nazis and the Japanese Empire.

We, who pursued freedom and clone democracy, trembled with rage.

「Let’s kill all these guys here!」

「Pirates! You can kill them!」

「The Geneva Conventions are void!」

The mine’s environment was so deplorable that the Violet Council, which usually maintained left-right balance, all turned ultra-right-wing and unanimously declared a massacre.

「Once this is over, I’ll just play every day!」

The imagination was brief, but the groans of the slave laborers roused the Violets from their thoughts.

Today, too, the sign at the mine entrance, ‘0 days without incident,’ shone mockingly.

「If the day of liberation ever comes…」

But no one knew when that day would come.

This was Pax Nova, the Island of Peace.

Though the warm sea breeze carrying the scent of spring blew endlessly, the shifts of the mine slaves turned round and round without fail.