Chapter 124

After returning home, I had a conversation with Irene about what to do next.

“First, we need to find Mr. Kress. And I’ll also reach out to the other employees who left the clan. It’s crucial to understand the situation within the clan first.”

As soon as she sat down, Irene pulled out the name of her dad’s secretary. I guess she calmed down while coming home? The way she was swaying in the car is nowhere to be seen now. She seems ready to face the problem with composure, but a determined attitude.

“Is there anything else I can help with?”

When Violet 213 asked, Irene paused for a moment as if thinking, then opened her mouth.

“Could you help me gather information? I need to investigate Uncle Rigel and the people around him.”

“Sure, okay. But there’s someone better at it than me. How about letting that person handle it?”

“That person?”

When it comes to information gathering, I can’t help but mention the intermediaries I employ.

I carefully explained about Manager Leslie and his subordinates. During my explanation, she kept expressing admiration briefly. Upon finishing, her eyes sparkled with interest.

“Impressive, though it’s a little off-putting that he’s from the underworld, his skills seem decent. The materials you showed when you gathered people the last time, those were also investigated by this manager, right?”

“Yeah. He’s quite a useful person. Speaking of which, I’ll show you the materials!”

Clone 489 pulled out some documents. They contained information about Polaris Academy. Her golden eyes rapidly scanned the papers. While perusing the pages, her gaze fixed on a portion I had highlighted because it impressed me.

“Croscelle Torres, birthplace unknown, address and identity some are likely disguised. No immigration records… What’s this, the Student Council President?”

“Strange, right? Him and some others are similar.”

“Larazie Belleston, Kaim Myers… all of them have so many unknowns. What are they doing? Are they even students?”

Irene’s eyes slightly narrowed. I shrugged.

“No idea, could it be that they’re like me? Maybe they don’t have parents!”

Well, it might be better to capture them and interrogate them. Why would the parents or birthplace of those in the student council be important anyway?

“I’ll help as much as I can for now. Do you want to meet them in person? Or should I arrange it?”

“If we’re going to do it, it’s better to meet directly. I’d appreciate it.”

Violet 213 led Irene towards the office. Coincidentally, I also had a reason to meet with Manager regarding a weapon trade.

*

While I was at the manpower construction office with a friend, the other Violets were busy working.

Currently, the Violets are engaged in various tasks: delivery, dungeon labor, weapon research and development, and training.

All the little jobs are primarily to prepare the Witch’s Hammer to swing behind the academy and the clan.

In this process, the limitations of time and space held no meaning. We can be anywhere in the academy city, and if needed, we can rotate clones on a two-shift basis to operate 25 hours a day, year-round.

However, even we do not possess the ability to overcome the unseen giant of the market economy.

“The stupid 5-meter distance limit! If it weren’t for that, we could’ve copied gold bars or jewels and sold them, right? We could even print counterfeit money. Then we wouldn’t need to work!”

Violet 632 grumbled. Our cloning abilities couldn’t print out paper money or gold bars.

Clone 498, who frowned at the noise within the Violet Network, glared at 632. 632 lowered her head under the chill of an intense gaze felt from behind her helmet.

“Shut up and carry the cargo! You’re not the only one having a hard time.”

“But it’s unfair to make us start working just a few days after we’ve been created.”

“I’ll let you play later. Focus on work!”

While working, I pondered how all of this began with an effort to obtain a student ID.

Looking back now, it seems quite futile. I have money, so I can somehow get a hunter’s license or a random student ID laying around.

Still, it’s a pity I can’t print paper money.

“It’s okay. We’ve got some friends to help us, right?”

When Clone 10 mentioned the new tenants moving in, Clone 38 tilted her head.

“Eh, but we’re the ones doing the labor anyway. They’re technically special units. Like artillery or helicopters.”

Thinking it over, she’s right.

The biggest advantage of the Violets is ultimately their numbers. Other than that, there’s nothing outstanding. Our evenness is our strength, but there’s nothing we do particularly better than others.

And the difficulty of the dungeons we will head to is higher than before.

We need talents with better stats than me and who can handle various situations. Friends like Irene and Daphne can reinforce the Violet Squad, but that’s really about it.

What we truly need moving forward is firepower. We need high magical attack power.

“A magical arrow powered with magic is on par with a cannon, so there’s no choice.”

In the world of Crimson Scholar, dungeons overflow with bizarre things that mock modern military systems. Talking about issues like jamming or performance degradation of electronic devices, or high-speed motion interference, is tedious.

That’s basic knowledge that even children in the academy city know. There are things in dungeons that are even worse.

First, there are monster types that pure physical attacks hardly affect. Some regenerate, and depending on the situation, using firearms and explosives might be restricted as well.

Rich hunters or mercenaries solve this issue by using electronic weapons instead of gunpowder or rare relic firearms, but that’s not something that applies to us.

Dungeons where such monsters pop out are correspondingly dangerous, but dangerous dungeons have more profit. Places that frequently see dangerous monsters or strange phenomena are where the laws of physics are twisted.

Usually, rare resources or relics that are impossible to obtain elsewhere emerge.

So, in order to grab big money, one needs to take on challenges.

Considering the weapons and equipment we’ll buy in the future, as well as the growing number of Violets, there’s only one answer. Charge forward!

“Let’s have them handle the dangerous ones from now on.”

This will increase the strategic flexibility of the previously infantry-filled Violet Squad.

For now, we need to align our moves first.

As I was deeply contemplating how to survive before entering the dungeon, guidance was transmitted through the network.

“Attention, attention. Daphne will soon arrive at our house. Those in the central barracks should start organizing immediately.”

“Ah, has it already come to that?”

Shortly after, Daphne, who submitted her leave of absence, arrived at our house. The Violets waved their hands with cheerful smiles.

“Welcome!”

“Now Daphne will live with us!”

“Looking forward to it!”

Once the door closed, the Violets led Daphne inside. Since the school’s luggage was put in the multidimensional bag I had given her, all she needed was help unpacking.

After finishing the organization, we had a simple snack time in the dormitory’s first-floor dining hall. Daphne took a light sip of tea.

“So, are we going to check out the new dungeon?”

“Yeah, we need funds. Plus, I have some gifts for Daphne and other friends.”

“Gifts?”

I scratched my head and pointed to various body parts one by one.

“Necklace, bracelet, earrings. Which do you prefer?”

“Why the sudden question…?”

“It’s not just anything; this dungeon is famous for accessory relics!”

In the dungeon we plan to explore, we might snag some interesting relics. Accessories that provide various beneficial effects.

“I can create water and make barriers!”

“I feel like I’ve heard that somewhere. By the way, speaking of barriers…”

Daphne’s expression shifted as if she suddenly thought of something upon hearing my words.

“Speaking of barriers, do you remember the Ether Amplifier from Chloris Forest last time?”

“Yeah, didn’t we feel some sort of growth back then?”

“Yes, at first, I thought it was just an increase in magical power. But recently, while practicing my unique ability, I’ve been able to do this. Want to see?”

Daphne expanded a barrier around the teacup on the table. A light green hemisphere stretched out. It’s a small size, but a familiar sight.

“Watch closely.”

Near the teacup, slender white hands moved slowly. The green magical energy glimmered gently. The hemisphere barrier gradually shrank until it transformed into a thin disk shape.

“Wow. It changed its shape!”

I was amazed.

“Right now, it’s just a guess, but I think the strength of the barrier has increased compared to when it was deployed in a hemisphere.”

Aha, simply put, by sacrificing 360-degree defense, she concentrated to increase the strength.

Seeing the disk-shaped barrier floating like an umbrella over the teacup reminded me of a scene from the main story that occurred five years later. There was even a moment where Daphne blocked a witch’s attack in such a manner.

“Now that I can do this, I want to try other things. Would you take a look?”

She smiled lightly and deactivated the disk barrier. Several small barriers appeared and disappeared on the table.

As a barrier unfolded under the snack, it made the treat bob up. This time, a barrier appeared at the edge of a plate, making it rattle.

“I’ve never seen it used this way before.”

Hearing my words, she smiled sweetly.

“I’ve only used my unique ability for protection until now, but after trying compressing the barrier, I thought maybe I could use it this way. I’ve been feeling it wasn’t enough to only use a few supportive spells normally.”

It’s incredible. I never thought she could use the barrier in such a fashion. Looks like Daphne has gained some sort of enlightenment.

Once she becomes familiar with it, she might be able to use her unique ability, which was solely for defense, to actively support attacks.

“Amazing!”

“Thanks for the compliment! But I still need more practice.”

Suddenly, an interesting idea came to mind.

“Daphne, I just came up with an amazing idea. What if we use that barrier for attacking?”

“For attacking? What method do you mean?”

Daphne’s blue eyes sparkled with curiosity.

I whispered my brilliant idea to her, like a devil spreading forbidden knowledge to an innocent child.

“Generate the barrier inside a person’s body and inflate it. Suddenly, boom!”

“…?”

“Then anyone could just blow up, right?”

Even as I spoke it, it seemed like an amazing idea. Isn’t this discovering a powerful instant death technique?

The moment she heard my words, Daphne froze in shock for three seconds. Soon, her expression filled with horror as she stared at me.

“What? What did you just say?”

It was only then I realized I might have said something wrong.

“…That sounds really strange. Hey, you can’t do that.”

And the next moment, Lucian entered through the dining hall door and chimed in.

“Magical power can’t be manipulated inside a person’s body. Didn’t you know that?”

“What? Why?”

When I asked, Lucian grumbled while giving a brief explanation. After finishing, I felt a sense of loss.

“What a waste. Instant death magic…”

I finally see the reason behind it all.