Chapter 196

After finishing the interview, I stepped outside.

As I waited for a moment, Older Sister Sophie El, who had just finished her conversation with the Scholarship Officer, approached us.

“How was the interview?”

“They said I can’t transfer specially…”

I sulked. Life should be easier, but it seems that isn’t possible!

Hearing my words, Sophie smiled as if it was only natural and replied.

“Of course. Were you really hoping to get into another prestigious academy with that? Special transfers are meant purely for helping Awakened Students whose academies collapsed due to major accidents.”

According to her explanation, there were indeed people in the past who intentionally aimed to destroy schools to take advantage of that system.

“In the early days of the special transfer system, clans with a bit of money would buy academies, make excuses to shut them down, and transfer their students to the academy they wanted. After a few of those incidents, the rules were revised.”

“Ugh, that’s horrible…”

It’s sad. Those wicked clans used loopholes first, costing us, the Violets, our chance!

「Uaaaaagh! I don’t want to read!」

The Violets cried out.

For other subjects, we could just share vision with our clones to find the materials, but mathematics was a different story!

「It can’t be helped! If we use Doctor Yurik’s abilities…」

We thought of Uncle Yurik from the Ariel Group, who would eventually become the head of research and development at the Violet Federation.

The subject levels at Awakener Academy are at the toughest for undergraduates.

So, for elite intellectuals who have navigated their way up to doctoral studies, it’s like eating rice cakes in bed.

「Alright, what shall we treat him with this time…?」

「How about a hotel buffet?」

「That sounds good!」

As we chatted amiably, I felt Older Sister Sophie sneaking glances at us.

“What’s so funny? I’m really curious since you’ve been laughing a lot.”

“Oh, it’s nothing much. I was just talking to someone else!”

“You mentioned the Violet Network, right? Honestly, I still don’t understand it even after watching.”

Sophie seemed intrigued as she spoke, a slight admiration on her face.

It seemed she had heard what I told the Scholarship Officer a moment ago.

It doesn’t look easy for even the protagonist of this world to accept the excellence of us Violets right away.

“Anyway, for a while, you’re going to live with the Violets. By the way, are you okay with that? No matter how spacious the factory is…”

“Oh, I’m fine! We already have hundreds of family members.”

“H-Hundreds…?”

To be precise, most of the Violets are actually in hibernation.

In reality, there are a few dozen Violets plus six friends, two ex-professors, and one researcher.

「Now that I think about it, we’ve grown quite a lot, haven’t we?」

Including even the agents from the external staffing agency, our influence as Violets is surprisingly substantial.

「Should we perhaps create a clan later?」

「That sounds good!」

I pondered a good name for the clan as we headed down the corridor, spotting a girl coming our way from the Scholarship Officer’s office.

「Wait a second, that’s…」

A neat-looking girl with red hair came towards us.

Interestingly, animal ears sprouted from the top of her head.

It was an appearance rare in this city, which pursues realism in the most pointless ways.

While racking my brain for a familiar face, the girl came running up, holding some papers.

“Millia? What’s up?”

“Oh! Agent! There you are! I have something to deliver!”

Upon hearing a name escape Sophie’s lips, I became certain.

That girl was the mascot character of the Crimson Scholar.

「It’s Millia!」

「The Scholarship Officer’s assistant!」

Waving my hand happily, Millia’s gaze turned towards me and widened in shock.

She hurriedly whispered to Sophie.

“Agent! That girl is definitely the one the Scholarship Officer mentioned…!”

“That’s right. That’s her.”

“…Gulp!”

Millia gasped and quickly covered her mouth.

It seems the all-powerful assistant to the Scholarship Officer had developed a negative image of us right from the start.

「Oh no, she must think we’re terrorists!」

「Tsk! There’s nothing we can do. But we’re not terrorists, are we?」

I decided to greet her now to create a more positive image.

“Hello, kitty!”

The effect of my greeting was immediate.

Millia frowned.

“…I’m not a cat.”

Yikes, I slipped up there.

On the way home, Sophie lightly scolded me for my actions.

“What were you thinking to say that out of the blue to someone you just met? It’s rude. And Millia hates being called a cat.”

“Ugh! That’s my fault…”

I had completely forgotten that the assistant to the Scholarship Officer detested being called a cat.

「Ugh, our image must have soured big time.」

If I presented a good impression to her, I could get a few minor benefits, but I just blew that chance.

「It can’t be helped. I can’t always make a good first impression, can I?」

「Let’s find a way to make up later! Maybe by bringing a gift!」

Given that she’s the protagonist’s assistant, Millia might have low combat power but definitely has some entertaining tricks up her sleeve.

She’s not an ordinary existence.

“Please tell me you don’t pull that with friends or other adults?”

“Of course not!”

As we continued our various conversations, we arrived at the Violet Barracks.

“After dinner, pass along the academy server and documents. Got it?”

“Yes!”

We spent time doing this and that.

When dinner came around, the lounging Violets began to rise from their spots one by one.

「Ugh… I’m hungry…!」

「Food!」

The Violets in the barracks started heading toward the dining hall one by one.

While some prepared the ingredients and cooking, others surveyed their surroundings.

They were curious about what their friends and professors were up to.

「Where is everyone doing what?」

Until now, we hadn’t really had the chance to observe the people around us closely.

Because of the headache with the Scholarship Officer meeting and follow-up issues.

And personally, I had been busy too.

First, I decided to check on Instructor Frederick and my friends. The instructor was inside the room, discussing something with my friends.

When I asked, they said he’d explain everything at once to me later.

A transfer consultation, perhaps?

Looking closely, it seemed they were planning a training schedule. I’ll have to listen to what they will do later.

「That’s confirmed. By the way, how’s the recommendation preparation coming along?」

「Yep! Considering address allocation, I’ve sent people to other places as well!」

Recently, the Violets have had something fun to do.

That’s going into news sites and social networks to hit the recommendation buttons.

It’s called the Ariel Group Online Purification Operation.

「Those Magnavis folks. Looks like they still have some energy left. Check this out!」

Violet 1540 shared her sight.

On the smartphone screen appeared news articles.

<Clan’s misbehavior, is the Academy City Authority not at fault?>

<Beware of hasty glorification – The Danger of Ariel Group>

Since they can’t openly support the clan, the articles cleverly argued both sides.

In the comment section, a quarrel erupted, but oddly enough, only our side was receiving tons of blame in the recommendations.

「This must be rigged!」

While labeling us as terrorists was bearable, the comments claimed the human experiments were fabricated.

Seeing that made me furious.

「How dare they, I won’t forgive that!」

The Violets used prepared accounts to boost their recommendations and spammed hate comments.

Before long, our posts rose to the top of the recommendations.

「Hooray!」

This way, we gave recommendations to the posts we liked and downvoted the bad ones.

The board was finally cleaned up.

「Ugh… it’s over!」

Some Violets, having lost interest, got up from the factory floor and left for another place.

I headed to a small factory near the barracks.

It served as a temporary research lab and a workshop for crafting magical tools.

After knocking and entering, I saw Doctor Yurik discussing something with Professor Albert.

“You don’t have to be too upset. That person made their own choice. They must be prepared for the responsibility, so how can I stop them?”

“But…”

Uncle Yurik had a somewhat grim expression.

From the conversation, it seemed they were talking about the slave woman who appeared at the hearing recently.

「Well, even if she confessed, she wouldn’t escape punishment!」

Not just punishment, either. Yesterday, she was yanked by the hair and thrown into filth by military families while testifying elsewhere.

Considering her crimes, that level of blame and disgrace is something she would obviously have to endure.

“…While logically it makes sense, seeing that still makes me uneasy. I can’t help but feel that way. Why is that?”

Uncle’s face was filled with bitterness.

Once a respected scholar who had helped him, that mentor was now a wicked villain, and a colleague he had briefly worked with was a terrorist accomplice.

Such situations don’t happen often.

“How should I know your feelings? But still, cheer up. It’s possible for things like that to happen to people around you while living. Surely, you aren’t thinking of harboring different feelings…”

Just as Professor Albert seemed about to give some life advice, he noticed a presence and turned toward us.

“What’s up, Violet? When did you arrive? Didn’t I post a ‘Knock’ sign on the door?”

“I knocked!”

“Is that so? By the way, why are you here?”

“I’m the landowner! I just came to check how things are. How’s the house doing?”

As I grumbled, Professor Albert shrugged.

“Well, what can I say? It’s better than nothing, isn’t it? I’m just grateful my student lets me live here for free.”

Seeing the professor smile, it didn’t seem too bad.

Next up was Uncle Doctor Yurik’s turn.

“By the way, Uncle! Don’t worry too much about that woman.”

“…Huh?”

I shared some insider information I had acquired through connections.

“First of all, avoiding a heavy sentence will be tough. However, the main culprit is properly stuck with the Federal Army, so death penalty or life imprisonment isn’t on the table! Even though she was scolded by legislators and military personnel during the hearing, she’s cooperating well, so there’s a chance for leniency.”

This was what I gathered from Adela and Chief Harbor of the Atlas Clan.

That’s what the people in the legal team alleged.

“Then that’s a relief…”

“Don’t worry. She’ll receive plenty of money in her prison retirement. She won’t starve in jail. But if you’re still concerned, let’s visit her together later, okay?”

It was then that Uncle Yurik’s expression lightened a little.

Not to mention, our slave had escaped to the detention center. Who should we assign to deal with magical tools and relics now?

「Aren’t there prisoners?」

Right, that’s true. Still a bit disappointing. They might not meet our needs as I didn’t capture them according to specifications. But we can make it work somehow.

If the Scholarship Officer finds out, it might get a bit tricky!

“But, Professor, what were you doing here?”

I glanced around the room. Now that I looked, it didn’t seem like they were simply having a life consultation.

Inside, multiple boards filled with complex formulas and various research materials were spread out.

The Violet Network sensed the subtle atmosphere flowing within the space.

It felt like a conversation only scholars would have.

“I actually planned to call you in soon. I just heard a little about your Unique Ability. You’ve got quite an interesting ability. The Violet Network, you say…”

“Yes, that’s correct!”

Upon hearing my answer, Professor Albert smiled and gazed at me.

At that moment, I felt an unexplained chill run down my spine. An ominous cloud of apprehension rose.

“But why…?”

The professor gestured towards the chair. I sat where I was directed.

“I heard you’re preparing for the transfer exam. I was planning to discuss something with Frederick, so let me share my thoughts. First off…”

The professor began to speak, and though I felt a bit of fear rising, I listened intently.

Two days later, our Violets fell willingly into hell.

“Magic getting copied? It’s true! This is revolutionary!”

Professor Albert shouted in excitement.

“Everyone, open your books and focus! We’re going to learn about intermediate-level magic and above from now on!”

“Kyaaaaah!”

As a group of Violets suffered in a temporary classroom, another group stood inside an old duel arena building.

Across from them stood friends wearing anxious expressions.

“I believe I’ve explained thoroughly enough, so I’m confident everyone understands.”

The instructor dropped a handkerchief to the ground.

Soon, a crackling sound echoed, and a translucent barrier enveloped the duel arena.

“Ready? From now on, you’re going to try to kill each other.”

The Violets wielding weapons charged forth, shouting.

“Kraaaang!”

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