Chapter 118

I’m not sure where the misunderstanding began or how far it has gone, but the current situation was becoming quite troublesome.

First off, those guys thought I was something like a ghoul.

“Hey! Wait a second! That’s my clone!”

“How can I believe that? It was clearly a corpse! I checked the pulse myself!”

Lucian ran off without looking back. From the speed he was running, it seemed he had activated his magical power.

“Kyaaa! I don’t want to be a ghoul!”

“Ugh! I’m not a ghoul!”

“Oh my god… oh my god!”

Seeing the situation, it looked like words alone wouldn’t convince them. I noticed three students who dashed out of the dormitory were headed towards the entrance of the factory.

“198! Are you close? Hurry, block the entrance! They’re trying to leave the dormitory!”

“No way! Clone deployment!”

The moment they stepped outside, 198 stood in the middle of the street, blocking their way.

“Guys, let’s calm down and talk!”

“What the hell…!”

Lucian and his group stopped. They had no choice. A squad of soldiers in black combat uniforms was blocking the entrance.

The group turned around. However, the expressions of the three became even more despairing. Violets were appearing from the back as well. The boxes piled outside the dormitory trembled, and several swords infused with red magical power sprang forth. Violets rose from the torn boxes, emerging like butterflies breaking free from their cocoons.

In less than a second, the outfits of the Violets transformed into black combat uniforms.

“What the heck is that…”

Granite muttered in panic. He was trembling, which was uncharacteristic for his large build.

Lucian’s group was quickly surrounded by the Violets. Lucian ignited his fighting spirit and expanded a magic circle in his hands.

“Not only the student council president, but you guys too… Is this a trap?”

“Hey, let’s talk it out! It’s a misunderstanding!”

“A misunderstanding? Then why don’t you put that gun down?”

When Lucian’s black eyes glared at me, I nodded and lowered the gun.

“Sorry, it’s a habit. Can you also put away that magic circle?”

“Why should I trust you?”

We took a small step back, but Lucian still held onto his suspicion. I had no idea what we had done wrong to provoke this.

As the standoff continued, I heard Irene’s voice from behind.

“Okay, everyone calm down. What’s going on?”

Lucian’s face brightened upon seeing Irene.

“Irene! You made it! Do you know what that guy hid in the basement?”

“I do. I just checked.”

“Then you catch on quickly! That guy is suspicious! It must be…”

Irene raised her hand to stop Lucian, who was getting overly excited.

“Calm down. It’s a bit strange, but… that’s just the unique ability Violets possess. Right, am I right?”

As Irene explained, Lucian lowered his guard, albeit still looking skeptical. I also loosened the encirclement so they wouldn’t be too tense.

“Yeah! That’s my unique ability.”

“Right, that’s how it should be. Hah… who in the world stacks their own clones like that…”

Irene let out a sigh, muttering something under her breath. My friend was looking at me strangely, which made me a little sad.

“Ugh, Irene is looking at us weirdly!”

“That’s harsh…! Would Daphne understand us?”

“I don’t think so.”

It’s sad that no one fully understood the uniqueness of Violets. But it was true that she gave me a chance to explain. Thanks to that, I was able to elaborate earnestly.

“Those aren’t corpses! They’re my clones. I can create clones and preserve them in hibernation for a long time. This way, I can save magical power.”

Lucian, who had been glaring at me, closed his eyes and fell into thought for a moment. Soon he opened his eyes and stared at me.

“…Alright. Unique abilities of awakened ones can vary, so that’s possible. Let’s call it a cloning ability for now. But why are they wrapped in plastic? Like corpses in a morgue?”

“If I don’t store them like that, bugs and rats will chew on them!”

Upon hearing my explanation, Lucian’s face went blank. After listening to my reasonable explanation, he couldn’t find any retort. I could feel him pondering again.

“Ha… that’s not incorrect. But let me ask you one more thing. Why on earth are you stacking your own clones like that?”

“Well, they have their uses.”

“Where on earth?”

“I can’t tell you!”

Hearing my reply, Lucian looked at us suspiciously once more. Irene hurriedly stepped into the conversation.

“Listen, Lucian. Just calm down and hear me out. Violets have their personal reasons for this. And Violets, there’s no need to pull out a gun right away. Just put it away for now.”

“But they were about to run away as soon as they saw our secret!”

“Who stores their own clones in a basement? You did something that could easily be misunderstood.”

“Ugh! I did my best!”

While we chatted for a moment, Lucian continued to stare at us intently. Noticing something strange, he folded his arms and scrutinized us.

“Wait, Irene, you seem to know something. Am I right?”

“I didn’t know Violet was stacking her own clones in the basement.”

“You ‘didn’t know it existed?’ Then you know something else, don’t you?”

Lucian’s sharp gaze scanned the squad of Violets.

“Yeah, I sensed something strange when we were in the dungeon, but now that I think about it, it’s definitely odd. The cloning ability is supposed to move slower than the original. But look at the clones Violet commands. They move so synchronized. Plus, their duration is long. And they’re all heavily armed. What’s with that gun? It’s a federal weapon. You even have a grenade launcher on your back. Isn’t that too much for a mere student to have?”

“Ah, well, you see…”

I stammered for an answer, at a loss for words. Just then, Lucian suddenly took a small step back.

“Got it. I won’t ask any more questions.”

“Uh?”

“The fact that you saved us is true. But Irene and you, which organization are you affiliated with? Because it doesn’t seem like Helios.”

Oh no, Lucian seemed to have some serious misconceptions. Irene looked at him incredulously.

“What are you talking about?”

“…Is that so? Is it hard to speak about? Are you part of the federal or one of the four major clans? You saved us because you needed a witness for what happened at the academy, right?”

“A secret organization? There’s no such thing.”

“I know, I won’t ask anymore. It’s a place where civilians would get into trouble if they found out anyway. Right?”

As I overheard Granite’s words from behind, his eyes widened like saucers.

“The federal… special forces! So it was true! Everything makes sense now.”

This is crazy. What is wrong with that guy?

As Granite started to fuss, Levi, who was next to him, looked around like a rabbit that lost its hole.

“Special forces… are we… are we hostages?”

“Uh, there seems to be some misunderstanding…”

As the strange misconceptions in the dark alley continued, a familiar voice resonated from the back.

“Hey, Violet. What on earth are you doing here?”

“Eek! Kalia, why are you here?”

“Well, I came by to deliver something to your house, and when I heard the noise, I came to see this situation. Who are those guys?”

Lucian’s eyes lit up when he saw Kalia.

“Don’t tell me, another agent?”

“Agent? What do you mean…”

Kalia, who didn’t seem to understand the situation, was bewildered. I also had no idea how they mistook us for secret special forces.

Irene, looking dazed, glanced around and whispered in my ear.

“Violet, at this rate, we’ll need to explain everything to the kids until dawn.”

“Right…”

The peculiar atmosphere of misunderstanding was shattered by the arrival of new intruders.

–Skreee!

Several vehicles with headlights on came to a halt in front of us.

“What’s that? What are they?”

From the cars emerged grim-looking men wielding guns and axes. Everyone forgot about the earlier situation and stood dazed, staring at the intruders. The man in a suit wielding an axe pointed at Kalia.

“There you are, Kalia Blaze. I’ll take you to your uncle!”

“Ospri, this ends today!”

As if snapping back to reality, Kalia drew her sword. I asked Kalia.

“Do you know who they are?”

“They’re the Scrawlerax Gang! They’ve been showing up in this town and starting to threaten people for months now.”

I pointed at the man in front who was blabbering.

“Can we take them out?”

Kalia glanced at Lucian’s group and asked.

“…What about those people behind?”

“They’re my friends. They don’t matter.”

Technically, they weren’t friends, but given the strange misunderstandings, I couldn’t clarify that immediately. We needed to take care of business first.

“Irene, can you have those three step back for a bit? I’ll handle this and catch up.”

“…Got it.”

The four stepped back from the street and re-entered the factory. I approached the leader of the Scrawlerax Gang, who was still running his mouth.

“Hey, are you the boss?”

“What? Who are you? Are you cosplaying or something?”

The suited man snickered when he saw me.

“Are you the boss?”

“Yeah, that’s me.”

As soon as the suited man finished answering, I made a gun shape with my hand and aimed it at him.

“What, you messing with me? I don’t know why Kalia stepped up instead of you…”

“Bang.”

Before I could finish my sentence, the next moment, his head exploded like a watermelon.

It was Violet’s work from a rooftop nearby.

“Bro, the boss!”

We darted in quickly.

*

After swiftly taking down the pathetic gang members and cleaning up the corpses, I returned to Lucian’s group. Now that I’d taken care of what needed to be done, it was time to clarify the misunderstandings.

However, the mood among them felt off.

“As expected, my prediction was right. Violet, you were from a special forces unit.”

“That many in an instant… without hesitation!”

It seemed they had vaguely witnessed our performance, as Lucian nodded to himself with a look of certainty, while Granite gazed at us in a mix of awe and confusion. Levi’s reaction was the most dramatic.

“Ugh… I won’t run away. I’ll cooperate! Please don’t kill me!”

This was turning into a headache.

To make matters worse, someone who shouldn’t be here suddenly showed up.

“Oh my… Excuse me, but what on earth is going on? Bullets flying into my room…”

“What are you doing here?!”

Having been roused from his sleep due to the commotion, it was Mr. Yurik, who had come to inquire about the situation since he lived right next door. And it just so happened that Irene and Kalia were here. I was about to hide the situation, but it was too late.

“Hey, excuse me, who are you?”

“Me? Uh, I’m a neighbor over there who was abducted by these folks. No! Not abducted, I mean…”

By the time I tried to cover this clueless man’s mouth, it was already too late. Mr. Podak had just accidentally revealed that he had been ‘abducted.’

“Abducted? You said abducted! Didn’t I tell you? They’re a secret organization!”

“Ahhhh…”

Upon hearing this, Lucian and the others’ imaginations spiraled even further.

“Violet, what are you talking about? Abduction?!”

Irene looked completely shocked, and Kalia grabbed my shoulder, shaking me back and forth with a crumpled face.

“I must have misheard! Abduction? What kind of trouble are you causing outside! Answer me!”

“Ugh!”

This is bad. I have no clue where to start clarifying things!