Chapter 194

During the days Sofiel stayed around, the Violets underwent several tests.

Violet received a smooth tablet. When she turned on the screen, a question sheet appeared.

“Okay, you’re going to solve this now. Got it? Answer the questions honestly, and if you don’t know something, feel free to ask.”

“Yes!”

Violet tilted her head.

The future scholarship officer and current Inspection Bureau agent had handed over a screen filled with various types of survey questions.

It was a psychological test.

「I guess I have to take this!」

「Then let’s do it! You’re a scholarship officer, after all! At least for now.」

Violet matched patterns of shapes and picked her answers.

After each test, the answers from the psychological survey passed through the algorithm, revealing one by one on a different screen.

Sofiel examined the results. Numerous graphs and figures illustrated Violet’s intelligence and personality.

Overall, her intelligence level was similar to or slightly below that of her peers.

Spatial perception and memorization abilities were excellent, but the rest were below average, especially in mathematical reasoning and language skills.

‘Still, her concentration is decent.’

Next, she engaged in a simple conversation with the Violets.

“What do you like? Let’s hear it one by one.”

“Fried chicken!”

“A knife and a gun!”

“Pizza!”

“Playing!”

The Violets babbled, and while Sofiel smiled on the outside, she carefully observed the Violets with a cold heart.

The clones answered a single question all at once.

Sofiel cautiously asked Violet.

“You said there are many Violets, right? So, you don’t control just one clone, but they are all clones?”

“Yes! There are many of us!”

“I’m Clone 678!”

“That one is Clone 1000!”

“Wow, that’s really impressive.”

She clapped her hands and feigned interest while observing Violet’s reaction.

What floated in her mind were the words left by her younger brother.

‘In total, tens of thousands of clones have committed terror across all regions, and after killing the main body, they temporarily halted but soon moved again, right?’

The girls before her exhibited movements similar to what Seijis had described.

Beings moving autonomously without a main body. Like the dead witch’s clones.

If the witch’s powers before her death were a combination of a single main body and numerous clones, the remaining clones after the main body was killed reportedly retained only instincts like ghouls.

Suddenly, she recalled Seijis’s reaction when he described the entity known as the boundless witch.

Anger, fear, despair.

The scholarship officer confided in her. She felt she had been hasty.

Even though the main body was dead, the previously dormant clones mechanically resumed their movement at some point, inflicting indiscriminate destruction and violence.

As she described the witch’s actions, which clung to people’s ankles and took lives until the world came to an end, he shuddered.

‘The one that brought the world to an end was that monster from another dimension, but the Federation and clans facilitated such situations. And the witch provided them with a very good justification!

Even until the moment of the apocalypse, the witch’s clones emerged from everywhere, instinctively engaging in slaughter and destruction.

They burst into the closing shelter door and even jumped into the escape ship trying to flee the planet.

The girl before her, named Violet, fit the second type.

A being that moved autonomously without a main body.

But it felt somewhat different from the explanation. Why?

If the dead witch moved like a collective consciousness, the current girls seemed to have individual self-awareness.

‘I need to report this. Special circumstances.’

Sofiel asked the Violets.

“Thanks for your cooperation. It’s almost lunchtime; is there anything you want to eat? I’ll buy it.”

“Then please order pizza!”

“Got it. Just wait a bit.”

The Violets’ eyes sparkled.

Hehe, while the girls walked, they couldn’t see the electrical wire on the floor.

“Wait a second, at your feet…”

She tried to stop them, but it was too late.

As the leading Violets tripped over the wire, the ones following them got caught up and fell too.

“Ugh! I’m falling!”

“Uwaaah!”

Seeing this, Sofiel reevaluated them.

They exhibited excellent concentration during tasks, but in normal circumstances, they appeared somewhat scattered.

She went to help the Violets up when new Violets entered from the back of the warehouse.

The girls were grunting while carrying large, hefty items.

Massive silhouettes that couldn’t be fully covered with fabric. Sofiel quickly identified what the items were.

‘That’s a machine gun, and this is… an anti-tank missile?’

Sofiel kept her smile while questioning Violet.

“Violet, what exactly is that?”

The Violets gasped in surprise and stammered.

“Ah, those are construction tools!”

“Aha, I see…”

The Violets’ eyes darted around, avoiding her gaze.

Observing them, Sofiel raised the danger level of the Violets in her mind.

They might not be good at lying, but they possessed heavy weapons similar to those seen during the terror incident. Caution is advised.

‘Can’t let my guard down just because they look cute. Where on earth did they smuggle that in from?’

While the Violets were taking psychological tests, the disbandment of the Magnavis Group was ongoing.

“It’s finally over.”

In the Violet Barracks’ lounge, Professor Albert muttered as he sat on the sofa watching TV.

On the screen, the parents of the students and citizen groups were protesting.

Normally, they would have been dispersed long ago, or the organization of the protest itself would have been impossible, but now they were freely demonstrating under the protection of the Federation.

-Why did our children have to die! Explain yourself!

The screen changed, showing the backdrop of the Federal Court.

Behind the Polaris Academy students and the parents who had lost their children stood numerous well-dressed people, forming a legal team supported by the medium and small clan alliance and the Cascadia family.

The victims, having unexpectedly gained reinforcement, marched confidently into the court. The legal team of Magnavis, reflected in the ruins, would hardly have a chance to explain themselves.

“…Really, what on earth did we prepare for?”

Fredrick felt nothing but emptiness as he watched the scene.

The scale and level of what Violet was plotting and planning were overwhelming.

The academy’s former first seniors and teachers had not only uncovered a conspiracy far surpassing the various mysteries and corruptions they were digging into but also felt gratitude and shame towards the student who had turned them into ashes.

“What can be done? We have to accept the harsh reality that we were incompetent and lacking…”

The two middle-aged men retrieved cigarettes from their pockets. The strong smoke from the Awakened Ones’ cigarettes curled up into the air.

As they flipped through channels, a program titled <Congress Hearing on the Western District Serial Terrorist Attacks> came on.

In the hearing room, a federal legislator was pressing a senior official of Magnavis.

“Those bastards are still putting on a show.”

A moment later, a timid-looking young woman with brown hair appeared in the hearing room.

-The Vittorio terror incident was carried out by myself, along with the personnel of the Special Investigation Department 3, and Vanguard agents. Under the direction of Agent Lera Bellestant, my research team manipulated the Vision Prism to inflict casualties on the Federal Army…

-So, does that mean you participated in that crime?

-Yes, there’s no excuse. I apologize to the bereaved families. I’m prepared for whatever punishment…

Professor Albert clicked his tongue as he watched the woman nod. He had heard that she was a prisoner turned by a student. Who would have thought she’d become embroiled in such a grave crime at such a young age?

Though she had shown a cooperative attitude in the hearing, it would be hard for her to escape a severe sentence.

“Shouldn’t we soon be in that position too? I heard the Federation contacted us; are we ready?”

Fredrick asked. Albert responded as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

“Of course. Do you think I wouldn’t be prepared for that? You ought to prepare properly too. I still remember the time you forgot your topic during your presentation and ended up in a disaster.”

“Tch, when was that…?”

They reminisced about the old days while watching TV, lamenting about what to do now that the academy had fallen into this state.

“I’ve completely become a bum.”

“What can be done? I lost my home too, so for the time being, I guess I’ll have to rely on the worst terrorist student in the Western District.”

After finishing that sentence, Professor Albert looked out the window. Fredrick followed his gaze.

Inside the factory, boys and girls were training in unison. The professor especially noticed a blue-haired boy practicing magic casting.

“It seems like there are some kids worth teaching. I think I heard they’re preparing for transfer admissions. They might be a good distraction.”

The instructor laughed.

“Who would have thought I’d end up working as an entrance exam tutor in my old age…”

On the day of the special interview, we moved to the Central District with Older Sister Sofiel.

We arrived at the central area after passing through a city filled with futuristic glass buildings.

This place, where the Inspection Bureau is located, is where the administrative agencies of the academy city gather.

For this interview, Clone Violet No. 1 particularly stepped up.

This interview was very important. It was an opportunity to engrain the image of us being kind and benevolent Violets in the scholarship officer’s mind!

Therefore, it was only fitting that the first Violet and the girl who survived on the outdoor unit took the forefront.

I looked around.

The neat and organized impression of various government and agency buildings was intriguing.

“Look over there! It’s a sky bridge!”

“Wow, amazing!”

This place could be compared to Sejong City on Earth.

Although we’re being pushed around by the Federation and the three main clans, this place is supposed to handle all of the administrative duties of the academy city.

Its appearance is not lacking compared to the downtown of other districts.

“Ugh! We’ve arrived!”

We took the elevator up. Following my sister, we walked through a hallway where many civil servants and agents passed, heading toward a clean office.

There, the scholarship officer was waiting.

“Violet.”

“Ah, hello! Scholarship officer!”

I sat down, smiling to give a benevolent impression. I sensed the scholarship officer’s eyes slightly narrowing.

“Gulp! Is she annoyed with me?”

“Let’s be careful!”

We were tense. What would she ask?

And the interview began.

“Name?”

“Violet, Violet Dunhind Rugilinn!”

Surprisingly, the interview wasn’t difficult. The scholarship officer asked about various things while looking at some unknown documents, and I replied.

“Is… that all?”

“Then what do you think I was going to do? …Conduct a background check?”

The scholarship officer opened her mouth with a blank expression.

“If that were the case, it’s long been finished. I figured you wouldn’t answer directly anyway.”

“Gulp!”

Was the scholarship officer this thorough and intimidating?

I felt a disparity between the scholarship officer in the game and this one in reality.

“Now, let’s talk about something important. As you know, Polaris Academy has been destroyed. It’s beyond recovery. What will you do going forward?”

I answered confidently.

“I’m going to transfer to another academy with my friends!”

I explained what I had previously researched.

There’s an administrative rule that if an academy completely falls apart for some reason, special transfer measures are enacted for the students.

“I’m going to go to Aegis Academy! It’s a prestigious school in the South, so it should be really nice! I’ll study hard…”

Seijis replied in a somewhat blunt tone.

“Too bad, but you’d better wake up from that dream. You can’t transfer.”

“Why? No way! I’m going too!”

“Eek! That dude must really be from the future. He’s discriminating against us!”

“There are human rights even for terrorists! The right to transfer! The right to continue studies!”

As we internally clamored, the scholarship officer pointed to a map hanging behind her.

“Look closely. Polaris is an academy located in the Western District, and Aegis is in the Southern District. The special entrance policy only applies to academies in the same district. Didn’t you know?”

“You can’t go to another place…?”

“The academy city authorities aren’t fools, and they wouldn’t allow you to easily transfer to another prestigious academy.”

After the scholarship officer finished speaking, I lowered my head in disappointment. I didn’t think that the easy way would be blocked.

“Uwaaah…”

What should I do now?

“Should I prepare for the exam? I don’t want to study!”

No, I must get ready to cheat or something!