Chapter 200

Irene had to calm the excitement of her friend, who was getting increasingly agitated at the mention of blood and violence.

“First, take a breather and listen to me. What do you think will happen if you assassinate Rigel and your cousin? How will the rest of the clan react?”

Violet replied nonchalantly.

“Some will surrender, and some will fight back, right?”

“Exactly. But are all of those people on Rigel’s side? What about those who simply have a grudge?”

“Irene, what’s the intent behind your questions?”

Seijis calmly opened his mouth beside Violet. Irene suppressed the unpleasant feeling rising up inside her momentarily.

“Let’s get to the point. I want to minimize the damage to our clan members.”

Having her delightful plans for violence rejected, Violet pouted like a petulant child.

“Are you really thinking of saving that Rigel guy?”

That was until Irene’s chilling declaration dropped.

“No. Absolutely not.”

Violet flinched at her friend’s unfamiliar icy tone.

“To be honest, I hesitated a bit. Not until it was suggested to sell off 30% of the clan’s shares. I don’t care about my uncle or the lives of those subordinates anymore. Once everything is done, you can tear them apart or use them as target practice for all I care.”

“Uh? For real?”

While Violet’s eyes widened in shock at the unexpected suggestion, Irene kept talking.

“But Violet, not everyone in our clan is involved in the factional strife. Most are simply hunters carrying out exploration missions, or employees faithfully doing their duties without any connection to internal politics. If we attack them without justification, it could lead to a civil war, and innocent people will bear the brunt of that.”

Irene calculated.

The outcome of a civil war within the clan.

“It’s probably easier than ripping off a child’s arm.”

Helios was certainly a strong clan.

But what if Violet took part?

Considering Violet’s abilities and her stunning performance during the Western District offensive, the result was obvious.

To exaggerate, the conclusion would be reached in the time it takes to eat a snack.

Even if the entire clan furiously charged at them, it wouldn’t matter.

Given Violet’s tenacious vitality and ruthlessness, their downfall would be merely a matter of time.

The problem wasn’t winning or losing.

“But then, if we win the clan back, what will be left? Ashes?”

Crushing Rigel’s faction was simple.

It had to be done.

“I can understand wanting the position of clan leader. But to sell it off to another clan? To sell Helios, which was founded by my father?”

Violet didn’t show it, but she felt a boiling rage ready to burst out.

In the footage her friend shot, there were many relatives and cousins she was well acquainted with.

“After getting help from Dad during difficult times, how could they…”

The betrayal made her grit her teeth unknowingly.

But she quickly composed herself again.

In situations like this, she had to be more composed.

“The problem is the other members inside the clan.”

She recalled the people associated with the loyal faction and the bits of information she heard from Mr. Kress.

“Not everyone is our enemy.”

“Scholarship Officer, there are enough potential allies within the clan. Depending on our efforts, we can at least ensure they aren’t hostile. If we secure these potential collaborators ahead of time, we can minimize friction when we sort out the clan later. But is launching a direct attack without any effort really a wise choice?”

“That’s not incorrect.”

As Seijis nodded, Irene turned her gaze back to her friend.

“I really appreciate the help. But Violet, our clan’s issues require a different approach than dealing with Magnavis. To minimize future unrest, we should consider a more moderate approach.”

If Violet mobilized her power, it wouldn’t be hard to prevent backlash. They could forcefully suppress it. The overwhelming power gap could prevent civil war as well.

Resistance and rebellion would crumble like walnuts under a bulldozer.

However, you can’t eat crushed, dirt-covered walnuts. It requires careful power management to extract the kernel.

Moreover, her own circumstances posed a problem.

Apart from the fact that her father was a former leader, she was just a student without any shares. She had no backing, relying solely on the power of her external friend. She had no experience in running the clan.

‘If I recklessly push my uncle out, who would follow my lead?’

There were limits to reinstating the loyal faction people. Loyalty couldn’t be bought through fear and oppression.

‘It’s more beneficial to gain support internally rather than handling things hastily, which would aid in sorting out the clan later.’

There were personal hesitations too.

Objectively, her friend was a walking disaster.

If the storm known as Violet hit Helios, numerous assets would be destroyed.

“Hmm…”

As Violet listened to Irene, she rested her chin on her hand deep in thought.

The Violet furthest in front suddenly exclaimed with a bright expression as if she had realized something.

“Aha! You were scared that Dad’s inheritance would be completely wrecked, huh? Sorry I didn’t mention it earlier!”

Irene’s face momentarily froze in disbelief.

“I didn’t think you’d interpret it that way.”

We focused intently on Irene’s explanation.

“So, to prevent people unrelated to the factions from getting embroiled, and to increase our alliances, the plan is to isolate and cut off only Rigel’s faction?”

“Exactly. This way, we can flexibly control the clan later.”

It was then that I understood Irene’s intent.

By increasing allies and decreasing enemies, they would isolate that guy internally before seizing the justification to cleanly eliminate only Uncle’s faction.

“Sounds like precision chemotherapy, right?”

If the Helios Clan is the patient, then Rigel’s group is the tumor.

Our Violet is the chemotherapy!

The doctor Violets incinerate the cancer cells with flamethrowers.

“Blocking cancer metastasis and killing it, huh!”

“Burn it! Kill it!”

As medical dramas unfolded within the Violet Network, Irene continued.

“In that regard, your eavesdropping will be a huge help for the next plan. If it gets known that the majority of the shares are being sold to Lumiexsa, we can certainly turn some neutral factions and most conservative groups into allies. Simultaneously, it could also weaken that guy’s influence in the clan.”

After listening silently until now, Sophie El finally asked.

“So, is that all?”

“Of course, there are more things that others have investigated. Both large and small acts of embezzlement or misconduct, you know. We’ll use all of that as justification before striking Rigel’s group.”

While elaborating, Irene suddenly pointed to somewhere.

Her finger pointed at the calendar on the desk.

The number ’12’ stood out clearly.

“It’s almost year-end. Helios Clan holds an event every year-end. It’s a year-end party that doubles as an end-of-year statement and result announcement. The preparations are creating a chaotic situation inside the clan right now, making it an ideal time to act.”

It seemed that Irene had her own ideas as well.

“Alright, anyway, we’re taking back the clan your dad founded!”

“Let’s take it back! Let’s purge them!”

“Woohoo!”

We shouted cheers while holding weapons. Although Irene and the Scholarship Officer looked at us with half-given-up expressions, we ignored them.

“…By the way, Miss Irene, where’s your father?”

“Our father is… Ah.”

Irene’s face turned pale like an applicant who had forgotten to turn off the gas before coming to an interview.

“I’ve lost my mind! How could I forget the most important thing!”

Screaming, Irene dashed outside.

We chased after her in confusion.

“What’s going on?”

“Violet! There’s no time for explanations later. Please help me! Scholarship Officer, I’m counting on you!”

At midnight, we raced off in the car to a massive hospital in the Central District. The dark interior of the hospital was quiet and peaceful.

“Thank goodness…”

The VIP room equipped with multiple layers of security resembled the restricted area of a research lab.

As we hurried inside, pushing the doctor along, a massive metallic cylinder with complicated machinery glaringly caught our eyes.

“What’s this?”

“It’s a life-support device. For my father.”

As Irene let out a sigh of relief, Seijis, standing behind her, carefully surveyed the surroundings.

“Indeed, as requested, the ambulance has been summoned.”

Our purpose for visiting here was simple.

To rescue Irene’s dad from the hospital before Rigel’s faction could pull any shenanigans.

“So, we just need to carry it out, right?”

According to the explanation, all functions needed to sustain life were integrated within that device.

It was a precaution for emergencies.

They could carry it to a nearby hospital run by the Brotherhood.

The life support device was designed for easy transport between hospitals, making it simple to carry once the power was disconnected.

Ten minutes later, the Violets dashed down the hospital corridor carrying the biological coffin.

“W-What are you all doing?!”

“Step aside, they don’t like the hospital service!”

Ignoring the words of the doctor and guards, we rushed toward the front door with the Scholarship Officer.

An ambulance was waiting.

“Quick, let’s load it up!”

“One, two, three! Load!”

As the Violets hurriedly loaded the life support device into the ambulance, suspicious individuals appeared.

“Wait, you there!”

“Huh?”

“That’s Orion Solstice, isn’t it? Where are you going?”

Goosebumps ran down my spine.

Clone 1278 calmly told a lie.

“Nope! This is a coffin.”

“We’re heading for the funeral home. Kindly don’t interfere.”

As we stumbled through our responses, the leader of the group stepped forward.

He wore a creepy grin while pointing at the coffin.

“What coffin? That’s a life-support device designed by our company. Can’t you see the mark on it?”

The moment we looked in the direction he pointed, the Violets were horrified.

Two triangular symbols – the logo of Laplacian.

“Aaaah! Why is this here!”

“It looks like something they made!”

From their tone, it was clear they came from Laplacian.

“Excuse me, miss. It seems there’s been a misunderstanding, but we were supposed to take that ourselves. Can you hand it over?”

And Laplacian indeed had deep ties with Lumiexsa.

As Irene and I prepared for a fight out of tension, a mumbling voice emerged from behind.

“Hey, Sis. Put on this mask.”

“What’s this for?”

“From now on, we’re the Resolvers. I trust you will understand.”

“Hey, who are you…”

-BAM!

A booming explosion echoed, and the Laplacian guys standing in front of us were obliterated. Literally.

As the dust settled, a masked Scholarship Officer appeared, wielding a bloodstained iron mallet.

“That was fast! I didn’t see it coming!”

“Violet, the car we rode here is ready, right? Quickly tie them up and burn them. Now!”

Though bewildered, we followed orders and loaded the prisoners into the car.

The two vehicles soon left the hospital.

The next morning, in an old warehouse, the Violets faced an unexpected dilemma.

“Lightning Strike!”

“Water Dive!”

The prisoner from Laplacian we had captured yesterday wouldn’t budge.

He was effortlessly enduring our electric torture and waterboarding.

The sight of him not feeling pain was appalling.

“Why?!”

“Ha ha ha! Is that supposed to be torture?”

The prisoners laughed, and just then, the Scholarship Officer entered through the warehouse door.

“There you are.”

“Ugh! This means—”

Caught red-handed in the act of torture, we fidgeted.

The image of the Scholarship Officer boiling with rage appeared vividly in my mind.

“Oh no! We’re dead!”

Without further words, the Scholarship Officer carefully approached the prisoner.

He surveyed the bound prisoners without saying a word, and the atmosphere was anything but casual.

“This is, uh, well…”

The Scholarship Officer raised his right hand.

Flames began to flicker on his palm.

Seijis held that flame close to the prisoner’s head.

“Uh, Aaaagh!”

“Watch closely.”

The prisoner screamed in agony.

Remarkably, even as the magical flames scorched him, his flesh was slowly regenerating.

“Unique Ability?”

“No, but it’s something similar. It’s Laplacian’s super-regeneration treatment.”

With that said, Seijis amplified the strength of the flames.

“When interrogating someone with super-regeneration abilities, this is how it’s done.”

We quietly nodded in understanding, witnessing a new level of torture from the hands of the Scholarship Officer.

As the interrogation progressed, Violet Clone 152 emerged after breakfast, witnessing Irene busy organizing documents like a worker.

She held various colored pens, drawing colorful lines on the paper.

“What are you doing?”

The pile of papers turned out to be a list of personnel.

“This is…”

“Is it the Death List?”

Upon hearing the term ‘Death List,’ Irene finally opened her mouth.

“It’s a long explanation, but half of it is correct.”

She said it was a document obtained through Mr. Kress.

“I referenced your method. Starting today, I will sort the good from the bad.”

The prominent red check mark at the top of the list made a strong impression.

At the top was the name ‘Rigel Solstice.’

“To be honest, I’m grateful to my uncle. Thanks to seeing those trying to abduct my father yesterday, I gained more certainty.”

It seemed Irene had learned the art of purging from our Violets. What a touching moment it was.

For reasons unknown, it seemed they intended to sell Irene’s dad to Laplacian.

Seeing that, our friend steeled her resolve.

“I’ll be going to meet people from today. Will you help?”

I grinned and replied.

“Of course! Obviously, I’ll help. We’re friends, after all!”

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