Chapter 209

After finishing the written exam, we took a moment to relax and talk about the test.

“Oof, I seriously thought my head was going to explode.”

As expected from a prestigious academy, the transfer exam was tough.

“By the way, does everyone remember the essay questions?”

“Oh, that? They asked the weirdest stuff. When they brought up terrorists, I couldn’t help but think of a certain someone…”

Listening to Daphne and Kalia chat, I recalled the essay exam I had just taken.

What did I write again?

“By the way, Violet. What did you write?”

At Kalia’s question, I answered casually.

“Well, obviously, I said we should kill them all.”

I responded confidently. For a moment, my friends looked stunned.

“Hah… as expected.”

Irene shook her head disapprovingly.

“Anyway, now we have the practical exam. Let’s do this properly, alright?”

“Don’t worry, the practicals are my specialty!”

I gave a thumbs up.

After a while, we had lunch and headed to the practical exam venue.

The initial part of the practical involved assessing our magical energy release and control abilities, as well as our body enhancement capabilities.

“Please stand in front of the measurement device.”

As the supervisor spoke, I stepped forward. In front of me were several cameras and complex measurement devices lined up.

With the evaluators watching us, I closed my eyes and focused my magical power throughout my body.

Intense red magical energy surrounded me.

Following the instructions, I lifted various tools and tried injecting magical energy into them and even attempted to channel sword energy.

“Next, we will begin measuring body enhancement capabilities.”

Various exercise equipment fitted with sensors connected to the measuring devices were set up in front of me.

I walked over lightly and began lifting them one by one according to the instructions.

“Ugh…!”

It felt lighter compared to before, but it was still heavy for my body.

While there was nothing I couldn’t lift, my body enhancement abilities were still lacking.

Afterward, I conducted several minor tests in front of the supervisors.

Magic generation, reaction speed measurement, sensory enhancement.

“Good. That was a basic test. Now we will move on to the practical test.”

Following the supervisor’s guidance, I moved to the next location.

Everything we had done up to now could be seen as a sort of physical examination.

I opened the door and entered.

Upon entering the spacious training ground, we were greeted by a large, shiny metal giant.

“Stregonics?”

“No, that… I can feel magical energy. It’s not a robot.”

Soon, we discovered the identity of that object.

What stood before us was an automaton, a doll controlled remotely by a mage. It resembled a golem from fantasy genres.

“What we will now conduct is a close combat test. Show your skills against the training automaton.”

The exam method was simple. Just smash that tin can to pieces.

“Before entering the exam room, choose one of the weapons on the side that you like. Regardless of whether you use magic, your unique abilities, or whatever means, you need to endure or defeat that for 10 minutes.”

If anyone got hurt, the medical personnel waiting right beside would treat them.

It’s reassuring to know that the operator will adjust the power appropriately too.

On the shelf were various sizes of melee weapons.

I asked the supervisor.

“Can I use all of them?”

“…All of those? If you can, go ahead.”

I loaded up on the practice weapons from the shelf and stepped into the exam room.

The automaton approached us with heavy footsteps.

I created a clone while charging at the automaton.

“Alright, come at me!”

“Initiating attack!”

Red magical energy surged as ten of my clones appeared on the battlefield.

The supervisor watching had wide eyes.

“Kyaaah!”

The Violet Legion’s coordinated attack began.

– Clang! Bang!

The blades sliced through the metal, and magic flew in arcs.

“Tear it apart! Kill it! Smash it!”

“Hahaha!”

The clones brandished their weapons and vigorously attacked the automaton. With everyone fighting together, there was no way we could lose.

– Boom!

We laughed as we tore the automaton apart.

“Target neutralized!”

I left the area with a victorious smile. The evaluators must be watching from somewhere, right?

Afterward, various tests continued.

“Hahaha!”

Once the shooting exam ended, the simulation test began. The location was a magical virtual reality training ground.

“The scenario for this simulation test is as follows. In the current city setting, a gate has opened suddenly. Eliminate the horde of monsters that have invaded the streets, take down the awakened terrorist, and rescue the isolated citizens.”

It seems the score was based on the number of monsters killed and the number of citizens rescued.

Wearing the simulation gear, the Violets moved into the virtual city.

“Growl!”

The monsters covering the streets let out terrifying howls. Skullcats charged in, growling.

“Die, mutt!”

I charged at them with my clones. The polygons tore apart in the face of swords and magic.

“Pull it apart!”

“This is fun!”

The Violets gleefully grabbed the limbs of monsters and cut them apart.

While the terrorists were getting split in half, the other Violets were forcefully pulling out NPC citizens and running.

“Ugh!”

After dragging the citizens to safety, I finished the simulation.

Overpowering the enemy quickly and effectively— that’s how we do things!

“…Simulation complete. Mission executed successfully.”

When I took off the simulation gear and stepped out of the training ground, all eyes were on me.

Half were supervisors, and half were students.

“What’s going on?”

For some reason, the people looking at us had expressions that were half in admiration and half in dread.

“Did we do something wrong?”

Various tests followed, including magic circle interpretation and first aid…

The final exam was a one-on-one battle.

This test was different from the previous one against the automaton.

“Nice to meet you. I’m a third-year student participating to assist with this exam…”

“Hello! Charge!”

“Aaaah!”

After slapping what seemed to be a female supervisor, I casually left, shrugging my shoulders.

“What did she just say?”

“I don’t know!”

By the time the practical exam concluded, it had grown dark outside.

“All exams are finished. Thank you for your hard work.”

The supervisor’s voice was tired.

It had been a long day. My whole body was drenched in sweat, but I felt satisfied.

I should have scored full marks.

A few weeks after the exams, the results were finally announced.

As expected, all of us in the group had passed.

Naturally, my name was proudly listed on the accepted applicants’ list.

“Yay!”

The cheers of our Violets echoed throughout the house.

“But there’s still the second interview left. We can’t let our guard down.”

Irene said cautiously.

Right, it was still too early to celebrate. We needed to pass the interview to be completely accepted.

The acceptance notification included the date of the interview.

“A second interview… I wonder what they’ll ask?”

“Eh, how hard can it be? Just reply however, right?”

But I was a bit worried inside. I had no idea what they might ask.

‘They won’t critique my answers, will they?’

Trying to shake off my unnecessary worries, I awaited the interview.

After the first exam, a heated discussion was underway in the Aegis Academy conference room.

Usually, transfer exams tended to be less rigorous than entrance exams, but this time, it was different.

“Some of the transfer students this year are really outstanding. I’m starting to wonder why they didn’t take the entrance exam.”

Professor Myers from the Tactical Studies department said in admiration.

The professors’ attention was on various documents on the table.

“There are quite a few highlighted talents.”

“Are you talking about the heir of the Helios Clan?”

Professor Lark from the Investigation department asked.

Professor Myers nodded with a smile and turned on the monitor mounted on the wall.

As the video played, a girl with violet hair could be seen expertly subduing an automaton and successfully completing both the simulation and one-on-one combat.

“Both the written and practical tests were excellent. I heard she even took on the role of CEO representative for her ailing father recently.”

“Though actual operations are handled by the executives, she seems to have already begun succession work.”

The professors continued reviewing the materials and scrutinizing the transfer students.

“What about this student? Their combat power isn’t that impressive, but they excel in support roles. Especially their unique ability…”

“Ah, they’re from the Central District Academy? A mix of one-handed sword and small firearms. Looks rough.”

“They’re quite adept at magic for their age.”

“Oh, I can’t believe these students are also from Polaris. Their written scores might be a bit low, but the practical scores show exceptional performance in specific areas…”

While the discussion went on, Professor Lark brought up a new name.

“What about this student? Almost full marks in practical and written tests.”

The document he pointed at had a photo of a girl with blonde hair and red eyes.

“Violet Dunhind Rugilinn… Her skills are truly outstanding. She displayed overwhelming combat power.”

Professor Myers responded with a serious expression.

“However, to be honest, there are some concerning aspects. Her answers to the essay exam questions were quite shocking. She seemed to lack any sense of ethics or morality.”

“The essay questions?”

“As you all know, there are no right answers in the essay exam. This is a means to assess how students understand and think about the problems. But…”

As Professor Myers spoke, he distributed copies of the circulated answers to his colleagues.

The professors reading the papers frowned.

A question asking whether to choose between a colleague’s life or mission completion.

[I would do both. I need to charge in with the mindset that I can do it. The lives of my comrades take priority, and I should act as if my own life doesn’t matter. We must sacrifice unconditionally. That way, the operation succeeds, and we can save our comrades.]

A question asking how to respond to an awakened terrorist holding hostages.

[Terrorists are already determined to make extreme choices. There’s no point in talking to them and assume it’s all a deception. Depending on the situation, hostage-taking of terrorists’ families, torture, threats, propaganda, and precise strikes should be conducted simultaneously. If hostage rescue fails, to prevent similar incidents and set an example, for each hostage killed, we should eliminate ten terrorists and their accomplices…]

Guidelines for priority actions in battle.

[To protect my comrades, I must absolutely eliminate the presence of enemies. That is the top priority towards victory. Surrender is not an option…]

“What kind of crazy girl is this?”

Someone clicked their tongue while looking at the answer sheets.

“This is an obviously common delusion for a typical teenage student, right? How can this be considered personal opinion…”

“That’s not it! Look closely. I thought it might have been written in jest, but it’s quite serious. She has her own logic. There are quite dangerous thoughts embedded in her words. We must disqualify her. Accepting someone like that…”

“Extreme sacrifice for objectives and a focus on collectivism—it seems greatly influenced by the environment of Polaris Academy, doesn’t it?”

“Other students from that place aren’t like this. This one is the unusual one!”

Some of the professors murmured.

Ever since Polaris Academy had collapsed, the severe internal corruption and its ruined standards had long been exposed to the public.

A woman with bright green hair, Professor Sharia from the Magic department, spoke up.

“I’m concerned. This student displayed quite aggressive and violent behavior throughout the exam. Please take a look.”

A video of the practical examination appeared. Girls were seen slaughtering the automaton in the close combat test.

-Let’s kill them!

An image of the simulation test, where monsters’ limbs were playfully torn off, and terrorists were butchered.

-Kya haha!

-Hehe… Let’s tear them apart!

Compared to other students, her demeanor was quite ferocious.

Her gaze was different too, as it seemed she felt pure joy in destruction and violence.

“In the final one-on-one combat training, she brutally beat up a third-year volunteer who came to help. Her combat ability is evident, but I question whether we can fully control this student.”

“Oh dear…”

“Look at her unique ability. Clone creation ability. What if she causes trouble at the academy with this?”

Just as concerns were rising, a robust man with folded arms presented a differing opinion.

“Wait a second. What we are training is awakened combatants. Some degree of ruthlessness and decisiveness is essential to fight against monsters.”

Professor Masus from the Close Combat Studies department strongly argued, sparking a wave of differing opinions from others.

“Exactly. The important thing is how to refine and effectively utilize that ruthlessness, right? Isn’t it our job to teach her that?”

The discussion raged on for quite some time. Just then, the conference room door burst open.

“Excuse me, may I speak for a moment?”

“…Headmaster?”

When the head of Aegis Academy suddenly arrived, the professors fell silent.

It was just a transfer exam, so why was this happening?

“I know I might be overstepping here, but I think we should take a good look at this student. How about we examine her in the second interview and make a final judgment there?”

The professors had their doubts, but since the headmaster’s opinion couldn’t really be challenged, they quietly nodded in agreement.

Thus, Violet’s interview was set.

On the day of the interview, Violet entered the interview room with a bit of nerves.

“Hmm… What did Daphne say again?”

“She said to follow common sense!”

She recalled the previous day. Violet hadn’t understood, but her friends were worried about what their innocent friend might blurt out during the interview.

“We have to make Violet understand social common sense. She passed the first exam, but the issue lies in the interview.”

Irene murmured seriously, while Kalia bit her lip in frustration.

“You’re right; this girl might end up saying something like, ‘Just kill them all!’ in front of the interviewers. Ugh…”

“That can’t happen! She’ll get disqualified for sure.”

“So we need to teach her, right? Help me out here.”

The three girls were determined. Because of this, Violet had to learn common sense from her friends starting a few days before the interview.

“This is boring!”

“Hang in there, they said this would be a trick to pass the interview!”

As Violet stepped into the interview room, several interviewers watched her with sharp gazes.

It felt as if they could see right through her.

“First, please introduce yourself.”

Violet did as her friends instructed.

“Hello, I’m Violet Rugilinn…”

After a simple exchange of questions, the interviewers began speaking seriously.

“Miss Violet, your written and practical exam results are both excellent. However, we have a few questions for you.”

“First, how would you respond if a colleague were in danger?”

Maybe due to her tension, Violet forgot her friends’ advice about answering within common sense, and she blurted out.

“I would save my colleague while killing all the enemies.”

The interviewers’ eyes widened.

“I see. Then what criteria would you use to act during the process of subduing the enemy?”

“Criteria? Hmm… If they are a threat, then I should kill them all!”

“What would you do if you need to subdue them and take them alive afterward?”

“I’d cut off their body parts!”

The professors shook their heads at Violet’s answers.

“It seems you’ve misunderstood the intent of the question; here, the enemy isn’t a monster but a person…”

“I was speaking in human terms just now.”

The interviewer grimaced, and at that moment, Violet realized she had answered incorrectly.

She shouldn’t have exceeded the common sense line that her friends had set.

But it was too late to backtrack. She had momentarily forgotten the common sense her friends had instilled in her.

Thinking was cumbersome, and while it could come to mind, she decided to answer freely.

“Let’s move to another topic. When I took the essay exam last time, I wrote something like this: that I would use torture and threats to subdue a terrorist…”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“Yes, torture is necessary, and if I have to kill, I would do that too. Protecting my comrades and friends is the priority.”

“What if your own sacrifice is needed?”

“I’d do it. It’s fine if I die!”

The interviewers were taken aback.

“Student, are you not taking your life too lightly?”

One professor pointed out in a voice mixed with a sigh.

“But I don’t want my friends or colleagues to get hurt.”

Another unexpected statement that left the professors dumbfounded.

“So does that mean you don’t mind sacrificing yourself for others?”

“Yes.”

During the prolonged interview, with sharp questions being thrown, Violet remained unshaken, responding with her own standards.

“What do you think is the method to achieve justice?”

“Strength and violence!”

Eventually, the professors let out a sigh and wrapped up the interview. Confusion and concern were evident in their eyes.

Once all the interviews were completed, the professors entered into discussions.

“That girl has an unusual way of thinking. It seems she lacks sense of ethics, bordering on brutality!”

“I’m really worried about this student. It would be difficult to pass her. What if accepting someone like her put other students at risk?”

“But she definitely has skill and potential. When would we nurture a student like that again? The fact that she talks about her friends suggests she isn’t entirely antisocial. She exhibits low levels of selfishness as well.”

As the professors exchanged opinions, the headmaster, who had been quietly observing, said.

“…How about we provide some character education? She doesn’t seem purely malevolent or morally twisted. There’s just something missing. I think once we teach her that, she could return to normal. It is our duty as educators to guide her to use her skills properly!”

“No way! It sounds absurd to make such a judgment based on just one interview, but I must say something. She is a monster wearing the guise of a human!”

“But there is no criminal record, is there?”

“You never know; she could be hiding it!”

As the heated debate raged on, the headmaster concluded.

“She doesn’t appear egocentric. Many people display such attitudes, but rarely does someone consider their own sacrifice as natural. Plus, she has skill. It would be a shame to let a potential great hunter slip away.”

“That may be true…”

The professors reluctantly nodded their heads in agreement.

“Then let’s say she is conditionally accepted. She’ll undergo counseling for a designated period and meet with me.”

Saying this, the headmaster left. The professors looked at the door with puzzled expressions.

“Why is the headmaster acting like that all of a sudden? Did he receive some sort of hint?”

“Who knows. He doesn’t normally act like this…”

By the end of December, the final acceptance announcement was made.

“Yay! We all passed!”

Now we are students of Aegis Academy. A happy academy life awaits Violet.

“How exciting!”

“I never thought we’d get accepted…!”

But why did we pass? Frankly, I was curious.

“Maybe we were persuaded?”

“That could be it!”

Violet’s logic might just be unexpectedly flawless.

“Aegis Academy! Here we come!”

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