The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City-Chapter 118: Violet Was Caught! (2)

Where the misunderstanding began and how far it extended, I had no clue, but the current situation was escalating into a headache-inducing mess.

First, those guys now thought I was something akin to a ghoul.

“Hey! Stop right there! That’s my clone!”

“How do we know that? That thing was clearly a corpse! I even checked its pulse!”

Lucian didn’t even look back as he kept running.

Judging by his speed, it seemed like he’d activated magic to enhance his body.

“Kyaaa! I hate ghouls!”

“Damn it! I’m not a ghoul!”

“Dear God… Dear God!”

Looking at the situation, it was clear words wouldn’t be enough to convince them.

Three students who’d dashed out of the dormitory were now headed toward the factory’s entrance.

「No. 198! You’re nearby, right? Block the entrance! They’re trying to leave the dormitory!」

「This isn’t going to work. Clone deployment!」

The moment those guys stepped outside, No. 198 intercepted them in the middle of the road.

“Guys, let’s calm down and talk for a second!”

“Son of a…!”

Lucian’s group came to a halt.

They had no choice; the entrance had been blocked by a squad of soldiers clad in black combat uniforms.

The group turned back, but their faces grew even more desperate.

Behind them, more Violets appeared.

The crates piled up outside the dormitory rattled violently, and then several swords, radiating red magic, shot out.

From the torn crates, Violets began to rise. Like butterflies breaking out of their cocoons, we tore off the packaging material and emerged.

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

“What the hell is that…?”

Granite muttered in a panic.

For someone with such a massive build, he was trembling uncontrollably.

Lucian’s group was quickly surrounded by Violets. Lucian, brimming with fighting spirit, activated magic circles in both hands.

“Not just the Student Council President—now you guys too… Don’t tell me this was all a trap?”

“Look, I’m telling you, let’s talk this out! It’s a misunderstanding!”

“A misunderstanding? Then how about lowering that gun first?”

When Lucian’s dark eyes glared at me, I nodded and lowered my gun.

“Sorry, it’s a habit. Can you put away those magic circles too?”

“And how am I supposed to trust you?”

Though we stepped back slightly, Lucian still held on to his suspicions. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what we had done wrong to deserve this. Ｒ𝐀Νŏ𝖇Еʂ

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

“Alright, everyone calm down. What’s all this commotion about?”

Lucian’s face lit up when he saw Irene.

“Irene! You’re here at the perfect time. Do you know what that guy’s been hiding in the basement?”

“I do. I just saw it a moment ago.”

“Then you must understand! That guy is suspicious, no doubt about it!”

Lucian, who was making a fuss, was silenced when Irene raised her hand.

“Calm down. It’s a bit unusual, sure… but that’s just Violet’s unique ability. Isn’t that right?”

When Irene explained, Lucian hesitated but eventually lowered his hands and dispelled the magic circles.

I, in turn, loosened the encirclement so they wouldn’t feel as threatened.

“Yes! Exactly. That’s my unique ability.”

“Right, of course… But still… Who in the world stores their own clones like that…?”

For some reason, Irene sighed as she muttered to herself. It hurt a bit to see a friend looking at me as if I were strange.

「Ugh, Irene thinks we’re weird!」

「This is unfair…! Would Daphne understand us better?」

「I don’t think so.」

It was sad to think there was no one who could fully understand the essence of Violet. Still, Irene had thrown me a lifeline, giving me a chance to explain.

“That’s not a corpse! It’s my clone. I can generate clones and preserve them in a hibernation state for a long time. That way, I can save magic power.”

Lucian, who had been glaring at me, closed his eyes as if deep in thought. After a moment, he opened his eyes and stared directly at me.

“…Fine. Everyone’s unique abilities manifest differently, so I’ll accept that it’s a cloning ability for now. But why wrap them in plastic like that? They look just like corpses in a morgue.”

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

Hearing my explanation, Lucian’s expression turned blank. Faced with my reasonable explanation, he couldn’t seem to find a retort. I could sense him deliberating again.

“Sigh… That’s not entirely wrong. Then let me ask one more thing. Why do you stockpile your clones like that?”

“Because I have a use for them.”

“And what’s that use?”

“That’s a secret!”

Hearing my response, Lucian gave us a suspicious look once more.

Irene quickly stepped in between us.

“Lucian, listen to me first. Violet has her own personal reasons. And Violet, you didn’t have to pull out a gun right away. Put it away for now.”

“But they tried to run away the moment they saw our secret!”

“Who even stores their clones in the basement like that? You did something worth misunderstanding.”

“Ugh! I did my best.”

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As Irene and I exchanged words, Lucian stared at us intently. He seemed to sense something odd and crossed his arms while observing us.

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

“I didn’t know Violet kept her clones in the basement.”

“‘Didn’t know she kept them in the basement’? So you knew something else then?”

Lucian’s sharp eyes scanned the Violet squad.

“Right, I suspected something back in the dungeon, but now I’m certain. It’s strange. Normally, clones don’t move as efficiently as the original. But look at Violet’s clones. They’re incredibly coordinated. The duration of their activity is long too. And they’re all heavily armed. What about those guns? Those are federal-issued weapons. Even grenade launchers strapped to their backs? That’s way too much firepower for a mere student to have.”

“Uh, well, that’s because…”

Caught off guard, I stammered.

As I struggled to come up with a response, Lucian suddenly took a step back.

“Alright. I won’t ask any more questions.”

“Huh?”

“You saved us, and that’s a fact. But Irene, and you—what organization do you belong to? It’s not Helios, is it?”

What in the world?

Lucian seemed to be laboring under some serious misconception. Irene looked at him, baffled.

“What are you even talking about?”

“…I see. It’s hard to talk about, isn’t it? Are you with the Federation or one of the other four great clans? You saved us because you needed someone to testify about the academy, right?”

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

“I know, I won’t pry any further. It’s obviously the kind of thing ordinary people shouldn’t know about, isn’t it?”

Hearing Lucian’s words, Granite’s eyes grew as wide as saucers.

“The Federation’s secret special forces! Of course! That explains everything.”

This is driving me crazy. Why is that guy acting like that again?

When Granite started making a fuss, Levi, standing next to him, looked around nervously like a rabbit that had just lost its burrow.

“Secret special forces… Are we hostages?”

“Uh, I think you’re misunderstanding something…”

Amidst the strange confusion in the dark alley, a familiar voice called out from behind.

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

“Eek! Kalia, what are you doing here?”

“Well, I dropped by your house to deliver something, but it was noisy, so I came to check it out. What’s with this situation? And who are these people?”

Lucian’s eyes lit up with intrigue when he saw Kalia.

“Don’t tell me, another agent?”

“Agent? What are you talking about?”

Kalia, clueless about the situation, looked bewildered. I didn’t understand it either. How did these guys end up mistaking us for a secret special forces unit?

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

“Violet, explaining this properly to these guys will take all night.”

“Exactly…”

The tense atmosphere of misunderstanding was interrupted by new, unwelcome visitors.

-Screeeeech!

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

“What the… Who are they?”

Men with rough appearances got out of the cars, armed with guns and axes.

The abrupt change in mood made everyone momentarily forget the earlier situation as they stared blankly at the intruders.

A man in a suit wielding an axe stepped forward and pointed at Kalia.

“So, here you are, Kalia Blaze. Time to send you to your uncle!”

“The Osprey gang ends today!”

As if jolted awake, Kalia drew her sword. I asked her, “Do you know who they are?”

“They’re from the Skrax gang! They’ve been harassing people around here for months.”

I pointed at the guy barking orders in front and asked, “Can I take care of him?”

Kalia glanced briefly at Lucian’s group and asked, “…And what about those people in the back?”

“They’re my friends. Don’t worry about them.”

In truth, they weren’t really my friends, but since they were under such a bizarre delusion, clearing up the misunderstanding could wait. First, I needed to take care of this.

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

“…Alright.”

The four of them retreated from the street and went back into the factory.

I approached the leader of the Skrax gang, who was still running his mouth.

“You. Are you the leader?”

“Huh? Who the hell are you? Some kind of cosplayer?”

The man in the suit sneered at me as soon as he saw me.

“Are you the leader?”

I repeated.

“Yeah, I’m the leader,” he replied.

As soon as the words left his mouth, I mimicked a gun with my hand and aimed at him.

“What, are you joking? I don’t know why Kalia isn’t handling this herself, but—”

“Bang.”

Before he could finish his sentence, his head exploded like a watermelon smashed into pieces.

It was Violet’s handiwork, executed from a nearby rooftop.

“Boss! Boss is down!”

We quickly charged in.

After swiftly dealing with the gang members and cleaning up the bodies, I returned to Lucian and his group.

Now that everything was resolved, it was time to clear up the misunderstanding.

However, their atmosphere was strange.

“As I thought, I was right. Violet, you’re a former secret special forces operative, aren’t you?”

“To take down that many people in an instant… without hesitation!”

It seemed they had caught a glimpse of our actions.

Lucian nodded to himself, looking confident in his assumptions, while Granite stared at us with a mix of awe and confusion.

Levi’s reaction, however, was the most dramatic.

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

This was becoming a real headache.

To make matters worse, someone who absolutely shouldn’t be here suddenly appeared.

“Goodness… Excuse me, what’s all this commotion? I didn’t expect bullets flying into my room…”

“What?! Why are you here?!”

It seemed Ulric had been woken by the commotion and came over to ask what was happening.

Since he lived next door, it wasn’t surprising, but of all the times to show up, it had to be now. And unfortunately, Irene and Kalia were both present.

I tried to cover it up immediately, but it was too late.

“Uh, excuse me, but who are you?”

“Me? Oh, I’m just someone who was kidnapped by that person over there and now lives next door—wait, no! Not kidnapped…”

By the time I managed to shut this oblivious man’s mouth, it was already too late.

The clueless fool had confessed to being kidnapped.

“Kidnapped? Did he just say kidnapped?! I told you! They’re part of a secret organization!”

“Aaaaahhhh!”

Lucian’s group’s delusions grew even wilder after hearing that.

“V-Violet. What does he mean by kidnapped?”

Irene was dumbfounded, while Kalia grabbed my shoulder, shaking me violently as she scowled.

“Did I mishear? Kidnapped? What the hell have you been doing outside?! Answer me!”

“Ugh, gah!”

This was bad.

I had no idea where to even start explaining!