The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City-Chapter 67: Violet Conspiracy!

If you step out from the main road near the hospital and turn into two alleys, you’ll find a small hotel named ‘Memory Trail.’

The exterior was worn out, and the staff at the lobby were not just indifferent but outright unfriendly, yet it had everything necessary.

Most importantly, there were almost no people around. You couldn’t even see any guests.

This was why I and the two other girls chose this place for our meeting.

Unlike open spaces like cafes, a private venue felt more suitable for discussing confidential matters.

Of course, we didn’t forget to take a few security measures.

“All clear! I didn’t find anything suspicious!”

“Good job, No. 31!”

The first thing I did after entering the room with Daphne and Irene was to thoroughly inspect the interior.

Unit No. 1 casually took a seat while the other Violets roamed around the room.

They used hidden camera detectors and bug scanners that had been hastily bought a few hours earlier, sealing up any suspicious-looking holes with tape.

It reminded me of overly paranoid so-called human rights activists, but there was no other choice.

Watching the Violets busily moving around, Irene’s mouth hung open in shock.

Daphne, having spent a lot of time with me, wasn’t too surprised by the presence of another clone in the room, but it seemed to be a novel experience for Irene.

“Wow… Violet, I felt this during the duel too, but your control over clones is incredible.”

“This? It’s nothing special.”

“Nothing special? Most people can’t do that! Clones formed through magic or unique abilities require an extremely high level of focus. That’s why their movements are usually unnatural… Wait, they can even talk?”

Irene seemed to misunderstand something.

Since I planned to explain later anyway, I didn’t bother clarifying for now and just brushed it off with a casual laugh.

“What about magical energy? Is there anything detectable?”

“I checked. There’s nothing significant being sensed. Solstice, did you find anything?”

“Not really… I don’t feel anything either, but then again, I can’t use magic.”

Daphne scanned the surroundings using a simple magic spell to detect energy, completing all necessary checks.

Of course, advanced magic or unique abilities could easily bypass these measures, but to counter that, we’d need a high-security sealed room in the first place. ŖＡɴꝋᛒÈṢ

Finally, it was time to bring up the topic.

“…So, Violet, what did you want to talk about?”

“Coming to a place like this means it’s something important, right?”

With the Violets positioned all around the room,

I felt a slight thirst and took a sip of water.

Amid the crossing gazes of blue, yellow, and crimson eyes, I cautiously began.

“Let me get straight to the point. There’s a massive particle accelerator and research facility buried under the academy.”

This 𝓬ontent is taken from fгeewebnovёl.co𝙢.

“…?”

“And in three months, when it’s activated, everyone at the academy will either die or turn into ghouls!”

“…!”

The faint smile on Daphne’s lips vanished, and Irene’s face contorted as though she had just heard the most absurd nonsense.

Their reactions resembled those of someone listening to an anti-vaxxer claim that vaccines turn you into a teenage girl controlled by an electric car company CEO.

“How does that even make sense? What is this, a sci-fi movie?”

“Violet, this academy may be unusual, but that’s far-fetched.”

As expected, they found it too absurd to believe.

I instructed the other Violets, who were crouching in the corner, to bring something.

“The documents.”

“Got it!”

Immediately, the Violets produced a mountain of documents.

“What is all this… Where did you get it?”

“Violet? What are these photos about?”

Using the overwhelming flood of data as a foundation, I calmly explained everything.

It didn’t take long for their attitudes to change completely.

“See? I told you! If I started with, ‘There’s this thing buried under the school, and we’re all doomed,’ who would believe me?”

“I mean, claiming there’s a North Korean warp gate under Jeju Island would sound more plausible…”

“Ugh, did I go too far right from the start?”

Their reactions after hearing the truth varied.

First, Irene.

“If this is true… It’s beyond what we can handle. We need to contact the Inspection Bureau immediately.”

Next, Daphne, who was so stunned she covered her mouth with her hands.

“My goodness, this is… Violet, how long have you known about this?”

“I suspected some shady dealings, but I only got concrete details a few days ago.”

“…That explains why you haven’t been looking well lately.”

After a moment of thought, Irene spoke again.

“You mentioned an experiment, right? Actually, I encountered something strange while walking around the school recently.”

“Something strange?”

According to her, it was a bizarre sensation, as if someone was trying to intrude into her mind.

Although Irene herself couldn’t fully grasp what it was, she struggled to describe the details that could serve as clues.

“Wait! I experienced something similar too!”

Daphne also spoke up, claiming to have experienced the phenomenon Irene described.

Even more startling was the fact that when she came to her senses, everyone in her classroom was staring blankly upward.

“A few seconds later, everyone acted as if nothing had happened. I thought I was imagining things, but it turns out I wasn’t.”

Based on their descriptions, it seemed to involve some sort of mental manipulation magic.

“By the way, Violet, why are you telling us this?”

I paused, contemplating how to answer Irene’s question.

I couldn’t outright say it was because they were among the few Polaris Academy survivors and destined to become remarkable heroes.

“Because you’re the only ones who would believe me. I need your help!”

It seemed my only available reasoning was emotional.

“Of course, I’ll help as much as I can. But, Violet.”

After a brief hesitation, Irene cautiously spoke.

“This might sound harsh, but I need to be honest. Violet, you’re weak. That much was clear in the recent duel. Whatever you plan to do, reality isn’t like a duel. You could really die.”

“It’s fine! I’ll handle the critical parts myself. And as for the risks…”

Now, it was time to reveal the second truth.

“Actually, my real ability is.”

At first, I debated whether to say it or not.

Due to the nature of my unique ability, the fewer people who knew about it, the more effectively I could use it.

However, since Kalia already knew, it was necessary to explain my ability to these two as well.

Otherwise, they might recklessly try to sacrifice themselves, thinking they needed to “protect the original.”

I didn’t want to see a melodramatic scene like, “Violet! Run away!”

Borrowing the words of a legendary archmage, I made my declaration.

“Listen closely, everyone. The truth is, I am not a singular entity.”

The two girls blinked, unable to comprehend what I was saying.

Perhaps my explanation was too vague. To help clarify, the other Violets in the room began to move.

“Look, see for yourselves? I’m Violet No. 2! That one over there is Violet No. 5.”

“I’m No. 13!”

This time, their reaction was more subdued compared to before, but there was still a hint of… unease, as if they were looking at someone mentally unhinged.

Daphne stepped closer, touching my head and studying my expression.

“From what I can tell… I’m sorry, but it looks like dissociative identity disorder.”

“…Violet, you don’t actually think you’ve become multiple people, do you? To me, it just looks like you’re putting on a puppet show.”

Being treated as mentally ill by a trusted friend stung a little.

“I’m not crazy!”

I repeated the explanation I had given Kalia previously.

Once I finished, they quickly understood but still seemed skeptical.

“Multiple entities sharing memories and senses in real time? And the number can keep increasing as long as there’s enough mana? I’ve never heard of such a unique ability before. Can we even call this ‘Clone Technique’?”

“For convenience, let’s just call it that.”

They gazed at us with a mix of fascination and disbelief.

“So, from what I understand, Violet can… come back to life even if she dies. Is that right?”

Daphne hit the nail on the head. She understood quickly.

Their expressions still betrayed their confusion.

It would be helpful to show them some tangible proof.

Maybe the numbers on my arm could do the trick.

No. 5 rolled up her sleeve. If I focused my mana here, maybe others could see it too?

The attempt worked.

It was possible.

“Numbers… on your arm…”

“It’s real.”

Their eyes widened as they stared at the numbers on the arm.

As expected, seeing is believing.

“Got it now? I don’t die! So, there’s no need to worry about me.”

“But even if there are many of you, trained Awakeners could easily take you down in an instant.”

“I know. I’m not going to act recklessly like I did in that last duel. That’s why I’m confessing this to you.”

“Violet, can I ask why you’re telling us this? What’s your motive?”

“Yeah, you don’t seem like someone who would reveal such a dangerous secret without reason. What’s your goal?”

“I’m going to destroy the academy!”

I saw reactions from my two friends that I had never seen before.

To sum it up, I succeeded in convincing them of my intentions.

However, they repeatedly drilled into my head that no matter what I planned to do, I should never act rashly and should always inform them if I needed advice or help.

I couldn’t argue—it was my karma.

“…And also, whenever you go outside, we’ll have one of us stick close to you.”

I delivered one final point.

From now on, each of them would have a Violet assigned to them.

A kind of personal bodyguard.

“Won’t that attract too much attention?”

“I won’t be glued to your side every moment. I’ll follow from a distance. I’ll even disguise myself. Like this!”

I pulled out a wig, put it on, and added a mask and sunglasses.

“It looks awkward.”

Oh dear, I needed to learn better disguising techniques. Or I should quickly find a perception-blocking mask. I wondered where the academy city’s black market was located.

After wrapping up the conversation, we decided to conduct a few experiments.

“Oil, are you ready?”

“I’ve got plenty of that. What’s disappointing is that we haven’t managed to get any explosives yet.”

Unfortunately, acquiring explosives seemed difficult without contacting the black market or a specialist broker.

Even trying to obtain them through legal means involved a complicated process. It might be faster to get the formula and make them ourselves.

For now, it was time for a test. I wanted to see how the academy responded to disasters.

The next day, unexplained fires broke out in the forest behind the academy and several buildings.

“It burns well.”