The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City-Chapter 68: Polaris—Violet Finds Arson Fun!

To cut to the chase, our little mischief with fire ended much sooner than expected.

「The response time is impressively quick.」

「Exactly.」

No. 57 and 101 were observing from a distance, hidden under a camouflage net, using camera equipment as large as cannons and telescopes to monitor the situation.

We had poured oil over the forest behind the school and set it ablaze, and soon enough, the guards rushed over.

They seemed professionally trained, even bringing a firetruck to extinguish the flames.

During the commotion, beasts living in the forest fled with flames licking their bodies, only to be quickly subdued by the guards’ weapons.

Despite the forest’s vastness, we thought it would take more time to extinguish the fire.

But no. We had briefly forgotten that this world operated on fantasy logic.

「Who’s that?」

As we continued to watch the fire, a girl with orange hair appeared, leading a dozen or so students.

She approached someone who seemed to be in charge of the guards and exchanged a few words before stepping forward.

The group then raised their various wands.

「Look at that!」

「No! It’s going out!」

Bright magic circles manifested, and waves of water rose in front of the students and surged into the forest.

As the waves collided with the flames, steam erupted, and the fire was extinguished in an instant.

The orange-haired girl, unsatisfied, waved her wand—a staff embedded with wires and displays—a few more times.

A whirlwind of pure white snow rose and swept through the forest.

Reality was no match for magic.

「More magic? Just like that flame sword! It’s so unfair! I hate magic!」

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「After all the effort we put into dousing the place with oil!」

Meanwhile, the fire in the building we had ignited was also quickly brought under control.

What once emitted black smoke now only released steam.

The sprinklers activated almost immediately, and similar magical measures seemed to have been employed.

We kept an eye on the scene.

A familiar face appeared—the Student Council President.

He had lined up several students and was speaking to them with a grave expression.

「Get the listening device ready.」

We tuned into the audio from the headset to find out why he was so angry.

– I clearly told you that those facilities cost more than your life is worth. How could this happen? Speak up if you have a mouth.

– I’m sorry, but when we arrived, it was already charred…

-Slap!

A student attempting to explain was slapped.

Nearby, piles of complicated machinery lay half-burnt and scorched.

No wonder.

Even though we set fire to an unoccupied building, people suddenly rushed inside, and now it made sense.

– You know what I hate the most, don’t you? No excuses.

– …I’m sorry. I’ll just…urgh…

One of the students began gasping for air, clutching his throat as if suffocating.

The Student Council President was strangling him with telekinesis.

「For someone who looks like a pampered brat, he’s got quite the temper.」

「He definitely doesn’t have a girlfriend. If he does, I bet he hits her when he’s bored. I’ll bet my chocolate bar on it.」

– P-please… stop…

– That’s enough, Crosell. Let him go.

As we continued to watch, the orange-haired girl from earlier intervened.

Surprisingly, the Student Council President released his grip and let the student go.

– …Lera—no, Vice President. You seem to have been busy.

– My apologies earlier, President. But I think handling this emotionally was wrong. The members are sufficiently remorseful. Isn’t that right, everyone? Now, move along.

– Yes! We’re sorry!

The students hurried away.

The girl, addressed as Vice President, exchanged a few words with the President before disappearing behind the building.

– You didn’t contact me for weeks. What’s the reason?

– It wasn’t that I didn’t want to. I couldn’t. The Chairman sent me on an assignment…

Their voices faded.

In the end, our first test was disappointing.

The fire was put out too quickly.

Although it was just a trial run, if we really wanted to burn down the school, we would need more simultaneous and intense firepower.

***

The Violets busily opened boxes, transporting vials and chemical supplies inside.

The first thing the awakened Violets did was secure more bases by pooling their resources.

In addition to their existing facilities, they needed more buildings for barracks and workshops.

True to the saying, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket,” they found cheap, dilapidated structures far from their current barracks and secured them.

Amid the commotion, No. 2 started explaining earnestly.

「I found out who that girl was. She’s definitely the Vice President.」

「Her name?」

「Lera J. Velleston. She’s in the same grade as the President and specializes in magic.」

「I can see that! She was holding a wand.」

In this world, wands serve three main purposes.

First, they act as antennas to spread mana more strongly and widely.

Second, they function as blunt weapons for self-defense.

Third, they serve as detection devices or carry various accessories—and occasionally double as selfie sticks.

When I thought about magic, only bad memories surfaced.

I recalled being knocked down by a wind spell in front of a convenience store or having my entire squad vaporized by a flame attack in a previous duel.

The academy teaches magic, but unfortunately, the first-year professor focuses only on tedious theory.

Practical sessions are rare.

Magic… I need to learn it someday.

For now, though, I decided to focus on physical training, leveling up, and acquiring weapons.

That’s why we secured this warehouse.

It was located in such a remote area that the surroundings were barren plains and shallow mounds, with half-dug pits scattered around.

There were no houses nearby, and the roads were far away, making it perfect for firing guns and blowing things up.

Once the inventory and transported furniture and materials were organized, the Violets began their work.

The goal was to produce explosives and incendiary materials.

To counter firefighting systems and magic, we needed something hotter and more dangerous.

We mixed gasoline with sugar, thinner, and other ingredients from books and the internet.

After bottling the mixtures, we tested their effectiveness.

The bottles exploded with a light puff, flames flaring briefly before dissipating.

“It’s not as powerful as I thought.”

On one side of the workshop, the Violets ground potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur in a mortar.

Following instructions from the materials, they also mixed nitric acid and sulfuric acid to create something.

Then an accident happened.

“Whoa! Look at me, I’m on fire!”

“Water! Get water! Where’s the extinguisher?”

While testing a Molotov cocktail, one of the Violets caught fire.

The bottle had slipped from her hands, causing the accident.

Although the pain was dispersed among the clones, the stench of burning was awful.

Possibly due to the sugar, the fire felt sticky and clung to her body.

Violet No. 67, who had been doused in sugary gasoline and turned into a flaming candied apple, collapsed to the ground.

Other Violets rushed to bring water and extinguishers, but No. 95 stopped them and drew a crossbow, aiming it at No. 67’s head.

There was no point in saving her—she had third-degree burns, and regeneration would take time.

Euthanasia was the only solution.

-Thwip!

The bolt struck No. 67’s head, extinguishing the flames.

Her body disappeared.

“Be more careful, everyone! We’ve already lost one person. And look at the workshop—it’s full of flammable materials. One mistake and we could blow this entire place up!”

No. 6 chimed in.

“At this rate, wouldn’t it be faster to just buy finished products? There’s a black market around here, isn’t there? Or maybe there’s another way…”

“We’ve already got other teams looking into the black market. Kalia and the Brotherhood are exploring options, but construction-grade explosives are hard to find.”

Although specifics would be discussed at the next Violet meeting, we needed three types of dangerous materials.

Military-grade bombs, demolition explosives, and incendiaries.

The first was for killing people.

The second was for blowing up the school.

The third was for burning everything.

From today’s test, we realized that simple oil wasn’t enough.

We needed something that couldn’t be extinguished by water or snow.

Ideally, we’d use alchemical substances with etherium, crafted with magic.

But those were out of reach.

While Molotov production was temporarily halted, we tested the black-powder bombs we had made.

Some exploded satisfyingly, but others were duds, fizzling out or quietly smoldering.

Today’s results were disappointing.

Despite following books and guides, the outcome was unsatisfactory.

Being a liberal arts student is tough.

How long had I been asleep?

When I opened my eyes, I found myself in a white space—a mental world that had surfaced when we were swept up in an experiment.

We looked around, and Mini Violet came hopping toward us.

She leapt into No. 1’s arms.

“Big Sister No. 1!”

“Whoa!”

No. 1 was startled and fell over.

“You seem busy these days.”

“You… you’re that…!”

I remembered.

This was the same Mini Violet we had encountered when trapped in a strange mental world during an experiment!

We were about to say something in surprise, but she pressed a finger to her lips.

Instantly, we couldn’t speak.

It felt as if our mouths had been taped shut, and our lips refused to part.

“My, how rude to be so startled by such a cute little sister! But then again, you don’t remember me in the real world.”

She snapped her fingers, and only then could we speak again.

“What are you? Who are you!”

“Is that really so important?”

Mini Violet rose off of me, clasped her hands behind her back, and spun around as if dancing.

“You’re Violet, and I’m Violet. That’s all you need to know for now. I haven’t fully arrived yet, though I’m slowly making my way. But in the end, you and I are both beings called Violet.”

The young girl stopped her playful prancing.

She slowly approached us, her presence paralyzing us as if we’d turned to stone.

“Need some help? Things don’t seem to be going too well.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“You’re asking because you don’t know?”

Her tone shifted from that of a pouty child to a mature adult.

She scolded us with an intense demeanor.

“Idiot! Moron! What are you, a medieval alchemist? Black powder? Really? Are you going to start using matchlocks next? And sugar? Burning sugar in gasoline? Are you making candy? Someone might mistake you for a student protester.”

She flailed her arms comically, shouting slogans like, “Murder school? What nonsense! Explain yourself, Valefor! Apologize, Student Council!”

Her mockery made my blood boil.

“Enough! What am I supposed to do when I don’t know anything?”

Faced with my outburst, Mini Violet winked mischievously, her expression brimming with amusement.

“That’s exactly why your adorable little sister has come to you!”

Mini Violet nestled into No. 45’s arms this time.

Though No. 45 tried to pry her off, she clung like glue.

“Violet! The pure, beautiful, and adorable sister from Polaris! One day, you’ll grow into the most beautiful woman in the world.”

She began humming a tune, burying her face in No. 45’s chest and fidgeting playfully.

“Even more mature and elegant than that saint… Oh, it’s been so long, I got carried away. Sorry! Hehe.”

When she looked up, her mischievous crimson eyes reflected my flustered expression.

“So, I’ll lend you a hand.”

“Why?”

The tiny girl giggled lightly.

“Because I want to see things go up in flames! Fwoosh! Explosions! Boom!

It would be fun to see Violet doing even more exciting things for a while.”

Mini Violet approached No. 1, grabbed my head, and tilted it downward.

“So let me share a little… sabotage knowledge. Even without magic, you’ll be able to use it well.”

She pressed a gentle kiss to my forehead.

Something flooded into me.

“Good luck.”

* * *

When I woke up, my mind felt clear.

We immediately began rifling through books and documents, feverishly setting to work.

Ideas poured into my head like a fountain.

Unlike the previous day, the Violets worked diligently, almost instinctively mixing and combining materials.

“It’s easier to understand the materials than it was yesterday.”

“Yeah, it’s like someone is teaching us directly.”

We naturally produced results.

Even though we were looking at the same books as before, we understood them much faster now.

Thanks to that, the workshop buzzed like a well-oiled engine.

The energy was so vibrant, even we were surprised.

We started creating new things that amazed even ourselves.

No. 65 carefully mixed red iron oxide and aluminum powder with magnesium.

“Careful! Careful!”

The reddish-brown powder was carefully poured into a plastic container.

A stray spark could cause disaster.

Meanwhile, other Violets continued their work.

They filled a plastic drum with gasoline, adding various chemicals, rubber, styrofoam, and metal powders.

As they stirred the mixture, it felt like watching witches brew potions in a cauldron from a storybook.

We ordered more materials to make up for shortages.

Individually, each ingredient was mundane, but together they could yield destructive results.

Even so, we still had much to learn.

Drawing on the scattered knowledge from pre-reincarnation movies and books wasn’t enough yet.

“When’s the fertilizer coming? We need to upgrade the equipment too.”

“It’ll arrive the day after tomorrow. We need more funds!”

Finally, we tested our first creation.

Using a mannequin as a target, we set it ablaze.

Brilliant flames and flashes erupted, confirming our success.

“Victory!”

This was just the beginning.