As I arrived at the house in the Central District after receiving the contact, the Scholarship Officer was waiting for me.
Seijis looked incredibly tired. His black hair was unusually frayed, and the shadows under his eyes had deepened.
“Hi, Scholarship Officer! Are you feeling unwell?”
“It’s nothing serious. I’m just a bit worn out from dealing with some issues at the Eastern District academies.”
Suddenly, the Scholarship Officer looked at me with questioning eyes.
“By the way, I’ve been hearing rumors about the sea lately. Why did you go out there?”
I pondered for a moment. I had felt it before, but somewhere inside me, a small impulse had surged, urging me to venture out into the wider world.
“Yeah! I got bored and wanted to go out to sea!”
“…Is that so.”
The Scholarship Officer’s stern expression softened slightly as he stared blankly. It wasn’t in a positive way—he looked incredulous.
Trying to hide his disbelief, the Scholarship Officer shook his head briefly. I could swear I heard someone clicking their tongue, but it must have been my imagination.
“By the way, what’s with that text?”
“Ah, you mean the one regarding Professor Bernike.”
I decided to ask about the professor first. I needed to know why the Scholarship Officer had inquired about her at such a critical moment.
“I had a special request to make to Dunhind Security Services. It’s about…”
“Is it the mission to rescue the professor? The university already explained everything and I signed the rescue plan contract!”
“Oh, it’s already come to that. Then there’s no need for further explanation on what needs to be done.”
“Um… is that so? But why?”
I stared blankly at the Scholarship Officer. His face returned to a neutral expression, but I could sense an undercurrent of satisfaction, as if everything was going according to plan.
As I wondered why that was, the next moment, I was taken aback by the Scholarship Officer’s surprising declaration.
“I’ll help with that. Is that okay?”
“What? Really?”
I blinked in disbelief at the unexpected offer. A skilled individual like the Scholarship Officer volunteering to help felt like winning the lottery.
Still, a doubt flickered through my mind.
“I’d be grateful for the help! But why are you offering to assist me? Isn’t your job related to issues concerning the Awakeners Academy?”
Seijis answered decisively.
“Professor Bernike is an important person.”
“Is that all?”
“…”
Silence. An important person… Seems she ranks up there with Professor Sturgis.
Considering that he was opting to intervene directly.
“By the way, can I meet that intermediary for a moment? I’ve looked into it myself, but I think it would be better to see the information provided by the university firsthand.”
I nodded in agreement. The superconducting maglev train is fast, but the other Violets and the manager would take some time returning to the Central District.
They would have ample time, so we could probably meet by evening.
“Oh, right. Scholarship Officer. Is it okay if I introduce you this way?”
As an interesting thought crossed my mind, the Scholarship Officer responded positively to my explanation.
“It’s sudden, but not bad.”
By evening, the visibly tired manager returned. He seemed surprised by the unfamiliar man, but we quickly covered for ourselves.
“Who is this?”
“Yeah, he’s the commander from the Ariel Group! Just leave it at that.”
Seijis, wearing a dark mask and sitting in silence, exuded an overwhelming presence, while the formerly ordinary Leslie broke out in a cold sweat.
“…Ha, I had no idea there was another commander.”
Seeing the Scholarship Officer receiving information made me feel unexpectedly good. Hehe, of all people, it was our leader who was recognized by the main character.
“Well, if it’s the Scholarship Officer, I can accept that!”
Our Violet group doesn’t have an official leader. We are our own masters.
But people like Seijis or Sophie El are exceptions.
With someone like that, I could feel good about having our commander from the Ariel Group.
After sharing information, we went our separate ways.
Every time I closed my eyes, visions of a collapsing world surged vividly back into Seijis’s consciousness.
The Southern District is aflame.
In the sky, grotesque massive aircraft exchanged fierce gunfire with air battleships, while countless beasts brandished their weapons, wreaking havoc on the ground.
As the adults crumbled for their own reasons, it was the inexperienced students who stood against the monsters. The young, inexperienced Awakened Ones were helpless in the face of the otherworldly forces.
On the Day of Harvest, the enemies ruthlessly slaughtered the humans, and humanity’s every effort to stave off the external nightmare crumbled like a sandcastle before the waves.
With a few exceptions.
“Hey, Scholarship Officer… how’s my skill?”
As the crackling static of the radio gradually clarified, the figure of the Steel Giant kneeling at the Aegis Academy’s front defensive line came into view.
Surrounding the giant, comparable to high-rise buildings, were the colossal corpses of corresponding monsters.
Seijis quickly leaped onto the giant’s body—hands from the knee, then up to the shoulder.
Upon entering the cockpit, a young man with red hair struggled to lift his head and smiled.
“How’s it, Scholarship Officer?… Did you see? Our juniors must have seen it clearly as well! The true visage of a knight…”
All Seijis could do was nod and gently shut the young man’s eyes.
After turning back time, Seijis pondered on what to do with the remaining time.
His duty was clear: to actively support those he needed to back and push forward.
A list was already prepared.
There were several tasks, like eliminating external noise so families like Cascadia could do their jobs and providing hints to help clans like Helios.
And there were tasks related to managing and recruiting future students.
The variable was that the unpredictable elements of himself and the Violets had somewhat twisted the progression of future events.
“The crisis in the Southern Erosion Zone is originally something that should have happened much later than this, right?”
At Sophie El’s question, Seijis rummaged through his memories.
“As far as I can recall, yes.”
The remnants left behind by the disrupted Magnavis were a prime example.
The mages who sought secrets fled with most of their wealth to the continent, but some technologies that ought to have been locked away in the vault surfaced into the world.
“Perhaps the advancement of technology might accelerate by a few more years. It has already begun to scatter in all directions.”
Seijis nodded at Sophie El’s words. Waves of change were already rippling before his eyes.
“I can see that. Irene’s father is an example, right?”
However, somewhere in the world, a greater sense of change was stirring.
“Apostles have never been caught this quickly. No one has ever been captured alive.”
The Divine Machines had to be completed swiftly. Restraid was a stubborn organization, but their dogged attempts of focusing on a single goal surprisingly bore fruit. Having succeeded once made it enticing.
Though the pilots and ownership would belong to someone else.
And the key to completing the divine mechanism that could confront the otherworldly forces was one.
Understanding and applying knowledge of the enemy.
“According to what I heard from Professor Bernike previously, she was supposed to start her research on the Apostles three years from now.”
Tension inflected Seijis’s voice.
If research started earlier, humanity might obtain the decisive weapon to stand against the Apostles and colossal monsters more rapidly.
Yet, would that power be a blessing or a curse?
Even the twin sisters before me bore grave expressions, indicating their uncertainty.
“Yes, we definitely have to save that person. But I’m a bit worried. Won’t those noble elitists act even more arrogantly if they acquire such weapons? I question whether we should indiscriminately welcome this kind of technological acceleration.”
Without hesitation, Seijis opened his mouth in response to the worried words.
“We must take it away.”
A few days later, our home seemed to transform into a military operation command center. A table laid out with maps and materials. Tension was palpable in the air as the Scholarship Officer began the briefing.
“I’ve compiled information from the Inspection Bureau, Federal Army, Helios, and Cascadia.”
“Whoa, already?”
I couldn’t hide my surprise. The Scholarship Officer I knew as a simple education official who was good at fighting transformed into someone resembling a veteran military strategist.
The table was covered with complex military symbols and illustrations.
Where on earth had he learned all this?
“We’re starting with the most likely location, making assumptions across several positions.”
As the screen changed, enormous rocky islands appeared.
“Pax Nova Island is a natural fortress. The entire island is formed from volcanic rock, offering substantial natural defense. The coastline consists mostly of cliffs, and only a few approaches are possible.”
The satellite images before us felt like peering into a secret agent’s dossier.
“In the Pre-Great War kingdom era, the kingdoms of Librian used it as a labor camp for imprisoning prisoners or captives. They primarily made them work in salt fields or collect pearls. After the Great War, it became federal property. Due to the underground structures in the island and the influential Gates, even though it’s classified as a Green Zone, it’s recognized as an unstable danger zone.”
The mention of the Red Zone left me feeling a bit uneasy.
“There won’t be any mutations on the land or elsewhere?”
“No, there hasn’t been any erosion yet, so it is Green Zone for now. However, intermittent spikes in Ether concentration have been observed. This has increased the frequency of monster appearances and poses risks to human health. Currently, it is known for mining. High-temperature superconducting materials are being extracted in large quantities from the main island and its surrounding smaller islands.”
The issue was that our shabby fleet wouldn’t even be able to make an entry.
“Due to the small Gates presumed to be underwater and those existing on the island, the nearby waters are swarming with monsters. Particularly, the frequency of large marine monster appearances is high. Electromagnetic interference is intense, making radar and radio communication nearly impossible. Not to mention the satellite navigation signals. The detection range of electronic sensors is also diminished. While this would work to our advantage…”
Even if we were to break through, greater dangers lurked.
“As you can see, the entrance is defended by numerous coastal artillery and anti-ship missile launchers. Though actual ranges are halved due to radar restrictions, entering that range would mean instant sinking. There are various setups from small caliber ship guns to railgun mounts. There’s also information indicating the presence of smart mines and anti-monster cutting nets as underwater penetration prevention measures. Direct verification is impossible.”
Listening to the detailed explanation, I realized this mission was far more dangerous and complex than I’d anticipated. After all, it was a situation where we had to assault a massive fortress.
Photos of various weaponry flickered in my mind.
“Moreover, numerous patrol vessels, combat airships, and helicopters are circling around. They’re under 24-hour surveillance rotation. According to the information, based on the quantity of smuggled supplies, it is believed that a battalion-level force is stationed inside, including armed mercenaries of Hunter origin. Most are non-awakened combatants; however, they all utilize federalized equipment. Considering the defender’s advantages, even a 3:1 attack advantage could become meaningless. A frontal assault would be akin to tactical suicide.”
I contemplated as I listened to the explanation. What would happen if we simply landed on the coast?
“Charge! Charge!”
Violets riding boats making a landing on the beach. The majority of vessels couldn’t even approach. The Violets who could barely access underwater were met with an onslaught of gunfire the instant they stepped onto the sandy beach.
“Ah, no! The enemies are everywhere! Run away!”
“Hiyaaaaaah!”
Simulation End.
The Violet-version Normandy landing operation ended in a dismal failure. It was a simple imagination, yet it was clear that a frontal breakthrough was terrifying.
“What about infiltrating from the sky?”
The Scholarship Officer shook his head.
“That’s tough too. The enemy’s aerial capabilities are unknown. There doesn’t seem to be an airfield, but they are equipped with numerous anti-aircraft guns and missile batteries. Moreover, we’ve confirmed magical defensive systems like high-output Ether generators or magic beam emitters. They can respond to anything from small monsters to large aircraft.”
Seijis paused for a moment, then continued.
“Above all, the most critical element is the quantum radar system. The environment’s high concentrations of Ether may have degraded performance, but it possesses the ability to neutralize stealth aircraft. Both low-altitude infiltration and high-altitude drops carry risks. Airborne penetration will only heighten their alertness.”
Once again, my imagination began to operate. Violets pouring from the sky via wingsuits. In the dark night sky, Violets descending through the net of flight paths.
“Drop! Drop!”
However, soon they were overwhelmed by encircling enemies from all sides. One by one, they were annihilated.
“Uwaaaaaah! The enemies are everywhere!”
Before they could even create clones, the Violet airborne troops were hunted down. As my imagination came to an end, I frowned unconsciously. It was the worst possible scenario.
“Huh, so we can’t save them then?”
“We have a way. Listen closely…”
The Scholarship Officer detailed the way to infiltrate. As we listened, interest sparked. There was a definite possibility.
“Wow. A smuggling route? Is it really feasible?”
“Given you’re a Violet, it shouldn’t be too hard. However…”
The Scholarship Officer, even after voicing his idea, hesitated as if he felt it wasn’t quite right.
“It will be quite challenging. For your abilities, escape shouldn’t be difficult, but you will witness a lot of brutal realities. Is that okay?”
Without hesitation, I replied.
“That’s fine! It’s a covert mission, right? It seems fun!”
A week later, at a small island mine near Pax Nova’s mainland.
Led by the hand of fate known as a lottery, the Violet assigned to the infiltration mission met a tragic end.
“Kyaaaaah!”
The Violet, now a mining slave, cried out in sorrow.
Within that wail was a longing for freedom and the pain of reality.
“Shut up! Hurry and carry that cart!”
The observing Navy soldier unapologetically delivered an electric shock.
In a flash of blue sparks, the Violet jumped up, seemingly as if nothing had happened, and began pulling the cart.
“This is hard! It’s imperialistic!”
Despite being able to use magical power, 2881 was enraged at the horrendous labor intensity that left her limbs trembling.
How merciless was this act. It was truly reminiscent of the exploitation by the Nazis and the Empire of Japan.
We, who aspired for Free Clone Democracy, trembled in fury.
“Let’s kill all the pirates!”
The surroundings were filled with two groups of unfortunate souls. On one side were desperate people dragged here by debts, while on the other side, even weakly awakened individuals endured forced labor under bomb collars.
This place was truly Hell for the Living.
“The pirates! We can kill them!”
“The Geneva Convention is null!”
The conditions within the mine were appalling. The Violet council, which had maintained balance, had entirely tilted towards the far-right and unanimously declared a massacre.
“When this is over, I’m going to have fun all the time!”
For a moment, the imagination faded, and the groans of the enslaved laborers snapped the Violets back to reality.
Today too, the sign at the mine entrance saying ‘0 days without accidents’ glared mockingly.
“If only the day of liberation would come someday…”
Yet nobody knew when that day would arrive.
This was the island of peace, Pax Nova.
The warm sea breeze, carrying the scent of spring, came and went, yet the shifts of the mining slaves continued without end.
