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Violet drove the truck at breakneck speed. From the city to the alley, and from the alley back to the main road, weaving and zigzagging for an entire hour flew by in no time.

As I rushed, the shock and fear I felt earlier had significantly dissipated. Still, that scene was something I would never forget for the rest of my life.

Suspicious-looking riders circled the truck on motorcycles. They were the Rider Violets.

Three motorcycles that had stopped their delivery duties were now keeping their distance, observing whether anyone was tailing us and performing a protection role.

“Is the explosive ready?”

“I packed it, but I barely have anything left after blowing up the facility in the dungeon.”

The task of the escort unit was simple. If anyone tracked us, they were to fend them off, and if they couldn’t, they were to self-destruct to stop them.

“Hey, Violet? I don’t know where we’re headed, but Lucian and the others don’t look too good.”

Daphne, sitting in the passenger seat, asked. She glanced worriedly at Lucian’s party, who was in the cargo area.

“Should we take a break?”

“We can’t stop now.”

The state of those in the rearview mirror seemed psychologically deteriorated. Still, I shook my head with determination.

Even though I blew up that research facility with a bomb, I couldn’t completely finish off that student council president. There just wasn’t enough time.

“By now, they must have realized that I wiped out the guards who were chasing us, right?”

“Our top priority is to get as far away from the school as possible.”

The Violets exchanged information and discussed what to do next. While we pondered where to hide those three students, Irene, who was seated between Daphne and me, pointed ahead.

“I understand what you’re worried about. But relax. From here on out, you don’t have to worry too much.”

“Oh, you’re right.”

The road signs indicated that we had already entered the Central District. We had strayed from Magnavis Clan’s administrative area, but who knew?

The Second Clone asked the motorcycle escort circling the truck.

“Has anyone been following us?”

“Not at all!”

If that were the case, then there was no need to worry for now.

I needed to cool my head and get some rest. Just then, my stomach growled.

There was a fast food restaurant nearby, so we parked and went inside.

“Alright, let’s eat!”

We ordered a ton of burger sets and chicken nuggets. Irene decided to pay. Having a rich friend really comes in handy at times like this.

She handed her card to the cashier. A moment later, the cashier returned the card with a perplexed expression and said, “Excuse me, this card isn’t working.”

“What? That can’t be.”

Irene, puzzled, tried to pay with another card. The result was the same.

I stepped forward. I couldn’t bear to see my panicking friend fail to pay anymore.

“Let me cover it!”

I paid for the meal instead.

“Oh, I’m sorry. What’s going on?”

“You don’t need to apologize. I have plenty of money.”

I replied with a grin to keep her from feeling embarrassed.

In reality, our Violets were wealthy. We had made quite a fortune from those Stigian Ray gangsters last time.

The burger set, chicken nuggets, and ice cream were served. I placed it on the table where five students were seated.

My friends began their meal, but Lucian’s group seemed disinterested, barely touching their food.

“Do you not like hamburgers? Should we go somewhere else?”

“…It’s just not that great. Do you have any wrapping? I want to save it for later, so don’t throw it away.”

Lucian took a bite or two and then ditched the hamburger to sip on his drink. The others also only picked at their food, seeming to lack appetite.

“Ahh!”

Levi suddenly screamed, her black eyes agitated at the sight of red ketchup splattered on the wrapper.

“Oh gosh, sorry!”

I quickly removed the ketchup. Granite didn’t look too happy either. The horror they witnessed in the laboratory seemed to linger in their minds.

Ultimately, I was the only one who had a proper meal.

Seeing how bad everyone looked, I took them to a nearby hotel, got them a room, and let them rest. In their current state, we wouldn’t be able to talk for long.

I secured a room for the escort Violets and stepped outside the hotel.

Irene was on the phone, holding a perplexed expression.

“Is there a problem?”

When she finished her call, I asked. Irene hesitated at the end of her words.

“Oh, it’s nothing serious. Just some issues with the card and account. I should resolve it soon! But what will we do from here on out?”

“Tomorrow, I need to talk to Lucian’s team. They can’t just go back to school now.”

“That’s true. They directly witnessed those events. Croscelle saw their faces. They’ll try to silence them somehow.”

It was unfortunate. To be marked by the murderous student council president! They’d likely be killed off.

Because the events from yesterday were horrifying, my friends decided not to return to school immediately and stayed at the hotel instead. For now, we’d observe how things unfold.

***

The next morning, six boys and girls gathered around the hotel room’s table after finishing breakfast. It was time to have the talk we missed yesterday.

Lucian’s crew looked tidier than the day before, but each of them hid their worries in their own ways.

Irene started the conversation.

“You all probably have an idea, but we can’t go back to the academy anymore.”

“I know that. Although I don’t know why, that student council president carried out a massacre with those Magnavis soldiers!”

Lucian, frowning, replied. This guy’s quick on the uptake; he’s sharp, after all.

“We just saw something we shouldn’t have regarding a secret of a major clan. The school is probably involved too.”

“Exactly.”

“What are we going to do…?”

Levi, who had been quietly listening, looked like she was about to cry. Granite hesitated but spoke up.

“Isn’t it possible to report this to the outside? If we inform the media or the Inspection Bureau…”

Lucian looked at him as if he couldn’t believe what he just heard.

“You fool! That’s one of the Four Great Clans. The media won’t listen to us. They won’t believe us without evidence. The Inspection Bureau is filled with slackers just wasting taxpayers’ money. Still can’t grasp the situation? We’re screwed!”

Hmm, there’s some truth to that, but not everyone in the Inspection Bureau is a slacker. If it were the scholarship officers, they might take it seriously. I confirmed that Seijis was at the Aegis Academy during my last visit, so maybe I could submit an anonymous tip later on.

“As Lucian said, you all witnessed something you shouldn’t have. It’s best to hide for a while.”

Irene wrapped up the discussion. The three of them fell silent. Perhaps they had no choice but to accept this unavoidable reality.

“But why are you all so calm?”

Lucian, crossing his arms, questioned us. His keen gaze scrutinized the Violets and the two girls.

“Do you know something?”

“I won’t answer that right now.”

Irene remained quiet afterward. He seemed to sense something was off and kept asking questions, but I ignored him. There was too much I couldn’t reveal here.

Though he got annoyed, he eventually gave up asking. The focus of the conversation shifted to where we would hide.

“Where do we go? I have no idea.”

“You’re just big, so what do you know? In times like this, hiding in some slum is best.”

“But we have no money.”

“If we enter a low-level dungeon and pull off a score, we can earn some living expenses, right? Oh, wait. We can’t use our student IDs or accounts anymore, can we? This is a disaster; how are we going to make money now?”

Everyone was thinking about where to stay. But there’s always a way out in times like this.

“How about coming to my place?”

“Your place? The dormitory?”

“No, I actually have a house in Central. I have many buildings! There’s a vacant room too. How about staying there for a while?”

“A building? What nonsense! What does a student have…?”

Lucian looked at me with a dumbfounded expression. He doesn’t believe me. Our Violets are legitimate property owners! Even if the buildings are all old factories or warehouses.

Irene turned toward me and whispered urgently.

“What are you talking about? I was planning to let them stay at my place.”

We quietly conferred with each other for a moment.

“That’s not a bad idea. Your place is big and spacious. But, isn’t the student council already keeping a close watch on you? If suddenly three first-year students go missing without anyone knowing, you’d be the first suspect! Plus, I have a place too.”

“Wait, you have a place? In Central?”

“Yep! If you’re curious, how about you just see it? You could come visit my house.”

Leaving her feeling suspicious, I encouraged the three students.

“Why don’t you come to my house and think it over? How does that sound? You can live for free. There’s a fridge, a television, a computer, and even a game console! I’ll provide breakfast, lunch, and dinner. You’ll even have your own room!”

“Hmm, if what you say is true, I wouldn’t need to worry about rent. But isn’t that too much?”

“Is that really true? I hope you’re not just putting a burden on us!”

“Oh, that’s no burden at all!”

Lucian, who couldn’t believe my sales pitch, interjected.

“Stop talking nonsense. Do you know how expensive housing prices are in the Central District?”

“Don’t believe me? Just come and see for yourself. If you don’t like it, go look elsewhere!”

I can’t believe this; they really don’t trust me.

“Everyone! Calm down. Let’s go check it out first. If it doesn’t seem right, we can look for another place. Got it?”

Daphne backed my side, and Lucian, while grumbling, stopped pushing further. Maybe he felt awkward arguing with the person who helped him.

So, after much deliberation, it was decided that we’d visit my house this afternoon. Those three are just ordinary students, so they didn’t have many options.

“Okay, it sounds like we have a conclusion here. But we have one more important matter to discuss.”

“What’s that?”

As the discussion reached some conclusions, Irene cleared her throat and asked the Lucian team seriously.

“This is urgent, so you have to answer immediately. Do any of you have family in Rustrum?”

Upon hearing her words, the three of them looked puzzled, as if they didn’t understand what she meant.

After a short while, the faces of the two boys and girls, except for Lucian, drained of color. The possibility that the academy or clan might harm their family suddenly dawned on them.

“Uh… You didn’t mean it like that, right?”

“Ah, crap. What do we do…?”

Irene pressed for a response.

“Granite, right? What you think it means is correct. Tell me right now. Do you have any family members staying in the academy city?”

“No. Not at all. My grandparents live outside of the Rustrum archipelago.”

“I don’t either. My relatives aren’t here. I’m just studying abroad.”

“Then that’s a relief. For now, there shouldn’t be any trouble. Outside of Rustrum, the Federal Army has strong influence. Even the Four Great Clans wouldn’t blatantly do anything like they would inside Rustrum. I’ll talk to the clan side and make arrangements.”

The two of them sighed in relief upon hearing the safety assurance from the Helios Clan heir.

“Lucian, how about you?”

“Me? You don’t need to worry about me. I don’t have family.”

“Ah…”

Was his sudden declaration of being an orphan shocking? Irene’s golden eyes moved around, not able to settle anywhere.

More than that, I realized for the first time Lucian didn’t have a family either. Seems like he and I share a commonality.

I felt a warm sense of camaraderie.

“You too didn’t have a mother!”

“What? You… this idiot, what are you saying right now…”

“Ah! Sorry if I misunderstood. I meant no offense.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I’m also without parents!”

The eyes of the five people sitting around the table widened like lamps.

“B-Biolet. What do you mean by that?”

“Literally. I have no mom or dad!”

I replied cheerfully. Everyone’s faces stiffened. Even Daphne, who already knew the truth, looked at me with sympathy.

Lucian’s expression crumpled.

“Ah, um…”

“It’s okay! It’s a thing of the past.”

Did I say too much?

***

After all the trivial discussions ended, Violet’s truck moved to the outskirts of the Central District. There was a lot to do today.

While driving, I received a text.

“Unit 15. Read this instead of texting.”

“Got it. Is it Manager Leslie?”

Unit 15 read the message. Finally, the intermediary was starting to do their job.

“Boss, I’m contacting you because the tasks you instructed have been completed! The trade appointment has also been set. We should be able to make contact soon. Just reach out when you have the time!”

The instructions I had given were mainly two: to investigate people and secure a weapon trade route. I guess I’d have to wait and see if this person did their job properly.

“The timing isn’t bad. Remember the chairman and that subordinate of his? We need to secure heavy weapons fast!”

“Is that guy even human? He just called down orbital bombardment! We can’t possibly face him with just our squad.”

“It wasn’t an orbital bombardment. Let’s just say it was a bomb.”

“That’s the same thing!”

The Violets, who had witnessed yesterday’s events, felt a sense of urgency.

The chairman was a monster beyond imagination. If we recklessly charged in, we’d be turned into grilled Violets by a laser beam raining down from the sky. And those magician subordinates wearing fish tank heads were frightening too.

I might be able to create terror and blow up their buildings and kill people, but that wouldn’t be enough.

To overthrow the academy, we might have to take on the entire Magnavis Clan.

Then, some day in the future, a direct confrontation would come.

According to what I had learned through my past life, both historically and currently, there are very few cases where the weak can overturn the powerful to achieve their goals.

The United States defeating the British or Vietnam driving out the French could be exceptions.

There’s a common thread among these cases: they used strategy and tactics, mobilizing armies to crush their opponents.

Terror alone wouldn’t suffice. Over several years, if we continued to conduct surprise attacks, it might be possible to take down a clan or a corporation.

However, the victory I desired couldn’t be achieved by such means.

I needed an army.

And the three who would be living in our building could provide the lacking elements for our Violets.

Exceptional magical skills, long-range bombardment, and strong close-quarters combat. We might not be able to make up for those through mere effort alone, but those were what we lacked right now. They could bring variability to our monotonous Violet Squad!

“That all depends on what those guys choose.”

“Who in their right mind would fight a clan?”

Of course, it was impossible for now. Among the Violets, there were plenty who thought this was just a hope at best.

The one clear task ahead was to introduce Kalia to my friends.

This would be the first time Kalia meets my other friends.