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As soon as I entered the car, Irene let out a big sigh and collapsed onto the seat. She looked just like a job-seeker who had just finished an interview.

I immediately started the car.

“Are you hurt?”

“I was just a little nervous. Fortunately, nothing major happened…”

Irene wore a look of relief, as if she had just escaped from hell.

“Just barely made it out…”

She took a deep breath and suddenly spoke up.

“Violet, we’re friends, right?”

“Of course! I’m Irene’s friend. But why?”

Irene hesitated for a moment before speaking to me.

“…I have something to tell you.”

“Something to tell me? What is it?”

“Well, for now, it’s just a hunch. I don’t want to think about it, but…”

My friend clutched her head in distress and stammered. This wasn’t the calm Irene I knew. Seeing my confused expression, she finally managed to speak.

“I think the people who attacked me might have been sent by Helios.”

“What? Why?”

It was shocking. Her father’s clan attacking Irene?

Seeing my expression of disbelief, Irene began to explain in detail. The moment I heard her explanation, I was taken aback. If I hadn’t remembered I was driving, I might have jumped up in shock.

“Attackers using your clan’s tactics? That’s a lose-lose situation!”

“Yeah, I don’t want to believe it either, but it’s the most likely possibility at the moment.”

Irene’s explanation continued. The Violets sitting in the back listened intently.

According to her theory:

First, she possessed a kind of panic button for emergencies. However, when the mercenaries attacked, her request didn’t go through.

And oddly enough, the secretary who served as her guardian abruptly resigned.

Rumors that undermined her reputation were spreading within the clan. When I laid them all out, it seemed strange.

“But there’s one thing more important than anything else.”

“What is it?”

“Since that day, Helios hasn’t contacted me even once; neither has anyone who knows me, including the security team leader I saw earlier.

But my uncle knows exactly what I went through, when and where, and who saved me.”

We felt a spark in our minds. As far as I knew, the shooting incident on Central District Street No. 12 reported by the media was described as a conflict between criminal organizations.

It was such a shocking event that it still pops up in the news from time to time.

However, no details had ever been unveiled. Reporters only talked about the fight between mercenaries and the Violet Squad, as well as the Inspection Bureau’s delayed response. I had never seen the words “Irene Solstice” or “Helios Clan” mentioned once.

“Ugh! This is too strange!”

“Even more so, I knew for certain that you were the one protecting me. Only the scholarship officer or Inspection Bureau personnel there would know that.”

“What? How does that uncle know? Did he see everything that happened? No way…”

My friend paused momentarily, her expression wracked with despair.

“Yeah. For now, it’s still just a hunch, but it seems like Uncle Rigel is the culprit. But… I don’t get why?”

“Why do you say that?”

“There’s a possibility. My uncle owns a significant share of the clan, second only to my father. And… did I mention? My father’s actually quite ill.”

“Uh, uh. I’m sorry to hear that.”

Irene’s face looked a bit sad.

“It’s okay. It’s been about a year. So, there have been discussions about choosing the next leader of the clan.”

As she said this, Irene shook her head.

“I have my suspicions. But I don’t understand why they would try to attack in broad daylight. It feels too strange, especially since I could figure it out easily.”

“That’s true.”

When I thought about it, it was a completely foolish idea. To ambush in a place where everyone can see. The reason Irene suspected but couldn’t be sure is that it felt strange for them to act so openly.

As soon as I listened to Irene’s story, images flashed through the heads of our Violets. Examples of those who had betrayed their families in the past, for instance.

Mothers who returned to claim life insurance money after abandoning their children for decades or fathers who devoured their children! There were countless similar cases!

Not to mention the power struggles of conglomerates over management rights. Moreover, the family conflicts among medieval nobles, which had weaker moral ethics, were terribly brutal.

In a sense, the political dynamics of the academy city and the clans and Awakened on the Trist planet echo the feudal lords of medieval times.

As I was deep in thought, the scenery within the Violet Network began to change. The train station waiting area slowly morphed into a Victorian mansion.

The Violets, influenced by this thought, began role-playing.

“Let’s run a simulation!”

Violets dressed in ridiculous gowns started to weave a cruel romantic fantasy narrative.

Soon, a slaughterfest that didn’t match the beautiful and neat scenery unfolded.

“Hehe, little sister, wouldn’t I be better suited for the Northern Duke’s main seat? Take care.”

“No, don’t!”

The countess Violet was flattened by the carriage driven by her sister Violet.

“My great-great-grandfather’s inheritance is mine!”

“Gwaek!”

The villainess Violet, fighting over the estate, swung a wine bottle at a cousin Violet’s head, smashing it.

“The next head will be my child. The child of the ex-wife, die!”

“Kyaah!”

The stepmother Violet pushed the muddy Violet off the terrace, causing her to fall.

The scenes kept shifting.

A Violet serving kin crab laced with poison. A Violet starving her daughter by locking her in a flour barrel. The tragedies of the Violet mansion continued!

The bizarre simulation came to an end, and we seriously raised the possibility of family conspiracies.

“Indeed, it’s a conspiracy aimed at the inheritance!”

There must definitely be that uncle behind the people who attacked Irene.

As the Victorian mansion faded, a grotesquely distorted palace appeared. Within the network, the Violets began another play, and a scene from a historical drama replayed.

An intruder appeared before the young Violet, who had inherited the throne after her father’s sudden death.

“Come here!”

The uncle Violet, clad in armor, kicked open the palace door and shouted in a commanding tone.

“Ha ha ha, my dear niece! Give me the throne. It is my destiny to be king!”

The young niece, having lost her father, trembled in fear.

“I’ll give you the nation and the crown. Just please spare me!”

She was driven out and ultimately met a miserable death in a far land.

“Please, help me! Kyaaa!”

Watching it brought tears to my eyes. It was too tragic!

Surprisingly, my friend might be in a similar situation.

Irene’s father is expected to be gone soon! In fact, he might as well be gone already. He should have been in the grave long ago.

The inheritance and shares that Irene deserves would surely be substantial. If the rightful heir disappears, who would benefit first?

Irene also mentioned that when discussing the next head of the clan, there were many mentions of her uncle. He’s said to hold quite a few shares.

As my thoughts settled, I recalled some historical examples.

“This is… the Gyeongyu Jeongnan!”

“Wasn’t there something similar in another country?”

“You’re talking about the Jeongnan incident, right? Their uncle was involved, too…”

Sejo and Danjong, Yonglak and Geunmun, Edward V and Richard III! And many other usurpers!

I might be exaggerating, but all uncles are potential nephrocides. History and statistics prove this.

Especially when money and power are at stake, the probability is akin to the Russian odds method (140%).

The Violets murmured to each other.

“Are we going too far?”

“No, it’s obvious. We could assume a third party, but it’s more likely to be a relative.”

When the thought of a monstrous conspiracy crossed our minds, the Violet Network grew heated.

Since the past of the characters was barely touched upon, it was glossed over as “they’ve had a tough time,” but I think we could understand a bit about how things really worked.

Right, the Helios Clan is going down.

Various clans have been tearing each other apart over interests.

The girl who survived the academy’s collapse is left with nothing but a hollow clan now. The grand buildings and numerous subordinates are all gone.

Ta-da! Thus, a girl who inherited only the remnants born from a battle with alcohol and tobacco emerged.

I wondered who sold out the interests, and now I see it was someone very close.

As I was lost in thought, Irene suddenly blurted out.

“Yeah, the circumstances are there. But… I don’t know what I can do about it.”

“Why not?”

“In just a few days, I’ve lost everything—home, accounts, everything. The people who helped me suddenly vanished as if chased out of the clan. And now weird rumors are spreading.”

Cracks appeared in her face as she desperately tried to maintain her composure.

“And a family member is targeting me; I don’t know who’s an enemy or an ally within the clan.”

At that moment, a tear fell from Irene’s eye.

“I thought I could do anything. But I wasn’t. I was just a fool.”

The moment I saw my friend crying, the other Violets jumped up as if Screaming.

“What are you talking about? Irene isn’t a fool. You’re smarter than us!”

“We’re here for you!”

The other Violets, except for the one steering the car, noisily pulled out tissues and handkerchiefs.

“Here, don’t cry and wipe with this!”

Seeing us stir up such a ruckus, Irene smiled wryly.

“Thanks, I feel a bit better now.”

Fortunately, Irene didn’t cry much.

However, seeing my friend upset made us feel bad too.

As the escort team temporarily stopped at a red light, some Violets disguised themselves and got out of the car.

“Where are you going?”

“I’m just running a quick errand.”

“You’re not going to do something strange, right?”

Irene squinted her eyes. Her friend was staring suspiciously at me, so I acted dismissively.

“It’s nothing serious!”

“Really?”

As Irene gazed out the window, she suddenly turned to look at me.

“Do you know what your favorite phrase is? Behind ‘It’s nothing serious,’ there’s always a bizarre action verb. Like ‘kill’ or ‘blow away’…”

“Hehe.”

“When it’s hard to speak, you smile like now and say ‘heh’.”

I pressed my lips together, thinking “Hmm.”

“…But I’ll trust you. Just don’t do anything too reckless.”

“Got it!”

While the escort team drove home, one Violet returned near the Helios Clan building.

**

After returning to the clan building, the Violet snuck in to avoid surveillance.

Recalling the appearance of the guy named Rigel I had seen, the Violet pondered what to do.

Fortunately, Rigel was speaking on the phone in the parking lot. I could see his red sports car that looked like his.

“…Busy with a phone call? It’s me. Look into these guys called ‘Ariel Group’. A troublesome obstacle has appeared.”

Oh, what did this guy just say?

With such a short phone call, I couldn’t catch everything, but it seems Irene’s guess might be right.

Logically, he wouldn’t call his older brother’s “Ariel Group,” left to protect his nephew, an obstacle.

By the way, he’s starting to investigate us; he’s certainly not a complete fool.

However, there’s nothing to find out about the organization ‘Ariel Group’, so it would be futile.

The people I trade with under the name ‘Ariel’ are only the manager or Armas. The former works under me, and the latter has no reason to poorly sell customers’ names.

If someone starts blabbing about it? Then the means of exchange, which were once gold and money, would additionally be filled with lead and iron.

After a bit more small talk, Rigel hung up the phone, grumbling. There was no substance in the conversation. It was just nonsensical chatter.

“Tsk, tsk, where the hell is that Irene girl? That silly girl calling her a friend…”

In that moment, I understood what it meant to have veins pop on your forehead.

What? Calling her silly?

“But we are silly, aren’t we?”

“Uh, I guess so!”

Thinking about it, maybe we really are silly. I couldn’t find something to say.

But being called silly doesn’t feel good! Plus, Irene just cried. I can’t let this go.

That guy needs to get a taste of his own medicine. What should I do?

While I was waiting, he moved away from his car and walked a distance away. Then he started talking to the bodyguards standing behind him earlier.

A good idea came to my mind.

I carefully crawled beneath the car. I reached the front of the sports car I had seen earlier.

I was uncertain if this was really his car, but I made up my mind.

It was time for a prank.

Normally, I would sneak in a Violet to plant a bomb and blast it as soon as he got in, but

I still only had suspicions and not enough information. Plus, I had some concerns.

“Do Awakened abilities get inherited?”

Irene is incredibly sturdy. Even if she were kicked by a cockroach the size of a bus, she’d withstand it, and getting hit by a 40mm grenade is just a slight knockdown. If caught up in a rocket or machine gun fire, she would only have scratches.

So, her uncle might have a similar durability. He could even be tougher. A half-baked bomb attack would not only miss but likely provoke further rage.

Launching a Violet Guided Bomb from the air would suffice.

But for now, it isn’t the time to wage war. I have a significant undertaking to fulfill first.

Once the Witch’s Hammer operation concludes, I’ll definitely have to conduct some major adjustments around my friends.

If I do well, maybe I can twist around my friends’ pasts and change them to be happier.

I took out a dagger and channeled my magical power into it. After making holes in all four tires, I went back.

A moment later, the car owner returned and screamed upon seeing his car.

“My, my car! Who did this?!”

“Hehe.”

Who else but a Violet child!

I quietly reveled in Rigel’s reaction, chuckling to myself.