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Leslie Salt, the manager, felt a wave of boredom as the sunlight poured in through the window.

‘How did it come to this?’

The office of the Central District labor project was filled with relaxed employees.

One staff member was giggling while staring at his smartphone, and another was sound asleep, sprawled over his desk.

“Riley, Mark. What are you two doing? Not working?”

As the manager scolded them, the employee lethargically replied.

“There’s no work, you know. Why not take a break like you?”

“Right? The upper management pays us regularly anyway. Why do we even need to do anything?”

“Looks like we’re a bit too comfortable. Tsk tsk…”

The manager sighed.

He clicked his tongue at his subordinate employees’ laziness when a female employee dressed like a bartender walked in.

“Hey, aren’t you supposed to be serving customers?”

“There are no customers. And you weren’t working either, were you? By the way, I brought ice cream. Want some?”

The manager shook his head silently and lit a cigarette.

In the past, the diligent Aina collected information and worked energetically, but now she acted like a veteran soldier in the Federal Army.

Everyone had become lethargic. Even he himself.

‘I’m probably just moping around because there’s nothing for me to do.’

In fact, there wasn’t any work.

Time passed slowly since there wasn’t much to do.

‘It’s already been half a year.’

A considerable amount of time had passed since he was hired by the girl, Violet, who referred to herself as Ariel.

From relocating the office, gathering information, to the collapse of the Magnavis Group.

By the time he tried to distance himself from all of this, it was too late.

When the situation had escalated out of control, a panicked Leslie and the employees began to plan their escape from the academy city.

“Pack your things! We need to get out of here now!”

But that night, Violet’s clone blocked their path.

“Hey, where are you going?”

“Oh, it’s nothing. Just going out to get some fresh air. I found a nice bar around here.”

“Really? You seem to have a lot of luggage. I can help you carry it! And since you’ve worked hard, I’ll even cover your drink!”

“Hmm…”

Now the manager knew. That he was being watched by Violet’s clone, no matter where or when.

If he resisted or betrayed her, he’d vanish without a trace just like Magnavis.

‘Who would have thought that dodging those gangsters and Casador would lead to crazy terrorists?’

His employer was as dangerous as the big shot in the Circle Cliff underworld.

At first, he thought she was just a rich and somewhat troubled awakened one, but he never expected her to turn the huge clan upside down.

Since then, the world had been in an uproar every day.

He momentarily got distracted by the news playing on the TV. The world, where large clans had disappeared, still turned as if nothing had happened.

[Fastest news, most accurate updates, this is RNN. Yesterday, a proposal to raise senator salaries by 200% was passed unanimously in just five minutes. Meanwhile, the senators have stated their position as ‘no comment’…]

Today, it seemed politicians were diligently working for the citizens. The screen switched, showing the inside of Parliament.

[Meanwhile, Senator Lemar’s 35 consecutive duel victories ceremony is causing controversy…]

“Cough, cough!”

Leslie stifled a laugh as he took a puff of his cigarette, unable to suppress his amusement.

The situation on screen was ridiculous.

One of the members kept sitting and standing on top of a fallen colleague’s head.

-Apostles always win!

“Wow, that’s insane. Manager, look at that…”

Other employees muttered in disbelief.

Leslie burst into laughter, finding it absurd.

‘Good thing I didn’t pay my taxes.’

Thanks to people like them, folks like him could make a living.

[Amid ongoing troop deployments around the Western Wall, allegations have emerged that even the disabled and mentally ill were forcibly conscripted. A spokesperson for the Central Draft Board denied these claims, calling them ‘absurd’…]

Watching the soldiers of the Federal Army in training reminded him of one of the biggest informants he knew.

-Hahaha! Leslie, I never thought you’d bring in a big shot. I thought you were just going to engage in power struggles, but you brought this crazy girl. Thanks to you, those pigs in the Federation are running around creating chaos.

While he reminisced about the words left by Trist’s top weapons merchant, the office door opened.

A girl wearing a wig walked in, and the employees’ eyes turned to her.

“Good afternoon!” The girl greeted.

“Oh, you’re here. What brings you…?” Leslie asked.

“Hey, haven’t you heard from Armas?”

“I haven’t. It seems that the crackdown from the Federation has intensified. It’s been a while since he last made contact, saying that using Federal equipment in bulk would make it hard to move for some time.”

“Oh dear…”

“Do you have any plans or anything?”

“Nope. Nothing at all!”

“I see…”

Violet grumbled as she sat down and sneakily stole some of the ice cream Aina had brought. The staff merely watched quietly.

“Oh right, I have a favor to ask you!” Violet clapped her hands.

“It’s not about the clan, right? Inquiry and vigilance are tight among the major clans, so it’s hard to gather information like before.”

The manager cautiously asked.

“It’s not about a clan; it’s about wiping out the remnants of the gang.”

“Oh, okay. That’s a relief.”

Violet smiled cheerfully.

“Haha, got it. Just let me know if you need help.”

The manager also smiled bitterly. Refusal was impossible.

They had already become entwined in this together.

**

These days, I’ve picked up a new hobby. It’s gang hunting.

“It’s a war against crime!”

In terms of the severity of crime committed, we might actually be more ruthless than ordinary gangsters or mobsters.

But this hunt has a legitimate purpose: cleaning up the neighborhood.

While the Pinnacle Network that ambushed Uncle Kalian has evaporated, their remnants remain scattered in various places.

Although the Ospri Brotherhood is working hard to keep the neighborhood safe, they are insufficient in numbers and power, so we had to lend a hand.

Based on the intelligence Leslie gave me, I tracked down the remaining members of the organization.

I hadn’t been able to do it for a while because I was busy, but I started again every night.

-Swish!

“Ughh!”

Hunting gangsters was quite fun.

These guys just spat out money with a few punches.

“I-I’ll give it to you! Just spare my life-”

-Smack!

“Yay! This is exciting!”

Criminals were literal gold goblins.

We weren’t fighting to create a perfectly white society like blank sheets of paper.

However, due to the warnings of adults that too much slaughter could lead to problems, I decided to set a criteria for dealing with them.

“Let’s adhere to the Geneva Convention!”

“Hail to international law!”

As long as we didn’t act too overtly, we’d let them live.

“How are you doing!”

For instance, in this arcade I crashed into.

“Ah! We’re in trouble, boss! It’s the Black Hunter!”

“Ahhh! Everyone, duck your heads!”

Thanks to my rising reputation, the burly man who seemed to be the owner raised his hands and shouted.

“Wait a minute! You’re the famous Black Hunter, right? We aren’t with the Pinnacle Network! We don’t do any human trafficking! We don’t deal drugs either!”

“Is that true?”

“We’re just people running an arcade. We don’t mess around with dangerous things!”

The owner pointed to the gambling machines lined up against the wall.

“Look, these are all just game machines. You put in money and get prizes. See?”

That’s right. Gambling isn’t exactly wholesome, but it wasn’t necessary to harass these innocent small business owners.

“Okay, I checked. Live honestly!”

This way, we’ve been roaming through the darkness chasing the remnants of the Pinnacle Network: from gambling houses and pubs to clubs.

-Bang! Bang!

“Yay!”

However, since it was already a broken organization, the remaining members possessed very little money.

“Even if we ransack them, they don’t have much to give…”

The Violet Squad, who broke into a new gang office that had fled to the south, couldn’t hide their disappointment.

As they shuffled off with the little money they managed to snag, a sudden explosion echoed from afar.

“Ahh!”

Unable to resist their curiosity, they approached the scene. Suspicious groups were surrounding a building. It looked familiar.

“Isn’t that the Federal Army and Restraid?”

Upon closer inspection, Federal Army soldiers and Armored Knights rushed into the building, dragging out suspicious individuals.

“Drug addicts, huh?”

The eyes of those being dragged out all appeared empty.

“Looks like they’re conducting a joint operation.”

If the clan and the Federation were teaming up to take them down, they must be some really bad people.

**

On a sunny afternoon, Adela and Violet were chatting in the lounge of the Student Council Building.

“So, like this…”

“Wow, cookies. I want to try them.”

Then, a heavy noise suddenly drifted from a distance. The two of them turned to look out the window at the same time.

“It’s an airship! It’s huge.”

Violet hung out the window, curious. The silhouette visible from afar was impressive.

“Do you think it’s a distinguished guest?”

The two resumed their conversation casually.

At that moment, a giant airship was descending slowly toward the landing area at the Aegis Academy’s airfield.

The ramp opened, and a young man emerged, flanked by heavily armed Armored Knights.

He was a man with fiery red hair.

His features were sharp, and he had a well-groomed, tall, and slim stature.

The man strode confidently toward the Student Council Building alongside the knights.

Cheers broke out among the female students who recognized him.

“Sebastian-senpai is back!”

“Eeeeeek!”

“Senpai! I love you!”

Sebastian flashed a charming smile at the admiring female students and waved.

However, after scanning the crowd, the smile faded from his face.

‘Hmph, still not much here. There’s no one here who matches my standards.’

But soon he shook off his discontent and walked toward the Student Council Building with confidence.

Even though he found the situation unsatisfactory, there was only one person in this academy who stood on equal footing with him.

Moments later, inside the Student Council Building, Sebastian spotted the target he had wanted to meet.

An elegant lady with flowing golden hair, Adela.

“Adela, long time no see.” Sebastian spoke up.

Adela and Violet looked surprised by his sudden appearance.

“I didn’t expect you back so soon.”

Adela didn’t hide her discomfort in her response.

“You don’t seem very thrilled. I hope you’re not too uncomfortable. I just came to pay a courtesy visit. You know? We’re among the few with noble blood in this academy…”

“Cut the nonsense and get to the point.”

Sebastian looked at Adela again.

While her beauty was perfect, she felt stiff to hold, as if she would slip away at any moment, which was displeasing.

A soft, gentle flower is what suits a knight, not a wild rose with sharp thorns to grab.

‘Indeed, the choice of the family that broke off the engagement was the right one.’

His gaze turned to Violet, who stood beside Adela.

She had a cute and lovely appearance, but she looked silly like a doll.

‘Good grief, his taste in women hasn’t changed.’

After coming to his conclusion, Sebastian wore a smirk on his face.

“Hmm, Adela. By the way, did you take on a handmaiden? Seems unlike you.”

“What do you mean?”

Adela scowled, while Violet appeared puzzled.

‘A handmaiden?’

As Violet finally grasped the situation, a look of displeasure flickered in her eyes.

 

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