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The signal announcing the start of battle was the ear-piercing explosion of the Violet Cruise Missile.

– Kwoong!

“It’s an air raid!”

The Violet Cruise Missile, plunging at nearly a vertical angle, completely wiped out the guards at the entrance.

Some of those who barely survived the explosion were soon overpowered by the shockwave and debris.

“A missile? Which clan is it from? Damn it! This wasn’t part of the plan!”

As I dashed toward the entrance, I saw the enemy hunters in disarray, thrown into chaos by the airstrike.

To be precise, they were suicide planes, but the ones who could clarify that were already dead or injured in the explosion.

We were already breaking down the door, and the faces of those charging with weapons were as pale as a blank sheet of paper.

“It’s a missile! Aaaah!”

Was our missile that shocking?

Listening to their shouts, it seemed that the mere fact we used a missile was far more shocking than the power of the missile itself.

“Manager! Which clan did we mess with?!”

“I’m going crazy. Where is it? Ruminexa? No way? That can’t be!”

In clan wars, they usually conserve expensive equipment and weapons.

From their perspective, it must feel like a large clan suddenly invading.

– Tatatatang!

“The weapon test was effective. Attack!”

“Squads one and two! Shield team, move in!”

We suppressed all the idiots inside and thoroughly searched the building.

While we were busy searching, a report came in. The Violet Squad 5 hurried towards a room at the east end of the building.

“Here it is!”

Tearing down the security device at the entrance, I entered to find a large room with small rooms lined on both sides.

It had a hospital-like atmosphere. The distinct rhythmic sound of an ECG machine was faintly audible.

Looking through the window, I could see two girls lying on the beds lined up in a row.

“I found them!”

**

Unfortunately, the rescue operation ended in half a success. Trinity’s friends were all in poor condition.

No matter how much I shook them, there was no response; it was as if they were in a deep sleep with no signs of waking.

“Wake up!”

Should I consider it fortunate that they were alive? On the outside, they seemed fine and were breathing normally, but the hospital just kept saying they couldn’t determine the cause.

Even with Daphne brought in urgently by helicopter, the situation didn’t improve much.

“These kids are a bit skinny, but overall, they’re healthy. We did our best… but whether or not they’ll wake up is questionable.”

I wondered if the Vitalis Clan had done something to them, so I interrogated them, but they looked incredibly indignant.

“We didn’t do that to them! We don’t even know why they’re like this!”

“That’s a lie! Water Splash!”

“Cough… I really don’t know! They were like that when we brought them in!”

Looking at the black box secured from the prisoners, I sighed, squeezing my head.

I could clearly see the sleeping children’s appearance in the frozen device being dragged out of the truck.

“See? We didn’t do anything! We just brought them according to their orders!”

“Who ordered it?”

The hunters tipped their heads back dramatically, displaying their necks. What caught my eye were the faintly inscribed anti-leakage spells.

“Ugh…”

We hadn’t obtained or found anything else in this building other than those two.

No documents or conspicuous items remained. What was left were encrypted electronic data and useless records.

In the end, Enrique had to confront her friends resting with their eyes closed.

Trinity’s gloomy appearance was pitiful.

Her body, wrapped in thick protective gear and a coat, looked incredibly frail from the fatigue.

“Reese has always been unwell. Roberta also looked exhausted when I met her last. Will they be okay? Will they wake up?”

I confidently replied.

“Yes! They’ll wake up. I know so many people! I have friends with lots of money and strength. I’ll see them wake up somehow!”

Even though they’d been admitted to a large hospital with lots of money, there’s no progress? If regular medical personnel or healers can’t do it, then we’ll have to look for other methods.

I called three professionals from the modest Violet Research Laboratory together.

Being experts, they might know a method.

“Well, I’ve suddenly become a doctor.”

Bernike clicked her tongue while glancing over the medical charts with sharp eyes.

“The brainwave patterns resemble a sleep state, but intermittent atypical and irregular waves are observed. It seems like lockdown. Did the doctor mention that their consciousness was bound?”

“Consciousness bound? Lockdown?”

Oh, now that I think about it, the doctor mentioned something similar. He said it resembled fainting due to excessive magical power usage.

“In simpler terms, it’s similar to the phenomenon where Violet often faints while making vision memory chips. If too much magical power is forcibly drawn, the brain shuts down when it reaches a certain limit. Like a power surge cutting off.”

Hearing Professor Albert’s explanation, I understood right away. He had dozens of magic circles hovering over Trinity’s friends, murmuring while waving his hands in the air.

“I don’t know much about medicine, but this looks like a classic case of a novice hunter pushing themselves too hard with magic. Usually, they would wake up immediately, but this is strange. Did someone intentionally aim for a singularity of phase magic? No… that can’t be. They’re too young. This closer resembles traces of someone trying to forcibly activate these children’s latent abilities.”

White mechanical tentacles flared open like petals, brushing against the head, neck, and spinal column on their backs.

“So they performed enhancement experiments. However, I don’t see traces of any procedure. This isn’t something that falls within my area of expertise.”

The professor threw a question like he was tossing a task to a graduate student.

“Now, Pereira. Doesn’t anything come to mind? It seems they may have used a more crude method.”

Uncle Yurik frowned.

“Professor is correct. Looking at the medical charts and ether measurement data, it appears they forcibly injected a significant amount of magical power. The imbalance of magical flow and the systemic ether exposure inflammatory response support this. It seems the laboratory aimed for an overall enhancement of ether control and capacity. Just like—”

“Like forcefully inflating a balloon.”

Out of curiosity, I asked.

“So how does that relate to a comatose state?”

Albert Professor answered instead.

“It’s presumed that the research team holding the children performed some excessive experiments to enhance their abilities, and as a result, they fell into an unconscious state.”

It seems unethical and malicious human experimentation has struck again.

“Wait! So they could die?!”

Albert and Uncle Yurik replied in turns.

“You don’t need to be so pessimistic. Violet. While we don’t know much about these kids, considering their current state, if we were to liken them to a computer, it’s like they’ve overheated and shut down. They might wake up soon.”

“… The catch is that it’s hard to specify when, though. The most important thing is to uncover the research data from the lab where these kids were kept or find the concrete cause.”

Research data? If it’s just that, I could take my time looking for it.

Indeed, the advice from the professionals was different.

It was confirmed that there was no immediate threat to Enrique’s friends’ lives.

For the time being, I’d have to display patience and wait.

Speaking of which, what kind of experiment did they conduct?

“That horrible lab!”

“They’re definitely the ponytails!”

**

Feeling down, Enrique seemed to brighten a little after meeting her friends.

Upon hearing about her friends’ conditions from the experts, her anxiety seemed somewhat alleviated.

“Thank goodness. Those people seemed really smart.”

“That’s right. They’re doctors!”

The chocolate ice cream she had in her mouth also contributed to easing Enrique’s worries.

This would be the tenth one.

Enrique, feeling better, munched on the remnants of her chocolate ice cream cone.

“They’re doctors. They’ll figure out how to wake up my friends, right?”

“Yeah, they’re also looking for the lab’s location through people they know, so they can find the necessary research materials or important data!”

“Really? Then I hope they find it soon. We need to wake up our friends, and I’m worried about running out of medication!”

“Medication?”

At my question, Enrique rummaged through her thick coat’s pocket with her gloved hands and pulled out a plastic pill bottle.

A white pill bottle with nothing attached to it other than a radiation warning label.

“I have to take two of these every day. The manager person said so. If I don’t, my body might explode, and it won’t suppress the radiation.”

“Yikes, I see.”

That made me rethink whether it was the right choice to bring Enrique outside.

If something went wrong, there could be an ether bomb explosion in the streets or a nuclear accident.

“It’s okay! We confirmed everything with the professors and the lady, right? Older Sister Sophie said it’s okay too.”

“That’s true.”

The Violets pulled out a new chocolate from their inventory to hand to Enrique.

She was eating it mindlessly, apparently entranced.

Due to unstable magical reactions, her calorie consumption was high, so it seems like she was insatiably hungry, even if she just sits still.

The radiation detector strapped around her waist was flashing a green light.

“What’s up? Violet, I’m still fine!”

“Oh, I just found it interesting.”

It’s rare to see someone walking around with a radiation detector daily.

Especially a cute girl wearing one around her waist and another on her left wrist, that’s surely a one-in-a-million chance.

Plus, her outfit wasn’t thick protective clothing and a radiation-blocking coat to protect her but to protect outsiders from her.

“Well, for now, it’s fine.”

To be precise, it indeed was fine. Our Violet Research Institute staff and Older Sister Sophie had confirmed safety and came to visit.

If it’s an academy city, managing radiation sickness or contamination would be trivial.

“And the lab people gave me these clothes. They said I should always wear this when going out! It’s super comfortable and warm. It’s cool when it’s hot and warm when it’s cold!”

“Wow, they even gave you clothes. They don’t hit you there? Do they feed you?”

Enrique asked, seemingly puzzled.

“Hit me? Why? They feed me proper meals every day.”

“What? No way?!”

What I heard was shocking. They actually provided meals on time and didn’t hit her.

“Oh, there was this part I didn’t like! The food was bland. They said I had to stay healthy, so they only gave us fried foods or burgers once a year. Whenever they saw me, the lab people would nag me to study and practice magic.”

Goodness, I was surprised there was such a humane laboratory.

“They care about human rights!”

“…It’s like, like a paradise!”

“A paradise?! They only let me play video games for thirty minutes a day! I couldn’t even go out. It was boring at the lab! That’s why I like Violet’s house. I can play games all day long and eat loads of frozen food!”

“That’s right.”

Chuckling, Enrique suddenly remembered something and pulled out the staff she had strapped to her back.

“Speaking of which! There was something fun! I wanted to do that all the time!”

“What is it?”

“Fighting! They taught me all sorts of things in combat training, and I even went to a dungeon! It was super thrilling! Boom boom!”

“A dungeon? Which dungeon—”

– Eeeehh!

Siren blared in the city. People quickly scurried away, and soon, a message came through.

[Emergency Disaster Alert – Unusual Spacetime Distortion and Unstable Ether Wave Detected – Level 3 Emergency Alert | Citizens near 43rd Street should evacuate immediately.]

I wondered what it was, but a small park a couple of blocks away was shimmering with strange light.

It was definitely spatial distortion. To be more precise, the word “gate opening” fit perfectly here.

“Wanna check it out?”

Without thinking, I casually threw out the question, and Trinity’s face lit up as she tightly grasped her staff.

“Yes! I want to go! I want to fight!”

As nearby police set up barricades and helicopters carrying hunters approached, we stealthily slipped into the deserted park.

Although it was mentioned that a gate opened, what appeared today was unlike any dungeon entrance I had seen before.

Rather than a massive gate or a shimmering portal, it felt as if the space itself had twisted.

Perhaps due to its lower grade, there were only low-level monsters.

– Kyaok?

“It’s Scrags.”

This level was something I could handle alone. Drawing my one-handed sword and adopting the Polaris stance, Enrique poked me in the back with her fingers.

“Wait a sec, Violet. I’ll show you something fun!”

And with that, she tapped my sword with her staff.

A ripple of green and blue energy enveloped the blade that glowed with red magical power.

“Now swing it! It’ll get stronger!”

Ah, now I get it. This was probably Trinity’s passive skill—a support technique with a few side effects.

As soon as a target appeared, 125 rushed forward, grinning as she swung her sword around.

Currently, what was building up on my sword was a buff enhancing a single attack launched by my ally.

“Die!”

I lightly swung the sword at the approaching Scrags, who was pulling up a nearby metal bar.

– Bang!

As I thrust the sword, the ash-gray dwarf that should have been chopped cleanly exploded.

The unstable magical power that had lingered around the sword dissipated, leaving only the red sword energy behind.

“Haha! This is it!”

Though I couldn’t help but taste metal in my mouth, this was more than enough.

“I’ll show you something even more amazing!”

Encouraged by my reaction, Enrique looked even more excited, aiming her staff at the monsters. I was looking forward to this—her attack magic was her true value.

“Show me! Show me!”

“Okay, I’ll get ready!”

As Enrique cast her spell, a blue light burst forth from the tip of her staff, illuminating the surroundings with fierce winds whipping around.

Amidst the exhilarating excitement, I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine.

“Enrique, is this too strong? It seems excessive for Scrags…”

“Uh, yeah? Wait? Uh-oh! I can’t control the power! Aaaah!”

“Ahh! We’re doomed!”

The radiation detector’s signal light changed from green to red in an instant.

“Ugh! Get down!”

What sprouted from the tip of her staff was a brilliant orb, radiant like the sun.

The moment it dropped from her staff, I quickly grabbed Enrique, pulling her down.

– Bang!

A deafening roar shook through the world. We were swept away by the explosion.

As I barely opened my eyes and got up, there was nothing left where the park used to be, aside from the distorted space.

Only one thing—an mushroom cloud rising in the center of the park.

As Enrique came to her senses, she stared at it and beamed.

“Ugh, I did mess up a bit… heehee, how about that?”

Our Violets were all stunned as they gazed at the mushroom cloud that had shot up in excitement through 125’s eyes.

“Yay! It exploded!”

Even while lying on the ground, bleeding from my nose, Enrique raised her arms in joy.

“The lab people called me a destroyer when I used it for the first time! Isn’t that amazing?”

“Yeah, that was super awesome!”

I simply nodded silently.

What unfolded before my eyes was a truly amazing explosion produced by human power.

A spectacle that resembled beautiful art.

As the distorted space vanished and the curtain gradually lifted, I sensed something was approaching.

In the distance, black dots were rapidly approaching from the sky. The sound of sirens grew closer.

“It’s hunters! The police are coming too!”

Oh no, what have we done?

The park has completely evaporated.

“Let’s run for now!”

Realizing the situation too late, I grabbed the excitedly bouncing Enrique and dashed away.

“Nobody will know, right?”

Fortunately, as we crouched down to hide, the emergency situation soon dissipated.

While members of the clan and the police were bewildered, we slipped away in secrecy and returned home.

“It seems no one got hurt.”

As worries and fears faded, we Violets suddenly found an urge for adventure.

That is, going hunting together with Enrique.

“Let’s go to a dungeon! I want to have a picnic!”

“We’re going for massacre tourism! No, explosion tourism!”

“Let’s take Levi with us! We couldn’t bring him on the last pirate-killing trip.”

That’s a plan. Though he has recovered safely, Levi still seemed a bit gloomy from the aftereffects of the mental attack.

To awaken the spirit of the blood warrior and ignite their fighting spirit, what was needed was a heap of enemy corpses used as firewood.

The clamor of combat, filled with explosions and screams, how fun would that be?

Thinking about enjoying a lunch in a dungeon filled with blood and debris, I began to want to set the picnic plans quickly.

“By the way, no one will know about the park incident, right?”