The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City-Chapter 112: Post-Incident Review

A few hours after the incident.

“So, you’re the newly arrived Chancellor, right?”

“That’s correct, Miss Irene.”

After barely being rescued with a friend’s help, Irene found herself at the Inspection Bureau with a person who suddenly appeared, claiming to be a Chancellor.

While Irene had heard of the position, this was her first time meeting one in person.

“Do you need anything else?”

“No, I’m fine. It’s just exhaustion from using too much magic in a short time. Can I leave now?”

“You can’t, Miss Irene. You need to rest for a few more days. Call me if you need anything.”

Irene found it strange.

Why was this person, whom she had met for the first time today, being so kind to her?

Now that she thought about it, she hadn’t even mentioned her name, yet they seemed to know who she was.

Even their gaze was oddly burdensome.

“We’ll soon identify the attackers. I’ll do my best to assist.”

“Thank you for saying that.”

Irene closed her eyes for a moment.

The people who attacked her?

She didn’t want to believe it, but a few negative possibilities came to mind.

‘No way, it can’t be…’

At that moment, the Chancellor asked a question.

“Who were those people?”

“Those people?”

“The ones who were with you, Miss Irene. Can you tell me who they are?”

He must mean Violet.

At the Chancellor’s words, Irene recalled Violet’s request on the way here.

-Irene! Just listen! If anyone asks about us, say it like this!

Violet had relayed a few guidelines through the communication device she had given her.

Irene thought about her friend’s circumstances.

‘If they’re investigated, it could cause trouble.’

Violet was a former test subject from a research lab.

Her abilities were incredibly useful, even from Irene’s perspective.

The young man who introduced himself as a Chancellor was kind but suspicious, knowing too much about her.

No matter what, she couldn’t put her friend in jeopardy.

“Do you know who they are?”

Irene decided to lie to protect her friend.

Recalling the instructions from Violet’s communication device, she spoke up.

“Those people? They’re a secret security team my father had prepared in advance.”

“A security team?”

The Chancellor’s gaze sparkled with curiosity.

What name did Violet suggest?

Combining the instructions and a bit of improvisation, Irene came up with a plausible answer.

“…They go by the name Ariel Group.”

Violet’s hastily crafted alias had transformed into a mysterious armed organization.

“Ariel Group?”

“Yes. I’d only heard about them before. This is my first time seeing them in action.”

“Is that so…”

After pondering for a moment, the Chancellor gave a few more instructions and left the room.

Outside, the Chancellor let out a sigh.

Saiges was inwardly perplexed.

‘It’s fortunate that Irene was saved, but something feels off.’

This wasn’t how he knew things should go.

Even he didn’t know everything about the future.

Especially the events of five years ago, which were a mystery to him.

After all, he hadn’t been a Chancellor at this point in time.

His presence here, five years early, was the result of future knowledge and a few crafty tricks.

‘The future I know is diverging too much. Why is that?’

Originally, Irene Solstice’s kidnapping was supposed to happen weeks from now.

The time and location were different as well.

It was supposed to occur late at night near the western district.

The perpetrators and their motives were unknown.

She had escaped from captivity only after the academy had collapsed under mysterious circumstances.

Moreover, Irene herself hadn’t spoken much about the incident afterward.

New n𝙤vel chapters are published on novelbuddy.cσ๓.

It was only because they were close that Saiges knew about it.

Now, the situation had changed.

The kidnapping attempt happened in broad daylight in front of her house.

The methods had changed too.

A shootout had erupted in the city center, and even the outcome was different.

‘Did my presence alter the timeline?’

He thought of concepts like alternate histories, time travel, and time paradoxes.

‘Ariel Group? I’ve never heard of them. If they existed, Irene wouldn’t have been kidnapped in the first place.’

Saiges reviewed the materials he had just examined.

On his tablet’s monitor, surveillance footage and organized data about the shootout were displayed.

The footage showed over a hundred armed soldiers appearing amidst the smoke, battling the kidnappers, and vanishing back into the smoke when he arrived. ᚱ𝘢NОΒÈʂ

A heavily armed group in black, using explosives without hesitation.

They could appear anywhere and seemed capable of teleportation.

They used perception-disruption devices.

Their physiques were all similar.

A clone army?

The Federation?

It could be interference from those scheming bureaucrats.

The Four Great Clans?

They cooperated on the surface but fought for dominance behind the scenes.

They could also be involved.

Or perhaps it was another secret society.

Suddenly, a possibility came to mind.

‘The Obsidian Legion? No, it couldn’t be the Boundless Witch, right?’

Startled, Saiges compared the figures in the footage with the image of a nightmare-inducing individual.

He took a deep breath to calm himself and sorted his thoughts.

‘No, it’s unlikely, but not impossible… Still, it’s not the witch.’

The Boundless Witch Violet was nearly 180 cm tall, close to the height of an adult male.

But the figures in the footage were shorter, around 150-155 cm.

‘And Violet despised firearms.’

In the Obsidian Legion, which actively used firearms and high-tech weaponry, the Boundless Witch was an anomaly.

She loved explosives but abhorred ranged weapons.

She preferred cold weapons and trusted only her physical abilities.

The group Irene called Ariel Group was different.

They used many firearms and heavy weaponry.

‘Obsidian Legion agents hate clans and corporations. Irene wouldn’t be an exception.’

Yet, according to witness accounts, the group evacuated civilians and police, albeit in a high-handed and rough manner.

If it were the real witch, she would have attacked everyone indiscriminately.

Moreover, there was no way the witch would be active at this point in time.

To his knowledge, she only surfaced after he became a Chancellor.

‘Is there another organization I don’t know about?’

Suspicious, but there was nothing he could do for now.

There were too many tasks at hand.

‘Still, I’ve neglected the other students. I should start reaching out to them.’

Saiges looked back at the room.

Until now, he had focused on strengthening his position.

But now, it seemed he needed to reconnect with people he hadn’t met yet.

Separate from Saiges’ concerns, his actions had little direct connection to the cause of the current incident.

Though his actions had significantly twisted the future’s trajectory.

This event stemmed from the butterfly effect triggered by a blonde-haired, red-eyed girl.

A short while before the kidnapping attempt, Violet’s raid on Research Lab A13 in the Chloris Forest had set off a troubling butterfly effect.

In a brief skirmish with Crosell, Violet had used the Hand of Destiny and deployed clones to wreak havoc within the lab.

This brought forward the destruction of a facility that should have lasted several more months.

This caused two major issues.

First, the destruction of Lab A13 created significant chaos.

Many researchers and most of the data were obliterated by bombs, despite the escape of some experimental beasts.

The attack, carried out by someone claiming to be an Obsidian Legion agent, had far-reaching consequences.

The clans were alarmed.

The Magna Nabis Group quickly inspected their facilities and reinforced their security.

The political friction and cleanup process delayed their usual activities.

Crosell, who was originally involved in Irene’s kidnapping, also had his actions disrupted.

Although his injuries weren’t severe, his mobility was limited.

As a result, events followed an unexpected path.

The kidnapping plan, which should have been implemented weeks later, was hastily executed by Irene’s impatient uncle.

And the result was a disaster.

The incident on Central 12th Street unfolded as such.

However, accepting the outcome as it was proved difficult even for mature adults.

Thus, during his conversation with Rigel, Julius didn’t hide his mocking tone.

“Excellent work. Truly outstanding. The media in Rustlum is having a field day. What on earth were you thinking?”

He had a splitting headache.

‘Even though I told them to wait due to security issues, they went ahead and acted on their own!’

The atmosphere in the Helios office, where a meeting between the two clans was taking place, was filled with tension.

On one side of the room, a TV screen displayed live news coverage of the [12th Street Shooting Incident].

Some media outlets were even using the term [terrorism] to describe the event.

‘Who in their right mind would stage a kidnapping in broad daylight?’

The operation, which was originally planned to take place discreetly at night, turned into a war involving mercenaries, drones, and the clan’s secret weapons.

‘They deployed heavily armed mercenaries, their own clan forces, and even carried out a suicide drone attack in the middle of the city. And yet, they still failed?’

While the main cause of the failure was an unexpected intervention by an unidentified strike team, it seemed inevitable given the speed of the Inspectorate’s response.

“Who on earth stages an ambush during the day?”

“You must be too young to understand strategy. For operations like these, it’s crucial to exploit unexpected opportunities. A daytime attack? It clearly shifts suspicion toward terrorists, doesn’t it?”

“You should’ve waited a bit longer! It got delayed for reasons, but we were already making preparations.”

“No. We don’t have time! You all know that, right?”

No matter what Julius said, Rigel refused to admit his fault and continued grumbling.

Watching him, Julius’s expression twisted even further.

Even the masked employees standing behind him displayed signs of discomfort.

Though they had acted according to orders, they couldn’t help but wonder why they were supporting such an incompetent fool.

Julius disliked Irene, but the man before him was so pitiful he couldn’t even bear to compare him to his niece.

‘Well, if an idiot like this becomes the leader of Helios, it’ll be easier to manipulate. Could that be what the higher-ups intended?’

Rigel crossed his arms and raised his voice in frustration.

“This is all your fault!”

It wasn’t just Julius who was angry.

Rigel was furious that they had let their target slip away.

Irene had fallen into the hands of the Inspectorate’s chancellor.

Most of the operatives mobilized for this operation were mercenaries, with even the hunters being unofficial Helios members.

There might be circumstantial evidence, but no solid proof tied them to the incident.

Still, the resources and expenses invested had gone up in smoke.

“Rigel, we clearly provided you with advice. We even offered consulting services. Do you know how expensive that Stregonix was?”

The Stregonix they provided was a weapon still in its research and development phase.

If they had captured that foolish girl, it would’ve been a valuable asset for further research.

Analyzing and adapting her unique ability could have resulted in greater durability and enhanced mana manipulation capabilities.

But they had failed.

“You Magna Nabis mages are always so full of yourselves! That tin can—why did you even give it to us? It was useless!”

“Now, Rigel, the one who ruined everything is you!”

Julius was flabbergasted.

If the mages and developers of Magna Nabis had overheard this, they would’ve struck Rigel over the head with a wrench.

“As expected, trusting that useless tin can was a mistake!”

Contrary to Rigel’s claims, the Stregonix had performed adequately.

Despite being exhausted, it had almost subdued Irene.

Regardless of the kidnapping’s outcome, the data obtained from the assault would prove invaluable.

Rigel, who had been fuming, calmed down and spoke in a slightly more composed tone.

“Fine. Well, it can’t be helped. I’ll admit my mistake, but you’ll have to provide additional support.”

“Understood. Then, let’s meet again.”

The Magna Nabis employees quickly left the room.

Julius turned to the masked man beside him.

“So, Crosell, what do you think?”

“He’s an idiot beyond imagination.”

Crosell had temporarily left the academy to follow Julius.

Initially, he was one of the people meant to subdue Irene.

Laughter could be heard from behind the mask.

“Still, you should reflect as well. Why couldn’t you prevent those incidents last time?”

“That’s…”

“The big event is approaching. Keep your focus.”

Faced with Julius’s reprimand, Crosell fell silent.

An uncomfortable stillness filled the air.

Their heads throbbed.

Though they had no choice but to deal with the mess caused by Helios’s next potential leader, the true problem lay elsewhere.

The unidentified black-clad armed group that had disrupted their operation.

“The report mentioned it, right? That the intruder at the lab called themselves the Obsidian Legion?”

“Yes, I heard it clearly. They claimed it themselves.”

That statement brought a thought to Crosell’s mind.

‘Could this incident be connected to those who raided the lab previously?’

Everything was a mystery.

“When everything is over, you should join the clan. Playing student council president is a waste of your skills.”

“Understood.”

For them, everything was uncertain.

One thing was clear: to carry out their grand plan, they needed to eliminate this mysterious enemy.

After the incidents had concluded, the Violets were conducting a debrief.

「Who would’ve expected the chancellor to show up there?」

「Our escape plan nearly fell apart. We need a vehicle!」

「Why was the Stregonix there? Who attacked Irene?」

Although they had nearly succeeded in the battle, the Violets realized their shortcomings.

They had also failed to capture any hostages.

If things continued this way, their friend would face another attack.

「We didn’t notice during the fight, but we really need to reconsider our escape strategies.」

As the conversation continued, it veered off in a strange direction.

「How do we deal with airborne enemies?」

「If only we had flying vehicles!」

With helicopters or planes, they could’ve taken Irene and escaped quickly.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

When fighting among themselves, they could simply use reverse-generation, but involving their friends and others introduced a new layer of difficulty.

Observing the chancellor flying around and the drones used in the recent operation had given them much to think about.

After a ten-minute marathon meeting, the Violets reached an important conclusion.

The problem lay in the skies.