The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City-Chapter 123: Violet Went to Her Friend’s Company! (2)

When I got into the car, Irene let out a deep sigh and slumped into the seat.

Her appearance was like a job-seeking applicant who had just finished an interview.

I immediately started the car.

"Are you hurt?"

"I’m just a little nervous. Thankfully, it went by without a hitch..."

Irene had a look of relief on her face, like someone who had just escaped from hell.

"Finally made it out..."

She took a breath and suddenly spoke.

"Violet, we’re friends, right?"

"Yeah! I’m your friend, Irene. 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, it’s just a suspicion for now. I don’t want to think about it, but..."

My friend rubbed her head in distress and hesitated before speaking.

This was not the calm Irene I knew. Seeing me tilt my head, she reluctantly opened her mouth.

"The people who attacked me... I think they were sent by Helios."

"What? Why?"

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

I couldn’t hide my astonishment, and Irene began to explain in detail. As she spoke, I was so shocked that I almost stood up—if I had remembered that I was driving.

"Raiders using your clan’s tactics? There’s no way to escape!"

"Yeah, I don’t want to believe it either, but right now, it’s the most likely scenario."

Irene continued her explanation. The Violets sitting behind me were listening attentively.

According to her speculation, this was the situation.

First, she had some kind of panic button for emergency calls. However, when the mercenaries attacked, her request didn’t go through.

Then, the secretary who had been her guardian suddenly retired.

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There were rumors circulating within the clan that were damaging to her reputation. When listed out like this, it seemed strange.

"But more importantly, there’s one thing."

"What is it?"

"Since that day, Helios has never contacted me, and neither I nor anyone who knew me, like the security team leader I saw earlier, knew about the attack." ṝ𝘈₦𝔬𝐁Ё𝐒

"But my uncle knows everything about when and where it happened, and who saved me."

It was like a flash in my mind. As far as I knew, the shooting incident on Central District’s 12th Street had been reported as a fight between criminal organizations.

It was such a shocking event that it still occasionally appeared on the news.

However, the details had never been disclosed. Reporters only talked about the fight between the mercenaries and the Violet unit, as well as the slow response of the inspection department. Words like ’Irene Solstice’ or ’Helios Clan’ were never mentioned.

"Ugh! This is so strange!"

"Also, they knew the specific fact that you protected me. Only someone from the scholarship office or someone from the inspection department on-site would know that."

"What? How does my uncle know? He must have been watching everything. Could it be...?"

My friend paused for a moment and then grimaced in despair.

"Yeah. It’s just a suspicion for now, but it feels like Uncle Rigel is behind it. But... I don’t know. Why?"

"Why do you say that?"

"There is a possibility. My uncle holds the second most shares in the clan after my father. And... did I tell you? My father is actually quite ill."

"Oh, that’s unfortunate."

Irene’s face looked somewhat sad.

"It’s okay. It’s been about a year. So, there have been talks about choosing the next clan leader."

She shook her head as she said this.

"I have a suspicion. But I can’t understand why they would attack in broad daylight. It’s too awkward for me to grasp, and I figured it out so easily."

"Now that you mention it, it does seem strange."

Thinking about it, it was a completely foolish idea. To launch an attack in broad daylight where everyone could see? Irene’s doubt, despite her suspicion, stemmed from the fact that it was so blatant.

It felt odd because they were so open about it.

As Irene spoke, thoughts flashed through the minds of the Violets. They recalled instances where entire families had been betrayed for personal gain.

Mothers who came to collect death benefits after abandoning their children for decades, or fathers who devoured their children—these similar human behaviors were countless!

There was no need to mention the power struggles over corporate control in conglomerate families. Even the family conflicts of medieval aristocrats, who had weaker moral and ethical values, were brutal.

In some sense, the politics of Academy City, and even the clans and Awakened Ones of the Trist system, operated similarly to the feudal lords of the medieval era.

As I thought hard, the internal landscape of the Violet network began to shift. The train station’s waiting room slowly transformed into a Victorian-style mansion.

The Violets, influenced by the thoughts, began to role-play.

"Let’s run the simulation!"

Violets dressed in ridiculous gowns began crafting a brutal romantic fantasy narrative.

Soon, a slaughterous spectacle unfolded that seemed completely out of place in the elegant, tidy setting.

"Hehe, little sister, don’t you think I am more suited for the position of the North Duke’s consort? Farewell."

"Oh, nooo!"

First, Countess Violet was flattened by a carriage driven by her sister Violet.

"Great-grandfather’s inheritance is mine!"

"Gueekk!"

The villainous young Violet, who had been fighting over the inheritance, smashed her relative Violet’s head with a wine bottle.

"The next clan leader will be my child. The child of the former wife, die!"

"Kkiyaat!"

The stepmother Violet pushed the heavily scarred Violet, and she fell from the terrace.

The scene kept changing.

Violet poisoned a relative by serving them king crab laced with poison. Another Violet locked her daughter in a flour barrel and starved her to death. The tragedies of the Violet mansion continued!

The bizarre simulation eventually came to an end, and we began to seriously consider the possibility of familial conspiracy. T29DcGYzYXUxTnhEQU5OTnFneTJ6bUIwWmJiNFJzNUQ2MktKRTlYLzY3QXJXQUluQnJFSzdReWtCQ1haTS9aZg

"Indeed, it’s a conspiracy aimed at inheritance!"

The ones behind the attack on Irene were probably her uncle, the one she mentioned earlier.

The Victorian mansion vanished, and a strange, twisted palace appeared. The Violets in the network started another play, and a historical drama scene began to play.

The scene unfolded with the sudden death of a father and the child Violet who inherited the throne.

"Come here!"

Violet in armor, the uncle, burst into the royal palace and shouted in a commanding tone.

"Haha! Nephew, give up your seat. I am destined to be the king!"

The young nephew Violet, having lost his father, trembled in fear.

"I will give you the country and the crown. Please just spare my life!"

The nephew was cast out, and eventually died a miserable death in a foreign land.

"Please, spare me! Aaaaagh!"

I watched, my eyes tearing up. It was too tragic!

Surprisingly, my friend might be in a similar situation.

Soon, Irene’s father was likely going to disappear! In fact, it might already be too late. He should have been in the coffin by now.

Irene was certainly going to inherit a significant fortune and shares. If the rightful heir were to disappear, who would stand to benefit the most?

Irene herself had said it. When the next clan leader was discussed, her uncle’s name often came up. He also held a large share.

As my thoughts settled down, I realized…

Tada, that’s how the story of the liquor and cigarette-aged young girl head of the household begins.

I wondered who had sold off the rights, but it turned out they were very close by.

As I was thinking hard, Irene began to speak.

"Yeah, there are some clues. But... I don’t know what I can do."

"Why is that?"

"In just a few days, I’ve lost my house, my accounts, everything.

The people who used to help me were suddenly ousted from the clan.

And now, strange rumors are spreading."

Her face, which she struggled to keep calm, began to crack.

"And now, my so-called family is targeting me, and I can’t tell who’s friend or foe in the clan."

At some point, a single tear suddenly fell from Irene’s eye.

"I thought I could do anything.

But I was wrong.

I’m just a fool."

When I saw my friend cry, the Violets sprang up as if screaming.

"What are you talking about? Irene isn’t a fool. She’s smarter than us!"

"We’re here for you!"

All the Violets, except the one driving, noisily pulled out tissues and handkerchiefs to offer her.

"Here, don’t cry. Use this to wipe your tears!"

Seeing our brief commotion, Irene smiled faintly.

"Thank you. Thanks to you, I feel a bit better."

Fortunately, Irene didn’t cry much.

Still, seeing my friend so upset didn’t feel good.

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

"Where are you going?"

"Just running a quick errand."

"…You’re not up to something strange, are you?"

Irene narrowed her eyes.

Her gaze told me she was suspicious, so I played it off casually.

"It’s nothing!"

"Really?"

Irene, who had been looking out the car window, suddenly turned her head toward me.

"Do you know your most-used catchphrase? After ‘It’s nothing,’ you always say something crazy. Like ‘blow it up’ or ‘kill it’..."

"Hehe."

"And when it’s hard to explain, you laugh like that, too."

I inhaled deeply and shut my mouth.

"…I’ll trust you. Just don’t overdo it."

"Got it!"

While the convoy headed home, one Violet detoured to the Helios Clan building.

**

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

Recalling the appearance of someone named Rigel from earlier, Violet began to ponder her next move.

Luckily, Rigel was on the phone in the parking lot.

A red sports car, which seemed to belong to him, was parked nearby.

"...Are you busy answering calls? It’s me. Look into those ‘Ariel Group’ folks.

A troublesome obstacle has appeared."

Oh ho, what did this guy just say?

A brief phone call didn’t reveal everything, but Irene’s guess seemed correct.

Logically, there’s no way an uncle would call the ‘Ariel Group’ his brother left to protect his niece a “hindrance.”

But investigating us?

That means he’s not entirely stupid.

Still, there’s no way he’ll find anything about the ‘Ariel Group.’

The only people who meet me under the Ariel name are my subordinates like the Boss or clients like Armas.

The former wouldn’t spill anything, and the latter wouldn’t dare leak names.

And if they do?

Then the trading currency, once gold and money, will have some lead and steel added to it.

After a bit more meaningless conversation, Rigel hung up and clicked his tongue.

The discussion was fruitless, filled with vague words.

"Tch, tch. What’s that Irene girl even up to? And to think I used to call her my friend..."

At that moment, I finally understood the phrase "a vein popping in your forehead."

What? A fool?

「But we are fools, aren’t we?」

「Oh, right, we are.」

Come to think of it, we might actually be fools.

No arguments there.

But being called a fool still felt insulting!

Besides, Irene cried earlier. I can’t just let this slide.

I need to mess with that guy.

But how?

As I waited, Rigel moved far from his car, chatting with the guards stationed behind him.

A good idea came to mind.

I crawled under the car, carefully maneuvering to avoid detection.

Finally, I arrived at the red sports car I’d seen earlier.

Was this really his car?

Though unsure, I made up my mind.

Time for some fun.

Normally, I’d have one Violet infiltrate to plant a bomb and blow it up the moment he stepped in.

But for now, I lacked concrete evidence and sufficient information.

And there was another concern.

「Do Awakened traits get inherited?」

Irene is insanely tough.

She can withstand being kicked by cockroach-like arms as big as buses.

A direct hit from a 40mm grenade only knocks her back.

Even rocket attacks and machine gunfire barely scratch her.

So her uncle might possess similar durability—or even be tougher.

A half-hearted bomb attack would only make him angry, not kill him.

Using a guided Violet bomb from the sky would be more reliable.

But this wasn’t the time for war yet.

There was still a grand mission to carry out.

Once the Witch’s Hammer operation concluded, I planned to reorganize the surroundings of my friends significantly.

Maybe I could twist their pasts to make them even happier.

I pulled out a dagger and infused it with magic.

Then I punctured all four tires before slipping away.

A little later, the car owner returned from his business, only to scream at the sight of his car.

"My... my car! Who the hell did this?!"

"Hehehe."

Who else? A Violet, of course!

I watched Rigel’s reaction, chuckling quietly, before vanishing.