The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City

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The meeting with that pesky, rude self-proclaimed senpai was the worst.

“No! What do you mean by senpai or whatever?”

I was sulking. That guy clicked his tongue and cheekily retorted to my question.

“Hey! Don’t you feel anything from my presence? Despite me showing you my graduation certificate, you still don’t get it. Pathetic girl…”

He seemed to have a lot of complaints about us and was grumbling as he spoke.

“Fools like you are Polaris students. It’s the end of the world, I tell you… Didn’t Vulture say anything to you?”

“Vulture?”

“I’m talking about Frederick. That one-armed guy’s nickname.”

Irene asked a question.

“…Excuse me, what’s your relationship with Instructor Frederick?”

“That guy? He’s my classmate. It’s embarrassing just to be classmates with that idiot.”

Oh my, Instructor Frederick was our upperclassman! I had no idea he was that impressive.

“Seeing your shocked expression, I guess you didn’t know. To be fair, he was a man of few words. That’s why he must have sent someone like you here…”

The conversation was dragging on, so I interrupted the bespectacled homme.

“So who exactly are you?”

“Who am I, you ask?”

He scoffed at Irene’s words and dramatically spread his arms.

“Bow down, losers! I am your first senior, the top graduate, the hero of the Atlas Guild War, the conqueror of the Howling Woods dungeon, the one who eliminated the Screaming Cutlass… and the life professor who established Polaris’s magic education system. I am Albert Generico!”

“Ah… I see.”

“Wow~ so impressive.”

Finally, after a long and tedious monologue, I learned who he was.

Huh, well, I still didn’t get it.

The person we met wasn’t just a super old fart; he was a self-absorbed super old fart.

Irene tossed a comment at the pompous Albert.

“Excuse me, sir. You said you were a senpai? Since you mentioned it…”

“Yeah, not just any senpai. I’m a life professor, so you shouldn’t even think of talking back to me. Look at all this! What do you think it is?”

He pointed at the numerous trophies and medals lined up in one corner of the room.

“This medal is for being the top graduate, that’s a commemorative coin for the third exploration of the Otherworld, that’s a plaque of appreciation for defeating the Cutlass…”

Albert’s tedious explanation went on, so I cleared my throat to cut him off. I made a deliberate effort to ignore his glare.

Thanks to me, Irene finally had the chance to speak.

“Uh, should I call you senpai…?”

“Call me ‘Professor Albert.’”

“I’m sorry, but isn’t it a bit much to call us ‘this girl’ and ‘that girl’ on our first meeting? We had no idea who you were when we came here just to ask a question…”

“Of course! Nowadays, anyone with a Polaris tag is nothing but trashy youngsters. ‘This girl’ and ‘that girl’ fits just right. You there!”

He pointed a finger at me.

“How did you get in?”

“I got in through special admission.”

It was something special or whatever, but I didn’t remember well.

“See! You’re indeed trash! What kind of insane Awakener Academy accepts students this way? Look at you! What about you, purple-haired girl? How did you get admitted?”

Irene seemed annoyed, her fist clenching and relaxing.

“Regular exam.”

“Correct! Irene is actually the top student!”

“Hmph, that test was easier than in the past. Was that even a test? When I was there, it was much harder.”

Now I understood why he had such a dissatisfied attitude towards us. He thinks of himself as great and sees us as below him, so he doesn’t want to treat us decently.

He plopped down on the sofa.

“…Well, since you’ve come all this way, I suppose I can’t turn you away. So, what are your names?”

“I’m Irene Solstice.”

“I’m Violet Rugilinn!”

“Solstice? Just a moment…”

The moment he heard Irene’s name, Albert seemed to recall something and was deep in thought. A little while later, his picky expression brightened.

“Solstice? Are you from the family of the Spear of the Polearm? I heard there was a daughter…”

“Yes, that’s my father.”

His face lit up, and his attitude changed 180 degrees.

“Ha! I should’ve said so earlier. Damn, what was I thinking? I should have brought out some refreshments for guests…”

A short while later, Albert presented a variety of cookies and tea on the coffee table. A delightful aroma wafted from the teapot.

As I reached for a cookie, I realized that the imposing senpai-turned-professor was giving me the eye.

Now that I noticed, there were only two teacups.

Irene, noticing my awkwardness as I hesitated, quietly slid a teacup towards me when Professor Albert wasn’t looking.

“Professor Albert, shall we slowly move on to the main topic?”

While I savored the tea, Irene brought up the questions she had prepared. We had briefly discussed what topics to ask before getting in the taxi, so I was already aware of the questions.

“So, you want to ask about the school’s history? If Vulture sent you, it must be sensitive content. Is it related to the Board of Directors?”

“Yes, that’s correct. You referred to yourself as a professor, right? Then I’ll ask my first prepared question: When did you start working at the school?”

“Before the Federal Era, close to 30 years ago. I left five years ago, though.”

Albert’s brown eyes were looking at us, but it didn’t seem like he was focusing on our faces; it felt like he was sifting through memories of the past.

“It was a great time. Only verified, excellent children were let in. It was fulfilling as an educator. The young lady named Irene? Your parents were my students too, although they weren’t the most obedient…”

I saw a hint of curiosity flicker across Irene’s face, only to fade away quickly.

“No, it’s okay. I’ll ask about that later. So, may I ask why you left?”

“Of course, that’s obvious. That old scoundrel, the Chairman, ruined the whole school.”

Oh, indeed it seems that the Chairman had done something wrong.

“Are you talking about Chairman Valefor?”

“Of course, who else would it be? To be accurate, he’s been messing with the school ever since he was vice-chairman.”

Now it was time to move to the next part.

“So, what happened to the school after the current chairman took office?”

“First, I should explain the overall consolidation issues and the expansion of department separation…”

“It’s alright. We’re already aware of that. Could you explain something else?”

“Indeed, you’ve inherited your mother’s intelligence.”

Satisfied, Albert smiled, but Irene promptly corrected him.

“No, this information was provided to me by Violet here.”

“Ahem… Well, anyway, now that I’ve realized that, I can skip the explanation. But there are details you might not know.”

Albert, mumbling to himself for a moment, took a deep breath, intertwined his fingers, and placed his hands on his knees.

“Since ancient times, Polaris has been an academy based on nurturing an elite few. To cultivate the best talents, we strictly filtered through background, personal character, Awakener abilities, Unique Abilities, and Non-Awakened attributes — academic level and social skills, you see.

The chosen ones received painstakingly the best education under strict rules, like forging steel.

Then one day, a thunderbolt struck. A person with neither interest nor knowledge in the educational field abandoned being the clan leader to join the Board of Directors.

The excuse sounded nice. He wanted to help foster the best human resources. It was his last task before retirement…

But in front of an S-rank weapon of mass destruction, would the other board members speak up against him? A person who led the four major clans?”

“I’d guess they’d probably just shut up.”

When I answered, Albert scowled, nodded, and continued speaking.

“…Yeah, you’re right. A loudmouth amateur silenced all the experts and reasonable people. It turned out that the bad drove out the good.

That old scoundrel who seized control of the board, as you know, summoned all sorts of mediocre and trashy Awakener academies, reasoning it was ‘to expand educational opportunities and increase profits.’

Then the vile bloodline scum and their pitiful culture poured into the school like a tsunami. Some schools were connected with gangs, some fell academically. All faculty members, including me, struggled under the sudden change in the school’s atmosphere.

But the real problem was something else.”

Suddenly, everything in the room trembled. It resembled a poltergeist phenomenon you might see in a horror movie.

“Professor?”

“Damn it, I got too excited and ended up showing my real face. Let me proceed.

…When I and other professors tried to solve the sudden chaos, that Chairman continued issuing ridiculous orders one after another. He replaced board members like it was nothing and halved the passing rate for the school’s regular exams. He eliminated the personality assessment process and simplified interviews. Absurd admissions policies went rampant.

At first, I thought it was just greed for money, like diploma sales. But it turned out not to be the case. Nobles and famous clan children who wanted to enter still made excuses to avoid it. In fact, only those riffraff with no background were accepted.

When I questioned him directly one day, the chairman said, ‘What we need is education from a popular perspective.’

At this point, I felt as if the school itself harbored some malice.”

To put it in perspective, it was as if a prestigious university flipped the entrance exam grading so that it accepted only grades 5 and 6 while rejecting grades 1 and 2.

Reflecting on it now, it seemed ridiculous.

But something puzzled me. If they purposefully filtered people out, how did someone like Irene, a famous person’s daughter, get in? Was there a gap somewhere?

“Moreover, the board established a foundation, actually funneled in money, and enrolled students.

I’m not talking about scholarships. They’d lend the entire tuition and require students to pay back slowly once they graduated. They offered this benefit to almost every student, even those dumb enough to not meet the grades or abilities; they’d bring in brokers or something to train them. Is this even logical?”

“Didn’t others just watch patiently?”

“Of course, there were protests, they leaked it to the media, and tried to make it public on the internet. But soon enough, it quieted down. One friend who worked in administration, served ten years, got fired for criticizing the chaotic finances. Professors who criticized the educational restructuring were all pushed out one by one, and even the life professor position was taken away. It was a clear sign: either go or get out.”

As a result, faculty members who had worked at the school for a long time left one after another, and their places were filled with inept instructors or scammers. Eventually, the procedures for monitoring and overseeing students were simplified and eventually vanished. Naturally, the school fell apart.

When I left, seniors were still gathering juniors to give them weird initiation rites. Are they still doing that now?”

“Me! I experienced that! They piled up food and when you didn’t finish, they wouldn’t let you off easily.”

“That’s right. The seniors gather juniors to force them into all sorts of absurdities and commit violence. The Student Council turns a blind eye!”

“True to my expectations.”

He accepted the current state of the school with an almost natural demeanor.

“Did you think that was all? Monsters barged into our entrance ceremony!”

When Irene’s statement caught Albert’s attention, he casually replied.

“What? That’s happened a few times even when I was around. It’s a tradition for monsters to crash the entrance ceremony. What’s the big deal…”

“People died or got hurt, though?”

Albert hesitated, adjusting his glasses.

“Surely, it must be a misunderstanding? It’s not unusual for kids to faint at the sight of a monster’s illusion…”

“No, it wasn’t an illusion! It was a real monster! I confirmed it myself.”

“That’s right. I saw it myself, Irene took it down.”

Albert’s face went rigid.

“Damn it, what in the world has happened to this school…”

He ran out of words, muttering as if in denial of reality.

“Did Vulture not know about this? What the hell has happened to the school…”

“Professor, that was certainly a man-made incident. Everything resumed quietly as if nothing had happened.”

“Enough! Let’s not discuss that part now… I’m as confused as you.”

As Albert gathered his thoughts, he clutched his head, frowning.

“Yeah, although I don’t know what occurred, seeing all of this indicates that the Chairman is definitely involved.”

“By the way, Professor, wasn’t there another way to voice complaints to the Board?”

As I raised my hand to ask, it seemed that Albert was taken aback by my expression as he erupted into a shout.

“What? Another way? What would an illegitimately admitted student know? Do you think I just idly watched? The Chairman had a massive clan backing him,

And… damn it, should I have dueled that old scoundrel?

Yeah, I reported it and did whatever I could. Some righteous instructor brought the materials to the journalists.

And one day, that instructor was discovered hanging in his home. That’s how it went.”

He took a breath, as if exhausted, and sighed.

“I was powerless. The opponent was immense, and I was just an ordinary professor. What could I do? I did everything I could do as an educator. Seeing that wretched situation made my affection for the school vanish completely. That’s all.”

He stopped his lengthy explanation.

“Yeah, this is all I can share. Beyond this, I don’t know. Was that sufficient for you, young juniors?”

“…Yes, this was enough to be helpful. Thank you for taking the time despite being busy, Professor.”

“Busy, my foot! I’m a bum with nothing to do at home. I’m grateful you listened to this pathetic old man’s complaints.”

He slowly turned his gaze towards me.

“Ah, it was Violet, right? I apologize for my earlier annoyance. Seeing you with Irene, you don’t seem like one of those trashy kids after all.”

“Yes, understood.”

It didn’t quite feel like a genuine apology. Honestly, expecting a warm reception right from the start seems a bit greedy.

Lastly, I needed to ask one more question before heading back quickly.

“By the way, how did you know we would ask about the school’s changes related to the Chairman?”

“I made a promise with that Vulture guy when I left. If someone asks about the past five years of this school, whether a journalist or anyone else, to send them my way. Someone needs to know.

By the way, is that one-armed guy doing well?”

“Instructor is doing well! He gets really scary when he starts yelling and giving drills if he gets bored, though.”

Upon hearing my explanation, Albert lightly chuckled.

“That sounds just like him; he’s quite stubborn. He was still around when I left. He wouldn’t abandon his students, not for anything.”

“Alright, that’s enough talk. Go! Don’t you have classes tomorrow? You won’t consider skipping, right?”

The professor, once Irene’s faraway upperclassman and now a jobless individual, appeared somewhat pitiful. The domineering aura he initially had was nowhere to be found as he saw us off quietly, looking drained.

As we stepped outside, Irene suddenly turned around, as if she remembered something.

“Professor, what do you think about a student named Croscelle Torres?”

“Croscelle? The Student Council President?”

Albert’s expression grew slightly serious.

“When I last left, his skills were top-notch. But he’s narrow-minded and quite messed up. Absolutely avoid him.”

He continued.

“Anyway, young juniors, let me give you a piece of advice as an elder. Quit any dangerous deeds and quickly escape from that wretched place. Got it?”

“I’ll do my best.”

“And tell that idiot Frederick this: ‘I’ll be coming soon. And hurry up and get out of that lousy place!’”

We took a taxi back to the school, or rather, we parted midway since Irene was a commuter student.

“Thanks for accompanying me. Honestly, that guy had some off parts… but I think we obtained some valuable information. See you tomorrow!”

“Sure, sounds good.”

Riding the taxi while wandering through the darkening streets, I reflected.

Yeah, we learned a lot.

Yet, it felt like today was nothing but scratching the surface.

– Ugh! Did we really only ask what everyone already knows? The Chairman ruined the school! Who doesn’t know that? –

– We’re still far from the core! We just circled around the periphery! –

The other “me” who listened to Albert’s talk muttered.

– That suspicious school building, let’s investigate it soon. –

– Let’s start tonight then! I got the gear ready. You remember that second-hand weapons shop I mentioned before? They’ve got tons of three-star weapons, but they also sell all sorts of interesting stuff. –

The returns Irene and I gained were little more than “how did the school get ruined?”

What I wanted to know was “why did it get ruined?”

In the end, the conclusion arrived that to know the core, we had to step into the tiger’s den.

– Everyone, gather your gear. See you later! –

And in the stillness of dawn, the Violets quietly passed through the darkened schoolyard.