The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City

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On the way back, we had a brief conversation.

“I’m a bit surprised you don’t know about makeup or clothes.”

“No one taught me that stuff.”

Living as a man for over twenty years, I had learned what I was supposed to do as a man, but there was no guidance on how to live as a cute girl. My mind may have transformed to act girly, but that didn’t mean knowledge suddenly fell from the sky.

“Really… no one? What about your parents? Friends?”

“Oh, my parents? They’re dead! Friends… none.”

“…I’m sorry.”

I stated the facts nonchalantly, but the atmosphere grew tense. I regretted saying something unnecessary. I should be more careful with my words next time.

This stupid mouth keeps babbling nonsense.

“It’s okay; they weren’t good people anyway.”

“Is that so?”

Parents, huh.

I didn’t have a good relationship with my parents in my previous life. It wasn’t a broken family, but I didn’t want to think too much about it. Whenever I did, I was reminded of how I kept forgetting my own name.

And parents in this world? I don’t know. To put it bluntly, I’m an orphan. No mom, no dad. So I guess I was sold to a laboratory.

The woman listed as my mother in the family registry has long been broken.

Daphne’s expression grew serious as she continued listening to me.

“…So at that time… you were looking for your mom…”

“Uh? What?”

Isn’t it like how customers and owners react when they see a hungry child holding their younger sister’s hand, ordering a plate of noodles at a Chinese restaurant to share?

Everyone becomes unsure seeing that scene. They want to order something. But just when they try to pay with the school meal card, it shows insufficient balance. That moment, their eyes shake as if an earthquake hit, and they want to rush to help.

Daphne looked like that at the moment.

“Daphne? Did I say something wrong…?”

“…Rugilinn. You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?”

She suddenly grabbed my hand.

“In the future, if there’s anything you don’t know, I’ll help you a lot! Do you have any more questions? Is there anything hard? If your head starts hurting again like last time, call me right away!”

“Uh? Ah! It’s okay! I’m fine!”

It took me some time to calm her down as she bounced around with wet eyes.

To soothe her, I changed the subject. Now, it was my turn to ask. Since she had asked first, I could ask this much.

“By the way, I have a question too. What are your parents like? Do you have any siblings?”

“Our parents? They were good people. And…”

She smiled softly.

“I had a younger sister. She was lovely.”

She smiled slightly.

Oh, I didn’t know Daphne had a younger sister. She must be kind and pretty, just like her sister.

“Wow! Then I’ll get to see your sister enroll in the academy later.”

“…Ah, well, that…”

Daphne, who had been smoothly continuing her speech, suddenly hesitated. I grew anxious, wondering if I had touched a sensitive topic.

“…?”

“That would be nice. But actually…”

It was my turn to go silent.

“My parents and sister passed away a long time ago.”

What the hell is wrong with our conversation today.

“…I’m sorry.”

“No, I’m okay. It’s already in the past.”

We lost track of the conversation topic and lingered awkwardly. Silence is like a glue that quietly seeps between people; once it slips in, it’s hard to shake off.

As we slowly made our way to the school entrance, someone suddenly appeared from the alley beside us.

“Hey, you… you! …Daphne Grace. Right?”

“That’s me… You’re from that time.”

A dirty-looking blonde male student. I felt I had seen him somewhere before.

“Glad to meet you. Where is my wallet?”

“Wallet? What do you…”

“Don’t play dumb, you bastard! I don’t know what tricks you pulled, but all my friends collapsed suddenly. When I woke up, everything I had was gone. Was it magic? Or a unique ability?”

Ah, I understand now. He was that blonde punk from back then. Did I rob him for no reason?

Since it was my doing, I had to take responsibility.

I stepped between Daphne and him immediately.

“Stop!”

“What are you now?”

“If you touch us here, the disciplinary committee won’t let it slide. Back off from my roommate. Or do you want to duel me?”

“The disciplinary committee? Duel? Nonsense… Hahaha!”

He laughed crudely. I was puzzled. Is this guy insane?

“Are you an idiot? The disciplinary committee doesn’t operate outside the school.”

“Ha! No way!”

He was grinning with some belief, and I realized he had some tricks up his sleeve. I should remember that for later.

“Is that so… Wait, I have something to say. Wanna follow me?”

“Rugilinn? Wait! What are you doing…”

I led him into the alley. As I walked ahead, I subtly placed my hand against the wall. My magical power surged out.

“So, what is it you want to say?”

“That wasn’t my roommate. So just leave it and stop bothering us. And…”

From the space between the wall and the building, ten of us wearing masks emerged. The expression on the punk’s face twisted into shock.

“What are you guys…?”

How dare he not recognize us; I’ll make him know physically.

“Huh? Shit! Don’t come! Ugh! Aaah!”

We surrounded him with weapons and happily beat him up. He couldn’t even draw his sword before collapsing.

I never knew such a way existed to avoid a duel. This was a great method.

This fool has boxed himself into a corner.

He seemed to want to say something, so we paused our attacks. He was bleeding from his nose and wailed.

“Ugh… Do you know who my sister is? You’re just a freshman…!”

“Just a freshman? That’s a pretty silly expression. I’m surprised you have family.”

“Your sister? The ace of the red-light district?”

“What? Crazy bitch… Ugh! Let me speak! Freshman Management Board, Martina! You know who she is, right?”

It reminded me of what Irene had said before.

– “It’s just a rumor, but she’s a lout who bullies younger girls. So be careful, and don’t forget to contact me if you need help.”

So that lout who harassed the female students was this punk’s sister.

“Is your name Martin?”

“Yeah!…”

“Aha, now I remember. I know who you are.”

Despite being beaten, he still had some spirit left, grinning meanly as he stood up.

“So! Do you finally realize the reality? I’ll ruin you. No, I’ll make you regret it. Kneel down right now…”

We lifted our weapons again.

*Bang! Bang!*

“Aaah! I’m going to kill you! Aaah! Aaaah! My sister..! Aaah!”

“Your sister? Not my problem.”

Unfortunately for him, his sister was far away, and my weapon was close. He deserves to be beaten up for being a coward.

And life is inherently lonely. So being alone is the best.

He cried like a pig before quickly passing out.

I grew irritated. What kind of student engages in gang activity? My mood just soured.

To mess with him, I stripped off his school uniform and took it with me.

I dusted myself off and stepped out from the alley.

“Are you okay…? What on earth was that! Are you a pervert? Put that back right now!”

“But he started it first, didn’t he?”

Daphne sincerely scolded me, so I returned the clothes.

It felt a bit sticky, but I ignored it. Daphne worried, but I laughed it off.

Well, what could possibly happen?

Violet is invincible, and Clone Techniques are all-purpose.

“I don’t know, let’s just charge in.”
“If they come, we’ll smash them. I’ve been in a bad mood lately, and this is perfect.”

Our other selves chimed in in agreement.

No matter how they whine, they can’t harm me. I won’t die. If things go wrong, all I need to do is run.

No one can lay a hand on me.

***

Somewhere in the Underground Facility, Clone 65 woke up.

The only evidence distinguishing the inside of the wall from the outside research facility was the dim light leaking through a small hole in the narrow wall.

“What time is it? Dawn?”

“7 PM. Want to sleep more?”

“I wish I could, but ah! My back! My neck!”

The Underground Facility was large, and it took a long time to explore.

Unavoidably, there were surveillance cameras or guards in places where people were present. Moreover, we had lost our motivation due to the mental fatigue from battle and the feeling of having forgotten our names, and the Violet researchers in charge of the investigation also grew apathetic, giving up any fruitful results from the facility.

Some suggested we withdraw completely, but more people thought we should leave at least a minimal number of members behind, so we kept one or two around. We could always multiply if we had enough magical power.

However, waiting in a confined space for an extended time was tiring in many ways. Thus, the remaining Violet used our ability to exchange consciousness to set up shifts.

If someone needed to wash or urgently use the restroom, they’d just generate a new clone and reverse the previous body, addressing hygiene issues. The exhaustion or hunger would disappear as a bonus. It was a bit of a waste of magical power, but hygiene was absolute.

Unfortunately, the vents, warehouse, and gaps between walls and ceilings weren’t suitable for resting. They were narrow, damp, dark, and hard. Thus, the greatest suffering for the investigative team was the uncomfortable sleeping conditions.

I contemplated whether to take sleeping pills. There was still some time before my waiting period. After some thought, I connected to the Violet Network to pass time by watching the others play, but I heard footsteps from beyond the wall.

Perking my ears, I focused and noticed more footsteps than usual. The researchers here usually didn’t swarm together like that.

Carefully, I inserted an endoscope camera through the hole in the wall. I saw about ten people wearing badges labeled .

“Look at those guys; I’ve never seen anyone like them working here before.”

“Right? Have we just never noticed them?”

Before we paused our work, we had somewhat figured out the faces or atmosphere of the researchers while investigating this place.

One had black horn-rimmed glasses; another wore a red checkered shirt, sorting people’s traits and categorizing them. There was barely any change in personnel and strict schedule management. This made it easy to secretly take photos or collect materials, but we shied away from contact beyond that.

However, I had never seen those people before. The scientist who had been conversing with the Chairman was calling everyone and explaining something.

I could soon tell who it was. That scientist had been talking to the Chairman earlier.

“Isn’t that Doctor Walter Sturgis?”

He was surprisingly a famous person. I found a ton of related materials with just a bit of searching.

“He’s quite respected in academia. Apparently, he’s one of the top scholars in ether physics, especially research related to the Awakened Ones.”

Ether physics is a unique field in this world often mentioned in the game.

Although it’s called “physics,” it’s actually a complex science combining biology, quantum mechanics, and chemistry. The nature of the research deals with the abilities of Awakened Ones and unique abilities, making it hard to analyze with just one subject. Thus, ether physics touches on everything from the existence of ether down to biological mechanisms, proof of ability usage by Awakened Ones, and even topics like dimensional and ether erosion problems.

Of course, magic is another field that explores ether.

But the magic of the Crimson Scholar uses math in its processing; in reality, it relies on personal experience and sensitivity. Therefore, those who regulate the principles of this world are the scientists.

When Sturgis directed a senior researcher beside him, he nodded and led the crowd outside. Watching it from a distance, it resembled a kindergarten teacher leading a group of kindergarteners.

“Oh? They are leaving! Clone 83, go!”

Clone 83, who had been waiting in the network without a body, manifested from beyond the wall.

I cautiously followed behind the people disappearing into the hallway.

The senior researcher calmly guided everyone through the interior of the laboratory. Various genders and ages followed behind.

“As you can see, the research building is broadly divided into five areas, and the contract duration for the post-doctoral research process in this project is…”

I understand master’s and doctor’s degrees, but what’s a post-doctoral research process? Isn’t the next step after a doctor being a professor? I guess there’s something I didn’t know again.

It must be similar to graduate students.

Those who had been absentmindedly listening to the senior researcher each began to ask questions.

“…The duration seems a bit short, right? I mean, it’s called a post-doctoral research process…”

“I learned today that Polaris Comprehensive Academy is independently conducting research on ether physics.”

The senior researcher calmly explained.

“I explained during the last meeting, remember? It’s a secret project. Anyway, there’s no one here who doesn’t know Doctor Sturgis. Right? If anyone was his graduate student, raise your hand.”

More than half raised their hands.

The senior researcher clapped a few times.

“As expected, you all know one another. The professor is giving you all this opportunity because he thinks of you all. You haven’t forgotten the pay or contract terms, right?”

“Yes.”

The sparkle in everyone’s eyes was noticeably bright. What could the contract details be for such positive reactions?

“Our project is nearing its end, but we lack manpower. Some are out due to illness. You got the explanations before coming, right?”

“When the contract period is over, it automatically converts to a regular research position… or something like that.”

“Exactly! There are hardly any conditions like this anywhere else! So, shall we continue?”

As the senior researcher was about to leave, someone at the back spoke up.

“I didn’t hear about this. What exactly is the purpose of the project we’re participating in?”

“That’s classified information—”

I leaned in to hear attentively.

*Beeep!*

Oh no, the sharp mechanical sound cut off the words.

They closed the door once they entered the research building. From here on, we couldn’t hear anything, even if we used a listening device.

“Those bastards, we missed out since the conversation got interrupted. They must know the project’s purpose, right?”

“Right.”

It was disappointing. That was the important part.

Suddenly, a peculiar idea popped into my head.

“Should we kidnap one of those guys we just saw and ask? It’s like a chicken instead of a pheasant. They might’ve heard what the project’s purpose was.”

“Isn’t that a bit too much?”

“No, think about it. The fact that they’ve entered such a hidden facility is proof that they have some relationship with these Board members. There’s no reason to let ordinary people into a place like this, especially with security issues. Unless it’s outsourced from outside!”

The clones held a brief emergency meeting.

“I agree. Moreover, they used the term ‘graduate student,’ right? Those people must be at least Doctor Sturgis’s students or at least knowledgeable about the research topics he worked on. More than that, compared to the researchers here, even if a few of them went missing, they wouldn’t look for them immediately. After all, we didn’t expect to learn the answers right away.”

“But what if we kidnap them? I have a room and some steel wire saved up.”

“Let’s investigate and if they’re bad, we’ll just starve them. If not… Hmm, we can think about it then.”

Let’s give it a try.

I felt a bit anxious.