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“Eckhart University?”

In the office piled high with stacks of paper and documents, Violet, leisurely carrying coffee and cookies, caught the attention of Yurik, who was scribbling something on the blackboard.

“Uncle, do you know that university? I heard about it for the first time today.”

The one to respond to her question was Professor Albert, who was standing nearby with his arms crossed, reviewing documents.

“Violet, how could you not know about that? You foolish child.”

The professor smirked in disbelief as if surprised that she didn’t know. Violet, with a confused expression, silently demanded an answer from him.

“You really don’t know? Eckhart University is the alma mater of Doctor Yurik, who’s standing right in front of you. Didn’t I mention it before? Have you forgotten?”

“I forgot!”

With a sheepish grin and scratching her head, Violet caused Yurik and Albert to exchange glances for a moment.

“Seriously, you’re reckless. How are you planning to complete that theory with such a child?”

“But the calculations are accurate. I’m sure of it.”

Now Professor Albert spoke with a lecturing tone.

“Come on, you should at least know what the person you live with does. It’s also where Professor Sturgis used to teach.”

“Hehe… I’ll remember next time.”

“Ugh, let’s not talk about it.”

After brushing it off with a half-hearted laugh, Violet handed over her coffee cup and asked,

“By the way, Uncle, is Eckhart University a good place?”

Yurik murmured while sipping his coffee.

“Ah, well… if you mean amazing, I don’t know. It was a place filled with people obsessed with studying. Objectively, it’s not bad, but the atmosphere…”

As Yurik described it ambiguously, Albert summarized it again.

“Why are you so vague? You might have bad memories, but that’s life. It’s unfortunate about your advisor, but it’s your alma mater. Take pride in it. Eckhart University is one of the leading places for research on Awakened Ones.”

Violet thought,

“If Professor Albert speaks highly of it, it must be a good place. I should look into it more later.”

“By the way, Uncle Yurik, have you heard the name Bernike? I heard she’s a professor there.”

Yurik’s eyes widened a bit as he sipped his coffee.

“Bernike? Are you talking about the professor with white hair?”

“Yeah, that’s probably her. You seem to know her well.”

“About that professor… I’ve only heard she’s an authority in neurology. She’s not in our department, but I’ve seen her come to discuss things in my advisor’s office. It’s always… very intense.”

Yurik recalled memories and rumors from his graduate student days.

Though he’d never met her directly, students said she had a personality entirely opposite of his advisor.

Capable yet described as mad in various ways.

What kind of person could be regarded as outright insane if the well-mannered Professor Sturgis did such terrible things? The more I thought about it, the less I wanted to meet her.

“By the way, why do you ask? Has she done something wrong? Don’t tell me it’s about human experiments…”

Albert and Yurik anxiously turned their gazes toward the girl carrying the tray. What could she want with that professor?

“Violet, you’re not planning a great undertaking in the western district, are you?”

“I’m not! I said I’d let you know when I’m up to something big, remember? I was just curious.”

Before more questions could pour out, Violet quickly stepped back and left the office.

“That girl is making me uneasy with whatever plan she’s hatching. Aegis Academy is about to start midterms, isn’t it? What’s she doing instead of preparing for exams…”

“That’s true enough…”

**

After resolving my small doubts, our Violets began to properly regroup.

First, we replenished munitions and weapons through Helios and brought out the heavy firearms that had been unused since the last duel.

“Big guns! Harpoons!”

Now that Rigel’s Group was dead, Helios was a healthy clan, but in its early days, it operated as a rough clan focusing on bounty hunting. They were known for hunting notorious giant monsters or wanted fugitives. They made money by taking out infamous criminals and monsters. Irene’s father earned the nickname “Spear Master” from those early days.

Anyway, there are plenty of giant monsters in the sea and Awakened pirate crews as well. The equipment provided by Helios might come in handy.

“Let’s get what we used during the duel back. We have quite a few things assigned to us.”

“Bring the ammunition too!”

After replenishing supplies and fuel for the ships that would be consumed in the Red Zone, I sought information.

First, I asked Irene.

She would surely know about maritime security or related requests.

“Pirates or marine monsters? That’s a bit hard for me to explain too.”

When we visited 2411, Irene was busy skimming through numerous books spread all over her desk.

“Dealing with sea monsters or deep-sea gate exploration requires specialized skills. Naval or deep-sea combat isn’t our clan’s forte.”

Indeed, no matter how tough an Awakened One is, it would be unreasonable to battle while enduring breathing issues and the immense pressure of the deep sea.

There are no Awakened individuals who can fight freely at depths of thousands of meters like on land.

Maybe the girl in front of me could manage it during the duration of her unique ability.

“But don’t you know anything else? I’m curious!”

“You’re only asking after finishing other studies, right?”

“Yeah!”

Feeling the need for further explanation, Irene gently set down the tablet she had been looking at moments ago.

“Typically, pirates are small groups that simply ride fishing boats and ambush tourists, but some pirate organizations are large-scale groups that operate warships, airships, or even helicopters.”

“I see, but warships? What do the Federal folks say about that?”

Irene looked at me as if I’d asked a silly question.

“Why would the Federal care? Violet, you know about the Tea Time Treaty. The weapon possession limits for clans start from mass destruction weapons using nuclear or energy reactions.

Our clan is already using armed helicopters and armored vehicles, isn’t it? Just the purchasing route and maintenance are complicated, but possessing them is not an issue.”

Oh, right. In the academy city, as long as you have money and connections, you can get anything illegal except nuclear bombs.

If you have the clan’s name, it’s relatively easier to procure weapons in bulk than smuggling like I did.

Weapons at the level of nuclear weapons can also be replaced with magic or relics.

“Well, I doubt companies would sell ships to pirates. At best, all they’ll get are decades-old destroyers or frigates released on the market. They’re probably equipped with outdated cannons and torpedoes. Though temporary fixes could be made with magic or relics.”

After finishing her explanation, Irene looked at me with a somewhat suspicious gaze.

“By the way, why are you asking about pirates? Is something happening in the sea?”

I waved my hand dismissively.

“Oh, I was just thinking about going on a sea trip with everyone after this semester. But I’ve heard rumors of rampant pirates lately. That raises concerns about security.”

At the mention of a trip, Irene’s golden eyes sparkled with interest.

“A summer beach trip sounds nice… That could be fun if we go with others. Unless you’re planning to run away again, like last time.”

“No way! That’s not—”

“It better not be. And worrying about pirates is unnecessary. We’re all used to combat. Most importantly, you’re with us.”

True, if I’m with my friends, worrying about pirates or monsters isn’t necessary. We could potentially have even more fun.

A flash of inspiration shook the network, and soon 3351 shared an interesting idea.

“How about a pirate killing tour?”

“Oh! That sounds fun! It seems awesome!”

There are two types of pirates in the world. One is the good pirates who freely adventure at sea. The other is the bad pirates who kidnap people, rob, and commit murder.

The pirates we sunk into the sea belong to the latter.

So what our Violets should aim for are the good pirates.

“Freedom and liberation!”

That’s right. Spreading freedom and liberation across the seas is what we must do.

And in return for wiping out pirates, we could earn some side pocket money.

Doing good deeds while getting paid and sailing ships? How wonderful this world is.

Levi, who just got out of the hospital, has been feeling pretty down lately; I should invite him to the pirate killing tour later on.

To cure the aftermath of that Apostle’s mental attack and return to daily life, a lot of dopamine will be needed.

Cleaning up sea trash with a legal cause and justice should also please Levi.

But first, we need to get accustomed to maritime warfare.

Which pirate should we take down first? I need information.

I’m not doing this just out of boredom, absolutely not.

“Let’s go to the labor office!”

In such scenarios, it would be wise to seek out a back-alley broker.

I strode into the dimly lit office.

Flickering fluorescent lights cast shadows over the disorganized desk and old filing cabinets.

It felt like a noir film, but I knew the truth.

The reason the fluorescent light flickered was that the office owner was too lazy to fix it, and the mess on the desk was due to beer cans and snack wrappers.

“The manager has become too laid-back.”

Having given him nothing but trivial tasks, he had become a bit lazy. It was high time to add some tension for a while.

In the center of the office, Leslie, who was covering her face with a magazine, scrambled to her feet at the sound of my footsteps.

“Oh, you’re back, Boss! How can I help you?”

The manager asked with a voice still mixed with sleep.

“What about the others?”

“They’re out on personal errands or vacation. I left them free since there was no work.”

“I see. Since we’ll be busy for a while, have them come back.”

I plopped down on the office sofa, the springs creaking under my weight.

“I need information about pirates. Right now. All kinds of armed groups floating in the sea, and check if there are related requests. Are there any guys out there that need to be taken down?”

The manager’s eyes lit up with clarity as if waking from a daze.

He scrunched his face, presumably to rev his brain, and began tapping his pen rapidly on the desk.

“Pirates, huh? I’m not an expert on the errand boys roaming the sea, but I’ll do my best to find out. By the way, may I ask why you’re suddenly interested in pirates, Boss? Clarity of intention and purpose is key to establishing concrete work methods.”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“It’s nothing special; I happened to catch some trouble from that side not long ago. How much do you know about the pirates and gangs operating around the Rustroom area?”

Leslie leaned back and brought his fingers together.

“They’ve always been around. Since the competition among clans has intensified in recent years, many dropouts have been pushed into the sea. Friends who used to make a living with swords wouldn’t settle for minimum wage now. So, they shifted to ambushing shipping companies and cruise liners as a way to make money. Of course, some clans have always operated at sea. The problem is, the boundary between legitimate clans working at sea and blatant pirates is as blurry as the waves on a sandy beach.”

I nodded, encouraging him to continue.

“On one side, there are clans that hunt marine monsters and explore underwater relics or resources. However, these folks sometimes engage in high seas robbery as a side gig. Conversely, there are also pirates who, on the surface, have clan banners to evade the eyes of the Federation or large clans.”

“Fascinating. That’s how it is. But what about the Federation?”

At the mention of the Federation, Manager Leslie burst into laughter.

“The Federation? Just incompetent is rather fortunate. It’s only hearsay, but word has it that some factions within the Federation Navy take tolls from pirates.”

Wow, even some factions of the Federation Navy are playing pirate games, huh?

“The sea is vast. Although the navy and large clans keep some control, there are limits. So they take hostages, extort protection money from merchant ships, or plunder goods. It carries little risk.”

Well, I’ve gathered a basic understanding. Now, let’s get to the point.

“Alright, I’ve heard enough. No pirate or related requests?”

Even if the large clans or the Federation turn a blind eye, the problems don’t just disappear. There must be private motives for taking action. Individual assassination requests must exist as well. There would also be movements to investigate this.

Staring intently, the manager made a calming gesture.

“Could you give me a few hours? There are leads, so I’ll find out.”

The manager immediately picked up his phone. His fingers swiftly moved as he sent encrypted messages through a secure anonymous messenger service. I paced around the small office, feeling bored, and stepped outside.

Thirty minutes later, the manager texted me. A link was sent containing a list of multiple requests.

– Here’s the link. Just managed to collect some interesting bounties too.

I skimmed through the details of various incidents. Rescue missions and investigation tasks among them.

One in particular caught my eye. A crew of Awakened pirates operating a converted whaling ship, with instructions to eliminate them regardless of life or death.

<Life or death, bring them back as intact as possible.

According to the manager’s added note, it was commissioned by an anonymous wealthy individual.

<My daughter and her friends were out on holiday on a yacht and got ambushed. I paid a ransom to get her back, but she was mistreated during captivity.

Wait a minute, that description sounds oddly familiar.

The appearance and behavior of those pirates in the converted whaling ship…

“Wait, could it be…”

“Are those the guys we captured?”

I checked the request again multiple times. The Violets were startled. It was written that they would pay a hefty sum for bringing them back alive.

“Hey! This is bad! Where are they?! Where are they?!”

“We need to salvage the drums right now!”

Hastily, the Violets dove into the sea, but it was too late.

Suddenly, the idiom “noble’s rule” came to mind.

The drum that fell into the sea had vanished into the deep, never to be reached.

The pirates are surely becoming good people by now.

The Violets wailed as if they had missed a lottery ticket right before their eyes.

“No!”

“We should have let them live…”

It felt so unjust.

That lot would have paid us a fortune; I decided to treat them to a vacation at sea. If we saved them, we would have earned quite a bit.

“I’ll have to check requests first next time!”

I’ll have to let pirates live as much as possible from now on.

“Let’s tackle this request first!”

I clicked on the first link the manager sent.

<Three students from Silverdale Academy went on an experiential learning excursion and were kidnapped…>

The three students had gone on an individual experiential learning trip and paid a ransom, but the pirates kept dragging their feet on releasing them.

Their last tracked location was near Cascadia, where I just happened to have buried a Violet nearby.

“Marine Corps, pay attention! I’m assigning the ocean area from now on.”

The Violet strategic map unfolds.

Now we can assign a certain number of Violets to each area and commence our search.

“A rubber boat and a hang glider should suffice.”

Five hours later, to the southeast of Rustroom Archipelago, Cascadia’s waters were painted red with blood.

“Capture them alive!”

The rubber boat unit, having spotted a suspicious vessel, charged in like a pack of wolves.

“Ahhh! They’re coming! They’re coming!”

Endless torrents of black wingsuits descended from the sky.

After a fierce battle lasting half an hour, the Violet Marine Corps returned with two students and a long-dead cold corpse, along with numerous prisoners.

“We came, we saw, we conquered!”

The first good pirate mission ended in success.

 

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