The Genius of Cloning in the Academy City

---

As soon as we arrived at the firepower test site, we began inspecting the tank. While we waited for a bit, Rugilinn’s Titan seemed to grumble uncomfortably in the network, as if it couldn’t find a comfortable position, just like someone unable to sleep, tossing and turning in bed.

“Violet, is that girl really from a noble hunter family? A young lady, for real?”

“Yep! Sister Adela is truly an elegant person. Why do you ask?”

Titan went silent for a moment, lost in thought. I felt the slight tremors of its chassis transmitted through the network.

“…When did the word ‘elegance’ become so redefined?”

I pondered why Titan felt that way. What had just happened a little earlier?

Ah, right. It was when the Violet Brigade’s armored battalion commander, our one and only tank fairy, introduced herself.

“Oh… you said fairy? A fairy… haha…”

That image of Sister Adela popped into my mind. Her usual elegance was nowhere to be found; she looked like she might pounce on the tank fairy at any moment if not for the onlookers.

If it weren’t for the gazes of those around, she might have even hugged Titan tightly.

Fortunately, that moment quickly passed, and Sister Adela regained her composure.

“Rugilinn’s Titan, nice to meet you! I hope you take good care of our Violet from now on?”

“W-Wait, our Violet…? Understood…”

Sister Adela’s behavior was understandable, given her weakness for cute girls.

Especially the shorter ones seemed to capture her heart even more.

Enrique, who was around 140cm tall, managed to charm Sister Adela, so it was no surprise that Titan, being much smaller, left her in awe.

“Now that I think about it, we are indeed adorable little girls!”

“Right?”

Before long, tables and a canopy were set up around the Super Medium Tank.

Sister Adela’s face lit up with sheer joy during this impromptu tea time.

“Here, Violet. Try this… Enrique, you have this, and Rugilinn, how does it taste? Is it good? Try this cookie too?”

“Ugh… wait a moment… I haven’t finished eating yet… I’m full…”

Seeing that scene made me suddenly feel a sense of crisis.

“Isn’t this how we end up losing our fairy?”

I better be careful.

**

Sister Adela savored her tea time with the three cute girls, feeling a deep sense of satisfaction.

There was Violet, munching on desserts; Enrique, sipping tea with curious eyes, touching everything; and the petite yet composed fusion creature girl.

It was a picturesque scene that made her heart flutter.

‘So cute!’

Watching the girls reminded Sister Adela of childhood memories of playing house.

Faint memories of whispering with pretty dolls in her room before she began her harsh training as an heir.

Those memories seemed to unfold into an ideal image right before her eyes now.

‘Could it be that only such children surround Violet?’

Overwhelmed with ecstasy, Sister Adela summoned the self-restraint developed through her long education.

Otherwise, the impulse to take these girls back to her family mansion and dress them up in pretty clothes surged from within.

‘No, that would be too rude without permission. That’s something for later…’

She decided to embrace the moment as it was.

Even so, a tinge of regret lingered.

‘Now that I see, Violet is a bit big.’

A fleeting thought crossed her mind—if only that lovely child were a tad smaller…

The younger, cuter version of her now, surely…

‘Like that little fairy… No, even cuter, I bet!’

As Sister Adela imagined Little Violet, she soon dismissed the thought from her mind.

**

Our Violet had three major reasons for visiting Cascadia Island.

Firstly, to test-run the tank after its regeneration and modifications.

Starting with an engine replacement and various weapon systems installed, it was time to identify any issues through real-world operation.

Secondly, to enjoy a drive with friends in that tank.

Everyone was busy, so we decided to start with Enrique.

Lastly, there was a surprise show planned for after all of this.

“I received a message from Helios. They expressed a desire for a demonstration.”

“Yes, that’s right!”

Rugilinn’s Titan, officially designated as Unit 15, the Super Medium Tank. It’s classified as roughly a generation 2 vehicle.

“A generation 2 vehicle… back in my father’s youth, it must have already been considered obsolete.”

That coincided with what Irene had explained earlier.

Even in this world, where science and military technology had advanced at a bizarre pace due to the Appearance of Monsters, this tank was still categorized as outdated.

If I compared tank generations to the advancement of smartphones, Rugilinn’s Titan was akin to a flip phone.

Better than a brick phone or a pager, but it fell significantly short when placed beside a smartphone.

It was a relic from the days of old for the elderly.

“…As far as I remember, back then it was considered the cutting edge of tanks. The passage of time is truly frightening.”

“Oh, I didn’t mean to insult it by calling it outdated! I was…”

The fairy who woke up decades later in the future as a fusion ghoul had to accept this reality with a bitter smile.

I don’t know how much he remembers of the past, but as a former soldier, he must have a rough idea of just how outdated he is.

“No, it’s the truth. I might be a presence far removed from this era.”

“Don’t worry, Titan! That’s why we revamped you!”

I decided to comfort him as his commander.

By the way, why does he use formal speech with Sister Council President while casually addressing us?

Shouldn’t it be only natural for us to receive formal speech since we are his commanders?

I’ll have to bring this up later.

“Anyway, you’re the strongest tank of this era!”

Regardless, Rugilinn’s Titan may be outdated, but it’s far from just a flimsy flip phone.

It’s a one-of-a-kind magical girl feature phone powered by a fairy AI, equipped with a newly replaced battery and memory.

Whatever smartphone you throw into the mix can’t hope to beat it.

In cuteness and performance!

Even if the miracle occurs where the founder of Apple resurrects and teams up with the founder of Microsoft, it wouldn’t change that.

Enrique counted the cannons on her fingers.

“These guns seem numerous and large. Definitely looks like it can fight well.”

“Yep! I made sure to upgrade the weapons as much as possible!”

Now it was time to test the firepower. Everyone at the site moved to a safe distance.

In the meantime, the waiting Violet tank operators began to open the hatches and jump inside the turret and chassis one by one.

“Violet, can’t Rugilinn’s Titan drive itself?”

Sister Adela asked, puzzled, seeing us mount the tank.

She meant to ask why we were getting in if it was an intelligent fusion creature.

“That’s true, but I wanted to try driving it myself.”

We entered and each took our places. Even Enrique came in, looking curiously around the interior.

Titan, observing the now cramped interior, grumbled while sitting in the tank commander’s seat.

“I don’t have to have the commander inside. I can operate the weapons and drive autonomously.”

“But if I’m nearby, you can move faster and smoother, right?”

“That’s right, but then some of my power drains a bit. This is what you call magical power, right?”

Our tank fairy spread her hands, curiously observing the faint magical particles emanating from them.

According to Titan, moving by itself without Violets onboard felt like working while short on sleep.

Due to the close connection within our network, it seems it lost some of its autonomy.

“While you’re with me, it doesn’t matter whether you operate it or not. The things I see and hear from this tank, the commander will surely see and hear too, just like sharing a lab monkey’s or rat’s perspective. Give it a go.”

As I concentrated my will, our field of view, which had been confined to living things, suddenly expanded drastically.

In an instant, the narrow sights of the targeting scope, the tank commander’s periscope, and various newly added monitoring devices floated before my eyes.

The Violets in the network savored the strange feeling of merging with the machinery as they took turns observing the narrow view outside the periscope and zooming in and out of the targeting scope.

“So this is how tanks see. This is what it looks like in the infrared spectrum.”

“It feels kind of cramped.”

Despite the large size, the tank’s field of view was very limited. For practical operations, we would need to get accustomed through training.

“Tanks are like that by nature. That’s why a guard is needed to compensate for the visibility issue.”

Listening to Titan’s explanation, we focused on becoming accustomed to the tank’s senses.

When we combined our wills, our perspective shifted, and otherwise, we returned to our usual view.

The inspection was complete, and the ammunition was loaded.

“All right, let’s get moving!”

The tank sped into the firepower test site, having received clearance from Cascadia.

Dust swirled around as we charged into this training ground, built to shoot and smash at will, where three targets stood.

“I’ll take a shot!”

“Got it, Commander. From here on out, I’ll give the orders. Understood? Driver, halt. Gunner, identify and aim at the target. 1 o’clock, 800 meters forward!”

Rugilinn’s Titan directed its requests into our minds.

The Violets moved and operated the equipment as it instructed.

“No, not that! I mean, hit the other switch! The one marked green right next to it!”

Titan’s growing frustration was reflected in every word.

I understood why.

Rugilinn’s Titan wanted to command us to move just like it does its own body. However, it was impossible.

While we could move it however we pleased, the reverse was off the table.

Fundamentally, the tank fairy was tied to the network like V-animals, connected below it.

While it could ask us to say something or request information, it couldn’t operate our bodies.

I guess I’ll just let it handle everything else.

“Just manage the minor operations yourself! I just want to pull the trigger.”

“Ugh… Fine.”

Titan displayed its powers as a fairy.

Without even touching it, switches were moving on their own, and the lights on the control panel were flashing.

The automatic loading device swiftly moved and pushed rounds into the chamber.

The vibrations relayed from the rear nuclear engine intensified.

“Charge, aim, fire!”

Everything happened in an instant.

-Bang!

The metal projectile, accelerated by electromagnetic fields, broke the sound barrier as it left the barrel.

As the chassis shook, in the blink of an eye, the target was engulfed in a violent explosion.

Anomalies were confirmed right from the first shot.

“Huh? An explosion? Wasn’t that just a metal mass?”

Having piloted Titan back during the light tank days, I already knew. A railgun couldn’t produce that level of explosion.

Enrique murmured.

“That looked like magical power.”

“Magical power?”

“Yep, remember how I enhanced the attack with magic? It seems similar.”

After firing the main gun a few times, we recalled that Rugilinn’s Titan was a fusion entity.

Its attacks were laced with magical power.

“Didn’t see that coming, did we?”

To use magical attacks with conventional weapons usually required expensive projectiles made from high-grade materials, inscribed with intricate magic formulas.

Only special forces or elite frontline units would receive such expensive constructs.

Otherwise, an Awakened One would have to apply magical power to each shell individually.

But it was inconvenient and time-consuming, not to mention inefficient.

Yet we didn’t need to bother with that.

“Okay, let’s keep going! Titan, forward!”

We joyfully continued the firepower demonstration.

Firing from a stationary position, rapid-fire, machine-gun fire, and all sorts of tests we could perform.

“Yay!”

Enrique shouted in delight as the tank surged forward, flames erupting from its path.

The mobility and firepower tests were successfully concluded.

“How’s the condition? Are you satisfied with the weapons or engine?”

“It’s not familiar, but it feels new. Most importantly, my body doesn’t feel stiff.”

While Titan’s demeanor was gruff, summing up the emotions and opinions it expressed made it clear that it was pleased with the modifications.

If there were discomfort, it would have made a fuss about it.

It seemed ready to head into battle at any moment.

“Driving the tank was fun! It would have been even better if Levi had come along.”

The look on Enrique’s face as she jumped down from the tank was a mix of exhilaration and disappointment, as if she had just gotten off a ride at an amusement park.

I wanted to ride more as well, but there was still work to do.

As it happened, there was one more fact I hadn’t mentioned yet.

“Well, we can’t help that. There’s something else we need to do next.”

We threw out a statement that would catch Enrique by surprise.

“Then let’s take a break and go watch the planes later.”

“Planes?”

The surprise on Enrique’s face was fully present an hour later.

-Swoosh!

A sleek gray figure swiftly soared above the airfield.

The Violet Flight Squadron’s world record result in flight training over the last couple of months unfolded before our eyes.

“It’s a fighter jet?”

“Correct!”

Soaring through the skies was a vertical takeoff aircraft introduced to Cascadia by the Violet Flight Squadron.

“It’s taking off!”

Before the premier of the Violet jet fighter, Unit 1, we raised our glasses in celebration.

“Long live Cascadia! Long live Violet!”

As the fighter jet landed cautiously, our cheers blended with the sound of the jet slicing through the sky.