Chapter 17 of the Academy's Weapon Replicator

Chapter 5 Test (1)

A delivery arrived at my room. Inside was a letter.

[Just hope it isn't.]

Mr. Quinie, that's scary.

Soon, the third-year students will have their pro experience. At that time, the monsters from the 'Outside' that I had predicted would come.

Since I provided detailed information about when they would come, the weaknesses of the monsters, and how to respond, there shouldn't be much damage.

...Of course, that's assuming it's an attack by the 'Outside' monsters.

I checked the contents of the delivery.

First, a ring. It has a blue gemstone embedded in it.

[Viêt Trading Company's Magic Ring]

•Grade: Rare

•Description: A high-end ring handled by the Viêt Trading Company.

•Characteristic: Slightly increases the wearer's total mana.

If my guess is correct, this gemstone is a 'sapphire.'

In Etius, the effects of accessories are determined by the creator, but generally, the material of the metal greatly influences the stats.

The most important thing is the 'color.'

The redder the gemstone, the more it boosts strength or stamina needed for combat, and the bluer it is, the more it increases mana or intelligence. Green enhances dynamic vision, reflexes, and speed, while other colors are left to the creator's discretion.

If it's a sapphire, it's a blue gemstone, which is a high-value gem among mana accessories. It will be very helpful in increasing my mana.

I immediately put it on my ring finger. Before putting it on, the ring looked much larger than my finger, but once on, it fit perfectly. It's almost like an optical illusion.

And there's one more thing. I'm most looking forward to this.

An artifact to store the Black Spring.

I used a very vague expression when I asked Quinie to make it easy to draw and store water.

I'm looking forward to her sense.

"Is this it?"

I opened the box and lifted something that caught my hand.

"…What is this?"

A long metal chain. A small gemstone wrapped in elegant decorations.

What I'm looking at is a necklace.

It's clearly beautiful and high-end. The black gemstone reflects the requirement that its interior should not be visible.

I like both the design and the reflection.

…But this.

"How do you put the Black Spring in here?"

* * *

Teyven, a border region of the Terscht Empire.

This place is located opposite the Yeranhes territory, which is guarded by the head of the Loach family, Ampère.

Teyven is the territory of the Urfah family.

The head of this Urfah family is Readwi Urfah.

"So, how many dead and injured?"

"There were eleven deaths and about thirty injuries. Considering it was an incident caused by the monsters from the 'Outside,' it's quite low."

"Hmm, that's fortunate."

Readwi was sitting in a carriage, listening to the situation.

In the Teyven region, the third-year students of Constell were scheduled to have their 'pro experience.'

It's a regular assignment at Constell where they observe the tasks of pros and, if possible, get some simple practice.

However, it seems that 'Outside' monsters invaded the area where they were assigned.

"What kind of monster was it?"

"A Black Werewolf. It's believed to have separated from a pack."

"…So only eleven people died stopping it?"

Readwi was surprised.

Death is never a pleasant thing, but the fact that the number was so low, beyond imagination, is certainly a relief.

Werewolves, whose original form is a wolf, live in packs. When in a pack, they actively hunt prey, but when an individual separates, it becomes extremely stealthy.

While it acts like a fearless warrior when with its pack, it suddenly turns into an assassin when alone.

Black Werewolves, in particular, are even more stealthy, making them harder to deal with when alone.

Especially if it's from the 'Outside.'

"There was someone who predicted and prevented it. Moreover, they identified the weakness of the 'Outside' Black Werewolf, allowing for efficient and quick response."

"Oh, who?"

"Let's meet them. We've arrived."

The carriage stopped, and Readwi stepped out.

The scene was still bustling with the injured being moved and the identities of the deceased being confirmed.

Following his subordinate's guidance, he saw a familiar face.

"Isn't that the head of the Viêt family, Quinie?"

Readwi looked at Quinie de Viêt with an interested gaze.

I remember she was a student at Constell.

Since he often met with her as head of a family, her young age felt particularly significant at such times.

"…You've come. Readwi Urfah."

Quinie's expression didn't look very good as she greeted Readwi.

Her posture, covering her mouth with a fan, clearly showed she was trying to suppress her disgust.

"What's that face for? I hear thanks to you, the damage wasn't severe."

"…That's right. Thanks to me, eleven people died."

Quinie's self-deprecating words.

One corner of Readwi's eye twitched.

"Quinie, hasn't it gotten better yet?"

"…It seems it will get better with time."

"You did well. Many more could have died. You prevented that. Be proud of yourself."

"…Yes."

Quinie didn't feel much better, but she thought Readwi was right.

She had done her best. Even if she could go back in time, it would be difficult to handle it better than she did.

'…And eleven people died because of that.'

Quinie recalled the words of Frontier.

All the information he provided was correct. The identity of the 'Outside' monster, its weakness, and its habits.

Quinie had shared this information with the pros in advance to minimize the damage.

She even wanted to cancel the pro experience altogether.

But information without solid evidence lacks persuasiveness.

The pros, while acknowledging the possibility of Quinie's warning, couldn't cancel the entire schedule.

Despite her efforts, there were still casualties.

-You hate seeing people die, don't you?

Frontier's voice echoed in her ears.

More than any information he provided, this was the one piece of information Quinie least wanted to be known. Frontier had it from the beginning.

Judging by the timing and tone of his words, he didn't just say it casually.

Frontier clearly knew about the 'fear' that was Quinie's weakness.

'Let's think of it as a stroke of luck.'

Frontier didn't use this information to demand anything from Quinie. There was no threat.

It was just a fair trade.

Frontier provided information about the 'Outside' monster, and Quinie gave appropriate compensation.

This also means that Frontier wanted to maintain a good relationship with Quinie.

'Frontier. Hard to gauge.'

Quinie's habit of judging everything by money applies equally to people.

She believes that assigning the correct value is the fairest way to treat people.

To her, Frontier is a very concerning presence.

The fake Misteltain incident.

A series of actions in the dungeon.

And the information he gives her.

None of it is clear, all shrouded in mystery.

"Looks like it's hard to watch. Why don't you go rest somewhere?"

Readwi thought Quinie's expression was strained because of the bodies.

He is one of the few people who know about her weakness.

Therefore, such consideration is something only Readwi can offer her now.

"No. I am the head of the Viêt family."

That's right. She is the head of the Viêt family.

Quinie, the 'Little Demon,' who raised her family at a young age.

Her instincts as the head of the family are sounding the alarm.

Her intuition about 'Frontier' is sounding the alarm.

* * *

A few days later, inside a luxury sedan.

"Elodie, are you listening? Elodie?"

"…Ah, yes. Sorry, Dad."

"Just in case, when we arrive at the Loach mansion, call me 'Father.'"

"If you're going to be picky, you should have called my brother."

"If I call your brother, it'll just lead to another argument with Frontier. You know that."

Elodie sighed deeply at Ortel's words. She had been looking out the window the whole time.

Elodie and Ortel are heading to the Loach mansion.

The two families, which have a close relationship and high prestige, often meet like this to foster ties.

Given that both families have many enemies, such external activities are important. Showing the strong friendship between two prominent families discourages others from causing trouble.

"You seem unusually absent-minded. Is something on your mind?"

"…Yes, a little."

As he said, Elodie had been lost in thought.

Frontier's recent actions and words are peculiar.

His lazy and sleepy appearance remains the same.

From the Misteltain incident to the dungeon exploration a few days ago.

Even Aster seems to give Frontier a high evaluation.

-I'll take away your worries.

Frontier said this to Aster, and it actually happened.

In other words, Frontier knew the Misteltain was fake even before seeing it.

'How?'

There's only one answer.

'Frontier knows the true form of the Misteltain.'

What seemed like a boast now appears to be the truth. But if it's true, another problem arises.

How can a human know the true form of the Misteltain, something no one has ever seen?

…Frontier has divine power?

Someone among the gods must have shown the Misteltain to Frontier. If so, he would naturally know its form.

As far as Elodie knows, there's no other possibility.

…The thoughts are endless.

If it's true that Frontier has divine power.

What about the actions Frontier has shown so far?

Divine power is mostly determined at birth.

The gods have already chosen whom they will love.

In other words, it's highly likely that Frontier had divine power from the beginning.

Until now, she believed Frontier's lazy behavior was due to a lack of divine power and talent.

But what if Frontier actually had divine power?

All her assumptions would crumble.

'Frontier's laziness had a hidden purpose…?'

Frontier with divine power.

If he has divine power, it doesn't matter much if he lacks talent in combat. Now, it's even uncertain whether he truly lacks talent.

It's just a guess, but.

Frontier might have deliberately pretended to be lazy.

But for some reason, he stopped being lazy…

"Dad."

"Huh?"

"We haven't arrived yet."

"Still, you should start getting used to it."

"Yes, Father. By the way, is there anything I haven't heard about Frontier?"

Ortel tilted his head, not quite understanding Elodie's question.

"Huh? What haven't you heard?"

"I heard that Frontier has become less lazy at Constell recently. I was wondering if there's a reason."

"Oh, that. I heard from Ampère. He said Frontier was told to rank in the top ten of the year, or he would be excommunicated."

Elodie nodded at this and fell into thought again.

Top ten of the year. Excommunication if he fails.

He didn't want to be excommunicated.

…No.

-I can't help it. It's my fault, and it can't be undone.

Frontier's expression when he said this showed no regret.

While saying it was his fault, he didn't seem to think he was wrong.

It was as if it was a deliberate mistake. As if he was prepared for it to be irreversible.

"We've arrived."

A short while later, the car stopped, and Elodie's thoughts came to an end.

The two got out of the car and headed to the Loach mansion.