Chapter 22 of the Academy's Weapon Replicator

Chapter 6: Golem (3)

...Thus.

Until nightfall, Edwin concealed himself in the nearby bushes.

There was still no sign of any movement to find him within Constell.

Calming his anxious heart, Edwin waited patiently.

Finally, as evening fell and the students returned, the darkness grew still.

If he stayed any longer, he might be discovered by other faculty or security guards. Edwin decided to move.

"Follow me."

The ground split, and dirt rained down. The golem, buried beneath the earth, rose to its feet.

He would need to clean the dirt from its body later, but that was a problem for another time.

Edwin moved swiftly, keeping his surroundings on guard.

He decided that it was better to make a little noise than to risk encountering anyone.

His judgment was correct, until he reached the training room.

"…Huh!"

Edwin saw someone coming out of the training room entrance.

He quickly scanned his surroundings, but there was no place to hide.

'Wait, hold on.'

Edwin focused his vision on the figure emerging from the training room entrance.

It was Elin.

Though her eyes were open, her face was expressionless, and her gaze was unfocused.

'…She’s sleeping.'

Elin’s sleepwalking was well-known within Constell. As her friend, Edwin naturally knew about it.

She claimed it wasn’t sleepwalking but a way to process sleep and actions simultaneously for efficiency, but to others, it looked the same.

'Good. I’ll pass by carefully.'

When Elin was in this state, she rarely woke up. She would only do so if she sensed danger, but he wasn’t going to disturb her.

Edwin held his breath, minimizing his footsteps, and slowly moved away from Elin’s path.

The golem, which made more noise than Edwin, couldn’t move much. But it wouldn’t collide with Elin.

Thud, the distance between Edwin and Elin grew closer. Edwin’s eyes remained fixed as he watched her approach.

Elin slowly approached the spot where Edwin was standing,

and walked past him.

'…Phew.'

He let out a silent sigh of relief.

'Good, it’s a short distance from here to the lab.'

Just as Edwin was about to move,

he caught a glimpse of Elin, who had stopped.

Edwin froze.

Elin,

stood still.

She should have continued walking.

She should have remained in a deep sleep.

She should have kept going unless she sensed danger.

But she stopped.

Her back, which had been facing forward, now turned sideways.

She tilted her head and a slow voice emerged.

"…Smell of blood."

"!"

Edwin held his breath.

Elin’s focus returned. Her eyes sank deeply.

She looked straight at Edwin.

"…You."

Elin looked at Edwin’s face.

Though it was dark and not very clear,

the coldness in her expression was palpable in the air.

"What did you do?"

Edwin didn’t answer. Instead, he took a step back.

Elin’s eyes narrowed at the sight.

"What’s that next to you?"

Elin took a step closer to Edwin.

Her right hand was already on the hilt of the sword at her waist.

Elin scanned the golem standing next to Edwin.

"Is it yours?"

High-quality metal, extremely high level of craftsmanship, surging mana.

Edwin couldn’t have made something like this.

It wasn’t a matter of his knowledge or skills, but of equipment and funding.

"…I can smell blood from it."

Elin’s steps were unwavering.

As she got closer to Edwin, she saw the fear in his expression.

This, could it be.

"…Did you kill someone with that?"

"No, no!"

"Then why are you acting like a scared dog?"

Hostility rose from Elin’s body.

No matter what Edwin had done, Elin could forgive him. He was her friend, and she trusted him.

But if he had killed someone, and it was a murder using a golem, and he was trying to hide it.

"Edwin. I’ll ask you again."

Elin drew her sword.

The blade, reflecting the moonlight sharply, was as cold as her gaze.

"What did you do with that?"

"…I just thought about it."

Edwin’s eyes darted around as if fleeing from something.

"I just thought it shouldn’t be discovered, and this golem… it acted on its own…"

"…Acted on its own, and killed someone?"

"No! I didn’t kill anyone!"

"Are you sure?"

Edwin fell silent.

Elin’s eyes grew colder.

"Whose golem is that?"

"…."

"Did you take something that wasn’t yours, use it to assault someone, and without checking if they were dead or alive, run away and try to hide the golem?"

Each word from Elin was like a blade piercing Edwin.

Edwin bit his lip. He couldn’t offer a single excuse.

"Have you really fallen so far? Edwin."

"…! Don’t say it like that-!"

Whoosh, the golem charged at Elin, gripping its spear with both hands and slashing horizontally.

Elin nimbly stepped back.

"…Edwin."

"…."

Edwin, too shocked to move, just watched.

If that attack had hit Elin, she would have surely died.

Did I really want that?

The shadows under his feet, bathed in moonlight, were chaotic. The darkness seemed to crawl up from his feet, invading him.

"Really, it seems the golem moves on its own when you think about it. And it does so excessively."

The golem’s attack made Elin even more composed.

Her thoughts changed.

─This golem is not normal.

Edwin probably didn’t really want to kill her. Even if he did, this kind of attack wasn’t like Edwin.

If his expression wasn’t an act, he was as surprised by the golem’s movements as anyone.

"Edwin, stop the golem."

"What, what?"

"Deactivate it. You don’t want to make things worse, do you?"

"R-right."

Edwin regained his composure.

Right, deactivating it would solve the problem. If he did that, the golem wouldn’t act on its own again.

Why hadn’t he thought of that before?

Edwin extended his hand toward the golem—

still half-dazed, he looked at Elin.

"…Elin."

"Why?"

"Will you tell anyone else?"

"…."

Elin was so unfamiliar with Edwin’s current state that she was almost bewildered.

Where was the just and strong-willed Edwin she knew?

He was a bit timid, but considerate, and though he might lower his head without realizing it, he never fell.

Where was the Edwin who never even considered crossing the line?

"…Edwin."

"Answer me!"

"…."

"If this golem really killed someone, I’m finished. Stealing the golem is dangerous enough, but if it killed someone, I, I’m completely done for."

Edwin slowly retracted his hand extended toward the golem.

He had no intention of deactivating it.

Instead, Edwin tried to persuade Elin.

"Just, pretend you didn’t see anything."

"…."

"We’re friends, Elin. You know what will happen to me if this gets out. Don’t make me a murderer."

Elin slowly and deeply closed her eyes.

Ah.

Edwin von Behertio, you’ve really changed.

"Whether you’re a murderer or not isn’t for me to decide. You don’t know if those people are really dead or not."

"Right? So…"

"And,"

Elin gripped her sword and took a stance. Any further conversation was meaningless.

"…It’s not for you to decide. Edwin."

With those words, Elin’s aura shifted to full combat mode.

Edwin just watched, stunned.

Until a moment ago, Elin was calm, but she was angry at him, her friend.

Her reprimand and advice were tinged with a youthful coldness.

But now, all those personal emotions were gone. She saw Edwin as an enemy.

"…Elin!!!"

As Edwin shouted, the golem responded, stomping the ground.

Its massive body shot toward Elin like an arrow.

A sharp thrust.

Elin dodged and looked for an opening.

‘…Damn.’

The golem’s spear technique was precise.

The opening after the thrust was already gone by the time she dodged.

‘Of course, it’s a golem. It doesn’t rely on its durability or defense. It just follows its programming.’

If the golem were a living creature, it would have easily found an opening. Stronger beings often rely on their durability.

‘My chances of winning are slim. This golem is probably the work of some teacher.’

Elin, with her sword skills ranking among the top in Constell, had never been beaten by her younger brother Aster in mock battles.

So her sword skills weren’t inferior to the golem’s spear techniques.

It was just a matter of power.

If the golem focused only on defense, it could easily block Elin’s mana-infused attacks.

Even if she found an opening, she wasn’t sure if she could deal enough damage.

‘I need to end this quickly.’

While I still have mana to spare.

I need to land a fatal blow with a single attack.

Boom!

The golem pursued Elin with heavy steps.

With her mind made up, Elin shifted to defense.

She looked for an opening in the golem’s attacks and aimed for a single, decisive strike.

The golem persistently chased Elin, who dodged left and right.

Each