Chapter 26 of the Academy's Weapon Replicator

Chapter 8: Deception

The first thing thrown was a dagger.

The next thing, judging by the throwing stance, was some kind of spear.

After getting closer, the thing he swung was probably a two-handed sword.

Elin is watching the fight of Frontier, over and over again.

From the countless times she watched the scene, she could gradually figure out the identities of the invisible weapons used by Frontier. She could even guess the types, lengths, and weights of the weapons.

And the last one.

The sword that cut through the golem.

Only this sword was not transparent and could be clearly seen by Elin.

Even without using aura, the technique of cutting was still clumsy, yet it easily sliced through the golem.

Certainly, the weapon itself must be of a different caliber.

However, somehow.

It seems familiar, as if she has seen it somewhere before──

"Elin, Elin!"

"……!"

Elin opened her eyes. She was in the classroom.

Giselle from the same class was waving her hands in front of Elin.

"What's going on? You used to only sleep while walking, but now you're sleeping in the classroom. Well, maybe this is more normal? Should I be relieved?"

"I didn't sleep."

She did sleep.

Elin, who was so accustomed to sleep, had surprisingly reached the stage where she could dream what she wanted.

In recent events, she could even replay and review her memories like this.

Anyway, Frontier is a very mysterious person.

Lazy, with no ambition or desire for improvement, and his talent was only average, he was just a useless person who only brought fame to his family.

……or so the rumors clearly said.

Rumors are inherently unreliable, but could they be this different?

What did the people who spread the rumors see in Frontier?

"How's your side?"

"……Ah, it's fine."

Taking the opportunity to answer Giselle, Elin checked her side.

Although it was still bandaged, the pain was not severe enough to hinder her daily life. Of course, this was by her standards.

It's true that the golem's spear cut her quite deeply, even though she managed to avoid it.

"I really, every day you just sleep, but you recover so quickly in this aspect. Is it good or bad that you have such stamina?"

"I only sleep to conserve energy."

"Uh-huh. I know."

Giselle waved her hand, not wanting to hear Elin's explanation again, which she had heard countless times.

Hmm, Elin felt a bit embarrassed and pursed her lips. Had she really talked about this so much?

"You were too reckless, even though it was for a friend. You should have called for more people or told a teacher. It's fortunate that it was resolved, but."

"……There wasn't time. Edwin's condition looked dangerous."

While speaking, Elin felt a slight sense of guilt.

As Giselle said, the other students at Constel believed that Elin had solved the incident alone.

They didn't know that there was another person, who had contributed even more than her. But Elin didn't say anything about it.

This was solely at the request of the contributor, Frontier.

- "You don't have to lie, but please don't tell others that I was there. It will just complicate things. It might also cause Edwin to misunderstand."

Because of this, Elin didn't deliberately mention that Frontier was there.

……Could it be that Frontier has been hiding his contributions like this all along?

……Could it be?

"Need to get a new sword, right?"

"Yeah. I'm going to check it out today."

After the fight with the golem, Elin's sword was damaged.

It was due to the weapon-stealing technique, 'Nakjang.'

The original 'Nakjang' of Aji is said to leave no marks on the opponent's weapon.

However, the 'Nakjang' shown by the golem was too crude and rough, leaving her sword in tatters.

……It's a bit annoying to have been caught by such a crude technique.

But the blacksmith who originally made it was too far away.

Elin and her younger brother Aster had come this long distance to enroll in Constel.

So, she needed to find a weapon shop or blacksmith near Constel.

Giselle smiled slyly.

"Want me to go with you? Elin, you seem like the type who might get scammed when buying a weapon."

"……Ugh, no, it's fine."

Actually, she was going to ask Giselle first, but now she didn't want to.

Come on, I need to see and decide for myself.

Getting scammed, who do they think I am.

* * *

"Customer, if you're going to have a sword, shouldn't you choose a lifelong companion?"

"……That's a fair point, but still,"

"Right? That's why you should use our sword made of Bipangang (非破鋼)."

It was smooth.

Elin's eyes were spinning from the merchant's lengthy explanation.

At first, she was clearly examining the swords with her own eyes.

But then the merchant subtly approached, recommending various weapons, and the prices gradually increased to this point.

Feeling the momentum, she thought she might end up buying this sword. And the thought that it would be fine to buy it at this price quietly arose.

In fact, the purchase was already decided, and the only thing left was her self-justification.

The merchant, noticing this, spoke with even more enthusiasm.

"What do you think? A famous sword made of the purest Bipangang doesn't allow for price negotiation. However, if you have it, it will be a reliable companion to protect your own safety, and even the lives of those you cherish-"

"Is this Bipangang?"

At that moment, a voice interrupted the merchant.

The merchant quickly turned his head and smiled kindly at the man who interrupted.

"Ah, by the way. This is steel made from special processes using ore from the 'One-Year Ice Vasteres' in the north."

The man was looking at the sword, seemingly listening to the merchant's explanation or not.

Elin, a bit surprised, stared blankly at the man.

The man was Frontier.

"Customer, what do you think? If you use a sword, this item is perfect for you,"

At that point, Frontier smiled. It's unclear what was funny about the merchant's words, but Frontier said,

"Like calling a cubic a diamond."

"……?? What, what did you say?"

The merchant, taken aback by Frontier's calm words, soon frowned. Elin, who had been listening, looked at the sword again in surprise.

In other words, this is fake?

"Hey, you, what's your problem coming here and causing trouble? Are you saying this is fake?"

"Yes. It's not even Bipangang. It's a mixture of impurities that hasn't even properly formed into steel, so to speak, it's scrap metal."

"Scrap metal? Hey! You brat! Show me! Do you have any proof?! Where did you get such nonsense!"

The merchant was furious, fuming. Even though she was standing right next to him, Frontier remained calm.

Indeed, at this point, Frontier's calmness was admirable.

Proof, Frontier muttered, and then,

He took the supposedly famous sword in his hand, held it horizontally, and with his other hand, swiped it from top to bottom.

Clang!

Some kind of phenomenon occurred, and a loud noise was heard as his hand passed through the air in front of the sword.

And the sword broke in two.

"Wh-What!"

The merchant stepped back in shock.

He was more surprised that it was broken by a bare hand. To an ordinary person, it would look that way.

Of course, Elin knew the truth to some extent, but naturally, she kept her mouth shut here.

"If you advertise such a sword as Bipangang, I might not care, but the Association 'Smishingd' won't let it slide."

"I, I didn't know! I'm just a merchant who receives and introduces items!"

"Is that so? Then, including you, all the manufacturers who provided these items have committed crimes. They all need to be arrested."

"Is, is that possible?"

"Of course. In the name of Roah, it's more than enough."

At the mention of 'Roah', the merchant knelt down, completely cowering.

Without being asked, he even revealed his past crimes.

Frontier shrugged and looked at Elin.

"Then, what should we do?"

"……Hmm, me?"

"Of course. You were almost scammed, after all."

Elin was unsure how to react and looked around.

Indeed, I was almost scammed.

"Um, we should report it?"

She was almost scammed, but Elin was ruthless when it came to crime.

She wasn't weak and fell for the scam.

She just didn't know better.

The merchant's voice of despair was heard.

* * *

"By the way, why are you getting a new sword? What about the one you had?"

"It's broken and can't be used. Because of the golem's Nakjang."

After leaving the weapon shop, the two walked down the brick road.

'Rubane', a region near Constel known for its various shops and food.

Frontier, eating the local specialty 'Twin Egg Bread', tilted his head.

"Nakjang……?"

"Yes. It seems the golem's Nakjang wasn't a proper one."

At these words, Frontier seemed to be thinking about something.

So, an incomplete Nakjang damages the opponent's weapon. That's what he muttered.

"You? You also lost your weapon to Nakjang. You managed to get it back, though."

Elin thought about the last weapon Frontier showed.

It was strange. That weapon should have been damaged by Nakjang, but Frontier's reaction was completely different.

"Ah……. My weapon was already in bad condition from the start. After that incident, it was even more damaged, but I didn't know it was due to Nakjang."

Frontier took a while but gave a plausible answer.

Elin recalled the appearance of that sword.

Well, the design and forging method did look outdated.

……The more she thought about it, the more it seemed familiar.

"But you shouldn't go to a weapon shop. It's better to entrust it to a reliable blacksmith."

"I would have, but since I came to Constel, I don't have such connections."

Elin spoke calmly, but as the situation unfolded, she realized she was in a more difficult position than she thought.

If she was in this situation, her younger brother Aster would be in a similar one.

I need to find a solution.

"Then, shall I introduce you to someone?"

At that moment, Frontier spoke.

"You know a blacksmith?"

"No, not an introduction. I don't have a close relationship with them."

Frontier said something strange.

"You know a blacksmith, but you don't have a close relationship with them?"

"Um, it's a bit complicated to explain. But he's a really reliable person."

Elin thought for a moment. But her thoughts didn't last long. She decided to trust Frontier.

After all, if she didn't, she might get scammed again. Frontier, who just caught the scam, was much better.

"Then, I'll be indebted to you."

"No problem."

Frontier answered briefly, as if it was nothing.

Elin looked at Frontier's profile for a moment.

Frontier's face was definitely lazy. He even looked sleepy.

If I were to see myself sleeping, would I look like this? Elin suddenly thought.

"……Frontier."

"Yes."

"Why are you helping me?"

"……."

"Why, last time and this time."

Elin had asked before. Why did you save me? Frontier, just before collapsing, said that Elin was someone who shouldn't die.

She didn't understand what that meant.

If she thought about it simply, it was a very childish thought.

The favor Frontier was showing her might be-

"……Senior Elin is,"

Frontier spoke. He looked at Elin steadily, as if considering what to say.

Even the pause in his thoughts seemed like Frontier was looking at Elin,

"Like a child put up for sale."

"……What?"

"You have sleepwalking, right?"

"……No, it's not sleepwalking. It's a sleep method I created to conserve energy in emergencies,"

"Yet you almost got scammed just now."

"I have nothing to say about that."

Elin's honest admission made Frontier laugh.

"There aren't many people I worry about. Everyone just worries about me."

Now that she thought about it, was she being worried about by the human sloth, Frontier?

Me, who is called the best swordsman in Constel?

……It's a bit humiliating.

"That worry is a misunderstanding. Just now, such things don't usually happen, but you'll adapt quickly. Even when you sleepwalk, you wake up if something dangerous happens. You're more careful than you think."

"Those are the words to use when someone is right."

Frontier answered playfully.

That was definitely the same answer Elin had given to the merchant earlier.

……Wait, hold on?

Then?

"……How long have you been watching? Me talking to that merchant."

"Since the merchant said, 'Customer, that sword is good, but how about this one?'"

Almost from the beginning.

"Then, you saw me getting drawn in by him the whole time?"

"Ah- then I'll contact the blacksmith separately,"

"Answer properly, will you?"