Chapter 32 of the Academy's Weapon Replicator

Chapter 9: Menosorpo (6)

At Frontier's words, a silence fell over the room.

Grobelle wasn't deliberately keeping his mouth shut.

He was momentarily confused.

'What should I say?'

To Frontier, Rockbell must look like a hostage. He probably doesn't think of him as Grobelle's brother.

So, it's natural for Frontier to demand Rockbell. For the hostage's safety.

Initially, the reason Frontier stopped running and came this far was because of Rockbell.

"I don't know what you want. But you must want this kid enough to use him as a hostage, right? That's why I came here. Send the kid to me."

Frontier's words made Grobelle laugh.

It was a laugh mixed with bravado.

"Huh, did you really think your offer would work?"

"If it doesn't, I'll just go back into the house. You might have noticed, but there's an escape route in the basement. Do what you want with the kid, kill him or let him live."

"If the kid dies, you're finished too, right?"

"Well, I'm going to die anyway, but I'll die later."

Saying this, Frontier took a step back.

He really looked like he was about to go back into the burning house.

Grobelle's jaw tightened.

'Damn, why are you so confident?'

He thought Frontier would come out of the house, trembling with fear.

But instead, Frontier was standing there confidently, trying to negotiate.

At that moment, Serf said,

"Alright, I'll send the kid."

Grobelle was surprised and turned his gaze to Serf.

If this kid were a stranger, it wouldn't matter. But Rockbell is his brother.

Send his brother to that sloth?

Serf smiled reassuringly at Grobelle.

Grobelle, though reluctant, nodded and said to Frontier,

"Alright, I'll send him."

"Send him alone."

"──Alright."

Grobelle patted Rockbell's back.

It was a signal to go.

Rockbell, with his anxious steps, moved toward Frontier.

...At this moment, Rockbell's mind was almost in a state of panic.

'What? Am I really going?'

He didn't understand how the conversation was progressing, and suddenly he was being pushed away by his brother.

For a ten-year-old boy, this was a terrifying situation.

'Just act like you're crying, right?'

There was no need to act anymore; he felt real tears coming.

With that expression, Rockbell took one step, then another, toward Frontier.

Frontier was looking at Rockbell with a cold expression, which made Rockbell even more scared.

Just as Rockbell's feet reached close to Frontier,

Thud, the sound of Frontier's foot hitting the ground.

The cold-faced Frontier suddenly lunged at Rockbell.

"Ah!"

Rockbell flinched in surprise.

Then,

Clang!

He heard the sound of metal behind him.

"......Huh?"

Rockbell turned to look behind him.

Thud, a broken arrow fell. Frontier had run to Rockbell and blocked the arrow for him.

He didn't know how Frontier did it. How he did it didn't matter to Rockbell.

What mattered was...

'I, someone shot an arrow at me...'

Rockbell stared blankly at the mercenaries, focusing on Serf Daniel in the center.

Even though they hadn't known each other for long, Serf Daniel had always been kind and smiling.

Serf Daniel, with that same smile, was holding a bow.

"Wha...?"

That was all he could say. His vision blurred, and fear pressed heavily on his lungs.

Amidst this, Frontier, who had blocked the arrow, held Rockbell and said,

"Hold on tight."

At these words, Rockbell instinctively grabbed Frontier's sleeves with both hands.

Frontier, holding Rockbell, ran into the burning house.

* * *

"Serf, you damn bastard!!"

Grobelle grabbed Serf by the collar. His hands trembled with rage.

Serf had shot an arrow at Rockbell, his own brother.

Even with his collar grabbed, Serf said with a brazen face,

"Tsk, it failed."

"Failed? What the hell, you son of a bitch-!!"

Grobelle's anger exploded, and he shouted.

But just as he was about to punch Serf in the face, he suddenly stopped.

"Let go of your hands."

"......"

Grobelle silently released Serf's collar. His eyes were unfocused.

One of the mercenaries, seeing this, spoke up.

"What, what's going on...?"

"Shut up, all of you."

But before he could finish, Serf cut him off.

Instantly, the focus of all the mercenaries blurred. They stood there, just as powerless and blank as Grobelle, their bodies limp.

This was Serf's ability, 'Mind Control.'

If the conditions were met, Serf could control the other person as he wished.

The conditions were: Serf had to show the other person his card, the other person had to read the card and confirm the name, and remember the name 'Serf Daniel' in their mind.

While it didn't work well on people with strong willpower, it was fine for this group of mercenaries.

"Tsk. It wasn't a bad idea."

Serf clicked his tongue.

Originally, if things went wrong, he planned to put the kid Rockbell in the cabin. The scenario was that 'Frontier trapped the kid in the house and burned him to death.'

The next scenario was that 'Frontier shot the kid with an arrow and killed him,' but it didn't go as planned.

"Frontier, as I heard, can use Aura."

Serf was certain.

He had Gregory's report.

Gregory, who specialized in taming, had gathered information within Constel using various animals.

However, Frontier was not in his network. His discovery was a coincidence.

At the time, Serf was listening to Gregory's report as usual at his residence.

The first mention was Elodie.

"When Elodie and Frontier were together, Frontier blocked all the broken glass with his bare hands."

Gregory said, but Serf was skeptical.

"Based on that alone, you concluded that Frontier can use Aura?"

"It's not just that."

Serf looked at Gregory, the raven in front of him, with a look that said to continue.

Gregory lowered his voice as if about to reveal something significant.

"Golem."

"......!"

"The golem that caused the loss of many members of the 'Actober' faction in Constel, which was supported by Indus. Frontier broke it. At the time, it wasn't a big issue, but looking back, it's clear that it was Frontier's doing. And at that time, too,"

"......With his bare hands."

With these pieces of evidence, it was credible that Frontier could use Aura.

However, the incompetent Frontier using Aura, and with his bare hands, was hard to believe.

"How can the sloth Frontier use Aura?"

"He must have received divine power. Sometimes it happens. Someone might catch the eye of a god by chance, later in life. I heard that Frontier has been actively participating in classes recently. He must have received divine power."

...Indeed, was it Aura granted by a god?

"If the opponent can use Aura, it's dangerous even in numbers. Serf, it seems you saved the mercenaries, but intentionally put Frontier in a disadvantageous situation. Create as much evidence as possible that Frontier killed or kidnapped the kid. The killing can come later."

...Thinking about Gregory's report, when the arrow was blocked just now.

Frontier was bare-handed.

He didn't catch the arrow or hit it away with his hand. The arrow clearly broke in mid-air and fell.

It was Aura granted by a god. Blocking an arrow would be easy.

"......Evidence."

Frontier ran back into the house. The escape route inside is real, right?

If he takes a kid through a narrow escape route, evidence will pile up on its own, even if Serf does nothing.

It could look like Frontier kidnapped the kid.

Serf's eyes were on the burning house.

"Go."

Following Serf's command, all the mercenaries entered the house.

They cleared the fire and smoke and barely discovered the basement.

When they went down and were about to search the escape route,

"......Hmm."

One of Serf's eyes twitched slightly.

It was clearly an escape route. Or rather, it was a collapsed escape route.

Rocks had fallen from above, completely blocking it.

Frontier had collapsed the ceiling from inside after entering.

Serf shouted,

"Search outside! This kind of escape route can't be long! He couldn't have gone far!"

* * *

"Huff... Huff..."

I was crawling through the escape route, carrying the kid on my back.

I tied him to my back using my coat to prevent him from falling.

After blocking the arrow, I held the kid and fled to the basement, entered the escape route, and collapsed the entrance.

Before that, I laid the kid under me, made a shield with Black Heaven, and placed it on my back.

Then, I cut the entrance with Gram, blocking the falling rocks with the shield.

The kid fainted from the shock.

...No, that wasn't the only reason.

The kid's mind couldn't handle the enormity of what happened.

'Serf...'

When I blocked the arrow aimed at the kid, I made a shield with weaving.

My reaction speed wasn't naturally fast.

I knew Serf, that brat, would shoot the arrow. If the kid died in front of me, it would be much easier to make me the culprit.

'