Chapter 42 of the Weapon Replicator of the Academy

Chapter 11: Dragon Heart (2)

"Even if you can see the future, it's not that impressive. Most of the time, it's more of a feeling. Excitement, joy, discomfort, anxiety. I feel the emotions of the future before I see the situation."

Philippa said.

She is actually experiencing future premonitions.

She says it's more of a feeling than an observation.

"Then, when the rock fell just now?"

"Hmm, that's how I got caught. Yes, I felt a sense of unease, like I shouldn't take another step. I didn't know it was a rock falling."

So Philippa avoided it but was still surprised.

She knew it was dangerous but didn't know the exact nature of the danger.

"Then, the reason you cast a spell on Aten."

"Aster makes Aten unhappy when they are together."

Philippa said firmly.

"I don't know exactly what will happen in the future. But I can tell that something terrible will happen if they are together. Every night, I feel a disgusting and ugly warning."

"..."

I didn't respond to her words.

I couldn't say it wasn't true.

Perhaps because it was the truth.

'A game no one has ever cleared.'

After everyone gave up and left the game, I was the last one to stay and try everything, but I still failed.

Philippa's vision of the future is natural.

Aster is a man who will lead humanity.

Naturally, Aten, his companion, will be the same.

So, when humanity falls, they will be the first to die.

I felt a bitter taste I couldn't do anything about.

I've lived with all my might in this world.

I applied my weaving ability, obtained the Black Heaven to replicate 'Gram,' repeatedly drained my mana to increase my total mana, defeated the golem, and stopped Seraph.

But even so.

Philippa's premonition is the same as the ending I know.

I still haven't interfered with the game's future at all.

I took a deep breath and exhaled.

'Broken game.'

I muttered my complaint in my breath.

I asked Philippa.

"Then, how can you have premonitions?"

There is no 'Future Premonition' skill.

Sometimes characters like Frondier have unique skills, but if future premonition were a unique skill, such a character would stand out.

"How do you think it works?"

"Is it divine power?"

But Philippa doesn't have divine power.

If she did, she wouldn't refrain from using it politically.

Philippa shook her head.

"It's not divine power. But in a way, it might be true divine power."

"What do you mean?"

"I am a descendant of Baldr."

I was surprised by Philippa's words.

Baldr, the female magician in Norse mythology.

They appear as 'the dead' from the beginning to the end of Norse mythology and are said to observe everything from the creation to the end of the world.

In Norse mythology, they often appear in scenes of prophecy, but that's only a part of their ability.

They know everything, past, present, and future.

"Even as a descendant, the blood is very diluted, so I can only have this level of premonition."

"Then, your parents?"

"My mother could do it. She never told anyone else."

So, is it possible for Aten too?

Philippa seemed to read my expression and said,

"I hope my daughters don't have this ability."

"Why?"

"They need to live their own lives. It's not good to be a meddlesome mother like me."

Philippa smiled awkwardly, hoping for a world where premonitions are unnecessary.

"Alright! Let's stop the depressing talk."

Philippa raised her voice.

"This time, it's your turn."

"The information about the Dragon Heart."

"Yes. I will use the Dragon Heart to maximize my 'premonition.' To save Aten, and to save the empire, I will see clearly what needs to be done and what needs to be prevented."

I understood Philippa's words.

It was indeed for Aten's sake.

I closed my eyes for a moment to gather my thoughts.

When I opened my eyes, I said,

"...I have one request."

"What is it?"

"The information I provide cannot be traced to a source. I can't prove its authenticity. The Empress must decide whether to believe it or not."

"Wow, you're saying this now?"

Just believe me.

It's probably the most hated phrase for Philippa, who is naturally suspicious.

But I have no choice.

I can't provide the source or prove the authenticity.

I said first,

"The Dragon Heart can be used."

"..."

Philippa's eyes widened.

Her laziness was slightly gone.

"An human who swallows the Dragon Heart becomes a cripple not just because of the enormous amount of mana, but mainly due to its nature."

In Etius, dragons are not sacred beings.

They are more like monstrous disasters.

Therefore, the Dragon Heart, their core, is also violent.

"So, we need to change its nature first."

"Change its nature? How?"

"By breaking it."

Philippa's mouth opened wide at my words.

It's a natural reaction.

"We need to create a spherical mana barrier to contain the Dragon Heart and break it inside. This way, the mana will be contained within the barrier and can be utilized."

When I played as Aster, I used this method with Lunia Presel's help.

Lunia is a genius in mana manipulation.

She created a huge mana barrier and broke the Dragon Heart inside.

While anyone could think of this with enough time, the problem is that the Dragon Heart needs to be broken.

There are only two Dragon Hearts in existence.

This sentence clearly shows the rarity of the Dragon Heart.

Even if it seems worth trying, no one can make the decision to break a Dragon Heart.

For this reason, the Dragon Heart has been a poisoned chalice within the empire.

Highly valued and admired, but never usable.

"Can you really use the Dragon Heart if you do that?"

"Believing it is up to you, Philippa."

Philippa hummed and fell into thought.

My words sounded plausible enough not to dismiss them as lies.

Philippa's suspicion works even with low probability.

She doubts everything, whether everyone believes it or not.

"Um, I'll try it if the opportunity arises."

Philippa said after some thought.

She seemed to decide to believe me.

After all, she would do anything for Aten.

* * *

A few days later.

Constel's practical exam.

"As you know, today is the practical exam."

All first-year students gathered in the field.

After lining up the students, teacher Alles spoke.

"You are still first-years, but I'll tell you now. If you graduate from Constel and become a 'Pro,' you will participate in various positions. Most of these will involve facing danger."

'Pro' refers to all professions that earn money through combat and magic.

Soldiers, hunters, court mages, mercenaries, etc.

Enrolling in Constel means aiming to become a 'Pro' after graduation.

"You can't guarantee that you will always have a strong and reliable companion when facing danger. You will often have to work with people who don't share your goals, don't get along, or don't work well together. Sometimes, you'll have to coordinate with someone you just met that day. That's what being a 'Pro' means."

Everyone tightened their expressions and nodded at Alles' words.

Satisfied with their reaction, Alles continued.

"The basic format of the practical exam is individual, but forming teams is not prohibited. However, the points earned will be distributed among team members."

Alles then held up his phone.

"If you want to form a team, touch the back of the phones distributed earlier. That will confirm the team."

If you are confident in your skills, go solo; otherwise, form a team.

This practical exam also emphasizes the objective evaluation of your skills.

The content of the exam is 'monster hunting.'

It's a large-scale exam using the entire field.

Drones circle the field, and the responsible teacher can see the entire field through the drones.

The drone footage is also visible to the audience.

We can't see the audience, but they are probably watching us through the drones.

The exam is simple.

Catch a monster and recover a material to prove it, like a horn or an ear.

Bring the materials to the teacher at the end to have your score tallied.

The ranking is determined by this.

However, there are cases of disqualification.

If you give up midway.

If you lose consciousness.

If you seriously injure another student.

In these cases, you get zero points, regardless of how many monsters you catch.

"Alright, start!"

With Alles' monotone signal, the students moved.

Some ran quickly to secure a spot, while others looked around to form teams.

I glanced around.

"Let's give it a try."

I stretched.

Practical exams are more important than written exams at Constel.

For me, practical exams are more stressful than written ones.

I can't cheat like in written exams, and my skills are inferior to other students.

However, I don't plan to form a team.

It might seem advantageous for the weak to form a team, but it's not always the case.

If there are no restrictions on team formation, strong students will naturally form teams with other strong students.

These teams will sweep the monsters.

I just need to catch monsters in my own way.

I have a lot of information about the field's geography, types of monsters, and their weaknesses.

I need to use this information to efficiently hunt monsters.

'If the top students