Chapter 5 of the Academy's Weapon Replicator

Chapter 2: The Branch in the Tube, Mistilteinn (1)

It was a night deeply shrouded in darkness.

A woman walked quietly.

Her long, blonde hair, illuminated by the moonlight, made her stand out in the surroundings.

Her slightly downturned eyes and calm gait.

Her eyes, filled with melancholy, gently pushed away the scenery, exuding a mysterious charm that could make any man turn back for a second look.

The woman continued her gentle pace,

"......Huh."

She opened her eyes. No, her eyes had been open all along; she had just woken up from sleep.

A few strands of hair were stuck to her lips.

"......Ah, we've arrived."

Elin looked at her house.

She checked her appearance.

"Nothing seems to be out of place, good."

Last time, she had walked home with a leaf on her head.

A yawn escaped her, still feeling sleepy. After all, when had she not been sleepy?

She opened the front door.

"Hey, big sister's here?"

Her younger sister, sitting on the sofa, greeted her. Or rather, she greeted her without taking her eyes off the Wizerview.

"Aster."

Elin gave her younger sister, Aster Evans, a doubtful look.

"Why?"

"Do you know a first-year from the Loah family?"

"Who's that?"

"I mean, Frontier. The human sloth, Frontier."

Aster tilted her head slightly after hearing Elin's words.

"......Who's that?"

Elin sighed.

Her sister was too indifferent to the outside world. She couldn't possibly not know who Frontier was.

"I heard you were with Frontier. In the training room."

"......Oh, that person?"

Aster said, as if something had just occurred to her.

"But we weren't together. I just greeted him as I passed by. He seemed to be waiting for someone."

"Hmm."

Elin let out a short snort and walked past Aster.

Aster watched her steps towards the refrigerator with a look of disbelief.

"Hey, is that it?"

"I was worried you might get involved in something strange."

Elin took out a water bottle and poured water into a cup.

From behind, she heard Aster's snicker.

"Ha, you're funny. Sleeping all day-"

Swish, Elin's hand swung.

The cup and the water it contained flew towards Aster, maintaining a perfect horizontal line as if placed on a table.

Aster caught it with her hand and leaned back to follow the momentum, slightly altering the direction of the force and spinning her body once.

Slosh, the water in the cup swayed.

Elin looked at it with a disinterested gaze.

"You spilled it."

"That's because you threw it like that!"

"Like that? Do you want to be thrown like that too?"

Damn, Aster swallowed her frustration and drank the water.

Considering her divine power, she couldn't even match Elin in a single punch.

Aster shifted her gaze to the Wizerview to forget about the pointless thoughts.

"Huh?"

The news was streaming on the Wizerview.

The content made Aster freeze.

[Next news. A party that cleared a dungeon near Solgtoph has discovered a divine object. The divine object is a branch nearly 2 meters long, and its appearance is similar to Mistilteinn, causing a stir-]

"Mistilteinn?"

Elin also reacted to Aster's mutter. She put down her cup of water and approached Aster.

On the screen, a member of the party was holding a transparent tube. Inside the tube was a long branch.

An interview was in progress.

[Why is it in the tube?]

[We didn't put it there. It was found in the dungeon like this.]

[Did you consider breaking the tube?]

[No way. If it's a divine object, including the tube, we might incur the wrath of the gods.]

[That makes sense. There are speculations that it might be Mistilteinn. What do you think?]

[We don't know. If it really is, we'd be happy!]

The party leader laughed heartily.

While listening to his voice, Aster carefully examined the branch in the tube.

Elin looked at Aster's expression and asked,

"......What do you think?"

"I don't know. I've never seen the real thing."

"Does He have any reaction?"

Aster shook her head.

The 'He' Elin referred to was Baldr. As the weapon that killed him, she had hoped it might give Aster some hint.

Most gods, for reference, have 'died.' As they have in long histories and myths.

However, this doesn't mean they have completely vanished. They have merely left the human world.

They now exist in the 'World of Salvation,' a concept higher than the Greek 'Elysium' or the Norse 'Helheim' in their respective mythologies.

Therefore, Baldr should also be there, and if he wished, he could give Aster some hint or clue.

Unfortunately, Aster received no hint from Baldr.

Still, her eyes remained fixed on the branch.

"Still, you want to confirm, right?"

"Yeah. If it really is Mistilteinn, I have to get it."

The branch that killed Baldr.

For Aster, who was loved by Baldr, it was a direct weakness.

Conversely, if she could obtain it, her greatest weakness would disappear.

Moreover, if she could handle it,

If there was someone who could use the divine object, someone who could get the gods' permission to use it, wouldn't that be her alone?

[Then, what do you plan to do with the divine object? It can't be used as it is.]

[We think it's too presumptuous for us to possess. We are considering selling it if we can get a fair price.]

"......Aster."

"I know."

The weapon would certainly fetch an astronomical price. Whether it was real or fake didn't matter. Even if it was fake, it would be considered real until the real one appeared.

A family unrelated to combat would never use the weapon.

They would merely enshrine it in their family without proving its authenticity.

That alone would boost their reputation, and the price would skyrocket for that purpose alone.

For a commoner like Aster Evans, it was an unimaginable price.

* * *

"Did you hear? About that Mistilteinn."

"Aren't they canceling the auction?"

A few days later.

In Constell, the talk of Mistilteinn was in full swing.

Both students and professors were focused on this topic.

The party that discovered Mistilteinn had put the divine object up for auction, but it was soon canceled.

This was expected. The offers from noble families were beyond mere monetary value.

Ultimately, the heads of noble families were to gather and reach an agreement. Lesser nobles wouldn't even be allowed to attend.

Today was the day of the noble meeting.

Rarely, today, the attention in the classroom was on Frontier.

Regardless of his character, Frontier was the son of a prestigious family.

His father, Ampere de Loah, was known for his deep love for his son.

Here, the son refers to his brother, Azie, not Frontiers.

Moreover, Frontiers' recent statement.

His incomprehensible boast, "Mistilteinn doesn't look like that," had spread throughout the year. The moment of truth was about to come.

For these various reasons,

Today, interest in Frontiers in Constell had skyrocketed.

Of course, Frontiers himself was, as usual, drowsy and lethargic.

"Frontiers."

After school, Elodie came to Frontiers' classroom.

In Constell, each grade has six classes.

Elodie and Frontiers were in the same grade but different classes.

Frontiers was in Class 5, and Elodie was in Class 2 with Aster.

Since Aster is the protagonist in the game Ethius, many named characters are in Class 2.

As Elodie approached Frontiers, the students' gazes followed.

However, Elodie's actions were, in a way, natural.

She was also the daughter of a prestigious family, from the Risha family, rivals of the Loah family. She would naturally attend today's meeting.

"Don't say anything strange at the meeting."

Elodie warned.

"Strange things?"

"Like, 'Mistilteinn doesn't look like that.'"

"I won't say that. Don't worry."

"Worry? I'm just afraid of being embarrassed. Well, if you won't say anything foolish, that's a relief."

Elodie sighed demonstratively.

Frontiers smiled.

For a moment, a light shone in his drowsy face.

"Even without saying anything strange, it's mine."

"......What?"

What did he just say?

"Mine?"

"Ah, the Loah family's, I mean."

"You could have said it that way. Don't be so vague."

* * *

Frontiers and Elodie headed towards the school gate together.

Many students watched them.

As if they were watching a bride and groom leaving a wedding.

Of course, their relationship was the opposite.

"Elodie."

Someone approached them. It was Aster.

The two promising students in the same class naturally had a close relationship.

According to the game's timeline, this was when Aster would start talking to Elodie.

"Good luck."

"Thanks. I don't have much to do, though."

Elodie laughed, making a joke.

Aster also laughed, but her smile was slightly stiff.

"Elodie, can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure?"

"I know it's a long shot, but if possible, get Mistilteinn. I'd feel reassured if you had it."

Elodie smiled bitterly at Aster's request. She was aware of Aster's situation. However, it wasn't as simple as it sounded.

From the Risha family's perspective, Mistilteinn wasn't a desirable item.

If they could get it, they would, but it wasn't worth bleeding their assets over.

The Loah family was the most likely to get it.

The head of the family, Ampere, was known to do anything for Azie.

There was a reason Frontiers said Mistilteinn was his.

"......I'll try."

Elodie said.

Depending on how the meeting progressed, she might be able to voice her opinion. It might not mean much, but it was worth a try.

"Don't worry, Aster Evans."

Suddenly, Frontiers spoke.

Aster looked at him.

They had only met a few times, aside from their encounter in the training room.

To Aster, Frontiers calmly said,

"I'll take care of your worries."

With that, Frontiers walked away.

Elodie followed a moment later.

"What did he mean by that? 'Take care of your worries.'"

"Exactly what he said."

What did he mean by 'exactly what he said'?

Elodie's expression turned uneasy.

In fact, Frontiers had a more pressing and nerve-wracking issue than the meeting itself.

The person waiting for him at the school gate was the problem.

"Frontiers."

A cold voice called out from the stopped carriage.

Frontiers' first impression of the man was that he was like a finely honed blade.

Sharp and upright eyes. His tightly pressed lips symbolized the same.

His appearance, by beauty standards alone, could be counted among the most handsome in the continent, but few would approach him, fearing they might be cut by his sharpness.

"......Brother."

This man was Frontiers' older brother, Azie de Loah.

The official overpowered character in Ethius, inheriting all of the head of the Iron Wall, Ampere's, talents and surpassing them.

"Your delay is considerable. Get in the carriage. Father is waiting."

Azie moved without giving Frontiers a chance to speak.

It was a natural gesture, as it should be.

Elodie, who had come with them, was already in the carriage provided by the Risha family.

"......Yes."

Frontiers got into the carriage.

This man, whom he saw for the first time today, was his brother,

The person most likely to uncover Frontiers' true identity.