Chapter 58 of the Weapon Replicator of the Academy

Chapter 16, Ambush (3)

If you go straight to the west of the capital Silester, you'll come across a dense forest.

Venturing into the thick coniferous forest, you'll find a massive tower standing alone against a cliff.

This place is not easy to discover unless you know its exact location.

The trees and the cliff serve as a natural barrier.

Since it's hidden by nature, it can't even be detected by magical senses.

The reason I can find it is simply because I know it.

I discovered it through countless repetitions of the game.

The journey here was more uncomfortable than expected.

I was walking along a narrow path that only Elysia uses.

Following a narrow gap that's almost embarrassing to call a path, pushing through the trees.

"…It really is here. The tower."

We faced Elysia's residence.

An 8-story tall tower made of gray bricks.

It's a fairly tall building, but it's shorter than the trees.

That's because the trees in this world are generally too large.

"Then what are we going to do?"

"We'll just go in normally."

"Didn't you prepare for external intruders?"

"It's fine with Mr. Phili."

At my words, Phili narrowed her eyes.

Her gaze clearly doubted my words.

"Would my daughter care about me now? She'd probably attack me too."

"…I wish it were that simple."

"What do you mean?"

While we were having this conversation,

Surprisingly, or rather, surprisingly to Phili,

Creak—

The main door of the tower opened.

Elysia came out from inside.

Facing Phili, whose expression stiffened at the sight,

"Mom!"

Piliki was surprised that her hidden residence had been discovered.

She was delighted that someone had come to find her.

She was overjoyed to unexpectedly meet her mother.

With all these emotions on her face, she smiled brightly.

"How did you find this place?"

Elysia approached us without hesitation.

Without needing to check closely, she was completely unarmed.

Approaching us in a completely defenseless state, she shook Phili's hands.

The situation I was most worried about.

Piliki, with her 'suspicious of everything' personality.

Piliki would certainly exclude anyone, regardless of who they were, if they were an enemy.

But what if she couldn't be sure if they were an enemy?

If she had to decide that her daughter was an enemy based on unclear evidence.

…Would Phili be able to let go of her suspicions even then?

"Here, have some herbal tea."

Elysia confidently led Phili and me into her tower.

Elysia offered us tea.

To Phili, and to me.

She sat us down at a table, gave us herbal tea, and sat opposite us.

"…"

Rarely, Phili looked to me for a cue.

But I had nothing more to offer.

I had already said everything I needed to say.

"So, why did you come?"

Elysia asked Phili.

"Just to see. I wondered what our daughter was hiding from her mother by hiding here."

Piliki smiled as she replied.

Her expression was perfect.

"I come out sometimes when the palace life gets tiring. I didn't want you to scold me if you found out."

"Hmm."

Piliki looked around the interior.

Pretending to look around, she was probably searching for anything suspicious, but she wouldn't find anything.

Otherwise, Elysia wouldn't have invited us in.

'After all, Elysia is in the same emergency situation.'

Elysia couldn't have expected us to come here.

If she had, she would have fled to the palace.

Right now, Elysia is just improvising.

In other words, this is actually a battle between me and Elysia.

Whoever can convince Phili will win.

"Mr. Frondier, right?"

"Yes."

Elysia addressed me.

"I've heard of the Loauch family's reputation, but it seems very awkward to see a member of the Ampere family, not the Duke, with my mother."

It was an obvious provocation.

A way of saying, 'What do you think you're doing here?'

However,

"Is that so?"

What was I supposed to say?

No matter how high a princess's position is, it's not the same as a queen's.

Elysia frowned at my brazen answer.

For a moment, but only a moment.

Truly, she is Phili's daughter, skilled at managing her expressions.

But also, as Phili's daughter, she doesn't quite match Phili.

"Elysia."

"…'Miss'?"

Elysia repeated the unfamiliar title.

"Can I take a look around this tower?"

"…"

Elysia glared at me.

Was it because I spoke arrogantly, or because she was suspicious of my request to look around?

I don't know which, but it doesn't matter.

It's impossible for her to refuse this request.

"…Sure. Look around as you like. Do you want me to guide you?"

"No, I'll look around on my own."

I said this and pretended to look around the room.

Elysia is hiding something in this tower that mustn't be discovered.

She's so confident because it's almost impossible for me to find it right now.

So, what I need to do is one thing.

I need to make Elysia reveal what she's hiding.

"…Can I go upstairs?"

"Do as you like."

I stepped onto the stairs leading up, not finding anything special.

For some reason, I can almost see it.

Elysia behind me, wearing a satisfied smile.

I wonder if Elysia knows that I'm wearing a similar expression.

* * *

Constell was quiet.

Most classrooms were in the middle of morning classes, and only the teachers' voices occasionally drifted over.

However, inside one of them,

"…Teacher."

Suddenly, a female student raised her hand.

"What is it, Elodie?"

"I'm sorry, but my head hurts so much…"

"What? Go to the infirmary quickly."

"Thank you…"

The teacher sent Elodie off with a worried expression.

Elodie is a model student, excelling in both skills and character.

The teacher didn't think she was faking it.

Once in the hallway, Elodie walked with a perfectly normal gait, despite her supposed headache.

In other words,

Elodie was the first to notice.

"…It's really faint, but…"

Elodie's mana detection picked up something.

From a very distant place, but from all directions.

A faint malevolence directed at Constell, almost dismissible as a feeling.

'Frondier was right.'

Elodie had heard about the 'ambush' from Frondier before anyone else.

The content was hard to believe.

If it were the old Elodie, she wouldn't have believed it.

So, the current Elodie knows that Frondier has changed.

Elodie stopped thinking and climbed the stairs.

Of course, not in the direction of the infirmary.

Click.

Opening the metal door to the rooftop, the cold morning wind swept over her.

Elodie stood at the edge of the rooftop and narrowed her eyes.

Even at this height, there was no sign of any monsters.

Conversely, the faint malevolence from a distance that Elodie could sense.

'If Frondier hadn't told me…'

The monsters would have already attacked Constell before Elodie could respond.

Then her power would have been halved.

-It's okay because I trust you.

"…Hmph. You were right, though."

Indeed, it wasn't necessary for her to believe Frondier until now.

By telling her the schedule, Frondier made Elodie more sensitive to her senses, and as a result, she realized that Frondier was right.

Frondier truly trusted Elodie.

Her sensitive mana detection.

"I feel like I've been tricked, though."

Elodie de Ines Risha.

Fifth place in the midterm exams.

For someone who is said to be loved by five gods, this rank is somewhat ambiguous.

Many people expected her to be first.

But this result isn't due to a lack of power.

"It's fortunate that I found out in advance."

Elodie gathered her mana.

A light warm-up to prepare for repelling the ambush.

Just that made the air around her start to tremble.

"I don't need to control my power."

She was clumsy at controlling her power. She rarely practiced it.

None of the teachers at Constell taught her how to control her power.

Instead, they encouraged her to increase her output, worried that her talent might fade.

Power control can be learned later, but the growth of maximum output is unpredictable.

The midterm exams are conducted with other students.

In other words, the reason her ranking in the practical exam is ambiguous is simple.

If she used her full power, other students would be affected.

Eventually, a faint dust storm appeared from a very distant place.

An innumerable army of giant monsters.

With her mana-enhanced vision, Elodie finally saw the scale.

A large-scale army of monsters that would make an ordinary person collapse in fear, but Elodie smiled fearlessly.

As soon as she spotted the monsters at the edge of her maximum vision, she began her spell.

Her school uniform fluttered, and her eyes and hair alternated between red and blue, glowing.

Divine Power Activation

Agni, Rudra

Individual Spell Activation

Fire Magic 4th Form

Elemental Resistance, Impact, Spread, Mana Substitution … Named, 'Inferno'

Wind Magic 4th Form

Range Increase, Distance Activation, High-Speed Rotation, Ascending