Chapter 59 of the Academy's Weapon Replicator

Chapter 16, Ambush (4)

Phil was honestly surprised.

It was really as Frondier had said.

- I won't tell you who the culprit is.

- Why not?

- If I tell you, you'll doubt it until the very end, Mr. Phil.

As she said, he almost doubted it.

If Frondier had claimed from the start that the culprit was Elicia, he would have been swayed by Elicia's words in this situation.

However, the more Elicia spoke, the more Phil became convinced.

- You should realize the last answer yourself.

- You will figure it out, Mr. Phil.

Elicia's slight hesitation, which only someone like Phil could notice.

The truth is simple.

Phil had only deceived Elicia with a slight hesitation that only someone like Elicia could notice.

Phil stood up.

He slowly approached Elicia.

"You still haven't fixed the habit of showing your lies when you think you've deceived someone."

"Ah, no, Mom! It's not me!"

The closer Phil got, the more Elicia backed away.

"Why did you target Atten? Because of the throne? Were you worried that Atten would take your place?"

"It's not me! Sale was the one who tried to kidnap him...!"

Phil's smile deepened.

"Did I say 'kidnap'?"

"......! Well, of course you would expect a kidnapping! They would demand a ransom for Atten! That Frondier guy came up here to search, right? What if he finds some evidence?"

At that, Phil stopped moving.

"Evidence."

"Y-Yeah! You won't find anything anyway!"

"I was curious, actually. 'Laphelia' isn't a magic circle that can allure all monsters. For that to be possible, a medium is needed."

Laphelia is a magic that can allure monsters, but not all of them.

The more diverse and numerous the monsters, the more complex the magic circle becomes, and a medium to specify the monsters is necessary.

Without outstanding knowledge of monsters and sufficient monster materials, it's impossible.

Elicia's expression hardened at Phil's words.

Mentioning Laphelia meant that Phil was certain Elicia was the culprit.

"......I don't know what you're talking about, but go ahead and look! Find evidence that I'm the culprit!"

Elicia tried to act nonchalant.

At this point, there was no other way.

"Do you know why Frondier went upstairs?"

"......? To search, of course."

"No, he just didn't want to be interrupted by you."

Elicia tilted her head at Phil's words.

Phil, rarely, had a slightly troubled expression.

"I hope Frondier is wrong. Just this once."

"What do you mean?"

At that moment,

A rumbling sound shook the ground.

Phil and Elicia's heads, shoulders, knees, and feet vibrated up and down.

Elicia's face turned pale.

"Why, why? This can't be...!"

Phil's eyes grew colder at her reaction.

His gaze turned upward.

Toward where Frondier was.

"......It seems he was right."

* * *

The upper floors of the tower were as expected, nothing special.

Various facilities and tools typical of a wizard were laid out, just a normal wizard's laboratory.

To summon multiple monsters using Laphelia, a medium is necessary.

That is, monster materials are needed.

The fresher and more abundant the materials, the better.

To summon monsters on a scale large enough to overwhelm Constell, both of these conditions must be very satisfactorily met.

To maintain freshness, the medium should be 'alive' until the magic circle is activated.

Alive and, at the same time, a diverse mix of monsters.

That means—

'......Chimera.'

I know that Elicia was creating a Chimera.

This isn't something I saw directly; I only confirmed it through news and newspapers during the game.

[Princess Elicia is reportedly living in a villa]

[The villa is a giant tower?]

[Secret laboratory discovered underground. The purpose of the laboratory is currently being investigated.]

[Elicia was creating a Chimera! The monsters she combined into the Chimera are—]

This was the content reported by newspapers and news during the game.

I gripped the black lotus pendant around my neck.

Weaving, Black River

Rank - Legendary

Gram

Black droplets gathered around me.

Gram, the sword of Sigurd.

The legend of killing the dragon Fafnir was directly converted into Gram's characteristics.

[Gram]

• Rank: Legendary

• Description: The famous sword used by Sigurd. The achievements of the hero and the weapon surpass several deities.

Ability Details >

- Dragon Slayer: It drank the blood of a dragon it killed. Its attack power against dragons is enhanced, and it instills fear in dragons of 'Unique' rank or lower.

The 'Unique' rank is just below the 'Legendary' rank.

Since the dragon Sigurd killed, Fafnir, was of Legendary rank, it instills fear in dragons of lower rank.

I pointed Gram downward, toward the Chimera that must be somewhere in this basement.

......I know what kind of monster Elicia created.

A scale of monsters large enough to overwhelm Constell.

It wouldn't be possible with just any ordinary monsters.

──Even if it's not a proper one,

A 'Dragon' would have to be summoned.

Thud, thud, the rumbling was distant but clear.

From the bottom, a sound like something forcing its way through a crack could be heard.

Then, a moment of silence.

Like the silence between a lightning flash and the thunder that follows.

Krooo—!

A massive earthquake occurred, and I lost my balance.

Gasp, I let out a sound like a battle cry and braced myself against the wall.

Chimeras are very rare and hard to come by, even in the game.

The voice of the one now heard was like a scream stuck in a throat.

"Summoning it was one thing...!"

Where is it?

I opened a nearby window and looked outside.

There was a massive crack that couldn't be ignored.

The ground was torn like a ripped piece of cloth, and a monster's hand emerged from it.

"......This is serious."

Indeed, the real thing has a different presence. I didn't expect it to be this big.

Eventually, the creature that climbed out was as tall as half the tower.

But it was quadrupedal. If it stood up, it would have made eye contact with me on the top floor.

Its appearance resembled a giant lizard. Perhaps because its base was a dragon, its scales looked incredibly tough, and its eyes gleamed with a golden, fierce light.

"Does it not have wings?"

All dragons have wings.

But this creature is a Chimera, containing dragon material, not a dragon itself. Fortunately, it doesn't seem to be able to fly.

Now, Elicia's guilt is confirmed.

With Phil seeing that terrifyingly large body.

All that remains for me is to deal with that large body.

......That's the most difficult part.

Creak—

At that moment, the creature's eyes darted around. Each eye moved independently, like a chameleon.

The left eye scanned the area and then, it seemed, confirmed my presence.

I tightened my grip on Gram.

......Can I defeat it?

In terms of physical sensation, it's less scary than Renjo.

A Chimera, lacking a proper foundation and being an inferior creature, cannot generate the kind of racial characteristics or personal intimidation that builds over time. It wasn't born but created.

So, it's a bit better than an opponent of Renjo's caliber.

But with such a brute size, I have no idea how to handle it.

'First, I'll try a sniper attack with Chrysalis Catos.'

Just as I thought that,

Kraaa—

The creature let out another scream, and I widened my eyes.

"Insane...!"

My mouth gaped in shock.

The creature did something unbelievable.

As soon as it confirmed my position with its eyes,

it started crawling in the exact opposite direction, using all four of its legs.

Thud, thud, thud... The dust rose as it moved away from me.

I stared at it in disbelief for a while.

Then, I finally regained my composure and shouted.

"Where are you running, you lizard scum!!"

* * *

The full-scale ambush on Constell began.

It was a completely different scenario from Elicia's original plan.

The ambush was supposed to be a surprise attack by monsters, causing a large number of casualties before the students and teachers could react.

However, due to Elodie's brilliant initial response, Constell was already prepared by the time the monsters arrived.

The teachers knowing in advance that an ambush was coming also contributed to the quick response.

But the response couldn't be perfect.

Many monsters were killed by Elodie's magic, but they kept coming, climbing over the bodies of their fallen comrades.

Constell is far from small. It's a place where young people from all over the continent gather to enroll.

Therefore, Constell has complete dormitory facilities.

The monster attack on Constell was devastating to them.

"Ahhh!"

Screams inevitably erupted wherever people were.

Even if they were trained in combat, they were mere beginners.

Many of them were facing monsters for the first time, making it difficult for them to perform to their full potential.

"Help me!!"

First-year male student Gafry rushed out of his dorm room while still half-asleep.

Quickly sensing the presence of an invading goblin and dispatching it was sheer luck.

After that, a flood of monster invasions.

He ran frantically.

"Phew!"

Gafry found himself at a dead end.

If the wall had been a bit lower, he could have jumped over it, but a smooth marble building blocked his path.

He turned around. Creatures that looked like wild dogs but had three eyes each were staring at him, their eyes gleaming. They were coming at him like a pack of dogs.

'I, I'm going to die.'

One wild dog might be manageable, but there were dozens.

Why did Constell have to build its buildings with so many right angles?

Bark, bark, the monsters charged at Gafry, barking like dogs.

Then,

Crack! Thud

The two leading wild dogs were each crushed under the feet of a man who fell from the sky.

"Huh, huh?"

A handsome face with golden hair.

No one in Constell would fail to recognize this face.

"......Aster Evans?"

"You did well to hold on."

Aster smiled, holding a single sword. He felt a bit more invigorated than usual.

The days of building his strength at Constell.

Most of his training, except in the measurement room, did not allow the use of divine power.

But here, there was no need for such restraint.

"O Lord Baldr."

Grant me your power.

Divine Power Release

Lord of Light and Justice

Baldr

Aster's eyes glowed.

His clothes billowed as if caught in the wind, and his aura struck the ground like a hammer.

A bright, clear blue light enveloped his entire body, showcasing his majesty.

The wild dogs charged at Aster.

Aster's sword swung once, and as many wild dogs as were in its path were cut down precisely.

Aster grabbed the heads of the wild dogs with his bare hands, stabbed them with his sword, and tossed them aside.

It was brutally savage. His swordsmanship was similar to his original form but seemed even more ruthless.

But perhaps his brutality worked, as the wild dogs whimpered in fear.

"Making such filthy sounds."

Aster lunged forward.

Creating a massive crack where he pushed off, he plunged into the pack of wild dogs.

He slashed, stabbed, and threw them wherever he could.

Even when some wild dogs bit and scratched him, he continued his attacks as if it didn't matter.

The power of Baldr.

The power of the most perfect god in Norse mythology is truly simple.

Clumsy attacks cannot leave a scratch on him,

and clumsy defenses cannot block his attacks.

Pure, unadulterated violence.

Such a simple power, when it crosses a certain line, leaves the enemy helpless.

Aster thoroughly and swiftly decapitated the wild dogs.

"Phew."

A light sigh swept away the corpses.

Gafry, who was behind him, stared in amazement.

"Th-That's amazing."

"It's nothing."

Gafry approached Aster and let out a sigh of relief.

The tension eased, and his back slightly bent.

"I'm glad you were here. If you were in class, I would have been doomed."

At that, Aster had a subtle expression.

"Actually, I was in class."

"What? Then why are you here?"

The distance from the dormitory to the Constell building is quite far.

Aster scratched his cheek.

"Because I was running an errand for my sister."