Chapter 63 of the Weapon Replicator of the Academy

Chapter 17: Substitute Teacher (1)

"──Huh!"

Elicia opened her eyes. It was as if she had taken a deep breath after holding it, a violent awakening.

"Where am I...?"

Looking around, she saw it was a hospital room.

What happened? Didn't I die? Or is this what the afterlife looks like?

Just as such thoughts crossed her mind, the door creaked open.

"You're awake."

The one who entered was her younger brother, Sale.

Sale seemed to have heard everything and had a calm expression.

Elicia asked, "Why am I still alive?"

"I don't know. You shouldn't be asking me, right?"

That's true.

Elicia felt strangely that Sale was being cold.

Sale, while changing the water in the vase next to Elicia's bed, asked, "How are you feeling?"

"…Fine. Unbelievably so."

"That's good. It should be."

After changing the water, Sale's hands, holding the vase, paused for a moment.

"Today is the last day you'll be a princess."

"…."

Indeed.

Is that why Sale is being so cold?

"Why did you do it?"

"…."

A straightforward question. Elicia had no words and closed her mouth.

Sale, with a deeper, more somber gaze, said, "Sister, do you know who will inherit the throne now?"

"…Who?"

"It's me."

"…."

"Stupid sister. Why did it have to come to this? If you wanted to be empress, you could have just waited. Why did you have to do this?"

Sale, like Elicia, is an ordinary person. By public evaluation, in terms of political ability, he is below Elicia.

For the throne to be passed to such a person, it was clear that Elicia's position as empress was predetermined. Sale was pointing this out to Elicia.

"…Even so, I would have done this."

"Why?"

"I don't trust Father."

Emperor Bartello Terst.

Elicia understood why Sale would inherit the throne. She had failed.

To instill regret in Elicia and to quell the people's doubts, Bartello placed Sale, not Athendoric, on the throne.

Bartello was capable of such actions.

Bartello never intended to give the throne to Elicia. That was the truth as she saw it.

"No."

Sale said, "You didn't trust Father. You didn't trust yourself."

"Maybe."

Maybe.

So, perhaps she had lived her whole life in doubt.

-Elicia, among my children, you resemble me the most. Your mother is worried about that.

Words Filia once said. Now they make sense.

Elicia most resembled Filia in her calculation, political skills, and the trait of 'doubt.' And, though she wouldn't say it herself, she also resembled her in being somewhat incompetent.

In contrast, Athendoric inherited Filia's magical talent, the power of her lineage, and her kindness.

A daughter of the gray Filia. Black and white.

In that sense,

'…Perhaps.'

"Perhaps, Sale, it might be right for you to be the emperor."

"What do you mean?"

"You can do both."

Confused, Sale frowned.

"…Anyway, are you okay? If things continue like this, you'll become a commoner after prison. You might spend your life being pointed at by people."

"I'm not okay, but it's my fate. I was supposed to die anyway."

Originally, she was supposed to die.

…Now that I think about it, how am I still alive?

Frondear said the dagger he gave to Filia was laced with a deadly poison.

Indeed, as soon as she was slightly stabbed, she lost all her senses and fainted.

"So, who was it?"

"Who?"

"The one who ruined your plan. I saw the scene. The Chimera's wounds, there are only a few people who could do that."

"…Didn't Mom tell you?"

In response to Elicia's question, Sale shook his head.

I see. They hid Frondear's existence.

That was Filia's strategy. Elicia had fallen for it. She didn't know about Frondear's power, which led to the failure of her plan.

Frondear, who could cut the Chimera in one stroke. Although the Chimera had been injured in the previous fight, it was initially winning.

The Chimera, a composite of various monsters, has superior physical abilities but extremely low intelligence. Without a fundamental race, it is far inferior.

However, its skin is clearly that of a dragon, making it nearly invulnerable to most attacks. Yet, Frondear had almost entirely cut off the left side of the Chimera.

'…Such a person, a first-year at Constel…'

What kind of monster is Constel raising? Does Constel know?

* * *

[Main Quest 'Ambush' completed.]

- No named characters lost.

Finally, the main quest is completed.

I checked my smartwatch in my room and clenched my fists in joy.

It might seem strange to others, but the fact that no named characters died was worth it.

As a player, as Aster, I had failed to achieve this several times.

Moreover, this time, not only named characters but also civilian casualties were lower than in any of my previous plays, so it was natural for me to be so happy.

[Check Quest Rewards]

[Quest rewards vary based on the number of named characters lost.]

[Characters lost: 0.]

[Maximum level reward confirmed. Rewards are provided according to the current character's level.]

The game Ethius allows Aster to grow in various ways during play.

Unexpected events can trigger, and even if known, the handling can differ.

With each player's preferences, the same Aster can grow to have completely different strengths.

Therefore, the rewards are always tailored to the character.

'Then, what is the maximum level reward suitable for me now?'

The maximum level reward for Frondear, not Aster.

I've grown stronger and have the unique skill 'Weaving,' so they won't give me something strange,

[Skill 'Analysis' acquired]

[Analysis]

•Level: Unique

•Description: Analyzes the target. Once the analysis is complete, all information about the target can be confirmed, and if necessary, can be internalized.

"…Huh?"

I acquired a skill.

The description was exactly as stated.

…What am I supposed to use this for?

I rubbed my head. I hoped it would be a skill that would help in battles or fights, or a magic spell effective against monsters.

Why do I always get such things since 'Weaving'?

"…No. Thanks to that Weaving, I'm able to hold on now."

The skill I thought was trash has become a core skill for me.

This 'Analysis' must also have its value. Hopefully. If I think hard enough.

…Analysis.

"Should I analyze Weaving?"

A thought that came to mind. It wasn't bad. I've always been curious about Weaving's true nature. I found nothing useful in the library.

I don't know if it will work, but I'll try.

Analysis

Target: Skill 'Weaving'

Analysis started

I tried the analysis skill on Weaving, but there was no noticeable change.

Thinking it didn't work, I looked at my smartwatch.

[Skill 'Weaving' analysis in progress. …1% complete.]

…It seems it will take a while.

At this rate, it might take a few days to complete.

* * *

And the morning of another school day at Constel.

I was prepared.

On the day I faced Elicia and the Chimera, I didn't go to school from morning.

So, some people, including the teachers, would know I wasn't there during the ambush.

They would likely think, "You're a coward who ran away," "How did you know the monsters would attack?" "Are you one of them?"

I had to endure these reasonable yet vicious misunderstandings.

With a firm resolve, I opened the classroom door.

"…."

"…."

I could feel everyone's gaze on me. The sharp, critical jeers I expected…

"…."

"…."

But the jeers didn't come.

The looks they gave me were different from what I expected. They seemed wary, suspicious, or a bit scared.

What's going on? It's not what I thought.

"Frondear."

At that moment, Athendoric approached. She whispered in a unusually small voice.

"Over here."

"Ah, okay."

I sat in my usual seat, and Athendoric sat next to me. Her voice, with a unique tone, reached my ears.

I could sense a magical aura. It seemed she had done something to ensure only I could hear.

"During the ambush, Frondear wasn't seen."

"Right."

Indeed, Athendoric knew. So, others must know too.

But why do their expressions look like that?

"So, people are saying… that Frondear did it."

"Did what?"

"The, 'fireworks.'"

"Fireworks?"

"Above the fleeing monsters, fireworks exploded, and all the monsters below were killed. That's the story."

…Chryssalactos. And Ioceira.

"Why do they think I did it?"

That's strange. I'm the slow human Frondear.

There's no way I could do something so impressive.

"Because you weren't seen when the monsters were stopped, and because of the training room record."

"Ah."

"The 'target