Chapter 66 of the Weapon Replicator at the Academy

Chapter 19: Level Up

A few days later, in the morning at Constel.

The students heading to school witnessed a scene that made their eyes widen.

"Ah, hello...?"

"Hello..."

"Uh, ah, hello."

Every passing student would widen their eyes and bow slightly in greeting as they passed by.

The person being greeted showed no reaction, but the students invariably greeted them.

"President, it's time."

"Hmm."

Malia, who was standing beside him, informed him of the time.

The person in question was none other than President Ospriat.

Ospriat, who rarely showed his face, was standing at the school gate.

He was waiting for someone. Someone who deserved to be greeted by someone of his stature.

And from a distance,

The sound of a sedan's engine could be heard. The sedan stopped precisely in front of the school gate. A middle-aged man got out of the driver's seat.

"......!"

All the students passing through the school gate stopped.

It wasn't just the students. The staff of Constel, and even the ordinary people passing by the school gate, all stopped in their tracks upon seeing him.

From a distance, the cheers of the female students could be heard, and the male students let out genuine exclamations of admiration.

They understood. Why Ospriat was standing at the school gate. Why he had come out to greet someone.

Thud, his footsteps carried the weight of the air as he walked.

Only Ospriat and Malia could calmly withstand that presence.

"It's been a while."

A cold and heavy voice.

Most people would be intimidated by that voice alone, but Ospriat greeted him calmly.

"Nice to see you. Ampere."

Ampere de Roach.

He had come to Constel.

Later, the three of them sat down in the principal's office.

Ospriat dismissed his secretary and instructed that no one should enter the office unless it was for something special.

"Quite a fuss. No one can harm us here."

"That's not certain."

Malia answered for him and served the tea. It was also unusual for her to serve tea.

Malia asked subtly as she watched Ampere drink his tea.

"Ampere, won't you join the Zodiac?"

Ampere's brows twitched.

"Are you asking me to become a dog of the empire?"

Ampere's retort could be seen as an insult to Ospriat, who was already part of the 'Zodiac.' However, Ospriat took it lightly.

"Weren't we all once watchdogs of the continent?"

"......That's old news."

All those currently in the Zodiac, including Ampere, had lived through the same period. And during that period, they faced a massive calamity.

An attack similar to the one that occurred at Constel, but even more vicious, a battle against the 'Creatures from Outside.'

Every time the creatures invaded, the human boundary was shaken. Although it had advanced at times, the human boundary continued to shrink.

The ones who solidified that boundary were the figures of the Zodiac and Ampere.

They built walls and obstacles at the human boundary and determined that the major nobles would defend those walls.

As a result, Ampere took charge of the northwest, and Ridew von Urfa of the Urfa family took charge of the northeast.

The north was unusually handled by figures not part of the Zodiac, while the east, west, and south were all under the Zodiac.

"We are ultimately stray dogs. It's in our nature. We need fights and someone to be loyal to. Isn't that true for you too?"

"In the past, yes, but not now."

"Lies only make you sicker. You'll understand when you reach my age."

Hehe, Ospriat chuckled, a rare smile for his age.

Ampere shook his head.

"I now have Azje."

"......Azje, right."

Ospriat nodded. Every time he tried to invite Ampere to the Zodiac, he was blocked by Azje, ironically the best output of Constel.

"Azje will surpass me soon. He will become a new flag for humanity. When that time comes, reclaiming the lost land of humanity will no longer be a dream."

"Are you really sure? That Azje will surpass you?"

"He's already showing his potential."

Ospriat scratched his temple with his wrinkled fingers. He knew Azje's abilities well, having seen them himself.

......I'm confident that Ampere is just being modest. Or he might have forgotten his prime.

"So, did you come today because of Azje?"

"Partly. I came to check on the temporary teacher's progress."

Partly? Is there another reason?

Ospriat had his doubts but decided to set them aside for now.

"Azje is a good teacher. The students think highly of him. I was worried that he might struggle with teaching since he's only familiar with practical combat, but he's doing surprisingly well."

"Hmm, that's to be expected."

Indeed, he's just being modest.

"By the way, why did you send Azje? Suddenly. Because the combat instructor's position was vacant? But that can't be the only reason."

"I thought Azje would be needed at Constel. For the students' growth."

"Does that mean danger is coming? Something the current students might find overwhelming?"

"Yes."

"Reason?"

"Just a feeling."

A feeling.

Since it's Ampere's feeling, it can't be taken lightly. Moreover, it's more than just a 'feeling.'

"Then what's the other half of the reason?"

The other half of the reason for Ampere's visit, besides Azje.

Ampere, who had been giving immediate answers without hesitation, suddenly fell silent.

He frowned, seemingly displeased, and took a sip of tea.

Ospriat had a hunch about the other half of the reason but decided to keep it to himself for now.

"......The other half is about my other son."

Indeed.

"Frondeur?"

Malia asked. Ampere nodded.

Malia's lips curled. 'Another son.' It sounded awkward, as if it was hard to call him by name.

"I heard my son ranked 16th in the last midterm exam."

"Is that so? Malia?"

Ospriat couldn't possibly know the results of the first-year midterm exams in detail. Malia nodded in response to his question.

"Yes. He scored full marks on the written test, and Aster Evans took most of the points in the practical test."

"Hmm. Still, it's a good ranking. Why do you ask?"

"Wasn't the midterm exam too easy?"

Ospriat narrowed his eyes. He wasn't upset about the exam itself but rather about the underlying intention behind Ampere's words.

"──So, you're saying you're not pleased with Frondeur's high ranking?"

Malia also looked at Ampere. Ampere closed his eyes briefly before opening them and said,

"Yes."

"......Ampere."

Malia called his name. It was a warning.

If Frondeur didn't make it into the top 10 by the end of the semester, he would be expelled. Malia knew this.

But she thought it was to motivate Frondeur, not to be taken seriously.

Who would want their son expelled?

"I know the final exam is coming up."

"Yes, but—"

"I hope it will be a proper exam this time."

Frondeur's high ranking was just because the exam was easy. It was just Frondeur's luck. There was no other reason.

Seeing Ampere's firm conclusion, Malia finally got angry.

"......Even if the exam is difficult, Frondeur will meet the conditions. If the exam is hard, all students will find it hard."

"Malia."

Ampere finally looked at Malia.

Their gazes were far too hostile to be those of a couple.

"Has Constel's standard fallen so low?"

"Ampere."

"Even if Frondeur manages to get a good score and make it into the top 10—"

Malia's expression hardened as she understood what Ampere was about to say. Ampere remained calm, his eyes unwavering.

"Frondeur's expulsion is decided."

* * *

[Analysis Complete]

[Subject: Skill 'Weaving']

[Viewable]

After tidying up at home, I received a welcome notification.

The analysis that had been ongoing for days was finally complete.

I opened my smartwatch to check the details of the analysis of Weaving.

[Weaving]

- A unique skill of Frondeur de Roach.

- Possesses the functions of 'Workshop', 'Replication', 'Modification', and 'Restoration'. Currently, the 'Restoration' function is locked. Level up required.

- Currently, the skill can only be applied to objects. Level up required.

- To level up, attempt simultaneous weaving of multiple items or weave higher-grade items.

──Caution──

- Currently, an unrelated 'Thanatos Summoning' trigger is attached as an option.

- The trigger will activate when Weaving first affects reality.

- The trigger will activate if Weaving injures a 'Creature from Outside'.

- The trigger will activate if Weaving injures a god.

"......?"

The analysis skill that only showed one line for Neil's dagger now produced a significant amount of information.

It's a good thing, but too much information is overwhelming.

"Wait, let's take it one step at a time. First."

Let's check each point carefully.

First, the new discovery.

Weaving has a 'Restoration' function.

In addition