Chapter 83 of the Academy's Weapon Replicator

Chapter 24: Teyven (5)

I returned to the waiting room with Robert.

Selena was sent to the mansion. I figured she would cause trouble wherever she went.

Whether it was the mansion or the hideout, I told her to hide, so she must have gone somewhere.

After all the knights, including me, gathered in the waiting room, a man entered.

"Nice to meet you. I am Sanders, the captain of the Shroud Knights. I will be in command here in Teyven from today. Please cooperate with me."

He had a stern face and a solid build. The knights' eyes briefly sparkled upon hearing Sanders' introduction, but it was more due to the mention of the Shroud Knights than his name.

The Shroud Knights are one of the oldest knight orders on the continent.

In simple terms, the order itself has existed since before the Constell's chancellor, Osprey, was in his prime, and they were the knights who stood beside the other 'Zodiacs' when they set the boundaries between humans and monsters.

Although much time has passed and they have ceded the top position on the continent, they are still highly respected by many knights due to their tradition and discipline.

"There might be some of you who are dissatisfied with leaving the order and staying in an unfamiliar place, but while you are in Teyven, you must follow my orders."

It was a given. A knight without a clear command structure is not a knight. Everyone in the waiting room silently nodded.

Sanders looked at me.

"Frontier, you are not a knight, but the same applies to you. Be prepared."

"Yes."

"I don't care if you are a noble's child or a student. This is Teyven. Since you decided to come, there will be no special treatment."

"Yes."

I answered twice, with the same tone and no fluctuation. Sanders looked at me for a moment. His gaze held worry and unease.

It was as if he was looking at a child left by the water's edge. It was an even more serious situation.

"…And today, Princess Aten will personally inspect the troops and facilities here."

This time, the knights let out a chorus of "Oh!"

I secretly sighed.

Aten, that kid, really came here.

"She will be here soon, so do not relax and maintain discipline—"

Knock knock.

Before Sanders could finish, there was a knock at the door.

"It's Aten. May I come in?"

A familiar voice. Clear and neat, yet comfortable, without any sense of authority.

"Ah, yes. I'll open it right away."

Sanders hurriedly opened the door, and a woman in white slowly walked in.

Wow, the knights were amazed. I was also a bit surprised inside.

Aten was already white, but today she was wearing silver armor that matched her. Even when she wore a school uniform, she was as clear as snow, but now she was as bright as winter sunshine.

"It's Aten. Despite my unworthiness, I have come to offer any small help I can to all of you."

Aten was Aten wherever she was. The same courteous and calm demeanor I first met in Constell.

Aten looked around the knights and then at me. But she soon naturally shifted her gaze elsewhere. It was only natural.

"Let's check the wall first."

* * *

Time passed, and it was late at night.

Ridewi felt a headache as he looked at Cybel standing confidently in front of him.

"…Where did you come from this time?"

"Wow! The difference in treatment from Aten is too much, isn't it?"

"Should I treat a girl who knows where she came from the same as a princess?"

It was a very reasonable point, and Cybel couldn't retort, just pouting.

But Ridewi was trying to be polite. He would have turned away any other girl.

'Because the princess said she's a friend.'

Ridewi looked at Cybel.

Her expressions and gestures were strangely flirtatious. With her outstanding appearance, she must have charmed most of the boys in Constell.

…But I feel like I've seen someone similar recently.

Creak—

At that moment, the mansion door opened.

Aten entered. It had started snowing, and she shook the snow off her head before coming in.

Even in summer, it snows in Teyven. 'Winter' in Teyven is just another name for the frenzy of monsters due to food shortages.

"The head of the house, the wall's condition is not good."

"Hmm, I know."

Actually, it's not just bad; it's very serious. The outer edges are already cracking, and the parts with holes are being patched up with whatever materials are available.

The monsters outside are particularly intelligent, so it's only a matter of time before they find the wall's weak points.

"Shouldn't we come up with a plan?"

"Of course. However, Princess, I have a question to ask."

"Yes? What is it?"

Ridewi's eye twitched.

"May I ask, do you have any relationship with the kid Frontier who came earlier?"

"No."

Aten answered immediately. It was as if it was absurd. Her face showed no emotion.

"Hmm, I see. I apologize. I guess I'm getting senile."

"No, it's fine. The wall is the problem. We should reinforce it as soon as possible."

Aten brushed it off and brought up the main topic.

Ridewi stroked his chin.

"That's true. But it's not easy."

"Not easy, you say?"

"The monsters' attack cycles are getting shorter. We don't have time to reinforce. Although the number of monsters attacking at once has decreased."

Ridewi's answer made Aten's eyes narrow.

"In other words, the monsters are intentionally hindering the wall's repair?"

"That's how it looks to me. But even if they are intelligent, how can they engage in such a wasteful action…?"

Frequent attacks by the monsters.

While it prevents the wall from being repaired, from the perspective of a single monster, such attacks are just suicide. They are intelligent, so they should know this well.

But how is this possible?

"There's a leader."

The answer came from somewhere else.

Frontier, descending the central staircase of the mansion, with Selena beside her.

"A leader?"

"Yes. The monsters, like us, have someone who commands them. Whether they are monsters or humans, 'suicide' is only possible with orders."

Hmm.

Ridewi, intrigued by Frontier's hypothesis, asked.

"Then, who is it? Is there a stronger monster that can gather the others? I've never seen such a thing."

"They don't necessarily need to subdue the monsters by force. For example."

While Frontier and Ridewi had a serious conversation, Aten and Cybel were fixed on one spot.

Selena, who was beside Frontier.

"…"

"…"

Aten and Cybel were looking at Selena expressionlessly.

Completely expressionless, as if they didn't know what expressions were.

It was so eerie that even Selena, who was usually composed, glanced at them for a moment.

"…Ah, I didn't realize and didn't greet Princess Aten. I apologize."

Frontier noticed Aten and greeted her.

Actually, she had noticed Aten from the beginning but didn't speak because her expression was unusual. It felt awkward to suddenly treat a student from Constell as a princess.

She thought Aten was silent because she was upset, but Aten answered without any change in her expression.

"…Yes. Nice to see you, Frontier."

Like a machine.

Frontier also greeted Cybel.

"Hi, Cybel. I didn't expect you to be here too."

"…Yeah. Me too. Nice to see you."

The same expression as Aten.

At this point, Frontier started to feel quite scared. It felt like watching a horror movie.

At that moment, Aten raised her hand.

"Who is this?"

Seeing the hand pointing at Selena, Frontier said.

"Oh, I hired a bodyguard. This is Teyven, after all. I felt a bit uneasy and unsafe on my own."

Frontier used the excuse she had prepared.

"I see. A bodyguard. Yes, I see."

Cybel muttered, as if savoring the words.

She was repeating exactly what she had heard, but it didn't seem like she was really listening.

"…Well, I'll go now. I need to check the night watch and the guard duty roster."

Feeling somewhat uncomfortable, Frontier left. Selena followed her.

Until Frontier left the mansion, Aten and Cybel didn't say a word and didn't move a muscle.

And after Frontier was completely gone.

Cybel took a deep breath.

"Who is she? Who is that girl? Who is that maid wearing a ridiculously sexy maid uniform?"

"I know exactly who you're talking about."

"Is she a bodyguard? How can there be such a bodyguard? What kind of bodyguard wears such clothes? What kind of bodyguard has such a body and face—"

"I know what you're trying to say."

Watching the two of them chatter, Ridewi had a bewildered expression.

But one thing was clear.

Aten's claim that she had no relationship with Frontier was a complete lie.

* * *

As Ridewi said, the monsters would attack frequently in small numbers over the next few days.

They give their lives to prevent the wall from being repaired, aiming to find a clear weak point and destroy it in one go. Until then, they are using a strategy of expendable monsters.

There is a commander