Chapter 88 of the Weapon Replicator of the Academy

Chapter 25: Wall (4)

The famous horse Kasyan, on which Cybel rode, was tied up in the stable next to the lodging. Cybel and Atten were staying in the open field for training. No matter the reason, it was a good thing that I came alone.

Kasyan made a light sound when he saw me. It feels a bit eerie, as if he’s observing me.

In the game, Kasyan is one of the most renowned horses in the central region. There are very few horses in the entire world that can match him. Kasyan’s greatest feature is his outstanding intelligence. While other horses boast about their mobility, acceleration, and top speed, Kasyan stands out with his sharp mind. Of course, his other attributes are also sufficient.

“Hello.”

I raised my hand to greet him. Famous horses are known to be picky about their owners, and the intelligent Kasyan is even more selective.

I wondered how he would react to me. After all, he allowed Cybel and Aster, the protagonist and her fated love, to ride him.

‘It’s important to make eye contact and approach slowly before extending your hand to a horse.’

If you reach out to touch a horse without making eye contact, it will become wary. If it loses sight of you, it will get scared. So, I made eye contact and approached slowly.

Kasyan turned his gaze away.

“...”

It was a clear act of ignoring me. His message was, “You’re not worth looking at, so get out of my sight.”

Well, it’s a good thing I came alone. If Cybel had seen this, she would have teased me for days. Or, Atten’s sympathetic eyes might have been even more hurtful. Anyway,

“Um, I really need you.”

My plan is only possible because of Kasyan. If Cybel hadn’t come here, I wouldn’t have even thought of this strategy.

I used the ‘Analysis’ skill to examine Kasyan.

[Kasyan]

- A famous horse from the central region. The area where they are most commonly found is ‘Haold.’

- Capable of performing all the necessary movements for current cavalry tactics.

- If the owner loses consciousness, Kasyan will make his own judgment to ensure the owner’s safety.

It was the same information I already knew.

The only new thing was that Haold is the region with the highest population of these horses. Haold is the place where I attended the noble council due to the fake Mistletoe.

Haold, Haold...

I looked at Kasyan quietly. He was wearing basic tack and a saddle, but that was all.

Whoever gave Kasyan to Cybel probably didn’t expect her to bring him all the way to Tebben.

“Are you cold?”

As soon as I spoke, Kasyan turned his head back to me. It was a strong affirmative.

The horse understood what I said. I felt a strange sensation from this fact, but I decided to deal with it later.

I untied the necktie I was wearing.

‘Penelope’s Cloth’ provides warmth to the wearer, so it should be quite warm if I just drape it over the horse.

Kasyan made a soft sound as I placed the cloth on his back. He rubbed his head against me, and it seemed the effect was definite.

“Hmm, I didn’t bring this cloth for this purpose, but...”

It should be fine for one night.

I gently patted Kasyan’s neck and turned to leave.

Kasyan is a smart horse. He won’t lose it.

...More importantly,

“Tebben is really cold.”

I shivered from the chill I hadn’t felt before and continued walking.

* * *

The bell signaling the attack of the monsters rang loudly again.

It had been only a day since the last battle.

I eliminated the monsters using the combination of the bow Chrysalis and the arrows Iokeira, just like before.

The knights’ expressions changed when they saw this. Initially, when I used this ‘firework,’ they were just dumbfounded, but now they looked at me as if I were a monster.

‘...This is bad.’

It seemed easy to handle the monsters, but I had a problem.

The ‘Weaving’ skill isn’t leveling up.

It hasn’t leveled up at all since the number of simultaneous weavings increased to 10.

I thought it was due to a lack of time and practice, but now that the situation has escalated, that assumption is meaningless.

‘Leveling up isn’t the most important thing. What’s important is ‘Restoration.’’

I’m trying to level up to unlock the ‘Restoration’ feature in Weaving.

I can rebuild this worn-out wall immediately, and it will be useful in many ways in the future.

“Frontier.”

At that moment, Sanders approached me.

“Even if the monster attacks are frequent, don’t you think this one is happening too soon?”

“...Yes, I do.”

Indeed, Sanders had noticed.

Probably all the knights had noticed. The fact that the attacks are happening just a day apart is not normal.

“Perhaps we’ve been discovered.”

“Discovered... You can’t mean...”

Sanders’s face turned pale.

I felt the same way.

“Perhaps they’ve noticed that this wall is in a precarious state, and that’s why I’ve been using the ‘fireworks.’”

Of course, the enemy commander couldn’t have known the true nature of the ‘fireworks.’

However, the sudden change in the battle situation, the weapon that keeps the monsters from even approaching, and the drastic change in circumstances could lead them to suspect that something has happened on our side.

“...So, the enemy commander...”

“Will probably launch a full-scale assault.”

The fireworks have their limits. There’s a limit to the number of splits, and even if they aim for vital points, the monsters with high durability can withstand them. Some might even be able to counter.

Until now, the enemy has only sent minor troops to hinder the wall’s restoration. The fact that they were all swept away by a single firework is proof of this.

But if a large-scale army of monsters arrives, the situation will be different.

We’ll be outnumbered, and there will be enemies that our arrows can’t penetrate. In that case, the fireworks will only reduce their numbers slightly.

And once they reach the wall, it will soon collapse, and the entry points will multiply, leading to our defeat.

‘Even though it’s a divine weapon, I’m not a god.’

Truly powerful people determine their strength through ‘Aura.’ They can also use Aura to unleash the true power of their weapons.

I was still just a pig, or rather, a sloth, wearing an excessively expensive pearl necklace.

“Then, what about the wall side? What about Cybel?”

“Yes?”

“Their appearance is different from before.”

Sanders looked at me and said this.

I had layered thick clothing to protect myself from the cold. I wore a deep hood to protect my face. It was so deep that my face wouldn’t be visible from the front.

Actually, this is the normal attire. Most people were dressed similarly, but I had been wearing overly light clothing until now.

“It’s colder than I thought after staying here for a while.”

Until now, Penelope’s Cloth had been protecting me. When I temporarily gave it to Kasyan, I realized that Tebben’s cold was more severe than I had imagined.

“Indeed, you’ve been coming out in too light clothing.”

Sanders laughed and patted my shoulder.

I could sense a sense of familiarity in his gaze.

I don’t know why he hadn’t shown it before.

* * *

And the much-anticipated fifth day.

The day Cybel was scheduled to complete her mana injection training. The day when the temporary restoration of the wall would be possible.

“...”

Hugo, the watchman of Tebben, froze at the sight before him.

He didn’t even blink or take a breath.

Tebben always has a watchman assigned to monitor the movements of the monsters and ring the bell in case of an emergency.

Hugo had never left his post as a watchman for several years, mainly because he had the best eyesight.

‘What is that...’

And today, Hugo cursed his overly sharp eyesight.

Monsters were coming. An army of monsters was coming. Shadows that filled his entire field of vision from left to right were growing larger as they overlapped.

It was a scale he had never seen before. No, it was a scene that was hard to even imagine. Not only the numbers but also the level of the monsters he could see was different from before.

When a watchman spots monsters, they must immediately go down and ring the bell inside the square pillar. However, Hugo couldn’t move for a few seconds.

The bell he was about to ring felt like the final bell of his life.

“...Gah!”

Hugo forced his body to move and ran to the bell, ringing it frantically. The number of times and the rhythm of ringing the bell vary depending on the situation, but that didn’t matter now. The frantic ringing would clearly indicate the situation.

Hugo shouted as if vomiting.

“A large group of monsters has been spotted! The scale is indeterminable!!”

The knights had already rushed out quickly. They could guess the situation from the state of the bell ringing, even without Hugo’s shout.

They stood in their designated positions, and Atten and Cybel were also there, which was unusual.

“Please stay away from the wall. Some monsters can fly and others can throw projectiles. You might be hit by blind attacks.”

Sanders said to Atten. Atten nodded. Even if she insisted, it would only hinder the other knights and soldiers.

“Yes. I will judge the danger myself. Please focus on the battle, Commander.”

“Yes, and...”

Sanders bowed deeply.

“If the wall collapses, don’t look back and run. Lead the Royal Guard to retreat.”

“...”

Atten had come here to inspect the situation in Tebben and the wall.

It was unthinkable for her or the knights she brought as guards to be injured in this battle.

“You should do the same. Cybel, right? Stay in a safe position. The guards will protect you.”

“A, wait a moment─”

Sanders didn’t wait for Cybel’s response and climbed up the wall. No matter what, the decision was already made.

‘...Terrifying.’

The full-scale assault of the monsters that Frontier had predicted. Facing it directly, the world before my eyes turned dark. It was so dark that it smelled of death.

The crumbling wall, the exhausted soldiers and knights, the spent prisoners, and the competent enemy commander who could read our tactics.

All of this was delivering a stern verdict of defeat to Sanders.

‘...Heh. Whatever.’

Sanders laughed. It was a kind of detached feeling.

Why did he come here from Shroud? To regain his pride as a knight. He would be different from the cowards who ran away and hid.

Today, he would end his life here as a true knight.

“Prepare to fire!”

Sanders shouted loudly, as he always did. The sound of wood and metal clashing was heard, and the archers aimed their arrows at the approaching army.

Given the scale of the attack, more archers were deployed than usual, and the number of arrows was enough to darken the sky in an instant.

But that was all.

There were no beams of light, no flying spears or weapons.

“...?”

Only then did some of them notice Frontier. Sanders also looked at him again.

Frontier did nothing.

It was so strange that Sanders examined him closely. Something felt off. A chill ran down his spine.

Sanders’s trained eyes scrutinized him. Frontier’s fingertips were trembling slightly. Sanders’s eyes widened.

The shoulders under the hood, the length of the arms and legs, and the height visible from here were different. He even looked fatter than Frontier.

Sanders’s mouth opened. The worst scenario he could imagine, or rather, the worst scenario he had never even imagined, was right before his eyes.

‘It’s not... Frontier...!’

Frontier had set up a substitute and fled.