Chapter 5

Weapon Replicator of the Academy - Chapter 5 (5/606)

Weapon Replicator of the Academy Chapter 5

Chapter 2: The Branch in the Tube, Mistilteinn (1)

It was a night deeply shrouded in darkness.

A woman walked quietly.

Her long, blonde hair, illuminated by the moonlight, made her stand out in the surroundings.

Her slightly downturned eyes and calm gait.

Her eyes, filled with melancholy, gently pushed away the scenery, exuding a bewitching charm that could make any man turn back.

The woman continued her gentle pace,

“...Huh.”

She opened her eyes. No, her eyes were already open, and she had just woken up from sleep.

A few strands of hair were stuck to her lips.

“...Ah, we've arrived.”

Elin looked at her house.

She checked her appearance.

“Nothing seems to be out of place, good.”

Last time, she had walked home with a leaf on her head.

A yawn escaped her, still feeling sleepy. After all, when had she not been sleepy?

She opened the front door.

“Oh, big sister’s here?”

Her younger sister, sitting on the sofa, greeted her. Or rather, she greeted her without taking her eyes off the wizard view.

“Aster.”

Elin gave her younger sister, Aster Evans, a doubtful look.

“Why?”

“Do you know a first-year from the Loire family?”

“Who’s that?”

“Frondeur. Human sloth Frondeur.”

Aster tilted her head a bit more upon hearing Elin’s words.

“...Who’s that?”

Elin sighed.

Her sister was too indifferent to the outside world. She couldn’t believe Aster didn’t even know who Frondeur was.

“Someone saw you with Frondeur. In the training room.”

“...Oh, that person?”

Aster said, as if something had just come to mind.

“But we weren’t together. I just greeted him as I passed by. He seemed to be waiting for someone.”

“Hmm.”

Elin let out a short snort and walked past Aster.

Aster watched her steps towards the refrigerator with a look of disbelief.

“Hey, is that it?”

“I was worried you might get involved in something strange.”

Elin took out a water bottle and poured water into a cup.

From behind, she heard Aster’s derisive snort.

“Ha, you’re funny. Sleeping all day-”

Flick, Elin’s hand swung.

The cup and the water it contained flew towards Aster, maintaining a perfect horizontal line as if placed on a table.

Aster caught it with her hand and leaned back to follow the momentum, slightly altering the direction of the force and spinning her body once.

Slosh, the water in the cup swayed.

Elin looked at it with a disinterested gaze and said,

“You spilled it.”

“That’s because you threw it like that!”

“Like that? Do you want to be thrown like that too?”

Damn, Aster swallowed her frustration and drank the water.

Considering her divine power, she couldn’t even match Elin in a single punch.

Aster shifted her gaze to the wizard view to forget about the pointless thoughts.

“Huh?”

The news was streaming on the wizard view.

The content made Aster freeze.

“Mistilteinn?”

Elin also reacted to Aster’s mutter. She put down her cup of water and approached Aster.

On the screen, a member of the party was holding a transparent tube. Inside the tube was a long branch.

An interview was in progress.

The party leader was laughing cheerfully.

While listening to his voice, Aster carefully examined the branch inside the tube.

Elin looked at Aster’s expression and asked,

“...What do you think?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen the real thing.”

“Did, perhaps, He react?”

Aster shook her head.

The ‘He’ Elin referred to was Baldr. As the weapon that killed him, Elin hoped it might reveal something to Aster.

Most gods had experienced ‘death’ throughout their long history and mythology.

However, this did not mean they had completely vanished. They had merely left the human world.

They now existed in the ‘World of Salvation,’ a concept higher than the Greek ‘Elysium’ or the Norse ‘Helheim’ in various mythologies.

Therefore, Baldr would also be there, and if he wished, he could give Aster a hint or a clue.

Unfortunately, Aster received no hint from Baldr.

Still, her eyes remained fixed on the branch.

“Still, you want to confirm it, right?”

“Yeah. If that’s really Mistilteinn, I have to get it.”

The branch that killed Baldr.

For Aster, who was loved by Baldr, it was a direct weakness.

Conversely, if she could obtain it, her greatest weakness would disappear.

Moreover, if she could handle it,

If there was someone who could use this divine artifact, someone who could obtain the gods' permission to use it, wouldn’t that be her alone?

“...Aster.”

“I know.”

The price of this weapon would be astronomical, real or fake. Even if it were fake, it would be considered real until the real one appeared.

If a family unrelated to combat obtained it, they would never use it.

They would merely enshrine it in their family, without proving its authenticity.

That alone would boost their reputation, and the price would skyrocket.

For a commoner like Aster Evans, it was an unattainable price.

* * *

“Did you hear? About Mistilteinn.”

“Ah, the auction was canceled, right?”

A few days later.

In Constell, the talk of Mistilteinn was in full swing.

Both students and professors were focused on this topic.

The party that discovered Mistilteinn had put the divine artifact up for auction, but it was soon canceled.

This was expected. The offers from the noble families were beyond mere monetary value.

The heads of the noble families were scheduled to meet and reach an agreement. Lesser nobles wouldn’t even be allowed to attend.

Today was the day of the noble meeting.

Rarely, Frondeur was the center of attention in the classroom.

Regardless of his character, Frondeur was the son of a prestigious family.

His father, Ampere de Loire, was known for his deep love for his son.

Here, the son referred to was not Frondeur but his brother, Aziz.

Moreover, Frondeur’s recent statement.

His incomprehensible boast, “Mistilteinn doesn’t look like that,” had spread throughout the year. The moment of truth was approaching.

For these reasons,

Interest in Frondeur at Constell today was at an all-time high.

Of course, Frondeur himself was as usual, quietly and lazily looking sleepy.

“Frondeur.”

After school, Elodie came to Frondeur’s classroom.

In Constell, each year had six classes.

Elodie and Frondeur were in the same year but different classes.

Frondeur was in Class 5, and Elodie was in Class 2 with Aster.

Since Aster is the protagonist in the game Ethius, many named characters are in Class 2.

As Elodie approached Frondeur, the students’ gazes followed.

However, Elodie’s actions were somewhat expected.

She was also the daughter of a prestigious family, from the Risha family, rivals of the Loire family. Naturally, she would attend today’s meeting.

“Don’t say anything strange at the meeting.”

Elodie warned.

“Strange things?”

“Like saying Mistilteinn doesn’t look like that or something.”

“I won’t say anything like that. Don’t worry.”

“Worry? I’m just afraid of being embarrassed. Well, if you won’t say anything foolish, that’s a relief.”

Elodie sighed dramatically.

Frondeur smiled.

For a brief moment, a light shone in his lazy face.

“Even without saying anything strange, it’s mine.”

“...What?”

What did he just say?

Mine?

“Ah, the Loire family’s, right?”

“It can be said that way.”

“Then say it that way. Don’t speak strangely.”

* * *

Frondeur and Elodie headed towards the school gate together.

Many students watched them.

As if they were a bride and groom leaving a wedding.

Of course, their relationship was the opposite.

“Elodie.”

Someone approached them. It was Aster.

The two promising students in the same class naturally had a close relationship.

According to the game, this was around the time Aster would start talking to Elodie.

“Have a good trip.”

“Yeah. I don’t have much to do, though.”

Elodie laughed, making a joke.

Aster also smiled, but there was a hint of stiffness in her smile.

“Elodie, can I ask you for a favor?”

“Sure?”

“I know it’s a long shot, but if possible, get Mistilteinn. I’d feel reassured if you had it.”

Elodie smiled bitterly at Aster’s request. She was aware of Aster’s situation. However, it wasn’t as simple as that.

From the Risha family’s perspective, Mistilteinn wasn’t a desirable item.

If they could get it, they would, but it wasn’t worth bleeding their assets over.

The Loire family was the most likely to get it.

The head of the family, Ampere, was known to do anything for Aziz.

There was a reason Frondeur said Mistilteinn was his.

“...I’ll try.”

Elodie said.

Depending on how the meeting progressed, she might be able to voice her opinion. It might not mean much, but it was worth a try.

“Don’t worry, Aster Evans.”

Suddenly, Frondeur spoke.

Aster looked at him.

They had only met a few times, aside from their encounter in the training room.

To Aster, Frondeur calmly said,

“I’ll take away your worries.”

With that, Frondeur walked away.

Elodie followed shortly after.

“What did he mean by that? Taking away worries?”

“Exactly what he said.”

What exactly did he mean by that?

Elodie looked uneasy.

In fact, Frondeur had a more pressing and nerve-wracking issue than the meeting itself.

The person waiting for him at the school gate was the problem.

“Frondeur.”

A cold voice called out from the stopped carriage.

Frondeur’s first impression of him was that he was like a finely honed blade.

Sharp and upright eyes. His tightly pressed lips symbolized this.

His appearance, beautiful by any standard, was so sharp that few could approach him.

“...Brother.”

This man was Frondeur’s older brother, Aziz de Loire.

The overpowered character in Ethius, who inherited all of the head of the family, Ampere’s talents and surpassed them.

“Your delay is considerable. Get in the carriage. Father is waiting.”

Aziz moved without giving Frondeur a chance to speak.

It was a natural gesture, as it should be.

Elodie, who had come with them, was already in the carriage provided by the Risha family.

“...Yes.”

Frondeur got into the carriage.

This man, whom he saw for the first time today, was his brother,

The person most likely to uncover Frondeur’s true identity.