Chapter 132 - The Academy’s Weapon Replicator

Arc 41: School Trip (4)

And so, I stood in the schoolyard, waving as every last bus departed. Kora was doing the same beside me.

“... They’re all gone.”

“Yeah.”

I was relieved to hear Kora speaking casually. At first, he had trembled whenever he was with me, struggling to use unfamiliar honorifics. Since he wasn’t used to speaking politely, he would slip up, which only made him tremble harder.

Rather than try to talk him out of it, I had simply left him alone. His fear of me would fade with time anyway, since even he didn’t know what was causing it.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be long before he was chattering away like before.

... Was that a good thing?

“I wanted to go to Kropol.”

“We’ll go another time. We can make our own trip.”

I patted Kora’s head.

No bus was coming to pick me up. We weren’t going to Kropol. We would be heading somewhere nearby, but not by bus. Another vehicle had been arranged.

VROOM

Just then, a compact car approached and stopped in front of me. The window rolled down, revealing Professor Isamaya inside.

“Get in.”

“Yes, Professor.”

I took the passenger seat, and Kora sat in the back. The car set off without delay.

As we drove, Isamaya glanced sideways at me.

“Are you all right with this?” she asked.

“With what?”

“Missing the school trip. There aren’t many events like this during your precious school years.”

“Hahaha.”

I laughed aloud. At times like this, Isamaya really did seem like a teacher. As she ought to, of course.

“I’m fine.”

A smile naturally formed as I spoke. I could feel the exhilaration coursing through me.

“I’ll be doing something even more fun.”

[Main Quest: Operation to Eliminate Indus]

? Description: Indus’s plan has been revealed. Thwart the plan and subdue the members of Indus.

? Objective: Subdue Indus’s members and leader.

? Reward: Varies according to the number of people subdued.

? Failure may result in a state of ‘anarchy.’

The operation to eliminate Indus.

It was an event you inevitably had to face at some point in the game. Fail, and you were on a straight path to game over.

A player might console themselves by thinking it would merely mean a change of emperor, but that wasn’t true.

“Frondier. You said Indus’s goal was to dismantle the class system.”

“Yes.”

“What would happen to the world if they actually succeeded? Would things work out the way Indus wants?”

Isamaya still seemed to have doubts about Indus’s plan. That was understandable, considering the sheer scale of what they were attempting.

And her instincts were right.

“No. Indus will fail. Even if they plunge the country into anarchy, there’s still a problem.”

“Even then? Why?”

Isamaya tilted her head. She probably thought it would be difficult to bring about anarchy in the first place. She was right about that, too. Indus toppling the throne was only a possibility, as the quest itself suggested.

But even if they succeeded, Indus would fall.

There was one thing they had overlooked in their ‘revolution.’

The existence of the Ten Thousand Capes.

“Professor, do you happen to know about the Ten Thousand Capes?”

“... I’m more surprised to hear that name coming from you.”

Apparently, she did.

Unlike Indus, the Ten Thousand Capes didn’t conceal their true nature. Everyone who knew of them knew exactly what sort of organization they were.

I said, “Indus won’t be able to contain the Ten Thousand Capes’ flames. Under anarchy, the Empire would be as weak as it could possibly get. Naturally, the Ten Thousand Capes wouldn’t just stand by.”

“You mean Indus won’t anticipate an attack from the Ten Thousand Capes?”

“No. They simply underestimate them.”

Like Indus, the Ten Thousand Capes were impossible to measure in size. But the two clearly despised each other. The contempt Selena and Kraken had exchanged was proof enough.

And beneath that hatred lay a clear tendency to dismiss the other side. That would be what strangled Indus in the end.

“So the Ten Thousand Capes and Indus would fight each other for control of the Empire?”

“I don’t think so. The Ten Thousand Capes have no interest in political power.”

“Then what?”

“All they want is revenge.”

Isamaya tilted her head at my answer.

“Then wouldn’t they have no reason to attack Indus? Indus would have brought down the Empire for them.”

“In their eyes, Indus’s members are people of the Empire, too. Indus wants to seize power, but the Ten Thousand Capes want the Empire destroyed.”

In that sense, the Ten Thousand Capes were actually closer to pursuing a true class revolution. The inferno with which they would engulf the entire Empire made no distinction between nobles and commoners.

Of course, that meant game over.

“... Well, stopping Indus is our best option for now. We can worry about the Ten Thousand Capes later.”

“That would be wise. If we stop Indus, the Ten Thousand Capes won’t make a move.”

Not yet.

I briefly looked out the window.

We were heading toward the elevated railway, which spanned the air between two distant cliffs. We were going to make sure the students crossed safely, just in case Indus had truly lost its mind.

In all my repeated playthroughs, Indus had never once blown up the train, but I understood the teachers’ anxiety. Reality could turn out differently.

And that was where our operation would begin.

But before that...

“Professor Isamaya.”

“What is it?”

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

“What? If it’s about the operation, tell the President. I’m driving, as you can see.”

“No. This is something I need to tell you alone.”

“Me alone?”

Isamaya wrinkled her nose and glanced at me.

There were no other teachers here, and no one besides Kora to overhear us. I couldn’t let this opportunity pass.

“I—”

* * *

As she ushered the students onto the train in order, Malia checked her Sensory Sharing.

‘It looks like the President has already arrived, and Professor Jane is in one of the rear cars.’

Even while dealing with Indus, they still had to ensure the school trip went smoothly, so Constel’s teachers had split into two teams: one to escort the students, and another to counter Indus and carry out the operation.

Malia would monitor the students and the trip as a whole, reporting the situation to President Ospreet. In effect, she was the escort team’s commander. Naturally, it was her ability, Sensory Sharing, that made this possible.

‘I really should have used Sensory Sharing on Frondier, too.’

Useful as it was, Malia’s Sensory Sharing had a limit on how many people she could connect to at once. After applying it to all the key personnel, she had no capacity left to check on Frondier.

It was a relief that Ospreet had said Frondier would be carrying out his assignment somewhere extremely safe, but she couldn’t help worrying.

“Um, Professor?”

While Malia was ushering the students aboard, Aten approached her.

“Will Frondier be taking the next train, too?”

“Oh, yes. It’s easier to think of him as having an entirely different schedule.”

“... I see.”

Aten boarded the train, doing her best to hide her disappointment.

A little later, Saibel approached with a question of her own.

“Professor, which car is Class Five in? We can switch seats, right?”

“Oh, if you want to move, just let your teacher know.”

“I see. Thank you!”

Saibel walked away, her reply both polite and sweetly playful. Malia watched her retreating back for a moment before speaking.

“Just so you know, Frondier isn’t here.”

“Huh?”

“He’s doing community service. He’ll be traveling separately from us.”

Saibel turned back to Malia in surprise and blinked before quickly recovering.

“Oh, ahaha! Come on, Professor. I’m not going because of Frondier. Why would I do that? I just wanted to talk to the kids in Class Five.”

Malia smiled kindly in return.

“I see. Have fun with your friends.”

“Y-yes.”

And Saibel went inside.

After that, Aster, Selena, Runia, and even Robald came one after another to ask about Frondier. Malia sent them on their way with more or less the same answer.

‘Why is my son so popular?’

The reputation she heard about was so different from reality. Even lately, the occasional things she heard about Frondier had been much the same as before. To most students, he was still the Human Sloth.

And yet, perhaps some people were beginning to notice?

“Um, Professor?”

Another student approached Malia. This time, it was Elodie.

Without thinking, Malia answered almost reflexively.

“Frondier is taking the next train.”

“... Huh? What?”

“Oh, goodness, sorry. Wasn’t that what you were going to ask?”

Elodie tried to make sense of Malia’s words, then abruptly flushed red.

“W-why would you think I was going to ask that?”

“... Just because?”

Everyone who knew Frondier had come to ask that, so... just because.

But Malia’s answer only made Elodie’s face turn even redder.

“W-why are you saying things like that too, Professor...?”

Elodie recalled her conversation with Aster a little earlier. He had answered with something like, ["Good question. Why did I do that?"] And now Malia, too?

What was going on? Why did everyone keep bringing up Frondier with her?

“Hmm, sorry. What were you going to ask, then?”

Naturally, Malia had no way of knowing what Elodie was thinking, so she asked again.

“Oh, um, I, well... Where’s the restroom?”

“... We showed you where it was while we were waiting before boarding, remember?”

“Oh! Right! Thank you!”

Elodie bowed and hurried away. Not toward the restroom—she simply boarded the train. She moved so quickly that she almost seemed to be fleeing.

“Isn’t she going to the restroom? Well, there isn’t much time left.”

Some students felt an unnecessary urge to urinate when they were nervous. They had been given a restroom break while waiting earlier, so Elodie would probably be fine.

[May I have your attention, please. The train bound for Kropol will depart shortly. All passengers, please board the train.]

The announcement echoed through the station, and Malia boarded as well.

After checking the headcounts for their respective classes, the escort teachers each made an OK sign with their fingers in front of their own eyes. Malia confirmed the signals through Sensory Sharing. All clear.

CLANK

There was a sound like a heavy piece of iron dropping into place. The train was departing.

Tension settled over the teachers’ faces. There was no turning back now.

The train would head onto the elevated railway. Frondier had said nothing would happen, but from a teacher’s perspective, that was merely a hope.

‘Now then, the President...’

Malia sat down and checked Ospreet’s field of vision through Sensory Sharing.

‘... Hm?’

Something about the view was strange. The trees were far too low, and there was no road in sight. It was difficult to tell where Ospreet was standing.

After studying his view for a while, Malia realized.

‘... He’s floating in the sky. Far above the elevated railway.’

Apparently, Ospreet, too, was fully prepared to welcome their visitors.