Chapter 137 - The Academy’s Weapon Replicator

Arc 42: Deception Operation (3)

A few hours earlier.

As I rode in the car with Isamaya, I spoke up.

“There’s a chance Indus will attack me.”

“W-what?”

“Actually, it’s more than a chance. It’s quite likely. When that happens, Professor, please don’t panic.”

“No, no, hold on, Frondier. Where is this coming from? The plan was for us to attack first while keeping you hidden, wasn’t it?” Isamaya cried in alarm.

My expression hardened as I replied.

“One of their leaders holds a grudge against me.”

“S-so? Is that a reason for you to be kidnapped?”

“More precisely, I destroyed one of that leader’s hearts.”

“One of their hearts...? What, are they some kind of monster? They have more than one heart?”

“Yes. Three.”

Isamaya’s mouth fell open with a breath of disbelief. Her face said she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

Of course, I already knew Kraken wasn’t at the elevated railway. But this was useful material for persuading her.

“Kraken said I would be made into a sacrifice.”

“A sacrifice?”

“Yes. Apparently, I’m needed for the revolution. That’s why Kraken didn’t attack me when we met in the gym.”

I didn’t know why Indus wanted to sacrifice Frondier. This scenario was different from the game.

But if all they needed was my life, Kraken had had ample opportunity to attack me back then. To take off an arm or a leg. To run me through the stomach.

Yet Kraken hadn’t done so. Despite threatening me at speeds I couldn’t react to, Kraken had made no attempt to attack me in earnest.

It was hard to put that down to mere carelessness. Given Kraken’s cruelty, taking at least one of my arms would have been more in character.

“So I gave it some thought. Perhaps this ‘sacrifice’ of theirs needs to be alive and reasonably intact.”

“... And?”

“Professor. If the sacrifice you need is in enemy hands, how would you use it without killing or injuring it?”

Isamaya narrowed her eyes at my question. The answer came quickly.

“... Kidnap it?”

“Exactly. If they launch their business-card operation after we arrive in Kropol, they’ll have planned to kidnap me amid the confusion among the students and teachers.”

Besides, if they mingled with ordinary citizens and approached while pretending to be affected by the business cards, the students wouldn’t be able to attack them readily. Kidnapping me would be easy.

“But you’re here. You’re not going to Kropol.”

“Right. Which is why I should show myself.”

“... Show yourself? Hey, Frondier, you—”

Isamaya turned her head toward me. It was dangerous while she was driving, but I could understand why she did it.

I continued.

“Once I show myself, Indus will realize their plan has fallen apart. With me right in front of them, they’ll try to kidnap me immediately. Then innocent citizens in Kropol won’t get caught up in this or hurt. The school trip will go ahead without a hitch, too.”

“Are you out of your mind? Absolutely not. You’re a Constel student. You expect me to stand by and watch you get kidnapped? Stop talking nonsense.”

“There’s a reason I’m telling only you about this.”

I looked at Isamaya.

She was angry because a student was volunteering to throw his life away.

That was exactly the right attitude for a Constel teacher to have, but it wasn’t appropriate right now.

“One student, or all of Constel’s students and the citizens of Kropol. I’m sure you know which matters more. You’re the most levelheaded person at Constel.”

“...!”

Her eyes wavered.

I smiled.

“Besides, you don’t like me much, do you? I’ve been insolent to you, too.”

“That’s strictly—!”

“A matter of personal feelings, not something that would cloud your judgment of the facts. I know that perfectly well. That’s why I’m telling you.”

I knew Isamaya’s character. She never let her personal feelings interfere with her work. Everyone wanted to be that way, but few could manage it. She was different. She could separate her professional and private lives completely.

“So if that happens, please contact the other teachers immediately. Indus won’t carry out its operation in Kropol. Since they were planning to use me as bait to target the President, they might force the plan ahead and carry it out at the elevated railway instead.”

“... Then, in other words...”

I nodded.

“We lure in the Zodiac, Heldre. At the elevated railway.”

* * *

I had already activated Menosorpo.

Even if I fell, I could fly using Mjolnir.

But Kian didn’t know that.

Magic that allowed flight was extremely difficult in this world. Even Levitation, which merely lifted someone a few centimeters off the ground, was difficult for Constel’s first-years to perform properly.

If that was how things stood for mages, warriors had it even harder. Even Quinier, hailed as capable of anything in any situation, could only use her fan to leap higher and farther.

Only someone on Ospreet’s or Elodie’s level could fully achieve the free flight people generally imagined.

Incidentally, although the details differed slightly between academic schools and magical attributes, flight magic was broadly divided into Levitation, Wings, Flight, and Propelled Flight, in that order. While Flight had limits on speed adjustment, Propelled Flight could keep increasing its speed as far as the caster’s abilities allowed.

“W-what are you doing?!”

As I hurled myself off the cliff, Kian instinctively reached out. Her hand caught my collar with astonishing speed.

But...

SKITTER!

Her arm broke apart, splitting into countless spiders. I grinned.

Just as I’d thought, the Kian in front of me was a dummy made of spiders.

Her dummies were visually indistinguishable from her real body, but things changed when force was applied to them. They were only clusters of spiders, after all. They couldn’t withstand it and quickly scattered.

“Ghh!”

With that cry, what had been Kian’s dummy scattered into spiders in an instant.

Meanwhile, both my feet had left the ground completely. I was in midair, simply falling.

‘What will you do, Kian?’

Kian was desperately afraid of revealing herself. That was partly because both Thompson and Skyler were in danger.

But it was also because Kian herself was an enormous vulnerability for Indus.

‘But in this situation...’

A dummy couldn’t stop my fall. Even if another one lunged at me, it would fail to withstand the force of my falling body and scatter again.

Now, what would Kian do?

It was time to put just how much this “sacrifice” mattered to them to the test.

TAP-TAP-TAP!

Just then, I heard something moving quickly through the forest atop the cliff. A figure promptly launched itself toward me.

It was Kian. This could be another dummy, but this time, probably...

GRAB!

She caught my falling body. Her body neither broke apart nor scattered.

“So Constel has someone completely out of their mind, too. Not that I’m one to talk.”

Kian spoke between slightly labored breaths.

Found you. Kian’s real body.

She thought she had caught me, but I was the one who had finally caught her.

I grabbed Kian by the collar. Looking into her widening eyes, I broke the necklace, Black Lotus.

Fabrication, Black River

Grade - Chief Deity

Mjolnir

I grasped Mjolnir in my left hand and thrust it toward the sky. With Mjolnir and Menosorpo working together, Kian and I shot high into the air.

“?!”

I had an excellent view of her bewildered face.

“Y-you can use flight magic...”

“It’s a little different.”

There was no need to explain. All the magic would disappear and we would fall if we left Menosorpo’s range, but its boundary was still a long way away.

Kian and I continued ascending. We weren’t as fast as Propelled Flight, but we were moving at a decent speed.

As we kept climbing, I asked,

“Can you land on your ‘threads’ even this high up?”

“...!”

Kian went deathly pale.

For her to stand in midair, she needed threads anchored on both sides. In other words, she needed structures to attach them to.

Naturally, there was nothing like that at this altitude.

I spoke to the ashen-faced Kian.

“You were planning to kidnap me, weren’t you?”

She looked too dazed to answer.

I smiled. It feels odd to say it myself, but I think it was a truly unclouded smile.

On a villain’s face.

“I’m very curious what would happen if I kidnapped one of you instead.”

That was what I told her, but I hadn’t targeted just any member of Indus.

I had specifically targeted and kidnapped Kian to lure Heldre out. Bringing her all the way up here and threatening her life served the same purpose.

‘Still, things are fine for now, but...’

Kian still thought I was flying under my own power. In reality, I was hanging on to Mjolnir.

Flying this way was inconvenient in several respects. Since I was using Mjolnir for flight, I couldn’t wield it. For the same reason, one of my hands was occupied.

‘... Should I try it?’

It was theoretically possible. There was a way for me to fly under my own power.

Having made up my mind, I released Aura around my entire body.

Menosorpo gave magic tangible form within its circle and allowed me to move it freely.

If that meant moving Mana, I should also be able to move my Aura-clad body.

In the world of Etius, Mana and Aura were fundamentally the same substance.

“... Good.”

I applied the same sensation I had used to control weapons, this time controlling my own body.

It felt a little awkward at first, but I soon adjusted. Because it was my own body, it actually became easier to control than a weapon.

I dismissed Mjolnir. Now I could fly without it. At least within Menosorpo.

Of course, Kian wouldn’t know what had changed.

“Now, what will you do?”

I stopped in midair. If I let go of her now, she would fall to her death. She would put up threads just before hitting the ground to minimize the impact, but would that really be enough?

“... If you’re going to kill me, do it.”

Kian lowered her arms, releasing her grip on me and going limp.

“Haha. Why would I kill you?”

“Isn’t that why you dragged me up here?”

“No.”

I flashed a bright smile.

“It’s to bring Heldre here.”

“... If you know that much, then you should know what Heldre is like.”

There was no way Heldre would come here. Everyone knew his temperament.

Kian continued.

“Heldre won’t come over one or two dead Indus members.”

“Right. If they’re ‘Indus members.’”

“... What?”

My smile didn’t fade.

To be honest, I was in an excellent mood. Both Kian and Indus were acting exactly as I had predicted, saying exactly what I had expected.

Watching her expression change from moment to moment was, how should I put it, quite a treat.

“But the person I’m holding is his granddaughter.”

“...!”

“I don’t even need to drop you. Right here...”

Fabrication

Grade - Legendary

Excalibur

I deliberately fabricated Excalibur in my empty hand for her to see.

Kian’s eyes went wide at the sight of Excalibur shining resplendently within Menosorpo.

“... See?”

And, just as expected.

I distinctly sensed something hurtling toward us at tremendous speed, pouring out an immense amount of Mana. The speed of that Propelled Flight was unrivaled.

Even with my still-poor ability to sense Mana, my entire body tingled. Cold sweat ran down my back, but I smiled fearlessly.

With everything going exactly as expected, what could be more disgraceful than getting scared?

“He’s coming, isn’t he?”

The Zodiac, Heldre.

His arrival was imminent.