Chapter 145 - The Academy’s Weapon Replicator

Chapter 45: Candy

In the predawn hours, while everyone was asleep, I went out to the beach and stepped onto the sand. There was something I wanted to test.

"Menosorpo."

I activated the magic circle, keeping its range as small as possible. In case any students noticed, I had come to a secluded spot as far from the lodgings as I could get.

Fabrication

Grade - Divine

Hestia’s Hearth

I wove Hestia’s Hearth. Perhaps because it was the hearth Hestia had always kept beside her, its grade was Divine after all.

Hestia rarely appears in Greek mythology, despite being one of the twelve Olympians. All I really knew was that she was the goddess of the home. She always stays beside the hearth, tending its flames. True to that symbolism, she is peaceful and benevolent—a goddess who loves humans, as she herself had said.

Greek mythology is largely a record of all the trouble the gods caused, so the gentle Hestia hardly ever makes an appearance. Maybe that had carried over into the game Etius, because I had never heard her mentioned in it.

I had finally witnessed Hestia’s symbolic hearth—a literal hearth of a goddess—and stored it in my Workshop. But finding an immediate use for something that was neither a weapon nor armor seemed difficult. Still, there was something I had hopes for.

"Oh."

One feature immediately caught my attention. The hearth was already burning from the moment I wove it. Flames rose from its center without any fuel, such as charcoal.

"So these are the flames Hestia has been tending."

[Hestia’s Hearth]

? Grade: Divine

? Description: The hearth Hestia has always remained beside. Her divinity, which keeps the flames from going out, dwells within it.

Ability Details >

- Flame of Repose: The flames within the hearth never go out. However, any fire carried elsewhere becomes ordinary fire.

- Goddess’s Touch: Objects that touch the hearth’s flames receive Hestia’s blessing, elevating their stature. The higher the object’s grade, the stronger the effect. This effect lasts until the user’s Mana is completely depleted.

First, Flame of Repose. That was the fire I was looking at now. Flames that needed no fuel and never went out. Any fire they spread, however, lost that trait and became ordinary fire. Presumably, that was because the hearth kept them burning; it was not a property of the flames themselves.

I couldn’t raise or lower their temperature at will. Just as the flames themselves were eternal, their temperature would remain constant. They were exactly the sort of flames that provided a home with comforting warmth.

Of course, I wasn’t planning to do anything with the flames themselves. It was Goddess’s Touch that interested me.

"The higher the object’s grade..."

With the description spelling it out like that, there was only one thing to test.

Fabrication, Black River

Grade - Chief Deity

Mjolnir

I broke the necklace Black Lotus and took hold of Mjolnir. I held it over the hearth’s flames. Gradually, Mjolnir’s edges began to shine. The light pushed back the darkness of the night, until at last—

KRA-BOOM!

It trembled with a thunderous roar. I looked up. The sky was perfectly clear. Lightning struck from that cloudless sky and entered Mjolnir.

I smiled.

"Just as I thought."

I raised Mjolnir before my eyes. Something like electric currents swept around it, crackling and throwing off sparks. Only after a long while did it settle down again. Once the lightning subsided, Mjolnir looked no different from before, but something had definitely changed.

[Mjolnir]

? Grade: Chief Deity

? Description: The hammer of Thor, god of lightning. One of the few Divine Relics capable of fully withstanding Thor’s immense strength.

Ability Details >

- Recall (Locked): Returns to the wielder’s hand from anywhere. However, only Thor has ever accomplished this. Conditions unknown.

- Thunder God’s Imbuement (Unlocked): Imbued with the thunder god’s power. The user can convert their Mana or Aura into lightning. The more power supplied, the greater the lightning’s range and strength.

Lightning was originally Thor’s own power. He used Mjolnir because it was a proper weapon capable of withstanding his strength. But Mjolnir was also a weapon he always carried. Just as divine power had come to dwell in Hestia’s Hearth, Thor’s touch was bound to have left its mark on Mjolnir. As the hearth elevated its stature, Mjolnir had become something closer to a true hammer of the thunder god.

"Preparations are almost complete."

Now, then. Time to make the final preparations.

* * *

That morning, Selena was walking through the lodgings with some friends she had recently made at Constel. She felt far more at ease than when she had first enrolled. She had become fairly accustomed to socializing, too.

Frondier had told her to stay with the Ten Thousand Capes whenever she wasn’t guarding him, but doing that would make people at Constel notice her absence and grow suspicious. Making friends and enjoying the school trip was therefore unavoidable. It certainly wasn’t something she wanted to do.

‘... Still.’

She was certainly having a more enjoyable, comfortable time than she did with the Ten Thousand Capes. Certainly.

Besides, Frondier never reprimanded her for not returning to the Ten Thousand Capes while she was at Constel. He was probably allowing it. That, too, felt as though he understood how she felt.

"Selena."

"Oh, yes?"

Someone calling her name interrupted her thoughts. One of her friends was pouting.

"You’re still being so formal."

"I’m sorry. This is more comfortable for me."

"Hmm, well, that’s fine. But you’re Frondier’s bodyguard, right?"

"Yes, that’s right."

One of her friends had brought it up by the vending machine in the hallway. It wasn’t a secret, so Selena nodded. Her friends’ faces scrunched up in displeasure.

"How did he even get the idea to hire a girl his own age as a bodyguard?"

"Seriously. Isn’t he a total pervert?"

"Selena, he hasn’t done anything weird to you, has he?"

Her friends all began bad-mouthing Frondier. Gossiping about a friend’s boss was always the most entertaining topic, and the perfect way to avoid hurting one another’s feelings. And with Frondier the Human Sloth, there was more than enough to criticize.

"Anything weird..."

Selena’s expression grew complicated. Considering that she herself had tried to seduce him into doing those very things, she wasn’t in a position to confirm or deny it. And he had rejected her, at that.

Her friends interpreted her expression differently, however.

"Wait, don’t tell me he actually did?"

"Selena. If that’s what happened, you need to tell a professor right away. Professor Jane will definitely keep it confidential, and there are plenty of better jobs than guarding Frondier."

As her friends grew serious, Selena hurriedly shook her head.

"N-no. It’s nothing like that. Nothing happened."

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Hmm." Her friends eyed her suspiciously. But it was the truth, and her expression was honest. A little downcast precisely because it was the truth, but honest.

"Well, he is the Human Sloth, right? There’s no way he’d have the guts."

"Yeah. Even if he tried, Selena would just kick him, wouldn’t she?"

"Ahahaha! Exactly. He hired a bodyguard to protect himself. How could he lay a hand on her?"

Selena’s eyes darted about as her friends chatted among themselves, unsure what to say. Frondier had ordered her to keep quiet—to say as little as possible about his abilities and strength. That meant she couldn’t simply contradict them. Her friends were mocking and underestimating him, but that was exactly what he wanted. In other words, obeying his orders meant agreeing with her friends, yet Frondier was far too frightening for her to do that.

"Selena, if Frondier crosses the line, don’t hesitate. Just kick him in the balls."

"No, start planning to overthrow him now. He’s nothing special, right? Frondier, I mean."

"Ah, w-well, um..."

Overthrow Frondier?

Selena went pale without realizing it. His chilling gaze flashed through her mind.

"Selena."

"Eek?!"

Selena screamed at the all-too-familiar voice. Forcing her stiff neck to turn, she saw Frondier standing at a junction in the hallway.

He furrowed his brow and tilted his head slightly, looking puzzled. He had merely called her name, but her reaction had been extreme.

"Is something wrong?"

He approached her.

A thousand thoughts raced through Selena’s head. Had he heard their conversation? Was he pretending he hadn’t? If so, was this a test? A test of her loyalty? Because she hadn’t acted convincingly? Because she hadn’t agreed with her friends?

The irony was that joining in the mockery meant obeying his orders. Was he about to reprimand her for failing to do it properly?

"N-nothing is wrong."

As she spoke, Selena’s eyes darted toward her friends, pleading for help. But the very friends who had been bad-mouthing Frondier were now looking away and feigning innocence as though nothing had happened. Selena, however, could see every tremor in their eyes and the stiffness in their faces.

‘Then don’t talk behind his back in the first place! You’re all scared of him yourselves!’

Frondier’s reputation was no longer what it had been at the start of the term. His performance on various exams, the rumors going around, and his recent exploits all belied the title of Human Sloth. Yet his outward appearance had barely changed, so that image persisted. Emotion and habit made the students dismiss him as the Human Sloth, while their minds sounded the alarm that doing so was dangerous. In short, Frondier had become an unknown quantity to the students.

"Hmm."

Frondier glanced over the other students’ faces and gave a small hum. Selena saw the look of understanding on his face. Of course. He had endured so much contempt at Constel. He would recognize expressions like theirs at a glance.

"Selena. Come with me."

"Y-yes?"

"There’s something I need to discuss with you in my room. It won’t take much of your time."

Was it time for her reprimand? Selena swallowed nervously. In truth, Frondier had never once physically punished her, yet for some reason, he terrified her.

"Or do you need to get anything ready? I can give you ten minutes—"

"N-no! I’ll come with you right away!"

Selena answered hastily. There was no need to make his mood any worse. Frondier nodded and led the way. Since he wasn’t staying in this building, he headed straight for the entrance.

Once Frondier and Selena, who followed behind him, had disappeared, the remaining students sighed in relief.

"... Do you think he heard us?"

"I don’t know. Even up close, I really can’t tell what he’s thinking."

"Yeah."

A brief silence followed. After some hesitation, someone spoke honestly.

"... He’s a little scary."

"Yeah."

The reply was honest, too.

* * *

"Go to the Ten Thousand Capes."

Those were Frondier’s first words. Selena, who had been bracing herself for a scolding, opened her mouth in surprise. But a moment later, an ache spread through her chest. To her, it sounded like he was telling her to end her life at Constel.

"... Could you give me a little time?"

"Time?"

"There are things I need to take care of at Constel. Things I left there, my uniform, and, um, I need to say goodbye to my friends, too."

Frondier watched her earnest explanation for a moment before his eyes grew subdued. He sighed.

"You have a habit of assuming the worst about everything. I suppose that means you prepare accordingly, but understand the situation properly before you judge it. Unfounded assumptions can be dangerous."

"... What do you mean?"

"I’m not telling you to leave Constel. I have a message for the Ten Thousand Capes."

"Oh."

Selena lowered her head, her cheeks reddening. He was right. She had let her thoughts run wild without even realizing it. It was probably because she genuinely liked her life at Constel. She was afraid this brief life she didn’t want to lose might vanish at any moment.

"I made you a promise," Frondier said then.

A little surprised, Selena looked up at him again. She might have imagined it, but there was a certain warmth in his voice.

"I promised to return you to your family. To put your life back on its proper course. Enrolling you in Constel was the first step."

"..."

"I will keep that promise. Don’t worry needlessly."

"... Yes."

Selena closed her mouth and nodded. For now, that was the most she could manage in response. Something welled up in her chest. Her throat bobbed. She tried to swallow something down, but it wouldn’t go.

"Then what is the message for the Ten Thousand Capes?"

"Nothing much. It’s what I told you before."

"What you told me...?"

"Tell them I’m no longer teaching you the ancient language."

Selena’s eyes widened. Through her lessons so far, she had gained a feel for how learning the ancient language progressed. She could roughly estimate when they would reach what Frondier had called ‘the point where we mustn’t teach the Ten Thousand Capes any further.’ But this was far earlier than she had expected.

"However, today I’ll teach you one important key to deciphering the ancient language. Once you learn it, you’ll be able to decipher ten percent of it."

Ten percent, Frondier said. To the Ten Thousand Capes, that would be extraordinarily valuable progress, but it was nowhere near enough to read the ancient language with ease. It was wonderfully sweet candy, but it would only leave them craving the next piece.

Selena’s mind naturally began racing. Earlier than anticipated. Bait thrown to the Ten Thousand Capes. All while Indus’s planned revolution drew closer with every passing moment.

Indus and the Ten Thousand Capes.

Could it be?

Her eyes opened wide.

"Shh."

Anticipating her realization, Frondier brought a finger to his lips.

"You’re right."