Chapter 428 (1) – The Academys Weapon Replicator

The Academy’s Weapon Replicator

Night passed, and the second day of Machia began.

As the selection of representatives from each class had concluded the previous day, today marked the true commencement of the event. Simply put, it was the finals.

Students gathered to cheer for the representatives chosen from their respective classes. While the first day’s audience had consisted solely of nobles and parents, today saw the majority of Atlas’s student body joining in the excitement.

Naturally, the cheers within the gymnasium were several times louder than before, and as all the students who had been in the training grounds ascended to the spectator seats, the place became bustling with noise.

“Over here, over here!”

“Ah, this is Class 3! You idiot! It’s the other way!”

“Excuse me! Coming through!”

“Students, please wait until the parents and noble guests have finished moving…”

The commotion reached a point where even speaking face-to-face required raising one’s voice.

“Teacher. Please keep your promise after this match. Today’s Machia will prove my achievement. If I win, you must teach me the magic you showed me before.”

Basileo, one of the class representatives, spoke to Frondier with a serious expression.

Frondier, who had come to observe his performance as his homeroom teacher, glanced at him briefly.

“Basileo.”

“Yes!”

“It’s too loud here, I can’t hear you well.”

“Teacher! After this match!”

Beep!

Just then, the whistle blew, signaling the start of the spar.

Unfortunately, Basileo was up first.

Frondier turned Basileo’s body and gave him a light push on the back.

“Go on, good luck. Basileo.”

“Ah! Wait a minute! Teacher! The promise, the promise!”

Beep!

The teacher acting as the referee in the center of the training grounds gestured at Basileo with his arm.

“Student Basileo! To your position!”

“D, Damn it…”

Basileo eventually gave up and trudged towards the center of the training grounds.

Seeing this, Frondier checked the day’s match schedule once more.

“The semifinals start tomorrow. People’s attention will be focused on tomorrow, but the fights today will probably be the fiercest.”

Indeed, the most duels took place today.

In other words, even students eliminated before the semifinals were worth observing.

Perhaps aware of this, the number of nobles present had increased significantly compared to yesterday, not to mention the students.

“…I knew this would happen, but…”

There were too many, far too many.

Frondier hadn’t imagined that this vast gymnasium would be filled to capacity. Although somewhat lacking, it was a massive structure capable of containing the light emitted by his Wisp.

Perhaps because similar events had been held here frequently in the past, there were ample seats, and the flow of people had been carefully considered.

‘If Lady Achaea had made her move today, it would have been even harder to find her than I thought.’

The main reason the Lady hadn’t exposed Carla’s true identity today was likely due to Frondier’s presence.

While a crowd this large was beneficial for concealing his appearance, it also made it difficult to interact with his companions.

Just then, he heard a faint voice creeping in from somewhere.

“E-excuse me, just passing through…”

Muttering softly as if afraid to be heard by others, the woman finally reached Frondier, having navigated through the crowd.

“Phew, I barely made it.”

“…Headmaster?”

“Shh, don’t call me that, I’ll be found out.”

Carla put a finger to her lips.

Yesterday, she had only worn sunglasses, but now she had a wide-brimmed hat completely covering her face.

Frondier asked in a low voice,

“Wasn’t the curse lifted?”

“This isn’t because of the curse. I’m trying to hide my face. I don’t want to be the Headmaster today.”

Indeed, Carla’s appearance was too striking for her to blend into a crowd unnoticed.

Moreover, her position as Headmaster naturally drew people’s attention to her.

“I want to enjoy myself comfortably too. I’m allowed to do that, at least for a day.”

“…Well, you’re the Headmaster, you can do as you please.”

“That’s right. I’ll do as I please.”

Saying that, Carla giggled. Frondier didn’t understand why she was laughing, but he turned his attention back to the training grounds and said,

“Then it’s a day off for you today.”

“That’s right. I was looking for someone to go on a date with.”

Carla said playfully.

After the curse was lifted, Carla’s excessive timidity, which Frondier had witnessed, had largely disappeared. She was now able to make jokes like this.

Frondier nodded.

“Then you came to the right person.”

“…Huh?”

Carla asked back in surprise. It was just a joke, but did Frondier take it seriously?

Frondier said to her,

“Even though the curse has been lifted, there are still nobles who are suspicious of you. The fact that your curse has been lifted will not convince them. After all, they suspect you are a devil, not a monster.”

“…Ah. Ah, that’s right.”

Carla only then understood Frondier’s words and nodded.

‘Well, of course, he knew it was a joke.’ Frondier had already moved on from the joke and was thinking about what to say next.

…But why do I feel a little disappointed?

“So, the nobles have started to make their move.”

“That’s right. I’ve put out the immediate fire, but the embers still remain.”

Carla was surprised by his words and looked at Frondier.

Not only did he save her from the curse and defeat Antero, but he also quelled the suspicions of the nobles beforehand?

“…Amazing, Frondier. As if you knew everything.”

Frondier gave a self-deprecating smile at her words.

“There was a time when I did.”

“What was that? Humility doesn’t suit you.”

Carla said with a laugh, but it wasn’t humility.

Until the end of the war with Manggot, Frondier was someone who knew almost ‘everything’.

He had tried everything he could to overcome the highest hurdle of this game, and all those experiences and knowledge still remained in his head.

But now it was different.

The game continued even after overcoming the hurdle. Now that the conditions for clearing and the end point of the game were unknown, Frondier, like everyone else, lived on without knowing what the future held.

‘The habits of the game still remain.’

That’s why Frondier was hungry for information. Now that his advantage was gone, he was longing for the past when he could navigate with the knowledge he already possessed.