The Academy’s Weapon Replicator - Chapter 101

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Academy Weapon Replicator Episode 101
Chapter 29: Second Semester (2)
The first class of the Second Semester.
Selena sat rigid in her seat, every muscle taut.
After the teacher had shown her around and introduced her to the students, she’d taken an empty chair and remained there the entire time.
She remembered almost none of it.
‘……What, what should I…….’
Her posture was stiff, but her eyes darted quickly across the room.
Anyone watching would have sworn a female student had wandered into an abandoned house in the dead of night—her pupils quivering with repeated tremors, each one a harbinger of aftershocks to come.
Her stillness recalled Aten, though Aten had chosen such composure; Selena looked trapped inside it, as if sealed away by someone else’s hand.
Then came the break.
“Hey, you’re Selena, right? What a pretty name,”
“M-my name is what?”
Selena’s head snapped around like a radar-equipped turret, and the other girl flinched back in alarm.
“Oh, no, I just meant—it’s pretty, that’s all.”
“……Huh? Ah, um, y-yes. Thank you.”
And that was that.
Watching Selena stiffen again, the girl tried to add a few more words, then gave up and left.
Selena, for her part, was dying inside.
‘Ugh. What is this? How am I supposed to do this? I’ve never learned how to interact with people—except seduction. And that’s all I ever trained for.’
She’d learned that seduction well enough, tried it on Frontdier for the first time, and crashed spectacularly.
Since then, Selena had been steadily losing confidence in herself.
“—Hey, are you all right?”
“Eek!”
Startled as if she’d come face-to-face with an enemy, Selena trembled visibly.
She glanced toward the sound and saw another girl—this one resting her chin in her hand, regarding Selena with half-lidded eyes.
‘……Who?’
Sunset-colored hair, eyes blue as a lake. Selena’s gaze locked onto those eyes first—impossible to fathom their depth.
It wasn’t simply pretty or beautiful. Just looking at this girl made the world around her seem to shift and change.
“Hi, I’m Elody. Elody de Richae.”
“Elody……. You’re Elody de Inies Richae?”
At the name, Selena’s memory sparked, and she asked again—to which Elody’s face soured.
“I left that part out on purpose. You don’t need to use ‘Inies’ at all.”
“Oh, y-yes, of course.”
“So, are you okay? You’ve been looking lost since before.”
“Oh, no, I’m completely fine. There’s no way I’m not fine, is there? There’s nothing left but fine.”
Was that supposed to mean she was fine?
Elody sighed inwardly.
Normally, she wouldn’t pay much attention to a transfer student, but Selena’s appearance—adrift, unable to adapt anywhere—was something she couldn’t simply leave alone.
Because it felt like seeing her own past self.
‘Though I’m not sure I’m much different even now.’
Class 2 had many who were called monsters and geniuses, Elody chief among them, so it wasn’t particularly noticeable—but Elody had never had many friends to begin with.
She merely maintained an appropriate, polite distance from everyone. In Class 2, she spoke freely with Aster at least, and with a few others without hesitation.
In other classes, there was Saiber, whom she’d recently grown closer to.
And Frontdier.
‘……Sigh.’
What capriciousness was this?
“Selena, want me to show you around the school?”
“Show me around?”
“Yeah. Do you know where the Cafeteria is?”
Selena opened her mouth, struck by the question. A genuinely honest reaction.

* * *
As lunch period arrived, Elody walked with Selena toward the Cafeteria, explaining the buildings and facilities they passed.
“If you head down this path, you’ll reach the Auditorium—used for various events and indoor practical classes. Right ahead is the Athletic Field, and beyond that you can see a wide expanse we call the ‘Field.’ It’s used for everything from casual missions to exams—all kinds of training and classes that involve monsters.”
“……A wide area?”
Selena furrowed her brow and looked in the direction Elody indicated.
“……All I see are mountains.”
“Yeah. ‘Today’ it’s mountains.”
Today?
Selena caught the implication and glanced at Elody in surprise.
Elody smiled as if she understood.
“That’s right. That whole mountain is the Field. It changes every few days—sometimes it’s a plain, sometimes a city. They say it’s thanks to cutting-edge Magic Engineering and the coordination of the magic instructors, but honestly, I don’t know the details.”
Selena let out another breath of wonder as she gazed at the Field. The entire mountain belonged to Constellation Academy. One decision, and it could become plains or a city.
By the time Elody finished explaining, they’d already arrived at the Cafeteria.
After collecting food on her tray and sitting down, Elody made a soft coughing sound as if she had something to ask.
“Well, actually. Selena.”
“Yes?”
“That girl who came to school with Frontdier today—that’s you, right?”
Selena looked startled and asked in return.
“How do you know Frontdier?”
“……Frontdier?”
“I’m his bodyguard. That’s why I’m here.”
Selena spoke as if it were nothing important.
“His bodyguard……?”
Elody studied Selena’s face—taking in her shimmering hair, her clothes, her figure all in a single glance.
“Bodyguard is… well.”
Elody couldn’t quite finish the sentence.
It wasn’t the sort of thing you said to a classmate you’d just met.
“How do you know Frontdier, though?”
At Selena’s question, Elody let out a soft laugh.
“There’s no one at Constellation who doesn’t know Frontdier’s name. ‘Human Sloth Frontdier’—he’s famous for it.”
“……I see.”
Now that she thought about it, she’d forgotten. Frontdier did have that nickname.
Manggot had told her about it, but somewhere along the way she’d erased it from her mind. The reason was obvious.
Elody rested her chin on her hand and murmured.
“The thing is, Frontdier being called ‘Human Sloth’ is—”
“Absolutely not true.”
Selena stated it flatly. Elody’s eyes widened as she looked at her.
Selena spoke with utter certainty.
“Frontdier is strong. That ‘Human Sloth’ thing—it’s complete nonsense.”
Indeed. Because of that rumor, how harshly had she learned her lesson? Selena still remembered trembling on her knees before Frontdier.
Elody studied Selena’s eyes. There was no falsehood in them, no deception.
Someone who knew. Someone who understood Frontdier’s strength. That fact sent a subtle chill through Elody.
“……You,”
It was just as Elody was about to say something.
“Huh?”
Selena made a sound as someone entered the Cafeteria.
The most astonishing sight Selena had witnessed all day at Constellation filled her vision.
“Th-th-th-that person…….”
“Hm? Oh.”
Following Selena’s gaze, Elody spoke as if it were nothing special.
“Yeah, Aten Terstein. The empire’s princess.”
Aten, from her hair to her feet, was pure white.
Selena had never imagined she’d see the same Aten she’d glimpsed in Taeibun here as well. It was all the more surprising because as Frontdier’s bodyguard, Selena had always remained in the background.
But there was something even more startling.
“Th-that princess is now, right there……”
“Yeah, I get it. Must be shocking if you’re seeing it for the first time.”
She was following a man around. The distance and stride between them had become so natural that it looked unremarkable.
“Aten always follows Frontdier around. No one knows why.”
“B-but why, I mean, how come……?”
“Because no one knows.”
Elody and the other students had seen it many times already, so it was familiar to them.
Even though it was the first day of the Second Semester and a sight they’d missed, it wasn’t shocking.
“Why would the Third Princess of the Terstein Empire, Aten Terstein, behave in such a manner…….”
“Isn’t that a bit long-winded?”
“Surely you can make some educated guess, even without knowing the reason?”
Hmm.
Selena seemed utterly unable to believe what she was seeing. She couldn’t even focus on her food.
Elody dredged up her memory and offered a few plausible reasons.
“Well, this is just a rumor going around campus, but Aten’s known for being overflowing with compassion and mercy.”
“Ah, yes. They say she’s famous for that temperament even within the Imperial Palace…….”
“So the story goes that she took pity on Frontdier, who was isolated, and spends time with him out of sympathy.”
In other words, she pitied Frontdier.
What Elody had just said was so widely accepted within Constellation Academy that it had practically become established fact.
Regardless of the truth, it was the most comforting hypothesis—the prevailing thought being that, given Aten’s nature, she was certainly capable of such kindness.
“Did you eat meals alone before that, Frontdier?”
“……Well, yes.”
Not just meals—everything had been solitary. Realizing she’d played a part in that, Elody averted her gaze.
“You probably wouldn’t mind such things anyway, Frontdier.”
“……You know Frontdier quite well, don’t you.”
The way she’d dismissed the “Human Sloth” label earlier proved it.
Elody found herself curious about what side of Frontdier Selena had glimpsed.
“Oh, and there’s another theory, now that I think about it.”
“What is it?”
“That Frontdier has something on Aten and is blackmailing her.”
This was a hypothesis that Rohwald Lief, once called Constellation’s most notorious troublemaker, had actually believed in.
He’d even charged at Frontdier based on that theory, so there was considerable support for this version among the students.
“B-blackmail…….”
“Haha, that’s ridiculous, isn’t it.”
“That might actually be possible…….”
“Huh?”
Selena nodded thoughtfully, her expression serious.
Elody broke into a cold sweat.
‘Does she actually know Frontdier, or is she clueless?’
While Elody suddenly found herself confused, Selena spoke up.
“In any case, if Frontdier isn’t deliberately keeping people away, then my duty is clear.”
“Huh? What duty?”
In response to Elody’s question, Selena picked up her tray and stood.
“I’m Frontdier’s bodyguard. It’s only natural that I share his meal.”
“……What?”
And with that, Selena walked toward Frontdier and Aten with steady, unhesitating steps.
Elody watched the whole scene unfold, utterly dumbfounded.

* * *
Please don’t come over.
By the time I’d silently screamed that roughly one hundred thirty-seven times, Selena stood up.
Damn it—was the count not high enough? Why didn’t she pick up on my telepathy?
Selena walked toward us without fanfare and took the seat beside me.
Aten was sitting across from me, so our eyes met.
“Oh, Selena. Have you come to Constellation? It’s strange to see you here. We had quite the time of it back in Taeibun.”
Selena’s calm face turned toward Aten with mechanical precision—like gears were grinding.
“G-g-g-good afternoon, Your Highness, the Third Imperial Princess of the Terstein Empire, Aten Terstein.”
“That’s long.”
If you’re nervous, I wish you’d just show it instead of pretending to be calm. It’s unsettling to watch.
“I-I-I am S-s-Selena, s-serving as Frontdier’s b-b-bodyguard.”
“Yes, I know.”
When did she become S-Selena?
I sighed quietly to myself.
Well, I can’t help it. Once I brought Selena to Constellation, this was bound to happen eventually. The day just came a bit sooner than expected.
……Or so I thought.
“Aten, heyyy. Oh, you’re the one I saw back in Taeibun!”
“Yes, I’m Selena.”
“Wow, how nice to see you! I’m Saiber Forte! How come you’re here? Did you enroll at Constellation?”
This time Saiber happened by and joined us, settling into the seat next to Aten with a naturalness and charisma that put Selena’s efforts to shame.
That made four of us.
“Elody! Why are you eating alone! Come join us!”
Saiber spotted Elody and gestured her over. Of course she was alone—she’d been sitting with Selena until a moment ago.
Elody let out a deep sigh and sat down beside Saiber.
And that made five.
“Huh? Elody, that’s an interesting combination. I actually wanted to ask you about your Mana pairing.”
Runia, the heroine of Aethius, spoke as she looked at Elody.
“If I’ll do, by all means.”
With Elody’s permission, Runia sat across from her—next to Selena.
That made six.
“Aster! Come over here! Let’s eat together today.”
“Huh? Yeah… sure.”
Aster sat down beside Runia without much thought.
…Seven.
“Hey! Aster! I heard you’ve acquired Aura! You’re planning to surpass me, are you?”
“Just eat your food and stop spouting nonsense.”
Rohwald, the “problem child,” sat down across from Aster.
“…Eight.”
I rested my hand on my head and muttered under my breath. My eyes closed without my meaning to. The darkness was still there—which made sense, since I’d shut my eyes. Idiot.
The dining table, now suddenly crowded, buzzed with energy.
It felt like all that vitality was draining away from me.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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