The Academy’s Weapon Replicator - Chapter 118

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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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The Weapon Duplicator of the Academy — Episode 118
Chapter 36: Demi-human
When Elisia told me to bring one thing each from the Department Store, I used Weaving and the Workshop to select what looked like the finest piece.
I didn’t know the exact price, but judging by the grade and description, I could get a rough sense of its value.
The problem was that once I’d brought it back, I had nowhere to sell it.
When Angen heard I’d brought something, he didn’t even glance at it—he just stuffed it into the Warehouse, where it accumulated with the rest.
So then.
I brought Quinie to the Roach Residence.
At the front gate, Quinie murmured under her breath.
“It’s been a while.”
“Have you visited our family before, Quinie?”
“No, actually.”
Quinie shook her head.
Then what did she mean by “a while”?
But Quinie didn’t elaborate; she said something else instead.
“Let’s go inside.”
The front gate opened, and as we stepped through, Angen was already waiting at the residence entrance.
Quinie approached him and bowed respectfully.
“I am honored to meet the head of House Roach.”
And Angen, in turn,
“The privilege is mine to receive the head of House Biette.”
At moments like these, I’m reminded that Quinie really is a family head.
Though she’s only two years older than Frontdier, her station is worlds apart.
“My son brought what I’d call a white elephant, but since Biette has offered to examine it, I’m relieved.”
“Not at all. When good merchandise appears, it deserves proper consideration.”
Quinie said this while glancing sideways at me.
She’d buy everything anyway because of my “compensation,” but she had to say such things to Angen.
But Angen looked at Quinie carefully. I’d never seen his gaze linger on someone like that before.
After a moment, Angen spoke.
“By the way, Head of House Biette…”
“Yes, please speak.”
“No, it’s nothing.”
And with that, Angen trailed off flatly.
After exchanging a few more words, he withdrew into the residence.
The rest was left to me to manage. I called a maid and had her guide Quinie.
As we followed the maid’s lead, a door to the Warehouse on the right side of the residence opened, revealing the items I’d brought from the Department Store stacked inside.
Quinie looked at me.
“So which one of these is your ‘white elephant’?”
There was an edge to her tone.
I pointed with my finger.
“All the ones with brand names.”
“All of them? Every branded product in this Warehouse?”
“Yes. My father doesn’t care for such things.”
He doesn’t even carry a luxury phone, much less luxury goods.
Maybe I should gift him something? And Angen and Artzie too.
Though I’d be lucky if they didn’t bisect it with a blade in mid-air.
“Hmm, let me have a look then.”
Quinie examined the items in the Warehouse one by one.
While not quite as skilled as a trained appraiser—or perhaps even me—Quinie has a good eye. That skill has only sharpened since her Museum days until now.
As Quinie picked up this and that, her expression gradually shifted. She was assessing the value of the goods.
“Frontdier.”
“Yes?”
“How much are you asking for all of this?”
“Will you be purchasing everything?”
“I said I’ll buy it all. And they’re worth it. Every item is of exceptional quality—the premium lines from each brand. Some of them will only appreciate in value with time.”
I nodded slowly.
Since I’m the owner of the goods, I need to set the price myself.
But then…
“Would you please set the price yourself, Quinie?”
“Did you forget that I’m a merchant?”
“So you’ll give me a fair price, won’t you?”
And even if you don’t price it fairly, it doesn’t matter. I’ll take it cheap.
Because I got everything for free anyway. Elisia gave them to me.
“……Sigh. How did I end up dealing with this sort of person.”
Dealing with, as if I were the one doing the threatening.
Quinie pressed her thumb against her lip for a moment, then spoke.
“Fine. Everything together comes to 8 million Cure.”
“…….”
“That’s the highest I can go.”
When I held an auction before, the starting bid for Bipagan had been 5 million Cure.
……It’s strange to say it, but there’s no “legendary” items among these products. Is it really that expensive just because there are a lot of items?
“……Are the products here that good?”
“You’re good at judging authenticity, but you know nothing of prices.”
That remark stung. Perhaps that was Frontdier’s very identity.
“Most of what’s here are from enormous brands—signature pieces. And they’ve limited the availability by time and quantity, so collectors are already hunting for these. Usually when things are limited like that, there’s some flaw somewhere, but that’s not the case here. Quality, rarity, brand—items where all three elements align perfectly don’t come around often.”
So this is what it’s like when a royal family operates a Department Store.
They say the Department Store in the game Aetherius has no floor or ceiling, and now I’m beginning to understand what they meant.
“Anyway, I can’t carry all this alone. I’ll need to call someone…….”
There, Quinie trailed off.
Her sunken eyes turned toward outside the Warehouse.
Ah, those eyes—I’d seen that look before, many times, from many people.
“Menosorpho.”
Without hesitation, I unfolded the spell formation.
Just as I could sense Lenzo, Menosorpho has its own peculiarities, but it can also perceive entities within its range. This isn’t unique to Menosorpho—it’s a feature that most large-scale spell formations possess.
“……Is it someone you know?”
Something definitely caught within Menosorpho. Outside the residence, high up in a tree, someone stood motionless. Probably watching us.
“Yeah. Probably the one who spread rumors about me.”
At that, my eyes narrowed. Then this was serious.
“Should we intercept them?”
Since they’d entered Menosorpho’s range, we could launch a preemptive strike. But Quinie shook her head.
“Never mind. If we stay still, they’ll find their way to us.”
“……But that’s dangerous.”
At my words, Quinie shook her head again.
There was no tension whatsoever in Quinie’s expression. If anything, she looked annoyed.
“Actually, it’s better if you meet them too.”
So saying, Quinie walked away from the Warehouse.
Meet them? What was she talking about?
As I walked to Quinie’s side, she stared toward some distant point—the direction where Menosorpho had caught someone.
Following her gaze, there really was someone in the tree.
Though I’d sensed them through Menosorpho, I hadn’t grasped how truly tall that tree was. Wow, how on earth did they climb up there? Were they a mage capable of Levitation Magic on Elody’s level?
“……If you just stand here like this, they’ll come down on their own.”
“Huh?”
At that very moment, as if responding to Quinie’s words.
Someone who’d been sitting in the tree suddenly jumped up. Were they actually coming? I naturally tensed, clenching my fists.
But then.
Crackle, crackle.
From those high branches.
They were carefully making their way down, branch by branch, with deliberate caution.
“…….”
“…….”
By the time the silence had stretched on noticeably, they were halfway down the tree.
“This is taking a while.”
“It is.”
Finally having descended partway, the figure seemed to have completely forgotten their careful descent and came charging toward us at a terrifying speed.
……On all fours.
“Hey! Quinie!!”
In a single bound, leaping over the residence’s fence and reaching us.
“Who’s the black guy next to you!!”
It was a boy with cat ears and a tail.
“……A Demi-human.”
To think I’d encounter a demi-human in this world.
In the game Aetherius, which draws from various mythologies, demi-humans are commonplace. The minotaur from Greek mythology isn’t all that different.
But demi-humans are extremely rare compared to humanity. Put simply, there aren’t enough of them to be called a “race.” Most are half-breeds with humans or descendants of “legends.”
Because of this, whenever a demi-human appeared in Aetherius—something commonly seen in other games—it became a hot topic of conversation among players.
And even then, most demi-humans look nothing like people’s fantasies. Some have a horse’s head, others have horse legs, or hooves for hands. If they’re hostile, they’re no different from monsters, but if they possess intelligence and don’t attack people, Aetherius classifies them as “demi-humans.”
That’s how precious demi-humans are in this game.
“Frontdier, there’s something I need to tell you.”
While the demi-human in front was arguing intently, Quinie turned to address me instead.
“What is it?”
“If you look at her and say ‘cat,’ she’ll get absolutely furious. Even though she has cat ears and a tail, she’s pure White Tiger blood.”
“A White Tiger? That sounds dangerous if she gets angry.”
“No, I didn’t say she’s dangerous. I’m just giving you a heads-up.”
……Hmm?
I didn’t quite understand, but in the meantime, Quinie had turned to address the demi-human.
“Kora, why did you follow us all the way here?”
“I asked first! Who is that pitch-black thing?”
She’s not really that pitch-black.
If anything, it was Quinie who was pitch-black from head to toe—her hair, her fan, her clothes, all of it.
Kora stiffened, eyeing me warily. The tail behind her stretched upward, and she looked absolutely furious.
“Wow, she really does look like a c—”
Ah. Without thinking.
Kora’s eyes went wide. With a strange cry of “Kraaagh!” she thrust her hand forward.
And she cried out at me.
“Flame Blade!”
What?
I instinctively drew my Short Sword. If Flame Blade was anything like the Storm Blade that Elody used, it was magic of considerable power.
A White Tiger demi-human wielding magic equivalent to the Storm Blade? This was no ordinary foe.
Poof—
A candle-like flame flickered and burst from Kora’s palm.
The spark drifted toward me like a flower petal.
It seemed fragile enough that a breeze would scatter it away, and yet it reached me nonetheless.
“…….”
Uncertain what to do, I slashed at it decisively. I was worried it might be one of those terrifying attacks that explodes violently upon contact.
And nothing happened.
“…….”
For a moment I tensed, wondering if this was a delayed, off-beat counterattack.
But still, nothing occurred.
“Ugh……”
Kora in front of me clenched her fists tight and trembled.
I thought I should do something about it.
“……Ugh, ahhhhh?”
So I tried to act hurt.
“Hey! Stop it! You making fun of me? Stop! Hey! You rotten bastard!”
Well, what else was I supposed to do?
Why was she acting wronged when she threw the attack herself?
Quinie sighed heavily.
“Kora, I told you. If you use the wrong incantation, the magic won’t come out properly.”
“It wasn’t wrong! I was trying to use Flame Blade! It felt like it was going to work.”
……A Flame Blade that doesn’t require chanting or spell formulas, just a shouted trigger word.
Quinie hung her head as if embarrassed, then spoke.
“Frontdier, let me introduce you.”
“Hey! Quinie! Answer my question first! Who is that?”
Still ignoring Kora’s words entirely, Quinie turned to me.
“She’s got White Tiger blood, and her strength and reflexes are exceptional—she has the makings of a warrior from birth.
That much is obvious. Given that she can’t use magic, the fact that she climbed this tall tree with her bare hands proves it.
And I could already guess what Quinie was about to say.
“She’s Kora, an aspiring mage who desperately, desperately, desperately wants to use magic.”

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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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