The Academy’s Weapon Replicator - Chapter 151

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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, Chapter 151
Part 48: Uprising (2)
A few hours earlier.
Selena delivered her report to Hagly.
“──Indeed. That vertical line was a notation for inverted sentence structure. When the sentence sounds odd to the ear, changing its word order would make it sound strange, so they marked it to show that.”
Hagly nodded in admiration.
What Selena had conveyed today about the Ancient Language was extraordinary. Based on what she’d received from Frontdier so far, they’d attempted to work through an interpretation of the Ancient Language, but had quickly hit a wall.
Yet this new lesson had opened a doorway through it.
“So Frontdier really has completed his interpretation of the Ancient Language.”
Hagly nodded with conviction.
Every piece of information Selena had received so far fit perfectly when applied to the actual Ancient Language.
It could never have worked with mere rough guesses. Fortune might allow a few plausible matches, but once information accumulated, the cracks in a flimsy foundation would show. Yet Frontdier’s knowledge had been flawless thus far.
“At this rate, it won’t be long before we uncover the Ancient Language completely.”
Hagly wore an expression of rare delight.
Before him, Selena bowed her head deeply.
“Hagly, there’s something I must tell you regarding that.”
“Hmm? What is it, Jay? Is there more to report?”
Selena had begun to find it strange being called “Jay” now. It had been her real name when she lived in Mangot, but.
Without letting it show, Selena spoke.
“Yes. Frontdier says he won’t teach any more of the Ancient Language.”
“Hmm……?”
Hearing Selena’s words, Hagly’s eyes narrowed. He opened a book—one containing all the Ancient Language lessons from Frontdier that he’d received through Selena so far.
“……This falls far short of what we need.”
Even if they’d opened a pathway, it was merely a small portion. The road ahead toward complete interpretation was still long.
“A sudden change of heart—what brought that on?”
“I’m uncertain.”
“What was Frontdier’s expression when he said that?”
“It was arrogant.”
Selena gave the answer she and Frontdier had agreed on beforehand.
Frontdier knew how his image was perceived in Mangot.
But even so.
‘He really did ask about his expression.’
By now, Frontdier was becoming frightening to her.
“Hmm. It seems he’s begun to sense the value of the Ancient Language.”
“That is my negligence.”
“No. You extracted that information so skillfully, coaxing him into teaching the Ancient Language’s contents so readily. Didn’t I tell you? Frontdier would fall for you in no time.”
Hagly defended Selena.
Hagly was stingy with praise, so it was rare. It meant he valued Selena’s accomplishments highly.
Yet precisely because it was entirely untrue, Selena could not feel joy.
“In any case, if Frontdier has no intention of teaching the Ancient Language further, we must present new terms.”
Hagly fell into thought for a moment.
Until now, they’d extracted Frontdier’s knowledge by exploiting Selena’s appearance and her act. Progress had been smooth.
The interpretation of the Ancient Language, which they’d fumbled about with for so long without direction—finally, a person capable of it appeared, and they’d learned much already. The day Mangot’s long-cherished wish would come true drew near.
They could not stop here. No one else could interpret the Ancient Language but Frontdier.
Perhaps someday another might appear, but for now, Frontdier alone held that knowledge.
“Did Frontdier perhaps demand something as payment?”
“……Payment…….”
“For instance, your feelings, say.”
Selena did not understand Hagly’s words at first.
Hagly spoke again.
“Frontdier taught you the Ancient Language because he was enchanted by you. Since he desired your body, he’s been satisfied for now. But as time passes, people grow greedy. He’ll come to desire ‘love’ and such things.”
“……I see.”
At a loss for words, Selena simply nodded.
Hagly believed that Selena had used her body as bait to extract the Ancient Language from Frontdier. That’s what she had told him—as Frontdier had instructed her to.
“Most people don’t know their place. One as arrogant as Frontdier is no exception. Perhaps what Frontdier desires now is your love. He wants the object of his affection to love him in return. That’s how most people are.”
“……Y-yes, that’s so.”
Selena bowed her head again.
……Not even my heart—I haven’t yet given him even my body.
“It can’t be helped. It will take some time, but there is something that must be done.”
“What is that?”
“You’re beginning to grow fond of Frontdier, aren’t you?”
“…….”
Selena fell silent for a moment, but Hagly nodded as if it were obvious.
“Act as though you love him until Frontdier reveals the contents of the next Ancient Language. You’ve seduced him thus far, but now let it seem as though you’re the one being seduced by him instead.”
“……Then will you teach me the Ancient Language again?”
“Yes. Frontdier hasn’t been teaching you the Ancient Language partly because he suspects you. But if he believes you love him, that suspicion will dissolve. There’s no reason to doubt someone who loves you.”
“I see. Acting as though I love Frontdier…….”
“Yes. Since Frontdier is already captivated by you, it shouldn’t take long.”
It feels like it will take a very long time.
Selena reeled from the unexpected turn in the conversation, but the discussion wasn’t over yet. She steadied herself and opened her mouth again.
“But that Frontdier is in quite a dangerous position.”
“Yes. You said Indus had marked him.”
Selena nodded.
“He acts without understanding his place. He could die at any moment.”
“I heard Frontdier is even using you as a bodyguard. Aren’t you alone enough?”
Selena nodded.
“Yes. And to be honest, even though Frontdier can apparently interpret the Ancient Language, I’m not certain his value justifies staking my life on him.”
Hagly let out a slight sigh at Selena’s words.
‘It seems Jay truly despises Frontdier.’
For someone as patient as her to speak so openly—what was going on with Frontdier’s arrogance and inferiority complex?
“Then we’ll need more hands. However, Jay. Going against Indus means we bleed as well.”
“……That’s true. I do wonder if we’re sacrificing far too much for just one Frontdier.”
Selena deliberately acted as though she hoped Frontdier would die. It would build Hagly’s trust. That’s what Frontdier had told her.
Hagly spoke with a smile.
“Sacrifice, you say. Then what do you think? Is Frontdier worth the sacrifice?”
“Given his ability to interpret the Ancient Language, we have no choice.”
“That is Mangot’s reasoning.”
Hagly shook his head.
“Jay, what do you think? If Frontdier were to fall completely for you—would he be a necessary asset?”
Selena recognized the intention behind Hagly’s question.
Hagly intended to bring Frontdier into Mangot’s fold entirely.
From Mangot’s perspective, Frontdier was a child cast out by his family. He would naturally resent his house, and resent himself.
Mangot had always gathered such people. In fact, most of Mangot’s members shared similar circumstances.
So Hagly was asking about the potential of Frontdier as a person itself.
‘……Then.’
Viewing it from Selena’s perspective, not Mangot’s.
Was Frontdier a necessary asset or not?
Regardless of Hagly’s intention, Selena’s answer was already decided.
“……He is necessary.”
“I see.”
Hagly nodded.
“I will permit you to inherit the shadows of Yeol-Gos.”
“Yes.”
“And I shall go as well.”
“You as well, Hagly?”
Selena was surprised by the unexpected statement. Hagly nodded.
“There’s a face I’ve been longing to see.”

* * *
A sudden skirmish erupted within Heldrey’s Grand Residence.
The members of Indus rose from the shadows, saw those defending Frontdier, and made a swift decision. They put distance between themselves and those charging at them, then retreated.
It was Indus’s best judgment under the circumstances. In the meantime, countless people streamed from Heldrey’s residence and clashed in bloody combat with Mangot.
All of them belonged to Indus, and they were seasoned soldiers of the inner ranks.
Yet.
“Ahhhhh!”
“Gaaahhh!”
They were nearly all overwhelmed by those who burst forth from the shadows.
Yeol-Gos.
Selena had not assembled just anyone from Mangot to provide support.
Selena was originally the tenth assassin raised by Mangot. This is why she was called by the tenth letter of the Alphabet Codename—’J’.
Given Mangot’s history, the fact that Selena—a girl so young—was only the tenth of her kind meant that nurturing an assassin involved extraordinary scrutiny and selection from the very start.
And so Selena’s being called by an Alphabet Codename itself attested to her tremendous talent and skill.
Yeol-Gos, meanwhile, was an elite team handpicked under Selena’s command. Assassination, as a rule, was rarely accomplished alone—and all the more so when complete concealment was required.
The gap between Yeol-Gos and Indus was simply too vast to close by numbers alone.
“Frontdier, I’ll have you free in just a moment.”
As Yeol-Gos methodically dismantled Indus’s personnel, Selena moved behind Frontdier and drew her Dagger.
Without thinking, she studied his expression.
……Yet there was still no reading his face.
The instant she brought the Dagger close to sever his bound hands behind his back, Frontdier opened his mouth.
—Don’t.
It was a message conveyed only by the shape of his lips, utterly silent.
Selena had mastered Lip Reading, so she caught what he said. In truth, even without that skill, the movement of his lips just now would have been plain to anyone.
—Why not?
Selena, too, moved only her lips in response.
Frontdier’s mouth opened again.
—I have no Mana left.
“……!”
Selena concealed her shock.
She’d just examined his face moments ago, and yet no Mana? There was truly no sign of it in his expression whatsoever.
—I burned it all in my fight with Renzo. Pushed a bit too hard at the end, truth be told.
—Then surely you need both arms freed all the more? As it stands, you’re in danger.
—Right now, it looks like I’m not fighting because I’m restrained. If they see my bonds come free and realize I can’t fight properly, the enemy will catch on.
Selena swallowed hard. Even in a moment like this, he was thinking ahead.
Frontdier’s lips moved again.
—Don’t worry. I’ve enough Mana left to bluff with. But that’s all it is—bluffing. It’ll be more effective if I stay bound to the chair.
—Understood.
Selena rose. Frontdier’s bound wrists and ankles—it wouldn’t be easy to cut through them right now. The Spider Web Restraint wound thickly around them, reinforced with a faint Aura.
Such thorough binding. Clearly Indus’s members knew his strength well enough.
Selena changed her approach, focusing instead on her Bodyguard duties. She widened her perimeter and cut down every enemy that tried to close in. Those struck by her Needle fell where they stood without exception.
Though Yeol-Gos had the edge in skill, Indus’s numbers were overwhelming. Gradually, her own people began to sustain wounds.
Her tension rising, Selena spoke.
“Then I’ll guard your flank. With my life.”
Frontdier let out a quiet, hollow laugh.
Even now, Selena favored such stock phrases.

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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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