The Academy’s Weapon Replicator - Chapter 190

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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 Academy’s Weapon Replicator Episode 190
Chapter 61: Freshman (2)
These days, the students call me Sloth.
Actually, not just students—it seems anyone within Constellation Academy, whether teacher or staff, knows the nickname.
From Human Sloth to Sloth. The meaning’s essentially the same, but I’d call it an improvement in reputation.
So my honest take on the changed moniker is:
“I think I’m going to die of embarrassment…….”
The whole walk to school, the whispering voices and lingering stares made my mood plummet by the minute.
Somehow it’s even worse than my notoriety in first year. Back then, I mostly got looks of mockery and contempt, but now it seems to have shifted to something like fear.
……I’m not sure that counts as progress.
The third-year students, including Quinie, have graduated, and I’ve become a second-year. Apparently Ellin is serving as temporary student council president.
What surprised me was that in the original game, the student council president selection proceeds without much trouble. Of course, someone other than Ellin becomes president.
But since they barely appear in the game scenario, they can’t really be called a named character.
To be honest, the student council and student council president don’t hold much status at Constellation. Students don’t focus on their studies, so naturally the student council becomes little more than a name.
Yet for some reason, Ellin volunteered to become president. I might get to see a different side of Constellation than what I knew.
There are a few things that changed after becoming second-year, and the most noticeable is:
“Frontdier, hello!”
“Hello.”
“Yo, Frontdier.”
“Frontdier.”
Several people greeting me as I enter the classroom.
Since I’m second-year now, the class assignments naturally changed, and I got placed in Class 1.
And this Class 1 is where all the named characters have clustered together. Aster, Elody, Saiber, Runia, Rohwald—and Aten, who was already in my class before, is here too.
‘I figured these people would all end up in the same class.’
But I never expected I’d be placed with them.
On top of that, Cora, the beast-person who wasn’t originally a Constellation student, and Selena, whom I brought here, are also in this class.
In the game, Frontdier disappears after a short time, so I’d been genuinely curious where I’d actually be placed.
But Class 1, huh. Is this a predetermined pattern if Frontdier stays at Constellation, or…
‘Did the Headmaster pull some strings…….’
No, surely the Headmaster wouldn’t intervene to shove everyone into one class. I’ll just accept this as destiny as it was meant to be.
“Frontdier, looks like we’re neighbors again.”
“Seems so. Good working with you.”
Aten smiled softly from beside me.
My seat was in the back by the window, much like in first year. Aten sitting next to me is the same too. Cora’s nearby as well, of course.
What felt refreshing was that the other people visible around me were different. I’d been wondering whether I’d actually get to see Aster and Elody studying in a classroom together.
And then,
“The Slothful Frontdier! Hey!”
“Shut it.”
Saiber grinned and came over. Just hearing that one word made my head start to throb.
“What, it’s a good nickname! The Slothful Frontdier. Better than the Human Sloth Frontdier, right?”
“I don’t know. These days they feel pretty much the same to me.”
Aten, who’d been listening quietly, spoke up.
“‘Sloth,’ that’s one of the Seven Deadly Sins, isn’t it?”
“……I don’t think it’s meant to carry that deep a meaning.”
The Seven Deadly Sins—seven vices said to be the root of human evil.
In reality, they’re sins defined by the Church, but in the game Ethius, the image of “demons” is far stronger.
Each of the Seven Deadly Sins has a corresponding demon, and in the case of Sloth, that demon is Belphegor. True to being one of the Seven Great Demons, it’s said to possess terrifying power.
However, the Seven Great Demons have never actually appeared in Ethius.
I’ve searched through entire communities and found no one who’d witnessed them. Occasionally, people hungry for attention spread rumors and exaggerations, but they were all lies.
‘But they do exist as knowledge, strictly speaking.’
In this game, if you want to research the Seven Great Demons, information comes up immediately.
It’s in the Library, in bookstores, and mentioned occasionally in game guides. Because of this, at the time players said, “Why would the game include information about something that doesn’t exist?”—and so the Seven Great Demons became one of the consistent mysteries.
Yet no one has ever seen even one of the Seven Great Demons, so a broken game is still a broken game.
“Frontdier, don’t tell me you’re actually Belphegor!”
Rohwald, standing nearby, feigned shock dramatically. As a result, every student around turned to stare.
I covered my face with my hand.
“Stop it. It’s embarrassing.”
“I knew it! I’ve always thought it was weird how a guy who has no problems at home and does fine suddenly sprawls out all day in class—if he’s a demon, of course he’d,”
“Knock it off!”
This bastard’s broadcasting it like he wants everyone to hear.
The students around them murmured to one another, nodding in agreement.
Could he have actually persuaded them?

* * *
Frontdier himself was unaware of it.
But he had become a figure of interest even among the second-year students.
If measured purely by the level of attention he drew, it surpassed even Aster.
His exemplary grades and abilities demonstrated during midterms and finals each semester, his peculiar involvement whenever some incident occurred, and the subtle current that flowed between the way promising students and teachers understood and accommodated him without conscious effort—all these things converged into something unmistakable.
In particular, most students were fascinated by Frontdier’s theoretical mastery.
Constellation Academy administered both written and practical exams for each test, and Frontdier scored perfect marks on every written exam.
Combat ability and magic rely heavily on talent, but theory does not. Theory is constructed so that everyone can understand it; it is researched and refined to be universally applicable to the majority.
So naturally, students found themselves more captivated by Frontdier’s theoretical knowledge than his combat prowess.
The only opportunity to glimpse that side of him was during class itself. Though Class 1 students didn’t openly admit it, they all waited eagerly for class to begin.
To witness Frontdier’s study methods. The same held true for the named characters, including Aster.
And when class finally began.
‘……What’s this?’
Most students thought the same thing.
‘He’s not doing anything.’
Exactly as they thought.
Frontdier did nothing.
In truth, he was steadily feeding everything the instructor explained or displayed into his Workshop, but of course to everyone else’s eyes, he appeared simply to be listening attentively.
Only Aten, as if accustomed to it, maintained her composure in the seat beside him.
But if one were to say he was ignoring the class—
“Frontdier, come to the board. There are two missing symbols in this Magic Circle and three incorrect marks. Correct them all.”
“Yes.”
The instructor directed Frontdier to solve the problem written on the board, and Frontdier answered calmly before rising and solving it.
Since it was a problem based on that day’s lesson content, it would have been impossible to solve without having listened to the class.
And in the next class as well.
“Frontdier, when did the Holy Ground first arise?”
In the next class too.
“Frontdier, Bipahgang is considered the finest metal for crafting swords. Yet weapons of Bipahgang inscribed with Magic Circles are extremely rare. Explain why.”
Class after class, Frontdier answered the instructors’ questions without difficulty, and every answer was correct.
Through this process, the students came to realize something else.
‘Frontdier gets called on way too many times!’
Every single class, without fail, the instructors called on Frontdier at least once. The instructors seemed so accustomed to Frontdier not taking notes that they barely paid it any mind.
And most of the instructors showed little surprise at Frontdier’s correct answers.
Though the questions were far from easy, when the instructors heard his responses, they would nod and proceed with the lesson based on his answer as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
It was no longer a matter of right or wrong answers. The instructors were using Frontdier to aid the other students’ understanding, to show them which parts needed to be memorized and mastered. They did so knowing with certainty that he would arrive at the correct answer.
‘What is this guy…….’
With Frontdier present, teaching became far easier for the instructors. Instructing others sometimes requires proper dialogue and exchange rather than speaking alone. Frontdier fulfilled that role perfectly.
Since Frontdier had been in Class 5 as a first-year, those students had grown somewhat accustomed to him, but to the second-year students, it was a fresh shock.
Of course, this shock was identical for the named characters as well.
‘……Frontdier really is clever, isn’t he.’
Elody watched him for a moment. After winter break, Frontdier’s body seemed slightly more developed.
It was probably not a mistake, but a genuine change. Rigorous training had built his muscle mass, and his growing frame continued to expand his skeletal structure.
‘……But it feels like the kind of change that couldn’t happen from just that alone.’
Elody examined Frontdier’s physique more carefully. His body had grown fundamentally stronger.
Though Elody wouldn’t know it, Frontdier had pushed beyond Mana Depletion twice over, and in doing so, his body had been driven to a dangerous state.
Yet somehow, his body after recovery had grown even stronger than before. Frontdier had mastered the method of not losing consciousness ‘after’ Mana Depletion, and his body had adapted to that as well.
‘And the greatest change of all.’
Elody let her gaze drift from Frontdier to Aten, and then to Runia. Both of them were regarding Frontdier with a similar expression in their eyes.
As mages, they would have sensed it. The explosive growth in Frontdier’s Mana reserves. He was managing it reasonably well and concealing it, but there was a palpable presence of vast, unfathomable Mana.
“Ah, and I have an announcement for everyone.”
In the afternoon, after classes concluded, Jane addressed the class during closing session.
Jane had taken on the role of homeroom teacher for Class 1 in second year. Her intention was transparent: to keep watch over Frontdier and Cora from up close.
Jane was the only instructor who knew Frontdier reasonably well.
“The students I’m about to call will come to the Staff Office after school.”
Jane pulled out a paper with a list and began reciting names one by one.
“Aster Evansa.”
From the moment that first name was called, students instinctively sensed this was no ordinary matter.
“Elody de IniES Lishaé.”
And that intuition hardened into certainty.
“Rohwald Lief, Runia Prisel, Aten Terst…….”
As the names were called, each one carrying weight and reputation, murmurs rippled through the students.
Constellation was planning something! The students’ excitement swelled with curiosity, building like a gathering storm,
“Frontdier de Roach.”
At that name, their exclamation marks turned abruptly to question marks and faded to nothing.
“……Huh?”
Even the one called squinted one eye and tilted his head in confusion.

* * *
“A practical exam?”
It was Rohwald who spoke first, his mouth open after hearing the explanation in the Staff Office.
Jane nodded.
“That’s right. We’re planning to conduct a practical exam for the new students who entered Constellation this year. You all were selected to participate in it.”
As Jane spoke, worry clouded her face. The source of her concern was clear to everyone listening—the same question formed in each student’s mind.
“We didn’t do anything like that when we were freshmen, did we?”
Aster’s question hung in the air. Jane exhaled deeply, as if in sympathy.
“That’s what I mean…….”
“Is this being implemented for the first time this year?”
“Yes. The current student council president is overflowing with enthusiasm.”
At Jane’s words, the students exchanged looks of understanding. So that was it—their senior had something up her sleeve.
“Aster, she’s your sister, isn’t she? She didn’t say anything about this?”
“Well. Our sister doesn’t talk much, and you can never tell what she’s thinking from her face or attitude.”
Aster answered, sounding genuinely troubled.
He spoke as though it were merely her nature, a quirk of personality—but Ellin’s poker face stemmed less from temperament and more from her discipline as a swordmaster.
The way she kept her intentions hidden until the very moment she drew her blade had seeped into her everyday life.
As a result, Aster found himself constantly adapting to his sister’s sudden movements—the way she’d toss a cup of water horizontally without spilling a drop, or hand over a kitchen knife in a perfect straight line as though it were acrobatic art—and his reaction time and agility had improved accordingly. Whether that was a good thing, he couldn’t say for certain.
“What should we do?”
“Hmm, well. The detailed instructions will come later, so there are several things, but to sum it up in one phrase…….”
Jane gazed at the ceiling of the Staff Office for a moment, then tilted her head.
“……Let them feel the difference in power?”
“Why do you sound uncertain?”
“Personally, I’m worried about students testing each other like this. Seniors might feel the need to show off their strength, and juniors might push themselves too hard trying to beat their seniors. The risk of injuries goes up that way. That’s why we carefully selected students from each year.”
In other words: seniors with no need to prove themselves, whose overwhelming skill gap made victory impossible for any junior.
These were the carefully chosen candidates.
“……Uh.”
At that moment, one hand rose.
It was Frontdier’s.
“Why was I selected?”
“…….”
“…….”
At Frontdier’s question, the other students and Jane regarded him with cold stares.
Aster let out a sigh.
“Then who else would we pick?”
“Huh?”
Rohwald spoke with certainty in his voice.
“Frontdier, that act doesn’t work anymore.”
“What?”
Elody’s mouth curved into a knowing smile.
“Pretending to be weak—must’ve been exhausting keeping it up, but we all figured it out.”
“Huh?”
Aten spoke with a serious expression.
“The thing to be careful about with you, Frontdier, is restraint. Make sure you don’t accidentally injure a freshman. Understood?”
“What?”
Frontdier’s weak-person cosplay had lost all its credibility.
Of course, these students didn’t know the full extent of his strength. They had only ever seen him as he presented himself within Constellation’s walls.
But at minimum, they knew he was skilled enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with them. And Aten especially understood a bit more than the others—she had seen Mjolnir, and she had fought at the Barrier of Taeibun.
‘This is awkward. At this rate, everything might get exposed.’
Frontdier considered his remaining cards and pondered for a moment on what “restraint” might entail.

* * *
“Ugh, what? Why wasn’t I called?”
Saiber muttered in complaint.
Just hearing the names of those who’d been called, you could immediately grasp what kind of roster it was.
Yet Saiber Forte wasn’t on it. Frontdier was.
In truth, this made sense—Saiber was possessed of tremendous talent, but it remained unfulfilled. You might say she was deliberately holding back her own awakening.
Her nature was fundamentally optimistic and carefree, so she didn’t pour passion into her training the way others did. Her growth in ability came alive only in moments of crisis.
In the game, various main events including attacks plagued Constellation’s students, and that was when Saiber’s talent shone. It was also why players fell for her at first glance.
But here, Frontdier had the habit of nipping such incidents in the bud before they could sprout, which instead became a cause of holding back Saiber’s awakening.
As a result, while this left her in a better position than in the game, right now she fell just short of those who’d been called—that much was true.
“Selena’s frustrated too, isn’t she? She’s so strong.”
Saiber called out to Selena, who sat in the classroom.
Saiber had grasped Selena’s strength at a glance. Indeed, from her gait alone something felt unusual, and after watching her take various tests within Constellation, she was certain of it.
“I haven’t been at Constellation very long.”
True to her words, Selena had only just enrolled, so from Constellation’s perspective there was far too little data on her. That was the reason she’d been left off the roster.
“But you’re not going? It’s after class.”
Saiber tilted her head curiously. Selena claimed to be Frontdier’s bodyguard, but normally it didn’t feel like it at all.
The two of them weren’t constantly glued to each other’s side, nor did they speak much.
That was because Selena could use Teleportation to protect Frontdier whenever danger arose—of course, Saiber would have no way of knowing that.
“Oh, I have, um, an appointment…….”
“An appointment? With whom?”
“Ah, Frontdier said he would return here from the Staff Office.”
At those words, Saiber’s large eyes blinked once. Then, breaking into a grin, her gaze glimmered with mischief.
“What? Is it a date? Selena, are you going on a date with Frontdier?”
At Saiber’s words, Selena’s eyes blinked. She paused to think. What is a date? And what am I doing right now? Does what I’m about to do with Frontdier fall within the category of the word ‘date’?
After mulling it over carefully, Selena spoke.
“……Well, I suppose so.”
A murmur, almost like recitation, at the end of that deep deliberation.
Saiber’s grin froze in place.
“……What?”

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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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