The Academy’s Weapon Replicator - Chapter 55

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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 Duplicator Episode 55
Chapter 15: Fishing (4)
“Professor Ales.”
Ales turned at the voice coming from behind.
Frontdier stood there.
Ales made no attempt to hide his irritation, waving his hand dismissively.
“What is it, Frontdier? I told you compensation would come later—”
“I found the rat.”
Ales’s hand froze.
His face hardened as he looked at Frontdier again.
Frontdier’s expression remained unchanged.
That same languid, drowsy face.
He stepped closer to Ales.
Ales squinted as he asked.
“What do you mean by that?”
“I’ve identified who the traitor in Constellation Academy is.”
He said it plainly.
Ales’s eyes snapped wide open.
He lowered his voice even further, his tone sharp.
“Are you certain about this?”
“Yes. But this isn’t a conversation for here. This way.”
“Hmm.”
As Frontdier led the way, Ales followed behind him.
Creak—
The door to an empty classroom opened lightly, and Frontdier stepped inside.
A remote building, a vacant classroom tucked away in a corner.
“Cast a Soundproofing Magic for me.”
“Of course.”
Frontdier walked deeper into the classroom, then stopped.
And without turning his head, he spoke.
“Professor.”
“What?”
“There’s no need for that.”
“What do you mean?”
Frontdier turned to look at Ales.
A faint smile played across his face.
“You needn’t draw that blade.”
Just as Frontdier said.
Ales’s hand was already at the hilt of the sword fastened to his waist.
The traitor had been found.
It made no sense.
Because Ales himself was the traitor.
For Ales to hear from his own mouth that a traitor had been discovered was absurd.
Frontdier must have made a mistake.
And yet, if Frontdier was certain about the traitor’s identity, there had to be a reason for it.
What if that reason were one that reached for Ales’s own throat?
What if it harmed the Imperial Princess?
“…Frontdier. Don’t hold it against me. You’ve put your own hand into the fire.”
“Professor.”
Frontdier called to Ales softly.
His posture completely unguarded.
His voice languid.
“You need not be wary of me.”
“…What do you mean by that?”
Ales’s face tensed fully, his guard raised.
Frontdier laughed quietly.
And then Frontdier spoke words that defied belief.
“Because I’m a rat too.”
As he said it, Frontdier raised his right hand.
On his index finger, a ring gleamed—one of only four that existed in the entire Imperial Family.
‘The Princess’s ring…!’
Ales’s eyes widened beyond measure.
* * *
After speaking with Philly on the rooftop.
I observed her for a moment.
Philly, befitting an Empress, wore various pieces of luxurious jewelry adorning her body.
What caught my eye in particular was the ring on her index finger.
I asked her.
“About Philly’s ring, if I may inquire.”
“Yes?”
Philly had returned to formal speech with me.
That candid manner of hers had lasted only a moment.
I felt a slight disappointment, but pressed on regardless.
“Do you and your daughters all wear identical rings?”
“We do. I had them specially made for my daughters myself… ah.”
Philly trailed off mid-answer and came to her own realization.
From our exchange thus far, she had grasped my intent.
Eyes lowered, a hand rising to her lips.
“…I see. I understand what you’re getting at.”
“Are the rings completely identical in appearance?”
“Completely identical. But there are no spares. They were custom-made specifically for me and my daughters.”
That meant only four rings existed.
The pattern was so intricately complex that any crude forgery would be spotted at once.
“However, I cannot remove this ring. In public settings, my every move is observed, and if my ring were discovered missing, my enemies would grow wary.”
“That won’t be necessary.”
I took the necklace—Heukryeon—in hand.
I had always suspected I would demonstrate this skill to someone eventually.
But the Empress of the Empire?
The honor was beyond measure.
Weaving, Black River
Grade: Unique
Philly’s Ring
[Philly’s Ring]
– A finest-quality ring gifted by Philly to her own daughters.
– While possessing no magical properties, the ring’s artistry and its rarity—only four in existence—rival its material value.
I demonstrated Weaving before Philly’s eyes.
In an instant, the shape took form within my palm—a ring.
It looked identical to Philly’s ring.
“…Goodness.”
Philly stared at the sight, uttering just one word.
It seemed to be the most unguarded voice I had ever heard from her.
“How does it appear to Your Majesty?”
I offered the ring forward.
Philly examined the Black River ring from every angle.
“…It’s identical. The feel, the luster, the pattern—everything. No one would detect it as a forgery by sight.”
“I’ll use this to ensnare the traitor within Constellation Academy.”
Philly studied the ring once more, turning it over in her hands, then let out a short laugh.
“That should prove useful.”
* * *
Ales trembled violently as he pointed to the ring I had shown him.
“How did you get that ring…!”
“I received it. I thought you wouldn’t believe me on my word alone.”
Ales would understand the significance of this ring.
“No, even so, still…!”
Ales seemed thrown into confusion.
The fact that I wore this ring.
Ales did not know the connection between Philly and myself.
Even if he did, he would hardly suppose that Philly herself would hand over her ring to me.
In truth, this was a Weaving creation, so Philly hadn’t given it to me at all.
“You’re really saying… that Elicia gave you that?”
Oh, how careless—you’ve revealed it yourself.
Just as Ales said, Elicia is the mastermind behind every crime.
From Ales’s perspective, this ring will appear to have come from Elicia.
I could entertain the possibility that one of the other daughters—Aten or Salle, or perhaps Philly—gave it to me, but that hypothesis collapses the moment I walked in calling myself a traitor.
Only I know that Ales is a traitor.
If anyone else had suspected Ales, someone with his keen instincts would have caught on immediately.
Ales believes it’s impossible for anyone to know his true identity.
Which is why my lie works on him now.
To be caught when capture should be impossible means one thing—I’m on his side.
Frontdier de Roach is reinforcement Elicia sent to support him.
There’s no resisting such a comforting, honeyed deception.
“You’re telling me she really gave you that ring? That precious ring?”
“Yes, sir.”
“I don’t believe it.”
“Would you like to see for yourself?”
I extended my hand.
Ales, who moments ago had been ready to kill me without hesitation, now flinched the instant I offered my palm, pulling back.
Yet even so, his eyes traced carefully over the ring on my finger.
Well, even Philly herself—the ring’s true owner—couldn’t tell the difference.
There’s no way Ales could spot it.
“But… you’re the one who interfered with Lenzo’s plan! How could you possibly be working for Lady Elicia!”
There it is—the real problem.
That I, who thwarted Lenzo, would work for Elicia makes no sense.
This is where it matters most.
Ales just called me “the one who interfered with Lenzo’s plan.”
If he knew I severed Lenzo’s arm, he would never phrase it that way.
That means Ales is still believing the false information I fed to Constellation.
This is Ales’s blind spot.
During the midterm practical exam, Lenzo replaced every drone in the vicinity with fakes to hide his kidnapping of Aten.
Because of this, no one at Constellation witnessed Lenzo’s crime.
That’s right. No one.
Not even Ales and Elicia, who were in on it with Lenzo, saw what actually happened.
“That’s not true.”
“What… what did you say?”
“Lady Elicia formed the plan to kidnap Aten from the moment she confirmed you were acting alongside her. But she wanted a more certain method. That’s why she brought me in as well. To minimize the possibility of anything going wrong.”
“But… the plan failed anyway.”
“Yes. It failed nonetheless. Professional Eden Hamelot discovered it. Do you know why?”
“Because…”
Ales’s flustered expression is a joy to behold.
He rolled his eyes across my words, then suddenly widened them as if struck by realization.
At last, Ales had arrived.
At the false truth I had constructed.
“… Surely not. No. That can’t be. Lady Elicia couldn’t possibly…”
…
I fell silent for a moment.
Knowing that silence was more effective for a bluff.
Then I slowly opened my mouth.
“Lady Elicia suspects you.”
“That’s impossible! You’re lying!”
“This plan was supposed to be absolutely foolproof. The only variable that could ruin it was you—the only one who knows all of Lady Elicia’s plans in advance.”
“But you’re the same way!”
“Everyone knew I was working alongside Aten. And besides—is it even possible for me to report Lenzo’s intrusion to others without being discovered by Lenzo himself?”
It’s a bitter irony.
Originally, this lie was a clumsy fabrication meant to hide the fact that I severed Lenzo’s arm.
Now I’m using that very clumsiness as a weapon to pressure Ales.
“… I didn’t. If Lady Elicia hears my side of the story directly, she’ll understand.”
“Lady Elicia said she needs clear evidence.”
“What evidence are you talking about?”
“Are you truly Ales?”
“… What?”
At Ales’s question, I narrowed my eyes.
“Elicia suspects that you’ve been ‘replaced’ at some point.”
“Replaced, you say…….”
“Are you truly Ales?”
In the world of Etius, both magic and science have reached high levels of sophistication.
Altering one’s face and body to impersonate another—difficult, perhaps, but entirely possible.
In other words, Ales had been ‘switched’ by someone unknown to Elicia.
The real Ales was locked away somewhere or dead, and the current Ales was a third party Elicia knows nothing of.
……That was the false scenario I had constructed.
“Nonsense! I am Ales!”
“Then you must be aware of the plan.”
Of course, I knew every detail of Elicia’s plan.
The problem was that the reason behind it was ‘let’s try it as a game.’
With such a justification, I couldn’t convince anyone at Constellation Academy.
So the one persuading Constellation’s teachers wouldn’t be me—it would be Ales.
——Speak, Ales.
Take the easier path.
I’ll make you a cradle of a tomb.
Ales’s jaw clenched as if grinding his teeth.
He spoke with passion.
“Of course! It’s an ‘Assault’!”
“What assault do you mean?”
“Luring demons to attack Constellation Academy!”
“How so?”
“We unfold a massive magical formation at Constellation Academy—’Rafflesia’—to lure demons into the academy!”
“For what reason?”
“To eliminate Aten Terst and Rodrick Terst!”
After Ales’s loud outburst came a brief silence.
I had finally drawn it out.
Elicia’s ‘Assault Plan.’
Just as Ales said, Elicia used Ales to construct a magical formation that would draw demons to Constellation Academy.
Once the formation activates, the demons attack without discrimination.
That puts all the students inside in danger—Aten included.
And Elicia knew that if Aten fell into peril, Rodrick would come to rescue her.
She planned to push them both into the wave of demons and kill them at once.
That was it.
The quest notification that had appeared on my smartwatch before.
This plan that Elicia had created was the main quest itself: ‘Assault.’
Even though pressure had been mounting on me, the reason Ales could divulge the plan so freely was because he trusted his Soundproofing Magic.
That was Ales’s final mistake.
I stared at Ales for a moment.
The final stage of the act.
I smiled with relief and spoke.
“I’m relieved. It seems Elicia’s concerns were unfounded.”
“……Obviously.”
“Then I’ll be heading back. You can proceed with the plan as arranged.”
With that, I passed Ales and walked out into the classroom.
The fact that I had ‘passed by’ Ales was crucial.
Ales had just missed his last opportunity to kill me.
As I opened the classroom door,
“Ales.”
Two women were standing at the classroom entrance.
“Let’s talk.”
It was Malia de Roach and Jane.
“Huh……?”
At the sight of them, Ales was startled for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure and spoke.
“What are you talking about?”
Ales tried to play dumb.
He trusted the Soundproofing Magic he had cast in the classroom.
Malia smiled and covered her ear.
“You forgot my ability, didn’t you?”
Malia de Roach’s bloodline ability: Sensory Sharing.
She could share one of the five senses with another person.
If she shared hearing, then what the other person heard, Malia herself could hear as well.
In that case, Soundproofing Magic lost all meaning.
What I heard with my own ears was exactly what Malia heard.
Ales didn’t understand what was happening and his pupils dilated in shock, but
once he finally realized the situation, the expression on his face was truly ridiculous.
“You damned bastard……!”
What did he hear back there?
Not bastard—rat, I told you.

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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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