The Academy’s Weapon Replicator - Chapter 67

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

The Academy’s Weapon Duplicator Episode 67
Chapter 20: Scout (1)
“……Father?”
When I arrived at Constellation Academy, Aten told me about Anper.
Apparently, Anper had visited the Academy.
“Yes. It was quite the talk for a while.”
“……Hmm. I did notice things seemed louder than usual.”
During classes no one approaches me, and after school I head straight to the Training Room, so I’m always late catching wind of these rumors.
Aten’s lips thinned slightly as she spoke.
“……He didn’t say a word to you before visiting?”
“That’s just how he is, I suppose.”
Artzie probably didn’t know either. Anper was the type to keep his affairs to himself.
Aten blinked her half-closed eyes a few times, as if lost in thought.
“……He’s rather similar to someone.”
“To whom?”
“……My father. Frontdier’s father.”
……Ah.
She meant Emperor Therst!
You can’t just call him “Dad” like that, Aten! I had no idea who you were talking about!
—Though now that she mentioned it, the comparison made sense.
As a player, I hadn’t met the Emperor many times, but I had encountered him before.
Emperor Therst was a textbook example of “solemn, austere, and thorough”—the sort of stereotypical emperor that springs to mind when you hear the word.
Yet his coldness exceeded all bounds. It transcended mere coldness into something heartless. While Anper lavished affection on Artzie at least, Therst gave his heart to no one.
Elicia’s rampage carried some of the Emperor’s hand in it as well.
In any case, Anper didn’t seem to require my attention. He’d likely come because Artzie had taken on a teaching position. Anper’s devotion to Artzie was unparalleled.
But something more pressing demanded my focus.
“More importantly, the Final Exam is coming up soon.”
“That’s right. From today onward, ‘Scouting’ is permitted, they say.”
The Final Exam would begin shortly. About half a month remained.
Once the Final Exam ended, the year’s full ranking would be announced, and this would determine whether the mission Anper had set for me succeeded or failed.
I’d placed sixteenth on the midterm—to break into the top ten, I’d need a considerably high ranking.
……No.
“I need to place first.”
“You……?”
“That’s the safest and most certain way.”
Aten’s eyes widened at my words.
Placing first. These words didn’t come lightly. The students above me were formidable.
Yet it wasn’t without possibility. Unlike the midterm, the Final Exam was structured as a team event.
In the practical portion of the Final Exam, students form teams of three to take the test.
This three-person squad represents the minimum unit for performing missions as a Professional. It’s the bare minimum needed to assess each member’s condition and divide roles—vanguard, rear guard, and support.
One of the three must be an upperclassman. Once the first two team members request an upperclassman to join, if that upperclassman accepts, they can be added to the team. This is what Aten called ‘Scouting.’
Of course, skilled upperclassmen are sought after by everyone, and the competition is fierce.
In other words, the exam begins before the written or practical portions even start.
Since upperclassmen receive no points, if they perform too well, they’ll drain points from their teammates. What matters is balance.
To prepare for this Final Exam, Ellin and I had discussed strategy together in the Training Room before.
Now the time had come to reach a conclusion.
“Shall we go then?”
“Yes.”
We nodded with firm resolve.
* * *
When Ellin heard our plan, her calm eyes blinked a few times before she spoke.
“Impossible.”
A remarkably straightforward refusal.
Beside me, Aten visibly deflated in disappointment.
Then Ellin raised her hand.
“No, don’t misunderstand. I would have to refuse regardless of who asked. I’m turning everyone down right now.”
“Why is that?”
“I was recently hired as an Intern.”
An Intern?
I paused at the unfamiliar term before asking.
“You mean you’ve become a Professional Intern?”
“Yeah. I can’t do actual intern work while I’m in school, but I need to start training ahead of time.”
I was genuinely taken aback.
Most people who graduate from Constellation Academy become Professionals, taking on contracts and doing fieldwork.
That’s why it’s not uncommon for students to intern starting from their school years, to get early experience of a Professional’s duties.
But usually, that happens in the third year.
Ellin is only in her second year.
“……Mm. I suppose I can tell you two.”
Ellin looked between me and Aten before speaking.
“While Frontdier and Renzo were fighting, I intervened.”
“……Ah, yes.”
I’d severed Renzo’s right arm, but he still had one left.
I’d thought losing one arm would break his will to fight, but Renzo’s mental fortitude far exceeded my expectations.
If Ellin hadn’t stepped in then, I would certainly have been a dead man.
“It seems Edwin took notice of that in a favorable light.”
Of course.
Edwin, the number one Professional. He was right there at the time.
Ellin’s performance had certainly been brought forward far beyond what it was in the original game.
The fight with the Golem that Edwin controlled, the decisive move that made Renzo retreat.
Unlike in the game, Ellin was already beginning to catch the public’s eye.
A Butterfly Effect, then.
“So you’ll be working alongside Edwin during this internship?”
“Well, yes. Just for the duration of the internship.”
“How long is the internship period?”
“Until the end of summer break. I’ll only participate on weekends during the school term.”
A period like that would let her accumulate considerable experience.
“Congratulations, Ellin. You’re getting ahead of the rest of us.”
“…….”
At my words, Ellin looked at me intently.
What was that about?
It was meant as a sincere compliment.
“……Thanks.”
After a brief silence, Ellin said that.
Her face, as she turned her gaze away from me, somehow didn’t suit a word of gratitude.
Just then, an announcement suddenly came over the public address system.
[Frontdier. First-year student Frontdier de Roach. Please come to the Infirmary right now.]
It was a rather abrupt announcement.
It was strange that they singled me out, but the Infirmary?
And this voice was unmistakably Malia’s.
“……Well, I’d better go then. Good luck with your internship.”
“You too.”
I said goodbye to Ellin and left with Aten.
Ellin’s awkward wave bothered me slightly.
* * *
“An intern position? For me?”
Ellin heard about the internship the day right after the Renzo incident.
She was on her way back from the Hospital, where she’d checked on Frontdier’s condition.
When she encountered Edwin, it hadn’t been long since stepping outside the Hospital, so it was clear that Edwin had business with Frontdier as well.
“……How is he doing?”
“He’s in a peaceful sleep, they said. I just left some flowers.”
“I see. That’s a relief. So Frontdier is alone in the ward right now?”
“No. Aten is keeping watch beside him.”
“I see.”
Edwin nodded with an expression that suggested he didn’t even know why he’d asked.
Ellin spoke.
“But what exactly is this internship?”
“It’s simple. From our first meeting, I took note of your ability to sense killing intent—your unhesitating decisiveness and judgment to draw your blade without pause. All of that impressed me. Most of all, you made Renzo retreat.”
At Edwin’s praise, Ellin’s expression became subtle.
She knew his words were sincere, but a different question came to mind first.
“Then, wouldn’t it be worth suggesting an internship to Frontdier as well?”
“Hm?”
“If I was the one who made Renzo back away, then Frontdier is the one who took off Renzo’s right arm.”
The reason Ellin used the phrase “took off” was simple enough.
She had no idea what method had been used to remove the arm.
Whether it was a blade or magic, a slash or a pierce—she couldn’t say.
Edwin probably didn’t know either.
“That’s precisely why.”
“I’m sorry?”
“His right arm was taken off, so what am I supposed to teach him? If I’m not careful, my own arm might end up flying off too. Ha ha ha!”
Edwin laughed good-naturedly.
Ellin’s eyes narrowed.
“You really believe that, don’t you?”
“Mm. It’s not the whole reason. But it’s not a lie either. I haven’t grasped that student Frontdier’s true ability. No—I don’t even know his identity, much less his skill. Whether he’s a Swordsman or a Mage. I can’t recommend an Intern position to someone I know nothing about. I don’t even know what I’d teach him.”
It was a better answer than before.
But Ellin’s intuition told her he was still hiding something.
‘But really, there’s no point digging further even if I wanted to.’
Ellin decided to back off for now.
Edwin spoke.
“Ah, could I ask you to keep this conversation secret? Especially from that student Frontdier.”
“……Why?”
“It could lead to misunderstandings. I’d really appreciate it.”
“All right.”
When she thought about it, Ellin had been the one to propose the Intern position to Frontdier, and Edwin had rejected it.
It wasn’t exactly pleasant news for Frontdier to hear.
* * *
“……Is that really true?”
I spoke with my face twisted.
Malia responded to my sentiment with obvious enthusiasm.
“It’s the truth, I’m telling you. I spotted something off about that man from the moment he got here. I had a bad feeling about it.”
It was the kind of conversation you’d hear in some morning drama, but I found myself genuinely frustrated.
……Anper had never intended to give me a chance in the first place.
The demand to place in the top ten within Constellation Academy was just an excuse—he’d only needed justification for Excommunication.
My head began to throb.
“……But it’s unexpected that Mother would tell me this.”
Normally, Malia didn’t involve herself in Anper’s affairs. Even when Frontdier was involved, it made no difference.
Malia seemed kind, but she was a woman with clear standards and boundaries. She hadn’t married Anper for nothing. That was why he’d brought up the matter of Excommunication in the first place.
Malia shrugged.
“Well, if our son heard he needed to place in the top ten of his class and still remained a lazybones, I’d have led the way to Excommunication myself. There are plenty of ways to survive without the Roach name.”
“Ah, really, of course?”
The confidence in her voice left me unsurprised. Somehow it felt like the right thing to do.
“If it actually came to Excommunication, I would’ve made sure you had a place to live and food to eat. Of course, once you’re an adult, I wouldn’t lift a finger.”
Malia nodded slightly, as if reflecting on her own previous thoughts.
Then, as if a wave of indignation suddenly struck, she clenched her fist tightly.
“But! It’s different this time, isn’t it? Your father’s been so busy with work he’s barely seen you children grow up. How much you’ve changed! When the Monster attack happened not long ago, if it hadn’t been for our son,”
Malia suddenly became a doting mother, complaining earnestly.
The fact that she was talking about me felt terribly embarrassing.
Yet while Malia was speaking, another thought crossed my mind.
For Anper’s proposal to be a lie, a quest had definitely been triggered.
[Sub Quest: Father’s Command]
•Description: Over the past time, your laziness has finally worn down your father Anper’s patience to its limit.
•Objective: Place in the top ten overall ranking at Constellation Academy this semester.
•Reward: Gain Anper’s acknowledgment.
•Failure: You will be Excommunicated.
……The quest was definitely there.
If Anper’s proposal had been a lie, a quest like this would never have appeared.
As long as the failure condition is Excommunication, if I don’t fail, then I won’t be Excommunicated. This game doesn’t play word games, at least. That’s absolute.
Which means either Anper’s threat of Excommunication was false, or his mind will change once I clear this quest.
Either way, I had no choice but to do my best on the Final Exam.
“So, did you find out?”
“I’m sorry?”
When I finished my train of thought, I realized Malia had been asking me something.
“About the senior students. You need to form a team, don’t you.”
“…… Oh. Not yet.”
Ellin would have been the best choice, but I’d hit an unexpected obstacle.
As for the remaining seniors…….
“What about Quinie?”
Malia posed the question. I was so startled to hear that name come from her mouth that I asked without thinking.
“…… How do you even know Quinie? And how does her name come up when I’m talking about forming a team with you…….”
“Well, I was asked to, wasn’t I?”
Malia answered as if it were nothing, but I couldn’t make sense of it right away.
As I stood there in confusion, Malia spoke again.
“I was asked by Quinie to tell her if Frontdier was having difficulty with scouts — to let her know if that happened.”

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