The Academy’s Weapon Replicator - Chapter 97

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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 97
Chapter 28: Return (2)
As night fell, Selena returned to Mangoht.
She had braced herself for discipline from Frontdier for having coerced him, but nothing of the sort came to pass.
Word had it that Frontdier had lost consciousness after reaching the Barrier.
Thanks to that, Selena was able to slip through the day without incident.
“Jay.”
“Hagly.”
Selena turned at the voice behind her and lowered her head in a bow.
“Any progress?”
“…Frontdier has crossed the Barrier. I accompanied him through. I believe I have at least earned the trust to watch his back.”
Or so she hoped.
Every word she had spoken was the truth, yet could Frontdier truly think the same? Did he even believe her in the first place?
What did he think of her? More to the point—did he trust her at all?
…No. The same applied to her as well.
Did she trust Frontdier?
“So Frontdier has crossed the Barrier. Jay, give me the full report.”
“…Of course.”
Selena recounted to Hagly everything she could recall from their visit to the Sacred Lake.
The Sacred Forest, the lake itself, even Excalibur.
“He obtained Excalibur? Frontdier?”
“No, well… he did not, actually.”
Selena did not know how to describe what she had witnessed. Still, she pressed on.
“Excalibur was in the lake. Frontdier entered the water and emerged shortly after. His hands were empty.”
“Then he didn’t obtain it.”
“…But then, suddenly, there was a sword.”
“…A sword appeared? From nothing?”
“Yes.”
Hagly stroked his chin thoughtfully. It was a difficult claim to accept.
“The sword looked identical to Excalibur… or rather, there’s no way to verify that, is there.”
“…Correct. I have never seen the original.”
“Then it’s likely a forgery. Excalibur is a legendary blade that chooses its own master. Frontdier could never possess it.”
Forgery.
For reasons she could not explain, that word made Selena tense.
Minu, the lake’s lady, had said the same thing as she regarded the sword Frontdier had created. ‘That’s a forgery, isn’t it!’
And how had Frontdier reacted?
With a remarkably bright smile, nodding deeply as though he fully agreed with her.
—Yes. It’s a forgery.
Had he not answered thus?
Now, did the word ‘forgery’ carry any great meaning?
‘Besides.’
Besides, Frontdier had flown off so abruptly (which was astonishing in itself) that Selena had not managed to see it all.
When she arrived before the Barrier, the battlefield was already in ruins.
There was a crater as though a meteor had fallen, and monster corpses were strewn about its outer edge.
That was only at the periphery; at the center, not a single monster corpse remained—not even a drop of blood.
Who had done that?
It made no sense to say Frontdier had done it, yet it made even less sense to say he hadn’t.
“Jay. I know what you’re thinking.”
At Hagly’s words, Selena’s head snapped up.
“The monsters before the Barrier at Teyburn have been annihilated. The news has already reached us. You’re wondering how that came to pass, yes?”
“I… I apologize. I was unable to witness the scene myself.”
Selena answered while cold sweat beaded on her brow.
The intelligence network of Mangoht was indeed formidable. Not even a full day had passed since the incident in the north.
And Hagly not only possessed that information—he could read her very thoughts.
“Don’t worry. Mangoht has already concluded from the evidence that it was the work of Ridwei von Urfa. He alone is capable of such a feat.”
“…I see.”
“He has faded now and withdrawn from the frontlines, but Ridwei was once a great mage worthy of standing among the Zodiac. Had it not been for his injuries, he would have walked shoulder to shoulder with Zodiac Heldare himself.”
So he had not entirely declined after all. With that thought, Hagly seemed to have found his peace.
‘…So that annihilation was Ridwei’s doing.’
Yes, that seemed to make sense. It could not have been Frontdier. The thought eased her mind somewhat.
“Is the report complete?”
When Hagly asked, Selena bowed her head deeply, murmuring her affirmation.
……There were things left unsaid.
Not merely the colossal traces of devastation before the Barrier.
She had failed to report the Ancient Language—perhaps the single most crucial matter to Frontdier regarding Mangoht, the reason he’d positioned her at his side as a first priority.
-Your name is Selena de Banier.
-If you doubt it, go to Mangoht and relay these words. Verify whether they’re true.
Frontdier’s words refused to leave her mind.
How could he possibly know? My mother, my father—my full name.
‘No, that’s ridiculous. It had to be a lie. He was just throwing out anything to escape that moment. It must have been.’
……Yet why.
Why couldn’t she bring herself to tell Hagly any of this?
If it were truly real. If she could discover where she was born.
If she could meet her mother and father.
‘Then would Mangoht…’
Would they actually reunite them?
Would they so readily hand over someone raised as an assassin to a noble house?
……Could a band of outcasts like Mangoht truly…
* * *
My eyes opened to morning.
Truth be told, I’d woken because my mouth and face felt unbearably stuffy.
Something was lying across my face. No—something was clenched between my teeth.
“What is this……?”
I opened my mouth and drew it out. Cloth. A broad, long expanse of it. I stared at that unmistakably familiar shape.
“……Ah, Penelope’s Cloth.”
Now that I thought about it, I’d had it in my mouth just before I vanished. When I performed Form Reversion, it must have ended up covering my face.
“Ugh.”
I pushed myself upright.
Looking around, I recognized the guest room of the Rishaeh Residence where I’d been staying.
I’d collapsed yesterday while attempting Restoration. It would rank among the five dumbest things I’d done since arriving here.
[You have successfully completed a new ‘Legendary’ grade Weaving.]
[Your unique skill ‘Weaving’ has leveled up.]
[The ‘Restoration’ function has been unlocked.]
[Restoration: Returns a target to its state before damage. However, the original materials before damage or suitable substitutes are required. The Mana consumed varies depending on the target’s size, grade, and degree of damage.]
I’d seen this message when I emerged from the forest.
Restoration—a function locked within Weaving.
From the description alone, it seemed similar to Reversion, which Aten had demonstrated before.
But Reversion is limited to ‘living creatures,’ and the Mana itself transforms into matter—something close to a miracle.
That’s why even Aten has a failure rate. At that time, because she was returning the Mana I’d spent back into my blood and flesh, the success probability was higher even on a first attempt.
Put another way, true Reversion allows Aten to heal another’s missing body parts using her own Mana. There’s a reason she’s not just some optional party member.
‘Whereas Restoration feels more like a time-limited rewind.’
Restoration returns a target to its pre-damage state. Yet you need the original materials.
For example, if a statue’s arm broke, that arm must still exist. Something excessively weathered and worn, where the material’s condition has fundamentally changed—those cannot be restored.
My attempt to restore the Barrier was canceled midway, but even if I’d seen it through, the Barrier wouldn’t have been restored to its original state when it was first built.
Some sections would have remained worn, with cracks persisting. As long as they were merely stone fragments from time’s passage, it might have worked, but if they’d become dust scattered to the winds and converted to Mana, there’d be nothing to return.
“Still, I do need to attempt Restoration.”
I turned my gaze toward the window.
─Outside looked peaceful.
Well, after what I’d done in front of the Barrier, it wasn’t as though Monsters would come flooding back. There wouldn’t be enough of them in the first place. I’d worried somewhat, but restoring the Barrier probably wasn’t urgent.
……However.
“Selena.”
“Yes.”
I called out to Selena, who’d been sitting silently in front of me the whole time.
Selena was in a formal seated position. Or perhaps she was kneeling—I couldn’t quite tell. Her posture was perfect, yet her entire body had been trembling since earlier.
It was obvious she’d never tried sitting that way before.
“What are you doing?”
“……I am, currently, resting, sir.”
“Anyone can see you’re in pain, shaking like that.”
“No, sir. This is a very, comfortable, position.”
Hmm.
I rose and approached Selena, then pressed firmly down on both her shoulders.
“……!”
“I’m glad you’re comfortable then. Now I have something to tell you.”
“N-no, if you could just let go of my shoulders…….”
“What are you saying? This is important. You’ll listen better if I hold you like this.”
“I c-can listen just fine without——”
“That’s nonsense. Look at you now—eyes squeezed shut, turning your face away from me.”
“That’s not because I’m not listening, it’s——”
Selena’s face was twitching with strain. Still, she forced herself to maintain the formal posture.
This was amusing, but I should stop.
“Fine. Stand up and listen. I’m tired of looking down at you anyway.”
“A-ah, thank you, no—I mean, understood.”
Selena rose unsteadily, her legs numb from kneeling. The movement was far from graceful.
For someone like Selena, accustomed to torture, you’d think kneeling for a while wouldn’t be such an ordeal. How long had she been sitting there?
“Why do formal meditation when it doesn’t suit you anyway?”
“……I heard that it helps organize your thoughts when your mind is cluttered. It certainly works—after five hours of this, I can’t think of anything else.”
……No, that’s just pain talking. That posture is meant for meditation.
Either way, five hours. I checked my smartwatch.
11 a.m. Even accounting for my long sleep, she’d been here doing this since six in the morning.
“So, what did you want to tell me……?”
“About your punishment.”
I spoke plainly, but I saw Selena’s expression harden.
Hmm. She seemed appropriately afraid of me. Or perhaps she was acting.
“You held a blade to my throat and threatened me. Under normal circumstances, I could kill you here and Mangoht would keep silent. That ‘Ancient Language’ business is nothing but your own fantasy.”
“…….”
Selena lowered her head.
“Mangoht wants not me, but my ability to interpret the Ancient Language—your own words, spoken from your own mouth. But is your life worth more than that ability? Does Mangoht value your life so highly?”
“……No, it doesn’t.”
Selena shook her head quietly. I studied her face.
……I cannot see through Selena’s expression. She is an Assassin forged in Mangoht. Her acting ability must be considerable.
Perhaps Empress Philly could divine what lies beneath her mask, but I lack both the talent and the technique to read another’s heart.
Still, after spending these past few days with her, I felt I had come to understand something of her nature.
Her expression and tone when she played coy, the way she protected me, how she spoke once she dropped the act, her face wet with tears as she imagined torture—all of it remained in my memory.
And yet.
If she is a Mangoht Assassin, all of it could be performance.
From the start, Mangoht and I are in a relationship of mutual manipulation. Of course, Mangoht believes I am merely controlling them and feeling smug about it, but no one fears Mangoht quite like I do.
“Selena.”
For this reason, I had decided.
“Report on me to Mangoht—but only what is appropriate.”
I would make Selena my own.
“That is your punishment.”
Selena would not be able to refuse this.
I would make sure of it.

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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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