Academy’s Weapon Replicator

Odyssey (9)

The Odyssey has begun.

Prondier received the situation through Gregory’s crow, so he could almost certainly know the timing of the Odyssey’s start.

Prondier’s side decided to start from Mangot.

The movement to that place was solved by Prondier taking others with him.

Using a shield.

“It’s been a while since I did this, but it seems to be going well.”

Prondier spread his wings and took off, and the others created multiple shields and rode on them. It was the method he used to use with Renzo.

Like other magic, it is easier for Prondier to keep the weapons or shields he summoned nearby than to shoot them far away.

In other words, it was easier for Prondier to drag the shields while moving than to send them far away while staying still.

In other words, it was not too burdensome for Prondier to fly while dragging the shields carrying people.

As a result.

“Pr-Prondier!! Slow down a bit!”

“Oh, sorry.”

At Cora’s shout, Prondier slowed down.

He was flying at the same speed he usually did, so the wind pressure felt by the people on the shields was no joke. Although it was Cora who shouted, the others didn’t look good either.

‘You mean he usually flies at this speed?’

Kraken looked at Prondier’s back, flying ahead, with a stiff face. Even though he slowed down out of consideration, the wind pressure was still considerable.

Originally, Kraken’s tentacle attacks were known for their considerable speed. At least when he first met Prondier, Prondier couldn’t even properly follow their trajectory.

But now.

The speed at which Prondier’s entire body was moving seemed faster than his tentacles.

“……Hmm?”

Something began to appear in front of the flying Prondier.

Things flying in the sky were scattering killing intent and flying towards Prondier at high speed.

“They’re ‘birds’.”

He had seen similar shapes in Taven or Yelanhess.

Generally, they were collectively referred to as ‘winged things’ or ‘birds’. Of course, each individual had its own name, but he didn’t pay much attention to it at the time.

‘……They seem to be variations of cockatrices.’

A cockatrice is a monster that appears in folklore.

Its appearance and characteristics are often frightening, but since it is a monster that appears in folklore, it is not that powerful in this world. Rather, harpies are much more dangerous and powerful here.

Cawww─!!

The cockatrices charged with a raucous noise like that of crows.

Hagley shouted.

“Prondier, we can’t fight properly on this shield!”

“I know.”

Prondier stretched out his hand.

“I want to try something.”

Prondier had grown significantly from the last war.

No, it would be difficult to call it growth.

Prondier, who had received all the overdue rewards from his smartwatch and became half a god trapped in the world of salvation.

He now had the record of defeating Thor by fusing two divine weapons.

But what he was about to do this time wasn’t as flashy.

‘I’ve become more familiar with mana due to the demon’s traits. I got a sense of it when I combined Mistilteinn and Mjolnir.’

Prondier focused mana into his outstretched hand.

Creating weapons every time he fought was cumbersome, and above all, it slowed down the tempo.

So instead of creating all the weapons,

He only drew out one trait.

– Thunder God Imbuement

When he clenched his fist.

Boom─!

Lightning struck all around, piercing through the charging cockatrices in an instant.

“Oh.”

And Prondier let out a dry exclamation.

The cockatrices fell from the sky in unison as he passed by.

“It worked surprisingly well for the first time. Good, good.”

Prondier smiled with satisfaction.

Everyone watched him silently from the shield.

* * *

“Lord Aten, are you really planning to participate?”

“You worry too much, Lord Ridwi.”

Odyssey Regular Team.

Lidwi followed closely behind Aten, who was at the forefront.

“It’s too dangerous. We don’t know what kind of monsters might be outside the barrier, and more importantly, beyond the barrier is uncharted territory for humans.”

“That’s not true.”

Aten shook her head leisurely.

“It’s definitely land that humans have stepped on before, land where many people once lived.”

“…! B-but as of now…”

“And if the land beyond the barrier is truly dangerous for the citizens of the empire.”

Aten’s clear eyes turned to Lidwi, and Lidwi paused for a moment at the sight.

“As the princess, I must be the first to head there.”

With that, Aten looked ahead and continued walking.

Aster and Ludovic passed by the dazed Lidwi.

Lidwi, snapping out of it, joined Aster’s side.

“H-hey. Say something. You’re the only one who can stop the princess.”

“No one can stop Aten when she’s like this. Not even the emperor himself could stop her.”

Aster replied calmly.

He glanced at Aten’s back.

It’s not that Aster wasn’t worried about Aten. The monsters outside were certainly dangerous, and the abyssal monsters were once his mortal enemies.

But now, Aster felt something different from Aten.

‘…She’s excited.’

This journey of the Odyssey, expanding the empire’s territory.

But for Aten, it was probably more about reclaiming lost land than expanding territory.

Aten is a princess. She was born and raised in the imperial palace.

She must have spent her days hearing stories from her father and grandfather, feeling the reality of those stories in her skin.

For Aten, this mission was not only the empire’s long-cherished wish but also the unfulfilled desire of her family, the imperial family, and the princess herself.

“Of course, we will proceed with caution.”

Aten said, glancing back slightly.

“But no matter how slow, we will not stop. I hope everyone understands.”

At those words, Lidwi let out a hollow laugh, and Aster, with his head bowed, smiled a smile that no one could see.

The white gaze swept over the crowd and moved forward again.

Thus, they moved slowly, but surely.

They crossed the barrier of Yerranhes.

* * *

When they arrived at Mangot, Prondier faced an unexpected situation.

After landing and letting everyone off the shield, Prondier looked around.

“…Hagley.”

He called Hagley, who would undoubtedly have the same thought.

“What’s going on here?”

“…I’m surprised too.”

They had arrived at Mangot.

They knew well the characteristics of Mangot.

A barren land with scarce resources. A place where there was no food or water to be found, so even monsters and animals rarely came.

Ironically, this allowed the people of Mangot to live in caves, free from the threat of monsters.

But.

“…That looks like a campfire.”

In the direction leading to Mangot, far away, flames were rising, sending up smoke. Structures resembling tents could be seen, and though it was still far, there was a definite sense of living beings.

Just a little further from here, and it would surely be Mangot. Below the hill, there would be sheer cliffs and the coast.

“…Could they be humans?”

“That would be nice, but it’s unlikely. They’re probably monsters.”

The monsters outside were intelligent, but only a few types lived in groups. Orcs or goblins, maybe even werewolves. Among them, goblins usually went into caves.

Though it was hard to see from a distance, there didn’t seem to be many structures.

“I don’t know why they settled in such a barren land.”

Prondier’s eyes grew cold. Others showed similar expressions.

“Before we proceed with the Odyssey, we need to clear the base camp.”

Prondier slowly advanced, drawing up his mana.

Step by step, as he moved forward,

his mana gradually dispersed.

The reason was simple.

As they got closer, the form of the settlement became clearer.

No matter how he looked at it,

“…Are they really humans?”

When he was certain of it, Frondier stopped again. The others did the same.

What they first discovered was indeed a tent. It was made of proper fabric and poles. The position of the bonfire and the distance between the tents were all human-like.

Above all, the shapes that occasionally came out of the tents and moved were,

“No, no, no, wait a minute.”

It was Moretti who reacted there.

“Those guys, no way!”

Moretti ran. Frondier tried to stop him for a moment but gave up.

That reaction, it was obvious what he was thinking.

“Hey! You guys!”

Moretti shouted in an excited voice. A few people among the tents turned their heads at the voice.

“It’s me! Moretti! You guys are from Lirber, aren’t you?!”

At Moretti’s continued shouting, people began to appear one by one from the tents. Soon, the sound of murmuring spread.

Confirming the situation, Frondier walked slowly.

‘Lirber…’

That name held memories.

The knight who had taken him to Obsidian was also from Lirber.

A village that no longer existed. The old land of the empire, pushed away by the monster’s attack.

…That’s what he thought, but it wasn’t the whole truth.

“Moretti?”

“Did you say Moretti?”

Some reacted to the name. Moretti approached them with joy.

“Of course! Seeing you up close, I can tell at a glance! Peruchi, and even Grassi! Why are you here? Were you hunting in Lirber or something,”

Bang!

Someone hit the excited Moretti’s head hard.

…From what Moretti said, it seemed like it was Peruchi who hit him.

“You idiot! How dare you pretend to know us?”

“Why did you come here, you who left Lirber to live well in the empire! Yeah, did you come to brag? Without even knowing the situation here…!”

Unlike Moretti’s joy, the people here were extremely angry at him.

Frondier thought it was a difficult time to intervene, so he stayed silent for the time being.

“Huh?”

But at that moment, they discovered Frondier from the other side.

“Who are you? Are you acquainted with that Moretti fellow?”

“I won’t say anything bad. You won’t see anything good by associating with this guy. Besides, how did you get here… Did you come from Alber?”

Alber?

At that name, Frondier frowned.

Alber, like Lireber, was once part of the empire. Now, it’s a land of monsters.

…No, that was the knowledge he had.

But they spoke as if both Lireber and Alber were still intact.

“…It’s fine. I came to see something bad.”

Frondier answered for now.

At those words, the people looked worried.

Well, Moretti was a criminal from Obsidian, so if he had been doing such things for a long time, this reaction from the people was expected.

Meanwhile, Moretti was holding his beaten head and muttering something. It was more of a quarrel with someone than a protest.

‘Moretti, he was from Lireber.’

From his way of speaking and walking, he didn’t seem like an imperial person. But he expected him to be from Mangot.

“Why are you all here?”

“…? Why are we here, then why are you here?”

Due to the lack of information, the conversation didn’t flow.

They didn’t find it strange at all that they were near Mangot. It was something that the surrounding community had already agreed upon.

Frondier, with a bit of determination, spoke.

“…I am Frondier de Roachra from the empire.”

How would the people from Lireber view an imperial person?

Would they see him as a cowardly tribe who abandoned them and lived comfortably on their own? Like they held a grudge against the empire of Mangot?

With that determination, Frondier looked at them.

But what they focused on was something else.

“…Frondier?”

Someone recited that name once more,

And the atmosphere of everyone who heard that voice changed.

They left Moretti and walked straight towards Frondier.

Frondier looked at them, tense.

The person at the forefront placed a hand on Frondier’s shoulder.

“We’ve been waiting for you!”