Academy’s Weapon Replicator

Odyssey (11)

Those who were watching Prondier all stiffened.

Prondier had no killing intent. Far from it, he showed no will to fight them.

He would stand before the emperor. That statement was an undeniable fact, without any pretense.

Because it was true, they would have to fight Prondier himself to kill the emperor.

He just appeared solemn.

“…….”

Everyone fell silent.

The people here didn’t know the extent of Frondier’s power.

However, for those who lived outside the barrier, with their survival instincts honed to the extreme, such information was unnecessary.

Clap.

“Well then.”

It was Kraken who broke the silence.

With his characteristic sly expression, he clapped his hands, drawing everyone’s attention.

“First, let’s talk about the present. Why are you all here?”

Kraken asked the gathered people.

If they truly claimed to be from Lirber, it meant that, despite their different locations, they functioned as a village.

So why were they camping here instead of staying in the village?

Grassi answered.

“Even though we call it a village, Lirber is a place where people hide from the eyes of monsters. So, we don’t think about fighting monsters. We must not be discovered in the first place. It’s the same for Alber. Most survivors outside the barrier are in similar situations.”

“I understand.”

In other words, they lived in canyons, forests, caves, and barren lands, hiding from the eyes of monsters. Similar to Mangot.

“Therefore, we must always keep an eye on the movements of monsters. That’s why those skilled in scouting and reconnaissance often go out to observe the situation.”

“Is that why you set up tents here?”

Frondier asked, and it was Ferrucci who answered.

“It’s a bit different.”

“Different?”

“Of course, our team was dispatched for reconnaissance, but this place is quite far from the village. Normally, we wouldn’t search this far… However, unsettling rumors have been spreading in the village, so we came to verify them.”

“Are those unsettling rumors about monsters?”

“Yes.”

Frondier thought for a moment.

If it was related to monsters, it would naturally be important to him and the ‘Odyssey’ as well.

“What are those rumors?”

“Well…”

Ferrucci hesitated for a moment, then glanced sideways. His expression became uncomfortable, as if he found the story disturbing.

“The rumor was that monsters were eating other monsters.”

“……That wouldn’t be such a strange story. Monsters usually eat anything indiscriminately. Or was there a large-scale power struggle?”

“No, it’s a bit different.”

Ferrucci shook his head and spoke with a more serious expression than before.

“They say lower monsters are eating higher monsters.”

At those words, the faces of Frondier’s party changed. It was as if they were infected by Ferrucci’s expression.

Frondier felt the same way, somewhat bewildered, and asked again.

“When you say they ate them, do you mean you saw such damaged corpses?”

“No. There are quite a few witnesses.”

Then it would be almost impossible for it to be a misunderstanding. Unless the villagers conspired to spread strange rumors.

‘Lower monsters eating higher monsters?’

The term “monster” in this world covers a wide range. Since it is a category created based on human standards, the concept of kinship among monsters is low, and there are many entities whose classification as monsters is ambiguous.

Nevertheless, there are two essential premises for being called a monster.

One is to hate humans.

If an entity goes beyond playing pranks on humans to attacking them, or if the prank’s purpose is death or an irreparable injury, that entity is a monster.

The other is to have a clear hierarchy.

Monsters have a sensitive parameter that allows them to feel each other’s strength, even if they are completely different creatures. Because of this, lower monsters never touch higher monsters.

It’s similar to how a hundred wild dogs wouldn’t touch a tiger.

However, wild dogs might bite a tiger if they can’t escape or if food is limited. In contrast, monsters have a more solid hierarchy and never do that.

But that rule has been broken.

Not knowing what this means or what the outcome will be, we must investigate properly.

In the empire, they can leisurely watch from behind the walls, but we don’t have that option.

“So we came out here. We also found monster corpses with traces of being eaten, but we haven’t witnessed the scene properly yet. So we plan to set up tents and observe the situation for a few days.”

“For a few days? It’s dangerous near Mangot. More powerful monsters from outside might appear.”

“It’s okay. If we burn this herb in the campfire, monsters won’t come near. Monsters hate this smell,”

Boom─

A sound like a rock falling was heard from afar.

The vibration lightly swept under the feet of Frondier and the others.

Thud, thud, thud……

And as the sound repeated at regular intervals and the ground’s tremors grew larger each time, everyone knew.

That it was the sound of footsteps.

“……What about that grass?”

“Damn it……”

Grashin spat out a sigh with a troubled face.

Frondier looked at Kraken. Knowing the meaning of that gaze, Kraken glanced at the grass and then spoke.

“Yeah, it’s a smell they dislike. The monsters won’t come near it. Even the ones outside won’t approach it easily. But the more dangerous ones usually recognize if this smell is ‘artificial’.”

“Artificial?”

“They’ll dislike the fact that ‘humans’ made it more than the smell itself.”

“I see. Then the source of this sound is,”

“Yes. It’s the ‘Abyss’.”

The footsteps were getting louder, but the two continued their leisurely conversation. As if their expressions had been stolen, the faces of Grashin and Perushi’s party were filled with despair.

“W-why is an Abyss monster here……!”

“Even if there was a possibility, it was almost zero! This is definitely strange. Just like the people in the village felt, there must have been some anomaly among the monsters!”

Frondier’s group and the others. The temperature between these two sides was as if they were from different worlds.

Of course, Moretti was an exception.

“Is this the time to explain leisurely! Let’s run away quickly! Hey! Leave everything in the tent that you can’t carry……!”

Moretti was shouting with a face close to panic, just like Grashin’s party.

Frondier turned his gaze towards the direction of the footsteps.

He saw a dense forest, and the monster was probably beyond it. There was only one set of footsteps.

That was a relief. Most Abyss monsters live alone, but there are exceptions like the Minotaur.

‘So, what’s coming?’

Frondier waited for something to emerge from beyond those trees.

Judging by the resonance of the footsteps, it was probably something even bigger than a Cyclops. Clearly, it was much more unique than any Abyss monster Frondier had encountered so far.

“……Huh?”

The monster that appeared from afar.

Frondier muttered unconsciously.

“Ogre?”

He squinted his eyes. But no matter how he looked at it, it was an ogre.

An ogre, but huge.

Ogres are usually big, but this one was beyond the range of a mere mutation.

Everyone looked at it as if it were bizarre.

The ogre belongs to the higher tier of monsters in the overall category of monsters. A single one can devastate an entire village.

However, if we narrow it down to just the monsters outside, its rank drops to ‘mid-tier,’

and above all, the ogre is not a monster of the abyss.

‘No matter how you look at it, it’s an ogre. A large ogre. But it’s not just large. The aura it emits is clearly of abyssal level.’

What is going on?

Could it be related to what I heard earlier about lower-tier monsters devouring higher-tier ones?

“……I need to check.”

Prondier raised his right hand.

He felt a strange tension for the first time in a while.

The enemy is something unfamiliar, only its appearance is familiar, an unknown and alien entity.

Danger.

As that thought crossed his mind, Mjolnir was in his right hand.

“……Huh? No, wait, Prondier.”

Selena, who had been watching quietly, opened her mouth at the sight,

but Prondier was faster.

Swish─!

Prondier gripped Mjolnir and threw it at the ogre with all his might.

Selena’s eyes followed the trajectory of the flying hammer.

‘……The black hammer.’

Which means,

Thud!

“……Huh?”

Prondier made an awkward sound.

Mjolnir embedded itself in the ogre’s face.

It shattered half of its head and disappeared with the unraveling of the weave.

The ogre was left with a gruesome appearance.

Thud─!

It collapsed without even letting out a single roar in front of the humans.

“Uh……”

A bewildered Prondier.

Selena, who was behind, spoke.

“You used the weapon of the gods. And Mjolnir at that.”

“Ah.”

“And seeing that it turned black, you even imbued it with the mana of the Nine Worlds.”

“Oh.”

Selena looked at Frondier with a drawn-out sigh.

“No matter how unusual the monster is, it’s just an ogre that came up from the Abyss. Are you planning to fight a world-destroying behemoth?”

“Ah, no, I got a bit nervous without realizing it.”

“Now we can’t even tell the difference between a regular ogre and this.”

Selena sighed, and Frondier laughed awkwardly.

Grassi, who was staring blankly at the two, looked at the ogre lying far away.

Then he looked back at the two. Then at the ogre again.

‘…What conversation did I just hear?’

The opponent might look like an ogre on the outside, but it was definitely Abyss-level. Those who survived outside the barrier had an excellent ability to sense such danger. It was no mistake.

No, even if it was just an ogre, it would be despair for ordinary people, and the people of Lirber would have to fight with considerable determination.

But just now, what did they say?

Just the Abyss?

“Grassi.”

“…”

“Grassi?”

“Huh! Wh-what is it?”

Grassi, who was looking at the ogre, quickly turned his gaze to Frondier.

Frondier spoke with the same serious face as before.

“As you saw, this area is dangerous. It seems that grass is useless against such creatures.”

“…”

“So I propose that you return to Lirber for now. How about leaving the monster investigation to me? Of course, after discussing appropriate compensation.”

“…Oh, oh… Yes…”

Grassi mumbled something that might or might not have been an answer.

“If it’s alright with you, may I accompany you to Lirber? I need to meet the village chief and hear what he has to say. If the village chief entrusts the monster investigation to me, the people here will feel at ease.”

“…”

Grassi stood there, mouth agape, in a daze. He looked at the fallen ogre’s face once, then at Frondier.

Frondier smiled awkwardly.

“…So, you can’t reveal the location of Lirever? If the location of Lirever must remain a secret,”

If they couldn’t go to Lirever, Frondier thought of setting a future meeting place to meet there.

But then.

“Ah, no.”

Grassi quickly replied.

“It’s not a secret. Let’s go to Lirever. Yes, let’s do that.”