Academy’s Weapon Replicator

Odyssey (12)

Following Frondier’s suggestion, Grassi’s party packed up their tents.

Although it was a sudden change of plans, no one complained.

Frondier was impressed by their orderly manner.

“Everyone is amazing. They grasp the situation quickly. One or two might have protested, but to see such unity. Indeed, they have the strength to survive outside the barrier.”

“…”

Watching Frondier nodding like that, Selena held back many words.

“So, are we going to Lirever too?”

“Yes. Since Grassi will guide us.”

Frondier answered Cora’s question.

Then, someone quietly raised their hand.

“Ah… I…”

It was Kraken.

He spoke with an awkward smile.

“Can I sit this one out?”

“…Why?”

At Frondier’s question, Kraken pointed behind him with his thumb.

“There’s a cape nearby, right? In that direction?”

“Probably.”

“I want to check out the cape. A barren beach where monsters can’t live. I’m a bit interested.”

Hagley spoke up.

“There is nothing there. And you saw the monster just now. It’s dangerous to be alone.”

“It’s surprising to hear that from you, the core of Mangot. Wasn’t Mangot supposed to be a safe place?”

“…The situation has changed now. There was an anomaly with the monster. If it were during my time in Mangot, I would have made everyone hide deep inside the cave in such a situation.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Kraken shrugged his shoulders.

“From now on, we’re heading to a village full of humans, right?”

“…!”

“It’s not a place I should go.”

Kraken is a monster.

A monster should not recklessly enter a village where humans live.

Kraken said that himself.

“Go ahead.”

Frondier gestured lightly with his chin.

Kraken grinned and bowed deeply before turning around.

As Kraken walked away, Selena approached Frondier.

“…Frondier.”

“Yes.”

“Kraken can almost perfectly disguise himself as a human. No ordinary person would ever notice.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Moreover, Kraken has already teamed up with humans before.”

That’s right. He was affiliated with Indus.

“…So.”

“I know, Selena.”

I placed my hand on Selena’s head.

It was an unconscious action, but Selena’s eyes widened.

“Kraken lied. He wouldn’t feel burdened about entering a human village.”

“…Yes, that’s right. From the beginning, saying he would go to Mangot might have been a lie.”

“Exactly.”

I nodded.

And yet, I said.

“But for now, I’ll leave it be.”

“Why?”

“That guy was going to betray me eventually anyway.”

The Kraken is a monster. A monster that is a mortal enemy of Frondier.

There is no way he would obediently follow Frondier. Even if it meant he could leave Obsidian.

At some point, he would definitely aim for Frondier’s back.

“If that’s the case, I’d rather know the timing.”

“…If that is your will, Lord Frondier.”

With that, Selena bowed her head and stepped back.

* * *

Lirber.

A village of the former empire, a land trampled and erased by monsters.

But in reality, it was rebuilt by people, and it was far different from what Frondier had expected.

“…I thought they were hiding in the forest. Or maybe in a cave.”

“If they did that, they would eventually be discovered by monsters.”

Peruchi said.

They were now standing in front of a lake.

“Is Lirber really under this?”

Frondier asked again.

Peruchi had explained it to him, but he still couldn’t grasp it.

“Yes. After entering this lake, there is a long passage inside. It takes about 10 minutes to walk through.”

The explanation was simple, but too simple to be convincing.

“…Well, we’ll know once we go.”

Frondier knew that asking more questions wouldn’t get them anywhere.

Peruchi nodded and took a step forward.

“I’ll go first. Follow me. Oh, and be careful when you go down. The lake is deep.”

“Got it.”

Splash!

Peruchi and his party all plunged into the water. There was a proper splash sound.

Frondier felt an indescribable feeling at the sight, but anyway, he followed and walked forward.

“R-really, we’re going in there?”

Cora’s anxious voice was heard from behind.

Even Frondir seemed to catch the anxiety from her. But his feet were already moving towards the lake.

Splash─!

And Frondir jumped into the lake.

“Wow!”

As soon as he entered, Frondir adjusted his posture in mid-air.

Thud.

His body quickly fell as soon as he entered. A loud sound was heard as he reached the bottom of the lake.

‘So this is what it means for the lake to be deep!’

As soon as he passed the surface, his body fell due to gravity.

The lake wasn’t very deep, but if he had fallen headfirst without knowing, he could have been seriously injured.

“Whoa!”

“Wow!”

The companions who followed Frondir had similar reactions.

While they were landing, Frondir looked around.

“What kind of magic is this?”

Frondir looked up.

He and his companions had clearly just plunged below the surface. Yet, they could breathe down here. Not only that, but they could move without any issues, and gravity still worked the same.

Simply put, there was no water below the surface.

Only the surface had flowing water, a strange phenomenon.

They were not in the lake’s water, but rather beneath it.

“Could it be spatial magic?”

“It’s not that impressive.”

Grassi said.

“Let’s just say we had the help of a mage.”

“Hmm, that explanation is sufficient.”

Frondir nodded.

…I’ll have to ask Arald about it later. The moment Grassi mentioned the mage, it was as good as telling Frondir everything.

Grassi and Peruchi led the way, and Frondir’s group followed behind.

Prondier felt it as he walked. There was not a single piece of moss at the bottom of the lake. In other words, this was not originally a lake. It was just a deep pit and a passage leading below.

‘So, instead of emptying the inside of the lake, they created a fake surface above.’

Of course, it would be magic that he couldn’t understand either way, but the fact that it wasn’t originally a lake was quite interesting. Whether it was a monster or an animal, they usually came to the lake because they smelled the water. But since it wasn’t a lake in the first place, there would be no reason for monsters to approach.

“What if a monster steps wrong and falls here? It might come all the way to the village,”

Prondier voiced his concern, but stopped speaking when he saw the scene in front of him.

Five passages appeared before his eyes.

“……It’s a maze.”

“Yes. Unless you know the way, you can never reach the village.”

It reminded him of Mangot. Indeed, there was nothing better for hiding a location.

Prondier continued walking under Grassi’s guidance. It was indeed an incredibly complex maze.

Is it okay to let outsiders in after creating such a complex maze?

‘……They probably think it’s impossible to remember the path in one go.’

It’s a pity.

Even if Prondier himself couldn’t remember, the workshop was remembering for him.

“We’re here.”

As Grassi said, the scenery changed.

“Wow.”

Prondier let out an honest exclamation.

After passing through the passage, the sky was visible. Since this was under the lake, there was no way the sky could be seen. That meant it was also magic. Probably a magic barrier.

“The sky was created not long ago. It was quite expensive.”

“You’re trading with the Empire.”

“……If you can call it trading. The villagers desperately hunt monsters or gather materials, take them to the Empire to sell, and buy the magic barrier with that money. If it’s not enough, they repeat it for a few days.”

Peruchi said, looking embarrassed.

The village visible after passing through the entrance was well-maintained. It even had a relaxed atmosphere, which was unusual for being outside the barrier. The village itself probably had rarely been attacked by monsters.

“It’s a nice village.”

“Thank you.”

Peruchi nodded.

But aside from such compliments, the villagers’ gazes poured in as they walked.

The faces of Grassi’s group, who were guiding them, also hardened accordingly.

“Let’s get to the village chief’s place as quickly as possible.”

“I think that sounds good too.”

With that, they quickened their pace, heading towards the house of the village chief located in the innermost part of the village.

An elderly man was already waiting for them in front of the house, having apparently heard the news.

“Grassi.”

“Chief.”

“What is this about? You went out to investigate the monsters and suddenly brought back a large number of people.”

The elderly man scanned the surroundings with a tense expression.

Though his face was wrinkled, his posture was upright, and his thick body exuded strength.

He had participated in battles until just recently. Frondier recognized him at a glance.

“Nice to meet you, Chief.”

Frondier bowed politely, easing the tension.

“I am Frondier de Roach.”

“…! Frondier! Are you really…?”

The chief looked at Grassi for confirmation. Grassi nodded.

“He is indeed Frondier.”

“How can you be sure? What if the Empire discovered us first and sent a spy…!”

“Chief!”

Peruchi quickly raised his voice, shaking his head vigorously.

“…?”

As the chief felt puzzled, Grassi answered.

“…I saw him fight. Against the abyssal monsters.”

“What…!”

“He is undoubtedly Frondier de Roach.”

In fact, Grassi’s gaze towards the chief was more convincing than his explanation.

“If not, our village is doomed anyway.”

“….”

The chief fell silent, his eyes trembling.

Frondier, who had been listening quietly, narrowed his eyes.

‘Is it okay to introduce me like that?’

Anyway, it seemed they believed him, which was a relief, but it felt like a strange way of confirming it.

“……Then, what brings you here, Prondier?”

“The Empire is currently undertaking the ‘Odyssey’.”

“Odyssey?”

In response to the village chief’s question, Prondier briefly explained. About the Empire’s territorial expansion and the journey beyond the barrier. Among the information, there were details that even Grassi was unaware of, which left him surprised.

“So, would you entrust the investigation of the monsters to me?”

“……If that’s the case…….”

The village chief thought for a moment.

No, it was more like he was pretending to think, as his mind was almost made up.

From Lireber’s perspective, it was a very favorable situation.

Everyone was trembling in fear due to the abnormal behavior of the monsters, but investigating them was not an easy task.

The abnormal behavior of the monsters meant a lot of things. If their detection abilities had also increased, even if the investigation succeeded, there was a risk of being tracked upon return. If that happened, Lireber would be finished.

But now, someone had come forward to take on the task. The fact that it was someone from the Empire was a problem, but among them, ‘Prondier’ was different. The villagers wouldn’t oppose much.

“Very well. We have no reason to object.”

“Thank you. Ah, and there is one thing I would like to confirm.”

“What is it? The general movement patterns of the monsters? The types of monsters inhabiting nearby?”

Prondier shook his head at the village chief’s guess.

He spoke.

“The Vanier family.”

With the same eyes as before.

“Have you heard of them?”