Academy’s Weapon Replicator

Odyssey (17)

When Prondier returned, the phone rang once.

It was Aster.

He left Prondier with a short message.

-Found a monster in the form of a soldier. Presumed to have been human in the past.

“Why does this guy talk to me like a work report? He could just say it casually.”

Or is this more comfortable for Aster?

Prondier scratched his cheek and focused on the content again.

‘…Not a humanoid monster, but a human turned into a monster…’

From the content of the message, it didn’t seem like he was just talking about something resembling a human walking on two legs.

At least Aster was convinced.

That what he saw was once truly human.

‘The first thing that comes to mind are wraiths or the undead… Souls with deep grudges often persist in the world even after death.’

Prondier had seen enough of such spirits to be sick of them.

But if it were an ordinary wraith, Aster would have recognized it immediately. There must be a reason he didn’t say so.

‘Besides, the fact that it looks like a soldier bothers me.’

Aster is currently on an odyssey. Judging by the rough location, he shouldn’t be too far from the barrier yet.

But that’s from the perspective of the entire continent, and he must have moved far enough that the barrier is no longer visible.

If the enemy is a wraith, it’s hard to imagine a soldier dying in such a place. Usually, they wouldn’t stray far from the barrier.

“If we meet again, I should ask you to contact me.”

After sending a message with such content to Aster, Frondier moved towards Lireber again.

His unique flight quickly reached Lireber at a formidable speed, and as soon as he arrived, Frondier gathered all his companions and left Lireber. It was time to start the mission.

They moved from Lireber back towards the Empire.

From Frondier’s perspective, helping Odyssey and investigating monsters were not that different, so it was possible to proceed simultaneously.

The party dealt with the monsters they encountered as they advanced.

Of course, most of them were handled by Frondier.

“…Well, it seems like I don’t need to be here.”

Moretti said as he walked.

It was known that they brought Obsidian’s criminal to clear the monsters like Odyssey, but in reality, Frondier was handling all the monster clearing alone.

“Hey, you. Be honest. You don’t care about taking us to deal with the monsters, do you?”

“You just realized that?”

Frondier responded immediately.

Moretti, rather dumbfounded, stared blankly at Frondier.

Frondier spoke.

“I don’t really care about Odyssey. In the first place, I’m not in a position to do such things. I just needed a way to bring this guy out.”

Frondier placed his hand on Cora’s head, who was walking quietly beside him.

Cora’s expression turned sullen as if annoyed by the petting, but she didn’t push it away.

“What do you mean by ‘not in a position to do such things’?”

Moretti asked.

“It means that if I belong to one side, the other side’s position becomes difficult.”

Frondier answered honestly.

Moretti blinked, trying to understand what he meant, and then his brows furrowed strangely.

“Hey. Odyssey is part of the Empire. No, it’s rather a continental-scale matter. Are you saying that whether you belong to it or not makes a difference? Aren’t you overestimating yourself?”

“…I wish it were just that.”

Frondier had no words to answer.

To be honest, Frondier’s opinion was similar to Moretti’s.

What does it matter if he belongs to something? Whether it’s Zodiac or Paladin. When he was in Constell, or when he enjoyed it as a game, he had some admiration for such affiliations.

Now, everyone is stopping him from doing it, so Frondier feels like he’s on a lonely island.

Krooo─!!

Not long after, the monsters attacked again.

Prondier raised his right hand and waved it lightly.

Puff…

And then it became quiet again.

The crisis was resolved without any time to describe it.

Was there even a crisis in the first place?

‘…It doesn’t feel real. Is this really outside the barrier?’

Moretti had seen Prondier deal with monsters several times until now.

With just a flick of his hand, a weapon would appear from somewhere, pierce the monster, and disappear. Most monsters would die from that single blow.

Of course, Prondier had also dealt with abyssal monsters, and Moretti had seen that too. So he already knew that dealing with outside monsters would be easy.

‘But killing them with just a flick of the hand is a bit much.’

When dealing with abyssal monsters, Prondier had been somewhat tense, and the hammer in his hand was unusual.

Even though the abyssal monster died in one blow, it felt like Prondier had thrown it with all his might.

But dealing with outside monsters was very different.

What Moretti thought of as ‘easy’ was exchanging a few blows with the monster and dealing with them without any significant injuries.

If someone could do that against outside monsters, they would already be considered one of the strongest in the empire. But instead, with just a few waves of his hand, all those monsters were dead.

‘Are outside monsters actually weak…? No, that can’t be. I’ve experienced them myself, so what am I thinking?’

Even though Moretti had experienced outside monsters, he couldn’t accept the current situation because it was too different.

“Prondier, we will soon arrive at the place where Lirber used to be.”

Selena, who was next to him, spoke up.

“Excuse me, but shouldn’t we check on Alber? There might be people there too.”

“……”

“Prondier?”

Prondier didn’t answer Selena’s question. He seemed lost in deep thought.

“…Oh, sorry. What did you say?”

“Shouldn’t we go to Alber?”

“Oh, it’s fine. I have no business with the survivors anymore.”

Prondier said coldly.

When Selena looked surprised, Prondier smiled and spoke again.

“No, I’m not saying we should abandon them. It’s just that it’s no longer my concern.”

Prondier had already confirmed that there were survivors outside the barrier.

That was merely a secondary reason; he wanted to know what had happened to Selena’s family.

Now, whether it was Lireber or Alber, it didn’t matter to Prondier.

That concern belonged to someone else.

“Let’s see… There should be a crow nearby…”

Prondier walked leisurely, observing the birds flying around.

Then, his steps halted. His gaze turned towards the distant forest.

‘Another monster?’

His intuition had caught something.

After obtaining the mana of the Nine Worlds, his perception and intuition had become more refined and expansive, making it almost impossible for anyone to notice something unusual faster than Prondier. Especially when it came to killing intent.

However, at this moment, Selena sensed the anomaly almost as quickly as Prondier.

Because she could detect Prondier’s reactions faster than anyone else. The moment Prondier stopped walking, she understood his intention and heightened her senses. As a result, she identified the same monster as Prondier.

“…A human?”

Selena murmured.

The difference between Selena, who perceived with her five senses, and Prondier, who sensed with his intuition.

What Prondier felt as a ‘monster,’ Selena identified as a ‘human.’

In other words.

‘Is it what Aster saw?’

Prondier finished his thoughts and spoke to Selena.

“Selena, can you see it?”

Prondier’s detection ability was excellent, but his vision was not as sharp as Selena’s. Even if he knew where it was, he couldn’t see it clearly with his eyes.

Selena replied.

“Yes. A man is walking around. It seems he hasn’t noticed us yet…”

He hadn’t noticed them.

But Prondier had detected him.

He must have been scattering his killing intent everywhere.

‘Just by that characteristic, it’s definitely a monster. But it looks human…’

Then Selena added one more thing.

“…He seems to be a soldier.”

“…A soldier?”

“Yes. He was wearing simple armor. It looks like it belongs to the Empire… It’s a bit old.”

“It looks like it belongs to the Empire? Does that mean he’s an Imperial soldier?”

“It seems so…”

Rarely did Selena use ambiguous expressions. When identifying an opponent, Selena did not use such a tone.

“Why aren’t you sure?”

“The armor is familiar, but it’s a bit different from the attire of the Imperial soldiers I know.”

Selena said this while narrowing her eyes.

“…It seems a bit outdated.”

At those words.

Frondier’s pupils darkened as if the center had collapsed.

He extended his hand.

Whoosh!

A portal opened in front of him.

“Everyone, go back.”

“Frondier?”

“I’ve identified the enemy. It’s dangerous here.”

Hagley, who was beside him, spoke up.

“The presence of the monster doesn’t seem significant, so what’s dangerous—”

At that moment, Hagley saw Frondier’s eyes.

Those eyes said it all.

He would not allow any objections to this command.

“I’ve changed the location of the portal. If you go through here, you’ll return to Lirber. Do not come out until I give the order.”

“Frondier, I should stay by your side—”

“No.”

Frondier cut off Selena’s voice.

His eyes were tinged with a warning color.

“The same goes for you, Selena. I won’t allow you to stay by my side or remain in the shadows. Go through the portal.”

“…Understood.”

Selena nodded, though she didn’t know the reason.

Frondier always had a reason for his actions. Even if there wasn’t a reason, she would follow his orders. She had decided to do so a long time ago.

“Be careful, Prondier.”

Prondier, who was tense to this extent. What kind of monster could it be? Does it have anything to do with its human appearance?

Each holding a bit of doubt, everyone crossed the portal, leaving behind the suddenly cold Prondier.

After confirming that everyone had crossed, Prondier deactivated the portal.

“Ha…”

He let out a long sigh.

Slowly, he walked towards something that looked like a soldier in the distance.

─Estimated to have been human in the past.

Prondier soon could see with his eyes the monster his intuition had detected.

As Selena said, it was wearing armor. It looked like light equipment, but it certainly resembled that of the Empire.

Step.

Prondier deliberately made a sound as he walked.

The monster reacted and turned its head towards Prondier.

Srrng─

The man who confirmed Prondier, drew his sword and stood before Prondier.

“Tsk.”

Prondier clicked his tongue.

He wished it would act like a madman. Staggering, trembling, making strange noises.

Then he could have thought it was just some kind of undead.

But when he saw Prondier.

When it turned its body and drew its sword, taking a stance.

That eerily neat form made Prondier’s face darken even more.

“…I really hoped it wouldn’t be the case.”

Prondier smiled bitterly.

The dangerous monster was a lie. Making the whole party leave was a kind of smokescreen.

It was all for one thing.

“You.”

“……”

The monster said nothing.

The opponent is a monster. Not a human.

Conversation is impossible.

Knowing this well enough, Frondier asked without expecting an answer.

“How long have you been here?”

“……”

The soldier just took his stance. As Frondier approached, the killing intent intensified, and the stance became sharper.

It was a form so well-trained that it was admirable.

“Why are you alone? Has the army scattered?”

Still, the soldier did not answer.

He knew.

Even though he knew.

“Whose orders do you follow?”

Frondier had no choice but to ask.

“Is your captain also a monster now, like you?”

There was only one reason he left the party.

“……Is the lord of the Vanier family nearby?”

He didn’t want Selena to see this.