Academy’s Weapon Replicator

Odyssey (23)

Sergio took a step towards Selena.

That step was very cautious. His gaze was like that of someone looking at a young chick.

As if worried that she might hide in surprise at that one step, Sergio walked. Very slowly. As if time was waiting for him.

“Selena……”

He looked into Selena’s eyes. He knew immediately.

Ah, those are the eyes of someone looking at a stranger.

It was only natural. The last time Sergio saw Selena was when she was just born. He sent the young baby to Mangot with tears in his eyes.

Selena’s eyes were filled with confusion. So Sergio took just one step and then stopped.

The two looked at each other from a strange distance. They were just far enough apart to neither feel at ease nor completely tense.

At that moment, Selena closed her eyes deeply and then opened them again.

“…Father.”

She spoke in a calm voice.

“!”

“I am Selena de Vanier. I apologize for coming so late.”

Selena bowed her head politely and then slowly walked towards the frozen Sergio.

When she reached right in front of him, Selena was smiling.

“I’m glad to meet you, Dad.”

Others stepped aside to give them space. Of course, Frondier did the same.

Sergio and Selena. They might have a lot to talk about, or perhaps nothing at all. But either way, it was something for the two of them to share.

Still, Frondier watched Selena silently from a slight distance.

Selena, though somewhat stiff, became gentle as she talked with Sergio. Whether it was because she met her father or because she wanted to show this side of herself to the ‘father’ figure, no one knew.

But either way, Selena chose it herself. To have a gentle face in front of her father.

“How is it?”

Philly approached Frondier and asked.

“You told her about her father’s situation as a monster and brought them together. Do you still think it was a failure?”

“…I don’t know.”

At this moment when Selena and Sergio met, their appearance was undoubtedly warm and beautiful.

However, Frondier kept thinking.

It might have been fine if Selena knew nothing. He wondered if he had created unnecessary trouble.

“It seems neither a failure nor a success yet.”

“That’s right. The real issue starts now.”

Frondier stepped back to let Selena and Sergio talk, but there was still much to discuss on this side as well.

Not only Philly but also three princesses, Elodie, Osprey, and the Zodiacs were gathered here.

Moreover,

“Sorry for being late. I had some work piled up.”

The last person Frondier had been waiting for, Quinie de Viet, had arrived.

Quinny greeted the Emperor and Empress politely. The greeting was sincere but without any sign of tension. It meant they had met often before.

Then Quinny smiled warmly at Prondier. Quinny was also glad that Prondier was relying on him.

“I was surprised, Prondier. I didn’t think we would meet during the Odyssey journey.”

“We need the brains of wise people.”

Prondier said, looking around.

“Alright, now everyone is here. I deeply appreciate you responding to my request and coming all the way here. I will definitely repay this favor.”

“It would be troublesome if you did.”

Sybel interrupted.

“Yes, really.”

Elodie nodded at those words.

Prondier tried to refute something, but the look in their eyes was too scary and serious, so he closed his mouth. Others had similar expressions.

Prondier laughed.

“……Then let’s get to the point.”

Everyone he called was waiting for his next words.

“If you have seen it, you would roughly know. What kind of situation I am facing now.”

“Indeed.”

Elodie replied. She glanced at Sergio.

“……You have become a monster. Selena’s father.”

“Surprisingly, you don’t look like it at all.”

Sergio, at least on the surface, did not have the feeling of a monster. There was no change in appearance, he communicated and interacted without any problems, and he maintained his reason well.

“Elodie, just in case, is there any magic that can turn a monster back into a human?”

Elodie shook her head.

“Such magic is not a matter of knowing or not knowing. It’s an impossible feat.”

“……Really?”

“Um, how should I explain this…….”

As Elodie tilted her head and touched her temple with her finger, Osprey spoke instead.

“Prondier, you must have seen many humans turning into monsters. Not just Sergio.”

“……Yes, that’s correct.”

The range of monsters is wide.

The slavs Prondier met in the dungeon, and the numerous wraiths witnessed in Yelanhess were the same. They were all once human in the past.

“The process of a human becoming a monster is similar to turning paper into ashes. How would you turn paper into ashes?”

“Well, you burn it.”

“Then how would you turn ashes back into paper?”

“……It’s impossible.”

That’s right. That’s the problem.

There are many changes in the world that cannot be reversed. Including aging due to the passage of time, there are flows that only go in one direction.

A human becoming a monster is like that. Crossing a path of no return.

“And you know this better than anyone. You are already a demon.”

“That’s correct.”

Frondier already knew this instinctively, rather than through logic and reason.

Sergio cannot become human.

Just as Frondier cannot become human.

“……Hearing you say that reminds me.”

Cybel, who had been quietly listening, spoke up.

“Selena’s father, if he is indistinguishable from a human to that extent, can’t we just let him in as a monster? Like Frondier.”

Frondier is no longer human but a demon. No, something divine is mixed in as well.

But even so, he is doing well. Without any problems. As long as he doesn’t spread his wings, no one thinks of Frondier as a demon, and even those who know often forget.

“No.”

But this time, it was Frondier himself who shook his head.

“Sergio is different from me. He is definitely a monster. He has all the characteristics.”

“Characteristics of a monster?”

“Yes. I knew it because I originally intended to oppose him.”

Frondier recalled the first time he saw Sergio.

It is certainly possible to communicate properly with Sergio, but only for a very short time. As time goes by, what he lacks will become apparent.

“Sergio has the will to eliminate everything that comes here. He is here to prevent monsters from invading and to protect the humans who are evacuating. In that aspect, Sergio has no concept of time. Even while he is peacefully talking with Selena now, that mission is his top priority.”

Most monsters do not have a complete ecosystem like ordinary animals. Many monsters have only one will, to accomplish a certain purpose.

“Sergio and the soldiers under him were incredibly strong. They probably weren’t that strong when they were alive.”

“……They became stronger because they focused entirely on the mission of ‘eliminating everything that approaches’ after becoming monsters?”

“That’s right. Unlike ordinary humans, something is missing. They became stronger as much as they are missing. I don’t know exactly what it is.”

The simplest problem is that Sergio probably cannot leave a certain area. Since his purpose is to protect that area, he might be able to distance himself a bit, but it would be impossible to completely leave.

And if we forcefully try to escape, no one knows what might happen. The most moderate result would be death on the spot.

At that moment, Philly asked.

“If it destroys everything that approaches, doesn’t that include us? Why doesn’t Sergio see us as enemies?”

“His iron-like reason, which overwhelms the monster’s instincts, has made a judgment. He knows that if he antagonizes us now, he won’t be able to protect this area.”

Moreover, there’s Selena.

Selena would be a huge brake on Sergio’s instincts. She is the reason he protects this place, as she is the foundation of his existence.

“…But in other words,”

“You’re saying that Sergio might also have the characteristic of another monster, ‘hatred towards humans’.”

Sergio, who shows genuine joy when talking to Selena.

Sergio, who has excellent judgment and rational conversations with Frondier.

However, Sergio probably felt an instinctive, baseless hatred towards Frondier in all those moments.

The only reason he can endure it is because he knows that it’s just ‘hatred he feels because he is a monster’.

But that’s just excellent control, not the absence of hatred.

“If we leave him as a monster, he can’t leave this place, and his hatred towards humans remains. Even if we solve those two issues, he would have lost a significant part of his humanity in the process of becoming a monster.”

“That’s right. We can’t leave him as a monster.”

Philly nodded.

Indeed, this is a difficult and troublesome issue. It was understandable that Frondier called for help and gathered so many people.

For a moment, everyone was silent. No one had time to speak as they were lost in their own thoughts.

However, no one thought of giving up. It must be resolved. They wanted to resolve it. Their minds were spinning with that thought.

But among them,

‘…Hmm, why was I called here…?’

Quinie de Viet scratched her cheek with a slightly troubled heart.

Quinie had never doubted her intelligence, and she was grateful that Frondier believed in it.

But knowledge was a different story.

Quinie was a merchant, and she obtained the title of knight to raise her family and protect people. Even though she was quite knowledgeable about monsters, she was only at the level of an ordinary knight.

There were many people here who were more knowledgeable about magic and monsters than Quinie. With even a great mage present, it didn’t seem like there was a place for her to step forward.

‘Even if I try to speak with my own thoughts, the words of someone who doesn’t know well might confuse those with proper knowledge. Especially in such an important matter. Although I am good at speaking, most of it is about deceiving or persuading the other party…’

“Quinie.”

“Huh? Yes?”

Frondier called her while she was lost in thought.

“And, Osprey.”

“Hmm?”

This time, it was Frondier who called Osprey.

Frondier looked at the two and opened his mouth.

“……I know it’s a ridiculous thought.”

His voice was a bit dark.

“How different are monsters and spirits from each other?”