Academy’s Weapon Replicator

Odyssey (30)

Once again, a long silence returned.

Lethe thought within the bookshelf.

‘If going out is a lie from the start.’

Phrondeer could snipe Lethe from the outside, where Lethe could not perceive.

If that’s true, then ultimately, this is a battle of whose patience runs out first.

The world of dreams is a battle of mental strength.

Wrapping her body around the bookshelf, and preparing to snipe with blades spread around that bookshelf.

Both sides would consume considerable mental strength.

So one of them would inevitably fall out of their own accord. And if all mental strength is consumed here, it will have repercussions even after leaving the dream.

‘Phrondeer is also wary of oblivion. Not going out into reality now means they’ve read my thoughts to some extent.’

Phrondeer themselves are immune to oblivion, but others are not. Phrondeer surely knows this. Thus, they are cautious of Lethe leaving this dream.

However, if both sides expend all their strength in this dream, it would be meaningless.

Is it better for Phrondeer to not be able to hold back and escape this dream for the future?

Or is it better for Lethe to reveal herself from the bookshelf to conserve mental strength?

‘If so, I have the advantage.’

Lethe cannot confirm Phrondeer’s position, but if it becomes a battle of patience, it doesn’t matter much anyway. She just needs to protect herself. Being the master of the dream makes manipulation easier as well.

However, Phrondeer must keep their blades raised around the bookshelf, focusing intently on when Lethe will clear the books, and must insert their sword through that gap.

In other words, the difference in mental strength consumption is significant.

There is the issue of not knowing when Phrondeer will leave, but it’s hard to overturn this advantage. It’s simply a matter of waiting long enough.

‘There is also the risk of Quinie waking up on their own, but I can control sleep to some extent. I can keep them asleep for 30 hours from now.’

She will put them to sleep for the maximum duration a human body can handle. Of course, there will be some slight abnormalities in the body, but that’s not important to Lethe. Moreover, that 30 hours is a matter of reality.

In reality, 30 hours means a much longer time flows in this dream.

‘Moreover, Phrondeer is human. Humans are vulnerable to time.’

Humans have a lifespan.

Their maximum available time is predetermined.

Always, they cannot help but be conscious of the time they have slipping away.

They have never experienced the power of immortality.

‘In a battle of patience, I have the advantage.’

……

Thus.

How much time has passed?

Lete waited endlessly.

She truly spent enough time within the bookshelf.

It had already been a long time since the presence of Frondior had disappeared.

In here, it is difficult to grasp the concept of time, but perhaps a day has passed in the dream.

“…….”

Lete slowly pulled a book from the shelf.

……Nothing happens.

No sudden flying blade, no detestable voice.

Confirming this, Lete pulled out another book.

An exceedingly cautious movement. She takes a defensive stance in case a blade should come flying in late.

Yet again, nothing happened.

Only then did Lete gain confidence and slowly dismantle the bookshelf.

“Alright, if I can just get out of this dream….”

When she looked outside from the bookshelf, she realized.

She was surrounded by complete darkness.

“Uh…?”

It’s dark.

A darkness where nothing can be seen.

‘Where is this?’

Logically, this should be a library.

Only she can control this dream. The place should not change at will.

Then what is this?

Why am I standing in a place where not a single ray of light comes in?

Creeeak─

And from very far away.

The sound of a door opening was heard.

If Lete had been even slightly alert at that moment, she would have flown toward the sound of the door opening immediately.

However, her dazed mind could not turn that far, and she merely listened to the sound.

step.

The sound of footsteps that followed.

As soon as the door opened, I knew. His presence, which had felt completely absent, became strikingly clear, as if it were a lie.

It’s Frondior.

Frondior is coming.

step, step, step.

He approaches with a leisurely pace.

Regardless of how Lethe feels, or what she intends to do.

As if he had no interest in any of it.

At a painfully identical speed, he walked toward Lethe.

No matter how close he got, in the darkness where not a single light penetrated, he could not be seen.

Only the sound of footsteps grew louder.

However, when that sound ceased, Lethe knew Frondior was right in front of her.

Lethe’s pupils trembled.

“……Where, where is this…?”

She asked.

“Why do you ask such a thing?”

Frondior replied.

Lethe’s eyes became glassy.

“……This is the library, isn’t it…?”

Pook!

“Ahhh!!”

Lethe’s shoulder was pierced.

Though she couldn’t see what it was, it was undoubtedly a sword.

“Stop pretending to be pitiful.”

“Ugh, ah…! Ugh…!”

“You’re a god, aren’t you?”

Lethe gritted her teeth.

She wasn’t trying to act pitiful.

She felt genuine fear. Moreover, her delicate appearance and expression were somewhat habitual. She had learned through experience that making such a face was advantageous.

I felt fear towards humans.

Unknowingly, I wore the expression I always did in that fear.

I was pierced through the shoulder by a human who took it as begging.

All of that returns to her as shame.

“This is a library. I just built my workshop inside it.”

“Workshop…?”

Lethe frowned at the familiar yet too foreign word.

“Yeah. Don’t think about escaping. It’s not easy to break through.”

“Nonsense…!”

“I’m serious. It’s only been broken through once until now. It was only when the three goddesses of Moirai cast their triple spell. It was a magic called ‘Hatching.’”

At those words, Lethe’s expression turned cold.

“Can you do something like that too? Lethe.”

Frondir asked as if testing her.

The triple spell of Moirai.

Does that mean this place is so solid that they had to cast a triple spell?

‘That can’t be! It’s definitely a bluff! How could a mere human…!’

But if this were a lie, it wouldn’t make sense for Frondir to know about Moirai’s triple spell.

Moreover, now that I hear it, there’s something I can guess about the ‘workshop.’

Workshop. The ‘Weaving’ that Frondir possesses is a set with the workshop. I knew that much.

But wasn’t that a kind of ‘concept’? How could it be brought up here?

Only then did the enormous building that the gods spoke of, which suddenly appeared during the war, come to mind. By divine common sense, that building and the workshop could not possibly be connected, yet here they were.

In other words, she is now inside the workshop created by Frondir.

Trapped within the concept of a skill.

“This doesn’t make sense… This is a grand magic…!”

“Everyone says that.”

Crack.

Blood flows from Lethe’s molars.

“How on earth did you endure that time?”

“Hmm?”

“Maintaining such grand magic would take more mental strength than summoning a sword, even if it’s a dream! How did you endure that long? Even a country would barely hold on to the very edge!”

Lethe did not underestimate Frondior.

At least, she thought so herself.

She had left just enough of her mental strength to barely go out, maintaining it as much as she could.

This was her dream, so she had a significant advantage in conserving her mental strength.

“How can a human, after such a long time, create and maintain this space…!”

Whoosh!

At that moment, light filled the workshop.

She didn’t know where the light source was, but the surroundings brightened, allowing Lethe to see Frondior’s figure.

“……Lethe.”

Frondior lowered himself in front of her.

“You don’t know me.”

“……!”

“You don’t know what determination I had when I fought the gods.”

Lethe met Frondior’s gaze.

Those pitch-black eyes.

The eyes that had terrified countless people before her.

“What kind of heart I had when I headed to Asgard.”

“Ugh…!”

“When I defeated Odin and was trapped in the world of salvation, you have no idea what farewells I left behind.”

Swish.

Frondior placed his hand on Lethe’s head. Of course, it was not a gesture of kindness; it looked more like he was touching something to be discarded.

“The world of salvation… You, no way!”

“I had resolved to rot alone for eternity back then.”

Tightening.

Frondior applied a light pressure with the hand on Lethe’s head. Instead of pain, a sense of fear wrapped around Lethe’s body.

“That resolve won’t change even if I make it again now.”

“Ah, ah…!”

No, this guy. He’s not in his right mind!

I have to run.

What should I do? If what he says is true, I can’t break through this workshop.

Think, Lethe.

The master of this dream is still you.

First, if you just create some distance from this guy, you will discover a clue to escape this workshop.

‘……Yes!’

A thought flashed through Lethe’s mind.

──Of course, it must be noted that at this time, Lethe was unable to think clearly due to considerable fatigue and fear, but at that moment, she still considered it the most rational judgment.

Lethe had inflicted Ecclesis on Frondior.

‘I know that oblivion doesn’t work! But when Armelle used it, the movement stopped for a moment. In that gap…!’

Lethe’s remarkable memory accurately recalled the detailed scene from that time.

When Armelle used her divine power, Frondior’s movement had paused for a moment, even though oblivion did not take effect. In other words, the influence was not entirely absent.

That’s right. Lethe remembers that scene.

She does not know about Frondior afterward.

The result.

“……Huh?”

This time, Lethe had truly entered a completely different place.

Rain fell on a distant high mountain, and a waterfall flowed down from the summit, soaked in rain. The waterfall formed a stream that created a valley, and the gathered streams flowed into a lake. From the lake, numerous rivers branched out and flowed into the sea.

This place constantly depicts the complete cycle of water, and right now, Lethe is in one of those rivers.

Lethe knows this place.

She knows it all too well.

But it shouldn’t be like this.

“……Where is this?”

She asks the same question again.

“Pretending not to know.”

And the voice returned again.

Frondior was facing her from a short distance away.

The plan to create distance. For now, that intention was achieved.

Everything else was ruined, though.

“……This is my Pantemonium….”

“You know it well.”

“Then it shouldn’t be like this……. You should be subjected to my power…? Pantemonium shouldn’t be created….”

Can Prondior write an Ecclesis?

Why has no one mentioned this? How could no one talk about the significant fact that humans can write Ecclesis!

“I’m not the only one writing it.”

“What?”

“Now many people will write Ecclesis. It’s the power of the soul. The number is still small, but it will gradually increase.”

Lethe was stunned.

Lethe was more shocked by this statement than by the fact that the gods had lost the war.

Humans can use Ecclesis, and their numbers are steadily increasing.

This was the greatest evidence for Lethe that the age of the gods was crumbling and the age of humans was dawning.

“……Ugh……!”

Kwaaah!

As if in response to Lethe’s voice, the river’s current surged. The water and earth soon became her servants, swelling toward Prondior.

“You, you! You may be stronger than me in reality! But in this panthemonium!”

“…….”

As Lethe came at her like that, Prondior’s mouth twitched.

Now it was getting a bit regrettable.

“It seems you’re under some misunderstanding.”

Prondior lowered her head and sighed.

“Since you haven’t participated in the war, there’s a certain aspect that can’t be helped.”

“Even if I didn’t participate, I have information!”

Swish—

Prondior lightly waved her right hand.

Since she waved with her right hand, Lethe’s right world flew away from Prondior’s perspective.

It was very logical.