The Academy’s Weapon Replicator - Chapter 407 - The Academy’s Weapon Replicator

“So, we decided to have Headmaster Carla investigated.”

Frondier gave a situation report in his room.

Since his life had stabilized, his room had somehow become a sort of war room. The others had begun to take it for granted that they would gather here.

However, while the gathering itself was natural, what Frondier had to say was not.

“……Investigate Carla?”

Elodie asked with cold eyes.

“Yeah. We were originally planning to look into Carla anyway, and since it’s in the form of a request, it worked out perfectly.”

Frondier replied.

“I heard Carla is a great beauty.”

Lily asked with cold eyes.

“I checked her picture, and she’s strikingly beautiful. Thanks to that, there’s no chance of mistaking her. It’s going to be easy to find her.”

Frondier replied.

“You mean, your plan is to seduce her?”

Selena asked with cold eyes.

“It’s not so much seduction as it is getting acquainted and then taking the time to get close. If she’s dealing with unmarried men, she might offer to trade information with me too.”

Frondier replied.

“…….”

“…….”

“…….”

And there was silence.

Arald and Pielott, reading the atmosphere, quietly backed away. As a result, Frondier became the sole recipient of the three women’s chilly gazes.

“……Why are you all looking at me like that?”

Frondier asked, but no one answered.

After blinking for a moment, Frondier frowned and asked,

“Don’t tell me you think I’ll be swayed by Carla?”

Carla was a beautiful woman who traded information with unmarried men. Of course, he didn’t know how the deal was done yet.

Did they think he would be so smitten by Carla’s beauty that he would ruin the job?

Frondier was quite confident about that.

“Don’t worry. I’ve learned to deal with that sort of thing.”

Selena had originally approached him with the intention of seducing him, and Lily had actually used her ‘Charm’ ability on him.

Frondier was aware of being under the influence of Charm, but it was very different from what Lily had expected.

“……It’s the opposite, you idiot.”

Elodie said with a sigh.

“The opposite?”

“What if things go too well?”

Things going too well?

Frondier tilted his head as if wondering if that was a problem.

“It’s good if it goes well. The request is resolved, we get rewarded, and we prevent some unknown threat lurking in Atlas.”

“Not that.”

Lily shook her head, and Selena took a step closer to Frondier.

“Frondier.”

Selena’s expression was serious, even desperate.

“Uh, yes?”

Overwhelmed by her momentum, Frondier asked back, and Selena said,

“This operation going well means that Headmaster Carla of Atlas will give her heart to you, Frondier.”

“Uh, um, yeah. That’s a bit of an ambiguous expression, don’t you think?”

“If that happens, your relationship with Carla will remain even after the request is over. What are you going to do then? What if Carla takes a deep interest in you, making the situation even more difficult than before the request?”

Frondier’s identity had been thoroughly prepared with Baal’s help, but it wasn’t perfect.

It was a fake identity, after all. If someone were to dig into it with a mind to, they would surely find inconsistencies. Especially someone like the Headmaster of Atlas.

To be attracted to someone meant to be interested in them. To want to know more, to see more. The closer an obvious outsider like Carla got, the more dangerous Frondier’s situation would become.

Frondier replied,

“You think she’ll be that interested in me?”

Selena hung her head with a dejected sigh. Her anxiety did not seem to reach Frondier at all.

“I’ve been wanting to say this for a while now.”

Elodie spoke up.

“Frondier, are you weak to women?”

“……What?”

Frondier looked at Elodie, having heard something completely unexpected.

Weak to women? He could swear to the heavens that he had never been that.

“Elodie, you don’t know because you weren’t there, but if you knew how I treated the women I considered enemies—”

For some reason, Selena shuddered as Frondier said those words.

Elodie retorted, not backing down,

“But in the end, they’re all still alive, aren’t they? Selena too, and Ms. Lily too.”

Their first meetings and the situations hadn’t been pleasant. But now they were on Frondier’s side.

As if remembering something, Ria Lis spoke up.

“……Come to think of it, that’s true. I heard you joined hands with the First Princess of the Empire, Elysia. She was an enemy who threatened the entire Constel.”

“And that girl named Cain, who raided the classroom in Indus. She was a member of Indus, wasn’t she? Why were you so gentlemanly in the classroom? You subdued her with Obsidian and ended it without a scratch.”

Elodie had sown a small seed of doubt. As if reminded of something, the other two also voiced their opinions.

[T/N: Harem heroines chose to wake up!]

Unable to listen any longer, Frondier let out a sigh and said,

“That’s how it is because that’s how I think.”

“Then how else are we supposed to think!”

“I don’t want to kill anyone, man or woman! Do you think I’m some kind of murderer?!”

Ah. Elodie seemed to understand and exclaimed.

Frondier closed his eyes tiredly and said,

“Senior Edwin almost killed me, but now he’s someone I can trust. Gregory was an enemy, but he became my ally. I caused a stir at Arald’s company, but Arald is helping me now. The only ones I finish off are enemies who are absolutely incorrigible.”

And though he didn’t say it, Pro Eden Hamelot was also one of the people Frondier had used. He wouldn’t call it a relationship of trust, though.

Furthermore, Renzo had also followed Frondier’s plans before. That was a relationship of trust, or whatever that crazy situation was.

“I didn’t want to say this in front of you guys, but I’ll make it clear.”

When Frondier opened his eyes again, his gaze was familiar to them, yet always sent chills down their spines.

“It’s just a coincidence that the ones I’ve dealt with so far have been men. If a woman had done something deserving of that, I would have killed her. My way. I don’t kill those who oppose me ‘just because’.”

Not only the three women, but Arald and Pielott also widened their eyes at his words.

As the atmosphere grew heavy, Frondier looked around for a moment and said,

“See, this is why I didn’t want to talk about it.”

Lily scratched her cheek at that.

“……W-Well. I understand your resolve. You mean you’ll deal with Carla coldly if necessary?”

“That was the plan from the start, and whether it’s Carla or anyone else, my approach will be objective. I told you from the beginning. Seduction isn’t the goal, and that expression is a bit much to begin with. I’m just going to get to know her and hear her out.”

Liberto had told him not to overdo it, and Frondier had no intention of making this investigation dangerous.

His current stance was to befriend Carla as if the request didn’t exist in the first place. That was all.

Above all, Frondier had received strict orders from his mother, Malia, “not to get into any dangerous situations that could leave a scar.” He had no intention of doing anything reckless.

“Do you know where she is?”

Arald finally asked as the women’s chilly air subsided.

“Yes. It seems she’s attending a social gathering in a few days. I heard she’s been making an effort to connect with the nobles, so it’s only natural. All I have to do is spend some time there, say hello, and come back. Nothing will happen.”

At Frondier’s words, the others felt a little less anxious.

Since Frondier himself had no intention of seducing her and just wanted to get acquainted, it seemed unlikely that anything strange would happen.

As the atmosphere softened a little, Lily asked,

“By the way, do you have anything to wear to a social gathering?”

“Yes, I do. Although I only have one.”

With that, Frondier stood up. Step by step, his feet headed towards the closet as if to show them the clothes he would wear.

Lily, who had been watching him quietly, suddenly spoke up as if she had remembered something.

“……You only have one, so you don’t mean, that outfit?”

“Ah, Lily, you’ve seen it before.”

Frondier opened the closet and showed them his outfit.

From top to bottom, it was completely black. The design was neat and dignified, as expected of the Roach family, a formal attire that was restrained yet exuded elegance.

The others imagined how Frondier would look wearing that outfit, and Lily, who had already seen it, twitched her eyes.

Frondier looked at his clothes and said,

“The Roach family had this made specifically jet black so that I wouldn’t stand out at banquets. The only downside is that it’s terribly uncomfortable to wear, but it’s perfect for this request.”

Frondier nodded in satisfaction.

Watching him, the three women were once again filled with unease.

They were sure of it.

Frondier’s lack of self-awareness, bordering on self-centeredness, must be a family trait.

* * *

And so, Frondier attended the banquet. Believing that he wouldn’t stand out.

Where on earth did an assassin get the idea that wearing all black would make him inconspicuous? As expected, his prediction was way off.

‘… This is strange.’

As soon as Frondier entered the banquet hall, he felt everyone’s eyes on him. At first, he thought it was because a new person had entered, but as time passed, the attention didn’t diminish but rather seemed to intensify.

‘I see. It’s because I have a new face.’

Frondier came to a reasonable conclusion and ignored the attention. It would be just for today. Frondier was convinced.

Frondier felt the first day of the request was like a break.

Of course, he wasn’t interested in the banquet itself, but he had been overloaded with work.

From teaching to the stereoscopic map and mana crystals. Recently, even a student had pleaded with him to become their disciple, giving him a headache.

He needed to rest his mind, under any excuse.

‘The noise of the people, the smell of alcohol and food, the gazes of passersby and their whispers. It’s as if they’ve all gathered just to distract me.’

Absolutely perfect.

He couldn’t focus at all.

Frondier poured some wine into his glass and lightly tilted it.

He had heard that Carla would appear here today, but honestly, whether she showed up or not didn’t matter to him today.

There was no deadline for this investigation, and he didn’t need to step into dangerous territory. If that were to happen during the investigation, it would be a different matter, but until then, it was peace itself.

‘Well then, let’s take it easy and look for her. If she’s not here, then it’s fine as it is.’

Frondier, who was enjoying a legitimate leisure time. He wasn’t doing anything he was supposed to do at a banquet, but Frondier was starting to like this social gathering.

However, it was a bit annoying that people would occasionally approach him and strike up a conversation.

In the Terst Empire, there was no one who didn’t know him, whether it was good or bad, but here, he had to explain who he was every time.

There were a lot of families in the Agoris continent. This was because there weren’t any strict requirements for establishing a family, unlike in Terst.

So, unless it was a famous family, most were unfamiliar to everyone. There was no family named ‘Roach’ on the continent, but there were already many similar ones.

However, not being famous meant that the family’s influence wasn’t significant. Therefore, there were quite a few people whose interest waned after hearing Frondier’s full name.

As a result, Frondier’s conversations with women tended to last longer.

‘…I felt this at the last Imperial banquet too.’

From Frondier’s point of view, it was time to part ways, but the nobles didn’t leave and lingered. What was their intention? Moreover, the conversation continued even though there was no flow to it. Besides, the content of the conversation was too ordinary to sense any ulterior motive.

‘At this rate, I’ll be stuck here and won’t be able to find Carla.’

Well, it didn’t really matter. Today, Frondier was simply overflowing with leisure.

Frondier spent some time chatting with the surrounding nobles. It wasn’t particularly interesting or boring. His words came out without much thought, just polite and static words.

As Frondier was spending his time like that.

‘– Found her.’

Frondier spotted her.

The Headmaster of Atlas, Carla. He had brought a picture just in case, but there was no need to check.

An appearance that shone most brightly in this banquet hall. Even without a picture, it was so obvious that one could find her just by asking, “Find the most beautiful person here, that’s Carla.”

‘That level of beauty. Come to think of it, I didn’t need to go out of my way to find her.’

Even if he didn’t, most of the eyes were drawn to Carla as she appeared. Men and women alike. There was no need for him to even think about looking for her.

‘Should I go say hello?’

Frondier was about to move towards Carla, but then stopped.

‘It’s a bit bothersome.’

Right now, too much attention was focused on Carla. And the gazes directed at him weren’t insignificant either.

Frondier wanted to get acquainted with Carla and build a rapport, not advertise it to the whole world.

Let’s do it a little later, Frondier thought and nodded to himself.

Carla was walking with a relaxed expression. Her smile was gentle but unwavering, and her soft eyes overflowed with clear confidence.

And then, her eyes suddenly turned to Frondier.

She stopped in her tracks.

“….?”

Frondier felt a sense of wonder at her actions and sipped his wine. He figured it was just a coincidence.

“….Ah.”

But then Carla let out a small sound, her confident smile and composure vanished, her pupils dilated, and her mouth fell open in a daze.

Her eyes, as if they could suck you in, were fixed on Frondier, unable to move, and her Adam’s apple bobbed once.

‘…No way, right?’

Frondier tried to deny it, looking elsewhere, at the nobles next to him, trying to focus on the conversation.

Meanwhile, Carla lowered her head once, took a deep breath, and with slightly trembling eyes, slowly walked towards Frondier.

Now that the situation had come to this, even the nobles who were talking to Frondier turned their attention to Carla, and naturally, Frondier could no longer continue the conversation.

Frondier sipped his wine pointlessly, his gaze completely fixed on her.

‘No way, don’t do this. This isn’t it.’

The worries and voices of the three women suddenly came to mind.

─ What if things go too well?

Indeed, when it came to being astute, they were women he couldn’t dare to chase after.

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