The Academy’s Weapon Replicator - Chapter 408 - The Academy’s Weapon Replicator

“…Ahem, hello.”

She cleared her throat unconsciously, her voice low and subdued.

A nervous voice.

I looked at Carla for a moment.

Indeed, seeing her in person, her beauty was breathtaking.

Long, dark brown hair flowed in waves over her shoulders, and her gray eyes were both mysterious and intelligent.

Her face was slender, almost delicate, with a deeply sculpted Collarbone and a delicate body below.

‘A mature and sensual face, clearly different from Elodie’s. Eyes and lips that would captivate any man, regardless of her intentions.’

Every aspect of her beauty emphasized femininity and fragility, yet her eyes and lips alone were brimming with confidence.

A natural femme fatale. Countless men must have been left breathless by her every glance and gesture.

‘…But right now, it feels a little different.’

Confident and self-assured eyes were a thing of the past. Now, standing before me, Carla looked like a frightened little bird.

Was this also an act? A tactic to stimulate a man’s protective instincts?

‘It doesn’t matter.’

“Yes, hello.”

I replied to her greeting with a light smile.

If there’s one thing I’ve learned since meeting Selena, it’s this:

Don’t try to see through someone’s act.

Because I can’t.

“….”

“….?”

But Carla just stood there, blinking, after the greeting.

Staring at her like that felt awkward, so I spoke first.

“Frondier de Roach.”

“Ah! C-Carla. I’m sorry.”

Carla blushed and lowered her head.

She was so different from the image I had in mind.

After greeting me, Carla cautiously raised her head and spoke.

“I, I don’t believe we’ve met at a banquet before. Is this your first time at a party like this?”

“Yes. In fact, it’s my first banquet ever.”

At least on the Agoris continent, that is.

“Oh, really? For a nobleman like yourself, I thought you would have attended many from a young age…”

As she spoke, Carla quickly scanned my face, hair, and the formal attire I was wearing. She was gauging my status from my appearance.

However, Elodie and Lily had taken care of my hair and clothes, and my attire was specially made by the Roach family. There was no way it would appear anything less than dignified or high-class.

“I’ve been busy.”

At my answer, Carla gave an awkward laugh and tilted her head. I probably didn’t look that old, so she must be wondering what kind of work could keep someone my age so busy.

“If you don’t mind me asking, how old are you?”

“Twenty.”

“…What kind of work kept you from attending banquets?”

There were many reasons why I couldn’t attend banquets. Even in Terst, I wasn’t exactly the social type.

I had done all sorts of things to prevent the game over, things I couldn’t talk about here.

“It’s a secret.”

So, I answered vaguely, trying to gloss over it.

But for some reason, Carla’s eyes only sparkled brighter at my answer.

Honestly, I had no idea what was going on anymore.

I decided to change the subject.

“And currently, I work as a teacher.”

“A teacher? At your age?”

“Haha. As expected, you don’t know me, Headmistress.”

Carla’s eyes widened slightly as I addressed her by her title instead of her name.

“…Oh my, don’t tell me.”

“I work at Atlas.”

Carla lightly covered her mouth with her hand. Even with gloves, her hand looked delicate.

‘Carla looks so fragile on the outside. That fragility adds to her beauty, but her body seems like it has never known a day of combat.’

I heard Carla had been propositioning unmarried men.

Her beauty must have been her tool to entice them, so she probably wouldn’t bring anyone along.

But if that’s the case, it means she meets these men alone to make her deals.

What if the seduction doesn’t go as planned? What if the deal isn’t satisfactory, even if the seduction is successful?

Or what if the seduction works too well, and the man tries to force himself on her? Does Carla have any means to protect herself?

‘At least the Mana I sense from her right now isn’t threatening. Though, it’s possible she’s hiding it.’

If physical strength wasn’t an option, she would have to rely on magic, but I didn’t sense the same level of power from Carla as I did from Elodie or Lunia.

‘Is she really making deals with nothing to fall back on? Does she truly believe that these men will just do as she pleases?’

No, that’s impossible. She must have something.

Something other than strength or magic.

Honestly, I was more interested in that than in what kind of deals she was making.

“I apologize. I haven’t been to Atlas lately, as I’ve been rather busy.”

“I’m aware. I’ve heard that Ms. Carla has been focusing on her personal connections.”

“…Did you, perhaps, know I would be here? Did you come to see me?”

Her eyes were suspicious. I chuckled softly at that.

“Don’t flatter yourself. It was just a coincidence.”

“Really?”

“If that were the case, I would have approached Ms. Carla first.”

Truthfully, that had been my original intention. Though, I wasn’t sure when I would have gotten around to it.

But now that things had turned out this way, I couldn’t let the opportunity slip away.

“…I, I suppose so.”

Carla blushed again as I pointed out that she was the one who approached me.

Frankly, I was finding it a bit difficult to respond to her. I had initially imagined that after approaching Carla, the real challenge would be resisting her various means of seduction.

But from the start, she had been hesitant and fidgety, her gaze darting around. She wouldn’t leave, but she wouldn’t come any closer either.

Maybe this was her usual tactic? Did men just naturally flock to her when she took this stance, allowing her to play them like a fiddle? Was this some high-level technique I couldn’t comprehend?

‘But still.’

My thoughts from earlier remained unchanged.

Don’t try to understand what you can’t understand.

“Well then.”

I set down my glass and spoke.

“It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Carla.”

“Oh, pardon?”

“I hope to see you again.”

I rose from my seat.

I had confirmed that Carla was attending this banquet, and we had exchanged names and pleasantries.

That was enough of an achievement for one day.

My plan hadn’t changed.

I just wanted to build a rapport with her. As a teacher should, regardless of any requests or deals.

“Have a pleasant evening.”

I gave her a polite bow and left.

Fortunately, Frondier had a high tolerance for alcohol.

I was able to leave the venue without any trouble, feeling just the right amount of tipsy.

* * *

Carla returned home that day feeling a little dazed.

She stepped into her empty house, hung her coat on the rack, and paused.

“…Unbelievable.”

The host of tonight’s banquet was supposed to be a renowned nobleman who had achieved great success since establishing his company.

Of course, the stated intentions behind any banquet were merely an excuse. The real purposes remained the same: networking among nobles, displaying influence, forming alliances, and maintaining a balance of power.

But tonight, none of that mattered.

“This is bad. What should I do?”

She stood in front of the mirror, examining her flustered face. She leaned closer, pressing her thumb against her cheekbone and tugging at her lower lip. Her awkward expression didn’t fade.

“Frondier, his name was Frondier.”

She recalled the man she had met at the banquet.

When she first saw him, it was like a pitch-black shadow standing alone in a brightly lit space. His clothes, hair, eyes, and even his aura gave off that impression.

Carla had another man in mind to approach tonight. Or rather, a man she was supposed to let approach her.

But the moment she saw Frondier, she changed her mind. At first, it was because his refined appearance and attire suggested he was from a prestigious family.

The son of a noble family she hadn’t met before. Definitely someone worth checking out.

However, as she mustered the courage to approach Frondier, things didn’t go as planned. She felt something inexplicable when she looked at him.

A strange man she had never met before. A change of heart after just a three-second glance.

‘…Could this be?’

Carla had never experienced such a feeling before. Her usual seductive tactics were nothing more than calculated actions, never posing much of a challenge.

But with Frondier, she couldn’t do it. She couldn’t bring herself to use any of her usual tricks, gestures, or gazes. She simply let him walk away.

‘It was the same when we met and when he left. He didn’t linger. Meeting me couldn’t have been his goal.’

Moreover, Frondier didn’t reveal much about himself. Every man she had met so far had tried to keep her talking, but Frondier himself seemed to steer the conversation toward a natural conclusion, creating distance.

Why? Why did he avoid her? Why did he ignore her until she approached him, and why did he leave so quickly?

‘…No, Carla.’

Her curiosity about Frondier was growing. No, it wasn’t just growing, it was intensifying. Carla stared at her reflection in the mirror, into her own eyes.

She couldn’t bring herself to get closer to Frondier. She couldn’t bring herself to act seductively.

Because if she did, she knew…

‘It would become real.’

Carla’s eyes began to change. Her grey irises darkened, and vertical slits appeared within her pupils. The power she struggled to contain began to seep out.

Crack. Crackle.

The mirror in front of her began to harden, starting from the edges. As the grey faded from Carla’s eyes, it seemed to transfer to the mirror, its surface turning a dull grey.

Petrification.

Only after she had rendered her prized mirror completely useless was Carla able to return her eyes to their normal state.

While she had some control over her power, it tended to lash out whenever her impulses or emotions surged uncontrollably.

In those moments, she had to unleash it on something, anything. Ordinary furniture wouldn’t cut it; even when turned to stone, it could still serve its original purpose.

Only by rendering something utterly unusable could she quell the impulses. And it had to be something relatively large and significant to satisfy the surge. The most suitable and expendable target was usually a mirror.

At first, she had no control whatsoever. Even now, she was barely managing.

This dangerous power she couldn’t even control wasn’t a gift. It was a curse.

‘I’ll kill him, Carla. I’ll end up killing him.’

Carla bit her lip.

This was the first time she had ever desired someone. And it was also the first time she had realized that this desire could easily transform into a deadly impulse.

‘Athena… Athena…!!’

Carla was acutely aware of the price that came with her curse, and the shame of it made her fingers tremble.

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