The Academy’s Weapon Replicator - Chapter 410 - The Academy’s Weapon Replicator

Carla devoured knowledge about devils.

However, the information was rudimentary, things Carla should have already known.

It suggested two possibilities: either she was a stranger to this continent or she herself was a devil, unaware of what truly mattered to humans.

After a moment of contemplation on his wife’s deduction, Arald inquired, “Are you suggesting Carla hasn’t been here long, given her limited knowledge of devils?”

“Yes. And not just Carla. Atlas, the academy itself, has a short history in this land.”

Atlas wasn’t established long ago.

Under the leadership of Headmistress Carla, large-scale buildings were erected, attracting excellent facilities and instructors, quickly making it the country’s best educational institution.

“Before Atlas, there was no record of Carla anywhere.”

“Is that certain?”

“With her looks? Even if it wasn’t Atlas, she would have been famous. But no one knows who Carla was before she became the Headmistress.”

At that, Arald and Lily exchanged glances.

A stranger or a devil.

As individuals who fit both descriptions, Carla’s situation struck a chord with them.

The wife continued, “After establishing Atlas, Carla kept a low profile. She didn’t delve into devil lore or socialize with nobles. She was just an ordinary headmistress, except for her appearance, of course.”

“Then her current behavior must seem quite strange.”

“Indeed. Most assume she’s trying to build relationships with the surrounding nobles, or perhaps the benefits of her appearance have swayed her.”

“Whatever her purpose, Carla seems to be in a hurry.”

No one present knew Carla’s true intentions, but they sensed her impatience.

She had approached the son of a prominent noble. Even without concrete actions, it was enough to raise suspicion. The rumors of her collecting devil knowledge had already spread.

“Her haste is precisely why we’ve grown suspicious.”

Lily had a thought. If Carla truly was a devil, perhaps her situation was similar to Lily’s past.

Lily might be the only one who could truly understand Carla.

‘Creating Atlas… It makes sense. Just like I became Zodiac and Arald established Hitchcok. To truly live in human society, you need a powerful weaving. Humans seek what’s hidden, not what’s obvious. They don’t need to.’

Most devils in the Empire lived in hiding. It was the natural order. To humans, devils were the enemy. For a devil to live among them, hiding was the only option.

While distinguishing between humans and devils could be difficult, revealing oneself openly was unthinkable.

In other words, Lily and Arald had exploited the prejudice that devils would naturally hide, using it to their advantage by being open. Agoris was more familiar with devils than the Falind continent. Carla must have arrived at a similar conclusion as Lily.

‘If Carla is truly a devil, she would have planned to lie low at Atlas. For as long as possible. That aligns with her previous behavior.’

The wife had said Carla used to keep to herself.

‘So her current actions contradict her past behavior. There’s a conflict of purpose.’

Carla, who had been living without issue, suddenly attracted attention with her strange behavior.

It was likely not what she desired. That’s what Lily believed.

“…Something changed.”

“Hmm?”

“Carla’s situation changed. I don’t know the specifics, but something significant must have happened, something that forced her to change her plans.”

Lily explained calmly to Arald, who had asked for clarification.

Arald then turned to his wife. “So, you put on that act in the teacher’s office to deceive Carla?”

“Yes, not just Carla, but everyone at Atlas. I couldn’t risk them knowing our family suspects her. Someone like that, entering Atlas and showing such singular interest in her son… well, it wouldn’t fit the image of an overprotective mother.”

She had a point.

She continued, “Before you arrived at Atlas, the nobles were quite wary of Carla’s actions, both politically and… well, let’s just say in other ways.”

“So everyone was on edge.”

“The truly nervous ones were the nobles who discovered Carla was seeking knowledge about devils. That’s why, when I heard about the new teachers at Atlas, I wondered if something was afoot.”

The sudden appearance of Frondier and Elodie. The wife had initially suspected them to be Carla’s pawns.

But nothing happened, and things seemed to die down. Then, the transfer student had his altercation with her son.

“That’s why I went directly to the teacher’s office. I apologize, Pielott, I was suspicious.”

“Oh, no need… Nothing happened in the end.”

Pielott shook his head.

Meanwhile, Arald thought, ‘So, the Mana Frondier mentioned, the probe to uncover Pielott’s true nature… was that part of it?’

Arald asked, “Have your suspicions about us been cleared?”

He couldn’t mention the Mana his wife had used back in the teacher’s office. But judging by her words, she seemed to have dismissed her suspicions about Pielott.

“Yes, I didn’t doubt you much from the start. It seemed like my son was the one who caused the fight. I doubt you would orchestrate something like that.”

However, Lady Achaea’s expression turned serious.

“The new teacher at Atlas… he’s even more suspicious.”

“…!”

They tried to maintain their composure, but Lily, Arald, and Pielott were caught off guard. They were talking about Frondier.

“To be honest, I used a bit of magic along with my acting in the teacher’s office.”

“…!”

This time, they were genuinely surprised. They hadn’t expected her to be so forthcoming.

“What kind of magic?” Lily inquired.

“As you might have guessed, it was a spell to determine someone’s age. Devils, as you know, live far longer than humans. So, their appearance often doesn’t match their true age. It’s a simple way to identify a devil, though not foolproof.”

They hadn’t expected that at all.

Lily and Arald tried to remain calm, but they were thrown.

Magic to determine age didn’t exist on the Falind continent.

The concept of devils was relatively foreign there. Consequently, magic or techniques to counter them hadn’t been developed. Their focus had been on dealing with powerful monsters.

But Agoris, it seemed, was well-versed in handling devils.

“But that man… he sensed my magic.”

“The… the teacher?”

“Yes. Just before I could check Pielott, I felt a force, an intent directed at me. I’ve never felt such fear, such pressure.”

Lady Achaea shuddered, as if reliving the experience.

She narrowed her eyes. “That power… it wasn’t human. It was definitely a devil.”

“… .”

It was a completely false accusation, yet they couldn’t deny it.

She looked at Arald and Lily. “He must be working with Carla. Or perhaps he’s the true mastermind behind all of this. With that kind of power…”

“Be careful, you two.”

***

Frondier proposed a large-scale mock battle between the classes at Atlas.

He had the perfect excuse.

“Recently, two students had a spar, and one of them ended up unconscious, causing quite a stir with their family.”

Pielott and Aias’s duel.

Frondier decided to milk the situation for all it was worth.

“The rumors spread, and now families are worried, bombarding us with inquiries. I’m sure all the teachers here are aware.”

It was true. The teacher’s office had been receiving frequent calls from concerned parents. The homeroom teachers, like Frondier, were particularly aware of the situation.

“However, we can’t simply forbid students from sparring. As long as they follow the rules, of course.”

Indeed, Aias and Pielott had fought within the established guidelines. That’s why Aias had only been knocked unconscious without suffering major injuries.

“Hence, the mock battle?” Teacher Giotto inquired. Frondier nodded.

He addressed the other teachers. “If we can’t eliminate it, we might as well showcase it. Let them see how a real spar unfolds, the potential risks, and how students overcome them.”

There was only one reason why families were worried about their children.

They had never witnessed it.

They didn’t know how the sparring sessions were conducted, and their imaginations ran wild with “what if” scenarios.

It was time to curb those imaginations.

‘Well, that’s the surface reason. But the families have other motives as well.’

This was the primary reason.

However, this objective aligned with both Atlas and the families.

‘A golden opportunity for our child to showcase their skills before the watchful eyes of other families.’

The families would grasp this immediately. That’s precisely why Frondier knew this plan would work.

‘Even on a large scale, the sparring itself won’t be that entertaining. They won’t be using real swords, and there will be significant restrictions on magic.’

Since the surface-level goal was to reassure the parents, the spar would be conducted safely.

However, Frondier didn’t care about the entertainment value.

‘But this event will undoubtedly draw a large number of nobles. They won’t be able to stay away.’

Carla.

The Headmistress of Atlas, who hadn’t been seen even once. This was his way of forcing her out.

“Teacher Frondier, the plan is sound, but how do you intend to proceed? Having every student engage in a one-on-one spar would take an absurd amount of time.”

“Of course. That’s why we’ll be selecting class representatives. Each class can decide how they want to choose their representative. They can hold their own internal spar, conduct a vote, anything goes.”

Another teacher raised a question. “What about the gap between the grades? Will there be any penalties for the third years?”

Third years had significantly more training than first years. Naturally, they had an advantage.

Frondier responded, “There will be no penalties. The spar must be fair.”

“Then…”

“Of course, the third years will have an edge. But everyone is aware of that, so it shouldn’t be an issue.”

This event didn’t offer any grand rewards or honors.

The only real benefit was the opportunity to catch the eye of various noble families. Truly ambitious students would welcome the challenge of facing a third year.

And most importantly…

“In events like these, upsets are always the highlight, wouldn’t you agree?”

Frondier was aware of Pielott’s thirst. Currently, there was no one in his year who could match him.

There was no need to hold back.

If there was no underclassman who could challenge Pielott, so be it. But if there was…

‘Now that would be interesting.’

Frondier genuinely looked forward to the possibility of an audacious underclassman appearing to challenge his disciple.

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