The Academy’s Weapon Replicator - Chapter 416 Part 2 - The Academy’s Weapon Replicator

I managed to put out the fire for now. Probably.

As I arrived at the gymnasium, my sixth sense already picked up on several spells about to be activated.

Madam Achaea was at the center of it, and I was able to persuade her to smooth things over for the time being.

I don’t know if it sounded like persuasion to her though.

In any case, this was nothing more than a temporary measure. If left alone, Madam Achaea and her collaborators would give Carla some space and then tighten the noose again. By then, it would be even more difficult to stop Madam Achaea from finding out about my existence.

I had to resolve it before that.

“Alright. Time to find Carla again.”

I was imitating Carla’s mastermind.

This was partly to lure out the real mastermind, and partly to take advantage of the mastermind’s position if they didn’t make a move.

Carla was a useful person. Just like the original mastermind. Since he had already established a good system, I could pretend to be the mastermind as long as the real one didn’t show up.

And for that, the most important thing was to make contact with Carla. It wouldn’t make sense if Carla’s mastermind couldn’t even meet with Carla.

From her perspective, the person blackmailing her would simply change to me, but from my perspective, I would be able to take advantage of someone else’s mistake.

‘The priority is still the petrification, I guess.’

I didn’t know before, but the reason Carla was avoiding me must have had something to do with the petrification. I was glad to know that she wasn’t avoiding me because she found me so unpleasant.

‘I wonder how the original mastermind dealt with Carla’s petrification?’

Although I was curious about that too, I had to deal with it my own way.

And I had a hunch about it.

It was just a possibility, but I couldn’t ignore it.

‘She was in the gymnasium just now, but she’s gone again.’

I saw her talking to the nobles, but she disappeared while I was talking with Madam Achaea.

It was a short break time after the sparring session. It seemed like she was trying to avoid me whenever she had free time.

But well, that was her problem.

“I should make her feel at ease.”

Carla was avoiding me because she was afraid I would turn to stone. Probably.

So if she realized there was no need for that, she would stop avoiding me, right?

‘Carla is a monster. At least for now.’

I felt something different from Carla compared to humans. Unlike Lily and Arald, from whom I felt nothing, I felt something definite from Carla.

It must have been my senses detecting her as a monster.

My sixth sense sent a clear signal at Carla’s presence.

Of course, it would normally be a warning about the threat of a monster, but…

Right now, it just told me clearly where Carla was.

So I followed that feeling and walked briskly,

“……Huh? No way!”

I found Carla in a secluded spot behind the building, where no one would ever come, overgrown with bushes.

“You’ll get hurt if you stay in a place like this.”

I approached her and spoke. Naturally, Carla stepped back.

“H-How did you find me?”

“I put a tracking device on you.”

“……!”

“Just kidding.”

I said to Carla, who was hurriedly feeling her clothes. She blushed and turned her head.

“Wh-What’s going on?”

“You’re avoiding me, Headmistress.”

“I wasn’t avoiding you.”

“You just asked how I found you.”

That meant she was running away.

“…….”

“This is going nowhere.”

Gotcha!

I leaped lightly and reached Carla.

“Ah, no! I’ll be going then! I just remembered something important!”

Grab!

I caught Carla’s arm as she tried to run away.

“My business is important too.”

“Then go do your business! Why are you holding onto me!”

“This is important right now.”

“Wh-What are you talking about!”

Carla shook her arm vigorously with a redder face, but there was no way this frail body could break free from my grasp.

“Look at me, Headmistress.”

“N-No! No way!”

Of course, she wouldn’t look at me.

And right now, it was actually dangerous for me to be looked at by her.

At least, not until I confirmed what I needed to confirm.

“”I-I just remembered something urgent! Urgent and important!”

“My business is urgent and important too.”

Carla closed her mouth shut, as if she wouldn’t argue with me anymore.

I quietly watched her.

——Frondier, you’re weak to women, aren’t you?

Damn it.

Whoosh!

“Eek?!”

I pulled Carla closer with force.

Carla didn’t usually wear sunglasses.

If sunglasses were one way to prevent petrification, then Carla could control the petrification without needing to wear them normally.

But in front of me, she always wore sunglasses.

In other words, there were conditions under which her control failed.

Whether it was emotional agitation or physical shock.

I had to draw it out somehow.

Whatever it took.

“Headmistress.”

I spoke to her, the Headmistress.

Weak to women, huh? I’ll make sure no one ever says that again.

“Look at me.”

“……!”

Now she shook her head without answering.

But I definitely felt my sixth sense reacting to Carla’s power.

It definitely wasn’t ordinary magic. This strange power emanating from Carla’s body.

And,

‘……As I thought.’

I was certain.

I knew this power.

‘I wondered what a curse from God would be like.’

Carla was definitely cursed by God.

Then what exactly was a curse from God? Was it different from the curses of devils and humans?

This terrifying power to turn the target to stone, how could God bestow such a thing upon a human?

Carla’s current appearance, the strange feeling emanating from her, the brilliant and eerie light.

This light.

I had already seen it from Aster, Elodie, Senior Edwin, and even Pielott.

‘This is divine power.’

Carla possessed the exact same brilliant and glorious power as them.

And the moment I realized that, I knew what I had to do.

Squeeze.

I forcefully turned Carla’s face and snatched her sunglasses away.

Crack!

And without hesitation, I crushed them in my hand.

“W-What are you doing! Mmm!”

And I grabbed Carla’s face with both hands, forcing her to meet my eyes as she protested.

Carla closed her eyes tightly as if it were her last line of defense, but I lifted her eyelids with my thumb.

“No! You’ll be in danger!”

“That won’t happen.”

Until a while ago, I thought so too. I was worried that I might turn to stone for no reason.

But not anymore.

Now that I knew the true nature of Carla’s curse was actually divine power, the same principle should apply.

——If you use demonic power on someone who is activating divine power…

‘Come forth.’

I looked straight into Carla’s eyes and unleashed my demonic power.

There was a chance Carla might be in danger during this process. I had a prediction, but it wasn’t 100% certain.

But like I said, Carla was neither my comrade nor anything special to me.

Elodie wouldn’t call me weak to women after seeing this.

‘Come forth, Athena.’

Petrification, a power that Carla herself couldn’t control. That’s why it was called a curse.

Then could Athena control it?

No, even if she could, as a ‘God’, could she really turn a blind eye to this situation?

‘No, that’s impossible.’

At that moment, I saw the scenery around me changing. I smiled.

A single tree sprouted. Starting with that, magnificent trees sprouted and grew their branches in all directions, creating a forest.

Before I knew it, Carla’s figure had disappeared, and I was left alone, watching the spectacle of the forest filling my surroundings.

‘Pantelemon’ was opening.