Academy’s Weapon Replicator

Odyssey (46)

Aster and his companions advanced westward with Sergio.

It was less of an advance and more akin to a full-speed gallop on horseback.

Most of the monsters were too busy fleeing, and those that happened to be in their path were easily dealt with by Sergio’s troops.

Moreover, Sergio left part of his forces at regular intervals along the route they passed, alleviating concerns that monsters might launch another attack.

Above all, Pielot was here.

“Huh.”

Sergio observed Pielot, who was moving forward a bit ahead, maintaining some distance.

“Is a guy like that considered ordinary in this era?”

“……No. Absolutely not.”

Pielot advanced, using his specialty, the sword dance, to cut down all the enemies around him. Now, he could even rain down black blades while mounted.

To avoid harming others, Pielot naturally kept his distance, resulting in a trail of monster corpses rolling like pebbles in his wake.

“To have such a guy as a disciple, how strong must Phrondeer be?”

“……Well, he’s the only god now.”

Dier said.

While speaking, I felt a bit worried.

I had just heard the news that Frondir had become a god, and I couldn’t tell if it was good news or bad news.

There was only one thing I could guess.

Wouldn’t Frondir be lonely?

If he had transcended humanity to become a god, remaining as just one person.

Of course, Dier kept this thought to himself, quietly holding it in.

Meanwhile, Aster and his companions moved forward at a swift pace.

Along the way, they met many people. They heard from Zodiac Monty that they too had participated in the Odyssey, and from Philly, they learned the details regarding Sergio.

And when they met Selena,

“Is it the sea?”

Aster asked Selena, who was riding alongside him on Cassian.

“Yes. You said there was something to confirm.”

As Selena replied, Aster fell into thought for a moment.

“Right. Then let’s hurry as well.”

“Yes.”

Aster’s course would not change. After all, at the end of this road was Frondir.

The Odyssey was the process of expanding the empire’s territory. At the end of their path to the west lay the sea.

To the sea.

It seemed that just with that thought, the Odyssey’s group quickly expanded the empire’s territory.

How much time had passed?

Before seeing it, Aster felt the scent of the sea tickling his nose.

“Look, I can see the bay.”

Selena pointed to a place where the nostalgic battlefield from their past war appeared.

However, since Aster had arrived there in an instant due to Ospreet’s spatial magic at that time, seeing the bay from the outside felt very unfamiliar.

As they passed the bay and climbed the highest hill,

“……!”

Everyone naturally came to a halt. A few horses clopped around, making noise as they turned a few times.

“The sea…”

It was Sybel who murmured.

Before their eyes stretched a long horizon.

Finally, having passed through the western part of the Empire, they reached the sea. A path connecting the Empire to the ocean had opened.

“……?”

However, the state of the coast was, to put it mildly, not good.

The sand was a mess, the ground was deeply gouged, allowing seawater to pool, and in some places, trees had been uprooted and lay toppled.

Needless to say, it was a trace of battle.

“Frondior, what have you done?”

Aster looked around with worried eyes. This was near the bay. Naturally, he thought Frondior would be nearby.

He had expected to be greeted upon arrival.

“……Huh?”

Sibel, making a barrier with his hand to closely observe the shoreline, suddenly widened his eyes and ran out.

“Sibel?”

Aster was a bit flustered, but knowing where Sibel was heading, he dismounted as well.

Sibel was the fastest, but everyone soon noticed and got off their horses. They followed Sibel, walking slowly behind him.

Tatata…….

Sibel ran with a lightness in his movements. At the end of those footsteps was Frondior.

“Frondior?”

However, Frondior did not welcome Sibel.

He lay sprawled out on the ground.

“……He’s sleeping.”

Sibel crouched down to examine Frondior’s face.

His expression was relaxed, as if all worries had vanished. His chest rose and fell leisurely.

Even when Sibel poked Frondior’s cheek, there was no sign of waking.

Sibel looked around.

For some reason, only the area around Frondior was tidied up. Nearby, there was a rake that looked like it was made from intertwined branches, and it was still covered in sand, as if it had just been used.

In the meantime, others had arrived, and they naturally gathered around the sleeping Frondior.

“Wow, with this much presence, wouldn’t he usually wake up?”

Aster said, sounding incredulous.

“Well, he went through a lot this time, so let him sleep,” Elodie replied, though her expression seemed to agree with Aster’s words.

At that, Sibel pointed to the rake.

“Look over there. It seems that Frondior was tidying up the sand.”

“Yeah?”

At that, people’s gazes turned towards the rake.

Frondior had arrived here first and was using the rake to erase the traces of battle.

Everyone naturally recalled that image.

That Frondior, holding a makeshift rake made of twigs, tidying up the sand.

“……Hehe.”

Elodie laughed.

She approached Frondior and spoke.

Though he wouldn’t hear her, it was as if she was saying it was okay.

“Leave the next part to us.”

* * *

The color blue fills the view.

The glaring sunlight, the scorching heat of the beach.

The distant blue sometimes approached like a hill, soaking the sand and scattering it.

Frondior stared blankly with half-closed eyes.

“……The sea…….”

Yes. They had come to the sea.

After defeating Poseidon, he was tidying up the sand to welcome those who would come soon.

All the techniques he could use were destructive, so he had nothing suitable for this task.

He had tried using the black sky, but no matter what he did, the black sky left traces in the sand, amplifying the ominousness.

So Frondior had no choice but to use a very primitive method. He made a rake from twigs and personally tidied up the sand.

Then he got tired and fell asleep.

“Hmm?”

Soon, Frondior realized he was lying on a sunbed.

He had clearly fallen asleep on the empty beach.

“When did this happen……?”

“Oh, Lord Frondior.”

At that moment, a voice was heard.

He lifted his head and there was.

“……Oh.”

Selena was walking slowly.

In her swimsuit.

It was a black swimsuit that fit her body perfectly. The line that smoothly traced from her neckline down to her armpit. Her skin, glistening in the sunlight, was wet as if she had been playing in the sea.

Even Frondior was momentarily speechless, gazing at Selena.

“You’re finally awake. Everyone was worried.”

“Why would anyone worry about someone sleeping?”

“They were saying it might be laziness coming back.”

Hmm. Frondior was at a loss for words. It was a concern that could certainly exist in that regard.

He lifted himself from the sunbed.

As his line of sight rose a bit, he could see the surroundings more clearly.

Everyone except him was already enjoying the beach to the fullest. He could see people playing in the distance.

The group of women like Elodie was splashing in the water, while the group of men like Astor and Pielot seemed to be engaged in some heated swimming competition.

“…….”

It was so dazzling that it was hard to look.

Frondior stood up and dusted off his backside.

“Hmm?”

He realized that there was a parasol nearby.

“Where did all these things come from? And why are they so neat? When I arrived, this place was a complete mess.”

It hadn’t been long since the monsters were cleared, yet it had already turned into a proper beach.

Selena answered.

“Elodie and the other mages tidied up the area in no time. Of course, I don’t know what kind of magic it was.”

“……Right. That aside, what about this parasol?”

“That was made using Lord Ospreet’s ‘Gate’.”

Thud. Frondior covered his face with his hand.

“……Is it okay to use the Chancellor’s spatial magic for that purpose?”

“From what I saw, Lord Ospreet was the most proactive about it.”

In that case, he had nothing to say.

Selena spoke.

“Then let’s go. Everyone was really worried. You’ve been sleeping for quite a while. Lord Aten confirmed that there are no issues with your body thanks to mana care.”

“Ah, right. You have to show your face.”

Frondior followed Selina’s steps.

With each step closer, the sounds of people’s footsteps, voices, and laughter became clearer.

It was peaceful. That feeling permeated the landscape.

“So! Frondior is our daughter’s boyfriend!”

“There’s no need to rush. You can ask later.”

……The peace was shattered.

“Huh?”

Frondior turned his head at a sound he could not ignore.

There was Sergio.

Though a spirit, he seemed determined to enjoy the beach, having stripped down to his upper body.

Moreover, the person he was facing was,

“Ah, Father!”

Frondior was so surprised that he raised his voice and approached.

Sergio was talking to Amper.

Under the parasol.

Sitting on their respective sunbeds.

It was such a surreal sight that he rubbed his eyes a few times.

“You’re awake.”

Amper treated Frondior casually, as if it were nothing special. That consistent calmness was indeed Amper.

“Oh, Frondior! You came at just the right time!”

Sergio exclaimed with joy.

His voice drew the attention of those around.

“Frondior?”

“You’re awake?”

“Wow, Frondior~!”

People slowly approached, each reacting in their own way.

Frondior asked Sergio.

“By the way, what were you talking about? I think I heard something about being someone’s boyfriend.”

“Well, that’s obviously about our Selina. She’s right next to you.”

“Excuse me?”

Selena was also taken aback, her eyes widening. She pointed at herself with her finger.

“Phondior has been running around trying to save me, so what do you think the reason is? Isn’t it because of our Selena?”

“…That’s true.”

It was something that couldn’t be argued against.

“Look! What man would go to such lengths for a woman he doesn’t even have feelings for! Hahaha, Phondior’s heart is already decided.”

A shiver ran through Phondior at Sergio’s words.

Suddenly, he felt a murderous intent pouring in from all directions.

Elodie, Aten, and Cybel, who had been approaching Phondior with joy, suddenly stopped in their tracks.

“Of course, Selena’s feelings are important, but I believe Phondior is more than enough. What do you think, Selena?”

“…No, um, I…”

Selena hesitated, her face turning red, unsure of how to respond.

At that moment, it was Amper who intervened.

“Nonsense.”

He said firmly.

“Phondior is not Selena’s boyfriend. They are merely in a contractual relationship. Isn’t that right, Phondior?”

“…That’s correct.”

Phondior replied. There was no lie in that.

Sergio’s brows furrowed.

“What? So you’re saying he would do such a thing for anyone? What kind of saint are you?”

“…”

Saint or not, the current Phondior was a god.

Anyway, if the misunderstanding could be cleared up, that was enough.

Amper crossed his arms and nodded.

“If Phondior’s partner is like that… then Aten is not a match.”

And he made the situation even more complicated.

“Excuse me?!”

Phondior asked back in surprise, but Amper spoke as if there was nothing to be shocked about.

“After meeting during the last war, and now on this Odyssey journey, I’ve had many conversations with Lord Aten.”

“That’s right.”

Aten neatly clasped his hands and nodded.

It was utterly shameless.

Is that really Aten, pure as snow, who cleanses all the pouring evil?

“I learned so much from Lord Amper. It made me realize my own lack of insight and feel ashamed.”

“Hmm. Even at a young age, Aten has a remarkable ability to see the whole picture. A grace and character that befits it. It made me reconsider my prejudices towards the imperial palace.”

Phondir was listening to Amper’s words, at a loss for words.

Come to think of it, it was Aten who brought Amper during the war. Was this the first time he had seen Aten again since then?

Phondir was not the only one surprised.

Elodie and Sybel felt the same way.

Their thoughts were almost identical.

‘While I hesitate on how to treat Phondir.’

Did Aten capture Amper’s heart first, which might be an even more difficult wall than Phondir’s?

Indeed, the bloodline of the imperial palace is fearsome.

“Ah, no, Father. What matters is Aten’s own heart,”

Phondir realized his mistake after saying that much.

Oh no, Aten at times like this.

“My heart.”

Aten responded as if he had been caught.

“What you mean is, depending on which way my heart leans, the outcome will be determined, right?”

Aten spoke very intelligently, as if the usual dazed feeling had vanished.

“If so, my answer is,”

“Wait a minute!”

Sybel shouted at that moment. Unconsciously, he reached out and grabbed Phondir’s shoulder.

“Um, um, um, I don’t think this is something to talk about here? Phondir seems really confused right now!”

“Ah, really?”

“Seems really confused!!”

“Uh, yeah. Quite confused.”

“Right? Elodie!”

Elodie spread her hands as if she had been waiting for that remark.

The Giant’s Fan

Elodie held magic in her hands and threw it towards Frondior, heading for the beach.

“oooh…!”

Frondior soared through the air in an instant, flying towards the shore, bathed in sunlight from a great height.

Saibel shouted.

“Frondior! It’s the promised day after a long time!”

The promised day.

‘Right.’

We agreed to come to the sea.

With so many people, once again.

This moment is a part of that dream.

“Then let’s play! Joyfully! We have to make an unforgettable day!”

Splash─!

Frondior heard Saibel’s voice and plunged into the sea.

Underwater, Frondior momentarily felt dazed.

“……Ha.”

Frondior rose from the water. He could see many people rushing towards him.

“Pfft, cough, hahahahahaha!!”

Frondior laughed.

It had been so long since he laughed out loud like that.

Everyone was wide-eyed in surprise at Frondior’s appearance.

“Right, let’s play! You all know you can’t go back on two feet!”

“Hahaha! What’s that!”

“Frondior has gone mad!”

People teasing Frondior and those laughing along with him.

Frondior splashed water at them all. Of course, it wasn’t just with his hands; he secretly used weaving.

“Hey, you little brat!”

Aster, who got hit directly by the water, was the first to move.

After that, it was a mess that couldn’t be fully explained.

……A mess that couldn’t be fully explained,

* * *

“Here.”

After a day of play, the sunset arrived.

Someone approached Phondior, who was sitting on the sandy beach, lost in thought.

“Hot chocolate.”

A light touch against Phondior’s cheek. Phondior received the can.

“Ah, thank you.”

Phondior looked up and spoke. Elodie was smiling gently.

“What about the others?”

“Selena went to her father, and Aten was called by Her Majesty the Empress. The others who were preparing dinner have also dispersed.”

“Dinner preparations? I didn’t hear anything about that.”

“They’re telling you to rest.”

Is that so?

Phondior nodded and opened the can to drink the hot chocolate.

Now, a little, they were getting used to the consideration shown by others.

“Do you like it too?”

“…Huh?”

Phondior asked back at Elodie’s peculiar question.

Elodie sat next to Phondior and said.

“I mean hot chocolate.”

There was a hint of nostalgia in her voice.

“…Phondior liked it.”

“Ah.”

This does not refer to the current Phondior.

It was the Phondior of the past. She was thinking of the child from her childhood memories.

“In the end, the only thing I know about Phondior is that. That you like hot chocolate.”

The jealousy and hostility that had built up in Phondior’s heart.

Elodie, who had not noticed any of it.

Though she claimed to have overcome it, it still lingered in her heart.

“Phon, can I ask you something?”

“……What is it?”

“……What was the real Frondior like?”

Frondior had just met the real Frondior.

Of course, he remembered that appearance.

Hoorup, Frondior said while drinking from a can.

“He was a good kid.”

“……Really?”

“Yeah. He even forgot that he was jealous of you.”

“……I see.”

Elodie nodded without asking more. Then she looked at the sunset.

──She probably knows it’s a lie to some extent.

But if the remaining part brings comfort to Elodie, Frondior can keep this lie until he dies.

“And I like it too.”

“Yeah?”

“Hot chocolate.”

Frondior said while drinking from the can. Elodie quietly watched and then chuckled softly.

“Well, not many people dislike it.”

After saying that, Elodie brought her knees together. After a moment of seeming to ponder, Elodie finally spoke.

“……You know, Fron.”

“Yeah.”

“The elemental combination, I mean.”

Elodie explained the current situation to Frondior.

That as the speed of one planet in her analogy changed, the period of alignment changed as well.

As a result, the next cycle had become faster.

“……So, it’s closer than I thought.”

“How much time is left?”

“About, roughly 3 years.”

Three years.

Compared to the time when she didn’t know when she could return, it was definitely close.

“I see.”

Frondir’s reaction was calm.

Elodie stared at him for a moment, blinking a few times.

Eventually, Elodie asked.

“Hey, Frond.”

“Yeah.”

“……Do you want to go back?”

Elodie had heard it from Ospreet.

Did Frondir really want to go back, she had asked.

But isn’t that obvious?

For Frondir, this place was completely foreign. A place he had flown to after parting with everyone from the world he originally belonged to.

Thus, this question was to determine Elodie’s heart.

To let Frondir go.

To solidify the resolve she had from the very beginning.

“Do you want to go back?”

Frondir tilted his head slightly at the question and replied,

“Of course.”

“…….”

“There are my friends and family there. They must have been very surprised since I suddenly disappeared. They’ll be sad. I’ve thought every time that it would be nice if I could leave even a word behind.”

Frondir’s words were natural. Almost exactly the answer Elodie had expected.

At those obvious words, Elodie fell silent.

“Frond.”

“Yeah.”

“……Go,”

Elodie started to say but lowered her head instead.

──Don’t go.

That word rose to the tip of her throat and she forced it out as a breath.

‘Don’t go. Don’t go, Frond.’

As much as it couldn’t be said, that thought lingered in Elodie’s heart.

As if it would spill out if she relaxed even a little, precariously.

“…….”

Elodie suddenly lowered her head.

Phondir, who had been quietly watching her, soon spoke again.

“So, Elodie.”

“……Yeah.”

“Create something like a gate for me.”

“…….”

Elodie kept her head bowed for a moment, then,

“……?”

She felt as if she had heard something strange and lifted her head.

“Uh, what did you say?”

“A gate. A passage that connects here and there. A portal would be problematic. There would be no way to come back after going.”

Elodie stared blankly at Phondir at those words, and then,

Drip—

Tears fell.

It was as if she was so bewildered that she cried out of sheer disbelief; her heart was in turmoil.

“……Didn’t you say you wanted to go back?”

“Yeah. I want to go back. It’s my hometown.”

Phondir looked at the sunset.

The sunset was the same here as it was there.

It stained his eyes red.

“But here, there are memories I can’t abandon, and my home, my family, friends, and people like you.”

Phondir continued to think.

Killing the gods, saving the world.

It had been three years since he came here.

How could he forget these three years?

How could he leave, leaving these three years behind?

“……It’s impossible.”

“Phond…….”

“I can’t leave all of that behind.”

So Phondir insisted stubbornly.

Please create a two-way passage that allows me to return to this world.

To the only person he could ever plead with.

“And besides, I’ve accumulated a lot of debt.”

“……You.”

Elodie let out a hollow laugh.

Yes, it made her laugh.

“Do you think it’s as simple as just saying it? Do you think creating a gate that connects two worlds is easy?”

“It would be difficult. But you’re Elodie de Inies Risha.”

“Just because I’m Inies doesn’t mean anything can be done.”

“There’s the great sorcerer Osprit, and I’ll help too.”

Frondir spoke as if it were someone else’s business.

Elodie felt a surge of emotion, biting her lip before speaking.

“……Even if it could be done, what if it’s not completed within three years?”

Three years until the planets align.

Once those three years pass, crossing over becomes a very distant future.

“Think about the three years we’ve been through.”

The countless events that unfolded after Frondir came to this world.

Dealing with the monsters outside, subduing the Man-God, meeting demons and drawing them in, waging war against the gods—all those periods.

Compared to those three years, creating a gate should be nothing.

Yet, it is not a matter that can be assured.

“But still, if it’s not completed…”

So Frondir said,

“There’s nothing that can be done.”

He said it as if it were no big deal.

“…….”

At those words, Elodie fell silent. She bit her lower lip and closed her eyes tightly.

When Elodie opened her eyes again,

she embraced Frondir tightly.

“……Elodie?”

“Sure.”

Elodie trembled faintly in Frondir’s embrace.

“I will definitely make it.”

“……Okay.”

“I’ll create a gate so you can come back anytime.”

“Okay.”

“Come back to me. Come back to me, Fron.”

“Okay.”

Frondir placed a hand on Elodie’s head.

“I will surely return. Just like always.”

Frondir said.

With a bright smile.