The Academy’s Weapon Replicator

"Hello, I'm Frondier de Roach."

Frondier greeted him first, as if he were a friendly neighbor. Seeing that,

Marchosias glanced at Elysia next to him.

"....Who is that?"

"Ah, she's my servant. She wouldn't listen, so I tied her up for a bit."

Elysia wanted to shout, 'Who's your servant!', but she couldn't do that, no matter what. In this situation, if she wasn't Frondier's servant, she might die right away.

"So, what brings you here? A servant of Satan."

Frondier asked with an innocent face. Marco, seeing that, narrowed his eyes slightly.

‘He's going to play dumb?’

There's no way Frondier doesn't understand the situation. He's not that naive. The reason Frondier is in this place is definitely to lure the devils. Marco, of course, knew that. He doesn't underestimate Frondier.

However, even knowing Frondier's intentions, Marco has no choice but to move according to his wishes for now.

The western devils are approaching, and Frondier is currently wandering in a more dangerous place than anywhere else.

‘It can't be helped. Time is short, so let's get to the point.’

Marco made up his mind and spoke.

"You know your acquaintance, Lunia Fricell, right?"

"Of course."

"We are currently protecting that child. You understand what that means, right? If you don't want that woman to die, you must comply with our demands."

It was a truly cliche line, but there's nothing better to quickly make someone understand the situation.

Hearing those words, Frondier laughed.

"Sure, do as you please."

Marco's eyes twitched at that.

"....Are you saying you don't care if Lunia dies?"

"No, I said I'll comply with your demands, right? So do as you please."

Frondier spread his arms lightly.

"So, what do I need to do? What are your demands?"

"...."

Marco was speechless.

Of course, Marco also thought that Frondier would eventually comply with their demands. But that's just the outcome.

From what Marco heard, Frondier is the type who uses his head well. He thought he would use all sorts of bluffs and provocations to try and get what he wanted as much as possible. Ꞧ

But to accept it so readily like this.

While Marco was speechless, behind Frondier's innocent smile, a cold glint hid in his eyes.

‘Almost all of Solomon's 72 devils are highly intelligent. Especially their skills in deceiving humans are amazing.’

Marco must have also toyed with many humans. Humans who stained their souls with greed, ignorance, and recklessness would have become his sacrifices.

So Marco himself knows very well. That his head works well.

‘Such guys hate it when things go too smoothly.’

Marco is accustomed to the sight of humans trying to overcome crises by using their heads somehow. He's a devil who makes a living by exploiting that.

"....You're giving up quite easily. I was hoping you might have set a trap."

"There's nothing like that. Lunia is precious to me."

"Enough to throw away your life? If there had been such information, we wouldn't have needed to worry."

Marco probes Frondier's inner thoughts.

Frondier still smiles and says.

"You're right."

An extremely brief and deflating answer.

‘Just as humans don't trust devils, devils don't trust humans.’

He doesn't believe the words that he'll comply with the demands.

He doesn't believe the words that there's no trap.

He looks at each of Frondier's eyes and fingertips, trying to find even the slightest gap.

However, from Frondier's perspective, all the observations Marco is doing seem like a degraded version of Philly.

‘Even though Philly is full of suspicion, she never reveals that she's suspicious. She knows how to clearly distinguish between stumbling blocks and benefits.’

If Philly were in front of Frondier right now, she would have already stated her demands while examining Frondier's intentions.

Suspecting Frondier is one thing, but there's no need to waste time to achieve her goals.

At least she should be at that level. To move the Empire.

Frondier is someone who has dealt with such a Philly.

‘Now, Marco. Do you have that kind of time?’

While Marco tries to see through Frondier's intentions, the clock doesn't stop ticking.

Tick-tock, time flows relentlessly.

Marco finally speaks.

"....Alright. Then first, disarm yourself completely. You won't be able to leave our hideout until this is over..."

Buzz─

At that moment, Frondier's Sage Phone rings.

"Ah, sorry, just a moment."n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Frondier leisurely checks the phone screen.

[Black clouds spotted west of Manggot.]

It was the report he had been waiting for, but the wording bothered him.

Reports are supposed to be concise and accurate. There's no need for any rhetoric or figurative expressions.

So the meaning of this report is clear.

Frondier raises his head and focuses his eyes on the distant west of Manggot.

"....Indeed."

Frondier takes in something that starts to faintly appear and is convinced.

The black clouds are not a metaphor.

To Frondier's eyes, they clearly look like black clouds.

Frondier says to Marco.

"I got a call."

"....What is it?"

"They spotted black clouds in the western sea. It's probably the western devils."

Marco smiles inwardly at those words.

Fortunately, they managed to contact Frondier before those guys. Once Frondier is gone, the devils hiding in the Empire or the members of Constel won't be able to move easily.

The Empire will soon become a battlefield. That alone will achieve Satan's first goal.

But Frondier adds one more thing.

"But it seems like they're flying this way."

"....What do you mean?"

"I killed a lot of those devils at once before. I guess I earned some resentment."

Marco frowns at those words.

He killed the western devils? Even if that's true, they won't attack Frondier.

Their thirst for revenge is much greater than that. They've endured all that time to capture the devils hiding in the Empire, so there's no way their attention would be focused on just one Frondier.

‘It's a lie. A ridiculous bluff.’

Marco is certain. There's no way the western devils would come here. They're not that stupid.

But even so, Frondier says.

"So I have to fight back."

"Stop bluffing. There's no way the western devils would come here."

At those words, Frondier takes a light breath.

And,

"Menosorpo."

The moment he utters those words,

"....!"

A giant rune activates, completely covering their surroundings.

‘This is...!’

Marco immediately takes a stance. He knows about this rune. They say that whenever Frondier creates weapons in the air, they always sense the energy of a rune.

As if to prove it, weapons are being created around Frondier.

"....Do you not care what happens to Lunia?"

Marco believes Frondier has changed

his mind. He intends to oppose Marco. In the end, his own life is important.

"What are you talking about?"

However, Frondier aims the summoned weapons not at Marco, but at a different, distant direction.

"Those guys are coming here, I told you."

"You're still spouting such nonsense...!"

Even as he says that,

Marco soon realizes.

A cloud of tremendous size. Bundles of auras swirling within it.

It slowly turns its direction towards them.

"Whatever you guys are demanding of me,"

Meanwhile, Frondier speaks.

"I can't fulfill your demands while dead, can I?"

Marco, while doubting it, has a headache from the situation that makes no sense logically.

So really, just because Frondier killed some western devils, their entire war force is flying towards him?

"....Those idiots!!"

Marco unleashes his aura and faces the approaching swarm of clouds.