The Academy’s Weapon Replicator

Machia (10)

Although Antero despised Carla, his steps were cautious.

‘……There’s no sign yet.’

He kept glancing at Carla’s eyes.

It was only natural. He didn’t want to provoke her and turn into stone.

Antero had faith that Carla wouldn’t petrify him. If that were to happen, the situation Carla would find herself in would be a terrible tragedy for her.

However, that was just a safety device, a threat at best. If she really snapped and turned Antero to stone, it would be the end for him.

Of course, Carla’s life would also be ruined, but what did a dead man like him care?

So, Antero couldn’t help but prepare for that one in a million chance, no matter how low the probability.

‘But it’s too good to miss.’

In Antero’s eyes, the sight of Carla and Frondier together was quite bizarre.

A man who had lost focus and was just standing still. The sight of Carla desperately trying to protect him.

‘I’ve been thinking that using Carla has reached its limit lately.’

Carla’s secret was too dangerous for her to adapt to human society. Antero was able to use Carla because he knew that.

However, Antero had made a mistake due to his overwhelming advantage. He had asked too much of Carla.

‘I gave her too little time to get the information. At this rate, Carla will lose her position as Headmaster of Atlas before the truth is even revealed.’

In fact, just a moment ago, Mrs. Achaea and the nobles who sided with her had almost exposed Carla’s secret. Frondier had stopped it midway.

To Antero, who didn’t know that, the man who had suddenly appeared before him was nothing more than a delicious prey.

‘I came here to give her a grace period so I could keep using her.’

Antero decided to change his original plan.

If he took this man hostage, if it really worked on Carla, he wouldn’t need to negotiate with her.

Another bargaining chip would allow him to exploit Carla to the bone.

Thump.

Antero took another step forward, and Carla’s expression hardened.

But there was still no petrification.

‘As expected, it was a bluff.’

Antero grinned. Even if he couldn’t block the petrification, he could at least tell beforehand. Because Carla’s eyes would change.

So at least until Carla’s eyes changed, he was safe.

‘Right, there’s no way you would use petrification on me, Carla. Not you, who wants to become human so badly.’

Antero had already drawn his sword. Two more steps and he would reach past Carla to Frondier. No, if he used his aura now, it would be enough to reach.

However, this distance,

“Oh.”

While it might be safe against Carla,

“What are you doing?”

It was not safe against Frondier.

To Antero, there were still two steps left, but from Frondier’s point of view, he had already crossed the line by a long shot.

“!”

Antero’s steps stopped. He looked at Frondier.

His eyes had regained focus. His gaze was indifferent as he looked at him. Nothing about him suggested he was out of his mind.

Ha, Antero smirked at the sight.

“I thought you were just a retard, but I guess not. Do you have sleepwalking or something?”

“Retard.”

Frondier laughed as well. It wasn’t the same mocking laughter as Antero’s. It was just a dark chuckle.

It was only natural. Because it was truly funny.

It had been a while since he had seen someone who would call him such a name, so fearlessly.

“Fr, Frondier! You’re awake!”

Carla exclaimed, relieved. She turned to Frondier and said,

“Let’s get out of here for now. I’ll take care of this.”

At her words, Frondier glanced at Carla for a moment, then turned his gaze back to Antero.

“Who is that?”

“Huh…….”

Carla was speechless in surprise. Antero’s expression hardened.

“Fr, Frondier. You don’t know who Antero is?”

“Is that a name I should know?”

Frondier tilted his head and looked at Antero.

He had studied this continent and country to some extent in the library. But he had never seen a face like that anywhere. Well, it was hard to find a book that had pictures of people in it in the first place.

At that, Carla exclaimed in a fluster.

“Antero is a Paladin! Frondier! Haven’t you ever heard of them?”

Paladin?

It was a name so familiar that it was almost boring in his previous world. But it was so familiar that he couldn’t figure out what the Paladin here referred to.

“The 12 knights gathered under the rule of the Palma Kingdom, the Paladins. You really don’t know them?”

Aha. Only then did Frondier understand.

It seemed to refer to the very classic term, Paladin.

‘So, it’s a similar concept to the Zodiac of the Falind continent.’

The Terst Empire of the Falind continent, their 12 ultimate weapons against the monsters, the Zodiac.

There were 12 such people here as well.

‘They sure love the number 12. It’s only natural, I suppose.’

This world was a collection of all kinds of myths and legends. The number 12 was an inseparable part of it.

‘As with the Terst Empire, Palma is both the name of the king and the name of the country.’

Each had 12 powerful individuals by their side, one fighting against monsters, the other against devils.

And on this Agoris continent, there was only one country: Palma. As far as Frondier knew.

That brought up a curious point: Palma never used the title of ‘Empire.’ King Palma was not called ‘Emperor’ either.

What was the difference between the two?