The Academy’s Weapon Replicator

"What do you mean, kill you?" Frondier asked.

The prototype trembled its head and shoulders as it spoke.

"I've lost and regained consciousness countless times. I don't know when I'll lose my mind again. So before that, kill me. Before I harm anyone."

"Have you killed anyone?"

"...I don't know. I don't remember. But I probably, definitely..."

As the man spoke, his voice gradually trembled, and tears streamed down his face.

"My dream was to protect people. But why, why, during the times I lost consciousness, I don't know what I did. I don't know who to apologize to, but I know I have to someday, I have to bow my head to the families of the people I killed and atone for the rest of my life, I held onto that, but damn it, now! Sob, sob..."

The man's body gradually tilted, and he placed both fists on the ground. He just kept repeating words like "I'm sorry," and "I apologize," without knowing who they were directed at.

Seeing this, Frondier knelt on one knee to meet the man's eye level.

"Then you must live. You have to live and tell the world what happened to you. If you truly killed people, you must atone for it. It's not over yet."

"Bu, but I'm already, I've already been experimented on so much that it's irreversible. Now I don't even know when I'll lose consciousness..."

"No."

Frondier's Mana surged. He analyzed and examined the man's body. As the man himself had said, his insides were a mess due to the numerous experiments.

However, if the mixed Mana was removed, the immediate side effects would disappear. Frondier was neither a doctor nor a healer, but if he could just stop the deterioration, the rest would somehow work out.

And above all,

"You endured, didn't you?"

"......!"

Angus was convinced that this man had lost consciousness. Anyone would probably think the same.

Many people who received the Mana injections much later than this man had all lost their minds and tried to attack Dier and Ellen.

But this man endured. Even after all those experiments, he held onto himself with the single-minded determination to atone.

"So it's possible."

"You, you can heal me?"

"Somewhat."

Frondier extended Obsidian to touch the man's body. He couldn't simply extract the Mana like he did with the others. It required delicate manipulation because it was so weaving.

And more importantly, the man's own will was crucial.

"It might be more painful than the experiments you've endured so far."

Of course, Frondier didn't actually know which was more painful. But the people earlier had screamed when their Mana was extracted.

There must have been considerable pain. For this man who had already undergone so many experiments, the pain would likely be even more severe.

"...I don't care. If I can return to normal."

"I thought you'd say that."

Frondier smiled and moved Obsidian with needle-like precision.

* * *

Once all the injected Mana was extracted, the man, relieved of tension, lost consciousness. His face, breathing softly, seemed to have fallen into a peaceful sleep for the first time in a long while.

His body and blood vessels, swollen from the experiments, remained the same, but that was beyond Frondier's domain.

"Whew."

Frondier let out a long sigh after finishing the manipulation. He had never used Obsidian for such delicate work before. Moreover, the burden of knowing that someone's life was at stake weighed heavily on him.

'My fingertips are trembling.'

Frondier looked at his hands. They weren't shaking violently, but a subtle tremor wouldn't stop. Come to think of it, he had gone through a lot today. Both his body and mind were worn out.

"Well then."

But there was still work to be done, so Frondier turned his head and looked in a certain direction.

"That guy is left."

Frondier walked steadily towards Angus.

"Hey, mister."

Frondier spoke to Angus, but Angus just stared at him blankly. Instead of answering, he asked a question.

"...Did you just, extract the Mana?"

"......"

"You extracted the Mana and removed the side effects, didn't you?"

Angus looked at Frondier in disbelief. Frondier remained silent, but a spark gradually returned to Angus's eyes.

"Pe, perfect! You're the perfect talent to help with my experiment! If we completely remove the Mana that people originally have and then inject them with the Mana injection, we can create the ultimate human weapon without any side effects!"

Angus raised his trembling hands. Despite the considerable pain from the fragments of the antidote, shattered by Dier, embedded deep within his body, he forced himself up and reached out to Frondier.

"He, help me. With your ability, even a perfect human weapon is not a dream. If that happens, we can finally take a step closer to reclaiming territory, the dream of all humanity...!"

Grab

Angus's hands finally grasped Frondier's shoulders. He looked at Frondier with pleading eyes.

Dier and Ellen, who were watching, were speechless and simply observed Angus's pathetic state.

Frondier looked into Angus's pleading eyes for a moment and then smiled.

"...You're right."

As if he had something in mind, Frondier nodded.

"Injecting Mana into humans to make them stronger, pushing back the monsters outside, and reclaiming human territory. It truly is a grand dream. If that really happens, everyone will hail you as a hero."

"Th, that's right! No! At that time, not only me but you too will become heroes. Your ability is the most necessary power for that plan! You can become a hero! With that ability, we won't need to lose any more people, and..."

"That's the problem."

Swish!

"Kugh!"

Obsidian flew in and bound Angus's arms and legs to the floor. He was flattened against the ground like a frog about to be dissected.

"While creating a harmless Mana injection for humans and giving birth to the dream human weapon," Frondier's cold eyes looked down at Angus, "how many people did you kill?"