The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 164

Shaara Prigia hated the Hunting Festival.

When it was in full swing, she was all smiles, thinking about how she would crush Woodville and reap the rewards, but reality was far from that.

Because of the horrific incident that occurred during the Hunting Festival, the booth sales comparison became a pointless endeavor, and to make matters worse, Atlas was so busy handling the aftermath of the festival that it became hard to even catch sight of him at the Academy.

And now, she was even hospitalized…

That’s right.

Since that time, Shaara had not once had a private meeting with Atlas.

Before the Hunting Festival, they would at least have a one-on-one meeting once or twice a week, so it felt incredibly harsh to her.

She didn’t necessarily hate him, but… she wished he would meet her just once.

She wanted to be ordered around forcefully.

She wanted to be desired.

She wished he would tell her she was needed.

She didn’t question why he was so busy now.

She already knew he was not an ordinary student from the very beginning.

There was no way someone so extraordinary could just be a mere student.

She also knew he was hiding his identity.

Though she never investigated it actively, piecing together the truths about him from the available information felt like assembling a puzzle, making it one of her favorite games when she was by herself.

Shaara had come up with about five possible identities for Atlas, one of which was around 90% accurate, though no one knew that.

She also knew there were only a handful of people at the Academy who were aware of that truth.

It was very sad that none of them were her.

Though she didn’t show it on the outside, it seemed she wanted to maintain a special relationship with him.

Even entertaining the thought felt blasphemous, but the new feelings that arose from meeting him wouldn’t easily fade away.

-You seem lonely… Can I help you?

At that moment, someone whispered sweetly from deep in the darkness.

——————————————-

“I see you’ve been making this.”

“How did you find out about this place?”

“I was exploring the Academy and stumbled upon it.”

It was none other than Saintess Carmel who had arrived.

She usually wore her white formal attire, but now she was dressed casually in compliance with the Academy’s dress code.

Wearing a pink blouse and a mini skirt that accentuated her slim waist and exposed her legs, she looked stunningly captivating.

While I could tolerate it, others seemingly could not.

“Wow…”

“Beautiful… No way, I’m complimenting a human? It’s unbelievable!”

Not just senior Rio and Lucia but even the dwarf craftsmen couldn’t take their eyes off the Saintess’s appearance.

Just by walking around, she had an enchanting allure that one couldn’t help but think was miraculous.

She must’ve stirred up trouble just by being in the Academy.

Leaving behind people with their jaws dropped while staring at her, Carmel looked at the place where I would be staying, which was currently under construction, with great interest.

“Shouldn’t students be going to the dormitory?”

“It’s wrecked thanks to some people, so I’m just planning to build a new one.”

“Hehe, sounds a bit blunt.”

When I said it outright, she simply laughed.

I could have kept chatting, but it felt more comfortable to be alone with Carmel.

Others might get confused by the charm she exuded, even if she didn’t acknowledge them. It made it hard to interact with others when I was around her.

Lucia was watching Carmel closely since it was her first time seeing her, and Amy had developed a fondness for her from their previous interactions.

The only ones who might harbor some suspicion about her here were me and River.

“Can we chat for a bit?”

Then the Saintess quickly suggested a one-on-one talk with me.

“Is it something difficult to discuss here?”

River, suspicious of that, tried to intervene, but everyone knew that if it was work-related, it would be beneficial for them to hear it.

“No, I’ll be back shortly. Don’t worry and wait here.”

When I said I would go quite decisively, he couldn’t stop me anymore.

As soon as we moved to a secluded spot, I blurted out the first thought that sprang to mind.

“You’re not causing any trouble, right?”

“Me, cause trouble?”

Carmel smiled alluringly.

“Isn’t it dangerous to be wandering around dressed like that without restraint?”

“Oh dear, are you worried about me right now?”

“I’m not worried about you; I’m worried about this Academy!!”

Whenever she stood on the podium in the Church Country, she always wore outfits that revealed as little skin as possible.

That’s the only way to suppress the power of Carmel, loved by all beings.

“I only chose to move in places where people aren’t, so don’t worry… Here, take this.”

Carmel pulled out an envelope from her attire and handed it to me.

Just as it had come from her, the envelope had her scent heavily embedded in it.

“The invitation has arrived.”

It was a small envelope sealed with the emblem of the Church Country.

I could tell at a glance what it was without further elaboration.

It was the invitation for the previously anticipated meeting of the Masters… a summit invitation.

“When does it start?”

“In two weeks.”

“Ugh, right when exams are happening—there’s no consideration at all. This could take a week to get to the Church Country for some people without teleportation; is that okay?”

“This invitation includes a scroll for teleportation, so it’s alright.”

Was it really? I felt somewhat embarrassed.

Since I had never attended a summit before, I was unaware.

The shadows lurking while hiding their identities were unable to pinpoint their locations in the Church Country.

“So what’s the main topic? You didn’t just call me to hand over the invitation, did you?”

“The truth is…”

She pulled out another invitation from her attire.

I could guess who it belonged to.

“… Hulan’s?”

“Yes.”

Currently, there was another Master at the Academy.

Hulan, the Dragon Beastman and Master, was the strong Master I had relied on previously.

The Church Country loved Hulan, who was not greedy and traveled the world like a knight, helping people.

However, he was a wandering Master, significantly directionally challenged, and often didn’t even know where he was heading.

Last time he had even ended up in Hell.

Now that they could finally ascertain his location, it seemed they wanted to invite him.

“Why not just invite him directly?”

“I did, but he didn’t accept.”

Incredible that he had turned down Carmel, whose charm sprouted even by her sheer presence.

Even now, I was struggling to maintain my composure while out in the open.

“You said he turned down your proposal?”

“And Atlas also turns down offers often, acting like it’s something special~.”

“Come to think of it, he was a Dragon Beastman.”

Only a very few can resist the talents bestowed upon the Saintess by the gods.

Masters could withstand it to some degree, but Dragons were the most famous race that found it completely ineffective.

So, McKinto could casually converse with her without any burden.

Aside from the Pope and McKinto, even Bishops would break a sweat in the presence of the Saintess’s abilities.

The Dragon Beastmen had barely encountered the Saintess, so it seemed they might have some resistance.

Or maybe they just grinned and endured it like I did.

Seeing that her proposal had been dismissed, which seemed sad to Carmel, she pouted saying,

“I thought it would make a difference if a Master directly invited him.”

“Isn’t it similar? Wouldn’t he just not want to participate out of sheer annoyance?”

“Maybe he doesn’t want to go to strange places filled only with unfamiliar people without a friend to accompany him?”

Carmel gave a wry smile.

It was a very specific and realistic concern, but still, I doubted it was as simple as that.

—————————

“The Church Country will soon host a ‘summit.’ We were hoping that Hulan, who has been a source of good influence for a long time, would grace us with his presence. Would that be acceptable?”

Hulan looked disinterestedly at the Saintess from the Church Country.

At first glance, it seemed like she was inviting him to participate in a summit gathering, but Hulan couldn’t help but tilt his head in confusion.

“What’s a summit…?”

He had never heard of the term “summit” throughout his life.

After becoming a Master, he had distanced himself from the Beastman Alliance and had only traveled to areas within reach, performing matters of the heart, so he was completely oblivious to worldly affairs.

The only things that changed rapidly were bustling cities filled with people, and he always wandered around the quiet, rural villages.

“I know what Church Country is… It’s supposedly the main base for the Church people. But a summit? If it’s a meeting for the heads, does that mean kings gather? Why would they invite me?”

No matter how he thought about it, he felt he had no place there and decided to politely decline the invitation.

“I don’t think it’s a place I belong. I’ll pretend I didn’t hear it.”

“That’s not true. Hulan, you are indeed the most fitting person for the summit.”

‘Why me?’

He couldn’t comprehend why the Church Country kept insisting he attend.

Why on Earth would they want to invite a mere vagabond like him to a summit?

He couldn’t help but think they were out to humiliate him or something.

“If it’s a summit, doesn’t the current grand chief of the Beastman Alliance attend? I still don’t have a good relationship with that guy…”

Hulan recalled the tiger beastman who had taken the grand chief position in his place.

It’s been a while since he had left the alliance, but he still wasn’t sure if he was alive. If he was still living, he must still hold that position.

Since they had fought so emotionally during their last parting, even after so long, he hesitated to encounter him again.

He didn’t know what kind of gathering this was, had no acquaintances, and had no intention of doing anything there, so why should he even consider going?

The Saintess then offered several proposals that could sway Hulan’s mind afterward.

She talked about the benefits of attending, but it didn’t catch his interest.

He had gotten so used to his wandering life that he didn’t crave material gains anymore.

“I wouldn’t want to go to some place where I don’t know a single soul and have no idea what’s going on.”

He wasn’t shy, but he certainly didn’t want to force himself into an uncomfortable situation.