The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 195

The student council president, Anthony, who was achieving an unrivaled record in dueling, collapsed.

Despite coming heavily armed with various dangerous artifacts, he got utterly wrecked without even managing a proper counterattack.

In a way, one could consider the student council president a victim as well.

Carlos, who instigated this contest, was merely using this situation to put pressure on Lucia and probably hadn’t even thought about the idea of being Russell’s son-in-law.

He got all worked up over a nonexistent prize and ended up like this.

Of course, the final blow that shattered his ribs was fueled by the irritation from his previous words.

Not wanting to end it like this, I picked Anthony up, who was gasping for air with his broken ribs, and scanned the spectator seats.

Indeed, many had come to watch the duel between the student council president and me, but I sensed glares filled with malice from various corners.

Most likely, they were the group that lost to the student council president yesterday.

There were also those who seemed to analyze me as if they still hadn’t given up hope.

“I have a message for those clueless fools who still think they have a chance.”

“If you continue to pull this ridiculous stunt, come at me as many times as you want. I’ll take on every single one of you without exception!”

I tightly gripped the abdomen of the student council president hanging limply in my hand.

“Uu.. Uwaaaah!!!!”

As I touched the broken bones, the student council president writhed in pain and screamed.

Though I don’t usually prefer torturing a downed opponent, I could do it if necessary.

This is a warning.

A warning not to take me lightly.

“From now on, anyone who tries to mess with me will get smashed to pieces even worse than this. It’d be wise to brace yourself for being crippled.”

Naturally, no response came back.

——————–

After finishing the duel and stepping out of the arena, Lucia was waiting for me.

“Well… the most urgent part has ended, so now…”

“Atlas…!!

Just as I was about to tell her what to do next, my line of sight drifted skyward.

Lucia grabbed not my arm but my torso, lifting me up and spinning me around to check if there were any broken parts like a doll.

“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere??”

“I’m fine, so stop it!!”

I shouted in surprise, causing Lucia to finally set me back down on the ground.

Being treated like a doll made me annoyed, but more than that, my heart raced in shock.

Realizing I was being tossed around without any control… that was quite scary, I learned that much.

I’ve never experienced anything like this in my life, and it sent chills down my spine.

“…I’m sorry for getting you caught up in this strange mess…”

“At times like this, you should say thank you. We’re friends, after all.”

“Yeah…”

Seeing me looking up from so close made her cheeks flush red.

She seemed to feel extremely sorry for dragging me into this, but there was no need for her to feel that way.

After all, those guys were annoying too.

“You must have been itching for a fight too. The student council president isn’t weak, but if you fought him, you would have won.”

The student council president isn’t weak, but he also didn’t think of reaching his limits—an enormous flaw.

Among those who train to reach their limits, many don’t play by the rules they know.

That automatic defense artifact was a perfect example of that.

Had I been just an ordinary expert, I wouldn’t have been able to break through it all.

My initial attack wasn’t weak, yet it got blocked; that artifact was definitely high-tier.

I was curious about where he got such a thing.

If someone was strong enough to break through that artifact, they’d usually be a well-known name, and given their character, probably have prepared even more.

It seems they knew I was above average, yet couldn’t gauge how far I truly was.

If that’s the case, Lucia would certainly be strong enough to take him down.

Having diligently trained in Vision Swordsmanship, her offensive capability is supposed to be top-notch.

“But… it was meaningless for me to do it.”

“True enough.”

Lucia drooped her shoulders.

I had said it to cheer her up, but it only worsened her gloom.

Time to lift her spirits again.

“I’ll never relinquish this position to anyone else, so unless your father pulls some tricks, you should be fine for a while.”

“…Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. Once the issue is resolved, there’s no need for forced engagements. Even if your father pushes me to be your fiancé until the end, I have solid ways to refuse, so don’t worry.”

For now, I’ll ensure that no one else can claim first place, preventing Lucia from getting entangled in other troubles.

This way, we’ll be safe for up to three years.

Though Carlos might try to make me Lucia’s fiancé in a fit of pride, emotions cloud rational thinking.

Carlos probably thinks of himself as rational, but he’s tremendously emotional.

There’s a high chance he’ll perform all sorts of ineffective actions to cover up any blemish on his authority.

In response to that, I need to prepare the next steps for Lucia…

“Uh…?”

Suddenly, Lucia looked at me with a strange expression.

“What?”

Lucia’s pupils were trembling as if the sky was collapsing around her.

What on earth was going on?

The words that came out from behind her were utterly shocking.

“You mean… you’re not going to engage with me…?”

What is she talking about?

.


.


.

“What do you mean engagement? You’re in a position where you might be forced into a marriage with someone you don’t even know, and I just came to help you. But now that I came first, how would that lead to an engagement?”

If I were to just agree to an engagement with Lucia, the whole picture would turn bizarre.

I was preparing to one-up Carlos, who tried to wield Lucia like a puppet, and if Lucia happily agreed to an engagement, it would merely play into the scenario Carlos envisioned!

That’s something I absolutely didn’t want; yet, Lucia’s demeanor seemed a bit lukewarm.

“But… I didn’t want to be forced into one with someone I don’t even know…”

“So…?”

Lucia started twisting her body while spinning her finger.

“If it’s you… I wouldn’t mind… I would even like it…”

As she began to spill her innermost feelings, Lucia’s face turned even redder.

“You… don’t want it?”

I felt breathless.

It seems she didn’t mind being engaged, just as long as it wasn’t with a stranger.

If I said yes, we’d be engaged, but saying no might hurt her.

I really needed to explain why we shouldn’t flow into an engagement now.

I hoped this would make sense to her.

“This isn’t that kind of issue, Lucia. Even if I were to engage you, it wouldn’t be over something as silly as this.”

“Not over something like this?”

“Exactly.”

“Then… is it okay with something else?”

“…..Can we not talk about this right now?”

I wanted to wrap up the discussion about Carlos first, but Lucia wouldn’t relent and held onto my hand.

“…I want to hear your answer… Is it okay with something else…? I… want you….!!”

“Yeah. Only if it’s not this kind of situation.”

“…!!!”

She was visibly delighted.

Seeing her emotions escalate was evident, and I cut in with a positive affirmation, but had I let it go on, she might have confessed.

If that had happened, the atmosphere would have gotten weird going forward.

Yeah, she did just say she wanted to get engaged, which was a declaration!

But for now, I had to set that aside and discuss something more important.

I needed to talk about the only way for Lucia to step out from Carlos’ shadow.

“Now for the main topic. Lucia, you don’t have any gripes against your father, right?”

“…”

It wasn’t just fear; there had to be a sense of rebellion in her, too.

“That’s right. Right now, I’ve protected you, but it’s just a delay tactic. I can’t keep this up forever. It’s not like I can kill your father.”

“….Are you serious?”

“Would I ask if I were?”

Lucia seemed to think I might take it that far.

I was almost curious about what image of me she held onto.

As much as I’d like to, taking a life is tricky.

Not for moral reasons, but for Lucia’s sake.

“If we want to solve this from the root… the only way is for you to surpass your father.”

“Me…?”

Lucia blinked, unable to fathom the thought.

“That’s right; you need to take down Carlos.”

I could take him down too, but no matter how many hits I land, that wouldn’t resolve anything.

After all, even if I beat him up, Carlos’ shadow would still loom large in Lucia’s heart.

I couldn’t just go and end Carlos’ life either.

While Lucia hates her father, she wouldn’t wish for him to die.

That’s what family is.

No matter how much you dislike them, it’s hard to wish for their demise.

So the only way to tackle this issue is for Lucia to rise above her father on her own.

Just like I did.

——————–

“I have to… overcome my father?”

What Atlas proposed was a thought I never even imagined.

I thought once I claimed the top spot, it would be over, but suddenly being told to take down my father left my mind blank.

“That’s… impossible… there’s no way that could happen…”

It couldn’t possibly be achievable.

Lucia had sparred with Carlos several times in the mansion.

Though she hasn’t become a master due to hitting the wall, he remains an insurmountable obstacle for Lucia, one she can’t pass.

Just imagining being overlooked from above, with his intimidating swordsmanship, made her hands tremble.

At that moment, Atlas held her hand.

The warmth of his touch eased the cold fear.

“Yeah… it’s scary, right? You probably don’t think you can fight back, huh?”

“…yeah…”

“I understand completely, but therefore, you have to overcome it. You can’t keep living in the shadow of your parents forever.”

Atlas spoke calmly, as if it were his own story.

“Lucia, you are strong, you know that, right?”

“… Yeah, I’m strong.”

“I see the sparkling light within you. You’ll grow stronger than your father, I assure you.

I’ll do my best to help you for that, but… first, you need to have the will to do it.”

Atlas asked Lucia.

“Lucia, can you do it?”

The intensity in Atlas’ gaze as he looked at Lucia was stronger than ever.

Upon seeing that, the hesitation inside Lucia dissipated.

“… I will.”

That was a calm answer that surprised even herself.

Though the fear of Carlos remained, she now had a sense of confidence as well.

Atlas believed she could do it, and that was enough for her.

——————–

The next day, the flag of the Rock Contingent flew high at the academy.

“Wha… outside!! The flag!!”

This time, they didn’t arrive secretly via teleportation.

They weren’t a regular ship either, confidently marching in through the main road to the academy.

It wasn’t a massive group, but there were enough people to exert a decent amount of pressure.

At the forefront stood a tall, handsome man, tightly shutting his mouth as he gazed at the academy from atop his horse.

I couldn’t quite guess what brought him here.

Was he upset that I claimed the top spot?

Or was he here to confront Lucia about reflecting on her actions?

Whatever it was, I welcomed Carlos’ arrival at the academy.

I had been itching to smack that pompous face looking down from his lofty perch.