The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 284

Parker’s busiest village looked completely different, even though it was clearly the same place as it is now.

In Parker during its heydays, there were at least ten times more people than there are now, and it was bustling with energy.

“Hey, Amy, can’t you play today? What about Belma?”

A bunch of kids gathered at the roadside on the northern side of the village.

These kids, who were friendly with each other, often played with Amy during the day, the daughter of the Lord.

Originally, they had all followed Belma, so it was natural for them to become close.

“Sorry, I have something to do today, so I can’t.”

“Is it studying or something?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Let’s play tomorrow.”

“But we were supposed to play in the valley today!”

One kid whined.

While it was understandable that Amy, being the daughter of the Lord, might not be able to play, it was hard not to feel disappointed.

However, it was annoying that if Amy wasn’t coming, Belma wouldn’t come to join them either.

After Belma started working, their chances to meet her, who used to be the center of their group, dwindled rapidly, leaving them quite dissatisfied.

“We can play tomorrow too.”

Then another one spoke up.

Yeah, they could see each other again tomorrow.

They weren’t going anywhere; they’d still be here.

Waving goodbye to the kids departing with Belma, Amy sighed.

“… Fine. Let’s meet tomorrow.”

The kids grumbled as they left the village.

Amy silently watched their retreating figures before departing.

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After the kids left, Belma asked Amy, “What do you mean you have something to do… You were preparing to play in the valley today, right?”

“Yeah.”

That’s right. Amy had been looking forward to playing in the valley and had finished all her studying ahead of time, eager for today to arrive.

But that anticipation was for the past Amy.

Not for the current Amy.

‘James, Chloe, Billy… they all look just like I remember.’

She recalled the faces of the kids she had parted with.

Nearly a decade had passed, and memories that had faded like photographs were revived.

In the past, she had just been a naive child, but not anymore.

She would do everything in her power to prevent the impending incident.

‘To do that, I need to prepare all day today.’

There was so much to do.

She needed to gather supplies and scout locations.

‘First, let me organize what I know.’

Amy crouched down and began scratching out the facts she knew into the dirt.

‘Tonight, demon worshippers will raid this place.’

The attack would unfold at night, and the soldiers of such a small territory wouldn’t stand a chance against them.

There would be significant damage, and they’d end up looted and ravaged.

‘… There are probably some demon worshippers hiding in the village right now.’

This was… a certainty.

There was no doubt.

Even now, one or two kids were going missing.

And the ritual site inside the waterfall couldn’t have been built overnight.

This meant that the Demon Church was targeting Parker deliberately.

What should she do to stop them?

Let’s think back to history.

After all the soldiers were defeated, they abducted only the kids and took them to the ritual site.

Amy had been among those kids.

They were laid upon the altar, one by one, a knife stabbing into their hearts until it was Amy’s turn.

And that was when ‘that person’ appeared.

‘Are they… nearby now?’

If… that person was still in the vicinity, simply calling them to Parker could solve every incident.

She set aside that thought for now, as she had no idea who they were, having only caught a glimpse during a foggy ritual.

One thing she remembered clearly was that they were an extraordinary swordsman.

They wielded an Aura Blade that radiated light, comparable to a Master’s.

Who could they have been, the wandering Master Hulan? Or was it… the Shadow?

Not a Master, perhaps just a top-tier powerhouse.

If that person appeared, everything would be resolved.

People had perished, but they had torn apart every demon and demon worshipper that existed in Parker, turning them to dust.

How could she find them and ask for help without even knowing who they were?

‘Let’s find a more realistic solution.’

Amy had no clear grasp of how formidable the Demon Church’s forces were.

At that time, she had lost consciousness, and by the time she regained her wits, that person had already dismantled all the demons and their worshippers.

Yeah… it would be best to rule out the option of asking for help from other factions.

In such a tight timeframe, there were hardly any who could lend a hand.

‘… Even if I requested help from the Church through the Church Country, it wouldn’t be feasible today. Asking the Blue Cat Tribe would take too long for a round trip… the neighboring territories would be the same…’

If it had been two to three days ago, she might have tried.

A child’s claims might not be believed, and even if news got through, sending a teleport there would be a problem.

If it’s out in the boonies to the point where all forces could be taken down, gathering powerful reinforcements first is an issue.

It’s not like she time-traveled back.

It was likely just an illusion conjured from peering into her heart.

‘Only I… have to solve this.’

She couldn’t waste time persuading others.

After all, if she had to resolve things inside Parker, there was no one who could help against the Demon Church’s forces.

Bringing everyone in the territory along to flee was also problematic.

There was surely a traitor amongst them, and Amy didn’t know who it was.

If they fled in vain and that person colluded to capture them again, it would be disastrous.

They had to be wiped out completely.

In that moment of resolve, Belma’s face appeared before Amy.

“Hmm… You looked sick in the morning… Are you unwell somewhere?”

“It’s nothing…!”

Belma squatted down and pressed her forehead against Amy’s.

Startled, Amy almost toppled backward but fortunately, Belma caught her.

Only then did Belma come into focus for Amy.

“Belma, can you help me?”

“Me?”

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Could she really do it? Resolute, Amy began to prepare for battle.

Having gone through various incidents, Amy had grown up.

She was no longer a helpless child but a warrior who could fight alone.

She was especially confident against demons.

Even without a companion by her side offering advice during such moments, she felt no fear.

She hadn’t learned aimlessly from him.

All the knowledge he had imparted was preserved well within her.

“No, young lady, what are you doing here? Weren’t you supposed to be out playing in the valley today?”

When she entered the general store, Uncle Ben, the owner, asked Amy upon seeing her.

Everyone had been talking for three days about going to play in the valley, so he found it odd that she wasn’t going.

“I opted out because I had my own tasks.”

“Oh, I see. But what do you need?”

After hearing Amy’s words, the store owner seemed puzzled and asked again.

“What are you using these for? Goodness, you’re such a troublemaker. Keep the shenanigans moderate.”

“Thanks!”

Despite saying all that, the store owner ultimately gathered up all the supplies.

If all the materials she asked Belma to prepare were gathered… the preparation was done, and it was time to set them up.

“Young lady, I’ve brought everything you mentioned.”

Belma, struggling with a large leather pouch, appeared from around the back of the mansion.

“Wow…! Thank you, Belma!!”

Amy opened the pouch and checked to see if all the items she wanted were inside.

The first thing she checked was the sword.

The sword inside the pouch was longer than a dagger but shorter than a longsword—a shortsword, the length typically carried for self-defense by common knights, and it fit just right for Amy’s smaller stature.

“It’s got some wear… but this will do.”

Though Amy had thought about bringing it herself, she figured if a child suddenly sought a sword, it would certainly cause an uproar in the mansion, so she had Belma bring it under the pretext of doing some other chores.

The other supplies were things Amy couldn’t have gathered without her family’s assistance.

Looking at the young Amy lightly swinging the shortsword, Belma wore a very worried expression.

“Young lady, what on earth do you plan to use these for? You look so serious preparing all this… are you planning something dangerous?”

Amy stopped swinging the sword at Belma’s question.

Planning something dangerous… was an accurate assessment.

Because now she had to fight with all her life against dozens of demon worshippers.

“If I say I’m going to die tonight, what would you do?”

“Young lady! Don’t say weird things!!”

Belma exclaimed in shock, unable to believe Amy would suddenly suggest dying.

“Just joking, just joking. But tell me this… Belma, let’s say you had a dream where I said I’d die tonight… what would you do?”

“Well… I’d protect you as best as I could. Keep everything mentioned in that dream at a distance…”

Right, that’s exactly what she’d do.

Even if it sounded absurd, it felt ominous.

“Stop with the strange talk. What will you be using this for? If you don’t answer, I’ll tell the Lord!”

“I’m thinking things over.”

“What?”

-Whack!

Little Amy’s body moved like lightning to land a blow to Belma’s abdomen.

The sudden strike bent Belma’s body and knocked her out.

Though she was in a young child’s body, within her was a spirit that had stepped into the realm of the superhuman.

Despite her small size, efficient movement made such feats possible.

“Surely… it was… here?”

After confirming Belma was unconscious, Amy pressed her fingertips once on her shoulder and chest.

This was the ‘Daily Fainting Acupoint’ she had learned from Atlas before.

This way, Belma would sleep soundly until morning without waking up, even if nudged next to her.

Looking down at the peacefully sleeping Belma, Amy vowed to herself.

“… Even if this is all pointless self-satisfaction, I’ll do my best.”