The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 389

The Saintess from the Church Country was visibly shaken upon seeing me.

She was convinced I was Atlas, but upon noticing the three-pronged light floating above my forehead, she seemed to doubt whether it was just the Gold Dragon whimsically polymorphed into Atlas.

‘Should I act like I know her?’

It probably wouldn’t make much of a difference either way.

For now, I should focus on playing the role of the Lord’s agent and consider having a separate conversation later.

Regardless, she was surprised, and since she did come as a representative, the Saintess bowed her head and quietly fulfilled her duties.

From routine greetings to discussing why she was here.

“I wanted to ask for help from the Church Country, and this is quite fortunate. Let’s proceed with the welcome.”

Even as she was being welcomed and headed out of the Reception Room, the Saintess kept glancing back at me.

Once the delegation from the Church Country had all exited the reception room, Nix turned to me and asked.

[Do you know each other?]

“We’ve worked together several times.”

Upon hearing that, Nix showed a puzzled expression.

[If that’s the case, then why did it seem like it was your first time seeing her?]

“Well, I’m the Lord’s agent, so I thought I should act accordingly.”

[If that’s the case… I’m truly impressed.]

After saying that, Nix seemed to accept my explanation.

Though it felt like he misunderstood something, as long as he bought it, that was good enough.

[I’ve heard about the Saintess, but I’m not sure if it will resonate well with the Lord.]

“McKinto sent her as soon as he heard the situation. They did what they could, so let’s be grateful.”

Given the unusual circumstances surrounding the Dragon Lord, I’m not certain how effective help from the Saintess would be.

Sure, with her holy power, she could probably bring back the dying, but this isn’t exactly that kind of situation.

Still, she was sent as a relief pitcher by McKinto.

I firmly believe that the Saintess will be a help.

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Naturally, a personal room was assigned to the Saintess among the delegation.

If they all shared the same room as the Saintess, that would be quite a torture for them.

Following the guidance, I went to the Saintess’s room and casually pretended to know her, but her eyebrows shot up in surprise.

“Indeed…!!! You are Atlas, aren’t you!! Do you know how shocked I was?!!”

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

Upon seeking her out, the Saintess clutched me, demanding to know why I pretended not to know her, causing quite a ruckus.

Looking back, it probably would have been fine to acknowledge her, but with me in the role of an agent, I felt it was only right to maintain that facade.

“I clearly heard you looked for McKinto last night, but what’s with this on your head??”

“It’s quite a funny story; you’d probably laugh if you heard it. Something happened.”

I briefly recounted what had occurred that morning.

“So you just went and got chosen?”

“Yup.”

“Have you been keeping your race a secret from me all along?”

“Not at all.”

Seeing how the dragons were following me, the Saintess shot me a suspicious look.

“It’s fine, because even if Atlas is a dragon, that’s still possible for me.”

“No, it’s not like that.”

After claiming to be chosen as the Lord’s agent, the Saintess started to doubt my origins.

It sounded more plausible that I had deceived everyone from the start rather than being chosen as an agent in a human form.

What does she mean by it’s fine even if I’m a dragon?

“Anyway, if I can’t wake the Lord up, I can’t leave here either.”

“Huh?”

When I informed her about the penalties the Dragon Lord was under, the Saintess looked utterly incredulous.

“I cannot leave here… that’s troubling!”

“I’m troubled too.”

“That gives me another reason to wake the Lord up quickly.”

The Saintess looked quite motivated by this.

“So, Agent, could we meet the Dragon Lord?”

“Already? You must have had a tough trip, are you sure you’re up for it?”

“This much is a piece of cake for me. Plus, I brought something prepared based on the symptoms you told McKinto about, so don’t worry.”

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The Saintess was about to reexamine Dragon Lord Lux Aurum, drawing the attention of all dragons in the nest.

“Is it really possible to wake Father up?!”

“I can’t say for sure, but it should help.”

“That’ll be pointless. There was nothing wrong.”

Gemma was earnest, clutching at hope like a lifeline, while the attending physician, Jade, failed to hide his discomfort.

His stance as the primary physician made it clear he had conducted a thorough examination, and here was this unknown human trying to recheck him, which must have been quite bothersome for him.

If the Saintess found something Jade failed to unearth, his expression would likely suggest he wanted to disappear from embarrassment.

“I’m not doubting your examination, so relax your face a bit.”

“Ugh…”

Pointing out his discomfort, Jade forced a smile.

I was prepared to smack him if he kept being stubborn, but thankfully, he didn’t.

“Um…”

The Saintess placed her hands on the scales of the Dragon Lord and began her examination.

While physical examinations usually involve various checks in medicine, this world has an easily utilized force called mana, so the method of diagnosis is simpler.

Living beings in this world possess mana throughout their bodies, large or small, thus allowing one to quickly identify issues just by observing its movements.

It’s somewhat like how ultrasound tests can be performed barehandedly.

Given that she was examining a dragon far larger than herself, it took a bit longer, but the diagnosis was finally completed.

“Um… it’s done.”

“Is it over?!”

Gemma was jubilant at the completion of the examination, but the Saintess’s response didn’t differ much from Jade’s.

“I’ve confirmed that there are no anomalies in the Dragon Lord’s body.”

Jade seemed to subtly express joy as it turned out to be in line with his examination.

“However, that alone cannot explain why the Lord hasn’t woken up. Although I’m not certain, the Lord is likely in a state of hypnosis.”

“Hypnosis?”

The idea of the Dragon Lord being under hypnosis is quite absurd.

“My father is under hypnosis? He wouldn’t fall for such a simple magic!”

“While you might be thinking of common hypnotic magic, that’s not really the case.”

Hypnosis would ideally mean being engrossed in something specific, and in the case of a deep sleep like the Dragon Lord’s, it likely involves either the sleep itself or certain dreams.

“The image of hypnosis often distorts due to hypnosis magic that can control someone, but in reality, it’s rather simple. Recalling a traumatic memory can cause a racing heart even without actually experiencing it, and that’s also a form of hypnosis. It’s something that we frequently encounter in life, so it doesn’t get caught in mental barriers. Since the body doesn’t feel wrong, the diagnosis would yield only results indicating there’s no problem.”

“Then, does that mean it wouldn’t show on the surface whether he’s under hypnosis or not? How can you be so sure?”

“There are symptoms that only arise when someone is in a trance state. I’ve seen several patients who were deeply hypnotized before, so I remember.”

I understand that he’s under hypnosis, but what should be done next? Will he wake up if I snap my fingers beside him like on a TV show?

“Whether he was intentionally suggested into that state or fell into it on his own, I can’t say for certain, but if we can just wake him up, he should safely return.”

“If just shaking him won’t work, is there another method?”

“If external stimuli don’t work, then I would have to wake him directly inside his head. This would be easy for a human, but I’m not sure if it’s possible with a dragon. Like you mentioned earlier, dragons have mental barriers that prevent us from meddling.”

“Regardless of the reason, if he’s asleep of his own volition, then the mental barrier used to protect the Lord may be acting as a hindrance.”

This is quite a troublesome matter.

If I were to carelessly touch the mental barrier, the one attempting it might end up dead.

Let’s be satisfied with deducing the cause for now, and think about the next steps to take.

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Once the Saintess finished her diagnosis, we were all pondering what to do next when Smarg revealed some amusing news.

“Agent, I received a transmission from Sal.”

“From Sal?”

Smarg, like Nix, came in a human form, seemingly conscious of my continuous human appearance.

By the way, it wasn’t long since the house arrest was imposed; what could possibly have happened?

A bit bewildered, I moved to the Communication Room, where a large jewel glimmered, revealing the dazzling form of Sal the Gold Dragon.

However, something about her posture seemed off.

Sal had her head down on the ground, begging for my forgiveness.

[I… really messed up.]

The proud Gold Dragon, and current Dragon Lord’s sister, Sal Aurum, couldn’t withstand a day of house arrest and had already surrendered.

How weak is she?