The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 418

“Finally made a decision, huh?”

“Now that the biggest worry has disappeared, I guess we can do it properly.”

The Commander looked satisfied as he glanced at the document I hastily signed.

As soon as I picked up the document for the Principal, I headed straight to the capital for a meeting with the Commander.

“Since tomorrow is the end of the semester, is it okay to be here?”

“It’s probably going to get noisy if I stay at the Academy, so I should stay in the capital today.”

After receiving the document back from the Principal, I left the Academy.

Staying at the Academy would just mean running into those people I said I’d break ties with in the morning.

I put on a brave face, but I had also made a significant resolution.

I didn’t want to waver unnecessarily.

I had been consistently handling my resignation process, so I decided to stop by the capital.

“Hmm. Then drop by this evening. I have a few more things I need to review.”

“Still more?”

“Of course.”

When I mentioned I would spend the night in the capital, the Commander invited me to the mansion.

It’s not a bad offer, but I’m reluctant.

After defeating ‘Satan’, I had some intimate discussions with the Commander over the past few months, so I had visited often, but every time was a struggle. It was a crucial day tomorrow, and I was worried about going.

‘…If it’s about work, then it should be fine, right?’

Still, the Commander wouldn’t act without restraint.

The sun still had a while before it set, but I was curious about what needed to be discussed at the mansion without rushing into it. However, I decided to trust it.

I had received a lot of help in various ways, so I could do this much.

“Everything you requested has been taken care of. Now I have a whole bunch of bothersome tasks that I’ve put off. Are you confident? I’ll ask out of formality since I can’t back down now.”

“I’ll manage. You’ll help me, right, Commander?”

“If you change how you address me, I might consider it.”

Recently, he’s been disliking being called Commander.

Since he’s still part of the Knights, it would make sense to call him that, but when I ask what else I should call him, he just teases me to think of it myself, making it difficult.

“Well, what do you think? It turned out as I said, right?”

“Hmm… that’s strange… Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider, my apprentice?”

In the midst of our conversation, my mentor chimed in.

Upon hearing I had made my decision, my mentor looked extremely displeased, casting me a gaze akin to that of a betrayer.

The sight seemed to amuse the Commander, who kept nodding.

“How pathetic. You’re seriously asking me to change my statement now?”

“No matter how I think about it, it feels weird. Apprentice, if this guy threatened you in any way, I can deal with it, so speak honestly.”

“No amount of persuasion will change it. This is my true intention.”

My second life was bestowed upon me.

After enduring the hellish Titan’s Mansion, I believed there must be a reason for my existence in this world.

Since reaching the realm of Master, I thought about changing the future of this world, which was doomed to destruction.

I didn’t think I was born with a noble destiny.

Given that I was born into this world, this is where I should live. If I protect the world, it’s only natural I would survive too.

It was, of course, something that needed to be done for my survival.

That’s why, after defeating the Great Demons and the disappearance of the Demon Church’s conspiracy, I was flooded with an overwhelming sense of helplessness for about a month.

With the schemes of the demons—my two driving forces—shattered, everything seemed to fall into place at nearly the same time.

While I felt great seeing my body gradually growing stronger since I began fighting the forces of the obliterated Demon Church and the Great Demons, there was an emptiness in my heart.

So now, what do I do? Those kinds of thoughts plagued me.

In truth, I had a lot I could do.

Now that all the demons had vanished, I could leisurely enjoy being a student as Metios wished.

But I didn’t want to do that.

At first, I thought about it, and while I tried to relax without worries, a part of my heart felt persistently empty.

“This was my decision.”

My mentor and I were the only shadows of the Empire.

We existed, but our identities weren’t revealed as we silently eliminated the Empire’s enemies—a Master with no responsibility, enjoying the glory that doesn’t shine where the light shines.

Back in the days when I avoided the gazes of others, I appreciated that freedom.

Though now, I prefer a carefree life without responsibility more than glory, the situation has changed significantly.

I can’t live like that anymore.

“You always put shackles on yourself.”

“I guess it’s just my nature. I can’t change it.”

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After spending a night at the Commander’s mansion, I returned to the Academy the next morning.

Since I hadn’t just been dealing with one or two things, there was still a lot left over, and as I discussed those along with future matters, time flew by quickly.

‘I wish they would understand.’

The weather had turned chilly.

Today marked the end of the second semester, wrapping up a year at the Academy.

Since today was the start of the vacation, many students weren’t visible as they had already begun preparing to return home, but I noticed a few students lost in sentimentality, just like me.

All of them were graduation candidates, as this was their last semester.

The graduation ceremony would happen before the next semester started, but practically, they would graduate as soon as the break was over, so it could be seen as their final day at the Academy.

For me, who had essentially held my own graduation ceremony, today would mark my last day as a student.

Submitting this small document I had tucked away would conclude my year of student life.

I felt a bit sentimental, but I quickly shook it off.

It was not the time for that yet.

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When I went to submit the document, something peculiar happened.

“The chair is empty… What’s going on?”

Usually, the Principal would be in the Principal’s Office, but he wasn’t there.

I thought, ‘If he went outside the Academy after calling me in yesterday, I wouldn’t let that slide,’ so I decided to look around the Academy to figure out the situation.

‘Did everyone get really mad?’

Wandering around the Academy, I suddenly recalled what happened yesterday.

I abruptly declared my resignation and fled, so everyone must be really angry.

It didn’t mean that I was cutting ties with them entirely; if I explained properly, I was confident I could convince them. Nevertheless, it would probably be quicker for them to persuade me than the other way around.

Once I managed to submit my resignation, I had plenty of time during the vacation, so I would need to smooth things over with everyone who was understandably upset.

I was confident in that.

“By the way… where could that person have gone?”

I had wandered for over thirty minutes and asked several faculty members, but no one knew the Principal’s whereabouts.

“Wait, is that Atlas?”

“Edgar? Are you still not heading back?”

I ran into Edgar, who was preparing to go home.

I thought he had already left this morning, so it was surprising to see him still here.

“I’ll be leaving soon. The airship ride we took before was nice, but I’m just not in the mood for it right now.”

It seemed they weren’t all going together on Albion’s airship this time.

“By the way, do you have any idea how loud it was yesterday since you were missing all day?”

“Was it that noisy?”

“Everyone was trembling in fear.”

Apparently, they stirred up quite the ruckus looking for me.

Having reached the pinnacle of Expert and gotten close to it, she had become one of the top fighters within the Academy, so it was rare for anyone to stop them now.

She seemed quite angry, so I needed to brace myself.

“I guess I’ll have to handle this… By the way, have you seen the Principal?”

“I haven’t seen him… No wait. I remember Shaara saying she had something to discuss with the Principal…?”

Shaara?

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Having narrowed down the suspects, I began my search.

Could it be that Shaara had detained the Principal? If so, what could her reasons be for such a stunt?

“…What are you implying? It must be me being unreasonable.”

I said that, but I already knew the reason.

Since I had acted recklessly, she intended to do the same.

According to the Academy’s rules, if you keep the Principal from receiving my resignation document, I could probably take the term off without a hitch.

Kidnapping the Principal could lead to a significant mess.

If those people turned out as I thought, things could be resolved fairly quickly, but it would still be a major incident.

“… Found you.”

Finding Shaara wasn’t difficult.

By stepping onto the ground and using the Meridian to seek a specific energy, I detected a Holy Relic she had carried since that day near the ruins in the southern Black Forest.

I realized she wouldn’t know that it was possible to track her.

Now that I found out where she was, I quickly used a teleportation spell to reach that location.

“Shaara. I know you’re here, so come out.”

When I arrived at the eerie ruins, I found the Principal had been kidnapped.

Not just kidnapped, but he was tied up, trembling in fear.

I thought it might just be a prank, but he was genuinely trapped.

“If you’re shaking in fear of power, I was just coming to scold you… but I guess being a Magician would warrant that.”

Seeing the so-called Archmage caught by students was bewildering, but understanding why it was happening became clear once I saw who did it.

“Are you stuck there too?”