The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 105

I was pretty shocked that I wasn’t participating in the Hunting Festival, and it seemed like everywhere I went, people kept asking about it.

“Hey, Atlas!”

Edgar Lemnos was one of them.

“I’ve put together the best team. No matter how good you are, it’s going to be tough to score higher than us in the Hunting Festival. This time, I’m definitely winning.”

Edgar said confidently, crossing his arms. Behind him were three others who seemed to be part of his team.

One was, of course, Zeek Albion, but the other two were unique in their own way.

Edgar’s team included Cindy Lue, an elf exchange student, and Bolt Jin, a beastman exchange student.

‘Amy… I really need to buckle up!’

Edgar’s team was strong enough to be confident about their chances.

Cindy, a noble elf, had extensive experience living in the forest.

Even though the Black Forest was different from the forest where elves lived, the skills she possessed would still serve her well in the Black Forest.

Bolt Jin might not be exceptionally knowledgeable about the forest, but the innate traits of a tiger beastman were incredibly powerful.

They had a far wider sense of perception than humans and were much more agile, able to emit low-frequency sounds to immobilize their prey.

I didn’t know how he managed to recruit them, but both had skills that were essential for a ranger.

Unbelievable tracking abilities and guaranteed individual strengths…

They were definitely contenders for the win.

But there was something strange about Edgar’s words.

“Yeah, good luck. I guess you didn’t hear that I’m not participating this time?”

Why was he even saying that to me? I’m definitely not joining this Hunting Festival.

“You’re not participating in the Hunting Festival? What does that even mean?!!”

“I just said what you heard. I’m not joining the Hunting Festival.”

Edgar looked flustered upon hearing I wasn’t participating.

He seemed surprised because he was used to me always either participating or getting caught up in these things, but now I was drawing the line.

“What? You’re really not participating? Then we’ll win for sure.”

“No, there are still plenty of people to watch out for.”

“So, we just have to be careful of the seniors who’ve been through it a few times…?”

“I heard there are rumors about someone who’s flunked three times, making a living off the prize money from the top placements in the Hunting Festival.”

“Ugh, there’s no way someone like that exists.”

Cindy and Bolt were genuinely happy to hear I wasn’t participating.

It seemed like they’d been keeping an eye on me for quite a while.

“You’re not joining the Hunting Festival?? If you’re just too lazy to look for teammates, I’ll help you out.”

“No thanks on that.”

“It would only be meaningful if I surpass you! Do you have any idea how hard I had to work to get these two on my team..!!”

As Edgar was passionately lamenting, Cindy and Bolt exchanged awkward smiles.


What exactly did he have to offer to get them on his team?

“Though I may not be at your level yet… since it’s a team event in the Hunting Festival, I thought we could create the best team and have a decent shot, but why..!!”

“Why, you ask? Chasing away monsters while wading through the rotten smell of the Black Forest isn’t exactly the most delightful experience.”

“… Yeah, that doesn’t sound delightful….”

When I said I didn’t want to mess around in the Black Forest, Edgar’s face turned various shades of red and blue, and he held his forehead with one hand, seemingly at a loss for words.

He had obviously assumed I would participate, but my reason was relatable enough that he couldn’t argue against it.

“Edgar, still, our goal of winning remains unchanged.”

Zeek chimed in from behind, nudging Edgar back to his senses as he confidently declared,

“True! Alright then, Atlas, keep an eye out. We’re going to definitely win the Hunting Festival. And I’ll be sure to flaunt the trophy in your face.”

“Looks like you picked your teammates well — go all out for that win.”

…

After that, I discreetly looked around and heard similar reactions everywhere.

Hera thought I would obviously participate, and so did the Newspaper Club.

I wasn’t just aimlessly wandering around for no reason.

Looking at Edgar’s team members, they seemed quite skilled, so I was curious about how the others stacked up and wandered off to check the strong contenders.

I heard last year’s winner was the team from the Swordsmanship Research Club led by Hera.

I heard Hera sold off the pure-gold monster trophy she received from an injury to boost the Swordsmanship Research Club’s budget.

What a model leader.

A quick glance at Hera’s team showed it was made up of four swordsmen, including a top member with ranger skills.

While they might lack a magician, Hera’s team, rigorously trained in-house, exhibited teamwork and expertise far beyond other teams.

In terms of mere average specs, it seemed that Edgar’s party had the upper hand, but one could not ignore the difference in teamwork.

Being simply strong doesn’t guarantee an advantage in the Hunting Festival.

The Hunting Festival works by obtaining points after defeating prey and submitting the artifacts to the prey, where their recorded scores are calculated at the end.

The monsters that are released for hunting have varying point values based on their strength, and most could be handled quickly if you had at least intermediate Expert-level skills.

In other words, if you have an Expert-level skill or higher, you should be more than fine in the Hunting Festival.

‘I’m worried about Amy….’

Though they claimed they were going for the win, it didn’t seem easy.

In the end, Lucia seemed to really be participating in the Hunting Festival all by herself without any teammates.

Many people lined up to be on Lucia’s team, but she rejected all of them before finally deciding to go solo.

She said she wouldn’t need any other teammates unless it was with me and really decided to go out alone.

While everyone was worried, some accepted it as a solid choice rooted in her determination.

People had to finalize their team members by this week, so everyone looking to participate in the Hunting Festival was channeling their efforts into finding teammates.

And I……

“Ugh, it burnt again!! Lady Woodville, you’re no help, so just stay over there!!”

“I prepped all the dough myself, and saying it’s no help is too much!!”

“You’ve burned all that you prepped!!”

Together with my classmates, I was baking bread and pastries to sell at the tea house.

…

——

The day after it was decided that our class would open a tea house during the Hunting Festival, Dorothy Woodville had us gathered in a vacant classroom.

It wasn’t your typical classroom, though.

It resembled a proper kitchen with a stove, oven, and sink located on the ground floor of the Academy.

‘Why on earth is there even a classroom like this?’

There weren’t any courses utilizing these facilities at the current Academy, so maybe they had cooking practice or something in the past?

Though it was an unused classroom, I wondered if the golems managing the Academy had cleaned it or if someone was specifically assigned to do so as not a speck of dust could be found.

Dorothy Woodville stood confidently in front of an object covered with a white cloth, claiming she wouldn’t demand too much of us, just a simple task to help ensure our class’s tea house was a success~!!

Being at the front made it harder to see what was behind her, but concentrating on my sense of smell revealed a rich buttery aroma.

“Now, let me introduce my secret weapon..!!”

As Dorothy lifted the white cloth confidently, a mound of something yellowish stacked high on a black tray was revealed.

“Now I see why you’re so confident… you’re seriously invested in this.”

“Of course!”

What Dorothy Woodville unveiled was dough.

This was the stuff halted during the production process of various bread and cookies.

“This is ‘dough’ directly procured from the most famous bakery in the Empire’s capital, Ben’s Bakery.”

“Ben’s Bakery??”

“Goodness, I’ve only been there once when I lived in the capital!”

“That’s impressive, Lady Woodville!”

In my previous life, they used to freeze the dough for distribution nationwide, but in this world, magic allowed them to ‘preserve’ it, preventing any changes before distribution.

So, there was no need for the pesky thawing process. Just unbind the preservation magic and stick it in the oven according to the recipe, and voila, you had a finished product.

As long as you knew how to adjust the oven’s temperature and timing, you could replicate the flavors from a famous bakery quite easily.

“Isn’t it understood that the festival is prepared by the students? Wouldn’t something like this… violate regulations?”

“Dough is basically just an ingredient. It’s not a finished product! We’re the ones completing it! Plus, we got approval from the student council. Now, let’s get it in the oven!”

‘Looks like even that is permissible.’

If that’s the case, then the student workload has really been cut down.

All the cookies needed was for the fresh dough to be put in the oven on the morning of the event, and as for the tea, brewing it well isn’t difficult; pouring the water over it is where the challenge lies.

Dorothy’s plan seemed solid.

Ben, the owner of the bakery, was occasionally invited to the palace to showcase his skills as a renowned pastry chef.

If they properly advertised that visitors could savor the flavors from a famous bakery people seldom get to enjoy in the capital, everyone would take notice.

If they could bake properly the dough that was over 90% finished at the bakery, it might be genuinely possible to generate the highest sales at the Academy.

That’s what I thought.

“Ah… all the bread has turned to coal!!”

On the black tray were lumps of blackened dough.

Just minutes ago, they had been pristine white dough from Ben’s Bakery’s signature croissants.

Of course, things couldn’t wrap up that easily.

The ovens in this world don’t precisely control the temperature with just a button press.