The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 175

The third test included Perda and Amy, while the fourth test had River and Casey.

Perda was able to survive until the end by forming an alliance in exchange for some support for Amy’s territory, whereas Casey, trying to keep it moderate, suddenly got upset after someone said something bothersome and ended up knocking out all the students single-handedly.

During that chaos, not even Perda’s women or the Tiger Beastman Bolte could withstand her.

I wonder who she takes after; her personality is really fiery.

The rebellion of the regular students ended there.

It made quite an impression, but they had no idea what was coming later and weren’t easily dealt with afterward.

In fact, it was impressive that they managed to land even one hit at all.

The tests were completed without any major incidents.

With only about two days left until the final tests, some students had already finished and the atmosphere was getting quite lively.

It seemed that the test using the entire arena sparked the excitement.

“Atlas, why are you so restless?”

“It’s weird how quiet it is. Typically, conspiracies would be revealed and incidents would occur about this time.”

“That doesn’t seem typical.”

“Isn’t it normal for something to happen after a whole semester like this?”

“It’s a relief if it ends without any issues… It should be okay.”

After the tests were over, everyone gathered in the cafeteria.

With no problems during the tests, they seemed happy, expecting good scores.

While everyone was celebrating, I was the only one trembling with a sense of unease as if something was still left unresolved.

Though they both had one test remaining tomorrow, I was completely done today.

Since I had crafted my schedule by disregarding various elements usually considered by regular students, it turned out this way.

“You ruthless human! You always say you don’t care about scores, but why can’t you just let me win a little!”

“Exactly! You talk big but end up hammering everyone mercilessly!”

The usual drunks had joined in.

Cindy, the Elf, and Hal, the Dwarf, who usually don’t get along well, came in raising their cups and causing a ruckus around me.

I wanted to kick them away, but today I decided to just let it slide.

“If you work hard on your side, you should expect some decent treatment. If you serve, you wouldn’t feel bad, right?”

“What?? Are you saying it’s our fault?? If we hadn’t done anything, you’d have been all like ‘How arrogant to expect scores without any preparation’ right?”

“Yeah, your personality is really terrible…!! That’s why, ha! You’re only as tall as me!!”

“Aren’t there limits to what you can say?”

Smash!

“My beard?!!”

As Hal’s arrogant words crossed the line, I grabbed his glorious beard and yanked a handful out.

Though Hal and I are about the same height, there are things you can say and things you can’t.

Hal clutched his now patchy chin, howling in despair.

Seeing that, Cindy, who had been feeling down, laughed until her stomach hurt.

Then, some new figures appeared after the test.

“My younger sibling! Just as I expected! You said you weren’t going to do it properly. Is it fine if I join?”

“Yes, feel free.”

Hera, still wearing her short cloak, came over and sat next to me.

“Sister, have you finished all your tests?”

“I’ve already completed mine because I always pay attention. I even had time to spectate your test.”

With a smile, Hera draped her arm over my shoulder and snuggled close.

Being a head taller than me naturally made her head brush against mine.

Despite her firm hold, there was a softness that felt quite unique.

I couldn’t help but imagine just how large her chest must be at this point.

“Can I talk about something serious?”

“To me?”

“Yes.”

“Should I move?”

I remembered that River and Amy were sitting right in front of me.

“It’s not that serious. It’s fine for everyone to hear.”

It doesn’t seem like it was going to be a secret that shouldn’t get out.

Though it was sudden, I was curious, so I decided to listen quietly.

“It’s vacation time soon. I’d like to invite you to my home.”

A bomb that I had planned to deal with later was now right in front of me.

“You mean you’re inviting Atlas… to Nemea??”

“Yes. No matter how I think about it, it’s unreasonable that you’re still not registered officially. I will make sure that Father acknowledges you.”

Hera’s eyes were incredibly serious.

It seemed she had asked my family several times while I was thinking, ‘I should inform them beforehand someday.’

“… I appreciate the sentiment, but sister, I…”

“No, you don’t need to decline. Leave it to me. You deserve to be treated well.”

Even though I politely refused, Hera placed her hand over my mouth and stood up.

It likely didn’t matter how I reacted.

Surely, she was thinking I might be too apologetic to refuse.

“A… what am I going to do?”

“Is this turning into a big deal, isn’t it?”

“I have to deal with this before vacation… I really let it drag on too long.”

Now I had one more task to handle.

It was something I should have done earlier, but here we are.

Seeing Hera leave, I decided to get up as well.

“Atlas, you’re getting up first? I was planning to hang out more…”

“Today, rest early. You’ve got your final test tomorrow, right? It’s supposed to be a written test. You should prepare.”

Everyone returned peacefully to the dormitory.

The two who still had tests left prioritized their preparations for tomorrow.

Though my tests were over, the real work was just beginning.

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In the middle of the night, the academy feels eerie.

It’s such an old building that no matter how hard we try to maintain it, the traces of time that linger are undeniable.

In daylight, it gives off a graceful vibe, but at night, it’s just downright creepy.

“Wow… you really did this?”

“Shut up.”

Carmel, dressed like a typical girl about her age, pointed at me in surprise.

Now that the tests were nearing an end, I planned to hear what she had to say before trying to persuade Hulan.

Thanks to this, I found myself sneaking into the church to pull out the saintess.

It was unlikely that the stuffy bishop would understand something like this if I went in straight.

You can bet they’d want to hold onto her and lecture me some more.

“Let’s finish this quickly. Sleeping late is toxic…”

“But you’re always wandering around at night.”

“Exactly, and look at me.”

As a child, I had a pretty regular sleep pattern.

At the Titan mansion or when I was an apprentice, I followed the habit of sleeping early and rising early, but once I became a knight and a shadow, unpredictable situations often arose, leading me to stay awake all night… and I learned the 3-hour compression sleeping method.

I almost wanted to blame not growing taller on that, but unfortunately, I didn’t grow even when I had a regular sleep pattern, so what can I say.

“How was the academy? Are you enjoying what you imagined?”

“I wouldn’t know since I barely saw the students properly.”

“You must have seen them from afar.”

“During the test period, they didn’t come out much, you know? But still… it seems lively overall, albeit with some issues here and there.”

Carmel roamed freely down the empty hallway.

When dressed in formal attire, she had to walk carefully, but now she was moving around as she pleased.

She was relishing in the freedom of being in a place with no one around.

“You should have given me a heads-up before coming. I would have dressed up nicer and waited.”

“You look pretty no matter what you wear, so it’s fine.”

“Wow…”

I had said it more strongly than I intended, and her face turned slightly red.

Perhaps she wasn’t used to being on the receiving end of compliments since she always attacked instead.

“Are you trying to seduce me? Atlas is nice, but I’m still sworn in as a saintess…”

“Quit being silly. We don’t have time, so let’s hurry.”

I interrupted Carmel’s nonsense and began guiding her around the academy seriously.

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During our time, we went through places where students usually can’t wander freely.

Rooms for various clubs, the large cafeteria, cafe, library—places usually filled with students—were all empty at night, giving off a different vibe.

“This is how the Academy Main Building feels. Where’s Atlas’s class?”

“Right here.”

As I pointed it out, Carmel approached and looked around the desks.

“So this is what you see most often. Are there no assigned seats or lockers?”

“That’s my usual spot over there, and there’s a locker over there, but there’s nothing special.”

Carmel peeked into the locker I pointed to.

“Hey! There are really just books… and is this a nutrient supplement?”

“Yeah, it’s a growth dietary supplement.”

“You’re seriously still taking it every day?”

“What’s wrong with taking a nutrient supplement every day?”

Carmel perched on my usual desk, glancing over the empty classroom.

“Looks like you see this scenery often.”

“Scenery? Wait, something feels off.”

Just then, I felt a presence in the hallway.

Since it’s still the test period, I didn’t want to get caught wandering around the academy building at night, so I decided to hide for now.

“Ugh?!”

“Shh. Someone’s coming.”

I quickly covered Carmel’s mouth and hid behind the wall.

If it was a patrolling faculty member, things would get annoying if we got caught.

‘This is a bit too strong of Carmel’s scent… is that okay…?’

After hiding, I realized that the entire class was already thick with Carmel’s scent.

If it was a faculty member, Carmel could easily talk her way out of it, but… the best course was to remain undetected.

“… Can’t you mask this scent?”

“At this point, it’s tough.”

I focused my mind and kept my ears perked, trying to guess who was walking around based on footfalls.

“… A beastman?”

A single Lizard Beastman was moving stealthily.

“… That’s the direction of Hulan’s dorm.”

I actually had something to tell Hulan.

———————————–

Hulan found the academy’s test rather interesting.

Seeing weak humans band together against stronger ones was amusing, and watching the strong handle situations and compete against each other was fun entertainment.

Having taken photos, he was ready to leave again.

He would have liked to have one last round of drinks, but… it was his habit to leave unnoticed.

With no luggage to take, he was about to grab a couple of outfits he received from the academy when someone knocked on his door.

“Hulan! I had the humans brought down, but what did you think?!

I wanted to show the unity of the Beastmen more, but… even with all grades combined, there weren’t enough of us, so I made use of the humans efficiently.”

One of the beastmen who had constantly approached Hulan, a Lizard Beastman, came and said that everything that had happened with the regular students was thanks to their manipulation from behind the scenes.

‘Those kids… they aren’t bad, just a bit foolish. They’re harmless enough that I might as well let it slide…’

“… I may not be the chieftain, but I’ll consider joining the alliance.”

“Thank you!!!”

As he watched the retreating figure after receiving a definite answer, Hulan felt bittersweet.

‘Is this what the future looks like for the beastmen who’ve come to study at the academy…?’

They were so young, so inexperienced.

Thinking back to his own childhood made him sigh, but perhaps it’s bearable to overlook since times have changed?

Now, he was worried about the country of the kin who had already left.

With the tests almost at an end, just as Hulan was preparing to leave the academy, he sensed a strange presence behind him.

“You said you’d join the alliance, but you can’t just go there alone.”

“Who are you?”

“It’s been a while, Hulan.”

It was a face he wouldn’t call nostalgic.

The individual used such potent Recognition Interference Magic that even Hulan, a Dragon Beastman, could barely see through it.

But that was the biggest defining feature of him.

The knight clad in armor that emitted a dark fog of Recognition Interference Magic was one of the only two in this world.

“Before you leave, let’s do one last job together.”