The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 252

The morning broke over Blade Mountain.

Under a clear sky with not a single cloud in sight, I naturally followed my daily routine and went outside to exercise.

I wasn’t alone.

Of course, everyone I was training was out there with me.

Gemma had joined once before but ultimately chose to extend her morning sleep because she was feeling drowsy.

However, there was a rather unusual guest today…

“Come on, keep it up!”

“Yes…!”

Metios Titan, the head of the Titan family, was out jogging with me in workout clothes that allowed for easy movement.

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It was only natural that this development arose because Metios had unexpectedly asked me yesterday to teach him swordsmanship.

Asking to learn from me signified he wanted to study Titan’s Vision Swordsmanship, but to master that art, he needed a foundation as strong as a mountain.

Metios wasn’t completely out of shape or anything.

I had thought he’d only been sitting at a desk, but his physique was actually quite solid.

However, that was only by the standards of an ordinary person; compared to experts, he was still lacking a great deal.

While you could see he was trying hard, that was all there was to it.

The others who had come out for morning exercise were already doing three more laps.

Seeing that made me anxious that I’d lose my pace, so I stuck by Metios, acting as his pace-maker.

“Ha… Ha…”

The color of Metios’s face was red as he ran up the mountain path.

Sweat was flowing, and his breathing became rougher.

I could see his form starting to falter compared to how it was at the beginning.

“Are you tired?”

“… No.”

Maybe it would have been better if I hadn’t asked; when I did, I noticed a glint in his eyes.

In the end, he was running like his life depended on it even though this was merely a test of his stamina.

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Eventually, Metios collapsed.

He collapsed on the ground, breathing heavily.

It seemed like this was all he could handle.

I didn’t expect too much since he hadn’t reached the level of an expert yet, but he did have some pride.

Nevertheless, this was enough to get a sense of how much stamina Metios truly had.

“Little brother. Why did you ask to learn the sword?”

“… I’m a Titan too. I should at least learn the basics of Vision Swordsmanship.”

“Do you just want to inherit the title since it was passed down through the family?”

“Even if I’m late, I should be able to teach the next generation. It’d be fortunate if you could teach me, older brother.”

Metios hadn’t asked to be taught swordsmanship to become a great expert.

By this point, he was already too late for that.

He had merely asked for swordsmanship so he could do his best in his current position.

By the way… what Metios had said lingered in my mind.

To teach the next generation… meaning to teach Metios’s own child swordsmanship.

That was quite a nice idea, but the thought of Metios getting married made me feel uneasy.

What kind of scoundrel would dare to take my precious younger brother away?

“Are you okay, brother?”

“… Yeah, now I know your stamina level.”

“I’ve been exercising daily. Is it acceptable?”

“You have the basics down. So, from now on, let’s teach you Titan’s swordsmanship.”

Metios looked at me with eager eyes.

But what I was about to teach him wasn’t how to swing a sword.

It was the tedious and boring repetitive groundwork that needed to be laid first.

“First, let me explain what it means to build your inner energy. Just exercising won’t automatically raise your stamina.”

I had him sit in the correct posture and taught him how to breathe.

Then, I made him experience what it felt like to channel power into his body.

“Is this… really something happening in my body?”

“Yeah. It may be late for you to learn this, but you’ll get used to it quickly.”

Soon, Metios began to connect his body and nature through his breath, gradually accumulating inner energy through meditation.

“Today, we’ll just repeat this. No, we’ll need at least six months of basic stamina training and meditation. Holding a sword comes after that.”

“Six… six months?”

The news that he wouldn’t be able to hold a sword for at least six months shocked Metios.

Half a year might seem long at first, but it can also feel quite short.

For someone who has been training since childhood, like those who started at six years old, it might seem trivial. But for Metios, who was already in his twenties, it probably felt long.

But it couldn’t be helped.

“When I was your age, I trained for over a year. It’s a necessary process.”

“Brother… six months is too long. Shouldn’t you teach me swordsmanship alongside?”

“If you try to learn Titan’s Vision Swordsmanship without anything built up, it’ll have no meaning.”

Titan’s Vision Swordsmanship is based on the greatsword.

Only someone with strong inner energy can truly wield it.

You need to infuse a potent aura into the sword, and if you can’t do that… it’s merely a weak swing.

“But…!!”

He expressed his dissatisfaction as he realized that learning swordsmanship meant he’d be doing the same things for six months.

If I were in his shoes, I’d probably feel anxious too, but there was no way to compromise on this.

“… Understood.”

Seeing my resolve, Metios seemed like he wanted to say something but swallowed it instead.

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After checking that Metios was meditating correctly, I moved on.

“Now, let’s get back to what we were doing.”

We moved to a spot away from where he was meditating, and there was Casey sparring with three others.

They all seemed to be putting in a lot of effort, but Casey was skillfully dodging their attacks and poking with a wooden sword in their openings.

Once they saw me approaching, they all stopped what they were doing.

“Are you done?”

“For now.”

Casey tossed me a wooden sword.

I had requested it from the mansion, which was why I could receive it.

While Casey and I had wooden swords, the other three were using real swords.

“You’re teaching your little brother swordsmanship, huh…”

“Looks like it.”

“If he’s learning now, it might be a bit late.”

It seemed like everyone wanted to add their own comments but held back.

“Still, since Atlas is teaching him, I’m sure it’ll go well. We’re all learning from you too.”

Well, they were among the geniuses who could absorb knowledge even from casual lessons.

I wanted to say that, but as Master, it would only sound like teasing.

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As soon as the training ended, I moved to Circe’s quarters.

“Circe, the deadline has arrived.”

“?? Crazy…!! Knock before you come in!!”

In my rush, I barged in without knocking, and Circe was startled and began tossing things at me.

I hadn’t meant to enter without a sound, but this girl takes too long to open the door if I just knock.

But only now did I realize why it had taken so long for her to open the door.

When alone, Circe had only been clad in her underwear, rolling around in fluffy furs.

“I’ll make sure to knock properly next time.”

As I turned away demurely, Circe dressed hastily, appearing like a beast ready to pounce on me.

“Hehe… I told you to come in two days, but you show up right at dawn. That’s not nice!”

A moment later, Circe returned to her usual composure, dropping the flustered act she’d shown earlier.

“Did you not find it?”

“Of course not.”

Circe unfolded a map again.

It seemed like there were still marks of where I had been before since she hadn’t used it afterward.

“This is the place.”

Circe confidently pointed to a spot on the map. It was a peak in Blade Mountain, quite a distance from Narni.

“Hehehe… I don’t know who did it, but the undead started appearing from here. The curse feels very strong.”

“Any idea what it is?”

“If the undead are appearing, it’s likely not a demon. It doesn’t matter for you, right?”

If there was a strong demon, then the undead wouldn’t surface.

They consume souls just by existing.

“In the end, calling forth the undead means there’s a powerful curse involved. There are countless cursed objects, whether it be someone who became a lich or a cursed sword, it’s impossible to confirm unless I go personally.”

Cursed objects containing strong curses often manifest when someone has had a tragic death, and the resentment can be so profound that it creates undead. Some creatures are cursed from the moment they’re born.

Maybe someone dropped a cursed item on their way by.

I just hoped it was an inanimate object.

If it was a cursed item, I could handle it myself.

I still had the holy artifact, a holy relic, resting in my possession.

Most cursed objects can be resolved instantly by infusing it with holy power.

“But one thing is for sure. Whatever it is, it’s a living creature.”

“A living creature that exudes curses?”

If it’s a creature, it could get troublesome…

Though I could exude holy power, it would likely have a lesser effect than it would on an object.

“Yeah. The rhythm of the curses emanating from it has a pulse-like quality. It’s almost like a heartbeat. Curses that flow from inanimate objects don’t typically exhibit that kind of rhythm.”