The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 264

In a dimly lit space illuminated by the flickering candlelight, Rex, shrouded in thick black vapor, rolled in with a thud.

“Ugh… GRAAAAH!!!”

He had managed to survive, but he was far from fine. His entire body was covered in burns, looking as if he’d been doused in fire, and apart from his left arm, all his limbs were gruesomely severed, dragging helplessly against the ground.

Not that he could even crawl. The wounds were too extensive; he couldn’t move at all. The worst was the deep injury left on his chest, so severe it exposed his pulsing heart behind slashed ribs for all to see.

Rex’s heart, visible to the naked eye, was a deep, dark hue. The holy powers desperately attempted to heal him, but recovery was painfully slow. This was due to the chaotic entanglement of magic caused by an explosive surge of divine power from the sacred artifact used by Atlas at the last moment.

“Hah… They said I was invincible…! That old man was lying….”

Despite the excruciating pain that felt like his entire body was on fire, Rex vented to someone.

“What a sight to behold.”

“Damn it… that old man… didn’t he say I was invincible because I wield Satan’s power?!”

From the shadows where the candlelight didn’t reach, an aged voice cut through.

“Indeed, the power of Satan that you wield is undoubtedly invincible. If there’s a problem, it’s your problem.”

Rex clenched his teeth. He understood the meaning of the words spoken by the old man, the Demon Bishop of Satan, who wore a mask and a black robe, deep down in his heart.

“Yeah… I heard that the old man found the Heir of the Titan. So he really is alive.”

“Did that bastard do this to you?”

“Yes!”

“Even if you are incomplete, to have reduced you to this state while wielding Satan’s power… it’s an unexpectedly impressive subject.”

The Demon Bishop recalled the past. When Kronos had sent him a request and he had briefly visited the Titan’s Mansion in disguise, there had been one person who caught his eye. A child, despite his young age, who harbored intense rage—Atlas Titan himself.

Satan symbolizes ‘anger.’ Upon seeing Atlas from afar, he had been struck by how perfectly fit the boy was to become the next Demon Bishop.

Kronos had wanted him to grow to a height comparable to his own.

The Demon Bishop of Satan felt nothing but joy. Growing was trivial if he were to contract with a Great Demon like Satan.

However, he planned to collect the price of that contract in a rather unique way. Atlas Titan would grow as he wished, but in exchange, he would live the rest of his life as the Devil Bishop contracted by Satan.

That boy harbored a potent venom.

If he truly lived, he would surely rise to greatness in whatever direction he took—it was as expected.

If he could win against the experimental subject made from Kronos’s corpse, he would have at least top-level Expert skills.

“Can that guy really use it?”

“What do you mean?”

“He looked like a holy knight, didn’t he? The moment I saw him using magic, he whipped out that pure white Aura Blade and burned me alive with holy power.”

Rex had faced a Master for the first time since his birth. He didn’t know that the Master’s Aura Blade glimmered with pale light, and recalling the holy power that had seared his body, he thought Atlas might be a powerful Knight.

With the body of a contracted Great Demon full of holy power, is that really possible?

“Can someone with that level of holy power really be used as the next Bishop?”

“Quit overthinking it. You don’t need to worry about such things… cough cough!”

Suddenly, the Demon Bishop of Satan was seized by a violent fit of coughing. It sounded like he was genuinely falling apart, rough and lengthy, almost as if his body was crumbling.

“Ugh…”

Seeing the crimson blood filling his hands, the Demon Bishop clenched his teeth. Although he had survived for hundreds of years by borrowing the power of the Great Demon, he had now truly reached his limit.

“Time is running out. This old body cannot hold out much longer. For the sake of fulfilling Satan’s desires… I need a new body.”

———————————-

Strange things were happening at Seymour’s mansion in the dead of night.

It was the time when everyone should be inside and asleep, yet there were two people outside.

One was Metios, the current head of the Titan family and younger brother of Atlas, and the other was Casey, who had rushed out at Atlas’s request.

It was cold, and although Casey wanted to bring Metios inside, he insisted on waiting for Atlas to return, leaving her with no choice.

“….”

Metios stood where Atlas had left him, gazing intently at the spot where Atlas had disappeared. His expression looked like he might burst into tears any moment.

Metios had warned that Atlas was in danger, but Casey knew it would take someone at least of Master rank to truly threaten Atlas.

In other words, while he could get into trouble, it was incredibly difficult for him to be in real danger.

However, seeing Metios look so worried made Casey feel the unease spreading to her as well.

Even though it was unfounded, she felt anxious.

Once more, she steeled herself. She believed Atlas would manage somehow, as he had entrusted her with things.

First and foremost… she didn’t want Metios catching a cold. It would be a hassle.

There were still people working inside, and she contemplated whether to borrow a blanket and a chair, when Metios spoke up first.

“By the way, Casey, I think you said you’re the daughter of my older brother…? Is that right?”

“Yeah, that’s how it is. I’m an orphan, and he took me in and raised me. He calls me his daughter wherever we go.”

“I see… That must mean he cares about you a lot.”

“….”

Casey didn’t feel the need to add anything to that. She knew well how much Atlas cared for her.

At one point, she had even mistaken herself to have been abandoned, but that was not the case at all.

“My brother… has never told me when things are tough for him.”

“That person often does that.”

“He must find it hard, yet he forces a smile.”

“….”

The forced smiles hit close to home, but realizing she had never had that happen to her made her pause.

The previous comment about “not saying when things are tough” was a common occurrence. He had many secrets he couldn’t share with anyone and tried to solve them on his own.

He did so without relying on anyone, believing that was the secret to his strength.

Yet here she was, ironically telling others to share their troubles if something was wrong.

“Still… it makes me uneasy when he says he’s fine like earlier… It was the same before. He always said he was okay, and then exploded with rage like a bomb…”

“When certain words come up, he gets furious… He was like that even as a child.”

As the wait dragged on, Metios’s anxiety visibly intensified.

This unease was exacerbated by the messenger from the Demon Church they had last seen, who bore a resemblance to their father. Having connected that with Atlas only added to the worry.

Even though the unease kept clouding Metios’s thoughts, it was the kind of feeling that couldn’t be soothed with words.

Casey decided to quietly stick by his side and wait endlessly for Atlas to return.

“Ugh, finally.”

Just then, the waiting came to an unexpected halt.

Time-wise, it hadn’t even been an hour, and Atlas showed up with a brazen face despite having worried everyone.

His clothes were disheveled as if he had been in a rough fight, yet there were no visible injuries.

Surprised to see Metios and Casey standing there waiting, Atlas exclaimed, “You guys were waiting outside? You should have come in; it’s cold.”

“Brother…!”

Metios looked at Atlas, who had returned in one piece, and burst into tears as he hugged him tightly.

“See, I told you I’d be fine.”

While Casey spoke nonchalantly, pretending nothing was wrong, her hands were trembling slightly.

“Really… are you really my brother?”

“It’s a touching reunion, but c’mon now, little bro.”

Atlas looked at the weeping Metios and raised his hands.

“YEEEAH!!!!”

“Ugh…!”

Then he grabbed Metios’s cheeks and pulled, in a fit of anger.

It must have been super painful, yet Metios bit his lip to suppress a scream.

“Why did you lie about the Demon Church?”

“I didn’t… lie.”

“What?”

“I really didn’t know about our father’s corpse disappearing. How am I supposed to know? There were no signs of forced entry… And I mentioned that… there was a deal between father and the Demon Church…”

“I see, you didn’t exactly lie. You just didn’t mention the crucial fact that the deal was pressed after that, huh?!”

“Hah…”

He pulled Metios’s cheeks again, seething with anger, but he was truly glad Metios was his little brother.

If he had been an older brother, a punch would have come flying instead of a teasing pull.

“….”

After a while, Atlas finally stopped.

He had promised to give him punishment, but it wasn’t too harsh.

Atlas felt a heavy sense of responsibility for the events that had transpired. He had felt that way ever since seeing Metios sitting alone in that vast office.

Metios was carrying all the burdens he had abandoned.

“I’m sorry for leaving you alone. It must have been tough.”

“….”

Metios didn’t voice a response but didn’t deny it either. He simply lowered his head and sealed his lips.

Being smaller was genuinely inconvenient.

In a situation like this, he wanted to stroke his head like a hero and support him, but Metios, being over 20 cm taller, crushed that fantasy.

So he decided to speak with sincerity.

“If you’re struggling, it’s okay to say so. You don’t have to hold back.”

“….”

That was all he could offer for now.

“Yeah… it was really tough….”

With those words, Metios finally let the tears he had been holding back spill over.

“Ever since you ran away, Father… and Mother… they fought every single day. Then both passed away, and now I alone have to bear the weight of what Father did… They all looked down on me. Did it hurt? Yeah, of course, it hurt.”

Once he started, the tears kept flowing without stopping.

“I wanted to ask you to stay… but since the Demon Church was targeting you, I couldn’t even stay here. I just had to bear with it. There’s no one to talk to…!”

“I’m sorry. I’m late, but I won’t let you face this alone anymore.”

Metios’s eyes widened.

“Not alone… does that mean you’re not leaving anymore…?”

“Not exactly; since I’ve left already, I’m taking the opportunity to leave again, you brat. I’m still a student at the Academy, you know?”

“Ah…!”

When he said he wouldn’t stay, Metios looked even more downcast.

It wasn’t possible to stay in Narni, but he took out a piece of parchment from his pocket and handed it to Metios.

“At least I’ll have this parchment, so contact me if you need anything; I’ll reply if I can.”

“…Okay.”

———————

The next morning, chaos erupted in two places located at opposite ends of the Empire.

“The… Head of the House is missing!!!”

One side was in panic because someone who should be there was absent, and the other side was chaotic because there was someone who shouldn’t be there.

“Mi… Milord Marquess, what brings you to this remote area? If I have done anything wrong…”