The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 266

I called the intelligence agency and the knight order upon my return and gave them a good talking-to.

“If it’s going to break this easily, why bother closing the door? Just leave it open for easy access, huh?”

Although Rex possessed powers equivalent to the Demon Bishop, it was concerning how easily they were breached.

At the very least, they should have distracted me or ensured Metios could escape to a safe place.

Neither of them could offer any excuses.

They had genuinely messed up, and if they tried to make excuses here, I’d consider removing one of their limbs.

“From now on, I’ll come by unexpectedly for inspections.”

“You’re coming again, right?”

“Yeah, you little rascals!”

Hearing that I’d be coming to cause a ruckus seemed to make them happy.

I had given them a good thrashing and then returned to my office.

It felt strange that the office, which had been shattered by Satan’s powers in my memory, was now intact.

“The mansion’s defenses are too weak; we need to bolster them.”

“I will ensure they are sufficiently reinforced.”

“We don’t know what might happen, so it would be wise to enhance patrols across Narni for a while.”

Rex, who had been targeting this place, was still alive.

The only good news was that what they wanted was me.

In a way, it might be better to be a bit more open about it now, allowing all the arrows to be directed at me.

“Call if you need anything.”

“Yes.”

We checked the parchment in my arms.

Only these two sheets were connected, so nobody else could butt in.

“Brother… thank you very much.”

“For the position you secured at the Academy. I’m enjoying myself quite a bit, so we’re even.”

Since she expressed her gratitude, I decided to let it slide.

Although the position was established to distance me from Narni, it had ultimately made things much easier.

Thanks to my butterfly effect, I could confirm how the original story had deviated, and it became easier to deal with.

I was also seeing results from my support of Professor Praha’s research.

“Come back anytime. I’ll always have a place ready for you.”

“I’m actually going to be around Blade Mountain daily for a while, so don’t worry.”

I briefly said my goodbyes once more.

Last time I said goodbye, Metios was alone.

He had been trying to shoulder a lot by himself, almost breaking in the process.

Now that we were supposed to share the burden, it should be much easier.

I may not excel in many things, but I sure know how to carry a log.

———————————

Near the summit of Blade Mountain, a training ground for the Titans,

It was a place modified from a naturally formed cave for special training.

Originally, only the heirs of the Titan could enter, so nobody had been there for years, leaving the training ground quite serene until now, as a number of people had gathered.

“Huuh….”

If I loosened my tension even a bit, the biting cold enveloped my body.

I focused my breath, surrounding myself with aura to prevent loss of body heat.

Given the secret training area, it was extremely cold, but if you knew how, it was possible to avoid feeling the chill altogether.

Just pulling a bit of the abundant meridian flowing all around was enough to maintain body warmth.

I mentioned it was created for the heirs of the Titan; it certainly felt like a place imbued with a strong force throughout the entire cave.

For those practicing the greatsword who borrowed the natural mana, it could be called a holy ground.

Even those who didn’t use the greatsword could benefit from the powerful meridian flowing through here.

Lucia, who also used the greatsword, was completely captivated by this place.

“It feels… good.”

While accepting the potent meridian, the total amount of aura circulated within me increased slightly, but that wasn’t all.

I also gained enlightenment by feeling Blade Mountain itself.

Realizing just how insignificantly small I was in this vast world was a step back for two steps forward.

While Lucia was busy checking her stone sword alone, Atlas returned.

“Is everything going well?”

“?!”

The meridian circulating within Lucia dispersed along with her concentration.

As the protective force around her broke apart, the chilling cold struck her.

“I think I might have interrupted.”

“Ah… no! I was just a bit surprised…”

Upon seeing him apologize, Lucia concentrated once more, wrapping her aura around herself again.

Just a moment ago, there hadn’t been any presence around, yet he appeared out of nowhere; I found it fascinating, even if I didn’t understand the principle.

“Did… did the work get wrapped up well?”

“Of course. Do you like the training ground?”

“Yeah…”

Atlas approached Lucia from behind, placing a hand on her back.

“…!”

Moments later, a warm energy seeped from his hand, spreading throughout her body.

Just like before, Atlas was infusing her with aura.

He stayed in that position for about a minute, seemingly satisfied, and praised Lucia.

“You’re picking it up quickly, even without me properly teaching you… as expected of a genius.”

“Is… is that so? Being called a genius by you feels strange…”

Hearing such words from Atlas, who she’d never beaten before, put Lucia in a mixed state of emotions.

However, being complimented and recognized was always a pleasant experience.

Unbeknownst to her, she found herself smiling broadly when she began sensing another presence nearby.

Since the cave was spacious, River and others, using their swift swords, were training in different areas without disturbing them.

“Did you come back, sir?”

“Yeah. We still have time, so let’s stick around a bit longer.”

Today, there was plenty of leisure.

We decided to stay until the sun set before heading back.

—————————

As the sun began to set and we returned to Shimoa, a grand welcome awaited as promised.

Although the Titan Marquess, who was supposed to be the star of the welcome, had already left, the presence of Lucia, the daughter of the five pillars, and River’s return overshadowed everything.

Before enjoying the unpretentious yet lovingly prepared banquet, River visited my room separately.

“Is now a good time?”

“Now… it’s possible. What’s up?”

“You’ll find out when you see it.”

River took my hand and led me somewhere.

.

.

.

When I followed as he called me, we ended up in front of the office of River’s father, the Lord of Shimoa.

“Are you asking to see your father?”

River informed me he was going to talk to his dad and asked if I could stay close.

Could it be that he intends to announce our relationship?

I anticipated this would become extremely uncomfortable, wanting to escape.

But if I really ran away, that would just be foolish, so I decided to endure.

“You’re curious too, right? About matters related to the Sword Master… I still don’t really understand anything.”

“Ah~ That’s it. In that case, let’s go.”

Fortunately, it didn’t seem to be the uncomfortable situation I was fearing.

Since I had lost some interest due to time passing, I wasn’t particularly curious anymore, but River still seemed to have a lot on his mind.

There was no reason to refuse his request to join him.

“Uh… Father, may I come in?”

“Yes, come in.”

After knocking and opening the door, I saw Hamel already dressed to greet guests.

“What brings you to bring a friend with the banquet so near at hand…?”

Hamel spoke in a kind voice, but his expression wasn’t particularly pleasant.

It seemed I was the main reason he felt uneasy, being the only man among the group.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something for a while.”

“Ah… That’s why you came.”

The visible relief he felt that the purpose wasn’t to inform him of something was clear.

“Then, what would our princess like to inquire about?”

“You know that the Sword Master visited the Academy, right?”

“I do. That Sword Master ended up invading the Empire’s territory and died, right? I’ll always be thankful to the Empire for that. It’s been quite a harrowing experience for us.”

“Father, don’t you have something to tell me about that incident?”

“If it’s about the Sword Master….”

“It’s not just about the Sword Master. There’s something more important.”

River closed his eyes for a moment and summoned the power within him.

In no time, a golden aura enveloped River’s body.

“You know what this is, right Father?”

Hamel was taken aback at the sight of River’s golden-glowing eyes.

“I understand. But this is something you should hear alone. It would be best for a friend to step outside; it’s not something to be shared carelessly.”

“Atlas isn’t just anyone.”

River shot me a glance.

It didn’t seem like a good idea, but there was no other option.

“…I’m linked to it too.”

I lightly drew forth the essence of the Wolf God within me, resonating with River’s power.

An aura similar to that enveloping River swirled around my hand.

“Y-You…?”

Seeing the golden aura radiating from my hand, Hamel looked taken aback, staggering as he reached for a sword hanging on the wall.

Why is he suddenly grabbing the sword?

Both River and I sensed something was off and subtly took a step back.

“…Father?”

“Why is Lord of Shimoa suddenly grabbing a sword?”

“Ah… I see. So that’s why you two are together.”

What in the world was he talking about? This felt ominous, so I decided to be ready to move at any moment.

“They say every mountain holds another mountain…”

With a deep sigh, Hamel suddenly drew his sword.

“Whoever you are, my daughter isn’t going to be given to you yet!!!”

Hamel, veins bulging in his eyes, swung the sword down at me.