The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 293

Using the teleportation technique, I successfully infiltrated Castle Prigia in an instant.

I had only vaguely pinpointed my location and moved, but thankfully, I didn’t fall into a place filled with people.

If I had landed in a crowd, there would have been people asleep for two days straight.

‘I need to figure out the location.’

I can’t fully grasp the layout of the mansion, but at least I need to know where Shaara is.

If only I had prepared another means of personal contact for situations like this, but what’s done is done.

I decided to use my infiltration techniques to explore the castle.

Surely, important people would be gathered in places where many people are present.

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As expected, the castle was vast and so complicated that one could easily get lost without familiarity.

It felt like it had been designed to confuse intruders.

There probably weren’t any cities outside the castle originally, so it’s likely a correct assumption.

“Where could she be?”

Finding people in a place like this isn’t too difficult.

Even though the buildings look complex, the movements of the important people would be prioritized, so just focusing on areas with lots of people would suffice.

The downside is that since I have to observe crowded areas, it becomes a dreadful task for intruders like me.

Anyway, as long as I don’t get caught, it’s fine.

‘Ugh. I need to be careful.’

While wandering around, I noticed a group of maids rushing together.

They all seemed to head somewhere, and I had a hunch that it was the way to Shaara’s room.

I figured if they were the ones attending to Shaara, they would likely be women.

It could also be that they were moving for other tasks, but since they were heading up rather than down, it suggested they were going toward someone.

Usually, the lower floors are where the kitchens and work areas are, while the upper floors accommodate guests.

With my presence concealed, I followed them, and something interesting caught my eye.

‘… Suspicious?’

As I was about to turn the corner, one maid subtly separated from the group and entered another room.

No matter how I looked at it, it didn’t seem like a simple diversion, so I found it suspicious.

I could have just passed by, but curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to follow her in.

‘Three of them….’

Diminishing my presence as much as possible, I ghosted right behind her and found two others wearing servant clothes waiting inside.

One seemed to be a gardener, while the other appeared to work in the kitchen.

I stealthily hid behind some furniture and eavesdropped on their conversation.

“This will likely be the last time we see this.”

“Is everything prepared well?”

“Yes, I’ve tracked all the movements as we decided earlier.”

They started discussing suspicious things right from the get-go.

They continued their meeting in hushed tones, sharing their movements and schedules, their calm demeanor belied the appearance of villains plotting a conspiracy.

‘No way, are there people like this in the heart of the castle?’

What on earth are they scheming?

Organizing a conspiracy is one thing, but executing it is another matter altogether.

It’s clear that they must have some dubious methods if they’re confident about it, considering it would be impossible through normal means.

-Crack!

Before I realized it, my body had already reacted and was now choking the gardener, twisting his neck in one swift motion.

I must have been so stunned that my body acted first.

Now that it’s come to this, since I’m invited, I might as well do something good before I leave.

“Who…?!!”

One of the remaining two, the cook, reacted upon seeing his companion’s neck twist.

He attempted to grab an ice pick hidden somewhere, but it was too slow.

-Bam!!

A punch connected with the cook’s jaw, and his neck twisted back as he fell flat.

With a soft thud, he passed out.

“Ugh..!!!”

As the cook transformed into a flying object right before her eyes, the maid finally grasped the situation.

She quickly tried to escape, but I took a step forward without changing direction, and the scene shifted, placing me right in front of the fleeing maid.

“???”

The maid was startled by my sudden appearance, and before she knew it, she was hit in the solar plexus and knocked back, fainting.

‘One by one, I’ll take care of them.’

To be conducting such conspiratorial meetings inside the Duke’s house, these guys are undoubtedly up to no good.

I didn’t catch everything clearly, but now that it’s come to this…

‘…No. What if these guys are hatching an incredible plot?’

Thinking it over, it’s clear they’re planning something, but I don’t know what exactly.

From what I overheard, they seem to be arranging something around the time of the party, but the specifics remain unknown.

Just a moment ago, it felt like they were just preparing to make fools of themselves, but I decided to change my perspective a bit.

Given that they are certainly up to something, I should settle for cutting down their capabilities.

I might be able to get to the truth through half-hearted means, but time is running short.

The guards would handle it somehow, right?

With that thought, I stepped on the legs of the fallen ones.

As I applied pressure, a crunching noise came, and their legs sank into the ground.

I shattered their leg bones completely; it would take a full month of recovery before they would heal.

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After taking care of the mess, it didn’t take long to find my target.

Just observing the movements of people made it glaringly obvious where the important individuals would be.

It’s unfortunate that I’m in a position that would be troublesome if discovered since I’ve intruded, but I’m confident I won’t get caught, so it doesn’t matter.

While searching, I did see a few sights that should never be seen by outsiders, but I’ll bury them in my mind.

Heading toward the strangely maid-heavy area I noted earlier, I found Shaara, just as expected.

“Eek??”

I appeared just when she was alone, and Shaara stumbled back in surprise.

“What’s the matter, Miss?!”

“Nothing! If you come in, I’ll get mad!”

“Yes… Understood.”

The maids waiting outside were surprised by Shaara’s voice and tried to come in, but I stopped them.

Surprisingly, a startled Shaara was back on her feet in no time.

“Oh… Lord Atlas??”

“Yeah.”

Once she confirmed my identity, she bowed her head to greet me.

“What brings you here? If you’d sent a message, I would have prepared better…”

“You said outside visitors were prohibited, right? I tried to get in but it was no use.”

Upon hearing that I didn’t get in, Shaara’s expression soured.

“Lord Atlas has come, and yet they’re blocking you… I’ll take immediate action.”

“It’s just your job, so it’s fine to leave it be.”

In truth, she could have caused a bigger commotion, but I just didn’t want to drag it out.

“First off, I received the invitation well. I had no idea it would be such a grand party.”

“I’m sorry for the trouble.”

“No, the direction I’ve been thinking about lately aligns well, so I’m glad to attend.”

What I declared back in Narni didn’t make it to the capital.

If this is where the continent’s important figures gather, it certainly serves as a debut stage.

“It’s sudden visiting… but when I tried to book a place to stay around here, all the inns were fully occupied. I was hoping you might have accommodations ready.”

“Yes, we have of course made preparations. I will write down the address, and you can go there.”

Shaara quickly took out some paper and started writing down the address.

Watching her, I suddenly remembered the scene I witnessed earlier while searching for this room.

“Shaara.”

“Yes?”

“I saw rats scurrying around the house. I caught about three of them, but who knows how many more are lurking, so how about conducting a full pest control throughout the city?”

Just then, there was a commotion outside from the soldiers moving around.

It seems they’ve discovered the three I left with shattered legs sprawled in the hallway.

While I had ensured their injuries wouldn’t heal quickly, without some separate handling, they wouldn’t be able to walk for two weeks.

I didn’t uncover the details of their conspiracy, but it’s worth keeping in mind that there were strange movements within Prigia.

“I will suggest it.”

“It’s not a suggestion. Make sure to do it. Incidents tend to occur at every event held at the Academy, but I don’t want it happening here too.”

“Yes, Lord Atlas.”

Shaara picked up the paper she had written on, let the ink dry, and tucked it straight into her pocket.

I suppose the next time we meet will be at the party.

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Following the address Shaara provided led me to a very luxurious hotel.

“Wow, is this the accommodation prepared by Prigia?”

“…Wow, it’s huge.”

The hotel appeared monumental and resplendent, just as described by Shaara.

“Hmmm….”

It looked like a hotel primarily designated for VIPs.

I easily spotted many noble families already residing in the hotel, prominently displaying their coats of arms through windows and walls.

Among these, one coat of arms stood out significantly—it was Perda’s.

“It seems only Perda is participating among the five pillars.”

The other five pillars might have participated, but they could have secured lodgings elsewhere.

However, considering Lucia hadn’t even known about the existence of this party, it’s quite likely the other five pillars aren’t participating.

After all, this party is nothing more than an extension of business for the Golden Ball.

Among the five pillars, Perda is likely the only one possessing foresight comparable to the Golden Ball’s business acumen.

I was curious whether Nivas had come, but given the circumstances, his father, Kalinas Perda, would almost certainly be attending.

For now, I decided to enter the accommodation.

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Upon entering as per Shaara’s instructions and stating my name, I was promptly shown to my room.

There were many people, but I didn’t have to worry too much.

This was not just an ordinary inn; it was a place laid out for VIPs by Prigia, hence there were plenty of vacant rooms.

“Spacious! So spacious!”

As soon as Gemma was shown to the room, she energetically ran around.

If it had been a standard hotel, the most expensive rooms would have been dreadful.

“How about we rest for a bit, then go check out the guilds in the street?”

“That sounds good. There was a place I wanted to see.”

Prigia is the city where gold gathers, the origin of the flow of gold.

All sorts of large guilds have their headquarters here, so there’s plenty to see.

I had been to the capital once, but I hadn’t had a chance to look around properly, so this time, I wanted to take my time and leisurely enjoy it.

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“… No matter how I think about it, it feels uneasy.”

However, the scene I had just witnessed in the castle lingered in my mind.