The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 300

As soon as I accepted the scroll, I moved to the place where I had to use it for someone.

“Lord Atlas? What brings you here at this hour?”

The person in question was none other than Shaara, the primary escort target for tonight’s party.

As I stepped into the room, Shaara was still awake, wearing her pajamas.

When she jumped up, a sweet fragrance wafted through the air, one I had encountered before.

I was quite taken aback by my sudden entrance.

It was surprising enough for a strange man to enter her room, but thinking back, I recalled a similar situation from the past.

That time when I barged into the girls’ dormitory to train Shaara came to mind.

“Sit down. Sorry for coming so late. I had something to confirm.”

Not knowing what had happened outside, she was flustered but quickly calmed down.

Watching Shaara sit down obediently made me feel uneasy for no reason.

‘Maybe I’m thinking too much.’

I was entertaining the worst-case scenario and suspecting Shaara.

Just like the pair of them before, it’s possible that Shaara had already been kidnapped and the one here was merely a doppelganger.

This line of thinking posed a slight issue, though; if Shaara had indeed been kidnapped, why would the sneaky rats make their plans now?

However, given that it had already been revealed that a doppelganger existed, suspicion was undoubtedly justified.

It wouldn’t hurt to be cautious, either.

What we discussed back then might not be referring to Shaara at all.

If I turned out to be wrong, I’d only lose a scroll.

I could just buy another one from the Magic Tower.

But what if the Shaara here was indeed a doppelganger?

That would mean I had already failed before even beginning, which was a terrifying scenario.

“Alright, let’s get started.”

I took out the scroll and activated the stored magic.

A red light similar to the atmosphere of magic filled the room.

Now, it was time for the results.

If Shaara was a doppelganger, she would now revert to her original form.

Tense, I watched to see if Shaara would change or remain the same.

‘Please… please stay as you are.’

And the result was…

“Phew, what a relief.”

There was no change in Shaara’s appearance.

It was definitely the real Shaara.

While I had prepared for the worst-case scenario, it appeared things weren’t quite that dire.

“Um… Lord Atlas, what’s going on?”

“No, no… I’m just glad, really.”

With my tension eased, I found myself sitting on the bed without realizing it.

“I could be overreacting, but I feel like there’s a group targeting you, so I wanted to check.”

“I see, so it’s about those rats you mentioned earlier.”

“Yeah.”

I was unsure exactly who they were targeting.

In fact, they might not be after Shaara at all but the Golden Ball instead.

Otherwise, it could be the other attendees at the party.

No one knows for sure.

Based on the original story I knew, I was protecting Shaara, but there were already other people who had been caught, potentially leading to major incidents I never anticipated.

If something were to happen to Shaara, it would be one of the first signs of the Empire’s downfall, so I was merely trying to prevent that.

“A trace of a doppelganger was discovered. When dawn breaks, I plan to collaborate with the Magic Tower to hunt down the doppelganger.”

Upon hearing the word “doppelganger,” Shaara realized what it meant concerning her.

“Were you… suspecting me?”

“I wasn’t suspecting you. I was suspecting the doppelganger. If a doppelganger is shapeshifted, we wouldn’t notice.”

Even so, she lowered her head slightly, probably feeling a bit hurt thinking that she might be regarded as a doppelganger.

“When dawn breaks, we will have to verify with the Duke first.”

“My father won’t accept it. He’ll think rising to that level is an attack against himself.”

“Don’t worry—there are ways around everything.”

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With so much to do, time flew.

As the sun rose, I requested the Magic Tower for humans capable of revealing doppelgangers… or rather, excellent magicians, but they refused that request.

They said not many people had mastered that kind of magic.

Instead, they would sell scrolls at that price, but it seemed suspicious since the scrolls were priced way higher, so I directly asked Hoenheim again and this time, it was accepted.

I had no idea what happened to the person who tried to sell scrolls.

The last thing I saw was Hoenheim being taken aside for a one-on-one interview.

The Golden Ball, as expected by Shaara, didn’t allow me to use magic on him, but the Saintess stepped in, and I was able to have Hartman’s case checked under conditions that others wouldn’t know about.

And he was still fine too.

However, a few problems emerged from the few people invited to this place.

It turned out around four of them were doppelgangers, leading to chaos, and the search for missing persons was still ongoing.

If they had already been offered as sacrifices, there would be no way to find them.

Time passed quickly, and today was the day the party would start.

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I stood in front of the full-length mirror in my lodging, adjusting my appearance.

“Is it okay?”

“Hmm… it’s passable.”

When I asked, Casey, who was sitting behind me, replied flatly.

“I meant, is there anything off?”

“It’s just strange to see you in that outfit.”

I was inflamed by her harsh evaluation, but she wasn’t wrong.

Currently, I was wearing the uniform of the Royal Knight Order.

Since the order had “Royal” in front of it, the uniforms were designed to be particularly luxurious and were crafted with various intricacies over white silk from snowflake silkworms.

The way the outfit looked on a tall person like Andy made it stand out, but I wasn’t particularly a fan of how it looked on me.

Since I didn’t receive another one, it was the same as when I first got it, yet my uniform still sparkled like it was brand new, which was partially due to the unique trait of the silk, but the main reason was that I had worn this outfit so little.

I was mostly out and about for work, so how often have I actually worn these kinds of clothes for official events in the Empire?

“What suddenly got into you to wear that outfit? You have better clothes, don’t you?”

The uniform of the Royal Knight Order may be a high-quality item recognizing the nobility, but it wasn’t high-end.

Items like this were given to anyone once they officially became members, and even for the higher ranks, the details of the accessories were the only thing that changed.

As for my party tuxedo, which I had never worn, that was way more expensive.

It was one of the finest items crafted by a Dwarf artisan at the request of Cronos for my 10th birthday.

But the fact that I was wearing something made when I was ten was the biggest reason why I doubted it.

“There’s a lot I need to convey at this party.”

I attached a badge to my chest while looking in the mirror.

On the far left was an adamantium badge proving I was a high-ranking member of the order, beside it, the emblem of the Titan, the Blade Mountain seal; today was a day for self-P.R.

“It’ll be unluck if someone doesn’t get beaten up. That’s why I hadn’t gone out until now.”

“….”

After spending such a long time together, Casey knew me all too well.

While there may not have been events in the Royal Knight Order like these, my personality kept me from participating.

I had shied away because I disliked being in the spotlight.

But maybe things would be different now.

“Wow, Atlas, what’s that outfit??”

“It’s the Knight Order uniform.”

People from the other room came in one by one to gawk at me after I had changed.

In the Academy, they were used to seeing me always in similar clothes, so this would be the first time they had seen me dressed like this.

“Oh, this is the same one that Andy wore on the first day, right?”

“Don’t compare it to that.”

I hadn’t been thinking about it, but Andy’s face came back to me.

Suddenly, I felt displeased with my reflection in the mirror.

I wished I were a little taller.

“Atlas… it suits you well.”

“Thanks for the compliment.”

Everyone said it looked good, but I still felt something wasn’t right.

“…Hmm.”

Let’s give it a try.

I summoned the Power of Polymorph slumbering within me for the very first time.

“Yikes?!”

As my body suddenly began to change, everyone present was shocked.

The power, which was of a different caliber than mere shapeshifting or transformation, successfully morphed my body into the appearance I desired in an instant.

“Now that looks good.”

In the full-length mirror stood a man at 185 cm tall.

With my body growing, the uniform enlarged accordingly, resulting in a figure that looked like something out of a fashion magazine.

The height was that of my first life, and the other details reflected Atlas from my second life, crafted according to my imagination.

It was just like the first time I transitioned after acquiring the Power of Polymorph.

“Ah….”

This was my first time using Polymorph since then.

Seeing my suddenly altered appearance made Lucia go pale and speak with a trembling voice.

“Atlas… you’ve changed…!!”