The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 321

“Is that… them?”

“They seem to be going on as usual.”

“Is this really okay? I heard it was… them.”

“Hey, watch what you say. You don’t want to end up at the hospital.”

In an instant, all the students’ gazes were focused on me.

Whether it was someone inside the carriage or students observing the situation from outside, they all directed their piercing stares at me.

I had expected this reaction, but experiencing it firsthand made me feel like my hand was going to instinctively rise to the Squirette perched on my shoulder.

Instead, I decided to manage my frustration by glaring at the cause of everyone’s attention.

“What business does the Titan have with me?”

“Is that how you normally are?”

Seeing me, Zeek, the heir of the Water Albion and one of the five pillars, shouted loud enough for everyone around to hear while bowing his waist, and then he actually went down on one knee.

I almost couldn’t believe it—was this the same Zeek Albion who used to scowl at me every time we met before the vacation?

If this was an attempt to tease me, he was doing a fantastic job.

“Zeek, what are you doing over there… Ugh, Atlas?”

Edgar got off from another carriage, seemingly looking for Zeek, but was surprised to see me.

It seemed they had come together since their territories were adjacent.

“Hey, the one riding on the name of Albion shouldn’t go down on his knees so easily. Get up!”

Edgar, shocked at seeing Zeek kneeling, grabbed his shoulder and tried to lift him up, but Zeek wouldn’t budge.

“No, Edgar. You might not know, but I have to do this.”

“What?”

“Atlas… Lord is a Titan. Although Lemnos isn’t, Albion owes a debt to the Titan.”

Was that a thing?

Both the Titan and Albion were families that exited the original story right away, so I had no idea.

If I went back a bit further, Russell also had a connection to the Titans, so it wouldn’t be strange if the five pillars were all somehow intertwined.

“I will serve you well at the Academy from now on, Titan.”

“Stop calling me Titan; it’s annoying.”

Thwack!

“Ugh?!”

Hearing “Titan” over and over got on my nerves, so I gave Zeek’s head a good thump.

It wasn’t just a regular hit; I used a technique to make the pain more pronounced.

His head would be buzzing, making it difficult to stand properly.

“Ugh…! If I’ve offended the Titan, I will make amends.”

Even after that, Zeek somehow maintained his posture and spoke to me.

This confirmed it wasn’t just a concept for him.

If he was really trying to make me look foolish in the Academy, I would have thought about revealing his mask and giving him a beating. But seeing him hold up after all this felt rather sincere.

“You can do whatever you want inside, but if you keep calling me Titan, you’ll get hit. Just call me by my name.”

“Understood.”

Edgar looked at Zeek with an expression of disbelief.

I was surprised too, but my friend probably felt even more shocked.

“Is it… because of that?”

“It’s not that.”

Amy asked, recalling the duel from earlier, but that wasn’t it either.

It seemed there was something I didn’t know, so I would have to ask Metios later what debt might have existed in the past.

It could come in handy someday.

All in all, while Zeek can’t wield a sword, he is the most outstanding battle mage among his peers.

At that moment, a very elaborately decorated carriage came rolling toward us.

It seemed a bit dangerous, but after seeing a bare upper body wave from the open window, moments later I spotted the family crest attached to the carriage.

“Hey, friends! You all gathered here? Were you waiting for me?”

“Definitely not.”

It was Perda’s carriage, which was so flamboyantly adorned that some nobles referred to it as trashy.

Edgar, evidently judging harshly, threw a cold remark at Perda, who seemed happy waving to him, but she nonchalantly passed by Edgar and hopped down to run to Gemma.

“Gemma! It’s an honor to see you again!”

“Hmm, you’re still the only one maintaining your etiquette. I will never forget that fact.”

“Thank you. This is a specialty from our territory; you should try it.”

Perda pulled out a large box with luxurious wrapping from the carriage.

Gemma, excitedly unwrapping it, found it packed with candies that looked like they were coated in white powdered sugar.

“Oh… this looks incredibly sweet.”

“They’re snacks made from the honey of the Crimson Bee, a monster that only grows in the Elf’s Forest. They boast a remarkable sweetness.”

The Crimson Bee is classified as a monster the size of a human fist.

Noted for its bright red body, its honey, though lower in sweetness, is famed for its rich flavor, making it a luxury for nobles, so snacks made from that must hold significant value.

“Oh, you’re giving it to someone else? It’s so unfair that you didn’t give me any when I asked!”

“What? Am I allowed to take one?”

“No way. You’ve already been eating the freshest from the source!”

Perda hadn’t come alone this time.

Whether from the forest or joined later on, Cindy’s carriage was also behind, along with the entourage that always stuck with her.

Everyone seemed too eager to chime in as they saw Gemma enjoying the box of goodies.

“Hey, wasn’t that a gift for the principal?”

“Did you bring just one?”

When Perda subtly opened the bag in the back, it revealed at least ten similar boxes.

They looked a lot like bribe boxes meant for the professors at the Academy.

“Well, I’m glad everyone seems to be doing well. After parting ways in the capital, I heard all sorts of rumors during the vacation, making for quite the excitement.”

“Atlas!!”

A half-elf slightly taller than me bounced out of the carriage like a rubber ball, quickly burying her face in my chest before I could react.

It was Nina, the half-elf that Perda brought along.

She hadn’t come to Castle Prigia; I guess the last time I saw her was when we parted in the capital.

“That’s right! Atlas!! Is that rumor true?”

“Oh, it’s been a while!”

Nina greeted me with the same innocent expression as last time.

Just being around her made me feel refreshed.

“I’m glad to see you too, Atlas! Anyway… that’s not the important part. Atlas, is that rumor really true?”

Curious about what she meant, I wondered what she was getting at.

If it’s a rumor from the break, it must be about something substantial.

Was it the biggest deal that everyone thought the Titan’s eldest son had severed ties with his family and was still alive and well in the Royal Knight Order… related to rumors from Prigia?

“That rumor about you being the foster brother of the Grand Warrior!”

Where on earth did that rumor come from??

A few minutes later, I was on a Regular Ship heading toward the Academy.

There were plenty of people waiting, but we could board immediately without waiting because it was simple.

They were waiting for a Regular Ship, which could carry a substantial load of carriages, while I boarded the usual Regular Ship that I used to travel around.

“Atlas, are you feeling alright?”

“Of course, I’m fine.”

Actually, I wasn’t fine.

I’m pretending to be okay.

I was bubbling down inside, but I kept it to myself, worried that I might come off as petty.

‘The foster brother of the Grand Warrior?’

The term “younger sibling” usually implies someone is below the other in rank.

When I asked Nina, she told me that Cindy and her mother had asked the Grand Warrior about me, and he chuckled heartily as he introduced me as his foster brother.

When we met in the forest a few years ago, he accepted me as a younger brother or something like that.

‘Is he out of his mind?’

Who’s calling whom a younger sibling?

Who saved them from the demons that have control in a place the World Tree’s reach does not?

Were they just posing strong in front of their kin?

I never imagined an elf would say something like that.

Like any elf, the Grand Warrior seemed fit, but emotionally, he didn’t show it much.

Unlike the half-elves, elves tend not to express emotions outward much as they age.

The Grand Warrior was a young warrior who had not long taken on his role, so perhaps he was acting childish.

“What’s wrong? You don’t look so good.”

“You seem to be pretty worried about it.”

“Y-Yeah! We don’t believe in such things…”

“Right! Elves are a great race, but you guys are even greater! So don’t worry about it!”

Seeing their faces, I must have looked quite gloomy because everyone offered words of consolation.

Just having people there to encourage me felt like my life wasn’t in vain.

“How little did they think of me for such a rumor to circulate?”

While recovering my composure, Casey jabbed me like a dagger in the chest.

It was annoying, yet I couldn’t argue against it.