The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 330

The principal of the Academy felt a sense of calm during the break.

Always keeping an eye on the events happening all over the Empire, he simply thought of any news that came his way as entertaining gossip.

Incidents like the Evil Dragon’s Undead threatening the capital or the abduction of Lady Prigia had occurred, but since there was no significant damage, he could brush them off as mere interesting issues.

However, if a student from the Academy was involved, the story took a different turn.

“Lind…a…!! You should’ve at least told me!!”

The principal recalled one of his old disciples from the great cathedral.

Didn’t he say that there was a child he was personally watching over at the Academy?

Yeah, he definitely had his eyes on that student.

That student was none other than an executive of the Royal Knight Order.

“If only you’d given me a hint…!!”

Just the fact that Linda was concerned made it clear she was a person of interest, so he naturally kept a closer watch on her than the other students.

She was always at the center of various incidents, so even without this, he would have been keeping an eye on her.

But now, knowing she was a part of the Royal Knight Order, especially at such a high level, changed things.

That place only allowed those who were top-level experts to enter.

She was someone he had to watch closely, not just casually, but someone he needed to have frequent conversations with.

Still, he had to express some gratitude.

After all, he had seen her personally take up arms and resolve threats against the Academy multiple times.

‘Don’t tell me Shadow is that child…?’

Surely, it couldn’t be that.

The principal understood well that there was a vast difference between a Master and an Expert.

Perhaps he was overthinking things.

Yet, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there might be some connection.

It was known that all the Shadows followed Linda’s commands.

“And… indeed, she’s a Titan. I didn’t expect her to be the firstborn.”

He could deduce that there was some association with the Titans.

What she had brought when she enrolled was something sent to the Titans, after all.

[Principal, it’s Atlas.]

Speaking of the devil, just as he thought of him, Atlas, who had been a headache, appeared.

He couldn’t help but wonder what brought him here.

Was there something he was plotting?

“Did you enjoy your break, Principal?”

“Thanks to you, I had a lively time.”

Curious about what he wanted to say, he allowed Atlas to enter, and he walked in with the same smile he had before the break began.

‘What is…?’

However, something felt different.

Until now, he hadn’t particularly felt anything off about Atlas.

He just thought he was a bit stronger than his peers, but now that he knew everything, he could sense something he hadn’t before.

The moment he walked in, an enormous pressure seemed to weigh down upon him.

‘Am I just being paranoid?’

It was impossible to tell whether he had always been this way and he was just unaware, or if Atlas was now revealing something he had hidden, or if he was just being jumpy for no reason.

If only there were at least one more person present, he could cross-check things, but that wasn’t important right now.

Regardless of the reason, what mattered was that he was feeling immense pressure from Atlas.

“What brings you to me?”

He was a bit wary of Atlas approaching him with something to discuss before the semester even began, but he smiled as if it was no big deal and answered.

“I have a request. It probably won’t be a loss for the Academy.”

“Since you say it like that, I’m looking forward to it.”

Since Atlas had come directly to assure him this wouldn’t be a loss, he managed to relax a bit.

He might not hold high expectations just because it was a student speaking, but this was a member of the Royal Knight Order.

Whatever he said must carry weight.

“There’s someone I’d like to have transferred in.”

“A transfer?”

“Yes. They are quite capable and would be unrivaled compared to anyone here.”

An outstanding transfer student was always welcome at the Academy.

However… there was something that bothered him.

Could someone truly exist who was unmatched compared to the academy’s students?

If we talked about the most impressive backgrounds, it would undoubtedly be the royalty.

The royal families of the Five Kingdoms and occasionally beastman royalty sent exchange students.

To be on par with them would be quite limited.

‘Don’t tell me it’s a member of the royal family.’

There was indeed a princess who would be finishing her coming-of-age ceremony and enrolling in the Academy next year, but if she had acted, it would have certainly reached the principal’s ears.

So who on earth could it be?

“That sounds intriguing… who are they?”

From the principal’s position, having sent invitations to most of the prominent families, he was incredibly curious.

And to his surprise, Atlas revealed an unforeseen name.

“She is the daughter of the Dragon Lord.”

“Huh?!”

He barely managed to keep himself from falling backward in shock.

“D-Dragon Lord’s daughter???”

“Yes.”

The principal was too flabbergasted to understand how such a person would come to the Academy.

He had been a tremendous magician who had once clashed with top-level experts in his youth, yet had never seen the Dragon Lord even once.

The Gold Dragon, at the pinnacle of all dragons, with the Dragon Lord being the most outstanding individual among them.

The bloodline of such a magnificent being?

‘Is he joking right now?’

His head was spinning in confusion.

He knew Atlas was not the type to joke, but no matter how he thought about it, the news he had just heard seemed almost like a joke.

———

‘It seemed he couldn’t believe I was the daughter of the Dragon Lord, did he?’

He remembered the principal’s expression turned vacant.

Well, regardless, he had received permission, so he just needed to bring Gemma and proceed with the remaining formalities.

“Do you need anything?”

– Crash!!

“Ah… no! It’s nothing!!”

Seeing the gazes glancing at him from the faculty room near the principal’s office, he glared and everyone quickly lowered their eyes in shock.

Most of the professors had returned early to prepare for the upcoming semester since there was less than a week until the start of classes.

For a short moment, seeing the professors who looked startled was quite amusing to him.

Aside from the calm-looking professors, he also spotted several who had shown hostility toward him during the first semester.

He could guess just how far the rumors had spread.

At this rate, it seemed he could have a really peaceful remaining semester without pesky bugs bothering him.

‘There’s still one more thing I need to secure.’

He moved toward the Church Country.

.

.

.

Arriving at Castle Raoul Cathedral, which he was accustomed to visiting frequently.

The destination was, of course, the Holy Relic storage that was effectively being used as McKinto’s nest.

He wondered whether McKinto had properly followed through after contacting the Lord last time.

If not, he would have had to handle it himself.

Having come here so often, many recognized him, so as he passed by, everyone greeted him casually without any shock.

As he was about to take the elevator down, he felt a familiar presence behind him.

“Wow, Atlas! Did you come to see me?”

Suddenly, he felt a soft touch on the back of his head.

He could feel his feet lifting off the ground.

This unexpected ambush was a delight, and he didn’t even need to see who it was because of the sweet fragrance drifting from a distance.

“Don’t you think so? You’re under McKinto, right? I came to ask something.”

“What about me?”

“Not right now.”

Without a hint of panic, he maintained his composure, and Carmel, still holding him from behind, whined in disappointment.

“Hmm~? You looked so flustered before, but now you’re not? Are you getting used to this or something?”

“Hey, you…!!”

“Hehe.”

His face turned red from the unexpected comment.

His cheeks flared up from being caught off guard, and they wouldn’t settle down.

Carmel lifted the veil slightly and showed a playful smile.

“Come on, it’s a bit unfair to talk about someone else when I’m right here, isn’t it?”

“What do you expect me to say about others?”

Nevertheless, Carmel was a Saintess.

It wouldn’t do her good to act out like this in front of everyone at Castle Raoul Cathedral.

Having decided that, his heart raced as they suddenly acted like this in the cathedral.

“Atlas, even though you might be getting used to it since you come in and out of here often… just so you know, the basement is a dangerous place guarded by a ferocious Red Dragon, alright? So don’t worry, nobody comes near here.”

Though they had always been close, this incident had pulled them even closer.