The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 339

“Defeating Iris… Don’t think this Academy’s walls will keep you safe. I will find you, no matter the cost…”

“Shut up.”

– Smack!

A well-dressed man stepped forward to say something, but I knocked him out with a punch to his jaw, and he fell with a dazed expression.

I get it, everyone’s a victim here, but what do they expect me to do about it?

There’s no reason for me to be dragged into taking responsibility for something I didn’t do.

“Ugh… what should I do?”

“Are we next?”

The member of the Capital Security Force who was supposed to lead them—was it Iris?

She didn’t seem to be an Aura user, yet one such person had collapsed in a heap.

I decided to explain the situation to the terrified crowd, seeing they finally seemed to understand their own predicament.

“EEEEK???”

“Listen, everyone, while I was quite displeased by your abrupt and rude visit, I can understand if you had your reasons.”

“R-really…?”

I wondered just how wronged they must feel to have barged in and caused such a scene.

I could understand that much.

But trying to drag me away with nothing but an aggressive attitude and no warrant? That’s a bit too much.

I’ve heard that I’m from a prominent family, and they thought I came running to the Academy to escape investigation, but I need to clear up that misunderstanding.

“But there’s something I need to make clear: I returned to the Academy at the time you were harmed, and all the faculty here can testify to that. What you saw was not me—it was someone impersonating me.”

In any case, I insisted I wasn’t the one, and despair washed over the faces of the gathered crowd.

“I’ve explained everything so kindly, but if you insist on lingering and causing a fuss… then I’ll have no choice but to take action.”

As I tapped my foot on the ground to emphasize my point, all eyes naturally turned to the two men on the ground.

“But… what should we do?”

“Formally request an investigation regarding what happened, and if you see me anywhere outside of the Academy in the future, immediately report it to the Royal Knight Order and the Adventurer’s Guild. They will handle it swiftly.”

With a look of reluctance on their faces, the crowd began to retreat, dragging their two companions back the way they came.

Seeing the pale-faced, defeated stragglers left me feeling somewhat uneasy as well.

After all, they were real victims, and the culprit was the rude impersonator running around in my name.

The fact that someone was out there impersonating me was incredibly unsettling.

“I need to come up with a plan.”

I can’t just sit here and take this lying down.

…

The victims had exited the Academy, but since the Regular Ship had already left, I wouldn’t be able to leave until after dinner.

Although they were all practically dying to leave, it was impossible to do so immediately, so I watched as they congregated by the port, murmuring among themselves.

“Are you really just going to let them go like this? There are too many suspicious things going on. Shouldn’t we investigate a bit more?”

Casey commented, clearly skeptical about letting them go so easily.

It’s true, letting them go just like that isn’t how I usually operate.

Even if I were to let them go, I would have gathered more information first.

“But they all looked so wronged.”

“That sort of thing can be easily faked.”

“Are you saying you think what they said was a lie?”

“I’m only pointing out the possibilities. They didn’t just come here out of nowhere; they were definitely planning something against you. There’s something more here.”

Amy seemed to feel that the arriving individuals looked desperate, while Casey continued to doubt them.

I didn’t think what they said was a lie.

“If they were really planning something, they would have come up with a more believable story and prepared better.”

Just like that one Bishop who tried to label me as a heretic.

“I’m not going to sit around doing nothing. I need to investigate this.”

Someone is impersonating me.

Impersonators of notable nobles are one of the more well-known cons in the Empire, but I never thought I’d fall victim to something like that.

Until now, I hadn’t been well-known enough for it to be a concern, but now that I’ve gained some notoriety, it seems like the backlash has hit.

“Are you sure it’s not you…?”

“Absolutely not.”

Lucia looked at me skeptically.

It seemed that, aside from a few, most people felt I was capable of such incidents.

I’m not one for extortion, that’s for sure.

First and foremost, their common complaint is assault.

There might be some incidents I could remember from years or months ago, but nothing in the last week could possibly point back to me.

“Whatever the case, it’s true that someone is impersonating you.”

“And that’s the crux of the matter.”

Someone is out there impersonating me.

Not just impersonating but causing complete chaos while doing so.

If I leave this unchecked, it could end up hurting everyone, so I need to resolve this quickly.

“What are you going to do?”

“I can’t just sit back and take it, so I need to act.”

I plan to inform everyone within my reach.

I’ll warn the Adventurer’s Guild and the Royal Knight Order that there’s an impersonator running around in my name while simultaneously starting an investigation into those people.

They said he was spotted near the capital, so it falls within my area of activity.

Since he’s not around now, he might show up outside the capital, but that’s where I can plant another set of informants.

“Ha… Looks like my classes are over for today. With things starting off like this, it seems this semester won’t be smooth sailing.”

I need to hire someone to do research on those people before they catch the Regular Ship back.

I decided to move right away.

“Are you going already??”

“Yes. I need to make arrangements. Who knows what might happen in the meantime?”

Though I didn’t say it, everyone seemed a bit disappointed.

After all, I suggested today’s lunch plans, and now I’m bailing on them—what a jerk I am.

“I’m sorry, everyone. This was my idea after all.”

“It’s fine; it can’t be helped.”

Seeing it with their own eyes, it seems like everyone is trying to understand.

“Is there anything I can do to help?”

“Spread the word. Tell others that there’s someone out there impersonating me.”

…

…

…

Before the lunch break was even over, I slipped out of the Academy through a shortcut and began to wander toward the place I had in mind.

Typically, impersonators are con artists who use family names to fraudulently acquire valuables, but this guy seems a bit different.

I heard he’s been assaulting people indiscriminately?

He may have caused a scene in a restaurant or attempted extortion, but based on the overall situation described by the victims, it seems this impersonator enjoys exerting the power of the High Nobles to bully the weak.

Normal con artists commit fraud for monetary gain, but this guy seems to be fulfilling his own twisted desires.

Feeling superior while trampling those unable to fight back definitely takes things to a whole new level of disgusting.

“Your impersonator? Whoever it is, they’ve got guts. I’ll make sure to let the members know.”

“Thank you, Commander.”

Fortunately, I’ve heard no reports of trouble from the Knight Order yet.

If he had stirred up trouble here too, dealing with the fallout would have been even more difficult, so thank goodness for small mercies.

“An impersonator, huh… I wonder how skilled they are compared to you.”

“Not like it’s a mirror demon or anything; they can’t be that good.”

The events from the other day with Duke Oseong have already been reported to the Commander.

He displayed great interest in the demon that could closely replicate the abilities of Masters he hadn’t seen before.

“Even so, to impersonate you, they must have quite the audacity.”

“If they had my skills, they wouldn’t be resorting to intimidation.”

“That’s a fair point.”

The Commander chuckled, as if I had hit the nail on the head.

…

…

…

Next, I headed to the Adventurer’s Guild in the capital.

“Whoa!! Our hero!!! What brings you here today?”

“I’m here to place a request.”

As soon as I showed my mithril identification tag, I was guided straight to the Master on the top floor.

Perhaps because we had encountered each other several times during my expedition to the Snow Country, he welcomed me heartily as soon as he saw my face.

“Hmm~ A request from Mithril… Sounds like quite an adventure is brewing. What is it?”

“Unfortunately, it’s not anything so exciting. I’m looking for one person and… I’d like some surveillance done on a few others.”

“This isn’t your usual type of request, is it?”

Until now, whenever I submitted requests here, I was either looking for someone to join my exploration team or searching for a bunch of crazy fools willing to jump into dangerous areas. The Master looked surprised by such an unusual request.

“I’m dealing with a suspicious guy who’s been impersonating the Atlas Titan. I was told he was roaming near the capital just a few days ago, and I’d like you to catch him. Additionally… there are people claiming to have been victimized by him. They should still be at the Academy, so I’d like you to look into them as well.”

“Hoh… impersonating the Atlas? Whether they’re stupid or bold, I’ll elevate this request immediately. As for the surveillance, it shouldn’t be hard since we’ve already pinpointed locations.”