The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 347

I briefly considered just walking out, but there were still too many eyes around.

Given the unsettling atmosphere, it’s better to have a private conversation and figure out what’s going on first.

Hera, who was always surrounded by the top members of the Swordsmanship Research Club, barely had a moment alone.

However, waiting for Hera to be completely alone would definitely not be time-efficient.

Instead, it would be quicker to find someone else.

The fastest method would be to kidnap her; even with so many people around, taking her away without anyone noticing… I could do it.

But that would only add to the chaos.

For similar reasons, creating more confusion and then calling someone wasn’t an option either.

So that left the only remaining option of quietly calling for Hera and leading her away.

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Outside, people were still buzzing, but inside it was surprisingly quiet.

The multipurpose room on the second floor of the main building was where I was currently waiting.

“I’m really glad you figured it out.”

Hera entered the multipurpose room where I’d been waiting.

As I had previously conveyed, she came alone without any other club members.

“You’re using a classic method.”

“I was worried that you might not learn it, but thanks to you, I survived.”

Hera was able to come here because I had given her a signal that was only visible to her.

Using the light signal commonly employed by the rangers of the Blade Mountain Range, I sent a message for her to come here alone, and thankfully, she realized it.

Considering Hera’s high academic performance, I believed she would naturally know it, but if she didn’t… that would have been a bit troublesome.

“Hera, do you have any idea what’s going on? You came right after seeing me.”

“How did you know about that signal?”

“It’s my family background, of course I learned it as part of my education.”

Upon hearing my explanation, Hera nodded.

“Yeah, I figured you’d say that.”

“Eh?”

-Whiz!!

I dodged when I felt a murderous intent, and Hera’s sword barely missed my spot.

The sound from the blade slicing through the air was so menacing that it was clear she was swinging a true sword, not a practice one.

She was really ready to slice me down.

“W-What the hell are you doing?!”

“Shut it, you fake!! How dare you impersonate Atlas! You won’t make it out in one piece!!”

Me?? An impersonator?? What kind of nonsense is this?!

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Facing Hera, who stood there with a threatening aura and her sword drawn, the situation was utterly ridiculous.

“What do you mean fake? I’m the real Atlas Titan!”

“Right… That’s what the warning said! You’d claim to be the real one…!”

I had come knowing that there was an impersonator at the academy, but did everyone already know?

If that’s the case, then several others must have already encountered the impersonator.

So they think I’m the impersonator.

If even Metios couldn’t tell the difference at first glance, it would be tough for the academy students to differentiate.

Hera aimed her sword at me and continued speaking.

“And… Atlas would never say that to me!”

“We agreed to do it this way! What do you mean?!”

“The real Atlas has always treated me with respect! Despite his skill, he had the humility to honor his superiors!!”

In the beginning, when I had been deceiving her with a fake surname, I had indeed called her ‘Sister’ and been respectful.

I had decided not to do it anymore after revealing my age, though.

“Everything you said about Atlas being your younger brother is a lie. I won’t believe it… Yeah, it was all fake. If you’re really my brother Atlas, show me proof!!”

“What proof?!”

“Call me ‘Sister’ again!”

I thought I could slip past this, but had she held onto that in her heart?


Continuing to stall time like this was not wise in many ways.


I might as well just do what she wanted.

“Alright! I’ll do it!”

“… Really?”

“Ugh, yeah!”

As soon as I agreed to call her that again like in the past, Hera was filled with the utmost expectations.

Was she doing this on purpose knowing I was the real one?

Asking her how I used to address her might be a pretty effective way to differentiate.


Knowing how I called her before at least meant I had some memories of the past we shared.

“Bro…”

So I thought it would be better to just say it like old times and move on…

“Who in the world told you to say that to him?!!!”

-Whack!!

“Kah?!”

No matter how I looked at it, this was a bit too much.


A fierce punch drove into the abdomen of an unsuspecting Hera, who had let her guard down in eager anticipation, and she fainted in an instant.

Though my reason told me to just call it a day, there’s an immense aversion to calling Hera ‘Sister’ again now.

“B-President, what’s happening here?!!!”

Due to the loud noise, members of the Swordsmanship Research Club waiting outside began to gather curiously.

If I stayed here, it’d just get more troublesome, so I needed to escape.

“B-President has collapsed!!”

The cries of the distraught Swordsmanship Research Club members echoed throughout the Academy Main Building upon discovering fallen Hera.

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After knocking down Hera and moving out of sight from the crowd, I made a firm resolution.

“I’ll definitely kill that impostor.”

I originally planned to take him down, but now I was more certain of my decision.


I can’t just let this continue.

In traditional tales of impersonating monsters known as doppelgängers, when you see someone who looks alike, one side must die… I genuinely began to understand.

Having two identical people living under the same sky doesn’t make sense.


One has to die.

Even if they’re twins, my Master or Commander would probably whack me on the head and call me insane, but at least they recognize that they are different, so that’s another issue.

In this case, the biggest issue is that everyone can’t tell the fake from the real one at first sight.

If that guy goes around saying he’s me, people would mistake him for the real Atlas.


And judging by what the students are mumbling, that bastard wasn’t just hiding.

“The head of the Magical Engineering Department got caught!”

“Seriously… Doesn’t seem they’ll go down so easily. Where’s the location?”

It looks like he’s been caught a few times already, but it seems he got beaten up badly enough to be sent to the hospital.


Most seem to think I’m the fake, so it’s a relief, but the problem is the Academy is quite vast, and people generally don’t care much about others’ business.

Some even believe this chaos is all my doing.


For now… I need someone reliable who can help me in this situation.


At that moment, a few names crossed my mind.

Who should I go to first?

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The first person I decided to find was Amy.


Though River and Casey were also on my list, they were next.


In this bizarre situation, it made the most sense to lean on Amy, who carries the weight of being the ‘main character’ and has experience as a Devil Slayer.


After searching around, I found Amy was snooping around the mansion.


Dressed in a red coat imbued with anti-demon energy and wielding a mithril greatsword, she looked quite intimidating.


Even so, just watching from a distance wouldn’t change anything.


With no one else around, I might as well make contact first.

-Bam!!

Just as I thought, a silver bullet came my way.


I had thought she might shoot, so I dodged in time, but the silver bullet lodged itself in the wooden post, making a deafening sound.

“How fast…!”

After confirming I dodged the bullet, Amy prepared to fire again, and I waved my hands in surrender while shouting, “Amy, it’s me! Atlas!”

“You think I’m falling for that? You just said the same thing!”

Amy shot me a sharp glare.


It was an intimidating look she only gave to demons.

“I really am Atlas! I came back after hearing there’s an impersonator at the Academy!”

“If that’s the case, then based only on what others say, I can figure it out.”

Without any hesitation, Amy followed up quickly.

“If you’re really Atlas, show me proof.”

“Proof?”

“If you’re the real one… You know the passphrase needed to enter the underground of the sanctum, right?”

The passphrase needed to descend to the underground of the sanctum?


It seems she was referring to the area overseen by McKinto.


The fact that a passphrase is required for that place sounded absurd.

“That area is only accessible to those permitted by McKinto, so a passphrase isn’t necessary.”

“!!”

No sooner had I finished speaking than Amy dashed toward me.


Did I say something wrong?


I could’ve dodged, but I decided not to after noticing she was putting her guns back in their holsters.

“Wow… you really are Atlas.”

Amy hugged me tightly and let out a relieved sigh.

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“What’s all this commotion about?”

“Don’t you have a rough idea about the situation? That impersonator came in on a regular ship, and… he’s wreaking havoc all over the Academy.”

“Wreaking havoc in the Academy?”

“Yeah. He’s been beating up professors too, and I’ve informed Prigia, so everyone’s struggling to find the impersonator.”

It’s unfair, really; beating up professors isn’t something I do either.


If they’re going to blame me for it, can’t I just be the one to beat them up?

“Seems like some people have a different understanding of what’s happening?”

“Well, that can’t be helped. Once rumors spread, they twist in all sorts of ways. But until now, since there hasn’t been an Atlas around, there was no one to get confused with, so it was fine… I can’t manage everything just because I want to clarify it. As long as we catch the fake, it should all resolve, right?”

“That might be true.”

This implies issues could arise even after everything is settled.


Things got complicated in many ways.

“That impersonator… is probably a demon.”

“A demon?”

A demon who’s made a pact and wields a staff while impersonating Atlas Titan…

Naturally, I hadn’t even considered it, and the thought I hadn’t entertained before suddenly popped up in my mind.


‘Could it be… the original Atlas Titan…?’