The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 378

I was on high alert, ready to flee at any moment.

So you’re telling me the Dragon Lord collapsed because Gemma was riding on her back?

In the end, it was her own fury that took her down, so why is that my fault?

It seems like only Nix understood the situation correctly, as a Green Dragon, who had been listening at the entrance, rushed over in a frenzy.

[Gemma! What happened?! You ran away, and now you’re letting that… that Mortal ride you like that?!]

[Letting? That’s not it!]

[I see now why the Lord was worried… It’s only been a short while since you ran away, and look at you, showing your back to a Mortal like that! I taught you to be careful!]

The dragon called Jade shouted at Gemma as if shedding tears of blood over the fact that the child she had raised with such care was taken by some random nobody.

[I’m this shocked, and I can only imagine how the Lord must feel… If it weren’t for that guy, the Lord would be!!]

In a fit of rage, the fury turned towards me.

The Green Dragon, Jade, charged at me with barely contained excitement, looking down.

Seeing these dragons reacting with such intensity made me feel strange.

‘Is this really my fault?’

Am I really being grilled over just riding on her back?

There’s clearly some sort of dragon thing I’m unaware of, but do I need to care about that?

Isn’t it dragons who should keep those secret customs? Why am I being forced into it?

If anything, I was the one who helped her come to her senses, since she was about to be hunted down by dragon slayers targeting the rebellious nobles of the Empire!

Anger started bubbling up, making my fists clench involuntarily.

Yeah, since the Lord is down, I don’t need to hold back against these guys.

“Ugh!”

-Bam!!!

I instantly slapped Jade on the nose.

[What??]

The much larger Jade spun around in shock and collapsed to the floor.

[You… slapped me??]

“Yeah, I did, you iguana!!”

He seemed incredulous that he had been knocked down by a much smaller Mortal, touching his own nose in disbelief, so this time, I slapped his cheek.

-Crack!!

[Ugh??]

This time, he didn’t just fall; he slid across the floor.

Jade looked like he had bitten his tongue and was bleeding, disbelief written all over his face.

[I… I was hit twice?? By a Mortal??]

“Yeah, you were hit. What’s the big deal about me riding on your back? I saved you from dying a couple of times, isn’t that worth anything?”

[What… did you just say?!]

There’s a legend about Dragon Riders in the world, and here I am, asking what’s the deal with riding on a back; his eyes lit up like it was some kind of trigger.

Honestly, I prevented him from getting hunted by dragon slayers without him even knowing it. Shouldn’t he be thanking me instead?

[That’s one thing, but this is another!!]

Bright green mana flared around Jade.

The look of confusion vanished, replaced by the solemnity of a dragon.

He was awakening the Dragon Heart, gearing up for serious combat.

If just moments ago he was merely swinging wild attacks fueled by emotion, now was when the true prowess of the Green Dragon, Jade, would show.

And if that’s the case, I’d give it my all, too.

As I grasped my Squirette hanging on my back, everything around me fell into shadows.

Gemma wrapped her arms around me.

[If anyone tries to hold him responsible, I won’t forgive you all!]

With one hand pointing at me, she spread golden mana around, giving off a powerful warning that anyone who approached wouldn’t be treated kindly.

The golden lightning zigzagging in the air looked like it would strike anyone who came near.

I thought for a second that maybe I could side with the dragons because of their nature, but I must have been too careless.

[Ugh… ughh…]


Gemma’s demeanor changed, and it felt like the slumbering Dragon Lord was having a nightmare.

[To go that far… it seems that Mortal…!!]

[Jade, fall back. Are you going to make trouble in the Lord’s chamber?]

Jade looked furious with me, but White Dragon Nix clapped his hands as if to say he didn’t care about that, diverting Jade’s gaze.

Perhaps regaining his composure in response to that sound, Jade calmed his mana down.

[If the Lord had been awake, he would have surely held you responsible. However, I cannot judge the Lord’s will. That is something to resolve after the Lord awakens.]

Nix said this while sneaking a glance at Gemma.

[In the end, what caused him to collapse was merely an incident. If it were the original Lord, he would have shaken it off and stood up. Clearly, something is wrong, and right now, we are all focusing on figuring that out.]

Couldn’t we say he just collapsed from a case of stress?

There are plenty of instances out there where people have passed away for much more trivial reasons.

People have died just from eating salted snacks and getting high blood pressure on the toilet, or others fainting from being too shocked by winning the lottery.

If we consider a father’s fury over his daughter’s actions, that seems more like a valid reason. But hey, he’s a dragon, so he’s bound to be tougher.

Anyway, it was a relief that they didn’t seem to want to hold me accountable.

If it came down to it, I would have to take them all down.

[… So, then, the fallen Father didn’t order me to bring him back, right?]

[I’m hearing this for the first time… could you elaborate?]

Nix’s eyes glimmered white as he listened to Gemma’s story.

.

.

.

When the five dragons suddenly appeared at the Academy, Nix displayed considerable displeasure.

[You mean dragons that deceived us into thinking they were under the Lord’s orders have shown up…? Now that’s a hassle.]

After hearing the story, though it didn’t seem as if he had come up empty-handed, Nix appeared deep in thought.

There was a clear issue with continuously causing a ruckus in the Lord’s chamber, so they had all moved to the reception room.

Smarag had already found something to do and left, while Jade bit down in response to Nix’s words, “You should go do your work, it’s a distraction.”

The reception room was also set up for both dragons and small mortals to use, with huge cushions for the dragons to sit on and tables suited to their height in the center.

There were also chairs and tables specifically designed for the size of mortals on the table.

“Am I not supposed to sit over there?”

[You shouldn’t be leaving my side yet.]

Normally, I should be sitting in that chair, but seeing how Gemma, who had just witnessed Jade getting worked up, was reluctant to let me go.

[First… though it’s a bit late, allow me to introduce myself formally. I’m Nix, serving as the Lord’s secretary.]

“Atlast.”

[Yes. I know we are acquainted. Thank you for protecting Gemma, Master of the Empire.]

Nix said that and bowed his head to me.

[N-Nix??]

Gemma shouted in surprise, witnessing the rare sight of a dragon bowing to a mortal.

I didn’t feel the need to be surprised or anything.

“I was just doing what I had to do.”

[You don’t understand how lucky you are to be at Gemma’s side in a situation like this.]

With his eyes narrowed, Nix began explaining the situation.

[Given that the Lord is unable to awaken for unknown reasons, it would make sense to appoint a new Lord or at least a temporary proxy.]

[A new Lord?! How dare you speak that blasphemy while Father is still alive!!]

[That wasn’t my statement. Neither is it my wish.]

A new Lord, or a proxy.

Though the Lord was unable to awaken due to some unknown cause, suggesting a new Lord was incredibly blasphemous.

The idea of appointing a proxy was also odd.

Even if the Lord was incapacitated, Nix was right there.

She was a dragon who operated close by!

Even if there was a temporary vacancy, she could definitely handle things just fine.

That someone would dare to utter such audacious words narrowed down my suspects to about three dragons I was aware of.

[So who on earth…!!]

“Whoever it is, they must be someone formidable to even speak such words.”

As I was about to mention the individuals that crossed my mind regarding Gemma, a loud voice suddenly boomed from outside.

[Hey!! Where is everyone?! It’s time to make a decision!]

[… They’ve arrived.]

Hearing the heavy footsteps approaching down the hallway, Nix let out a sigh.

[That voice…?]

[It seems they’ve finally arrived. That’s Lord’s sibling, Sal Aurum.]

The one who suggested electing a new Lord was none other than the Dragon Lord’s younger brother, the Gold Dragon, Sal.

[Look who’s here!]

A rather handsome Gold Dragon barged through the reception room’s door without knocking.

Even in dragon form, it was easy to tell whether they were handsome or not.

With a balanced physique and sparkling scales, he looked like he had walked straight out of a painting.

He behaved quite rudely despite his looks, and Nix merely squinted his eyes as if he was used to it.