The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 417

The declaration of my withdrawal, which I had been hiding until the end of the semester, was actually something I had been preparing for quite a while.

I shouldn’t be a student at the Academy anymore.

So far, I had stayed with a clear purpose, but since most of that has been resolved, remaining a student at the Academy now would only be a burden to everyone.

I made this decision the moment Satan’s physical form turned to dust and disappeared.

“Why… why?? What do you mean you’re suddenly dropping out??”

“That’s right! We just finished one year, and now you’re saying you want to drop out… it’s so sudden!”

“What do you mean drop out…?”

I had considered talking about this outside the Academy during the break, but I figured that if I just disappeared without a word as the new semester started, there would be people who would be hurt. So I decided to say it in advance, and sure enough, I got a strong reaction.

“There are various reasons… but the biggest one is that I no longer have anything to worry about. There are no demons, and nothing seems like it will happen.”

Did I announce it too suddenly?

Everyone looked shocked.

I thought I had resolved to do this firmly, but seeing everyone’s faces made my resolve waver.

If I had said it earlier, I definitely would have hesitated.

A single document I held fluttered in the wind.

“What’s that in your hand…?”

Lucia pointed at the document in my hand.

“This? It’s the withdrawal application. I’m really trying to walk out of the Academy, and they have made it such a hassle for me…”

– Boom!!

Before I could finish speaking, a sharp slash flew towards the document I was holding.

“No.”

The one who swung the sword was Lucia, who had asked me about the document’s identity.

It was the sharpest attack I had seen from Lucia recently, but her slash didn’t even graze the document.

“This is really important. I have no intention of joking around.”

“Why… why are you trying to drop out..?”

“Don’t take it too seriously. I’m not cutting off my relationship with you all, it’s just that I won’t be a student anymore. I’ll come visit you often.”

Everyone seemed to be taking it too seriously, but it’s not that big of a deal.

It’s just returning everything back to normal.

From the beginning, I wasn’t even of the age to be called a student, nor was I in that position.

I was just here for a short break while handling matters I’d been concerned about for a while.

Everything is resolved, so I’m just going back to how it was.

I’ve had enough rest after almost a year.

“Well, now that that’s settled, I’ll see you later.”

Once I submit this document, I will really be done being a student.

Thinking this, I used teleportation to leave the place.

“Atlas!!!”

“Where are you going!!!”

If I got pressed further, I felt like I might change my mind.

—————–

“Haah… it’s finally over.”

I came to the Principal’s Office to submit the final document.

While expelling someone from the Academy is straightforward, withdrawing involves a lot of necessary documents.

Having finally submitted the last document, I am now officially no longer a student at the Academy.

“What do you mean it’s all over? You still have this document left.”

I thought to myself when the Principal handed me another paper.

The document handed over was truly a blank one with no specific details.

It only contained a simple question asking if I really was going to withdraw.

Without a hint of hesitation, I picked up the pen, signed it, and returned it to the Principal.

“There. I signed it, so is it really over now?”

“Of course, but there’s no way I’ll accept it if you submit it now. Let’s do it tomorrow.”

As I handed over the document, the Principal returned it to me.

I’ve been planning this for months now, so why can’t I just do it?

I was on the verge of getting angry.

“Why do you need so many things when I’m just trying to leave? When I enrolled, all it took was a single invitation!”

“Ah, think of our side too. Each student is precious, and we can’t just let them go easily. Many students impulsively decide to withdraw in a surge of emotions during tumultuous times. This is just to give them more time to think.”

“Do you know that I’ve been going around submitting these documents since a week ago? Is this the last one?”

“Indeed, it’s the last one. Since regulations are regulations, if this one is completed, it will really be over.”

If another one pops up tomorrow, I will tear the thing apart.

“If I withdraw… will I be reinstated to the Royal Knight Order?”

“That’s probably how it will go. I don’t know if there will even be a place left for you since you’ve been wandering around for a while.”

I’ve already decided what to do after this, but for now, it looks like I’ll be reinstated in the Order.

I had been absent for various activities at the Snow Country Exploration Team or the Academy, but the fact is that about half of the higher-ups in the Royal Knight Order aren’t even stationed in the Capital.

It’s just that on the surface, I was also marked as being out on assignment, so I should be able to return.

‘There are many other things to do besides returning to the Royal Knight Order.’

In fact, that was just talk; once my withdrawal is properly processed, I already have everything planned out.

Thus, if my withdrawal isn’t handled properly, it could turn into a real problem.

“If there’s no seat for a knight as competent as I am, then who will take it?”

The Principal said that, stood up, and bowed to me.

“Thank you for protecting the Academy until now. Without you, the Academy wouldn’t have survived this year.”

Bowing like this shows the utmost respect he could give, not just a slight nod.

It’s true that I did something significant, but seeing the Principal act like this made me feel unexpectedly emotional.

Most of the things I did after becoming a knight were resolved as a Shadow, so there were few instances where someone genuinely thanked me. Having someone unexpected express gratitude felt good.

‘Guess I really do enjoy receiving thanks like this.’

—————–

After Atlas made his bombshell announcement and vanished, everyone moved quickly.

Given how they deliberately avoided the topic, it was clear they were hiding something.

Even though the duration was less than a year, I had seen it all from the side, and River was able to figure it out.

“Did you hear?”

“Yeah. They say a complicated process is needed to withdraw from the Academy.”

“From the looks of it, coming out of the Principal’s Office, it seems only one last step remains. He will submit the final document tomorrow.”

Though Atlas had disappeared in front of everyone, they somehow figured out where he was heading.

He was holding documents and declared he would withdraw.

So it must be the Faculty Room or the Principal’s Office.

Since withdrawal is a serious matter, it should be handled by the responsible professor or higher-ups, so we focused on searching there.

Upon hearing this news, Shaara contacted somewhere and quickly found out Atlas’s location.

“Once that document is submitted, Atlas will no longer be a student at the Academy, right?”

“… Right.”

The document Atlas was holding was indeed the one required for the withdrawal process.

“We can’t let that happen.”

“Exactly. How can he just come in and decide to leave like that… that’s not how it works!”

Everyone was furious that Atlas had unilaterally decided to withdraw.

One could say that deciding to withdraw should be something one can choose freely, but by now, Atlas held too much significance in everyone’s lives.

Even if he did decide to withdraw, it couldn’t end like this.

We had to have enough dialogue and listen to a reasonable explanation.

So we couldn’t just let him leave alone.

“In the end, the crucial point is that Atlas has to submit the final document to the Principal. According to regulations, the Principal has to hand it directly to the student, then it’s supposed to be accepted again 24 hours later.”

“If Atlas doesn’t submit the document, it won’t be processed?”

“Tomorrow is the last day of the semester so if he can’t do it tomorrow, he’ll have to go through at least another semester.”

While everyone was in a heated debate, someone raised a question that obviously needed to be asked.

“Are we really going to stop Atlas… to prevent him from submitting the document? Is that… even possible?”

“… Well, that’s.”

Everyone felt a lump in their throats.

Yeah, the method to stop a withdrawal is simple.

If we just intercept the complicated paperwork intended to prevent impulsive withdrawal during an emotional high, his withdrawal would be delayed.

But who is Atlas? He is a superhuman who surpasses the limits of humans.

He can take down a fortress single-handedly and is the only human in the history of the continent to have slain a Great Demon.

Not only that, but he also possesses a unique power that allows him to go wherever he wants.

What could we even do to stop someone like Atlas?

It would be more likely to command an ant to stop a lion.

Breaking the tense silence was Lucia.

“Whether we can do it or not… isn’t the issue. We have to do it.”

Lucia’s gaze was more earnest than ever.

She was furious at Atlas for leaving and disappearing after just notifying them, but her eyes conveyed she absolutely wouldn’t let him go.

“I’m going to make it happen, no matter what.”