The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 42

“……..”

As soon as he realized that the sponsor I was covering research costs for was a member of the Titan Family, Professor Praha’s face went pale.

“Y-Yes… Just a moment… Please wait.”

Oblivious to his oversized glasses slipping down his nose, he staggered into the archive room.

Once the door closed, I could hear clattering noises from inside.

The sounds of papers rustling, thick books being pulled from the shelves, and various other noises ensued, culminating in the faint sound of a bolt sliding open.

‘No way?’

Surely it’s the sound of a storage area containing samples opening, not a window or another back door.

Could he really be trying to sneak away just because an elf professor from the Academy showed up for a progress report?

He looked incredibly anxious, but a rational person wouldn’t do that.

After a few soft footsteps echoed in the archive, all sounds ceased.

“….If it’s a person…”

The absurd silence made me cross my arms and tap my fingers against my arm as I grabbed the doorknob of the archive.

The door was locked.

With a bit of force, the doorknob came off, revealing the interior of the archive.

“Not in sight?”

Inside the archive, there was no sign of Nico Praha.

It was evident that something had been rummaged through, as thick books and piles of papers bound with strings lay scattered as if they had just been tossed around.

It seemed he really had fled.

I was mistaken to think of him as just a person.

He was an elf after all.

Grabbing my throbbing head, I looked around.

I distinctly heard the sound of a bolt sliding open earlier, yet there were no windows or doors in the archive.

‘A hidden passage or room…?’

I had no idea why something like that would exist in a laboratory, but I would have to find it.

After all, it was my family’s… no, my younger sibling’s money that went into this.

I never imagined that an Academy professor over a hundred years old, with plenty of life experience, would act like this.

If I simply smashed the walls and floor around here, I could probably find it quickly.

As a master, I could definitely manage without any weapons.

But that would mean the information piled up in this place would be completely lost… I still hadn’t heard about any research results.

Then, I’d have no choice but to search thoroughly.

The archives, with no one seeming to manage them, had a fine layer of dust over everything.

Untidy spaces like this leave traces behind.

Like the mark that seemed to show something heavy had been pushed forward in front of the third bookshelf on the left.

Fortunately, it looked like Nico Praha didn’t always think ahead while attempting to escape.

If he did, he wouldn’t have been so careless.

Pulling or pushing the bookshelf from the side or front, it opened smoothly like a massive door.

It appeared to have some mechanical setup inside.

As the bookshelf opened, a thick iron door appeared behind it.

Surely, the sound of the bolt sliding open had come from here.

—————————————

I was about to threaten to slice through the door with Aura Blade if it didn’t open, but when I politely asked if he understood what he was doing, he quickly opened the door.

Realizing impulsively what he had just done, he looked terrified, his face turning pale.

“How dare you run away?”

“I… got scared while searching… I’m really sorry… I wasn’t trying to run off with the money.”

Professor Nico couldn’t even look me in the eye.

Considering I had shown up for an unannounced inspection, it was natural for him to be shocked.

But still, attempting to run right in front of me was absurd.

“I see research has been done according to your paper, but you have nothing to show for it?”

It’s not an exaggeration to say I’ve done everything to grow taller.

I’ve studied enough to comprehend biological papers, in case there was an issue with my body.

Nico Praha’s papers were not some flimsy, fraudulent documents.

Since he was taking the Titan’s money, I continued to provide support because he provided regular progress reports.

“Ah… no, there are results… but they all came out contrary to my intentions…”

“Then you should at least show me those results. What are you doing?”

“Yes…”

Professor Praha went back into the laboratory and opened the door of a massive furniture piece resembling a refrigerator.

Inside was some insanely expensive item presumably covered by automatic preservation magic.

I hoped that wasn’t purchased with research funds.

I wanted to believe it was provided by the Academy.

As he rummaged inside, Professor Praha brought out a bottle filled with a green liquid.

It looked gooey and green, resembling some kind of green juice.

“I really… really worked hard, but… I’m stuck against a wall.”

Holding the liquid, Professor Praha spoke while looking like he might cry.

Just how insignificant could whatever he produced be to warrant that reaction?

“I only… managed to make a worthless drug that grows you to about 180 cm…”

“Hmm, yeah… a drug that grows you to about 180 cm…”

I thought I heard something odd.

A drug that grows you to 180 cm?

“Of course, the growth-promoting method is listed as a project goal, but ultimately the main objective is to create a strong body… I’m still struggling with bone reinforcement and muscle mass increase… My… this worthless drug of mine only makes you tall without any enhancement…!! I’ll just dispose of it!!!!”

Professor Nico raised the bottle he had been holding as if he were about to smash it.

“What do you mean dispose of?!! Hand that over right now!!!”

————————————–

The original purpose of the project Professor Praha was researching was to create methods for powerful bodies.

In this world, a strong physique can just be built through training harder, but for patients who can’t move properly due to congenital diseases, this project was focused on helping those who could only sit and weaken.

“Among the elves, there are extremely rare cases where such conditions occur. Elves tend to live long, so if they find themselves in such a situation… it’s worse than being dead. They end up living like plants.”

“When did you start the research?”

“I officially started after getting my medical license… so… it hasn’t even been 100 years yet.”

He had been researching for quite a while.

For elves, it might be a whirlwind moment, but 100 years is a time that could see two emperors replaced.

Conducting research for the sake of those suffering from congenital issues seems to provide a solid reason for Professor Praha’s work.

“I understand the circumstances, but… is this drug definitely going to make you taller?”

“Yes… since it’s the first completed one… if you see here, one of my former undergraduates went through the testing personally.”

Professor Praha pulled out a thick album and showed me pictures of undergraduates wearing stern expressions.

Did he get up there of his own volition or was it forced?

The faded photographs showed various students… No, slaves.

Now I understood why her laboratory was spacious yet empty.

Unlike that inhumane story, the before-and-after comparison photos preserved in the pictures appeared quite normal.

“From the photos, it seems like they grew to about 180 cm. Is that consistent?”

“There are individual differences. Still, it seems like males can grow to at least the late 170s.”

A drug that consistently increases height to the late 170s is quite an impressive invention.

The thought that this potion might fulfill my life’s goal, which I’ve poured most of my life into, made me break into a cold sweat.

I had never felt like this when accepting any elixir before.

“Sounds good. Does it take effect immediately after consumption?”

“Yes… if taken together with this supplementary potion, it will provide the necessary components for rapid growth and finish in under five minutes.”

I wanted nothing more than to down that immediately.

Flashes of everything I experienced in my life rushed through my mind.

Ever since the moment it was confirmed that I wouldn’t grow any taller, the pressure from my family, the trash who mocked me for my small stature.

Days filled with humiliation, disdain, and quiet efforts to enhance my abilities drifted by one after another.

With this potion, all of that would come to an end.

Once Professor Praha saw that I couldn’t take my eyes off the potion, he cautiously asked, “But… are you going to drink that right away? Even though I’ve tested it many times, wouldn’t it be safer to perfect it further…?”

“Better than dying, right?”

I snatched the bottles that Professor Praha held in both hands.

“Sponsor???”

If someone viewed my actions as a third party, it would probably seem extremely foolish.

To down something made from who knows what, just based on a few photos.

But I had no choice.

How could I resist when what I had longed for was right before my eyes?

While there aren’t many samples, the several photos proving human experimentation were evidence enough.

Surely, I wouldn’t end up dead. Without a second thought, I gulped down both bottles one after another.

“Ugh..!!”

As soon as I drank it, I felt a reaction.

A tingling sensation coursed through my entire body.

Was this the feeling of forcibly stimulating the growth plates?

As I harnessed the mana flowing within me, I braced myself for the drastic changes that were about to unfold.

Minutes passed.

“This is garbage too!!!!!”

Once again, nothing had changed in my body.

I didn’t change at all.

Growth? Yeah right, I was fooled again.