The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 53

As soon as Principal saw Edgar, who looked like he was about to die, he urgently released the Other Space, and both participants in the duel were rushed to the Emergency Room.

An oxygen mask was placed on Edgar, who was paralyzed and unable to breathe properly, and he was carried away on a stretcher.

I said I was okay, but since I had inhaled the same gas in the same space, I didn’t know when I might have a seizure, so I was also carried away on a stretcher.

The sight of us being carried side by side was quite comical.

As the Other Space was released, I noticed the Commander laughing in the VIP Room.

He seemed very satisfied, almost to the point of rolling on the floor with laughter.

Despite the duel ending with no real winner and just wounds all around, it seemed someone was pleased.

“Ugh…”

Before we were moved to our private rooms, Edgar, who was receiving emergency treatment in the Emergency Room, let out a sound like he was choking on phlegm and glared at me fiercely.

I couldn’t care less; I just sat up to enjoy watching him.

While I was passing the time like this, another patient was wheeled in from outside.

“Patient’s bleeding heavily!!”

“Prepare for a transfusion!!”

A blue-haired young man… it was Zeek Albion.

He had also come in on a stretcher, foaming at the mouth and convulsing.

Looking him over, I noticed the location of his wound was rather… awkward.

‘He’s injured between his legs… how did that happen…?’

In this world, serious external wounds can be healed pretty quickly, so if he’s lucky, he might recover.

The duel was between me and Lemnos, but why was he here?

—

After being exposed to the toxic gas emitted by a plant monster, I was banned from visits for the day.

Although I didn’t have any significant issues with my body, I was given an IV to remove the toxins and was lounging on the bed when someone opened the window and came in.

It was none other than our Commander, Mary Poppins, flying around stepping on swords.

“Why are you making such a fuss over something trivial?”

“Do you think I want to be here?”

“That’s unlikely.”

She climbed down from the windowsill and perched on the edge of my bed.

“Since I saw an entertaining sight, I’m thinking about heading back soon.”

“You’re leaving so quickly.”

The duel ended up fading into nothing, so I thought she would stay a little longer, but it seemed she was really leaving.

“Why is it so good for you that I’m leaving?”

“How could that be? You know how much I respect you, Commander.”

“You’re saying empty words again.”

She laughed, saying it sounded like I was trying to gild her face, but I was serious.

I’ve relied on her a lot since my apprentice days.

Even now, I respect her far more than the parents of the Titans.

“The duel ended inconclusively, but… it was still fun, so I’ll let it slide. Edgar has already left.”

“What do you mean he just left when his son collapsed?”

The moment I heard that, I felt a vein pop in my head.

His own son had collapsed in a seizure, and he simply walked away?

Maybe it was because I’ve experienced so much hell here, but I found it hard to accept.

“That was partly due to being self-conscious about people watching… don’t get angry; you know how noble families are better than anyone.”

“Even if I’m used to it, some things are unacceptable.”

“You’re still so kind. I don’t think you and Lemnos’s kid are on good terms; are you getting angry for him?”

The Commander placed her hand on my head and patted me.

“That’s that, but you can’t hit Edgar. Even with a legal means like a duel, it’s not allowed.”

She’s someone who’s never stopped me from hitting anyone else, but this time she’s making an exception.

“I also want to give him a hit every time I see him, but if you do it, then I’ll feel wronged.”

So that’s the reason.

—

In the middle of the night, someone knocked on the hospital room door.

There’s a sign saying no visitors allowed in front… who could even come in at this hour?

Feeling someone’s presence, I opened the door to find a familiar energy.

“Amy…?”

I dragged the IV with me and opened the door, and Amy burst in and immediately closed the door behind her.

I was startled by how forcefully she entered.

“Ah… Atlas, there’s a huge problem…!”

“What’s going on?”

“I… made an accident…”

When Amy said she made an accident, I had a bad feeling.

I remembered the last time she made an accident, she shot a gun in my direction… what was it this time?

“Did you shoot someone again?”

“Um… how did you know??”

After hearing her explanation, I realized that she had committed a much more serious act.

“So… you shot Albion down there…?”

“I didn’t aim to shoot!! I shot his shoulder, but the bullet must have deflected off his Defensive Magic…”

Amy, sensing something was off with me, got information from Prigia about a daring guy actively intervening in the arena in real-time…

She rushed to the first place she found suspicious, saw Albion working, and shot him without thinking.

She intended to hit his shoulder, but since the Defensive Magic deflected it, she inadvertently hit him in the lower body.

Albion fell to the ground frothing at the mouth.

“So that’s why he was brought to the Emergency Room…”

“Did you see him?”

“He entered foaming at the mouth.”

“Ah… what… what should I do…??”

Amy’s anxiety might seem like she was frightened for shooting a person, but in reality, it was something entirely different.

She didn’t care about shooting someone; the problem was that there could be an irreparable wound left on ‘Albion.’

That greedy bastard wouldn’t stay quiet.

“No, Amy, you did well.”

I held her trembling hand.

“When they start looking for the culprit in Albion… it’ll be found out quickly…”

That’s probably the case.

In this world, there are very few people with firearms.

If a family like that starts an investigation, they’ll find clues in no time….

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it somehow.”

Was that unpleasant trap Albion thought of? Conveniently, he’s also hospitalized.

I’ll show him the hell I went through.

“Uh… Atlas? You seem to be thinking something very bad… is everything really alright?”

—

Zeek Albion regained consciousness at dusk, as the whole world was tinted in orange.

“Ugh?!”

Awakening anxiously, Zeek Albion realized he was lying in an unfamiliar room.

He was dressed in a white patient gown and had an IV in his wrist.

“Why… am I…?”

His memory was hazy.

As he pondered why he was lying here and attempted to get up…

“Ugh…!!!”

He moaned at the sharp pain radiating from his lower body and collapsed back down.

“Ugh… what’s happening?”

It wasn’t paralysis of the lower body.

He had sensation and could move if he wanted, but… the shock was immense.

“You’re awake. Don’t worry. This is a hospital.”

“What happened to me…?”

He heard a voice from beside him, belonging to a doctor in a white coat.

They didn’t use any formal titles.

There were no nobles among those who made a profession of being doctors who could compare to the five pillars.

Thinking of this person as beneath him, Zeek displayed an extremely rude attitude.

“We performed emergency surgery. You bled a lot. You almost had a serious accident.”

The doctor continued speaking nonchalantly, as if accustomed to such a demeanor.

“My lower body… it hurts a lot… what happened to me…?”

“I’ll tell you everything once you recover fully. For now, just rest.”

Zeek remembered the sharp pain he felt when he tried to lift his body.

His legs moved, but feeling that kind of pain could indicate issues with his organs or… his back.

The comment about him being informed of his symptoms later made his blood boil.

“I… told you to tell me!! What noble family are you from…!!”

“Hmm… I was going to tell you once you recover, but since you want to know so badly, I’ll tell you.”

The doctor sighed when pressed.

How severely had he been hurt for a doctor to talk to him like that? He didn’t look that bad on the outside.

“You… hit where it doesn’t feel good. From now on, Lord Albion will only have one egg in your pouch.”

“What… did you just say?”

The doctor’s words exceeded Zeek’s expectations.

“Don’t be too disappointed.

Half of your manhood was severed, but that part healed well, so you can still have relationships and bear children…

Though it’s half, it still functions.”

“What are you talking about…”

His mind went blank.

He couldn’t comprehend such a thing.

What do you mean… only one left?

“As I just mentioned… Lord Albion now has only one egg in your pouch. I did my best, but it was completely crushed, and I couldn’t regenerate it.”

“Are you telling me I’m… a one-nut man…?”

“One-nut man means both sides have different sizes, so in this case, external one-nut fits better.”

“What the hell… are you… saying this now…!! Ugh?!!!”

As his anger boiled over and he raised his voice, he felt piercing pain shoot through his lower body again.

“You need to calm down. If you get too excited, it could cause bleeding again! If that happens, your pouch could fill with blood, making it worse!”

“I can’t believe it… I’m a one-nut man now…!! And now you’re telling me to calm down!!”

It was unbelievable.

‘One of Albion’s heirs… has lost one of his pieces?

What will happen now…?

From now on, is it… just one egg in the pouch instead of two?’

Confusion and humiliation twisted Zeek Albion’s features into a crimson hue.

At that moment, the most important thought crossed his mind.

“What happened with the duel… the duel…!!”

“Uh… first of all… Lord Lemnos has been declared the loser. Upon collapsing, he had a seizure, causing it to stop in the middle.”

It felt like thunderclaps echoing in his mind.

“Lemnos collapsed and immediately had a seizure, leading to a loss…?”

At first, he didn’t understand what that meant, but he soon realized.

After all, it was something he had set up himself.

The seizure… must have been the result of the poison gas he had set in the duel arena.

For an ordinary person, inhaling a little would result in muscle paralysis and respiratory failure leading to death… the gas was heavily concentrated on those shorter than 150 cm.

Since the terrain was a volcanic basin, he saw that the gas had effectively settled at the bottom.

He gradually began to understand what kind of situation he was in.

“Edgar… lost? Because of me?? No, even more than that, I still can’t grasp the heir… and now I’m a one-nut man…!!! I… I!!!! This is insane!!”

Having been carried in after collapsing, they surely would have seen him secretly controlling things from the Control Room.

He didn’t know who attacked, but one of his pieces was gone.

And… despite suffering this damage, Edgar ended up losing.

Moreover, it was all because of him.

His original plan had been for Atlas to inhale the poison gas upon entering, become sluggish, and then for Lemnos to take care of him quickly and finish it, but Atlas was perfectly fine walking around… and once Lemnos fell, he just lost.

“Ugh… aahhh!!!”

He didn’t want to accept that he gained nothing and only became a fool.

Foam started bubbling at his mouth.

“Someone…!! Administer a tranquilizer…!!”

A needle was inserted into the IV.

Even as Zeek felt his consciousness fading, he firmly perceived the torment in his lower body.