The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 69

Two days after the Clover Academy folks arrived in the Empire, Amy was packing her gear for the big demon hunting event before heading out.

‘Why are they insisting I wear armor again today…?’

– Don’t let your guard down. From experience, the bigger the event, the higher the chance of incidents occurring.

Her companion unexpectedly gave her a stern piece of advice.

Since nothing had happened yet, there was no way she could walk around strapped up, so she had no choice but to stash her gear in her Space Pocket until something came up.

The thought of putting a priceless mithril sword into a ridiculously expensive Space Pocket, which could feed the territory’s folks for over five years, made her chuckle a bit.

– Timing-wise, the Clover Kingdom is still in cahoots with the Demon Church.

In a time like this, with the Academy recently attacked by the Demon Church, infiltrating the Empire with about 120 students alongside a Master… It’s hard to think of it positively.

‘Are you saying there’s some other ulterior motive?’

– It’s best if nothing goes wrong, but it’s not bad to be prepared. If nothing happens by the end of the day, just be grateful.

Her companion’s words sounded quite convincing.

Having made mistakes before by jumping to conclusions, she still felt it wise to heed this mysterious advice.

‘And… what did you mean by that comment yesterday?’

– What are you referring to?

‘The part where River is a descendant of a werewolf. You said something like that when Atlas was going on about the Essence of Werewolf yesterday. Do you have any idea how much that surprised me?’

– It’s true. As far as I know, River Seymour—no, the heirs of the Seymour family—aren’t werewolves, but they possess certain traits that make them stronger during the full moon.

She had never heard of anyone who wasn’t a werewolf yet still had werewolf traits.

– Long ago, the Simoa family was known for their crest that depicted a white wolf… At some point, their representative color shifted from white to gold, though.

It’s not that big of a deal. Many families chose wolves as their symbol and attempted all sorts of things to harness their strength, not just Seymour. They’re just one of the successful cases…

The thought of River having werewolf traits made her wonder if his aggressive personality was tied to that.

Let’s keep this a secret from Atlas.

He mentioned that one of the keys to growing taller involved the Essence of Werewolf.

Even if she knew it, River wasn’t the type to harm anyone… but with Atlas being so obsessed with height, it might be best to tread carefully.

“Alright. All set!”

Having packed meticulously, she realized she was a bit late.

She hurried out of her room.

By this time, River would likely be waiting outside the dormitory.

“Not here…? That’s weird…”

Usually, the lobby of the dormitory where they would meet before heading out was empty.

Could he have left without her?

But it was unlike River not to say anything.

‘Is he feeling unwell or something…?’

He might not have been able to get up.

But even after knocking on River’s door, she got no response.

Sharply attuning her senses outside the door, she felt no presence from within.

It seemed like he had really left first.

“Ugh, this feels strange…?”

Maybe something urgent came up, so she should check the open area first.

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“Hey, Amy, is that you?”

Fortunately, River was already warming up in the open area.

She was relieved to see he seemed fine, wondering if anything had happened after all.

Nearby, Atlas was hanging upside down from a tree while Lucia stretched, watching Atlas’s antics.

It’s impressive that with such dedication to stimulating his growth plates, he consistently wears himself out every day.

“You left without a word… What happened?”

“Sorry, I woke up a bit earlier and came out.”

“I woke up early too…”

“I didn’t want to wake you if you were sleeping.”

Suddenly, her eyes caught a glimpse of River’s neck.

On his alabaster skin, there were prominent red marks.

“Uh… Did a mosquito bite you, River?”

“What??”

“…?!”

When she pointed out the bright red swelling, River jumped in surprise and touched his neck.

For some unknown reason, Atlas, who had been hanging from the tree, also fell down, a rare occurrence.

“Whoa?!”

– Thud

“Ah… Are you okay, Atlas??”

“Ugh… I’m fine…”

Atlas, who had landed face-first into the dirt, got up with Lucia’s support and dusted himself off.

She had seen Atlas hanging from trees countless times as a height-increasing exercise, but this was the first time he had fallen.

“Be a bit more careful.”

“Ah…”

As their hands brushed, both flinched, and a strange tension filled the air.

What was that all about?

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Something feels off.

There’s an awkward energy between the two.

“You said you’re going to the exchange meeting today? No, wait… You’ll handle it just fine, I’m sure. Haha.”

“What were you going to say?”

“Just… you know, to hang in there…”

“Thanks for the encouragement.”

“Sure…”

Pretending as if everything was the same, she felt a ticklish and fluffy vibe in the air.

Had something happened between them?

– Speaking of which, today is a full moon…

Her companion muttered something cryptic.

“…This feels suspicious.”

And Lucia was glaring at the two of them with very bloodshot eyes.

“There’s definitely… something that wasn’t like this until yesterday…”

———————————————

After finishing morning exercises and having breakfast together, I headed off alone toward the Swordsmanship Research Club.

When Amy pointed out the kiss mark, I thought I might pass out.

While it was mostly covered by my clothes, I forgot that the one on my neck would show.

I hurriedly brushed it off as a bug bite, but Lucia’s intense stare made me feel uneasy as if she sensed the odd atmosphere between River and me.

I might have been acting the same as always, but maybe both of us were just sharp enough to notice something was off.

As I opened the door to the Swordsmanship Research Clubroom, I was met with a range of wary glares.

The exchange meeting with other academies was a point of pride for the Swordsmanship Research Club.

Only five carefully selected members, including the club president, are allowed to participate in the exchange meeting, so apparently, some weren’t pleased that someone not even from the club had snatched the prestigious spot of the vanguard with just a few words.

I was used to these kinds of stares.

But that was all they could do.

In previous times, I would have punched them when they stared at me, but this was Hera’s Swordsmanship Research Club.

I refrained from actions that might harm Hera’s reputation.

As someone notified the president that I had arrived, the door swung open.

“Is my little brother here?”

Hera sprinted up to me in an instant and ruffled my hair in greeting.

She was incredibly quick to close the distance, physically and psychologically.

After welcoming me animatedly, Hera scanned the room and, with a tone completely different from moments ago, said,

“What’s up with the atmosphere? Do you guys have complaints or something?”

Straight to the point, without beating around the bush, and as if waiting for this, someone jumped out in front of Hera and kneeled.

“President…!! I know it’s rude to oppose your decision, but I’d just like to say one thing…!!!”

The kneeling guy had a brooch on his chest, indicating he was a senior, a year above me.

Bearing the chilly look directed at him from Hera, he bowed his head and shouted.

“No matter what, it’s inappropriate for a new student to take the vanguard!!!”

“Do you think if my brother doesn’t go, that you’ll be the one to step up then?”

“That’s not such a trivial reason! This is the Swordsmanship Research Club! How can someone not even part of the club… a new student, no less!! …stand in the vanguard!!”

The vanguard is a crucial position that sets the tone for the exchange meeting, so its importance is undeniable.

But because of that, the older student clearly didn’t realize I was going to be the first one up.

“…Not validated? Then who would you consider fit to take the vanguard?”

“Of course, it would be the senior member and the most aggressive, Heinz-senpai!”

One of the differently cloaked senior members flinched at the mention.

“Hey Heinz, our daring junior here says so, what do you think?”

“……”

Heinz, who had been pointed out, lowered his head and pressed his lips tight.

He was quite a decent swordsman for his age.

From his solid muscular build and the aura he radiated, he must have reached an expert-level skill.

The senior member stood right beneath the club president and captain and was qualified to teach new members.

Being the third rank below the captain and the president, his skills were assured; the older student’s words were somewhat right.

“I don’t… deserve it.”

That Heinz guy was the same one who had come out of the newspaper club and collapsed without even being able to compete once.

Taking that aside.

Among the five selected already was someone who had been beaten by me before.

It’s laughable to argue about skill when one of the five strongest in the club just got wrecked by me.

“The exchange meeting is never just ‘the Swordsmanship Research Club’s exchange meeting.’

It’s simply a swordsmanship exchange between academies, and since we happen to be the best when it comes to swordsmanship among the students, we take on the responsibility. Just because you’re not in the club doesn’t mean you can’t participate.

Got it? No matter what anyone says, the vanguard for this exchange meeting is none other than Atlas Nemea!”

As Hera declared that, everyone fell silent, staring at me in awe.

Their gazes contained a mix of emotions: some glaring at me, some full of jealousy, others with admiration, and some were completely expressionless.

After that, Hera outlined the order of the prestigious matches for today: vanguard, intermediary, captain, and concluded the meeting.

“Hey, little brother!”

“What is it?!”

After the announcement ended, Hera called me over.

“If you go out there and get crushed right away, then you’re joining the Swordsmanship Research Club!”

“Whoa… I’m hearing about this for the first time, sis.”

“Of course, since I’m saying it for the first time.”

For some reason, it feels like she’s too easily giving up her spot.

“What’s up, don’t you feel a sudden surge of energy?”

“You’re just resting back there, chilling.”

“How cheeky… Then let’s see if the first-year top student’s swordsmanship is worth watching, shall we?”

“Top student? You flatter me. I’m barely holding my ground in the mid-tier.”

“Just getting decent points doesn’t make someone a top student. Show me your skills.”

———————————————

The swordsmanship exchange meeting started, and the spectator seats buzzed with excitement.

“Hey… are you looking down on me…!!!”

The first opponent—Clover Academy’s vanguard—threw insults my way.

To hurl curses unexpectedly at your opponent, is this the average personality of someone from Clover Kingdom?

At my feet lay the sword that had just moments ago been sheathed at my waist.

I hadn’t lost it; I simply took it off and set it down.

“Pick up your sword immediately…!!!”

“Hmm, you’re speaking the same language, but I guess you don’t understand… I’ll say it again.”

Perhaps thinking it an insult for me to toss my sword on the ground amidst a duel, Clover’s student raised a finger at me.

“You see? Just this finger is more than enough to handle you guys.”

The arena erupted.