The Academy’s Ankle Reaper – Chapter 82

The remnants of what was once a Master scatter like ashes.

In the past, he had been a Master, but now the relics of a bygone era flutter about, having sold his very soul to a demon after his spirit was broken.

The people of the Clover Kingdom did not mourn the death of the Sword Master.

To them, he was no longer a Sword Master but merely a bloodsucking demon.

They did not fall into sentimentality as they witnessed such things.

“My job ends here. As long as I report it, the cleanup is up to others.”

Feeling pleased at the thought of filing a casual report and heading to the Academy for a sound sleep, I decided to leave the aftermath to everyone else.

Since this was related to demons, the Church would step in, and with the Empire’s mainland under attack, the nobility would not sit idly by.

The Church would scour the kingdom as if it were a hunt, eliminating all those associated with the Demon Church, while the nobility would demand compensation for the attack.

With the Sword Master dead, the Clover Kingdom had no more support left and would have to face the consequences of their actions.

I merely had to review the report once they finished the cleanup.

This was the greatest privilege of being a Shadow.

Living a carefree life without the burdens of holding great power or responsibility.

Still, it was a relief to just complete the report properly.

As I utilized my spatial magic, the debris from the ceiling burst open, revealing River, wide-eyed, right in front of me.

The black armor that had covered him dissolved like smoke back into the hilt of his sword.

“Done already? Let’s head back.”

“….”

River looked like he had a lot to say upon seeing me, but he didn’t know where to start.

Watching him reminded me of Amy.

“I know you have a lot of questions, but let’s return to the Academy first. Amy will be worried.”

River hesitated but then suddenly stood, bowing to me properly.

“Thank you for your help, Shadow. My earlier rudeness…”

“Ugh, don’t do that!!”

His overly formal expression made me want to cringe, so I forcibly lifted him.

River looked utterly perplexed.

“B-but, Lord Atlas is a Master of the Empire… He saved my life and my family’s lives… How can I disrespect him…”

“Don’t!! I said stop!!! It’s giving me goosebumps! Just act like you normally do! We’re friends, right?!”

“Okay… got it…”

Once again, his bewildered expression made him seem almost pitiful as he reluctantly stood up.

Experiencing so many unbelievable events must have been making his head spin.

“First, let’s head back to the Academy.”

Though I was smaller than River, lifting him was not an issue.

I hoisted him up, using spatial magic continuously toward the Academy.

.

.

.

.

“Ugh… I’ll never do that again…”

Once we arrived at the secluded spot at the Academy, River looked pale and nauseous.

The sensation from using spatial magic must have been unfamiliar to him, making him feel dizzy.

Ironically, it seemed that feeling unwell helped lessen the awkwardness.

“Now then, I’ll take questions until we head back. Ask anything.”

River cautiously began to speak.

“Atlas… you’re a Master, right?”

“Yep, I’m a Master. So, how does it feel to be training in swordsmanship under a Master?”

“…Feels like I’m still dreaming.”

“Feels like a dream?”

“Only good things keep happening to me. To think a classmate is actually a Master who dashed all the way to the Clover Kingdom to save me…”

It must have been an unbelievable day for him.

The fiancé who promised to return peacefully went mad and terrorized the Academy… Getting kidnapped… One of his classmates got seriously injured trying to stop that.

He thought he was dragged to some unknown place and gave up, only to find someone actually rushing in to save him, and even more, that person turned out to be a Master.

“I’m so happy… but now I’m scared… I don’t know how to treat you… If I wake up, it will all feel like a dream…”

He probably thought that such miraculous help appearing in his darkest hour was too good to be true.

He knew reality was very different from stories, yet the way things were happening to him, he began to doubt.

After having been burned by the Sword Master, he probably felt it even more.

What he needed right now, caught up in all these unbelievable events, was reassurance.

I decided that.

“Dream? What dream?”

“?!”

Our lips collided.

I had to stand on my tiptoes to reach him, but there was no point in hiding anymore, so I stepped into thin air, matched the height I desired, and kissed him.

It was just a light peck of lips meeting, but the effect was stunning.

“Does this still feel like a dream?”

“You… you…!!”

Under the full moon, her golden eyes sparkled even brighter.

That dazed look of hers disappeared as the surprise kiss ignited a fierce heat within her.

“Still feels like a dream, huh?”

I kissed her again.

“Hah…!”

The second kiss was anything but light.

Grasping her slender neck, I explored her deeper.

I needed to confirm that the reality we were in was not a dream and dived even deeper.

Like the night before, our tongues intertwined, making wet sounds echo under the full moon.

“Ugh…”

As our lips parted, I felt River’s hot breath.

Her face looked like she was about to cry.

“Ah… okay..! I get it!! Stop..!!”

Realizing just how she must have looked, River took a step back, hiding her face.

I couldn’t let her cover that cute expression, so I pulled her arms up to prevent her from hiding.

“C’mon… don’t be shy, just let me see your face…!”

“It’s embarrassing, don’t look at me…!”

It was rare to see that expression; I wanted to soak it all in.

“Do you remember what you said before fighting the Sword Master?”

“That I’d smash that old man into pieces…?”

“Not that, right after.”

“That from now on… you’ll make me believe…?”

“Right, that! Now that I’ve taken down the Sword Master, you have to believe, okay?”

“Is that how it works?”

“Yep.”

After pondering that for a while, River finally smiled again.

“Right… I guess it is. Haha… It feels silly to have thought deeply about it.”

It was nice to see her smile again after a long time.

She really didn’t suit looking gloomy.

“Then don’t you have more questions you want to ask?”

“Thank you.”

I had told her to ask, but all she gave me was thanks.

“Just thank you… for everything… I don’t want to ask anything more. Just tell me when you want to talk.”

There must have been many curiosities swirling in her head, yet she simply expressed her gratitude.

“I suppose you have your own reasons too, just like I couldn’t say everything. Shadows are Masters who can’t have their identities exposed, right?”

At that moment, we sensed a presence approaching from afar.

“Ri… River!!”

“Amy??”

“How did you know we were here??”

The source of the presence turned out to be Amy, still wearing the anti-demon coat.

With her eyes puffy from crying, she rushed over, tears flowing down her face.

“I… I had a way too…!!!”

Rushing over like during the entrance ceremony, Amy dove into River’s arms, sobbing.

It seemed she had been looking for both of us after we took off to the Clover Kingdom.

“Waaaaah! You both just disappeared without a word… I was so worried!!”

“Do you know how much trouble I went through to bring you back?”

“It was Atlas who brought us back, right? So it’s all over? Thank you as always…”

As Amy hugged River, she also pulled me into the embrace with one arm.

“I’m just glad it ended without any trouble.”

—————————————

The Church Country, which oversees all churches spread throughout the continent, is a small city-state.

It serves as both the main hub for the faithful shepherds and the headquarters for fighting against demons.

In the heart of the Church Country stands a building with a tall spire, representing the glory of God, which is the Castle Raoul Cathedral— the very heart of the Church Country built upon a cornerstone directly conferred by God.

While the Castle Raoul Cathedral operates regularly for worship, it is also the gathering place for the Church’s core powers.

Under the leadership of the Pope, the ruler of the Church Country, the ‘Bishops’ who directly manage the churches, the ‘Saints’ who can feel God’s will, the ‘Inquisitioners’, and the ‘Holy Knights’ all convene at the Castle Raoul Cathedral to discuss future matters.

Last night, breaking news arrived at such a Castle Raoul Cathedral.

The sender was the Shadow, one of the Empire’s Masters.

The letter briefly summarized the events that took place that day at the Empire’s Academy.

In short, the letter read:

[Evidence of the Clover Kingdom colluding closely with the Demon Church.

Citizens of the Clover Kingdom have become Demons and terrorized the Empire’s Academy.

The Sword Master of the Clover Kingdom also transformed into a Demon and was eliminated.]

The Clover Kingdom colluded with the Demon Church, the Empire was attacked, and the Empire’s Master killed the Kingdom’s Master.

That single short letter turned the Church Country upside down.

– It seems the brat from the Empire caused another incident…

Deep in the depths of the Castle Raoul Cathedral, the Red Dragon, curled up, let out a heavy sigh.

With sharp, ruby-red scales glowing hot and icy silver teeth, he appeared fearsome enough to make anyone’s knees tremble, but the golden ornament around his neck indicated he was just one of the shepherds.

Thanks to his sigh, hot air floated up in the chilly underground.

With the Red Dragon, who breathed out heat just by exhaling, there was no need for any heating measures in this place.

The Red Dragon nesting underground in the Church… was none other than a Dragon and a ‘Saint’ called by God— Saint McKinto, who currently served as the church’s honorary Archbishop.

“Oh dear, just an incident, I simply did what needed to be done. How commendable.”

Unfazed by his heated sigh, a woman sitting in a small chair next to him smiled and replied.

She wore elegant formal attire adorned with gold thread on white silk, demonstrating an understated yet sophisticated beauty. Strangely enough, her long hair was a lovely shade of pink.

This pink hair, often symbolizing love, did not occur naturally.

Instead, it symbolized the Saint, who is said to be closer to God than even the Pope, the leader of all shepherds in the Church.

She was, in fact, the Saintess Carmel, who currently sat at God’s right hand.

-A Master capable of opposing demons has vanished. How can this not be called an incident?

“Only a proper Master could call it an incident. The report says he lost his power… Moreover, they say he allied with the Demon Church.”

Saint McKinto mourned the death of the Sword Master.

After having narrowly escaped death once, he somehow managed to survive, only to be brought down by the Empire’s Master… Logically, he believed the Shadow’s report was accurate, but he could not shake the idea that the Empire was involved in the Sword Master’s demise.

Even now, he could not ignore that there was no merit for the Clover Kingdom in provoking the Empire into such troublesome matters.

He didn’t want to believe the fact that he had invested precious time in him just for him to fall for the demon’s temptation and succumb.

-I can’t trust it until a thorough investigation is completed. He even handed over a Holy Relic to that guy… What the hell made him soften up so much?

“That boy may grumble like a rebellious child, but he worked harder than any other Master. At the peak of his activity, the powers of the Demon Church were at their weakest. Plus… he’s cute.”

“Though I’m not that age myself, I sometimes wonder if this is what it feels like to have a child…”

Saint McKinto thought about how she’d treated the boy with care as she stroked her stomach.

Saint McKinto pondered multiple times whether she was struggling to understand human emotions as a Dragon, yet it seemed the Bishops couldn’t comprehend her sensitivity either.

– Ugh, what a taste… They’re not that far apart in age, and yet she’s still going on about children.

“Not every child can be considered a true child just because they’re born from pain.”

– What possible charm could there be in such an undisciplined child… Oh Lord, why did you place such a one by thy side?

“Don’t doubt the Lord’s intentions. Embracing someone with love is the Will of the Lord. Loving a lost lamb is the Lord’s Will.”

McKinto decided to hold his tongue after this.

In fact, it was true that God always said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

No matter how rude or grumpy that child behaved before him, he was still a Master and a child lacking love.

– Aiy… if only he behaved as nicely as that child…

Suddenly, McKinto recalled a little girl who had come to visit him.

A wandering lamb who held a strong will to hunt demons and protect humanity… a very polite child.

If only the Empire’s Shadow resembled half of her…

“I think I saw him at the Academy… should I visit him once?”

-…..That’s enough.