The Academy’s Ankle Reaper

Amy couldn’t properly move her legs, so it was impossible for her to get on herself.

As I crouched down, Amy wrapped both hands around my neck and leaned on me, while I lifted her thighs with my arms.

There was a difference in our builds, but it wasn’t enough for me not to be able to carry her.

Right now, we were at the very bottom of the dungeon, in the boss room… Staying still would mean being crushed and dying.

After confirming that Amy had a firm hold, I began to make a quick escape.

With her face buried in my neck, Amy suddenly said.

“…Wasn’t that a demon?”

What the hell is that nonsense?

I’ve never heard the word ‘demon’ so many times in my life.

Wait, didn’t I hear ‘demon-like bastard’ often back in my apprenticeship days?

Did I shoot silver bullets thinking I was a demon?

“Why would I be a demon?”

“You were in the place where the fanatics performed their rituals.”

It seemed the misunderstanding had arisen when I encountered the Demon Church zealots first and dealt with them.

“I found the Demon Church guys before you and took them out beforehand.”

“And then demons started coming out…”

“I saw demons being summoned, so I sent them off together. That one came from a corpse.”

It seems they mistook the traces left by the dead demon as me having made a pact with a demon.

“I don’t know what I was thinking back then, but I said it was a misunderstanding.”

“…I’m sorry.”

Amy said in a crawling voice.

I wanted to smack her one, but I held myself back since she was on my back.

I resolved that once she recovered, I’d have to give her a good smack.

“But Atlas… If a demon said it would make me taller, I think I would’ve agreed to the contract right away.”

“Ugh, well, that’s true.”

If demons weren’t scammers, I might have considered it.

“I’ve chopped up a good number of demons; do you think I wouldn’t know if they were scamming?

And I told you to let me know if anything was tough. What’s with this situation?”

“I couldn’t speak my mind… You lied to me.”

“I lied?”

What the heck is she talking about all of a sudden?

“The name… it’s not Atlas Nemea, is it? I told you everything, and Atlas gave me a fake last name…”

“How did you know that?”

“I have my ways. It’s not Nemea, it’s Atlas Titan.”

If I had enrolled as Titan, it would have caused quite the stir.

Titan is a prestigious noble house after all.

Rumors about the eldest son not being present at official functions still circulate in high society.

Of course, the biggest reason I changed my name now is that the so-called master ran away from the Royal Knight Order.

“True, but Nemea is still my last name. My mother’s last name is Nemea, and my father’s is Titan. I’m just using my mother’s last name here.”

“I didn’t enroll as a member of Titan.. It’s personal.”

“And you hid the fact that you’re a master…”

“Hey, it’d be embarrassing if a master enrolled in the academy… I didn’t enroll just for kicks.”

“Then why did you enroll when you didn’t want to…?”

“It’s family circumstances.”

It’s strange for a master to enroll as a new student.

How could I explain why someone of that caliber would be here?

What would they say if I mentioned it was because my younger sibling entered to help me clear my mind…?

Recently, I’ve been lazing around, beating on rookies who can’t even handle swords properly, and if a so-called master was doing that… ugh, I’d be embarrassed.

“If Atlas is a master of the empire… he must be one of the shadows of the Royal Knight Order.”

“You sure know your stuff.”

There are three masters in the empire.

One is Linda Westharbor, the second commander of the Imperial Royal Knight Order, and the other two have been announced to exist but their identities are unknown.

The ones whose identities are undisclosed are the shadows of the empire.

Unlike the general knights who undertake official duties under the brilliant sun, they exist in the shadows where light doesn’t shine.

Though they can’t enjoy the glory of being a master while performing secret missions, they also bear no significant responsibilities.

It’s not that they’ve been forcibly stripped of their glory by someone.

The two shadows, my mentor and I, chose this path ourselves.

If declared a master, one would gain tremendous glory, but it comes with a lot of attention from others.

We both liked to live freely.

“Why does such a great person keep being nice to me…?”

“Do you really need a reason?”

“I was suspicious, wondering if there was some ulterior motive.

Atlas… You’ve been too kind to me when I have nothing… I’m just the poor daughter of a minor noble with a small territory…”

I was scared to take Atlas’s kindness at face value…

Amy’s words were correct.

Of course, there was an ulterior motive.

You seemed to be destined for Hayden’s fate.

As someone who knows the events that will unfold in this world, I wanted to keep you within my line of sight.

“You were nice to River too.”

“River and I talk on the same subject while exercising and sparring. But I can’t do that.”

But that was just a coincidence.

If that were all there was to it, and you had a character like the revenge-fueled Hayden, I would have kept you only within sight.

This academy is filled with nobles who have grown up being pampered.

Most are socially inept, thinking they’re the only ones amazing, and they have attitude issues.

“It doesn’t matter what your background is; people will like each other.

You’re fun to be with, and your personality is good. Isn’t that enough?”

“But you hardly talked to me…”

“You avoided me. Don’t dodge me when I try to talk to you from now on.

What’s up with that? Were you out hunting demons every night?”

“I wanted to revive my territory… so I did.”

I’m curious about how Amy became a demon slayer.

Fighting the Demon Church is no easy task.

It’s not something you can just do alone.

The mithril greatsword, the pistol, and the red coat of anti-demon magic on her back are not items a mere baron’s daughter should possess.

I can be certain.

Someone has definitely intervened in her life.

Hayden had a mentor in the original story. But he had a personality that made him unable to stay in one place.

Since Amy had continued living at her territory, that doesn’t fit.

Though she seemed to be hiding many things from me, Amy has lived a suspicious life as well.

But I didn’t want to pry into all that right now.

“Must have been hard.”

“…Yeah.”

Talking could make things longer, and because Amy’s frail body still sat on me.

Had I always fought like this?

The protagonist of the original story, the demon slayer Hayden Parker, was physically different from Amy.

Despite the differences between men and women, Hayden was tall, muscular, and had a different mindset.

After losing everything for revenge, he threw away much of his humanity, but unlike him, Amy still retained her humanity.

It must be hard for someone with humanity to fight beings that are not human.

She needs to change the habit of thinking alone and almost getting herself killed, for her own sake.

If something is happening related to the Demon Church, and Amy tries to handle it by herself but fails, the empire will be destroyed.

If she just told me, we could discuss ways to solve it together.

The rest will be left until we get out of here and Amy’s injuries are fully healed…

The dungeon is collapsing more and more.

Rocks fell from the ceiling several times, but they didn’t touch my body.

The exit is almost in sight.

“Why… did you save me…?”

With the brightly shining exit before us, Amy quietly spoke.

She still had her face buried in my neck.

“I thought you were a demon and shot at you… swung my Aura Blade…

I thought you had some ulterior motive and kept my distance… I was too wrong about you…”

‘At least she knows she was wrong.’

If she hadn’t realized her mistake and kept blathering, I would have slapped her.

But seeing her reflect was a good attitude.

I felt Amy’s voice, still silent, starting to tremble.

The part of my neck that was touching her face felt hot.

Warm liquid trickled down my neck.

I could tell what it was without needing to look.

What should I say to her?

Suddenly, I remembered what my mentor had once told me when I had just reached the level of master.

“You’re my friend. Did I think that only?”

“….”

In the long and winding dungeon, daylight suddenly shone upon us.

We safely made it out of the once-invisible dungeon.

It may be a mess, but as always, Amy survived again.

“Thank you for saving me.”

This time, I wasn’t alone.

——————-

Andy returned to the capital after a long time.

He’d be receiving a medal from the Imperial Palace for brilliantly resolving the Academy dungeon incident.

From Andy’s standpoint, Atlas should be the one receiving it, but Atlas frowned heavily.

“Let’s just say the senior solved everything. Seems like everyone thinks that way, and it’s not entirely wrong, is it?”

Worried that being known might cause trouble, Atlas even told Andy to take all the credit for this incident.

Since he was set to receive the reward from the palace, Atlas’s judgment proved correct.

Being pursued by the Royal Knight Order, stepping into the capital where they reside must be burdensome.

“Everything is fine. I don’t care, but let’s make this clear; if my name comes up, I won’t let it go.”

He knew exactly what Andy meant by wanting everything but his name taken into account.

“Hehe… I got on a good line.”

Supporting Atlas, who was causing a ruckus while taking minimal credit at the Academy, was a tough job, but it was worth it.

Though his personality is a bit rough, Atlas is a capable knight.

Unlike Andy, who managed to remain a regular member, Atlas had reached a leadership position within the Royal Knight Order.

That position could only be obtained by reaching expert mastery levels within the Royal Knight Order.

The moment he shed the novice label, Atlas immediately gained that title.

If Atlas took care of the aftermath well, it’d be a great opportunity.

This incident was deemed quite significant even by the royal family.

It was an enormous incident where dozens of promising successors of noble families nearly lost their lives.

That traces of the Demon Church had been discovered indicated that they had broken through the academy’s previously tight security.

The fact that the academy, who maintained security comparable to that of the royal palace, was breached provided a crucial clue that the influence of the Demon Church could extend to the current imperial palace.

If things had gone a little sideways, this incident would have shaken the pillars of the empire, and the achievement of passing through it without any fatalities was tremendous.

“I’m proud of you. Even after leaving the order, you’re still striving hard.”

“Thank you, Commander.”

In Andy’s eyes, he could see the golden flower-shaped medal shining on his chest.

The Fourth-Class Gabera Medal is an honorary medal given to knights who have demonstrated outstanding achievements in critical situations.

The one holding the medal appeared to be a healthy-looking woman, who looked no older than her early thirties.

Her ebony hair was neatly braided and accentuated her white neck.

Her calm, beautiful eyes resembled the color of the deep night sea.

Her clear, healthy skin and warm aura made her look like a newly minted knight with little experience, but in reality, it was far from the truth.

She was none other than Linda Westharbor, the commander of the Royal Knight Order, and one of the three masters in the empire herself.

Due to her busy schedule, Andy had always seen her from a distance, but now, feeling overwhelmed to see the commander he admired so much in person, his heart raced.

Linda leaned slightly forward to pin the medal on Andy’s chest.

The fact that the commander he admired had come right before his eyes made Andy’s heart flutter.

“So…”

As she pinned the medal on Andy’s chest, she softly spoke as if giving a blessing.

“Where is Atlas hiding?”