The Academy’s Ankle Reaper

Early in the morning, the newspapers scattered across the capital of the Empire were adorned with quite an amusing article on the front page.

Royal Knight Commander Conducts Surprise Inspection at the Academy!

Royal Knight Commander Linda Westharbor emphasized the need to strengthen capabilities to maintain peace during her surprise inspection of the Academy.

On this day, she encouraged the Academy students and unusually visited the training grounds to check on their training situation directly.

This unexpected visit by Linda Westharbor, the Empire’s top swordsman and Royal Knight Commander, was not on her schedule.

Most people probably thought she just wanted to see the students at the Academy, but there were definitely others who took it differently.

“Th-this country bumpkin..!!”

Edward Lemnos, the current head of one of the five pillars, was one such person.

The moment he saw the newspaper, he crumpled it up and threw it onto his desk.

“This is clearly a provocation..!! Just as my son enrolls in the Academy, she decides to visit the place she hadn’t been to since graduation!!”

Fuming like his nickname suggested, Edward slammed the desk multiple times.

As the head of the Lemnos family, known for their top-tier expertise, the sound resonated through the mansion like thunder, but no one seemed taken aback.

The sturdy desk held up against the impact, but the papers and ink on it fell to the floor, making the butler work up a sweat as he cleaned up the mess, which looked quite amusing.

“Your Lordship… please try not to worry too much. The Commander is also an Academy graduate, so it’s not surprising she might visit…”

“It’s strange! She’s conducting a surprise inspection without a word, and also, Edgar is preparing for his next duel!!”

Edward Lemnos’s mind recalled the smiling face of Linda from the past.

Linda, who had become a Master, had looked down at Edward the moment she was appointed as the Royal Knight Commander…

He still couldn’t forget the expression on Linda’s face from that day.

Her eyes were solemn, but the corners of her mouth were slightly raised in that peculiar expression…

That expression seemed to mock him for remaining as an Expert without breaking through to the next level, and every time he recalled it, it made him grit his teeth.

“I need to prepare to leave. Get ready!”

“Your Lordship, are you seriously planning to go to the Academy??”

“Yeah, I’ll postpone my schedule! I can’t let this provocation slide..!!”

——————————

Just like last time, the stakes had risen even higher.

Originally labeled a revenge match for the Lemnos family, this duel had attracted significant interest from students who had witnessed the previous one.

And now, with the Royal Knight Commander stating she’d be observing, eyes were drawn to the formal oath of duel between the two.

It’s turning into quite the hassle.

Edgar and I faced each other and discussed the details of the duel.

Objectively speaking, I was looking up at him while he was looking down at me.

Though Edgar, who had already been severely beaten before, showed no signs of looking down on me, just the fact that he was looking down bothered me.

Surrounding us were several people, including the Commander and Professor Buckingham, all gathering to watch, with the center figure being Principal Morgan Prisha, who stood with his arms crossed.

Since the event had gotten so big, the Principal had personally stepped in as an observer.

“Edgar Lemnos, what do you want from this duel?”

“… I will prove that Lemnos’s sword is the best.”

Edgar declared confidently.

If that’s the reason, we might as well just have a sparring match instead of making a big deal out of it.

“And Atlas Nemea, what do you want from this duel?”

“Hey Lemnos, it’s annoying having a crowd every time we duel, so if I win this time, don’t ask for another duel, okay?”

“…I’ll accept that.”

The many eyes glued to us like we were the main event were still unpleasant.

We were both wagering something, but it was odd how, given the hype, we had relatively low stakes for this duel.

Even if Lemnos won, it would only serve to affirm his own prowess, while my winning would merely prevent Lemnos from bothering me for another duel… Compared to the duel yesterday over a woman, this felt incredibly modest.

“The duel will be 1v1, tomorrow at noon, held in the Special Arena. Witnessed by me, Principal Morgan Prisha… then, I will approve the duel based on mutual agreement.”

As the duel was officially announced, cheers erupted from the crowd.

It seemed the return of an exciting duel was much welcomed.

This “duel” taking place in the Special Arena—it had been a while since we’d seen such a spectacle, as it wasn’t just your ordinary Circular Arena.

The Special Arena could create unique environments, so it was typically used during exams.

“Seeing how you quickly requested this rematch, I guess you’ve learned something?”

“Yeah… this time, I’ll show you what I’m made of!”

I wasn’t sure where the confidence came from, but Lemnos was brimming with it.

From far away, I could hear the voices of those betting on Lemnos, saying they’d definitely put their trust in him this time.

Still not losing hope, even after being beaten like that…

I thought it’d be great if it turned out to be another upset.

——————————-

One of the five pillars, Zeek Albion, was the closest family to the Lemnos.

Whenever war broke out, the Lemnos would always take the vanguard while the magical noble family Albion supported them from the rear, maintaining an amicable relationship over many years.

Zeek Albion, the eldest son of the Albion family, had been friends with Edgar Lemnos since childhood.

It’s a lesson drilled into Zeek that seeing Lemnos on the battlefield meant looking after his back.

“Prigia was right.. there’s no point in dueling; we’d only be the ones losing. If it’s only about winning or losing, there’s no need for a duel at all.”

Zeek still remembered the day Edgar had lost in a duel.

He recalled the moment, in front of many people, when the once strong Edgar was mercilessly beaten.

The moment he collapsed, unable to even stand, haunted his memories.

To Zeek, Lemnos was invincible.

Edgar had never lost a duel against his peers, and naturally, Zeek believed he’d win.

That was an undeniable truth and faith.

But after Edgar lost to that Dwarf, Zeek’s faith began to waver.

“It’s the duty of Albion to watch Lemnos’s back.”

He understood why that lesson had been taught.

Lemnos was just a person too.

There was nothing invincible about him.

So, he had to ensure Lemnos wouldn’t fall.

Zeek didn’t want to see Edgar lose again.

If he had to witness the man he always considered superior get humiliated by that Dwarf, he just couldn’t bear it.

Only then did Zeek understand what Prigia meant.

At first, he thought Lemnos would surely win, but he wondered why she would utter such an unpleasant statement… she always had a cold, logical perspective.

“What if, by chance, he loses? How will you deal with that loss?”

Once Lemnos’s pride was wounded, he could only redeem it by defeating that Dwarf.

If we presume he will win, it’s better to win in front of everyone…

But the moment Zeek’s faith began to shake, he also thought maybe it would be best for the duel to be somewhere private, so there’s no chance of losing… He realized how disrespectful that thought would be to Lemnos, who was burning with fighting spirit—but he couldn’t help it.

If Lemnos fell, it would crush himself as well.

“It’s good that the Empire’s best swordsman is watching. I’ll show that the blazing sword of Lemnos is still intact.”

“Even without that, everyone knows Lemnos is strong.”

Despite Zeek’s continued discouragement, Lemnos sighed.

This was a face Zeek had never seen before.

Edgar Lemnos showed disappointment toward Zeek.

“Are you saying things like Prigia’s? You don’t believe in me either…”

With that, Edgar appeared to look incredibly lonely.

“… Yeah, you’re a magician; you wouldn’t understand if you don’t hold a sword.”

“…!”

“I underestimated Atlas. Don’t worry, this time will be different; I’m staking everything on this… I will surely win.”

With those final words, Edgar left the bar.

Zeek Albion stood frozen, watching Edgar’s retreating figure.

Edgar’s eyes were ablaze.

This was a matter of pride—a vow to ignite his fighting spirit and ensure victory without fail.

If Edgar wins, there won’t be any problems.

Assuming he wins, that is.

If he were to lose once more…

But even having such thoughts made Zeek feel guilty toward Edgar.

How could the friend who should be supporting him worry about losing at a time like this…?

“… Edgar, you can’t lose.”

But he was just a person too.

Not invincible.

It’s not enough just to believe in him; he had to help him secure a victory.

If Edgar only manages to win, none could hold him accountable.

——————————

River and Amy were getting ready to leave the hospital.

They said recovery was faster than expected since they were fed plenty of good things.

The news that they’d be watching my duel right after being discharged thrilled River’s eyes.

“Atlas, are you dueling Lemnos again?”

“You look pretty confident; I guess you figured something out.”

“Crush him again! You’re the one teaching me, so you have to do that much!”

When the topic of the duel came up, River showed a childish expression of innocence.

Sitting next to him in bed, Amy, still struggling with one injured leg, chimed in, “Atlas… getting involved with the five pillars isn’t going to be beneficial.”

“Are you worried about me?”

“Yes…”

It’s true that dealing with nobles like the five pillars is bound to be bothersome.

If you win, they’ll begrudge you and be a pain, and if you lose, it’s still a loss.

But since I was already entangled in this, despite my slip of tongue, I wasn’t planning to back down.

“So, I’m going to pull an all-nighter tonight.”

“Why?? You should rest well before the duel tomorrow to get in good shape!”

At my declaration, River looked completely perplexed.

In a normal duel… it was indeed better to get a good night’s sleep for a better condition.

But this duel wasn’t a normal duel.

I recalled all the countless gaze directed at me after the duel was approved.

This duel wouldn’t just take place in the Circular Arena, but rather in the Special Arena.

The Special Arena simulates unique situations…

It’s not just a plain 1v1 competition; it introduces variables.

Inside, monsters can appear, and terrain can magically transform, making it a cutting-edge battleground.

It seemed the Principal thought Lemnos wouldn’t stand a chance purely by skill and aimed to introduce variables to balance it out.

That wasn’t the issue.

If it was going to be a pure bout of skills, we could just spar, wielding swords against one another; a duel takes those variables into account as well.

However…

Could it really be complete randomness with variables in the Special Arena?

This isn’t just any duel; it’s a duel between me and Lemnos.

There’s a good chance there will be people looking to undermine this—betting folks who lost their money, Lemnos’s followers, or those with personal grudges against me, and so forth… There are just too many candidates who might pull a trick.

No matter how much Russell had my back, a “personal vendetta” often doesn’t listen to reason.

Someone will surely try something.

To tamper with the environment of the Special Arena, one would need to enter the Control Room located within the arena itself.

Remote manipulation was impossible.

In other words, to pull any tricks, they’d have to come inside the arena.

It’s not in my character to whine and complain after the fact.

“Today, I’m going to take down anyone lurking near the Special Arena.”

Let them come; I’ll send them all to the hospital.