The Academy’s Ankle Reaper

Professor Praha’s words continued to swirl around my ears.

The notion that if there was a Dragon’s Essence, it could lead to growth had somehow twisted into the idea that possessing it might mean I would grow taller.

They said that if I waited a bit, I would bring back better results, but the first words I had heard left the deepest impression on me.

“Atlas… get a grip.”

“Wow… you really don’t look good…”

I said I was fine, yet the thoughts just wouldn’t vacate my mind.

Using all the knowledge I had gathered about Dragons and information collected during my time as a knight, I was filtering out the easiest Dragons to catch and simulating scenarios.

However, most of the known Dragons were key figures that would cause tremendous issues if I killed them just because I wanted to.

Take, for example, someone like Saint McKinto; I thought I could probably get away with ambushing if I pinpointed his weakness, but if that Dragon dies, the Church would be in danger.

If the Church is in danger, it means a world where demons roam freely.

That’s even worse, so let’s leave that alone.

Aside from that, there were also Dragons that frolicked as royalty in some kingdom or those enjoying power plays as mid-level Magicians in a tower—each of them had a role to play.

‘Should I give up on this…?’

The risk versus reward was just too tight.

The exchange rate for betting on the future of the world wasn’t favorable enough for things that aren’t even certain.

If it had been certain, I might have thought a bit differently.

For now, all I could do was wait for Professor Praha’s research…

“Well, for today’s class…”

Up front, Andy was summarizing the content of today’s lesson.

Suddenly, as I listened to his lecture, something strange came to mind.

It’s been over two weeks, but why does it still feel like the first class?

Given how many incidents have occurred lately, it surely must have been tiring.

“… Atlas, is that really training from the Royal Knight Order?”

“About half of it.”

Andy was explaining the training that was going to take place.

The training content was simple.

We would run rigorous basic training until the next exam and then measure physical strength on test day to determine our scores.

I thought it might be too dull for the students, but this was indeed the training done during the apprenticeship at the Royal Knight Order.

Nothing can be built without a solid foundation.

It’s only natural that Amy would find that strange.

If you just heard about the basic training, you’d think the Royal Knight Order wouldn’t conduct such stuff.

“Wow… this is really happening…”

It was just the kind of training that would make you yawn and utterly exhausting, yet they actually wanted us to do that.

Seems like they’ve gained quite a bit of confidence with their recent popularity.

———————————

“What’s everyone gonna drink?”

“Are you buying again today? I’ll pay this time, so put your wallet away.”

“No, I’ll get it this time. I’ve eaten too much already.”

“You guys… just say thank you when I offer, okay?”

I was walking down the hallway to grab a coffee during the free time before the next class.

They’re being evasive now that I said I’d pay.

Didn’t I earn enough from working that I wouldn’t be short on cash for this?

Now I was stubbornly resolved to buy something.

“Hey, are you Atlas?”

But then, someone blocked my way.

“Who are you?”

It was a hulking man with muscles bulging everywhere.

He looked down at me with a menacing face, which was quite unpleasant.

I asked out of courtesy, but given his short cloak and the swords at his waist, I could guess where he was from.

Is this the third clash already?

“We’re from the Swordsmanship Research Club. The Club President wants you to come with us.”

Just as I expected, it was the Swordsmanship Research Club.

What does it mean that the president is calling for me?

In fact, this would be the second time anyone from there has been a jerk to me, so it’s not surprising if the president had complaints, but the timing felt suspicious.

To be called over at such an ambiguous time, right after having been insulted the day before—it just felt off.

That said, who even is the president of the Swordsmanship Research Club right now?

I knew they were set to graduate next year but I had no idea who they were.

In the original storyline, the club started gaining serious attention the year after she graduated.

I was curious about what the reason was for calling me.

“What gives you the right to order me around!”

“It’s okay.”

River tried to step up, but I stopped him with my arm.

At this point, River didn’t need to step in anymore.

“Does the president not have legs? If you have something to say, tell me directly.”

“Y-You brat…!! How dare you speak to the President like that!!”

As I rejected him, the Swordsmanship Research Club member’s face turned an awkward shade of red.

He played with the hilt of the sword at his waist, ready to draw it at any moment.

Normally, I’d wait for him to draw and retaliate, but this was already the third time these clowns had approached me.

“I think it’s you guys who should learn some manners first.”

Again, each side had a significant height difference.

That difference was very unpleasant, so I decided to make our eye level similar.

I kicked his shins hard.

-Crack!

“Whaaaack!!!”

With his shins bending at an angle, the Swordsmanship Research Club member fell forward without even drawing his sword.

I stepped back to gauge the angle and grabbed the collar of the Swordsmanship Research member as he fell.

“Hey buddy…!!”

The member, now in my grip, glared at me fiercely.

He should be grateful he didn’t break his nose as he was falling face-first.

“Have any of you got any brains? Don’t you learn anything from watching your seniors getting wrecked?”

I was already in a bad mood, and now these weirdos were piling up.

Just then, a strong voice rang out from a distance.

“Hey hey hey hey you fools!!”

Someone was rushing toward me through the crowd.

A very healthy-looking woman darted from the end of the hallway right toward me, pushing through the masses.

“I told you to bring them to me nicely, not to brawl!!”

Her deep chestnut hair, like an old tree, waved in the sky.

Her green eyes sparkled, similar to mine.

Her upward slanted gaze had a mischievous look, and her wide mouth seemed to express emotions with great vigor.

‘…Where have I seen her before?’

She seemed unfamiliar, yet she gave off a sense of familiarity.

At first glance, she gave off the impression of being a real troublemaker.

Wearing the short cloak that was the trademark of the Swordsmanship Research Club, she approached me and smacked the Swordsmanship Research member, who was moaning on the ground from his broken shins, and came nearer.

“Sorry, sorry. Our club members are nice but they’re all a bit dim…”

The Swordsmanship Research member, seeing how friendly she was toward me, looked flustered.

I guess they thought they were sending for someone to deal with me.

“B-But President!! This guy took out several of our seniors..!”

“If you lost one-on-one, you should be embarrassed!! Do you want me to help you get revenge?!”

“Eek?!”

The president shouted at the Swordsmanship Research member who was making a wronged face with a broken leg.

The two club members who had followed her grabbed him and dragged him off somewhere.

While I watched the member being dragged like a sack of potatoes, the president placed her hands on her hips and turned to me.

“Yeah, I guess I should have come myself. I’m Hera Nemea, the President of the Swordsmanship Research Club.”

Hera Nemea?

She was a stranger to me, but her last name was very familiar.

After all, it was the same surname as my mother.

‘Oh no, this is bad.’

A cold sweat trickled down my spine.

A student using the Nemea family name was attending the Academy?

“It’s our first meeting, right? Little brother.”

She spread her arms toward me and flashed a bright smile.