The Academy’s Ankle Reaper

It looked like Lemnos was dominating the scene, using his flashy Flame Blade and pushing Atlas into a corner.

Atlas, on the other hand, seemed like he was completely on the defensive, not even using his Aura Blade and just scrambling to avoid the attacks.

“Wow, Lemnos is truly overwhelming!”

“Look at that little Dwarf! He was so cocky, but now he can only dodge!”

“Is he not even able to use the Aura Blade?”

“Finish him off, Lemnos!!”

The majority of the arena was cheering for Lemnos.

And why not?

Lemnos stood as one of the five pillars at the heart of the Empire, not just any noble.

It would surely be a torment for Atlas if he ended up losing after challenging Lemnos, regardless of who won.

Before the match even started, the betting odds were heavily skewed against Atlas—2 for Atlas to 8 for Lemnos.

It seemed that Atlas, who appeared so intimidating in the hallway, looked quite small once he entered the arena.

River Shimoa, supporting Atlas, felt the heavy pressure of the crowd’s atmosphere.

“Will Atlas be okay?”

“He’ll win.”

River answered Amy’s question with confidence.

To the untrained eye, it looked like Lemnos was pushing him hard, while Atlas could only evade attacks.

But River, who had sparred with Atlas several times, could see something else.

He noticed how relaxed Atlas seemed,

despite Lemnos’s fierce assaults not landing a single effective hit.

“Atlas is the one who defeated me.”

“No, I meant, if he beats Lemnos, the other four pillars won’t let him be; is that really okay?”

That was a whole different story.

River cleared his throat, awkwardly.

“Well, Atlas must have considered that at least…”

This wasn’t just a duel where winning equaled gain, losing equaled loss.

Even if he won, there would still be losses; either way, it was a risky duel.

Given how confidently Atlas was handling things, he probably had a plan, right?

———————————-

‘Those bastards are going to regret this later.’

I remembered the faces of those spectators who were calling me a Dwarf and saying I dodged like a cockroach.

It seemed ordinary students had all their senses muddled, unable to see how miserably I was thrashing Lemnos while still thinking he had the upper hand.

Perhaps it was because I wasn’t using the Aura Blade?

But those who have fought against someone using the Aura Blade should know how belittling it is to just use a regular longsword in response.

I couldn’t grasp why the crowd still thought Lemnos was winning.

Things haven’t changed much.

Lemnos swung his Flamberge, and I dodged.

The difference now was that I was no longer just dodging…

“Your side is open.”

-Thwack!!

“Urgh!!”

While dodging, I punctured a punch into his exposed spot.

With every attack evaded, I dealt him another blow, and maintaining the Flame Blade must be draining his stamina because with each hit to his sides, shins, and wrists, his condition was deteriorating.

“Get up. It’s not over yet.”

“I know that without you saying it!!”

Lemnos, who was knocked down from a kick to his shin, picked up the Flamberge again.

Responding to his fighting spirit, the sword flared up, but the brilliance of those flames didn’t shine as brightly as it once did.

Lemnos dropped his sword, and I urged him to get it back.

The crowd’s reaction was terrible.

When Lemnos was wielding his flaming sword with flair, the audience was still convinced I was losing, but they were beginning to notice something was off.

“How many times are you going to drop your sword?”

“I know…!!”

This had happened multiple times already.

With every impotent drop, the flames of the Flamberge lost their fierceness.

As the flames weakened, the crowd’s chatter started to change.

Could it be that Lemnos was actually losing?

“Your leg is open.”

-Crack!

“Guh!!”

Usually, I’d be excited by the prospect of blood, but this time, I slashed into his exposed left calf.

I wanted to slice through his ankle, but I opted to inflict the humiliation instead.

The sword buried deep into his leg, causing Lemnos to drop to his left knee.

“Haah… Haah…”

Edgar Lemnos was nearing his limit.

The Flamberge barely flickered with its weak flames.

His hefty arm resting on the ground trembled like a reed, and blood flowed from the deep wound in his left calf.

Before him, I stood with an air of ease, as though inviting him to come at me anytime.

“With just this pathetic effort?!!!”

He somehow forced himself to stand, putting weight on his only leg.

It was clear that despite standing, he could muster no strength on one side.

His sword raised, but with trembling legs and a shaky grip, he couldn’t properly execute a technique.

“Graaah!!!”

That initially sharp strike was now nothing more than a dull yawn as I dodged and kicked out his supporting right leg.

“Ugh!!!”

Lemnos crashed down into the sandy floor.

How many times had he fallen by now?

His body was caked in grime from the sand.

I noticed how he trembled, lying on the sandy floor.

It felt time to bring this to an end.

At that moment, Lemnos pounded his fist into the arena’s sandy surface.

“Why… Why can’t I win!!!”

His voice wobbled, perhaps stirred by the humiliation he felt while I teased him throughout the match.

“I poured my entire life into my sword!! I can proudly say I worked harder than anyone else…

What’s the difference between us that makes such a huge gap?!”

That cry was akin to a wail.

Russell put him through rigorous heir training, but Lemnos probably pushed himself even more.

He thought he was the strongest among his peers and couldn’t grasp the situation.

Lemnos wasn’t just losing.

I hadn’t even used the Aura Blade; I’d only fought using basic swordsmanship with a longsword.

For Lemnos, with his prestigious family sword and Vision Swordsmanship, this must feel like a denial of his life.

“What’s the difference? Care to enlighten me?”

But in my eyes, it didn’t seem like he’d genuinely poured everything into it.

“The fact that you’re even asking that is the first difference.”

I might sound old-fashioned, but back when I was Edgar’s age, I was in the midst of swinging my sword fiercely in the Knight Order, achieving feats beyond my years.

Though all that was to grow taller, there’s no shame in saying I raced forward for skill improvement.

‘This world is structured that way.’

With a smidge of talent, relentless effort, and self-justification, anyone can push through walls as long as they don’t stop.

Only a few recognize this.

“You claim to have put your life into your sword? Really? Then what’s the whole charade about?

Why look back and be satisfied if you truly want to move forward?”

Should I even comment on whether it’s okay just to keep running forward?

Look at yourself now. You got cocky and acted all high and mighty just because you were a bit strong among your peers…

If you truly want to be stronger, you should spend that time honing your skills instead of letting your thoughts run wild.

“…You think you can judge the value of my efforts!!”

Though he hardly had any strength, Lemnos hoisted himself up, indignantly shouting that.

“You might not understand right now, but…”

But once your boiling emotions cool down, you’ll recognize the meaning of all this yourself.

You’ll see the reality of looking down in relief because you’re blocked down by a wall instead of upward.

“Think about it while lying on your bed.”

-Bam!!!

Immediately, my fist sank into Lemnos’s abdomen, sending his barely standing body soaring through the air before slamming against the wall.

Just like he did in the hallway yesterday.

Lemnos’s motionless body fell to the ground, no longer moving.

I was victorious.

-Edgar Lemnos is incapacitated; hence, the winner of the duel is Atlas Nemea.

The announcement of my victory echoed through the arena, and I leaned in, eagerly awaiting the bursting victory fanfare.

“Aaaagh!!! My money!!!”

“This is fraud!!!”

“I put my entire student loan on this!!”

Cries of despair rang out from all directions as gamblers who had bet on Lemnos wailed.

Though I won, their horrified cries questioning why I had won only amused me.

This was the victorious fanfare I had anticipated.

Let them wail; I remember every single thing they said to me during the duel.

Who was it that threatened me with swords and gambling?

———————————-

As soon as the duel ended and I exited the arena, I was greeted by the beaming Andy Robinson.

He said he bet his entire monthly salary from the Academy… I didn’t see how high the odds went at the end, but he must have earned quite a lot.

“Wow, your skills haven’t gone anywhere! The Royal Knight Order can’t lose to someone like the Fifth Pillar!”

“You seem to have won big; don’t forget to buy drinks later.”

“If I go into a tavern with you, they’ll throw me out.”

-Thwack!

I immediately retaliated, landing a punch into Andy’s abdomen.

Both Lemnos and Andy had to raise their arms up with all their might just to hit the chin, making their abdomens the easiest target.

“Gah!!”

“Be careful there, senior.”

“I already got hit!!”

“That didn’t even count as a hit.”

I was still annoyed because getting kicked out from a tavern was something that actually happened to me after I turned adult.

“Ugh, I’m out then… I’ll buy drinks later!”

Upon hearing footsteps from the hallway, Andy quickly vanished in another direction.

The fact that both of us were in a senior-junior relationship is still a secret.

“Atlas!!”

Suddenly appearing from the hallway were River and Amy.

River looked excited, eagerly waving his arms as if he was overjoyed.

“I can’t believe you didn’t use the Aura Blade against that Flame Blade! You were amazing! The others were sighing in despair every time it looked like you were gaining the upper hand…! You should have seen it too!”

“I’ll settle for the compliments I got at the end.”

“Yeah, using Half-Swording mid-fight was surprising too. You couldn’t use that technique with the Aura Blade; they don’t teach that anymore.”

“Lemnos probably never learned it, which is why it caught him off guard.”

“Your responses to the Flame Blade were spectacular! Anyone else would have been devoured by the Flame Blade with a mediocre Aura Blade; dodging weapons without clashing—only someone with your caliber could do that.”

River, who usually had such a composed demeanor, was now reliving today’s duel, sparkling like a child as he praised the techniques I used.

‘Yeah, I always enjoyed moments like this.’

Amy’s expression seemed a bit gloomy; I wondered if that was because she was kept busy in this state.

River loved tales of heroes.

Stories of those who fight against adversities and emerge victorious excited him.

He also enjoyed placing himself as the protagonist, which was why he loved to fight.

If you have complaints, face them in a duel; that’s his nature.

Feeling his admiration made me a bit shy.

I thought I would entertain them until my evening promise with Lucia.

————————————————

It was a refreshing morning.

Having won the duel and knowing the troublemakers would all come to heel, I was free from worrying about the disciplinary committee or the risk of expulsion.

After finishing my morning exercises and headed to the Academy, I saw students here and there reading newspapers.

It was rare to see them so absorbed in the news.

Could it be that the duel results were being prominently featured?

Curious, I decided to buy a copy.

“What? The duel is nullified… Atlas is being penalized by the disciplinary committee for cheating in the duel…?”

The newspaper was indeed filled with news about the duel, but the content was far from what I anticipated.

“Ha… so this is how it’s going to be…”

I tore the newspaper to shreds right then and there.

These bastards were seriously not going to just let it go.

The pieces fluttered about in the air.

The instigators behind that article would end up being torn apart too.