The Academy’s Ankle Reaper

The academy was filled with stories about Atlas.

As soon as I arrived, there were rumors about a promising new student who got into a fight with five pillars and wrecked the Newspaper Club all by themselves.

As Atlas continued to get involved in incidents, my companion, who always provided me with advice, warned me about him.

– “Atlas’s aura is unsettling. He’s probably made a contract already.”

He was cautious every time an incident broke out around Atlas. It was the same when I smashed Lemnos’s gang in the hallway, when I took down Lemnos, and when I wrecked the Newspaper Club—he was always on guard.

He kept saying I’d make dumb excuses for Atlas and that he would definitely form a deal with a demon.

I wanted to dismiss it all as nonsense, but I couldn’t. Ever since I met my companion, he had never been wrong.

After the plot of the demon church, a group of Devil Worshippers, was resolved in the territory, the voice of my companion, which had only been audible to me, always pointed me towards a good path, as if it could see the future.

Every time that companion spoke about Atlas, he began to seem different to me.

The most pathetic part is that I also don’t fully trust Atlas either.

Atlas has two faces.

The considerate, easygoing angel Atlas in front of me and River, and the terrifying demon Atlas when he eliminates anyone who opposes him…

The constant shifting of Atlas’s appearance continues to confuse me.

When I see Atlas helping River with sword training in the morning, my companion’s worries seem utterly ridiculous. But when I see him smashing people’s legs, his words start to feel true.

The most crucial moment came just yesterday…

After Atlas and Prigia skipped classes, that day I witnessed something that shocked my companion.

—-

This morning, when Atlas suddenly vanished, my companion found it suspicious and started searching for him.

In an empty classroom of the academy, where no one else had wandered, Atlas was having a secret meeting with Prigia.

“…Atlas, you have tea time every afternoon. Could you possibly come?”

“I’m not going. It’s crowded because of your subordinates.”

I knew about the Golden Prigia.

I had heard plenty of rumors, and my companion mentioned her with disgust.

I was sure I’d heard she had a rude and arrogant personality, but here she was using extremely polite language.

“I’ll clear everything.”

“Then it would just become noisy with just the two of us… gives me even less reason to go.”

“It’s just between Atlas and me. Others can’t say anything.”

“If those guys start whispering, I’d be uncomfortable.”

“Then… I’ll arrange a separate place.”

Prigia was clinging to Atlas.

Atlas was politely declining Prigia’s suggestion, but she kept begging him.

What on earth was happening between the two of them?

I couldn’t understand it at all.

– Tap

As Shaara kept going with different conditions, Atlas suddenly started tapping his palm with his fist.

“Shaara.”

“…!”

The sound of his fist hitting his palm in a steady rhythm made Shaara Prigia’s expression change.

From the face of a girl in love, she suddenly turned pale and had the wide-eyed look of a frightened child.

“I said I’m not going.”

“…. I was presumptuous.”

With Atlas’s stubborn rejection, Prigia finally shut her eyes and gave up.

“Then go.”

The moment Atlas’s voice cut off, my companion shouted in my head.

– “Realized it! Use the hourglass now!”

‘R… really??’

As soon as my companion yelled, I flipped the small hourglass hanging around my neck upside down.

At the same time, I heard something break above my head.

With that action came the feeling as if my body was flipped upside down, and the scenery I had been looking at changed.

I was back in the dormitory.

– If I had been even a little later, I would have been caught!

“Did they notice us?”

The ‘Rewinding Hourglass’ I had just used was a rare artifact I found thanks to my companion.

Once a day, if you flip the hourglass backward, you can teleport to the place you were in, up to a day ago.

Many artifacts can do that level of space movement, but the ‘Rewinding Hourglass’ has the special ability to be used where detection isn’t possible, making it quite handy.

Since it can only be used once a day, there are times I don’t use it, but it was a real emergency this time.

What I had just seen was truly astonishing.

The two of them were meeting secretly as if they were in a clandestine romance.

‘Wait a minute, it didn’t seem like Atlas liked her that much…’

Atlas had thoroughly rejected Prigia’s advances. But I suppose there’s such a type of love too.

I was astonished, but my companion’s voice trembled with shock.

– “Prigia… using honorifics? To Atlas?? Is it already too late? Damn!!”

‘They seemed close… Isn’t that a big problem?’

– “Prigia is a traitor to humanity. The only possible being that girl bows to other than the Emperor is… a demon. She’s the one who sided with the demons to bring down the empire!!”

That was something I had heard before.

After the first few of the five pillars were killed, it was said that they would eventually form contracts with demons.

– “She’s the heiress of the Golden Ball. The only people she might bow to in this empire are the Emperor and her father. And there she is, treating Atlas like a master.”

– “Did you see at the end… Prigia trembling in fear? Atlas must have subdued her already. He might have become a demon.”

“That’s a lie…”

That can’t be…

If Atlas truly became a demon… I’d have to kill him.

—————————

Despite my head spinning with thoughts about Atlas, classes are still ongoing.

Living as an examinee in the academy is incredibly tough.

Those who got in on recommendation look down on those who entered through exams as if they are a lower rank.

Even after greeting people cheerfully, I have seen several change their expressions upon seeing the design of my brooch.

Some of the examinees have already gotten into mischief with troublemakers and are facing gloomy bullying.

For my part, I’m having quite an enjoyable academy life.

River is always around to protect me from such people, so at least within the class, I don’t have to worry about them.

And Atlas… he’s always so easygoing with me.

I keep thinking about what my companion said, which makes it hard for me to treat Atlas like before, but he always treats me the same.

I attend the theory class of Magical Engineering alone.

Following my companion’s advice, I was attending this class because I needed a lot of knowledge about magical engineering to maintain the weapons I use.

It’s difficult, but my companion catches the parts I don’t understand and explains them in a way that’s easy to follow, so it’s manageable enough.

After class, the seniors in front of me called out to me.

“Hey, aren’t you that kid’s pet?”

“Me?”

“Come out for a second.”

The kid’s pet… are they talking about me?

I wanted to argue but couldn’t find the words.

‘Seems like the pet of the two… feels correct, I suppose.’

Compared to the two who got in through recommendations, I was nothing but the daughter of a baron with a damaged territory…

There’s no benefit in hanging out with them. Why do they stick with me? It seemed strange.

“Hmm~ Is this your taste?”

“Examinees all look sturdy, huh.”

“Lighten up. I’m not going to eat you.”

The three surrounded me, evaluating me quietly.

They didn’t seem too strong.

If it came down to it, I could probably take all three of them down and escape.

– “The daughter of the Lypou family. Average personality for nobles, so they’re not rude, but also not kind either.”

Picking up on the suspicious atmosphere, my companion provided appropriate advice.

Not being a troublemaker means they wouldn’t do anything dangerous to my safety.

I shouldn’t be too confrontational, as it would only cause unnecessary chaos…

Unlike Atlas, I can’t afford to get expelled from the academy, so it’s best not to stir up trouble.

“Here you go.”

“What is…?”

What she handed me was their baggage.

“It’s customary for juniors to carry seniors’ bags.”

“…Okay.”

Including mine, I ended up carrying four bags.

I’d been training normally, so it didn’t feel too heavy, but it was difficult to grasp several bulky books and teaching materials at once.

They often made me carry their stuff like a pack mule during the two weekly general studies classes, accompanied by comments that were hard to respond to.

Usually, they made jokes comparing me to a pet.

But just that much.

They didn’t ask for money or put me through physically exhausting abuse.

The jokes might be cheeky, but compared to someone who would slap me for not reacting, this was pretty mild.

Yeah, this is fine.

I can endure.

“Hey, what the hell are you guys doing?”

But it seemed that wasn’t the case for Atlas.

When he saw me carrying the seniors’ bags, he furiously yelled at them.

He got angry on my behalf, not just for himself.

“Take this garbage away!!”

“““Hiiik?!!”””

After chasing the seniors away, Atlas smiled slyly and approached me again.

“If you do that again… no, I’ll come by often.”