The Academy’s Ankle Reaper

“Ugh, that was fun. If nothing special happens next week, wanna go out again?”

“Isn’t it going to get boring if we go too often?”

“I think it’s worth it since Amy would join us.”

This weekend, I went out with River to downtown.

Last week’s outing was ruined by an incident, but this time, everything went smoothly.

We explored the places we narrowed down from last week and bought a bunch of gifts. In the evening, we booked a hotel room with a great view and had a wonderful night.

I won’t forget how we watched the night sea together from the balcony of the spacious hotel room, not my dreary dorm room.

[Chomp.. Chomp..!!]

The sword in my hand trembled slightly.

I couldn’t help but buy the cursed weapon from the weapon shop I had visited before.

After taking a solid beating from that hammer last time, it still felt intact, which clearly indicated it was no ordinary item.

As soon as I bought it, I shoved it into the practically sealed scabbard I had prepared, and it quieted down a bit.

The shopkeeper practically begged me to take it away, so I got it for the lowest price, and in exchange, I purchased a few of the shop’s best weapons.

I should give gifts to others.

“… Atlas, are you really okay with this? I was super shocked when I grabbed that sword.”

“I’m fine.”

The cursed sword made another ridiculous remark as soon as I caught it, which startled me a bit.

Since it did that last time too, I brushed it off this time.

Still, a part of me was anxious. I felt restless throughout this trip because of that, and it seemed to worry River a lot.

“Why on earth did you buy that troublesome sword?”

“It’s so rare… I’m planning to shove it in a corner of the room and give it as a gift later.”

“Someone’s actually going to like that…?”

“I’m telling you, it’s genuinely valuable!!”

Thanks to all the gifts I bought, a group of students passed by me, carrying a pile of stuff on my back.

It was Perda’s group.

“Wow, did you buy all that? Planning to open a weapon shop?”

“It’s all for gifts.”

As Perda pointed out, I did look quite ridiculous.

Carrying such a huge burden on my back was incredibly unnatural.

But every item was something I genuinely needed.

It seemed Perda had also been out continuously.

Seeing his demeanor, it looked like I’d have to run into that guy every week now, so I’d better watch out.

Having learned from last week’s incident, I rented a room at a high price, only to find it occupied until it was time to leave.

“Didn’t the fifth class say they were going to the tea house? Can I join?”

“You can come, but if you cause a ruckus, you’ll be kicked out.”

“I won’t do anything like that.”

As Perda waved his hands dismissively, Nina chimed in.

“Is it true that Atlas Woodville is getting supplies from ‘Ben’s Bakery’?”

“Yeah, we’re getting them from there.”

“Nivas always goes to the capital alone and has only heard of Ben’s Bakery but has never been there..! Is it really that good to have such a reputation??”

Nina asked, her eyes sparkling, but River and I were left speechless.

Recently, River had also caught on that Woodville and some fifth-class students were practicing baking, and they were still in the process of making dough out of coal.

“I still don’t know…?”

“Right…?”

We had about a week left, and whether it would be truly completed by then was anyone’s guess.

“What do you mean you still don’t know??”

“Hmm… You’ll find out when the festival day comes.”

“Does that mean we can go? I’ll definitely go, so wait for me!”

But Nina, innocently smiling, didn’t realize what that meant.

River didn’t seem to be cautious around her either.

He was a bit wary when they first met, but it seemed he warmed up to her due to her honest nature.

“Our class is going to run a host bar with non-alcoholic cocktails, so do swing by now and then. Just mention it at the entrance, and I’ll give you service.”

“Ugh, I’m absolutely not going.”

I guess I’ll be running around delivering gifts like Santa Claus.

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.

.

With a huge load on my shoulders and a basket in one hand, I climbed up the hill.

I found Amy, who was busy practicing.

Amy was training with a golem alongside Rio, who was on her team.

Rio was picking up many ‘practical’ elemental earth magic techniques.

He was using spells like ‘Dig’ to create pits in a flash and ‘Swamp’ to temporarily restrict movement by turning places into mud.

He created rock walls with high physical defense called ‘Stone Wall’ and made sturdy iron spikes rise from the ground using ‘Alchemize: Iron Sphere,’ utilizing simple yet powerful magic.

Amy was also showcasing excellent movements with her aura-infused sword.

While she hadn’t learned from a famous swordsmanship school, Amy’s techniques were impressively systematic for someone who was self-taught.

It resembled Hayden’s sword, which I had only read about in novels.

Hayden’s sword, from the Devil Slayer in the academy, was taught to him by a demon hunter.

It was effective against opponents who did not resemble humans or moved in unusual ways.

‘At a distance, one would think it was Hayden.’

As soon as Rio restrained the golem’s movements, Amy struck the practice golem with her sword.

It was an incredibly swift and powerful attack.

Once the golem took significant damage, it entered rest mode on its own.

This practice golem was originally not meant to be in this area.

The practice golem could be used by anyone as long as they made a reservation at the designated training grounds at the academy, but as the hunting festival season began, the reservations surged, making it impossible to use in the training grounds anymore.

So, they took one from another location.

By asking Sister Hera, I borrowed one of the practice golems not being used by the Swordsmanship Research Club and made some proper adjustments to use it.

By inputting about three patterns of the monsters that were often released during the hunting festival in the Black Forest, we could practice effectively.

“Amy, take a break.”

“Wow… Thank you!”

“… Thank you.”

Stopping her practice, Amy rushed over with a bright smile, pulled the cloth covering the basket, and took out the sparkling pineapple drink she always had.

Afterward, Rio hesitantly creeped over and grabbed a cup of coffee with ice in it.

It seemed like Amy was quite comfortable with him, but she still seemed shy around me.

She could have been more relaxed since I was a senior.

‘Or maybe not?’

Is she being cautious because many seniors have bullied her before?

Nevertheless, it was better for a shy person than a rude one.

“Are you feeling okay? Confident?”

“There are only three of us, but… everyone is skilled enough to do more than two portions, so I’m definitely confident!”

“Then… having this will boost your chance even more?”

From the pile of stuff on my back, I handed Amy a package I had prepared with her name tag attached.

“Here’s a gift.”

“What is this…?”

“You can’t use the equipment you usually have.”

Amy, with trembling hands, opened the package and began to pull out the items inside, starting with a long sword.

It was a beautifully designed longsword, but practical as well.

As soon as Amy pulled it from its sheath, the pure white blade sparkled in the sunlight.

It was made of an alloy mixed with mithril.

And the percentage of mithril in it was quite high.

“It may not be comparable to a full mithril sword, but it’s a mithril alloy, and I tried to match the weight and length as closely as possible.”

It wasn’t just a mithril alloy.

I had remembered the weight, length, and balance of the great sword Amy used, and tried to find the closest match possible.

If it were made to the same thickness as a full mithril ingot, it would have been too heavy, so I made adjustments in that area.

“Thank you so much… but how…?”

As Amy received the sword, tears welled in her eyes.

Seeing someone who normally wielded a full mithril sword using a basic steel sword like that during demon-hunting made my heart uneasy.

She was so happy that it felt rewarding to have given it to her.

“There’s more inside, so keep taking them out.”

“Yes.. Yes!!”

From the package emerged various equipment that would take over the roles of the items Amy usually used.

There were rare metal chainmail to minimize damage from slashing and stabbing attacks, an artifact that mitigated the impact of strong attacks, and even some explosive throwing weapons that resembled but weren’t quite guns, packed to the brim.

“I’ll be cheering for you during the hunting festival.”

“Thank you!!”

After handing a gift to senior Rio as well, I let the three continue practicing while I alone carried my load of gifts around to share with others.

It felt a bit like I was playing Santa when it wasn’t even winter.

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.

.

After delivering gifts throughout the academy while lugging my burden, I finally found myself alone.

The load that had felt so heavy now felt much lighter.

I had given Amy a mithril alloy sword and gear that could be layered under her coat, along with some odds and ends…

To Lucia, I gifted a teddy bear and an artifact, and I gave Shaara a necklace… And for Sister Hera, I gifted her an artifact that provided substantial resistance to magical attacks.

I also gave Andy a chainmail that could block at least one hefty attack.

When I counted them one by one, it sure added up to a lot.

I also bought a wand and brooch for the senior who asked Amy to team up with him.

I picked the best stuff in the shop considering skills and attributes, and it seemed he liked it.

‘Must be a transfer student, huh?’

Just by looking, you could tell he was a transfer student.

He tried to look tidy, but everything he wore was slightly tattered, giving off a worn-out vibe.

Academy scholarships provide enough money for students to maintain a minimum standard of living, but if someone’s clothes are that worn-out, it seems they’re sending the rest back home.

There are students like that frequently.

The money to live decently in the academy could allow a regular peasant to live quite with ease.

The reason for giving the equipment this time wasn’t because I thought she looked pitiful or anything trivial like that.

It’s not that I think of them as endlessly pitiable for struggling to survive.

That would be insulting to them.

If I were a saint who felt sorry for those living in poverty, I’d have taken care of their lives instead of sneaking around like a shadow receiving a territory and feeding the farmers there.

The reason I provided equipment for Rio was that she was on the same team as Amy.

I didn’t know what kind of thoughts Amy had when she called Rio.

Whether she did it out of sympathy, or if she really believed in only her skills, or simply because they were both transfer students is beyond me.

She was preparing so diligently for the hunting festival, that I didn’t want to utter any words that could sway her.

Simply from seeing them coordinate, she seemed to be a pretty decent sorceress with good skills and a sense of awareness, so I figured she would only become stronger with better gear and wanted to support her for the team’s benefit.

Nonetheless, giving something that expensive to someone I barely knew was quite unusual for me, but I had my reasons.

“Shall we see again…?”

I picked up the constantly trembling sword that was trembling in a corner of the well-lit room flooded with sunlight from the window.

The sword, vibrating slightly as if it had a motor inside, was a very peculiar sight.

The sword itself looked heavily rusted, as if it would rust any moment, but the scabbard was extravagantly appointed.

It seemed like a mismatched set, forcibly shoved together.

With a sigh, I picked up the worn-out sword.

“… Now, tell me again.”

[You cursed fool!! How dare you seal me in that cramped scabbard! I curse you, I curse you..!!]

As I unsheathed the sword, it vibrated strongly and screamed wildly.

It spewed forth horrid curses in all directions, making it seem like undead would spring out from my dormitory room if I left it be.

This obnoxiously cursing sword was the cursed weapon I discovered last week.

I had gone to the cursed weapon shop in downtown to get the scabbard to seal it and bought it.

It was complaining like this just after I shoved it into the scabbard.

“You still haven’t come to your senses.”

I ignored the loud roaring sword spewing curses behind me and picked up the squirette.

– Whoooosh.

Immediately, the dim room became bright as if a light were turned on inside.

The Aura Blade ignited and began to blaze.

If I truly swung it seriously in this state, the cursed weapon would break in an instant.

But I didn’t want to break something I had just bought.

Instead, I brought the Aura Blade close to the cursed weapon’s blade.

Then the sound of sizzling began to resonate, as if something were being seared by a branding iron.

– Szzzzz.

[Aaaaaggh!!!]

“Answer only to my questions. So what happens to me?”

The maximum output of the Aura Blade is lethal against curses.

[If you want to know, I’ll tell you…! You will be beheaded in two weeks…!! I don’t know how you avoided the last prophecy, but this time it will be hard to escape..!!]

The cursed weapon didn’t fully submit but at least stopped spewing nonsensical curses.

[Ha ha ha!! How about enjoying the remaining time of your life while clinging to your existence!!]

“Okay, fine, just go back in.”

[W-wait!! Let me out, it’s too stuffy in here!]

“Maybe you should’ve said that nicely.”

– Clunk.

Once I shoved it back in the scabbard, all that noise came to an abrupt halt.

Occasionally, it would still vibrate within the sheath, but it wasn’t anything serious.

That wasn’t what mattered.

The biggest reason for my gift-giving spree was precisely this.

Originally, I planned to just buy one mithril alloy sword for Amy, but I decided to include protective gear after that damned prophecy.

“Neck…”

Whether what that cursed weapon said was true or not, the last time it was somewhat on point.

It had mentioned that I would die from a stab wound, and while I did end up stabbed, I didn’t die.

If that’s the case, it means there’s a high chance that some major incident leading to a neck injury would occur in two weeks.

If it’s within two weeks, it falls within the duration of the hunting festival.

As long as it happened after that, it would be a relief, but the most likely scenario would be an accident during the hunting festival.

Feeling anxious about something going down in two weeks, I separately gifted protective gear to all those who would be participating in the potentially dangerous hunting festival.

Despite having a fabulous time just the day before, the moment I heard that, I couldn’t help but feel uneasy – what a terrible curse it was.

What on earth is going to go wrong?

Have the assassins I ordered not given up yet?

I knew something was going to erupt, but I had no idea where it would happen, which was giving me a headache.

“I’m really losing my mind… what’s the problem? It’s not coding; just because one thing gets blocked, another starts crashing in order…”

The hunting festival was drawing nearer.