The Academy’s Ankle Reaper

Amid rumors that a “Master” entered the Academy overnight,

there was a little commotion in the male dormitory of the Academy.

With the recently updated rules, just as male students were prohibited from entering the female dormitory, females were also barred from the male dormitory, yet a female student was attempting to gain entry.

Of course, no matter how hard she tried to open the door, it wouldn’t budge.

After one or two attempts, anyone else would have given up, but this student refused to back down, determined to tear the door off its hinges.

Given the situation, all the male students were eyeing the female student standing in front of the unyielding door.

– Crunch! Crack!

There were alarming sounds coming from between the girl and the door.

No one was sure whether the noise was coming from the door or from the hand grasping it.

Although the main entrance was quite inconvenient to navigate, no brave student had yet dared to suggest she move elsewhere.

It was mainly because the intensity with which she gripped the doorknob was intimidating.

Someone hoped for resolution, but lacking the courage, they circled back to another entrance.

“Hey, what’s going on there? Female students are not allowed in the male dormitory.”

The one who broke the deadlock was a passing Knight.

At the Knight’s question, the female student finally lifted her head.

“I… my friend hasn’t shown up all day. I think something’s wrong, so I want to go in and check.”

The student’s identity was none other than Lucia Russell.

Seeing her, no student would dare stand in her way—after all, she was one of the five pillars supporting the Empire, known as the Sword of the Empire.

But that didn’t apply to the Knight.

He tried to persuade Lucia.

“It’s barely noon, claiming all day. Let someone else handle it, and if needed, I can go in and check.”

“I need to see for myself. Please let me in.”

The Knight attempted to engage in rational conversation.

He mentioned concerns about one male student not coming out of the dorm, suggesting they call someone else to check, but Russell refused.

It seemed she needed to see for herself to feel at ease.

“It’s impossible. If you tell me the matter, I…”

“Let me in.”

Despite ongoing conversation attempts, Russell stood her ground.

“If you keep this up…”

With no choice, the Knight reluctantly grabbed her wrist.

He intended to move her forcefully, but that didn’t go as planned.

“Hmm?”

Lucia Russell didn’t budge at all.

Whether the Knight was holding back his strength or Lucia didn’t yield even to his force was uncertain to a third-party observer.

“If you persist in obstructing…”

At some moment, Lucia shot a glare at the Knight gripping her wrist.

Just when it seemed like a confrontation might escalate, someone boldly stepped forward.

“Hey, what’s going on in front of the male dormitory?”

It was Edgar Lemnos.

———————————

The first visitor after the hospital visit was Lucia.

As soon as she heard the treatment was over and visiting hours began, she rushed in.

She had been waiting in front of the dorm since hearing Edgar was coming.

Upon entering the hospital room, Lucia was horrified to see Atlas lying helplessly on the bed, unable to even maintain his posture.

“…Are you feeling okay…?”

“Uh, I have a pretty bad headache, my throat hurts, and every muscle aches… other than that, I’m fine.”

Atlas really looked unwell.

It was a sight she had never seen before.

Even when he had been stabbed, this was worse.

His face was flushed as if he had a severe flu, and his breathing was labored.

He couldn’t even hold himself up, and his voice was much weaker than usual.

“What happened to you?”

“Oh… just got the flu… ugh, I tried to get up, but I couldn’t move at all…”

It was evident just by looking that he was struggling.

He couldn’t even turn his head or open his eyes properly.

“You’ll only need to stay in for this week, so don’t worry too much… it’s just a temporary state, and your life isn’t in danger.”

He didn’t look fine at all.

The once-strong Atlas who always walked confidently now lay weakly, and it was a stark contrast.

He tried to speak as usual, but he seemed incredibly fragile.

His weak voice, flushed face, and faltering appearance made him look like a completely different person.

She had to calm her racing heart as she saw Atlas lying there.

Although Atlas had always stirred her protective instincts with even trivial acts, witnessing him as he was now was on another level.

Lucia couldn’t articulate her feelings clearly but realized that her heart was racing more than usual.

“Thank you, Lucia. For telling Edgar…”

“Ah… no, anyone would have done that…”

Atlas said as he reached out from under the covers.

When she grasped his hand, which looked so fragile and slender, she felt a warmth.

Even though there was an ice pack on his forehead to lower the fever, it seemed barely sufficient.

At that moment—

“Atlas!”

“Wait, is he really just sick?”

“!!”

The door swung open, and others rushed in.

River, Amy, and even Casey all hurried to sit by Atlas’s bedside.

They were all worried, having seen Atlas missing that morning.

Startled, Lucia released Atlas’s hand.

Even though she didn’t do anything wrong, her heart raced for no reason.

Casey, the first to enter, quickly assessed Atlas and said,

“If he has the flu at that level, it’s criminal.”

“…What…!! What are you saying to someone who’s sick?!”

Lucia’s pent-up anger flared at Casey’s insensitive remark as she felt Atlas was already downcast.

“Enough… it’s true.”

Atlas accepted Casey’s words nonchalantly.

Though it was a rough expression, it was true.

Experts with advanced skills rarely catch minor ailments like the flu or a cold.

Their significantly heightened physical abilities strengthen their immunity, easily battling diseases that invade their bodies.

Thus, the situation of Atlas lying down with the flu was clearly abnormal.

“Casey… if you still have a mouth next week when you get discharged…”

“Then you better get well soon.”

“…Ugh, who taught you that?”

“I learned it from you.”

Neither wanted to lose the banter.

However, despite their words, Casey’s expression didn’t look good.

“Though it looks like this, it’s not a deadly disease, so don’t worry…”

Suddenly, Atlas fell silent.

His eyes, which had just been open, were now shut.

“He’s sleeping.”

“You just said that all of a sudden?”

He had crashed into sleep like a golem powering down.

At that moment, the previously closed door opened.

“Oh my, I stepped away for just a moment and look how many people are here? Familiar faces…”

It was Professor Nico Praha, Atlas’s doctor.

Wearing her white coat, she came in and expertly checked Atlas’s condition.

Normally, another nurse would handle this with a different patient, but Professor Praha was doing this as Atlas’s assigned physician on his requests.

“…This seems like just a personal doctor… but I guess that’s not entirely wrong.”

Nico Praha chuckled in disbelief while checking Atlas’s status.

Given the enormous research funding granted, it makes sense that it was all for him.

Feeling somewhat appreciative, she checked his temperature and other vitals.

“He’s sleeping well, so today’s visit ends here. Everyone should come again tomorrow.”

“Um… can’t we stay a bit longer…?”

“It’s better for him to rest alone than to wake him up with all of you here. I understand your feelings, but there are nurses and me here, so don’t worry.”

“…Okay.”

“Alright, let’s come back tomorrow.”

“I guess we have no choice…”

The doctor’s word is absolute regarding the patient’s condition.

They could say no more, and left the hospital room as Professor Praha instructed.

“……”

Seeing them exit weakly, Professor Praha thought briefly before speaking softly.

“…If you’re that worried, one of you can stay. But not more than one.”

“”””!!””””—————————————-

The four who exited the hospital found themselves in a peculiar standoff.

“She said one of us can stay.”

“Who should we decide to care for him?”

“…Should we just duel or something…?”

“What kind of duel is that? I’m bowing out, you three figure it out.”

“You don’t get how important this is, do you!”

“Right, I don’t.”

Casey was the first to give up.

Though she wanted to care for Atlas, who once nursed her when she was sick, she thought it was ridiculous to have to fight for that right.

Dueling seemed overly cumbersome, and it was better to take a step back.

Not that stepping back meant she couldn’t visit him, either.

“Then with three of us, should it be a 1v1v1 duel?”

Lucia’s words made River’s eyes sharpen.

It seemed she had been craving a proper duel lately due to insufficient combat.

She had always been curious about the skill differences among the three.

Between Lucia, who suggested the duel, and River, whose eyes had sharpened, Amy stepped in to mediate.

“Let’s not go that route. One person caring for him isn’t what Atlas would want anyway.”

“Then?”

“He said a week, so why not have the three of us take turns for a day each?”

That was the solution with the least conflict.

They could also duel to see who would take care of him for a week, but Atlas would surely scold them for being childish.

Winning would likely yield no real outcome, anyway.

“That’s… fine. So… can I go in first starting today?”

“That’s not how it should be decided. First…”

“A week means seven days, right? One person would need to take an extra day. Then Russell can go first, and I’ll take the extra day.”

“Don’t just decide for us.”

It took over an hour to properly sort through the order.