The Academy’s Ankle Reaper

I could only pat Lucia softly as I listened to her story of uncontrollable emotions and endless tears.

I could kind of understand what Carlos was thinking when he acted this way.

It was a disgusting act that a group of people I really dislike would do, acting like it was the most natural thing in the world.

If my guess is right, this commotion won’t last long.

Carlos likely didn’t really intend to choose Lucia’s fiancé here; it’s more probable that he did this just to crush her spirit in rebellion.

He wouldn’t truly want to hand her off to someone else; he would be using her as an example for standing up to his authority.

What he really hopes for is the image of Lucia kneeling and begging him to stop.

This method, commonly referred to as “tempering,” was quite familiar to me as well.

It’s one of the merciless acts that bad parents often inflict upon their children.

“…”

I didn’t express anything for fear of making Lucia anxious, but I was seething with anger at the situation she was in.

It didn’t feel like someone else’s problem to me.

Controlling children by trampling on their self-esteem to meet parental expectations is something that happens everywhere.

And Lucia had almost no resistance to such things.

She had every right to hate Carlos, but right now, she was just scared of the situation she found herself in.

Since she was young, she had been raised to fear and obey Carlos, never daring to stand against him… Is that how it was?

Lucia, sitting quietly without a word, looked quite mature, but when you spoke to her, her pristine innocence shone through.

Now, however, behind that otherwise adorable facade, I sensed the ominous presence of an adult trying to manipulate her the way they wanted.

“Feeling a bit relieved?”

“Ugh… yeah…”

After crying for a while, Lucia was starting to calm down.

This is child abuse.

Though Lucia is legally an adult and not a child anymore, Carlos’s continuous abuse since her childhood would easily warrant professional intervention in modern times.

But sadly, in this world, children’s rights… or frankly, human rights in general, are extremely scarce.

The very concept of human rights is nonexistent, so who’s bothered about a child’s rights?

Children are largely viewed as parental property, so who can interfere with how a parent raises them?

In a situation like this where parents dictate their children’s betrothal and desired timing for having children, it’s quite common.

But just because such views are prevalent doesn’t mean I have to comply with them.

“I think you’re feeling calmer now, so let me tell you what needs to be done.”

But as I tried to get directly involved in this, Lucia turned away again and shook her head.

“… No… I appreciate it, but… I think Atlas should stay out of this…”

“Why?”

Lucia’s body started to tremble again.

She was afraid of someone who wasn’t here.

“Father doesn’t… particularly like you… It’ll only cause you trouble…”

“Do I look like someone who cares about such things?”

“I do… I am worried..! He’s not like the other students here..!! If he doesn’t like something, he’ll definitely get rid of it!!”

In Lucia’s trembling hand was a piece of cloth, charred black.

It was small and singed in places, but through the soot, I could tell it had originally been golden.

“… the doll I bought when I went out… it burned completely… I cherished it dearly…”

“I’ll buy you a new one. Last time was a mess, so we’ll have fun this time.”

What matters isn’t the object itself but the memories tied to it, and I know this much.

So I’ll create it again, no matter how many times it takes.

I took out the necklace bearing the emblem of Russell that I wore every day.

“Do you remember this?”

“… that… doesn’t hold any meaning anymore. My father said it was useless… You’re no longer a guest of Russell…”

It’s a very contradictory thought.

She came looking for me because she wanted to see me, but now that she can reach out, it frightens her.

It feels like she wants me to stay by her side in this situation but not to help her.

But that’s not my plan.

“Lucia, you didn’t want to stand out when you first came to the Academy.

You always hid from people’s eyes, too scared to speak properly because you feared scrutiny.

The truth is you could speak so clearly. I remember how you bravely came to the Newspaper Club for me. Do you remember?”

“… yeah.”

“If you hadn’t mustered that courage back then, I wouldn’t be able to live peacefully at the Academy now. I would have been filled with annoyance dealing with countless pests.”

I can’t even imagine how much more blood would have been spilled if Russell hadn’t become my backer at first.

Students and professors alike would have harassed me under the pretext of correcting my behavior, and they all would’ve turned into complete buffoons.

If I had been tormented like that, I might not have been able to properly tackle the demons’ schemes.

Lucia’s courage back then might have saved others.

“What your father says doesn’t matter. The person who gave me this wasn’t your father; it was you.

So whatever your father says, I’m on your side, just like how you stood by me.”

Lucia hung her head, unable to respond, and sobbed.

She still looks quite unstable in many ways.

The very fact that there are elements she’s scared of still present in this Academy is the issue.

So let’s break this silly game first.

—————-

The current student council president of the Academy, Anthony Elbel, is a model student excelling in both martial and academic skills.

His swordsmanship ranks high, his combat skills are top-notch, and he excels in various subjects, consistently achieving high scores though it’s hard to peak at the absolute top in just one field.

He has always held onto the top overall score without fail.

Though he wasn’t born into a particularly grand family, with these excellent results, he could earn a recommendation to work at the Imperial Palace upon graduation.

Anthony has ambitions.

He desires to rise higher, which is why he holds a position like the student council president, but his ambitions are unique.

He wished to shake the rigid power structure of the noble society of the Empire.

Though he believed it was a difficult dream to realize, an opportunity arose for him.

Just yesterday, the sudden announcement of a contest to determine Russell’s fiancé was that opportunity.

“Luck is on my side. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance!”

As soon as he heard the news, President Anthony held his breath and monitored the situation.

He considered which students were taking action, whether it was all just baseless rumors, and what the weaknesses of the participating students were.

The most crucial thing was the list of students declaring their intent to participate.

No matter how open the contest seemed, if students beyond his capacity decided to participate, he wouldn’t have even considered it.

For example, if someone like Edgar Lemnos or Nivas Perda, the heirs of the Five Pillars, showed interest, he would have considered it a wild grape hanging from a tree.

He would have just thought that it was likely for the Five Pillars to end up all paired together.

But they didn’t budge at all the entire day yesterday.

They seemed entirely uninterested.

‘If that’s the case, then my chances of winning are the highest…!’

He was confident in his strength.

With skills above the top tier, he meticulously analyzes his opponents’ weaknesses and uses them to his advantage in battle.

The proof? He has never lost a duel.

Though many despise