The Academy’s Ankle Reaper

Hayden Parker, the protagonist of the original work… no, the symbol of the Devil Slayer, sports a red anti-demon coat, a sword inscribed with the words of God, and a pair of handguns.

The red coat, symbolizing the blood of saints, possesses anti-magic properties that repel the power of demons. The sword, forged from mithril—a rare metal most effective against demons—is engraved with divine teachings, causing lesser demons to disintegrate upon contact.

So far, these are equipment that can often be seen among the church’s heresy inquisitors, but the Devil Slayer took it a step further by wielding a weapon rare in this world: guns.

In this world, guns are not mass-produced items. Firearms crafted by skilled artisans are incredibly expensive weapons.

Despite that, they are often dismissed as a bizarre hobby of the wealthy, since their cost-to-efficiency ratio is lower than that of magician’s spells.

However, the Devil Slayer recognized that a gun, once prepared, could fire metallic bullets without much effort and used it to shoot silver bullets capable of harming demons.

Within the Empire, there are not even a hundred people who own firearms.

Is there someone among those gun owners… here?

This is the Academy, after all. The core teaching here is magic, and carrying around a pistol would instantly label someone as a wealthy eccentric with a disturbing hobby.

Then it must be… Hayden?

The visage emerging beyond the pitch-black magic is…

“…Amy?”

The one firing the gun wasn’t Hayden, but simply Amy Parker.

Her most unfamiliar appearance strangely felt very familiar to me.

With the red anti-demon coat, a pair of handguns in both hands, and the sword strapped to her back… she was the very embodiment of the Devil Slayer as described in the novel.

But why is Amy wearing that?

I mean, how does someone whose territory is in such dire straits manage to afford such extravagant gear???

The situation was utterly perplexing.

I had thought Amy Parker was different from Hayden… Could it be that she was just a female version of Hayden??

I hope this isn’t a TS drift after all.

Amy’s destiny is different from Hayden’s.

While Hayden burns his entire life to avenge his family and territory by slaying demons, Amy enrolled in the Academy for her living family and territory—her circumstances are entirely different.

But regardless of my confusion, the handguns in Amy’s grip spit fire.

A silver bullet whizzed past right in front of me.

“Amy..! It’s me!”

No matter who I am, facing a gun for the first time is a daunting experience.

In this world, guns hold such a status.

They exist, but it’s rare to see someone actually using them.

Though I’m facing an unfamiliar weapon, I know what kind it is.

At its core, it’s still a projectile weapon… I need to avoid the line of fire while getting closer.

‘Easier said than done!!’

It’s not easy, but it’s possible.

As Amy effortlessly shoots at me, I realize that dodging by using my whole body instead of just moving my hands is a real struggle.

“Amy, it’s me… Atlas! Why are you doing this? This is a bit much!”

Amy’s reaction to my words is strange.

She bites her lip tightly, looking very angry… and very sad.

She is definitely listening to me, but she won’t reply.

“!!!!!”

Amy holstered her pistol and grabbed the great sword she had strapped to her back.

It looked heavy compared to her slender arms, but Amy effortlessly lifted it in one hand and swung it down toward me.

From the moment I first saw her, I thought her basic physical fitness was impressive, but it seems she had been hiding this kind of strength until now.

I can’t just let her hit me like this; it goes against my personality.

I unsheathed my longsword and countered Amy’s attack.

-Clang!!!!

When the thick great sword clashed with my longsword, a dull sound echoed.

We didn’t engage in a close struggle, as my intent was to knock her back with my counterattack, resulting in Amy being sent flying.

Based on the mass of our weapons, it wouldn’t be surprising if her great sword broke my longsword, yet my longsword remained intact.

“Amy, if someone’s threatening or controlling you, could you drop your gun on the ground?”

I made a silly joke as I readied myself again.

What’s going on, I have no idea.

Amy must have had her own circumstances.

After our first day of talking, I thought I knew a lot about her, but I grossly miscalculated.

“I don’t understand why this is happening… It feels like there’s some misunderstanding?”

“Cheh..!!”

A pale flame ignited on Amy’s mithril great sword.

She must have activated Aura Blade.

Based purely on the clarity of her aura, it seemed superior, but I knew that being crafted from mithril—the rare metal—was the reason for her power.

It was similar to Lemnos’s flamberge.

“Amy, you attacked first! Don’t blame me if it hurts!”

“!!!!”

Amy’s Aura Blade surged towards me once more.

My sword still lacked an aura around it.

In fact, I had put my sword down altogether.

With this kind of tension, I feared I would seriously injure Amy if I picked up my sword.

The more I think about it, the angrier I get.

I didn’t do anything wrong; why am I being attacked like this?

I only took out a few zealots, and now I’m suddenly facing this misunderstanding?

At first, I found it absurd, but reflecting on it now makes me mad.

Whatever the situation is, a misunderstanding is still a misunderstanding.

I don’t know what’s going through Amy’s mind while she acts this way, but if she seriously gets hurt, I’d regret it…

‘Then I’ll just have to fend off this attack moderately.’

Responding to Amy’s movements, I reacted swiftly.

My hands dug in beneath her as I caught one hand striking down with the great sword while using the other to grab Amy by the collar.

“?!”

Then, with my right foot, I kicked out her standing leg to destabilize her… and pinned her to the ground.

-Thud!!!!!

“Cough!!!”

As her back slammed into the hard stone floor of the cave, all the air in her lungs shot out in one go.

“Gah… Hoo…”

In that instant, all the breath Amy had was expelled, leaving her in distress.

Her body craved oxygen, but it couldn’t replenish as quickly as it depleted.

Watching her clutch her chest from the ground, gasping for air stirred a sense of discomfort within me.

“Amy…”

“..!!”

Just as I felt sorry and approached her to help, Amy vanished right before my eyes.

“Seriously, what’s this!!”

The last sight I had of Amy was her tears streaming down her face.

“What a weird feeling…”

I was the one nearly shot, so why do I feel like the aggressor?

——————————

The next morning, Amy didn’t show up for morning exercise.

“Atlas, apologize.”

“What now…”

After morning exercise, River ran up to me the moment we met at the Academy.

“She hasn’t come out of the dormitory either?”

“She’s been saying she doesn’t feel well.”

After morning exercise, River mentioned that they went up to Amy’s dorm room, but she wouldn’t open the door.

This was a first for River, who seemed quite flustered as well.

“Do you have any idea why Amy would be like this?”

“Oh, that’s… um…”

If I told her I pinned Amy down because she was attacking me last night, she’d definitely be furious, right?

Pondering how to explain this, I noticed River’s eyebrows knitting together in irritation.

“See! You have an idea! What did you do to Amy?!”

“Damn, this is so unfair… Why does everyone think I’m the one at fault?”

“It looks like your hands would go up before hers.”

“Well, that’s true. I can’t deny that after considering my usual image.”

Blocking her words was impossible because, thinking about it, I felt genuinely wronged.

“It seems like that’s how it looks, but it isn’t… I think Amy has some misunderstanding and is avoiding conversation…”

“…Did you kill someone or something?”

“Why would you think that?”

“You’ve already seen someone get cut up; if she misunderstood that, wouldn’t it look like attempted murder??”

Just throwing out random accusations, she precisely pinpointed what happened yesterday.

Wow, that’s quite impressive to deduce from my previous actions…

Well, okay, I did kill someone.

Though those heretics are problematic when alive, could it be really because of that?

Thinking about it, it might be the first time I’ve killed a person since entering the Academy.

Really?

Oh? Wait, it is???

Could that actually be the reason??

“If it’s something hard to talk about, you don’t have to explain.”

River pinched my cheek hard.

Her hand carried a zesty citrus scent.

“Make sure to communicate and clear up any misunderstanding with her. I care about Amy, but I care about you too.”

“I’m just being wronged, it isn’t fair.”

“Then make amends. Do you realize how uneasy it makes me to see you two fighting?”

“That is true.”

I felt guilty for making her worry so much.

I’ll sort my thoughts today, and if Amy still doesn’t come out, I’ll barge into her dormitory.

——————————

Ultimately, Amy didn’t attend class.

Even if there wasn’t a single student, the Academy’s classes could still proceed without a hitch.

It was time for the scheduled Dungeon Exploration practical preparation.

They explained which monsters would appear in the dungeon, how the structure is laid out, and how far to go, as if it were a recreational activity.

But I didn’t feel the slightest thrill.

‘Here we go.’

This is where it truly matters.

With both River and Amy seeming anxious, I should move with caution.

My main goal is to ensure that not a single person dies during the dungeon exploration.

If even one person loses their life here, the Empire could start crumbling apart.

I still can’t afford to die.

There is a clear reason I must not die.

If I die now, my height gets left forever at 149.

At my funeral, it would say ‘The dwarf Atlas, only 149 tall’…

Even future records would keep me marked as 149.

‘I am not going to those garbage demons who take souls and don’t even let me grow taller.’

Right now, I may be small, but I will survive all the way to 180 cm or more before I die.

That is my current life goal.