The Academy’s Deceased Ate It All

Ji-Hyuk coughed harshly, blood pouring out of him.

As Minerva coughed up blood, she blamed her stupidity for not realizing he was still hiding a skill.

[I thought I knew your tricks after spending so much time with him…]

Maybe she’d been lulled into a false sense of security, thinking she knew everything about him.

She had to admit that she had made an uncharacteristically stupid mistake.

[Heh… heh… heh….]

Ji-Hyuk’s body shuddered, and he collapsed into his pool of blood.

He glared at Minerva, holding the spear he’d pulled out like a staff.

She couldn’t look away from his pathetic figure; it was so adorable.

[Yeah, that’s good… that’s good.]

He wasn’t in a good situation either.

She knew his body would be similarly hurt.

He hadn’t received any support from what they called the Ten Strongest.

His wounds continued to accumulate, albeit slowly.

‘But….’

An unexpected force entered the fray.

A young woman with flowing silver hair.

And the people who were behind her.

The woman looked like a frighteningly sharp and relentless swordswoman, and the older people behind her were no different.

And some of the more troublesome and intimidating things still existed, like the floating islands and pure white statues in the sky.

When I smashed one of them, a portion of the crystal circle surrounding the place instantly disappeared.

Only then did she recognize the hundred or so humans hovering around him.

Most of all, the humans who had tried to interfere with their life-and-death struggle.

She could also sense that they were coming this way.

Humans were nothing but flies individually, but they became scary once they banded together.

Minerva just wanted to meet Ji-Hyuk, fulfill her promise, and talk to him about everything she hadn’t gotten around to.

[Oh… how the world doesn’t work out how I want it to.]

Minerva staggered to her feet.

[If it’s hard enough to let go of pent-up emotions after a year, how intrusive and exhausting must it be to go for centuries.]

As she straightened her posture, Ji-Hyuk, who had recovered somewhat, also straightened his posture.

Seeing him like that, Minerva laughed bitterly.

[If I had known things would turn out this way, I would have snatched you up long ago and run away somewhere far away.]

At that, Ji-Hyuk let out a harsh breath and burst out laughing.

(That would’ve been hard; I’m not the kind of guy who would’ve been cooperative enough to let you kidnap me in the first place.)

[Yeah, I know.]

Minerva shook her head.

[I also know that you’re as moody as a cat, clingy like a dog, and hiding things from me like a snake.]

She frowned as if trying to recall a nostalgic memory with difficulty.

[I know it well… from the first time we met until we broke up, you always hid something from me…]

It was here that Minerva realized there was something vague about her memory.

As her thoughts drifted to that point, she felt a shiver run down her spine for the first time in a long time.

How had she forgotten?

She had obeyed his wishes and sealed herself away, partly because he had asked her to but mostly because she wanted to see him again.

Which begs the question.

Why did she accept the seal?

They didn’t have to worry about how long she would live.

She could have just fallen into a deep sleep in an uninhabited place for hundreds of years.

They knew she would never break an oath made in blood and name.

He could have simply added a clause to the oath if he had wanted her to wait.

Instead, they chose to go the extra mile and draw attention by sealing her.

[Why would…?]

[Why did you…?]

She believed there was an important reason.

But no matter how much she thought about it, it wouldn’t come to mind.

She accepted the seal so she wouldn’t forget, but she still did.

[I thought I’d remember it when I met you….]

[I am worse than you.]

[I’ve forgotten you, too.]

As Minerva muttered bitterly, she remembered something strange happened before she was sealed.

A spell cast by a girl.

[Oh, yeah….]

Then Minerva remembered a significant memory.

He had taught her many things, including nursery rhymes, old stories, and cringe-worthy jokes that she could never find funny.

One day, she would train. The next, she would lie against his body and listen to his voice as he taught her many things.

They were the most fulfilling and enjoyable years of her life.

And there were days when he seemed depressed.

“Was there someone bothering thee?”

“If so, confess it to me so that I can go and beat them to a pulp right now.”

He always laughed as if he were amused.

After doing so for some time, he would chuckle and speak quietly as if it were all right with him.

Then she remembered the next question she asked.

“Hast thou not yet found a way to wake thy sister? It is hard to wake a human?”

* * *

(…What?)

For a moment, the world seemed to stop.

Wondering if I had misheard, I took another step toward her and asked again.

(What did you just say?)

[Your sister.]

Minerva’s hand was still pressed against her bleeding wound.

[You used to tell me that it was so difficult to find a way to wake her up but that you wouldn’t give up and would keep looking.]

As she said this, she muttered.

[I remember this clearly because once you got to your sister’s story, you would go on and on about her until I yelled at you to stop].

(No, wait.)

I asked her, shaking my head for a moment.

(Did you say wake her up, not find her?)

[Did I not say that?]

Her words made me feel dizzy.

What the hell is going on?

Did she read my mind?

No, it had taken even Svengali, who could penetrate a person’s mind, a long time to learn about my sister.

There was no way Minerva, who had no such powers, could have glimpsed my mind or stolen my memories.

So how on earth could she know?

More importantly, how did she know I would have to wake her and not find her?

(I’m asking you what that means. Explain further.)

[I have said everything.]

(If so, I wouldn’t need to be doing this!)

I shouted, almost screaming, and she flinched back in surprise for a moment.

She wasn’t scared but stunned.

[I never thought I’d see you so antsy.]

[Cut the bullshit! Tell me…]

As I walked closer to her, I felt a dull pain hit me in the abdomen, and I stumbled backward.

It was her tail that had hit me.

[…Stupid.]

Minerva muttered and flicked her tail.

[Wasn’t it you who taught me not to be psychologically swayed by an opponent, and yet you were more pathetic than a beggar just now, my dear.]

(Ugh!)

[If you want to hear it so badly, try to beat me into submission, and I’ll confess what I know].

I stood up, clutching my battered abdomen. Minerva’s tail moved before me.

(Fine…! I’ll do what you want until you’re sick of it!)

I grabbed my spear in one hand and immediately called upon all my remaining strength to use the Thorn Bird and Thorn Crown.

[That’s all good, but there’s too much attention now, and too many unwanted guests are not good….]

From somewhere, a dragon roared.

[Would it not be better to move to a place where we could be alone?]

As soon as she finished speaking, there was an earthquake.

No, it wasn’t an earthquake.

The building was shaking.

The building was shaking from a huge impact outside, and soon, the outer walls collapsed.

Right next to us was Minerva in the form of a dragon.

[Kaaaaaaaah!!!]

Her roar echoed through the air, threatening to engulf us.

For a moment, I was distracted.

Before I knew it, Minerva was within striking distance.

[Come into my arms!]

She literally jumped on me and clung to me with her whole body.

She used her arms and legs to imprison me, and she even used her tail and wings to wrap herself tightly around me.

[Kaaaaaah!!!]

With another roar, Minerva unleashed her martan and slammed into the building with her body.

It made the building tumble.

As we fell out, her dragon form caught us.

With us on her back, Minerva flapped her wings and took to the skies as if the building had no business being there.

[Put me down…!]

[My, you’re like a cat now.]

She chirped as we flew away, just in time for me to shove a thorn into her back.

I scramble to my feet, and a cold, bitter wind greets me.

We were now standing on the back of the dragon, soaring through the sky.

And Minerva, who carried us, flew non-stop, using her breath to knock down the obstacles before her.

Then, a great wall of earth and ice appeared from nowhere and blocked her.

I could almost hear a rumbling sound coming from below.

[Perhaps they’re splitting their forces to reduce the damage. The gargoyles on the floating islands that have annoyed me with their light seem to have switched to protecting instead of attacking.]

Minerva stared at me as she said this.

The armor covering her entire body gradually disappeared as she slowly stood up.

“…It’s just you and me now. There is no one else to interfere.”

“Let’s enjoy this.”

With that, Minerva held her hands out in front of her.

The armor that covered her body was now a hilt of steel.

“Let me remind you of my promise here and now.”

She lightly swung the sword once and looked at me.

“The winner takes all. If I win, I will take your heart first. And….”

She thought for a moment, then pointed at her head.

“If you win, you can take my memory.”

She swept back her hair.

“But let’s take our time since neither you nor I are tired of each other.”

Minerva raised her sword upward and assumed an unusual posture.

I fixed my spear and assumed a similar stance.

[Using the Thorn Crown!]

[Reduces the remaining duration of King of Thorns by half!]

[All stats are temporarily buffed by a significant amount for the duration of Thorn Crown!]

[Temporarily grants you massive resistance to all status ailments for as long as Thorn Crown lasts!]

[Your Thorn Spear and Thorn Bird have their power significantly increased!]

(Yeah….)

I nodded and turned to face her.

I could vividly feel a cool sensation passing over my skin.

(Let’s enjoy this.)

Translator’s Corner

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. I’ll have school starting next week, so I’ll be changing the upload schedule. My current plan is to create a chapter every other day. It may also lessen or stop if I die in class.

-Ruminas

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