The Academy is Doomed

Chapter 61

Ah! The long-awaited summer vacation!

Amon, who was preparing to return to his territory, received an unexpected summons from the principal.

“Why would the principal want to see the blockhead Amon?”

“Still sulking, I see. I’ve decided to teleport you with Warp Magic, so let go of your grudge.”

“…Fine, I understand. So, why did you call me?”

“Do you have any plans for this summer vacation?”

Amon couldn’t understand why the principal would ask, as he’d already reported his vacation schedule.

“As stated in my report, I plan to visit my hometown.”

“I see.”

“But why are you asking…?”

Amon, mid-sentence, suddenly stepped back and spoke with suspicion.

“You’re not planning another sudden field trip or something in our territory, are you?”

At this, Anar’el twitched her ears.

She was clearly caught, but Anar’el managed to maintain her composure.

“No, it’s not that.”

“Speak without twitching your ears, please.”

“Ah!”

Watching Anar’el hastily clutch her ears, Amon sighed and said:

“It’s summer vacation. This time, I really can’t.”

“But…I’m offering to teleport you with Warp Magic…”

“Is there any specific reason why you must visit our territory? As for the students, I’m open to bringing them along.”

Boris and Chloe had nowhere to go during summer vacation.

Thus, Amon was willing to bring them if they wanted, and excluding Raymond wouldn’t be fair, so he could come too.

‘But it’s different for grown adults.’

Sloth could go home, and Marion could wander around, probably drinking somewhere.

The same applied to the principal and vice principal.

“If you have a compelling reason, please share it.”

Anar’el, who was about to explain, closed her mouth tightly.

‘How can I say it’s because without Mr. Amon, Brestle might go crazy and try to expand the cafeteria?’

If she spoke the truth, she feared getting a stern scolding.

“I just want to go with you.”

“…”

“Wow, look at your face. Do you dislike it that much?”

“What made you think I wouldn’t?”

Scratching his head, Amon replied:

“In any case, I really can’t this time. Last time, I couldn’t see my brother and sister because of unexpected circumstances. This time, I intend to visit them and help out at home.”

Hearing such a firm refusal, Anar’el couldn’t insist further.

“…Alright, I understand. Then, come by when you’re ready. I’ll take you there.”

“Thank you.”

A while later, as Amon packed his luggage, he thought to himself:

‘Hmm, but leaving Vice Principal Brestle here doesn’t seem like a good idea.’

Anar’el’s concern soon became Amon’s worry.

Thus, after roughly finishing his packing, Amon headed straight to the vice principal’s office.

“What brings you here all of a sudden?”

“You’re aware that I’ll be on vacation, right?”

“…Heh, of course I know.”

Seeing Brestle smile slyly, Amon realized:

“You’ve got something up your sleeve.”

“…N-no, I don’t.”

“Maybe fix your ears before saying that.”

“Ugh!”

Watching Brestle hurriedly cover her ears, Amon continued:

“Anyway, I can guess what you’re plotting even without looking. Let me guess—something like premium ingredients or expanding the cafeteria?”

Brestle’s ears perked up confidently.

“No? Then is it hiring a new chef?”

Her ears drooped in defeat.

“…How did you know?”

“I just do. Anyway, please set aside such plans while I’m away. If you behave yourself, then…”

Amon held up three fingers.

“I’ll bring you three sacks of potatoes from our territory.”

“…!”

Drake Territory’s potatoes!

A supreme delicacy that fills the eater with mana just by taking a bite!

Just thinking about it made Brestle’s mouth water, but she tried to keep up her act.

“Hmph! Do you think such a deal will persuade me?”

“So, I have to negotiate just to ask you to behave? Alright then.”

“Huh?”

Amon turned his back abruptly.

“Go ahead and hire chefs, buy premium ingredients, or turn the cafeteria into a palace for all I care. But I’m not bringing the potatoes.”

“…!”

Brestle jumped up and grabbed Amon.

“Alright, fine! I’ll behave. Just bring the potatoes.”

It was a moment of surrender from the vice principal, who had put up a futile front.

“But… um…”

“Yes? But what?”

Brestle spoke timidly:

“Four sacks…”

“Three sacks.”

“…Four sacks.”

“No. Three sacks.”

“…Ugh!”

The final deal was settled on three sacks of potatoes.

“Are you ready? Are the students not coming along?”

“Yes. They said they’d wait at the academy since I’ll be back in a week.”

“I see. Then let’s get started.”

As Anar’el prepared Warp Magic, Amon suddenly spoke as if remembering something.

“By the way, I’ve settled everything with Vice Principal Brestle, so she won’t cause any trouble.”

“What? Really?”

Amon nodded and waved three potato sacks.

“It wasn’t cheap, but it worked.”

“Ah, the potatoes!”

“So, you don’t need to worry.”

“Thank you for taking care of it.”

Anar’el smiled warmly and waved her hand.

“Take a good rest. I’ll pick you up in a week.”

“Thank you.”

With a flash of blue light, Amon disappeared, leaving Anar’el behind with a satisfied smile.

“Mr. Amon, you truly understand my concerns.”

Without her saying a word, he’d kept Brestle in check.

“As expected, his dedication to the academy is extraordinary…”

Stretching with determination, Anar’el muttered to herself:

“If Mr. Amon does so much for the academy, I can’t just sit idle!”

Muttering to herself, Anar’el grabbed a pile of documents.

At the top of the stack was the title: “Project Proposal.”

“He’ll be surprised when he gets back, won’t he?”

Imagining Amon’s delighted face, Anar’el smiled brightly.

Drake Territory.

As he entered the house, he saw his mother sharpening an axe.

“Hmm? What brings you here?”

A mother’s indifferent reaction to her son’s homecoming!

Amon gave a bitter smile.

“I’m here on leave. How’s the potato field? It looked fine when I passed by.”

“The sprouts are coming in well, so it should be okay. Monsters haven’t been showing up much recently.”

“…What?”

Monsters haven’t been showing up?

At those words, Amon furrowed his brows.

-Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

Suddenly, the alarm bell rang from the outskirts of the village!

It was the signal for a monster attack.

“……”

“……”

Without a word, his mother handed him the axe, and Amon silently accepted it before turning and stepping out of the house.

‘They say words can bring things to life…’

With the axe his mother had prepared resting on his shoulder, Amon walked toward the village entrance.

“Ah, young master?”

“Long time no see, Mr. Jackson. What’s the situation with the monsters?”

Jackson replied with an awkward expression.

“The eldest young master and the young lady have already gone ahead.”

“…Huh?”

The eldest young master was his older brother, and the young lady was his younger sister.

But weren’t they supposed to be working in a nearby city to earn money?

“They must have stopped by the house briefly?”

“No, I heard something happened recently, so they returned for good.”

“…Something happened?”

Jackson made a gesture of slitting his throat with his hand and said:

“The young lady couldn’t hold back and ended up…”

“Ah, she caused a commotion and got fired.”

Nodding as if he understood, Amon continued walking.

“Well, I’m off. I guess I’ll get to see my brother’s face after a while.”

“Yes, take care.”

With a light leap, Amon headed toward the direction of the noise.

Not long after, he spotted a sturdy figure punching monsters into submission with sheer force, and a smaller figure bounding around, cutting down enemies.

Waiting for the battle to end, Amon jumped in as the situation calmed down.

“Brother, it’s been a while.”

“…Huh? Amon?”

The burly young man wiping blood off his fists widened his eyes in surprise.

His older brother, Aim, a few years his senior, approached him with a broad grin.

“I heard you came to the territory a while ago?”

“Yeah. I heard you were working in the city nearby, but I was with my colleagues, so I didn’t have time to stop by. Sorry.”

Aim chuckled heartily.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. We were probably both busy anyway.”

“Thanks for understanding. But…”

Amon furrowed his brow and abruptly turned his head.

At that moment, the girl wiping blood off a dagger flinched and averted her gaze.

“Ami.”

“…”

“I heard you caused trouble again?”

His younger sister, Ami, slowly closed her eyes.

“There was a story behind it.”

“A story?”

“Big Brother was working at a fabric shop, and I was working at a fruit store.”

“And?”

Ami opened her closed eyes and spoke.

“When you work hard, sometimes you crave something sweet, right?”

“True.”

“So, the boss occasionally told me to help myself to some fruit. I did, but then suddenly he blew up in anger.”

“Why would he do that?”

“How would I know? It felt unfair, so we argued, and then…”

As tears as big as raindrops began to fall from Ami’s eyes, Amon looked at his brother and asked:

“She got fired for stealing fruit, didn’t she?”

“Yep.”

“And since the fruit store owner knows the fabric shop owner, you got fired too?”

“Spot on.”

Amon turned to look at Ami.

She had already stopped her crocodile tears and was now scowling.

Whack!

“Gyaah! My head!”

“Good job. Stealing food because you’re hungry?”

“Oh, you used to say you snuck food while working, too!”

“Even if you sneak food, don’t get caught.”

Seeing the two squabbling, Aim laughed and stepped in.

“Alright, alright. Calm down, both of you. Let’s head back. People at the estate must be worried.”

“Sigh, seriously…”

“So annoying…”

“Haha, calm down, you two. It’s been a while since we met—”

Before Aim could finish his sentence—

Rumble!

The sound of rocks rolling came from afar, and all three turned their heads at once.

“Isn’t that the sound of the perimeter rock trap outside the village?”

“Y-Yeah.”

Ami nodded.

“…But wasn’t it set to activate only when the Elder Drake appears?”

“…”

The three of them turned pale.

At the news of the Elder Drake’s appearance, Amon’s father looked ready to collapse completely.

“W-we only just restored the potato field…”

His father sighed and spoke.

“But as long as it’s not an Elder Drake, we should somehow be able to protect the potato field.”

Hearing his father’s hopeful remark, Amon opened his mouth.

“Father.”

“…What is it?”

“Ami just snuck a look earlier.”

“Amon, please, don’t say the words ‘Elder Drake.’”

Without another word, Amon turned away.

If his father begged him not to say it, he wouldn’t.

While everyone gathered at the village entrance to prepare for the Elder Drake’s attack, Amon sat worriedly fiddling with his trusty axe.

‘It suffered a lot in the last battle. Will it hold up?’

This was why his mother had been sharpening his axe earlier.

‘Well…there’s nothing to do but hope it holds.’

Lifting his head, Amon saw it—off in the distance, accompanied by a heavy, rhythmic thudding, a massive figure appeared.

‘T-that thing… it’s the same one from last time!’

This was his chance for redemption.

‘This time, I’ll protect the potato field no matter what.’

Filled with determination, Amon gripped his axe tightly.

The potato field was only a minute away by foot.

“Graaah! Push it back!”

“Ahhh! It’s pushing through!”

Everyone, from the young men to the women, was desperately striking and pushing against the Elder Drake.

But their efforts were in vain—the Elder Drake, with a drooling tongue, steadily advanced toward the potato field.

“Ugh! D-damn it…”

Exhausted and panting, Amon swallowed hard.

‘Alright. I’ve recovered enough strength for one swing.’

Gritting his teeth, Amon gripped the axe with both hands and shouted.

“Raaaaagh!”

With a final, desperate burst of strength, he launched his attack!

As he charged forward and swung his axe with all his might—

CRAAACK!

The moment the axe struck the Elder Drake, a deafening noise erupted, and black shards scattered in all directions.

The axe shattered.

“Ugh, nooo!”

Sliding down the Elder Drake’s back, Amon clutched the broken axe handle and shards, crying out.

“My… my axe!”

Memories of the axe flashed before his eyes like a reel of his life.

That beloved axe, which had been by his side in both joy and sorrow, now lay shattered on the ground before him.

Overwhelmed by sadness and despair, another emotion surged within him.

Rage and hatred.

Grinding his teeth as though to crush them, Amon glared at the Elder Drake, his eyes blazing red.

‘I’ll kill it. That damned thing that broke my beloved axe.’

Fueled by fury, Amon stepped toward the Elder Drake.

“Amon!”

A sudden shout from the sky made him instinctively look up.

And there he saw an old man.

‘…Caselag?’

Wasn’t that the old, sickly, lonely dragon who occasionally visited the territory?

As he realized this, Caselag yelled:

“Take this! The gift I mentioned last time!”

“…What?”

With that, Caselag threw a long, stick-like object.

As it drew closer, Amon realized what it was.

‘A sword?’

It was a jet-black sword.

And as it flew toward him, Amon instinctively caught it with his right hand.

“Graaaah!”

The immense weight of the sword sent Amon rolling to the ground with its momentum.

Struggling to rise, Amon barely managed to get to his feet.

‘W-what is this? Why is it so heavy?’

Though it was similar in size to a typical longsword, its weight was several times greater than his old axe.

Confused, he looked up at Caselag, who said:

“How is it? Pretty heavy, isn’t it? It’s a sword made of adamantium.”

“Ah, adamantium…!”

Adamantium!

A mythical metal, incomparably stronger than mere mithril, symbolizing durability, immutability, and eternity!

“Elder Drake! You will never touch the potato field of our territory!”

Throwing aside the useless axe shards and handle, Amon leaped into action.