The Academy’s Ankle Reaper

After restraining the true criminal, the Archmage Kyle, and throwing him to the floor, we continued our conversation as if nothing had happened.

Not knowing when we might meet again, I threw out a variety of topics.

Most of the stories that she found intriguing were experiences she hadn’t encountered herself.

She was particularly fascinated by the Demon Church, the ecology of demons, the workings of powers, and effective methods for dealing with Great Demons, but the story she enjoyed the most was about my breakthrough in the Snow Country.

“When I first saw you, I wondered what kind of human could exist like this, but it seems you need to have direct conversations to truly understand. Discussing with you is truly fascinating.”

Suddenly, Hoenheim interjected during our chat.

“Sometimes it’s good to step outside and take a break. If you only research every day, your mind will wear out.”

“Do I look like someone who’s stuck indoors?”

When I pointed out that he was only inside the tower, Hoenheim grinned.

“From within the tower, I can observe from a higher dimension. It’s not comparable to being outside.”

“That’s only observation. Experiencing things is different.”

“That’s a valid perspective. But as someone who studies theory, I can’t help it. Researching and observing is what brings me joy.”

Though our views on speaking were different, they were similar.

The information I have comes from a mix of knowledge I’ve acquired in this world and experiences from my first life.

I know the contents of a novel that describes the ‘settings’ of this world, possessing a value system from a different world.

Hoenheim’s knowledge is thoroughly based on what he has learned and observed himself.

Having delved into the mind of the one who created this world and conducting research to figure it out, we unknowingly arrived at similar conclusions.

For instance, regarding the place known as the Snow Country, I suggested it was a phenomenon resulting from an ancient civilization buried under snow by mistake, while Hoenheim speculated that it was deliberately concealed.

That was my slip-up.

The snowstorm in the Snow Country was something the author had set up: an ancient kingdom that misused magic and ended up buried in a snowstorm, which I accidentally revealed.

Fortunately, Hoenheim, in his mind, doubted that such a great civilization would have been brought down by such foolishness.

“It was fun. Do come again sometime. I’ve hosted in a hurry this time, but it won’t be like that next time.”

As it got late, Hoenheim smiled and saw me off.

—————————

Looking at the spot where the guest had just left, Hoenheim reflected on the earlier situation.

The Shadow is a very intriguing Master.

I thought all the Masters of this age were just idiots who knew nothing but fighting, but there was one who was different.

He views this world through a very unique lens.

It was fascinating how he seemed to perceive demons, which most people would not even regard as enemies, as humanity’s foes from the beginning.

Surprisingly, humans and demons can coexist.

In theory, humans can only obtain what they desire from demons.

This is because dealings with demons are ultimately contracts.

A contract is not established simply by one side imposing it.

It can only be made after both parties fully agree.

Even in ancient times, when demons were at their most powerful, the human factions ultimately triumphed, so he found it very interesting to express his views about how the powers held by the Great Demons differed from ordinary magic and where the laws diverged.

“Powers are like a type of primitive magic, similar to verbal expressions, but laws are guidelines that diverge from the rules of the world, established by the Master themselves, so the laws won’t be influenced by powers.”

This was his conclusion after having fought Great Demons several times.

Based on his deductions, it seemed to me that Great Demons… are merely beings from another world and might not be all that special.

Ah, so that’s why he ended up in trouble, huh?

“Considering the trouble of having given me a simple-minded gift, I’ve gained a lot. I’ll need to research that today.”

—————————-

Exiting the Magic Tower, I was holding a massive gift bundle, much like Santa Claus.

The gift bundle was named Kyle Danvers, an Archmage whose presence would strike fear even at the end of a tear.

Passersby were surprised at the sight of me dragging a person in black armor, yet they didn’t intervene.

“What… what are you planning to do with me…?”

“You are to be executed for embezzlement and breach of trust. Earlier, you received a document from Hoenheim, didn’t you?”

After much thought, I concluded this method would be the cleanest.

Both Hoenheim and I could end his life on a whim, but being executed in front of everyone under the Empire’s law would be the best outcome.

Initially, I planned to have the exploration team members beat him until death, but that wouldn’t be good for their mental well-being.

Not everyone can casually kill someone like me in a fit of rage.

Of course, while there are some who are completely unhinged, rational people like Bella would find it more stressful to serve justice themselves.

Kyle manipulated the organizations sanctioned by the Empire while acting as the tower’s head and committed the grave sin of controlling the entire commercial power of the Empire for his own gain.

No matter how great an Archmage he may be, the crime of trying to independently manipulate the capital is severe.

How many lives have been lost due to his coercion?

His head must be hung in the marketplace to ensure this doesn’t happen again.

“You’re going to kill me?!”

“That’s right.”

“Ah… no!! I don’t want to die, please…!! Just give me one more chance!! Save me!!! Everyone, there’s a person dying here!!”

Facing the imminent death, Kyle screamed loudly.

However, the other passersby seemed unwilling to even meet his gaze and looked away.

This wasn’t a joke.

Regardless of the severity of the crime, there are several reasons why he cannot be left alive.

First, he sought revenge after taking a hit.

There’s no guarantee that someone who sharpened their knife once for vengeance will not do it again.

Second, he wasn’t just some common thug; he held the title of Archmage, indicating he had some level of skill.

Even if I were to make him incapable, if he could still move his limbs, he’d be able to do something.

After all, the knowledge in his head wouldn’t vanish entirely.

Third, there exists the existence of demons in this world.

This is honestly the biggest reason.

Suppose we let him live without any ability to do anything, just breathing by chance.

But could that guy live with a happy and healthy mindset?

If he held onto the determination for revenge, demons would emerge, and if he became a fallen human, one day I would find out only after someone got seriously hurt.

It’s not punishing for a crime not committed.

The crime of deceiving people into believing that one individual’s arbitrariness reflects the entire opinion of the Magic Tower is very grave.

Ideally, both the laws of the Magic Tower and the Empire should have sentenced him to death, yet Hoenheim left it to me to deal with.

.

.

.

.

The captain of the Blue Wind Squad was startled to see the old man discarded like trash in his office.

“Is this the subversive element you mentioned before?”

“Yes. A traitor who manipulated the Magic Tower’s documents to mislead the Empire into believing his perspective was that of the Tower.”

Hearing the charges, he laughed in disbelief.

Document forgery is one of the most serious crimes punishable by death in the Empire.

If we consider the Magic Tower as a nation, what he did was similar to a high-ranking official forging documents in the name of the king.

It was a crime punishable by the destruction of one’s entire lineage.

“He’s a madman.”

“Yes. It seems that being an Archmage has intoxicated him with power. This is a document stamped with the Magic Tower’s seal. It contains his admission of guilt and requests for the harshest punishment.”

“What could someone of such a status possibly regret doing this…? The world truly baffles me. I’ll handle it properly.”

The captain confirmed that all of his powers as an Archmage had been sealed and formally took responsibility for him.

After wrapping everything up properly, he used teleportation to quickly head to the hideout.

“Whoa! Captain, where did you come from?”

“It was a pretty troublesome day.”

The squad members were startled to see me suddenly appear.

Everyone had gathered in the hideout.

“Today there was a lot of commotion. Was that your doing, Captain?”

“I just caught a criminal and handed him over to the guards. It seems that an Archmage acted on his own… but I got an apology, and they assured me that it would be handled properly, so don’t worry.”

They probably believed I had only gone around causing some mayhem here and there, but they’d widen their eyes when they realized I had handled everything.

“Really? It’s already done?!”

“If you don’t believe me, go check for yourself.”

Exhausted, I plopped down on the worn leather sofa that was as uncomfortably hard as it was from the first day.

“Wow…!! You really are the Captain!”

“How many months did we struggle for something that could be resolved so easily?”

“It’s a relief if it’s settled!”

“Does that mean we can participate in the next auction?”

Everyone was delighted, imagining the rosy future that would unfold before them, but Bella couldn’t share in the joy and chewed over my words.

“… But you didn’t just destroy the conference and the auction house, did you?”

“That’s right.”

“You wrecked both, so where are we supposed to sell our goods?”

The air froze at Bella’s remark.

“Oh right.”

In the rush to wreak havoc, I completely forgot about that aspect.