The Academy’s Ankle Reaper

About two hours after setting off from the Academy, the Regular Ship arrived at the port.

As I was descending the stairs to disembark, I heard a noisy commotion from the side.

“Haha, I’ll go first then! Have a great outing…!”

It was Nivas Perda and his party.

They were all huddled together, heading down the stairs to the side.

“Nemea! See you next time!”

“You!! I told you to ignore him..!!”

“Yeah, I’m probably gonna hit him, so just forget it!!”

Even though they seemed pretty loud, the Half Elf girl didn’t look much different from before.

Waving her hands at me wildly, she continued despite being scolded by another girl beside her.

‘At this point, it doesn’t even bother me anymore…’

I started to understand why they said it was never boring with Perda around.

But Lucia didn’t seem fond of the Half Elf girl, glaring at her with a fierce aura.

“… I really dislike her…”

This was the first time I’d seen someone openly express their dislike for someone else like that.

The Academy students who disembarked at the port gathered in groups and quickly dispersed.

“Lucia, is there somewhere you want to go first?”

“… I have a few places I checked out beforehand, so let’s head there first.”

I thought I’d ask just in case, and it seemed like she had a place in mind.

“Checked out places?”

“… Yeah, let’s start with the Downtown.”

I began to move towards the Downtown, guided by Lucia.

————————————————

The Downtown, which connects to the Academy’s port, has various places that one should be careful of.

Based on the original story, Hayden experienced a ton of things in the Downtown from a month after the new students were allowed to go out, frequently passing through this area.

With many nobles attending the Academy, a lot of money circulated in the Downtown, attracting all kinds of shops and incidents.

Among those were items that could aid in hunting demons, items to grow stronger… and even Cursed Weapons.

Lucia unfolded a small, crumpled map and navigated through the bustling streets.

Her posture, with her head bowed and eyes fixated on the map, was quite adorable.

Upon taking a quick glance, I noticed some places were marked, and it seemed she intended to go there.

Since I had come here once beforehand before enrolling in the Academy, I could easily reach those places by checking the map, but I wasn’t going to do something so boring.

Lucia had prepared to guide me after all, so I might as well let her take the lead.

“Uh… this is a famous Weapon Shop…”

“Is that so? It seems interesting.”

‘Doesn’t seem that famous to me.’

The Weapon Shop, located in a back alley within the Downtown, could be described as quaint at best and old at worst.

Even though it was bright outside with the sun blazing, the interior was dim and hard to see—a curious place indeed.

“U-Um… is this the right place..?”

Lucia seemed surprised by this place too, blinking in alternating disbelief between the map and the shop.

“C’mon, let’s go inside.”

I thought it might embarrass Lucia if I hesitated here, so I took her hand and ventured inside first.

Who knows, there might actually be good weapons inside.

As soon as we stepped in, I had to abandon that thought.

‘A talisman depicting a black lizard is affixed to the pillar… so this is a shop dealing in Cursed Weapons.’

The presence of a talisman, known to suppress the unease, meant that items with some serious secrets were probably lying in wait.

A Cursed Weapon is exactly what it sounds like—a weapon that’s cursed.

It’s quite common for something to become infused with aspects, but a Cursed Weapon is different.

Generally, weapons that are inscribed with divine words to imbue them with Holy Power or have magic activated via inscriptions are common, but Cursed Weapons are made under completely different circumstances.

Creating one requires a will so twisted that it can’t be done intentionally.

They are indeed ‘accidental objects’—weapons that naturally became cursed in the rare event of a terrible incident occurring at their location.

Scholars have tried researching it over and over again, but creating a ‘Cursed Weapon’ artificially has always failed.

They figured out how they happen but can’t explain why.

Cursed Weapons carry powerful curses.

Unlike the magic wielded by demons from another world, a curse is a force within this world, akin to mana.

Scholars understand it as a force with properties opposite to that of mana—negative in nature.

Cursed Weapons, hence, that brim with such curses often wield much more powerful force than ordinary weapons.

Just like Aura Blade wrapping a sword with its aura, a Cursed Weapon continually exudes terrifying power, making it significantly more formidable compared to other mere chunks of metal.

However, that overwhelming might is a double-edged sword.

The curse emitted by a Cursed Weapon does not differentiate between friend and foe.

A Cursed Weapon that spreads curses in all directions does not only attack enemies but also harms its owner, much like radiation.

Not just the owner, either.

If not properly sealed, an area with such a weapon can easily become a cursed land prone to ghostly visits or undead occurrences.

If the black lizard talisman is functioning correctly, the land itself hasn’t been tainted yet—but the number of Cursed Weapons is crucial.

“…..”

The owner was an elderly man in his twilight years.

He didn’t seem to see properly, not looking our way, merely sitting in a motionless posture.

It was hard to tell whether his eyes were open or closed.

Bending a bit at his posture, you could see his rugged body; it looked like he had a rough youth.

“Wow… this is my first time in a Weapon Shop.”

Despite the nervousness, Lucia’s eyes sparkled at the array of weapons lined on display.

As expected of a Weapon Shop, it was filled with all kinds of weapons.

From self-defense daggers to one-handed and two-handed swords, even exotic weaponry like chakrams were tightly fitted against the walls and display cases, alongside shields, bludgeons, thrown weapons—you could hardly find anything missing.

The items inside the shop could be broadly divided into two categories: items prominently displayed right after entering and a bunch of shabby items stuffed in larger shelves and wooden crates in front.

The quality of the displayed items that immediately caught the eye was certainly much higher than those in the container.

“You said you’ve never left your territory, right?”

“Yeah… since the forge doesn’t make special weapons… it mostly makes items ordered by the knight order…”

Lucia was looking at various weapons, not exactly excited but rather in awe.

Though she loved cute things, she had obviously spent a long time wielding weapons.

While she didn’t love swords, curiosity was natural.

“Atlas used to use a longsword often, right?”

“If I want to, I can use all kinds of swords.”

The weapons hanging on the wall weren’t fixed.

Lucia handed me a longsword from its sheath.

“Hm… not bad.”

I caught a glimpse of my reflection on the bluish blade.

Holding it with both hands, the balance felt good, and it was a decent sword.

‘This isn’t a Cursed Weapon.’

I was a bit worried, but thankfully, it wasn’t a Cursed Weapon.

I had once held a Cursed Weapon while collecting one after killing a thief, and I remembered the chill that swept over me when I touched it.

“You used a two-handed sword, right?”

“Yeah… my family’s swordsmanship requires big weapons…”

As we discussed various weapons, my gaze suddenly drifted upwards.

As we talked and moved towards the shelves, I noticed a sword that started to sway on its own from above.

Then, it fell directly over Lucia’s head.

“What the heck is this..!!”

I managed to jump up and catch it before it hit the ground.

Just as I planned to land lightly, a shivering energy flowed down my spine from holding the sword.

‘This… must be it..!!’

-THUD!!

In my panic from the chilling feeling, I failed to land gracefully and rolled to the ground, making a loud noise on the old wooden floor.

As that happened, several other blades tumbled down from the shelves, heading straight towards me.

“Atlas, are you okay??”

“Yeah, yeah… I’m fine, don’t worry.”

Thanks to my twisting and dodging, I ended up moving like a circus performer to avoid the falling swords.

Getting up gingerly, I stared hard at the sword in my hand.

I was definitely chill when I picked it up.

As I thought about possibly breaking it, a chilling voice started emanating from the blade.

[Kiki-kik, what a waste… you should have died!!]

“Uh..? Atlas, what is that sound…?”

I thought it was only me who could hear it, but it seemed this mysterious voice was audible to Lucia too.

At the unknown noise, Lucia’s face turned pale as all color drained from her.

“Can you hear it too?”

“… That voice can’t belong to the shop owner… right?”

“Looks that way.”

As Lucia trembled in fear at the unknown voice, the foreboding tone erupted from the sword again.

[Kikik kik, you*! You might have dodged this time, but here’s an unavoidable prophecy for you! Today, you will be stabbed and die!!]

Hearing that confidently ominous proclamation, I stared dumbfounded at the buzzing sword.

Me?

Stabbed to death?

“Are you saying I’m going to die from being stabbed?”

This was a line I hadn’t heard in a while.