56. Family Reunion
56. Family Reunion
Professor Praha's words kept echoing in his ears.
The part about how a dragon's essence might do something had somehow twisted into: if he had a dragon's essence, he would grow taller.
He had said that waiting a little would yield better results, but that first part he'd heard had been the most striking.
"Atlas... pull yourself together."
"Whoa... his state's really bad..."
He had said he was fine, but erasing it from his mind wasn't easy.
He was mobilizing all the information on dragons known to this world, along with the intel he had gathered during his knight life, to narrow down the easiest dragons to capture, and was running simulations.
But most of the known dragons were key figures who, if he killed them just because he wanted to, would create tremendous problems afterward...
A prime example was someone like Saint Macinto — he felt like he could probably manage it if he exploited his weaknesses well and launched a surprise attack, but if that dragon died, the Church would be in danger right now.
The Church being in danger meant a world where demons could roam freely.
He hated that even more, so he let this one go.
Aside from that... there were a few more, like a dragon enjoying a pastime as royalty in some kingdom, or a dragon enjoying a strength-concealment game as a mid-level mage in the Tower, but every single one of them was a dragon with a role to play.
'Should I just give up on this...'
The results, compared to the risks, were just too stingy.
Staking the world's future on something that wasn't even certain had too shitty an exchange rate.
If it had been certain, he might have thought a little differently.
Was the only thing he could do right now just wait for Professor Praha's research...?
"So today's class will..."
At the front, Senior Andy was summarizing the day's class content.
As he listened to his lecture, a strange thought occurred to him.
It had already been over two weeks, so why did it feel like the first class?
With so many incidents lately, he was obviously exhausted.
"...Atlas, is that really training done by the Imperial Knights?"
"About half of it."
Senior Andy was explaining the training that would proceed going forward.
The training content was simple.
They would continuously run insanely intense basic training drills until the next exam, and on exam day, they'd measure physical fitness to assign exam scores.
He wondered if they were making the students do overly mundane training, but these were drills actually conducted during apprentice training in the Imperial Knights.
Because nothing could be built without a solid foundation.
It was natural for Emy to think that looked strange.
If you only heard they were basic drills, anyone would wonder if the Imperial Knights really did things like that.
"Wow... so that's the real deal...."
It was truly yawn-inducing and nothing but grueling training, yet he was making them do that.
It seemed he was quite confident now that his popularity had risen.
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"What do you all want to drink?"
"You're buying again today? Put your wallet away, it's my treat this time."
"No, I'll buy this time. I've mooched way too much off you guys."
"You lot... when I say I'm buying, just drink it gratefully, damn."
They were walking down the hallway to go to a cafe during the free time that had opened up before the next class.
Because he said he'd pay, they were trying to weasel out of it again.
How much had he earned while working — it wasn't like money was tight over stuff like this.
He got stubborn.
He'd force them to let him buy, even if it meant shoving it down their throats.
"Are you Atlas?"
But then, someone blocked his path.
"Who might you be?"
It was a giant of a man, bulky with muscle.
His ugly face looking down at him was unpleasant.
He asked out of courtesy, but seeing how he wore a short cape and had a sword at his waist, he could guess which group he belonged to.
Was this already the third clash by now?
"Swordsmanship Research Club. The club president is calling for you, so follow me."
As expected, it was the Swordsmanship Research Club.
The club president was calling for him? What did that mean?
Truthfully, since he'd already beaten up their club members twice, it wouldn't be strange if the president called him in to voice complaints, but the timing was odd.
It wasn't the day after he'd beaten them, and being told to come at such an ambiguous time gave him a suspicious feeling.
Who was the Swordsmanship Research Club president right now, anyway?
He knew she was graduating next year, but he didn't know her identity.
It was because, in the original work, the Swordsmanship Research Club only began drawing real attention the year after she graduated.
Still, he was curious why she was calling for him.
"Who the hell are you to order people around!"
"It's fine."
Liber tried to step forward, but he blocked him with his arm.
Things had reached this point; there was no need for Liber to step up now.
"Is your club president missing her legs? If she has something to say, tell her to come herself."
"You... you little pipsqueak...!! How dare you... toward the club president...!!"
At his refusal, the Swordsmanship Research Club member who had been standing there posing all cocky turned red, then blue in the face.
He was fiddling with the hilt of the sword at his waist as if he was about to draw it any second.
Normally, he would have waited for him to draw first and then countered, but these guys were already the third.
"You guys need to fix that shit attitude of yours when speaking, first."
Once again, the height difference between them was severe.
The difference was so utterly disagreeable that he made up his mind to level their eye heights first.
He fiercely kicked the shin of the Swordsmanship Research Club member who was looking down at him.
-Udeudeuk!
"Kuaaaak!!!"
His shin bent into an L-shape, and the Swordsmanship Research Club member, unable to even draw his sword, collapsed forward.
After gauging the angle, he had stepped slightly back, and he grabbed the falling club member by the scruff of his neck.
"This bastard, again..!!"
Grabbed by the scruff, the Swordsmanship Research Club member glared at him fiercely.
If he had fallen as he was, his nose would have shattered — he should be grateful.
"Is there nothing in your heads? Don't you learn anything even after seeing the sunbaes who got their asses kicked first?"
His mood was already foul, and these weirdos kept entangling with him.
Just then, a strong voice rang out from afar.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey, you morons!!"
Someone was running this way.
The one who forcefully brushed through the crowd and dashed straight from the end of the corridor to in front of him was a woman who looked extremely healthy.
"I told you to escort him here respectfully, who the hell told you to pick a fight!!"
Her hair, a dark auburn like an old tree, fluttered in the air.
Blue eyes, similar to his own, sparkled.
Her sharply upturned eyes made her look like a troublemaker, and whether because her mouth was large, she was extremely forceful in expressing her emotions.
'...Where have I seen her before?'
She was definitely someone he was seeing for the first time, but she felt somehow familiar.
Her first impression was that of a huge prankster.
She had appeared wearing the Swordsmanship Research Club's trademark short cape, and she struck the head of the club member with the broken shin with her fist before approaching this way.
"Sorry, sorry. Our members are kind, but they're all morons, you see...."
The Swordsmanship Research Club members looked bewildered seeing her treat him so amiably.
They must have thought she had told them to bring him here to rough him up.
"P-President!! But this guy sent several of our sunbaes to the infirmary..!"
"If you lost a one-versus-many fight, you should know shame!! Am I supposed to exact revenge for you too?!"
"Heek?!"
The Swordsmanship Research Club president yelled at the club member who was making an aggrieved face with a broken leg.
Two members who had followed her dragged him away and disappeared somewhere.
The Swordsmanship Research Club president, who had been watching the club member being hauled off like luggage, placed her hands on her hips and turned back to him.
"Yeah, I guess I did have to come myself.. I am the Swordsmanship Research Club president, Hera Nemea."
Hera Nemea?
This was the first time he'd seen her, but the surname that followed was extremely familiar.
It was the same surname as his mother's, the one he was currently using.
'This is bad, damn it.'
Cold sweat ran down his spine.
Someone using the surname Nemea was enrolled in the academy?
"First time seeing me, right? Little brother."
Spreading both arms wide toward him, she was smiling brightly.
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Hera Nemea was the eldest daughter of the Nemea family.
The current head of the Nemea family... meaning she was the daughter of Patro Nemea, who was his mother's younger sibling.
So it wasn't like they had zero blood relation; calling her his cousin noona would be the correct expression.
"Little brother..?"
Liber looked at the Swordsmanship Research Club president... at Hera, with extremely dubious eyes.
It would be amazing if she suddenly appeared and acted like that.
"...Atlas, what are you going to do?"
Emy, who knew his real surname, whispered in his ear asking what he'd do.
But this was completely unexpected for him too.
"I didn't think about this..?"
It was because he hadn't memorized the entire maternal family tree, so he had no idea that a student currently using the Nemea surname was at the academy.
Even more so, he didn't know at all that she had been scheduled to graduate next year.
Contrary to his worries, Hera Nemea approached him with a broad smile and grabbed his hands.
"My little half-brother, born of a different mother, how hard your life must have been weathering the storms of the world... Don't worry, now this noona will be with you!"
She spoke with exaggerated gestures as if she were suddenly acting in a play, but it was hard to react.
The fortunate thing was that she was extremely friendly toward him.
If someone not even on the family register had come charging at him with a sword for using the surname, that would have been extremely troublesome, so having her call him 'little brother' was a huge relief.
Even if he was actually older, had Hera enrolled on time.
"Weird... I was told if I said it like that, he'd be moved... Was it not good?"
When his reaction was lukewarm, Hera slightly narrowed her eyes, then returned to her original demeanor.
"There are too many eyes watching, so shall we move somewhere else first..?"
At the sudden declaration of brotherhood, all their classmates nearby had rounded their eyes and were watching this way.