"Alright, son. Have a good first day at school~!" Mother waved cheerfully.So let me give you the run-down. In short, we moved. Mother, thanks to her spying, knew I wanted to attend a school and had already prepared the materials needed for an admission to whichever I chose.
And the one I chose was, coincidentally, the exact same one Mother had chosen for Dolly. Which was strange because originally Dolly attended the Academy run by the Royal Family in one of the larger cities of the Kingdom.
It was that Academy which the Heroine enters with a scholarship and meets the Prince at. For some reason, however, Dolly was now going to a school considerably further away that was even more prestigious and backed by several nations. Apparently she scored so well on some written test that the school reached out themselves and scouted her.
I recall it had also reached out to me back then but at the time I didn"t realize this was the LOve Orgy world, and neither would I have wanted to come if not for certain plans of mine.
This school in particular focused on ability and result rather than status. Which is why it was considered both easy and hard to get into. I felt proud Dolly was able to be accepted.
Anyway, I was quite surprised at the coincidence. The only difference is that she was attending a middle-school level campus that was around ten minutes from the high school division which is where I"ll be going. I was a bit too old for middle-school and my own test scores which I"d actually taken a year or two ago just as an obligation showed I was more than qualified to skip grades.
So I just had to gather the right doc.u.ments and I could even transfer into the University level building. Though what I wanted wasn"t there so I had no reason to go.
But yeah.
As soon as it was discovered I and Dolly would be attending schools close by each other it was decided by Father and Mother that they"d just buy a place in the city so that we could all be together.
Of course, I chose the dormitory life and Dolly was already settled into her own by now so we"d only really be staying during the holidays. It was expected that the complete rebuilding of the Claybrook Estate would only be completed within a year or maybe even longer since they intended to build it st.u.r.dier--and more opulent--than ever before.
More importantly was my dru--ahem. Herbs. They survived! I opted to find a nice place to plant them later but for now just put them in pots behind Father and Mother"s new abode.
What of Milly, you ask?
"Papa, papa~!"
….What happened to her being a Mrs.? Why a loli? Why? But she sounded cute so I forgave it.
I had her strapped to my side. Kinda had to or she threw a fit. Milly thought me her father, for some reason? I think she must have had her brain addled somehow since she didn"t seem to remember much. When I asked her why she thought I was her father she only replied with a, "Papa is papa!" Which was no help at all.
Hm….I could only guess she thought I was similar to Okeanos, that ancestor of mine? She was built by the G.o.ddess of Love and War according to Richard the Friendly Ogre. I a.s.sumed she was created for Okeanos, who was himself created by the G.o.ddess too.
Suppose with my Angel and Dragon bloodlines the poor sword thought I was her Papa...which, why Papa? Why not brother? Or master? I then remembered that Yesmina said something about the G.o.ddess copulating with that "son" of her"s and birthing the Dragon race.
And, you know that part kinda worries me. Between Father letting me know about how Dragons thinking of incest differently since they never got birth defects, and Mother"s apparent son complex….
I"m just sayin", she"s been acting pretty d.a.m.n suspicious lately. Is it just me, or has she gotten more physical recently?
They say history repeats itself, so I really hope she doesn"t get any funny ideas.
In any case, the sword thinking Okeanos her Papa may not be odd after all if you think of the relationship he had with his mommy dearest. And I guess if I"m a bit like him then her mistaking me for him isn"t too far-fetched.
I decided not to question it too much. As for why she showed up as my second core, I could only theorize and say maybe she had already bonded to me? Taking the place of my second core? Maybe?
As long as I got my overflowing energies under control I didn"t really care but it was still a curiosity.
I knew back then I was due for another explosion so she came at a great time. I could just feel the chokingly dense energy flow from me into her. I hadn"t noticed before but I felt the difference now. It was like I was wearing weights all over while under an ocean. Now, though, I was free as a bird! Look, I was able to make all kinds of watery constructs now! Ha! I idly created Mary"s bombastic figure in my hand, which froze into a sculpture.
About that, even Mother was perplexed. She said Flood Dragons like us never had that aspect of water under our control. We could, but not as a natural gift as it touched upon the core foundations of heat manipulation too. So we could only create ice using spells. Which I wasn"t doing. I was creating it instantly.
She shrugged it off as a mystery of life and I couldn"t come up with any explanation either so we let the topic drop.
That aside, yup. That covered it. Almost. Minnie and Evie haven"t been mentioned yet. Obviously, they were right here with me! Or, Minnie was. Evie was with Mother. I felt it was time for her to learn how to control her own powers and requested for Mother to be her teacher.
"Master, my hood...please." The young woman begged for the fifth time. She was receiving stares from the surrounding pa.s.sersby. It made her uneasy and she kept saying she didn"t want to cause undue trouble.
"There"s no shame in who you are. I won"t let you act like there is." I refused yet again.
She sighed with slumped shoulders, her ears drooping.
It was already three days since Mary transported up to the city and Father bought the new house.
I was now on my way to turn in my doc.u.ments and start school. I was lucky since today was actually the last day for admission. Any later and I"d have to wait longer to begin my attendance. Not that I cared, actually. All the same to me.
I was actually in the middle of walking down the cobbled road towards the office where I"d get the key to my room and wait until the welcoming ceremony that was actually happening later on this morning. And after that, my first cla.s.s. It was pretty early, so I had time.
I saw some people who were also arriving late, doc.u.ments in hand. The place was lively, eh?
It really had the feel of a campus. I wondered how Dolly was doing? Vera was probably informing the girl of what happened right about now,
Baz was a step behind me carrying some luggage, in case anyone cared.
"Young Master," His eyes darted here and there, "This place is pretty!" He nodded to himself.
"It"s alright." I agreed.
"Do you think we"ll have time for breakfast?" He asked, his nose twitching like he"d caught scent of something good. I took a whiff too and found he was right, The scent on pancakes hung in the air.
"We"ll get settled and go to the cafeteria. I"m sure we"ll make it."
"I hope they have--" Baz began, but was cut off by an infuriated voice.
"For the last time, I"m not interested!" Someone shouted. Definitely feminine.
"Why?" A more masculine voice spat out. "I"ve been pursuing you for so long. Look at me, just what are you dissatisfied with?!"
"I...I already have a boyfriend! That"s why!"
"Yeah? Since when? Where is this boyfriend, then, huh?"
I turned my head and caught sight of a pretty, long-legged teenage girl. Her uniform was black with ten gold b.u.t.tons and a silver belt. The overcoat itself adorned was with a few emblems I didn"t know the meaning of while the minidress hung high and barely covered her b.u.t.tocks. I thought, at least, since the coat covered her back. But her legs were exposed pretty openly.
Her boots, though, were knee-high and low-heeled. If it weren"t for her glamorous hair which was long and lush all the way down to her back the uniform might have given her a different impression.
She could"ve pa.s.sed as a military-type but now she seemed more chic than anything else.
The young man pursuing her also wore something similar, the only difference being the trousers. Were they students? Had to be. I was probably going to get the same uniform. Had to say, it looked snazzy.
Why the military feel, though?
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As I was having these pointless thoughts the girl spotted me and her eyes lit up.
I raised a brow. This kind of situation was pretty d.a.m.n familiar.
"He"s right there!" She smiled and rushed me. I felt her arms slip around one of my own. "See? Isn"t he great?"
Ah yes. The "pretend boyfriend" event so common nowadays.
The other guy, some fop with a buzz cut and mean glint in his eye, scowled. "Are you really her boyfriend?" He eyed me suspiciously.
I saw the girl look up at me pleadingly.
I nodded. "Never seen her." And extracted myself.
The girl was shocked, then angry. "a.s.shole!" She stomped her foot hatefully.
I shrugged. "Not my problem." And tipped an imaginary hat off to the other guy. "She"s all yours, pal." `
With that,I continued on my way.
We went into the building and began my enrollment. The office lady was an aging woman of maybe fifty. "Room 69, here"s your key and schedule." She didn"t even bother looking up. "The servants go to the adjacent building with the others."
I collected my things silently and left to find my new accommodations.
This main building was vast and built like a mansion. To either side laid smaller contructs that acted as the dormitories with even smaller buildings connected to them. For any attendants and staff, presumably. A fair portion of students were n.o.bles who, like me, brought a servant or two. While the dorms themselves had people who cleaned and cooked.
Retracing my step a bit, I took a left and began to wonder the neat hallways of what would be my new temporary "home".
I found the room on the second floor with the door slightly ajar. I noticed that there was a decent-sized common room with a stove, furnace, and even furniture. Past that were two doors side by side. Our own private rooms, I"m sure.
Inside one of said private rooms was a tall, very fat young man with slightly long auburn hair, a few pimples, and bright silver-blue eyes.
The guy was busy unpackaging his stuff when I and Baz walked in. ""Sup roomie." I greeted, causing the dude to jump in fright.
"Holy moly!" He cried. I raised a brow. Had a bit of a high voice, didn"t he? "W-Who"re you guys?"
I held up my keys labeled with the same number on the door. "Damien Claybrook. You?
He calmed down fast and hesitantly offered a hand. "Avery," He replied. "Avery Abernathy. Pleasure."
We clasped hands. "Good name." I nodded. " You almost done? Me, Minnie and Bazman here are looking to get some breakfast after settling down. You can come, if you want."
Avery spotted Minnie"s ears. He furrowed his brows and seemed surprised at the offer. "You"re okay with that?"
"Why not?" I asked. "We can get acquainted."
"That sounds...nice. Thank you." He smiled. He then extended his hand to Baz and Minnie in turn. "Avery. Pleased to meet you." And shook heartily. His gaze swerved back. "Say, your name sounds familiar. Have I heard of you before?"
Before Minnie could open her mouth and launch into an hour-long sermon, I smoothly shook my head. "Can"t imagine you would"ve. I"m not really that famous. Right, Baz?"
"Of course not, Young Master."
Infamous is a far more apt description
***
"...Young Master." Baz"s face was smooshed against the table. "They"re out of pancakes. I don"t want to live in this world anymore."
"I"ll make you some later, if you wish." Avery suggested after seeing his woeful self. "I won"t claim to be the best but I do believe I"m competent."
Baz looked at him wide-eyed. "Really?!"
Taken aback by the younger-looking gra.s.shead, the chubby boy replied, "Uh, yeah, sure. No problem?"
"You are a nice person! I like you!" Baz rejoiced.
I looked at Avery. "You"re a n.o.ble, aren"t you? You don"t mind Baz being a servant?"
I knew a few sn.o.bby n.o.bles had a problem with those of a lower social cla.s.s being as happy-go-lucky and friendly as Baz is.
"Why would that matter?" The boy contemplated the question by raising a hand to his double chin. His eyes shone brightly. "In the first place, is there anything that makes a n.o.ble inherently superior to one of lower birth? What makes us special? We only had the luck to be born into the positions are have. I don"t think that qualifies us to be so arrogant towards them, or anyone for that matter. Besides, he seems much better than these other narrow-minded people. "
He waved a hand to indicate the taught faces of the surrounding student. They didn"t frown at Baz so much as sneer at Minnie.
I would behead them but they were still young and could be brain--ahem. Shown the errors of their ways.
What I found laughable was the fact that even the more unique students sent a few dirty looks. Remember when I said there were some alien-looking dudes running around too?
"What"re you looking at, roach-face?" I sent a glare towards one guy with overly large black eyes, brown skin and antennae jutting from the sides of his head. He then spat in our general direction.
Avery showed a look of disgust at the rancid green loogie.
"And you, say something yourself!" I flicked Minnie on the forehead. "Don"t just ignore people looking down on you."
Minnie laughed it off. "Don"t worry about me, Master. I"m used to it!" She said, almost proudly.
Her answer ticked me off.
"Sadly there are a lot of these sorts around here." He pushed his plate away, no longer feeling an appet.i.te. "You"d think races like his would be more tolerant of people who look a little different, too." He grumbled bitterly. From the way people blinked at him I"d say he"d met his own share of loathing from others. And he only just got here.
"You should have her wear something. You"ll invite trouble if you keep a servant like her undisguised." He warned.
"Master, see? I told you." Minerva smiled gently. "It"s okay, you know. I don"t mind."
"So what if you don"t mind? I don"t care about that. I mind it." I went back to Avery. "I just got her out of the thing, no way am I putting that d.a.m.n hood back on. The glorious ears of the Furry-Eared Ones shouldn"t be hidden!" I smacked the table.
The fatty tilted his head. "Huh? That sounds familiar too…."
Ah, have my exploits in the Dry Lands become known?
"Anyway, suit yourself." Avery relented. "It"s not my business, I"m sorry if I"ve meddled."
"It"s fine, don"t sweat it."
"Young Master, the time." Baz reminded after stuffy his face full of bacon. He pointed to a clock.
"Right." I stood. "We should get going. Baz, go home and wait until the ceremony ends. Take Minnie with you."
I of course meant back to Mother and Father"s place. I"m not leaving them to live in some shared s.p.a.ce full of c.r.a.ppy bunk beds with zero privacy.
That"s way too dangerous.
Who knew what kind of dastardly things they"d do to our poor little Baz?
And Minnie is a special existence, she can"t be slumming it with the help. Until people recognize the majesty of her kind they"ll treat her far too unfairly. Can"t have that.
So I"m having them sleep with them during the night, where they"ll be safe.
"Yessir." He saluted and all but skipped away with Minnie in tow to someplace they could teleport unseen.
"Let"s go then." I clapped the fatty on his back.
Avery jerked. "R-Right." He got up. "Although I kind of don"t want to…"
We started walking. I may have stopped for a cup of juice along the way.
"Oh yeah? Why?"
"The ceremony…"
"What about it?"
"It"s just that, well, I only came here because my parents ordered me to. "
"So?"
"And so the only reason they did is because my fiance attends the school too. Since last year. I"m a bit apprehensive about it, you know? We haven"t seen each other in a while and I"m just worried."
He wrung his hands nervously, looking like a shy maiden. The image was mildly disturbing. But you could tell he really liked that fiance of his. His expression was full of affection.
"Why? Worried you got cucked?" I sipped my drink. Oh yeah. That"s the stuff. The sweet, sugary goodness.
"I wasn"t before, but I am now!" His face was a mask of horror at the thought.
"With that chubby body, I would be too." I poked his side. It was incomparably soft and pliable.
His face turned red. "I-I"m just big boned!"
"Uh-huh. Sure, pal."
"Okay, I might be a bit overweight." He admitted.
"And your face is pretty bad."
"What? No it"s not. It"s just a bit--" He saw me stare and coughed. "Alright, it could be better. But, that"s not my fault! It"s p.u.b.erty, okay? I-It"ll clear up...probably." He looked away.
I saw him play with his hair a little.
"And you"re a bit girly."
"I am?" He stopped.
"Totally. Need to man up."
"That…"
"Anyway, she cute? This fiance."
"Cute?" He hurried to catch up, almost out of breath with just that alone. "Erm…" His eyes drifted away. His nose bled. "Cute. Yes. Well, actually--"
"Too bad. She definitely found some other bloke." I gave him a sympathetic pat on the back. "But that"s fine. Just cuck the cucker. Fat b.a.s.t.a.r.ds are great at NTR."
"What"s that?"
"Or just find a new one. I can help with that. My matchmaking services are unparalleled under the son."
"And how many people have you matched, just for curiosity"s sake?"
"Successfully?"
"Isn"t that a given?"
"...Look man, It"s not my fault if the ships don"t sail."
"That"s the whole point of being a matchmaker, though!"
"Do you want my help or not? Your fiance is probably out with someone else right now getting--"
The fatty cradled his head painfully. "Nope, nope, stop, I don"t want to think about it!" He squirmed. "T-There"s no he"d do stuff like that anyway! I won"t listen to you. Hmph!"
"Alright. Maybe she wouldn"t. You know her, man, not me. But since we"re roomies from now on, if she did mess around I can totally find the dude and give him a good beating."
"Please don"t! Also--"
"We"re here." I found myself following the crowd back to the office and through a large door that led to a stage. Upon which were several figures including one female and one male student.
There was also an old man with a long black beard. Maybe fourties, with a stern expression and developed muscles. He stood tall and stable like a rock.
"Welcome, everyone…." And I didn"t give a d.a.m.n about speeches so I dozed off about a minute in. Only noticing Avery stare longingly up at the state
I followed his gaze, but I didn"t have to since the only girl up there was a purple-black haired beauty with deep orange irises infinitely akin to fire. Who I recognized on sight.
The Phoenix clan"s future High Priestess, Helena Hendrix. A very beautiful young Lady even now with almond shaped eyes that curved slightly upward at the corners.
Woah, woah, hold on. Don"t tell me SHE"S his fiance? Seriously? This guy? I couldn"t deny the familiarity in that stare of his. No way, I denied.
Just who is this bloke, if that girl was meant to be his fiance? I did hear of a former fiance being mentioned at one point when going down her route. But it"s this fatty? That"s insane. d.a.m.n, that"s harsh. He really is gonna get cucked!
Though not for a few years yet. The Hero hasn"t showed up, after all. He"ll be attending a military school somewhere after impressing an old former general, or so his backstory went. I don"t think he"ll meet her for some time yet.
So he doesn"t have to worry right now. Still, he"d better step up his game. This is a high-cla.s.s Heroine. Avery, somehow, won the lottery with her. If he wants to keep her he"s got to work harder than your average Joe. Especially with that ugly mug.
I considered the girl a moment. She"s also after the item I"m looking to steal. It is, after all, an Artifact of her race.
If she gets in the way of me taking it, then sorry Avery my dude, but she"s gettin" the boot-to-a.s.s treatment.
Just then the old guy with the admittedly great beard finished.
"Now a word from Miss Hendrix, your Student Council President for the next few years. Miss Hendrix, you have the floor."
The man stepped back.
"Thank you, Lord Gladstone." Helena"s voice was cool and steady, neither fast nor slow, moving entirely at it"s own pace. She had an air of maturity and intelligence surpa.s.sing her age.
I didn"t bother to listen to her speech, either.
Hmmm….did that Gladstone guy look at me just now? Actually, isn"t he openly leering?
I stared back at him. It appeared to surprise him because he raised a brow at me. I felt another pair on me a second later. Helena.
As she spoke I could see her glance at me from time to time. Not sure why. Could she sense me, maybe? Can people do that? She might"ve recognized my bloodline somehow. She could be like Bubbles in that regard. She said she was able to tell my bloodline, and so could Richard.
Wait. s.h.i.t, did mother send her a concubine invitation too?!
Is that why that woman was so happy to send me here?!
Dang it, I"m not doing Avery dirty like that. h.e.l.l naw.
I ignored them both and left with the others after the ceremony ended. Avery looked at the stage a moment more, his eyes darting between Helena and...wait, isn"t that the fop who was chasing that other girl from before? Was he looking to get with Phoenix chick too? He is looking at her like a snack, after all. Though that"s totally understandable even if he wasn"t gunning for her.
Did Avery think there was something going on between the two, I wonder? Perhaps he noticed something I didn"t. Huh. Now that I look at him, he is standing fairly close to her. He"s really chasing this one too? Pretty ambitious, ain"t he?
"Don"t think about it too much, bro." I put an arm over Avery"s shoulder. "I"m sure he"s got no chance." She"s gonna get with the Hero, so obviously he doesn"t. As for Avery....who knows? I don"t know their relationship. Whether he can save, or start if it"s one-sided right now, their relationship is up to him.
He has my support. f.u.c.k the Hero.
"Let"s get to cla.s.s. Lemme see your schedule." I took the paper from his hands. "Nice. Got the same homeroom, huh? And a couple others. Cool. Let"s get to it then."
We found Baz and Minerva waiting for us near the door and went to find our homeroom.
The thing is, the further we traveled the worse state the halls became. Writing everywhere, torn wallpaper, broken lamps...trash...a shady fellow with a trench coat asking if we wanted to buy a hit, which I would be tempted by had I not already been spoiled by the highest quality herbs.
The decay I was witnessing has far surpa.s.sed what belonged in a school setting. The h.e.l.l? Did I find my way into the hood side of the school? Did I enter the Projects or something?
Eh. Whatever.
I walked with Avery, Baz, and Minnie undaunted right up until we found the cla.s.sroom.
Without a hint of hesitation in spite of not having been to a cla.s.s in years, I walked in. Confidently. Spring to my step. Chipper as can be.
Then a bucket fell on my head.
A round of laughter broke out instantly.
Milly flew out of her sheath and the entire room turned red under her blazing runic light. Pure, unadulterated malice poured down from the heavens
And, dwarfing that, my aura of Sage-like calm.
"Baz, lock the door."