CHAPTER 53: ARRIVING AT THE ACADEMY

"Duke Auberon, your son has arrived." I’m calmly signing some papers as I hear this "news."

"Have him come in," I say in a serious tone, and the door soon opens as my son enters and sits on one of the side sofas. I continue signing papers while he observes me, and we remain this way for several minutes.

"Father..." He decides to break the silence.

"Do you know what you did wrong?"

"It wasn’t my fault, tsk, that arrogant bitch..."

"TAKE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR MISTAKES...don’t blame others for your recklessness, you know very well how the Grand Duchess is, so why did you pick a fight with her?" That girl is terrifying.

At the party where her name was revealed, she seemed even worse than the other times. Before, her aura was like a cold and dangerous assassin, but now, although her aura has become weaker, it has become denser and more bloodthirsty, as if she were a monster waiting to attack.

"...I didn’t know it was her..."

"I received a warning...you know very well that the Grand Duchess is someone who doesn’t let things slide." It seems I have spoiled my son too much, perhaps it’s time to clip his wings.

"...Do you know what other nobles are saying about you, son? The news has spread like wildfire, several nobles have cut ties with us out of fear of offending the Grand Duchess..."

"..." He remains silent.

"I will take away your servants, all your money, and your magical items."

"WHAT, YOU CAN’T DO THAT!"

Bam!

"Pay attention, Lionel, that girl is not someone we can pick a fight with. Do you have any idea of the problems you’ve caused me just because of this little argument?" I slam my hand hard on the desk as I speak in a serious tone.

All the nobles of the older generation are afraid of that girl, she is simply disturbing. For many, it is obvious that she has more control over things than the Grand Duke.

Many have paid a heavy price for challenging her in the past. Since childhood, she has always been so disturbing that it’s hardly possible to consider her normal.

"Your punishment is not open to negotiation. Go back to the academy and... try to get along with the Grand Duchess, because apart from the saint, no one has come out without permanent problems after picking a fight with her."

He angrily gets up and leaves the room.

"..."

"Ah...where did I go wrong..." I wonder from which moment he became so spoiled and out of control.

"Duke Auberon, the reports you requested have arrived," a servant enters through the open door.

"Great." I take the investigation papers on the name Pandora Aegis Oblivion. Knowing at least a little about the Grand Duchess could be useful for finding weaknesses.

"Increase the number of guards for my son...at least 30 times more." I know the Grand Duchess will do something. She’s not the type to let an insult slide. The public humiliation she made my son go through won’t be enough to satisfy her.

’At least my son will be safe at the academy...’ The guards can only protect my son outside the academy, but that’s enough. No matter how the Grand Duchess is, she’s smart and won’t pick a fight with someone like the Director, who is the strongest mage in humanity.

I start reading.

"Dragons...is that correct?"

"Yes, sir."

The name Pandora has no implication about her existence, it was probably a name created by the Grand Duke, but both the names Aegis and Oblivion are names with meaning in the dragon language.

’They couldn’t find the exact meaning...’

"If that’s true...then the Grand Duchess is a half-dragon...that would explain a lot..." Dragons don’t have the best of tempers. They have a sense of superiority, making them treat those around them as inferior, which perfectly fits the Grand Duchess’s behavior.

Also, dragons are very strong and have excellent magical abilities, which again fits the profile of the Grand Duchess, who has demonstrated impressive physical abilities and has a gigantic amount of mana.

"A dragon...that complicates things..." Dragons are problematic in various ways. If she is truly a half-dragon, then the only ones capable of stopping her among humans would be the heroes, the academy director, and Mikael Calamitas.

"How could I protect my son from her..." An unanswered question. All I can do is hope and pray that she takes this as a trivial matter and ignores it.

...

...

...

"DAMN IT!" I overturn the desk, knocking everything on top of it.

"That bitch, I can’t believe I had to lick the soles of that whore’s shoes..."

"This won’t be over. No matter if my father takes away my servants, money, and magical items, I still have authority...this won’t be over, Pandora."

"I’ll make her pay for this humiliation...yes, you’ll pay dearly." I go to my bed, to a secret compartment, and grab some of the items I recently obtained on the black market.

"I think this will serve well..." I start rummaging around for more things. I’ve been accumulating them over time and have ended up gathering several interesting items.

"What’s this?" A glowing pink bottle. I look at the label.

"Ah yes...and that aphrodisiac drug for monsters...I didn’t end up using it because it’s dangerous when monsters go into heat." This was a prohibited drug, and on the black market, it was the only place you could obtain it.

Monsters are dangerous, and when they become sexually active, they become even more problematic. And this drug is so strong that it has an immediate effect.

The biggest problem in carrying this drug is that monsters automatically become interested in drinking this liquid, and it’s undetectable to humans even using magic.

Some people even used this drug as bait to hunt monsters, placing it somewhere and waiting for the monster to come.

"...Hehehe" This gives me a great idea.

"I’ll use this on that bitch." For a drug that has an immediate effect on monsters, it will drive a human who drinks it crazy. If I mix it with a drink, she won’t even notice.

After I rape that arrogant bitch, I’ll show her who’s in charge. I’ll humiliate her in every way for what she did to me.

I store the drug with a few other items in a backpack, as there are no monsters at the academy, so no one will notice I have this.

"Just wait, Pandora, this isn’t over."

...

...

...

"Grand Duchess, we’ve arrived." The maid says to me as I was almost dozing off from boredom.

I exit through the door she opened and look at the school.

"...Beautiful." The school is gigantic, with white walls with soft pastel tones of white, gold, black, and blue. The structures are massive, and I see several areas. I know this academy has everything possible, and what I’m seeing is not even 20% of what’s really there - it’s quite exciting.

"Here are your bags, Grand Duchess. From here on, only Shogo, your personal maid, can accompany you." The maid hands part of the bags to Shogo and part to me.

"Of course." I take them and head to the gates.

"Your ID, please." A guard says as he extends his hand for me to hand it over.

"Here, the maid is with me." I hand him my ID. These IDs are magical items, and you can’t enter without an approved one. It was done to prevent intruders from infiltrating easily.

Although the fences surrounding the academy are just for aesthetics, as you can jump over them, there is a barrier. If you try to enter without an approved ID, an alarm sounds in the director’s office, and she will personally subdue the intruder.

"Okay, you can enter, Miss Pandora."

’He omitted the noble title...’ It seems it has already started. So, to everyone here inside, I’m no longer the Grand Duchess, but just a common student named Pandora.

"Let’s go, Shogo." I call her as I enter, and it’s amusing to see the small Shogo carrying my bags. We walk down the path as I observe the view.

It’s quite beautiful and large. The green fields that make up this front garden are incredible. Maintaining the administration of this place without magic must be a nightmare.

’Now comes the hard part...’ I should go see the director. As a student who did not take the entrance exam, I technically couldn’t enter the academy, but given my position, I was allowed to take a test that will be judged by the director herself.

I know the princess also entered late, or more precisely, she entered because I entered. I don’t know what the princess wants with me, but it’s obvious that she’s planning something, and according to my studies, she’s quite manipulative.

I walk, looking for someone. Soon, I see one of the security guards right at the entrance of the academy.

"Excuse me, could you please guide me to the director?" The guard agrees with a smile and starts guiding me.

"Shogo, go find my dorm and take my bags." I hand over what I’m carrying to Shogo, and she goes another way to look for my room.

Although I have a room, if I fail, I lose that room.

’If anyone messes with Shogo, they’ll be dead.’

Soon, we walk through the beautiful corridors. The architecture is incredible. I wonder if it reflects the director’s personal taste or if it was made to be neutral.

"Here you are, miss. Good luck." The guard says as he leaves with a wave.

"...Okay, it shouldn’t be that hard..." I’m not worried about failing the test, as that’s simply impossible. I’m worried that the director will discover who I am, even with the medications to hide me.

I don’t think I can beat her. I’ve never seen her, but I know she’s second only to Mikael in power among humans. Since I can’t beat Mikael, my chances of beating the director are equally low.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

I knock on the door politely. I must be polite because in this academy, social status loses much of its relevance. I can’t start off on the wrong foot with the director.

"Come in," a melodious voice comes from inside the room, giving me permission to enter.

"..." I open the door and enter, looking at the figure seated in the chair.