"What could this principal want?" Harold understood the cards that the principal held over them. He knew that the police wanted Harold for his crimes, he knew Harold owned a unique Artifact to him, and he knew that this opportunity was something that he couldn't reject. It seemed that he wanted Harold there, and not to mention, he took an interest in Mina, too.
Harold looked over his shoulder, gazing at Mina, who admired the lavish interior of the academy. "Harold, look, there are gold gargoyles up there!" she said with sparkles in her eyes. "R-Right..." Even if he tried to deny it, she wasn't wrong to be amazed by the spectacular decor. The building was spotless, and the design was so advanced, you'd feel like a government official in here. "I'm guessing since it's a new year, they're going to clean the place to make it ready for the newer students."
Reaching the fourth floor of the academy, they get to the principal's office. Without knocking, Harold barged in, surprising Mina. "Harold, it's very rude to enter without knocking..." Mina told him with worry. Harold replied nonchalantly. "I don't think it matters that much."
Not even realizing what the principal was doing, their short conversation came to an abrupt silence upon witnessing him. The principal was a bald dwarf who was currently sitting on top of his desk, shirtless and painting his entire upper half with pink. The three of them stared at each other in awkward silence. Shuddering in horror, Mina hid behind Harold, holding onto his sleeve. "T-T-This is why I said we should've knocked first!" Mina squealed.
"I can explain!" The principal said, covering himself with his arms.
"How the hell can you explain this?!"
"It's for an experiment, I swear!"
With an unusual conversion, the paint on his body changes to green. "See! I told you!" Unique as it was, Harold's uncomfortable rage hadn't subsided yet. "That may be cool, but you could've at least locked the door!"
"You should've knocked!"
Still terrified, Mina whimpered a small plea amidst their argument. "P-Please stop arguing..."
Both simultaneously yell at Mina, and they say, "No!" which causes Mina to crouch down with another cry. That's when Harlibue entered the scene with a bright demeanor. "Hello, everybody!" He says with his arms wide open. Sensing the tense air in the room, he went to silence. "What's going on here?" The principal and Harold didn't answer; they only looked away, as if they were somewhat ashamed of what transpired moments earlier. Snapping his fingers, Harlibue called in a clockwork servant who held a coat for the principal. Taking the coat and wearing it, the principal cleared his throat before introducing himself. "My name is Gared Onswarf. I'm the principal of this school."
"My name is Harold Etton, and this here is Mina." Harold said as he planted his hand onto Mina's head. "From the letter you gave me, you told me to meet you here, correct?"
"Yes, indeed, I'm glad you saw the letter when you woke up! I just wanted to discuss your future plans here."
"My future plans?"
"You and your friend there have already been placed into the Gold class."
Harold's jaw dropped. "Mina has been put into it as well?! That's amazing!"
"Harlibue was insistent on placing her there, so I obliged. I know Harlibue is great at picking out students with amazing potential." Harlibue, meeting eyes with both Harold and Mina, gave them a wink. "Now, for your side of the deal on your entry into Kane Academy, I'd like you to have private tutoring sessions with Harlibue." Harold raised an eyebrow. "Um, excuse me?" The words that the principal spoke didn't help, as Harlibue had his devious grin as usual. The principal's eyes glimmered as he gazed off into his imagination. "You came here knowing I had a strong interest in that Artifact of yours! Of course, we're going to make you become stronger and allow you to awaken your deepest potential with it!" He couldn't argue with that. It was a much better opportunity than him having to resort to taking out a loan or using dirty money used by thugs just to pay for this academy.
"Now, we'll give you a teleportation stone that is designated to your dorm room. Whenever the inscription on the stone runs out, please go to the front desk so you can get it recharged." Gared told them as the clockworks approached both Mina and Harold with the stones. As they both grabbed the stones, they immediately took effect. Harold watched as their stones lit up. "What-"
In the blink of an eye, Harold is transported into the dorm room. Built in marble and outlined in gold, the dorm room sparkled brightly. "Is this the dorm room of a Gold class student?!" Lavish furniture and decor—Harold couldn't fathom the sudden shift in luxury. Coming out of nowhere, Mina falls on top of Harold, also being teleported by the stone. As Mina lay on top of Harold, her jaw dropped, as she analyzed their surroundings. "Harold, we are living like rich people!" she screamed with pure excitement. Feeling Mina's breasts press onto his chest, he blushed. "Y-Yeah..." he said, trying his best not to make eye contact.
Back in the principal's office, Gared sighed. "Incredible, Harlibue, you weren't wrong. That girl isn't any normal demon... this has gotten out of hand."
A clockwork walked over and handed Harlibue a hot cup of tea on a platter. Taking the tea, he gently sipped it. "Yes, if anyone finds out about her race, we'd have hundreds of nations scrambling to get here. It could start a terrible war that could kill millions. That's why we have to keep it hidden."
"The owner of Grand Radiance and someone who is of a forbidden race are set in our academy. Harlibue, your plan could end up in chaos."
"Don't worry, Mr. Onswarf. No matter how many people try to come at us, no one will be able to harm them. That's because I'm here."
Gared chuckled, hearing Harlibue's confident tone. "Even if you stand as the strongest in the city, I am sure there are stronger forces out there."
"Just like the owner of Grand Radiance. He has the potential to overcome me in terms of strength, but that would require strict training. Don't worry, I'll personally handle their training from here onwards."
"I'll be counting on you. Not to mention, do what I said and try to get those two connected more. If the two of them were to stay together, they could become one of the most devastating forces in the world."
"Don't worry, I'm already working on that."
Coming back into the dorm room, the loud cries of Mina's excitement fill the room. "Harold, look at this bed; it's super big!" Mina said, feeling out the soft red blankets of the king-sized bed. Harold could notice the pure happiness on Mina's face, especially how she was happier than he was over this. "I mean, I guess she lived as a slave for a while; it makes sense for her to be happy..." he figured, watching Mina sniff the fresh bedsheets that smelled like tulips. In that moment, Harold came to a sudden realization. "This room is impressive, but where's the second bed?" Harold asked, scratching his chin. Mina surveyed the room, only to realize there was one bed. "Huh?"