Chapter 27
*Interior Hallway*
“Okay, where am I in the board?” Grim asked while looking at the board.
“With an average score over 90, we've gotta be in the top fifty, right?” Ace said while looking nervous.
“First ten places...nope. Twenty...nope. Forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty...nope, you’re not there !” Grim said. “I the great Grim on the other hand, am I number 40 !”
“N-neither am I...” Deuce panicked.
“Hooold up. There's a list of the total scores each top achiever got across all subjects.” Ace said. “The top thirty scored perfect marks—500 points!” He looked at the number 1 students. “Of course Roxana is number one…”
Deuce looked at the board. “PERFECT MARKS?!”
“This isn’t right …” Roxana said.
“B-but if I don't make it into the top fifty, that counts as a breach of contract!” Ace said in panic.
Deuce looked at him. “Wait, "contract"? Oh no. Ace, did you...?”
Ace turned to look at him. “Judging by the look on your face, Deuce, don't tell me you also-“
*BWOOOP!*
Grim screamed. “MYAH! What in the world?! A sea anemone just sprouted outta your heads !”
“A-Ace, you made a contract too?! You big cheater!” Deuce accused.
Roxana looked at them. “Pot calling the kettle black”
“Yeah, whatever, Deuce. You're just as guilty, keeping' your friends close and your anemones closer over there!” Ace tugged on the anemone. “OW! It's not coming' out!”
Roxana looked around. “Hooo, there’s a lot of sea life going around here, I wonder what contract you are talking about” She glared at A-Deuce.
Ace and Deuce flinched.
“I came to see what all the commotion was. Why am I not surprised it's you guys? What're you doing?” Jack said as he stop beside Roxana.
“Jack, did you make a contract too? Wait... You don't have an anemone!” Deuce said noticing the lack of anemone on Jack’s head.
“So much for looking like a bad boy. You're more of a square than Loosey-Deucey over here!” Ace said.
Jack raised an eyebrow. “Okay, what? I'm completely lost here. What are you talking about, and what are those things growing outta your heads?”
Ace hissed in pain. “This dang anemone's yanking my head! Owwwww, geez! It's gonna rip my noggin off!”
“So when he wrote "absolute obedience," this is what he meant...” Deuce hissed in pain.
Everyone with anemone on their head screamed in pain.
Roxana laughed at their misery.
“Oh I love watching people being in pain” Roxana said.
Grim and Jack slowly turned to look at her, they both gave each other a look and agreed on one thing.
[Ignore what she just said, it’s best to not think about it]
“What now? The way they were walking, it was like the anemones were pulling them in that direction. Is a picture that stupid still worth a thousand words...?” Jack sighed.
“Well, it’s none of my business, and besides, I have someone to talk to, see you later Jack” Roxana said
Roxana walked up to the Hall of Mirrors but unlike the others who made their way to Octavinelle she made her way to Diasomnia, the door of the dorm opened by itself and let her in, she found the person she was searching for the moment she entered.
“Lilia” Roxana smiled, apparently some of Diasomnia students weren’t spared from the anemones either.
“Roxana ! Come ! Come and sit !” Lilia said while patting the vacant seat besides him on the sofa.
On the other sofa Silver was sleeping and Helia was sitting on his stomach.
“Oh, I was wondering where you went everytime you disappear” Roxana said while looking at Helia.
Helia chirped. “I love this boy ! He’s nice ! He gives me food ! Of course I like you more, but you know what I mean ! We didn’t take care of a child for a long time, and you still didn’t official get Riddle in ! And this one needs a bit of protection with how he randomly sleeps in some weird places”
Roxana chuckled. “Of course” She turned to Lilia. “So, sea life in this dorm too ?”
Lilia scoffed. “Nothing new, same thing happened last year, Azul Ashengrotto and his contracts, I can’t believe that five of Diasomnia students fell for his scam”
“That octopus ?” Roxana asked, she stayed in her thoughts for a moment before an image of Ursula appeared in her mind. “His Unique Magic has something to do with contracts then”
“Yes, last year he pulled the same scam, and made a contract with Crowley, he will free the students if Crowley let him open Mostro Lounge, and Crowley gets 10% of Mostro Lounge profit” Lilia said.
So it’s not like unbreakable vow, this contracts can be changed. Roxana though.
“Human ! What are you doing here ?”
Roxana deadpanned and sighed before she turned to look at Sebek, beside Sebek was Malleus, Helia flew and landed on the Dragon Fae shoulder, in response his caressed her feathers.
Helia flew and landed on the sofa after getting what she wanted from the future king of fae.
“Malleus it’s nice to see you again” Roxana smiled. “I hope you didn’t get any problem in getting here with that crowd outside”
Malleus smiled. “Are you doubting me ?”
Knowing he was teasing her, she responded with a smile. “Oh goodness you wound me my good sir ! Of course I am not doubting you, but my heart cannot take it if you get injured, forgive this young women—”
Helia snorted.
“—for being worried”
“No, it is I that you should forgive, I did not know that you have been worried about me, and for that I beg for your forgiveness my fair maiden” Malleus said.
They looked at each other for a second before both of them laughed softly.
“I love when we do this, it’s fun” Roxana gave a soft laugh.
Malleus chuckled.
The dragon fae noticing the lack of screams from Sebek turned around to see Lilia with his hand firm on Sebek’s mouth.
Roxana noticed that too. “Lilia what are you doing ?”
Lilia gave them a grin. “Nothing~”
*RING**RING*
Roxana picked up her phone. “Jack ? Why are you calling me ?”
“MYAH ! ROXANA ! YOU WON’T BELIEVE WHAT THESE TWO GOT THEMSELVES INTO !!”
Roxana gave an apologetic look at the four Diasomnia before she walked away from them a bit. “Grim don’t scream and why do you have Jack’s phone ?”
“You told me to call you before I act on something”
“I am surprised you listened, now do tell me what going on”
“Ace and Deuce made a contract with Azul so they can pass the exam !” Grim said.
*CRACK*
One of the Diasomnia windows cracked from Roxana’s accidental magic.
She was not angry, really she was not !
“What”
*CRACK*
Another window.
“So they went to a total stranger for help, but when I offered them one without a price …they refused ?” Roxana said under her breath.
“Roxana the headmaster is asking for you…well us actually, to be in his office” This time it was Jack speaking.
“Give me fire minutes to calm down and I will be there” Roxana said, she hung up and took a deep breath.
She glanced at the windows before she waved her hand to repair them.
“I am sorry about that” She said to Lilia.
“Ah ! Don’t worry ! At least you didn’t cause thunder and lightning by accident ! Tis nothing !” Lilia said.
Malleus looked at him at the ‘thunder and lightning’ part.
“Well someone better hope that I am in a good mood, otherwise it will be both Crowley and Azul that I will strike with lightning, and I never miss” Roxana said. “Do excuse me I need to go”
Roxana gave them a polite bow before she turned away walked for a bit and apparated to the headmaster’s office where Grim and Jack were.
“Ah ! Roxana ! Just in time” Crowley said.
“Spill the information and what do you want, I have two idiots to punish, and anger to vent” Roxana glared at the crow.
Crowley gulped. “Well…Azul Ashengrotto: Sophomore. Housewarden of Octavinelle Dorm. Much like Rosehearts, he is a highly capable student already running a dorm as a sophomore, but... He's a bit-no, I daresay QUITE a bit troublesome. This is not the first time he did this actually !”
“Continue. And why didn’t you stop him ?”
“Because those study guides that Ashengrotto handed out to the students aren’t illegitimate activity involved in their production. Nobody snuck looks at test questions or answers beforehand. It was crafted exhaustively by hand, after researching the past century's worth of Night Raven College exam questions and their patterns. In other words, it's an entirely legitimate study guide.” Crowley said.
The test are kept safe inside a coffre-fort in Crowley’s office, and he has cameras here, so in other words Azul used his own intelligence to create those, I will give him a point for that. Roxana though.
“He takes something from the client to give those notes” Roxana looked at Jack. “What does he take ?”
“Their Unique Magic, or some important spell, and they can never use it again or take it back” Jack said.
“I see, so this is why Deuce and Ace didn’t use their magic at all” Roxana said.
“MYAH ! I knew there was something fishy there !!!” Grim screamed.
“Does that mean that there are guys from last year who lost the bet and still haven't gotten their powers back?” Jack asked.
“No he returned their powers after he made a contract with Crowley” Roxana said.
Crowley looked at him. “How did you know that ? But what Roxana said is true he returned the powers he took from students last year as part of an arrangement he made with me. In return, I granted him permission to run the Mostro Lounge on school property.”
Jack looked completely shocked. “WHAT?!”
FLASHBACK :
“Night Raven College is a historic and prestigious institution famed for producing the finest of magicians. Yet now the campus is replete with students capable of only minor feats of magic-a fact I'm sure you're none too pleased about, Headmage. Which is why I have a proposal...and it's one I think you will find to be quite beneficial.” Azul smiled.
FLASHBACK END
“That was how he framed it.” Crowley said.
“Talk about brazen. I mean, blackmailing the headmage into a deal? No wonder Leona wants nothin' to do with this guy.” Jack said.
“And when he offered to contribute 10% of the proceeds to the school... Why, how could I say no to such a mutually beneficial arrangement?” Crowley pouted.
“Wait so you're getting' something from it?” Jack said in disbelief.
Crowley looked ‘sad’. “Dear oh dear. I can only wonder what demands he'll make of me this year. Whatever he wants, I will undoubtedly be forced to acquiesce. What else can I do for our idiotic-ah, that is, our poor, unfortunate students? My immense kindness always gets the better of me. Ashengrotto "merely" studies diligently, then shares his rightfully earned knowledge with other students out of the kindness of his heart... If wouldn't do for a teacher to discourage such earnest behavior. Why must every student in our school arrive with some amount of baggage to sort out?! Oooh, woe is meee!”
Roxana gave him a smile. “I am not helping you unless you pay me”
Crowley pouted. “Don’t you care about your friends ? They made contract too !”
“Crowley, you, and I both know you can’t blackmail me with founds, nor with the Slytherin Dorm, you made vow remember ? And I am still waiting for that money that you were supposed to give me, at the start of the year” Roxana said while looked at him.
“Don’t you have enough gold ?”
“That does not count, I am not doing this for free this time” Roxana said. “The first time with Riddle was because it became personal, the second was because I injured people for my own amusement—”
“What” Jack looked at her not believing his ears, she was amused by that ? This woman is insane !!
“—And not because I care about the people of this school, this time I demand payment” She said as she raised her hand to made the number five.
“Fire hundred ?” Crowley has a bit of hope.
Roxana raised her eyebrow.
“…Five thousand Madols … ?”
“Five Hundred Thousand Madols” She said.
“HAH ? THAT’S SCAM !” Crowley screamed.
“That me being generous, it’s two hundred or something students that I will try to free” Roxana said while giving him a bloody smile. “You better pay me with cash or give me a check otherwise it’s your life you’re going to pay me with”
***
Roxana stood beside Crowley with a smile as he wrote the check before giving it to her with his whole body shaking.
“Thank you for making this fair deal with me, it was nice working with you~” Roxana said while walking out of the office with Jack and Grim.
“MY MONEEEEEEEEEEEEEY !!!” The crow cried.