Chương 10: Dragon goes to college

A day later, a peculiar envelope arrived in the mail—unmarked, thick, and unusually heavy. Joshua knew immediately what it was. He set down his coffee, broke the wax seal, and opened the folded contents with the care of someone unwrapping a loaded secret. Inside were official-looking documents, all printed on watermarked paper and embossed with government insignia. Birth certificate, residency records, school transcripts—everything a regular teenager would need to exist on paper.

"Luna Steel," he read aloud with a quiet smile.

"Sixteen years old, born in Glasgow, December 4th, 2009. Full British citizenship. Custody granted to the father, Joshua Steel, following the passing of the divorced Elaine Ashcroft, mother of Luna." It was all perfectly fabricated… and perfectly legal. The Vatican had pulled strings Joshua requested, weaving Luna into the very fabric of society's databases. As far as any government system or school administrator was concerned, Luna had always been here.

He walked into the living room where Luna sat with her legs curled up, watching a nature documentary and lazily munching on crisps.

"Hey, kiddo," he said, placing the papers on the table with a soft tap.

"Remember when you said you wanted to make some friends?" She perked up immediately, tilting her head like an intrigued puppy.

"Yeah?"

"Well, I made that happen," he said with a grin.

"I enrolled you in college."

"No way!" Luna lunged forward, snatching up the papers like they were a winning lottery ticket. Her golden eyes scanned the pages, widening with every new line.

"Wait, this is…?! This is real!" Joshua chuckled.

"All the way down to the sad passing of a divorced mother. Fully legit. You start this September." Luna practically vibrated with energy.

"How did you even…"

"Dad found a way," he said, casually sipping his coffee like he hadn't just strong-armed an international intelligence agency into crafting a legal identity from thin air.

"Now take those gift cards you gott from inquisitor Matteo and go nuts. Backpack, clothes, notebooks, whatever you need." She stared at him for a moment, then lunged forward and hugged him with full draconic strength… ribs creaking, air pushed from his lungs, but not painfully thanks to Josh's new body. It was a rare moment when she didn't have to hold back.

"Thanks, Dad," she whispered into his shoulder. He grinned despite the pressure.

"Just… remember to hold back when hugging your classmates, alright?"

"Promise," she said, laughing into his chest. - - - - - - - - - - - The report from Gaix Tahinor to the Warlock Headquarters had made quite a splash. By now, he had documented enough evidence for a full examination of the facts, and the newest books would list Joshua Steel as a metallic dragon god with a lawful-good standing.

It would still take half a year for the first copies to leave the printing presses and be sent out to the larger libraries, but there were always a few people who sent out private notes whenever something truly significant came to light. As such, Viscount Garandiel received a small letter, flown directly to his manor by a white raven.

"Craa, letter from the capital, craa!" The white raven hopped onto his table and waited patiently.

"Interesting. This must be important if they sent you." The nobleman pulled a sweet snack from a glass jar and held it out to the bird. The raven happily dropped the letter onto the table before taking the treat and flying off. Viscount Garandiel watched it disappear through the open window before turning his attention to the letter. Whatever was inside had clearly been deemed important enough to warrant the use of one of the capital's messenger ravens.

Slavery, no matter how forbidden it was, was something the rich and influential always managed to find ways around. Jakkhul Garandiel was just one such person. He used something worse than collars and whips: a curse-bound contract that forbade the slave from telling anyone they were enslaved while magically binding them into service. Piur was a small blue kobold, the smallest of his clutch. He had been captured when he was only six days old. Ever since, he had served under a human as nothing more than a pet.

His scales were weak and soft, his claws short, and his voice so high-pitched that others could easily mistake him for a female. Yet all of that was nothing compared to the fact that he could never leave. Now he had been called into a decorated room with an altar. At first, he thought he was going to be the sacrifice. It would have been nicer… To finally leave this disgraceful service. Any kobold who did not serve a dragon was a disgrace, after all.

"Here." Jakkhul tossed him a satchel.

"You will use the items inside on that altar and become a warlock. Of course, this only means that I will have better uses for you." The noble smirked. He knew that the first few warlocks to make a contract with an entity were usually the strongest. If he wanted a slave with a truly powerful set of skills, he had to act fast. As far as he knew, only Gaix Tahinor had made a contract with Joshua Steel so far.

The printed books would not come out for another few months, but Jakkhul did not want to risk someone else getting there first.

"Put the items on the altar and pray as instructed on the paper," he ordered the small kobold.

"As master wishes." Piur sighed and approached the altar. - - - - - - - - - - - - Josh was mid-fight against Luna in a video game when his system pinged, displaying a brand-new golden window.

"No… no, no! Shit." He sighed as Luna took advantage of his sudden distraction and pushed him straight off the map.

"GAME!" Luna shouted, along with the in-game announcer.

"Kirby is the best!"

"Yeah, yeah…" Josh waved her off as he turned his attention to the other world. What he saw nearly made him melt. A long, drawn-out "Aww" escaped his mouth as he stared at the tiny blue kobold standing before the altar. Dressed in little pants and a shirt, the creature was simply too adorable. Josh cleared his throat and turned his attention toward the altar. It was covered with gems and other offerings, along with a glowing orb in the center.

Since the room was far too small for him to physically appear, he simply projected his voice directly into the mind of the little kobold.

"I hear you, little one!" he said in a majestic voice.

"Why do you wish to have my powers?" Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more. The kobold let out a fearful squeak and shrank even further into himself.

"L… L… Lord Steel. I err… Piur wish to be useful and strong." The voice of the small lizard humanoid was absolutely adorable, sounding like a mix between a young child and a squeaky toy.

"I was born as the runt of my clutch. Please, grant me your blessing." Josh was just about to reach for the prepared items he kept in a box for occasions like this when he suddenly stopped. His eyes narrowed. There was something he could see that a human could not. A black chain was wrapped around the tiny kobold's heart. Josh followed the chain with his gaze.

It stretched beyond the room and into another part of the building, where he saw a man sitting comfortably and drinking wine, apparently waiting expectantly for the ritual to finish. Josh examined the chain more closely. It was a binding curse.

"Hmmm…" He considered it for a moment before speaking.

"I shall grant you some of my powers, but you must keep secret what I am about to tell you. I have sensed that you are bound to another person." At his words, the kobold immediately began to shiver. He was probably expecting punishment.

"My granted powers will help you, yes… but that chain is something I will only remove if you show me your true faith."

"YOU CAN REMOVE IT?" The kobold's thoughts were so loud that Josh almost winced.

"Yes." The tiny kobold stared at the altar in disbelief.

"Right now, I feel no faith from you. You have been taught to obey, not to believe. If you start to act like a true warlock of mine, I will set you free." Josh then sent the kobold a mental image of himself. A majestic metallic dragon, vast enough to blot out the sky, his scales gleaming like forged silver beneath divine light. The faith meter jumped so hard that Josh actually blinked. The tiny kobold had practically transformed into a zealot on the spot.

Josh stared at the sudden surge for a moment before deciding not to question it. With that, he granted Piur two spells. Ice Lance, and Strangling Roots. - - - - - - - - - - - - - Josh monitored his warlocks every now and then. Gaix was on some kind of long journey across the sea, so watching him quickly became boring. Wren was only starting to learn how to use his blessings properly, and the young man had recently joined a dungeon-delving party. That was actually quite interesting.

As for his newest warlock, the master of the small kobold was a noble who had bought quite a lot of power-boosting medicines and elixirs to strengthen the weak Piur. Of course, this came with a whole lot of pain. Josh wanted to help, but the kobold remained focused, gritting his tiny teeth through every dose. His faith meter seemed to be growing by the day. At this rate, Piur would surpass Gaix in only a week if the speed of his growth did not decrease.

Summer ended with a steady rain, which was hardly surprising, considering rain was the neutral weather of this island nation. Luna had packed everything, and she jumped into the car with a grin even the Cheshire Cat would envy.

"We're going to make another stop," Josh noted as he pulled out of the driveway.

"I wondered why we had to get ready this soon." Luna nodded.

"So, what is it?"

"We're going to pick up your personal security."

"My what?" Luna looked at Joshua as if he had suddenly grown a second head.

"Remember when I told you that Inquisitor Matteo would have a new job this year? He's going to go with you to college." Josh smirked.

"NO! He's going to ruin everything. Also, I'll be the weird rich girl with a bodyguard… absolutely not." Luna crossed her arms firmly.

"Wait until you see what I came up with. Only then make your decision."

"Fine," Luna sighed. She knew her father wouldn't deliberately mess up her college experience, so she held back her complaints. Ten minutes later, the car stopped in front of a church. A young but bulky boy in a school uniform walked out. He wore round glasses that made him look like a strange mix between a sports lover and a nerd. The boy quietly walked over to the car, opened the back door, and sat down.

"So, you like your uniform?" Josh asked with a smirk leaning back.

"Who is this?" Luna asked.

"I am Matteo Drake," the boy said in a completely dead tone.

"NO… WAY." Luna stared at him for a few seconds before suddenly bursting into laughter. She laughed so hard that she had to hold her sides.

"Okay, I see now."

"This is the only time I'm picking him up," Josh noted.

"I only wanted to see your reaction. He's going to the same classes as you, so if anything gets out of hand, he can act with human strength." Josh paused.

"Well… Vatican-power-juiced human strength, but you get what I planned." Luna simply nodded. Matteo, meanwhile, quietly accepted his year-long punishment of having to be a teenager. In all honesty, he had never attended a normal school. He had been raised in Vatican City from the age of five, and all of his friends had been similar test subjects. School was an experience he had only ever heard about from others. With a quiet huff, Matteo leaned against the window and watched the buildings pass by.

The car eventually turned onto Flemington Street, and the large campus of Glasgow Kelvin College came into view. Luna practically pressed her face against the window.

"There it is!" Josh chuckled as he pulled into the area near the entrance.

"Yep. That's your school for the next few years." The moment the car stopped, Luna practically launched herself out of the door. She grabbed her bag and rushed toward the college entrance, her bright smile impossible to miss as she looked around at the building, the students, and everything waiting ahead of her. Josh watched her go with a smile of his own. He petted his hand and activated the small ring he had received from Puck.

The ring shimmered faintly as it captured Luna's excited expression and the way she practically bounced toward the entrance.

"What a thoughtful gift," Josh muttered, glancing at the ring.

"Definitely the best thing given to me." Behind him, Matteo finally stepped out of the car. He adjusted his school uniform, straightened his round glasses, and stared at the college entrance, then began walking toward it. There was no excitement in his expression. He walked with the grim, resigned posture of a man on his way to his own execution. Josh watched him for a moment.

"You know, you could try looking a little happier."

"I have been assigned a year of pretending to be a normal teenager." Matteo continued walking.

"It is my punishment." Josh snorted.

"You're going to love it."

"I highly doubt that." Ahead of them, Luna turned around and waved both arms.

"COME ON!" Matteo sighed, then continued his march toward the college, looking every bit like a death-row inmate. Luna had one massive advantage compared to the other students. Well, other than being a literal dragon with enough strength to stop a speeding truck. She was a booster-type dragon, which meant she could enhance herself in a variety of ways. Her memory, concentration, intelligence, reaction speed… practically anything she wanted could be pushed far beyond what a normal human was capable of.

She quickly discovered that this made studying almost unfair. If she wanted to, she could boost herself enough to develop what was effectively a photographic memory and an IQ well above two hundred whenever she lacked the knowledge to understand something. The only downside was the hefty chunk of mana it consumed. But it wasn't like she needed her magic for much else. Still, Luna decided she would only use those abilities when she was genuinely stuck.

Having to sit down, study, struggle with something, and finally understand it on her own was much more rewarding. Besides, she wanted to experience college properly. The entrance of Glasgow Kelvin College's Springburn Campus was considerably busier than Luna had expected. Students were gathered in small groups around the entrance, some looking excited, others nervous, and a few already looking like they were wondering whether they could somehow turn around and go home without anyone noticing.

Luna, naturally, belonged to the first group.

"Look at all these people!" She practically bounced through the entrance. Matteo followed several steps behind, carrying his bag with the expression of a man who had been sentenced to community service.

"Luna," he called after her, "please remember that we are supposed to find the registration desk first."

"I know!" She immediately disappeared into the crowd. Matteo sighed. The first part of the welcome event was surprisingly ordinary. New students were directed toward their designated areas, where staff members checked names, answered questions, and helped them find their way around the campus. Luna received the basic information she needed, including where her classes would be held and how to access the college's student systems.

A staff member explained the college's student information system, where students could check timetables, attendance, emails, learning materials, library services, support information, and other useful resources. Luna listened with a smile, bobbing her head.. Matteo listened even more carefully. Mostly because he had already decided that he had to be the responsible one. Soon enough, the students were gathered together and introduced to members of staff and their lecturers.

"Welcome to Glasgow Kelvin College," one of the lecturers said with a smile.

"Today is about getting you comfortable with the college, meeting the people you'll be studying with, and making sure you know where to go if you need help." Luna looked around at her new classmates. Some were chatting quietly while a few looked nervous. One girl sitting nearby was filming herself live to her stream. This was actually exciting. Now she was finally getting to do something normal. Or at least normal by human standards. After the introductions came a tour of the campus.

They were shown the main facilities, learning spaces, library, and areas where students could get help with their studies or other problems. They were also told about the Student Association and the different clubs and activities available to them. Luna became increasingly interested.

"There are clubs?" The student representative nodded.

"Quite a few. And students can suggest new ones as well." Luna's eyes immediately lit up. The final part of the welcome event was the Freshers' Fair. Tables had been set up around the campus, covered with leaflets, information, club sign-up sheets, and various little giveaways. There were also games, competitions, refreshments, and plenty of students wandering around trying to figure out what they wanted to join. Luna was in heaven.

She moved from table to table, asking questions, picking up information, and occasionally dragging Matteo along with her. He eventually ended up carrying several leaflets and a college-branded bag.

"This is not what I expected," he muttered.

"What did you expect?"

"Three hours of listening to someone talk about rules." Luna grinned."It's actually fun!" She was genuinely happy. Matteo thought of Princess, Joshua's dog and looked at Luna. He had the faintest smile as he imagined her as a white dog wagging its tail so hard it generated a gust.