In the teacher's longue, they began to plan.
The Dowager would be the person on the inside. She was to report to Leo on the inner workings of the royal family.
Anything they discussed, anything they did, anywhere they went.
Leo would know everything.
She came to understand the habits of the royals.
For instance, the king and queen frequently many scenic arrangements.
They magically travelled to nature trails, zoos, artificial landscapes and such.
The young prince and princess were kept sheltered in the castle. There they immersed themselves in the gathering of knowledge and learned many advanced topics.
They only ever came out for official purposes or to receive gifts of knowledge from nobles.
However, Ada said something that Leo seemed to bear great interest in.
"The royal family itself consists of only the five of us, however, the power we wield is very nearly immeasurable."
"At the King's command, ten of the most revered individuals in all the land: warriors, adventurers and the like."
"Their power has protected the kingdom and its people for quite some time. If we are to undermine the royals, we must first be rid of them."
Leo smiled, seeing her chance.
She knew, thanks to the system, that the ex-adventurer she had met before was immune to her mind control. However, with her newfound power and skill, she was certain she could alter his mind.
Ada and Leo continued chatting a bit before they were disturbed by a swirling portal of emerald light.
Out of it came a young boy in white clothes.
"Oh, Nox. You're back."
"I see you and Ada have already gotten all chummy. So you tried your hand at cell manipulation?"
Leo frowned.
"Tch! Maybe I did, maybe I didn't."
Ada blinked, in a confused stupor.
"Young Miss, is this person your subordinate?"
Leo gave Ada a full-on glare.
"More like a pain in my ass."
They had a chat during which Nox spent his time relaxing in a corner.
Ada and Leo further discussed their plan, and finally decided on how they would take the first step.
As time passed, the results for the exams were in.
The students, who were all more or less Leo's involuntary puppets, were excited to see that they had done well.
No one had failed the exams.
This was something Leo had taken great care to ensure.
She had also decided how many students would apply for the various schools of learning.
The Knight School, The Advanced Wizardry School, The Apothecary Arts; all these were things she divided the students amongst.
Other than the compulsory Introductory Magic School, she would have students in every school.
Thanks to her skill, whatever they understood would then become her own knowledge as well.
As the new semester began, Leo was given a pleasant surprise.
"The Young Royals will be attending the Advanced Wizardry and Knight Schools. They might even be taking the Master-level Classes."
Leo and Nox were the only students eligible for the Master-level Classes, so when Ada told her this she was surprised.
"I guess they aren't as big of a joke as I thought."
Nox laughed at her.
"Listen, Leo. How's about we make a deal?"
This peaked her interest. She had long been looking for the opportunity to get one up on Nox.
She hadn't liked how he had declared himself the winner before the contest had even begun.
"What did you have in mind?"
Leo smiled when she saw Nox's smirk. As he walked over to her, she proudly puffed up her chest and assumed a confident look.
"It's simple. I will restrict myself to Master-level magic. When the time comes for the final competitive exams between the schools in the Academy, we will face off against each other. Of course, that's if you don't lose out to the young royals."
She snorted coldly at this.
"I'd never lose to two pampered brats born with golden spoons in their mouths."
Nox laughed and returned to his corner.
"Two, you say? Ada, why don't you tell her the rest."
Ada have a harrumph and continued her report.
"As you know, the associative endeavors have allowed for this academy to be at the forefront of education. That being the case, the royals of the other five kingdoms will be attending."
"We don't have much information on them besides their academic scores and some minor details, though."
Leo frowned. She didn't know much about the other kingdoms.
All that she knew she learned from either teachers or Ada herself.
For whatever reason, the King was insanely secretive regarding the other kingdoms. He alone would meet with representatives and he alone, along with a single trusted confidant, would visit them.
The royals of the other kingdoms had never come there, so no one had seen them.
There were certain rumors regarding this, but they were all too nonsensical.
"My Daughter, the Queen, was only able to get one crucial piece of information."
"What would that be?"
Nox chuckled, but did not say a word.
"The King of this kingdom is no more than a servant to them. The alliance was their idea and they more or less forced it on him. He doesn't have even an ounce of freedom to act anymore."
"A willing puppet?"
"So it seems. How spineless." Ada frowned.
Nox stretched his arms out at yawned, then stood up and leaned against the wall.
"This Cloud Kingdom is at the bottom. Good. Once it's mine, I'll have the element of surprise. They'll never expect such a great force from a kingdom they regard as weak."
Nox frowned.
"Alright, Eslon. I won't be giving you any pointers until after the competition. If you somehow manage to perform a miracle and land a single blow on me before you lose, then I'll wholeheartedly devote myself to teaching you."
"If you don't even manage to touch me, then I'll have to leave you to your own devices and hope you survive later on."
As he said that, he once more vanished.
They couldn't know that he had appeared into the planet's orbit, a menacing glare on his face.
"You won't be bothering me until I'm ready for you all."
He made a hand seal and a large green symbol appeared above the planet. That symbol then transfigured into a barrier that enveloped the whole world.
"I'll be fair. You have ten more years, Eslon."
He vanished again, heading back to the school.
By now, Leo was in a heated discussion with Ada.
Seeing this, Nox yawned again and returned to leaning up against the wall.
"If that's the case, then we need to be sure we aren't caught off guard when they get here."
"Indeed. We know that the school's six divisions deal with Knight training, Magic, the Apothecary Arts and the Bestiary School."
"Right. So, a fair assumption would be that each of the royals from each kingdom would major in at least one of these."
"Right. Seeing as how Magic encompasses the compulsory and advanced classes, that will be the only school where I am guaranteed to not lose out."
"My focus now should be on everything else."
"The Knight School focuses on martial arts, swordplay and forging."
"Apothecary Arts are potions, herbs and medicinal pills."
"The Bestiary School focuses on the identification, study and taming of any and all beasts, magical or not."
"Then the Master-level Classes. Anyone that teachers recognize as being far too advanced for the other classes can attend the Master-level Classes for whichever field they major in."
"If you truly wish to dominate these royals, then you must achieve the Master-level in every field of study."
Leo had a cocky smirk on her face.
"Not a problem. My little slaves will relay all of their knowledge to me. Before long, I'll be the most advanced student in all the kingdoms."
Leo and Ada both laughed amongst themselves, but Nox was seething with an annoyed and enraged aura.
"This idiotic girl. She focuses on these mundane studies when she can advance her own capabilities and dominate them without having to waste time. Hmph! I won't say anything. See for yourself where 'school' gets you."
He walked straight out of the teacher's longue under their confused gazes. They both shrugged after he left.
Thus, the time arrived.
In a massive courtyard, at the center of that branch of the academy, all the students gathered to be taken by their respective teachers.
For the students having to attend multiple classes, certain schedules were put in place. Naturally, it was tougher than having to focus on one main field, but true elite students could cope with it.
On the other hand, broken characters like Leo had an even greater advantage in hand.
With her advanced skill, all the knowledge was her's for the taking.
Nox was nowhere to be seen at this time.
The regular students, who were mostly all Leo's puppets, had gathered. She was standing a few feet away from Ada, who was standing atop a massive stage at the very front.
She did not even need to waste her energy trying to get them in an order. The main reason was Leo's Mind Control, but they were also noble children.
At the very last minute, before the teachers were scheduled to arrive, Nox silently appeared. Leo and Ada were the only persons able to sense him.
He arrived at almost the same time as one of the new teachers.
This was a woman dressed in a bright red gown. Beside the gown, she wore a small crown made of what appeared to be vines and nothing else.
"The Advanced Wizardry classes will be conducted by me."
As she said this, a number of students flocked to her side of the courtyard.
"Madam Ervine, we welcome you."
"Headmaster Ada? What a surprise." Her voice was soft and gentle, almost expressionless.
As she said this, a loud burp echoed throughout the courtyard.
"My apologies. I'm here for those joining the Knight School."
A massively muscular man with a pure black broadsword strapped to his back appeared in the courtyard, seemingly out of thin air.
If not for Leo's high sensitivity, she wouldn't have been able to tell they had both appeared out of portals.
"Lord Lykan, a pleasure."
"Headmaster Ada? How unexpected. To think you yourself would attend. I doubt this batch of students are that amazing... Oh? A few of them are, huh?"
He smiled, his skin like polished brass displaying his status as a foreigner.
As he was admiring and offering praises to Ada, two other teachers appeared.
"Well, well. Headmaster Ada, the only noble worth respecting in this backwater kingdom."
"Ah, Mr. and Mrs. Filcrum."
The two teachers were a man and woman, both dressed in white robes covered in blue, embroidered patterns.
"Those of you brats attending the Apothecary Arts school will be coming with us."
They also spent a few moments chatting with Ada before taking their places in the courtyard.
Finally, a clarion cry resounded in all the sky.
"Those of you studying beasts, look now at your esteemed teacher!"
If a lot of the students weren't under mind control, they would have had a larger reaction.
Instead, they all looked up and gave little gasps or murmored something.
One of the teachers, the one called Madam Ervine, narrowed her eyes and looked straight at Leo.
"Sir Vaelyris!"
In the sky, a massive Wyvern descended from the clouds only to remain, flapping its huge wings, above the courtyard. It remained suspended in the air above them while a bearded man leapt down.
Two scaly wings sprouted from his back, shocking a large number of students and causing them to release gasps and various exclamations.
Madam Ervine's suspicions toward Leo lessened when she saw this. Perhaps she was just imagining it.
Leo had actually made a decisive action in that moment. She slightly relaxed her mind control so that the students would seem more genuinely surprised. This only affected their behavior and not her control, so she hurriedly enacted it.
If Ada hadn't contacted her mentally, she would have been discovered.
This, 'Madam Ervine,' was a bit frightening.