In the main building, students were gathered in front of the entrance where Dora had just arrived. Alongside the young man, Zuri and Eryl, and all around them, four members of the council served as escorts, including Lisa and Maxim.
The students eagerly applauded Dora, a very different spectacle from what was happening a few weeks ago.
"Happy to see you again!"
"It's so nice to see you!"
"Good job in this fight, you showed him!"
Cheers rained from all sides, not failing to amuse Lisa.
"Look at them, I recognize faces that were still insulting you yesterday but now they are singing your praises."
Maxim followed her gaze.
"Can you blame them? They don't want to be the next Thomas, or the next William... Or the next Andrew... Or the next future Hope... Or the next..."
"Quiet." Dora's menacing voice sounded behind them. "They're loud but at least they're far away, speaking of which, why are you here? Do you think I need bodyguards?"
Lisa gave him a mischievous look.
"Precisely, we are not your bodyguards, we are their bodyguards... Well, rather your offerings."
"The sacrificial lambs." Maxim smiled nervously.
Dora raised his eyebrows and showed a satisfied smile.
"Hm... Good answer."
He looked at the students around him and noticed the one who had insulted Zuri a few days ago. He backed away slightly and muttered something with a glare.
"Knee." Dora whispered and the student fell to the ground, compressed by gravitational magic, unable to make a sound.
Maxim was jubilant when he saw him.
"Oh, look over there, this one is so touched that he lost conscientiousness."
He clapped happily, without noticing his peers' anxious gazes.
(Give me a break, I'm not paid for this.)
(I saw nothing, everything is fine.)
They arrived at the Dean's office to find Iris, two teachers, Freya, and the two heirs waiting.
"That's a lot of people for a friendly visit."
"It's just a security measure, it's not every day that two Sins have a meeting." A tall teacher answered.
Iris placed her hand on the doorknob as an uneasy feeling filled the room.
"If you're here, it means that you've agreed to the meeting conditions. As previously suggested, only those designated by each party can attend. On Dora's side, we have Ladies Zuri, Freya, Mercy, and a Joker. On the Dean's side, we have Professor Oddegürd, myself, and a Joker. Finally, in the third party, we have Princess Solaria, Prince Moonra, and their maid Eryl. Anyone else is prohibited from entering."
Each person nodded in agreement and they entered the room.
Three sofas were installed in the center of the room, Candace was sitting on the one with her back to the window with a serious expression.
Iris and the teacher sat on either side of Dean, followed by Dora and the three young girls. Finally, Eryl and the two heirs completed the last sofa.
Eryl spoke up.
"Thank you all for freeing up some of your precious time for this meeting. This will be the fourth official meeting between two Sin Avatars. Each person here is part of a very short list of people aware of the secret of the seven above, for a more or less long time. I will act as a representative of Gluttony, to ensure that the Code is respected, but I do not doubt that you will demonstrate a great example of discipline and courtesy. Now we can begin."
Everyone stared at each other as a heavy silence weighed on the scene. The Dean glared at Dora, displaying clear hostility. Dora furrowed his brow but quickly replaced his displeasure with a smile.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Grandma?"
"Here we go..." She closed her eyes and massaged her sinuses, the others flinching in surprise.
"Let's cut to the chase, I know why you're here, this witch already sent me a letter, with a sentence, which was also an order. I know you're here for me to train you."
She took a sheet of paper out of one of her pockets and handed it to Dora, but instead of taking it, the boy looked at her in confusion.
"What? Is there something on my face?"
"... Weren't you talking with a weird accent last time?"
She gritted her teeth, looking away slightly, Professor Oddegürd coughed.
"It was the only way to keep the dean's longevity a secret; she used a different accent every century and pretended to be her own daughter."
Zuri laughed, struggling not to break the mood, Dora, with less effort, rubbed the tip of his nose.
"I see... Just out of curiosity, what would you do when you're supposed to be forty? Pay for a substitute?"
"Isn't that obvious? Meh! Like If I would tell you my tricks. Why are you bothering with that? That's not the point!"
She crossed her arms and looked at the nobles near Dora.
"I see you didn't waste any time, it's amusing to have all the attention when you have a power like this, isn't it? You three too, do you realize what hell you have walked into?"
The three girls looked around the room indifferently, causing Candace to sigh in annoyance.
"You truly live according to the will of this power-hungry fossil, no matter how evil it is... But who am I to judge? I can't change anything, so I choose to live with it. Let me reintroduce myself, I'm Candace, dean of the Royal Academy, leader of the scholar faction, and trainer of the Holy Knights, but some people also call me the Avatar of Sloth. Not nice to meet you, Greed."
She smiled brightly and placed a hand on her chest.
Dora looked at her like trash and rolled his eyes.
"You forgot the most important thing: the weakest Avatar in history."
"... Say the first human to be defeated by a golem in this academy?"
The two looked at each other furiously, it seemed like a lightning bolt was forming between them.
Eryl applauded, laughing.
"Come on, it's a very special day, the second meeting between two Sin Avatars in a week, I think we should celebrate instead."
Dora crosses his arms, without taking his eyes off Candace.
"Forget it, elf, partying is for kids... Oh, wait, she looks quite small actually."
"Please, I know you walked into her castle with your tail between your legs like a beaten dog, don't play tough here." The dean replied.
This time, the tension between the two was visible. Mercy and Iris tried to calm the antagonists while Eryl laughed. Freya nodded.
"You two don't know each other and yet you are already at each other's throats, are the Sin Avatars biologically enemies?"
"He called me grandma!" she exclaimed.
"She called me evil!" he grumbled in response.
"Look me in the eyes and tell me you're not evil."
Dora leaned forward in his seat and locked eyes with Candace.
"You look like inside a retirement home."
"And with that, the meeting is adjourned! Everyone, get out!"
*
*
A group of students gathered outside, concerned about their friend who was still affected by Dora's gravitational magic.
"It's strange... It's like he's glued to the ground. Can someone call a teacher to help him?"
"It's not something a teacher can fix." Another voice sounded from behind.
Startled, they all turned toward the source of the voice and gasped.
*
*
In the meeting room, Iris was massaging the dean's shoulder and Zuri was patting Dora's head.
Mercy scratched her chin and turned to Eryl.
"Is it always like this between the Avatars? You said it goes south between the Queen and Pride too, right?"
"Like I said, the only limit to an Avatar is another Avatar, no one likes to have limits, do they?"
" Limit? Who is limitting me?" Candace huffed. "This brat can't do anything to me, and he knows it!"
"At least I'm legal." Dora replied.
Candace, furious beyond belief, got up and tried to jump on Dora, barely held back by Iris and Oddegürd.
"Dora, stop testing her!" Mercy grabbed the young man's arm.
"She is the action, I am the consequence!"
Moonra grabbed his head in desolation.
"This isn't going anywhere... Hey, Eryl, you're the mediator, do something!"
The maid, busy laughing coughed and glanced at the door.
"Too bad, I was having fun... But hey, let's move on to the next phase."
She clapped her hands and stood up.
"The first part was the meeting between the two sides, now that that's settled, let's move on to the more interesting part... I hope, at least, it's time to present your jokers."
The two avatars looked at each other and crossed their arms.
Dora looked around the room and fixed his gaze on the desk behind Candace.
"Go ahead."
Those present exchanged astonished glances as they witnessed a shadow rising from the desk behind the dean, gradually taking on a human form.
"D-Dean Candace!" Oddegürd stood up, but the doyenne waved him off.
"Calm down, everything's okay, I expected that."
All eyes were fixed on the figure that had just appeared and was caressing the dean's neck with her fingertips.
"Ah? Were you waiting for me? I hope you missed me too, my little toy."