Broken Possessors of Infinite Regression Academy

As the Duke’s hand contorted, the atmosphere grew chilly, but thanks to the Duke himself, who chuckled and patted my back, the worst-case scenario was avoided.

He’d mentioned something about needing that level of determination to have some backbone, and I couldn’t help but wonder if that was the case for Professor Jake as well. Maybe when you build muscles so much, even your brain turns into muscles.

After praising me for a bit, the Duke casually took out a potion from his waist and drank it. Seeing him prepare a potion, it seemed like he had planned this to some extent. But planning for a situation where his hand gets crushed? Probably not.

After drinking the potion, the Duke remarked that he should probably wrap his hand in bandages and returned to his dignified demeanor until the end. Priscilla’s mother stood beside him, scolding him for his behavior, but he seemed unfazed.

“Thank goodness. It ended well,” I remarked.

“Ended well… for you?” Priscilla laughed heartily despite my having crushed her father’s hand. It seemed like the Duke’s somewhat friendly attitude played a significant role. I wondered what his reaction would have been if he disliked me.

I didn’t particularly want to dwell on that.

“Shall we go? Follow me,” the Duke said, leading the way into the mansion, leaving an old servant to guide me to my room. Priscilla couldn’t come with me. Her parents wanted to see her properly.

Despite Priscilla’s insistence that she could see me during dinner, the servant was adamant. In the end, Priscilla had no choice but to follow a maid who came separately.

“I’ll make sure to come back even if I have to throw a tantrum,” I reassured Priscilla, comforting her as she lay on the floor, crying. That wasn’t a joke; it was 100% sincere.

“Rest well. We’ll come to escort you for dinner,” the servant said politely, summoning a maid to set a table full of snacks before exiting gracefully. While munching on them and exploring the room, I heard a knock at the door.

From the sound of footsteps and the manner of knocking, it wasn’t Priscilla. If it were her, she would have just walked in without knocking, without waiting for permission.

And it wasn’t the servant either. If it were a maid or butler, they would have knocked first and then stated their identity and purpose as soon as the door opened.

“Is someone here worth visiting?” I permitted entry with a hint of curiosity. The door opened, and through the gap, a woman with long orange hair and light brown eyes, much sharper and more intimidating than Priscilla, entered.

However, if she were a character from a novel, anyone could tell she was unmistakably the villainess.

The woman who closed the door smiled at me.

“I’m pleased to meet you. I’m Gloria Agnes, the daughter of Duke Agnes.”

“Mira Crate.”

The woman, who introduced herself as Gloria, seemed to be introducing herself as if she were someone else, and naturally tried to sit next to me.

“Please sit on the other side of the table, not next to me. I don’t want any misunderstandings.”

“Oh, who are you referring to? My father, mother, or the servants?”

“You already know who it is.”

“You’re quite cold. Well, then I’ll follow your lead.”

Gloria obediently sat on the sofa opposite me. It wasn’t because of her appearance. It was because I didn’t know when Priscilla would return. If she returned and found me with her sister, there would surely be trouble. And even if Priscilla allowed it, I had no intention of getting involved with both sisters at the same time.

“Why have you come here?”

“As the daughter of Duke Agnes, am I not allowed to entertain guests?”

“If it’s entertainment, I’ve already received enough from the Duke. Don’t you have another purpose?”

Gloria’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Hmm, you’re right. There are rumors circulating about the mansion. My younger sister seems to be deeply involved with a certain man from the academy, to the point where they’re practically inseparable. Since she was already renowned as a genius magician even before entering the academy, it’s not surprising that people are interested. So, as the daughter of Duke Agnes, I’ve come to entertain you and see for myself. But…”

Gloria’s tongue flicked near her lips. It was a very obvious action with clear intent. It was clear that she was either filthy-minded or out of her mind, or maybe both.

“…You’re much more charming than I expected.”

“Thank you for the compliment. Now that you’ve seen my face, please leave.”

I cut off her behavior sharply. I didn’t want to get involved with someone like her for no reason. Gloria looked disappointed.

“We still have plenty of time until dinner, though?”

“That’s irrelevant. I told you, I don’t want any misunderstandings. Let me tell you one more thing, it would be best if you didn’t engage in unnecessary actions.”

“Oh, is that a warning?'”

“‘advice,’ let’s call it that. I’m not someone of high status who dares to warn the darling of Duke Agnes.”

I said it like that, but I didn’t expect much. Those were the eyes of someone who was clearly up to no good.

Sometimes there are people like that. Every word they say, every action they take, makes the people around them uneasy. I’ve seen plenty, so I know.

“Advice, huh… Haha. I should engrave it deep into my mind. You’re amusing. Your sense of humor is quite exceptional.”

Gloria chuckled while gently stroking her lower abdomen, her eyes glinting mischievously. She seemed like a madwoman indeed.

“Mira. I came… Oh?”

Not long after, Priscilla opened the door and appeared. Thankfully, she didn’t throw a fit on the floor upon seeing us. Instead, she was dressed in a normal dress, having changed from her academy uniform.

She exposed a bit of her shoulders, but apart from that, there was hardly any skin showing.

“…Why is my sister here?”

As soon as she confirmed her sister’s presence, the light vanished from her eyes. Her raised corners of the mouth returned to their original position, and her hand gripping the hem of her dress tensed up.

“You know why, don’t you? The rumors about the man you brought to the mansion have spread everywhere. So, I came to see who it was. As the daughter of Duke Agnes, I’m here to entertain guests.”

Priscilla casually brushed off Gloria’s stern gaze. She sat beside me, almost clinging to me, as if to assert her dominance over her sister. Strong caution emanated from her gaze towards her sister.

“Mission accomplished. Now that you’ve seen my face, leave.”

“Oh, dear. I’ve heard that before.”

Priscilla’s amber eyes, so similar to Gloria’s, turned towards me. Come to think of it, I also did ask her to leave after she saw my face.

“Before you criticize me, why don’t you reflect on your own behavior, my dear sister? What’s with that undignified posture? As a member of the Agnes family, you should carry yourself with more grace.”

“…I’ll handle it myself, so mind your own business.”

Priscilla firmly rejected Gloria’s attempt to intervene. Surprise flickered across Gloria’s face.

“You’ve grown up. You used to follow my orders so well. Did meeting a man change you after all?”

It seemed more like she obeyed out of fear or some other reason, rather than actually following her sister’s orders. Maybe one of the reasons she didn’t return home even during breaks or weekends and stayed holed up in the dormitory studying was because of her sister.

“From both you and my sister. I suppose I should go now that I’ve been told to leave. I can’t interrupt your private time. See you at dinner.”

With a final wink directed only at me, Gloria left the room. As soon as the door closed, I checked for any magical eavesdropping devices or surveillance spells and then spoke.

“That woman, she’s a villain, right?”

“Yeah. And a pretty nasty one at that.”

“You could tell just by looking at her.”

Honestly, the atmosphere couldn’t have felt more villainous. It felt so much like a cliché villain that I had to wonder if it wasn’t a deliberate twist of expectation.

“How was it in the original?”

“She sold the duke to the Succubus Queen. She’s obsessed with beauty. She thought becoming a succubus would let her maintain eternal youth and beauty. She still thinks that. She’s obsessed with her appearance. Vanity runs deep, and she loves money. Oh, and she said the first thing she looks at when meeting a man is his appearance.”

It was a typical villainous personality. I wondered if there was at least one redeeming quality, but from Priscilla’s words, it seemed like there wasn’t.

“Ah, Mira.”

“I’m listening.”

“You can kill her if necessary. Even if she’s my sister.”

.

.

.

The duke appeared at the dinner table fully recovered. It seemed like he had drunk a pretty good potion.

We had to tread lightly around the topic of the Golem Core, but overall, the mood was very friendly. Except Priscilla casually did what she usually does to me and there was almost an impromptu confrontation.

After dinner, I was heading to my room alone, detaching Priscilla who wanted to stick by my side even to sleep. If she was going to come, she should come later sneakily. If we walked into the bedroom together openly, what would people think of us?

“Oh, here we meet again.”

And as I turned the corner, I bumped into Gloria. It seemed like she had been waiting for me.

Gloria was wearing a translucent negligee that revealed the contours of her body. Whether it was because of the darkness around or because my eyes were playing tricks on me, all I could see through the negligee was her fair skin. The outline of what should be hidden was nowhere to be seen.

“Yes, nice to see you again. Then, goodbye.”

Gloria had been so overt with her gazes even during dinner that I tried to pass by her discreetly.

“I’m not done talking yet.”

Gloria grabbed my wrist. I could easily shake her off with force, but I stopped involuntarily.

“This is fate, isn’t it? How about we have a little chat before parting ways?”

“I have no intention.”

“Oh, don’t say that.”

She took a step closer. Her gaze towards me was incredibly overt. I looked around. There was no one else.

“I said I have no interest.”

“Hmm, are you sure? What a pity.”

Gloria lowered the strap of her negligee slightly. There were no visible strings supporting the ample hills on her shoulders either.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m just… politely asking for your time. Otherwise, I might have to scream that you almost tried to rape me.”

“…And if I agree?”

“Well, who knows? Maybe we could have a deeper conversation. Like counting the number of moles on my body.”

Suddenly, Priscilla’s words came to mind. If necessary, you can kill Gloria. She’d handle it somehow, she said.

I initially refused, saying that even if you were her, she couldn’t just overlook the murder of a noble’s darling daughter. But in reality, there was a way.

A way to ensure she never dies, but also never truly lives.

“How about… ahem?!”

A sound devoid of any dignity came from Gloria’s mouth. It was because I had lifted her by the throat. Her legs flailed desperately in mid-air.

“Just asking, you know.”

I tightened my grip on her neck. Gloria’s face began to turn red, and the choking sound turned into a wheeze.

“Didn’t I advise you not to engage in unnecessary actions?”