Spies and Lies

"Anything new to report?"

Jonathan stared at Stella and Frey, both of which were bored and examining their new hideout with displeasure written all over their faces.

"Ew! There's moss and… ah! Is this shit?. I don't like this place." Stellar rubbed her arms and edged away from the disgusting mess.

"This place is cramped. It smells too!" Frey pinched his nose and waved his hand.

"Bear with it and don't forget why we're here. This is an important mission to retrieve what's rightfully ours."

"We know already!" Stella, red-faced, glared at the stoic Jonathan.

"Alchemy Scripture blahblahblah, I've heard this a hundred times. If it was so precious, why did they send us?"

"Are you unhappy with the Templar's decision?" Retorted Jonathan as he approached Stella and gave her a piercing and cold stare.

"N-no… I just don't understand. How are we to take down that frightful woman?"

"You and Frey are tasked with taking the Alchemy Scripture. The rest is up to me. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Yes."

The two youngsters replied in unison as they avoided Jonathan's chilling eyes.

After a brief bout of silence, the pony-tailed student cleared his throat and spoke again,

"Since you two rookies have learnt nothing new, I will tell you what I discovered. Apparently, Nader is here to 'retrieve' a traitor."

"A traitor? Someone defected from the Unholy Blasphemers?"

"That seems to be the case. Moreover, he joined hands with the Brutal Prince Order. Since they welcomed him with open arms, he must know a way to get the Alchemy Scripture."

"Then…" Frey paused and pondered for a bit before asking, "Nader isn't after the scripture?"

"Fortunately, no."

Stella, whose face became pale, breathed a sigh of relief.

While sweeping his gaze across his two subordinates, Jonathan warned, "Don't let your guards down. Act natural and don't do or say anything stupid. Now, go back to your rooms."

The two nodded and left the new hideout. As for Jonathan, he used the same method Frey had used earlier to open a small space in the wall and store a couple of things inside.

"I learned quite a lot."

Using Old Arnold as a host, Arthur got up from the bed and softly laughed.

He had purposely sacrificed his previous host to trick Frey into a false sense of safety. Neither of the three students suspected that the 'enemy' was still nearby.

That way, Arthur followed them to their new secret hideout and discovered their identities.

'So, we've got spies from the Brutal Prince Order, the Unholy Blasphemers, and the Sun Alchemists. Brilliant but not overly useful. Unless… I can play all sides. One of them is bound to know something about the Circle of Damnation. I should also look for Nader and Verno.'

For the whole day, Arthur went around gathering information on Nader and Verno. It wasn't particularly difficult so the two turned out to be quite famous.

They were both Fourth-years and about to graduate in a couple of months. Nader Coach, a youth of humble origins but extraordinary talent in magic.

Verno, surprisingly, was the nephew of Olivia Vir Divitiae. Even without his background, it was said that Verno's mastery over fire was prodigious, which was empowered by his genetically transferred Pyromancy. After all, the Vir Divitae aristocratic family was famed for its Fire Mages.

'Verno, Jonathan, and Nader are the leaders of their respective organizations, so I can't target them directly. Wait… is that?'

Arthur was slightly surprised to see Feylord Lernon stick close to Verno like an obedient lackey. At least five students were surrounding the arrogant-looking Verno, who, instead of the standard uniform, wore a flashy crimson robe.

'It's too soon to think of them as spies. They could be admirers or simply friends to keep up appearances. I'll go check on Nader.'

Unlike his flamboyant counterpart, Nader Coach was a serious-looking and pale-skinned youth with shot raven-black hair, a pair of silver-rimmed spectacles, and two sky-blue pupils. He was definitely a handsome young man equipped with a tall and slim physique.

Nader sat on a bench with an open book in his hands. He ignored the passerby and the noise as he concentrated on the book without a care in the world.

Arthur moved the broom as he approached the youth, scrutinizing him stealthily. Even from a glance, it was clear that Nader was strong, on the same level as Jonathan, if not more powerful.

Still, Arthur wasn't worried about his safety. He had grown considerably stronger, so much so that his physical prowess alone was above Holy Knights, which were said to have been fed miraculous elixirs that significantly empowered their physical capabilities.

"Ah! Excuse me."

Arthur stopped in front of Nader and hesitantly handed him a small piece of paper.

"A student with a ponytail asked me to give you this."

While frowning, Nader accepted the paper and read it. Meanwhile, Old Arnold resumed his work without a care in the world.

Shortly thereafter, the youth got up from the bench and walked away with relatively quick steps.

There were only a few words on the note Arthur had given to Nader, however, it should rile him up a bit and force him to contact his colleagues. Using the black-feathered bird, the parasite circled around the Fourth-year dormitory but, no matter how long he waited, Nader didn't budge.

Either had snuck into the hideout already or he wasn't fazed by the note. Arthur spent the whole night 'camping' outside before returning to his temporary room.

However, the moment he possessed Old Arnold, someone knocked on the door.

"You there? We need to talk."

Arthur's narrowed as he heard the sharp voice. It was Melissa, the Dean, which made the situation even more confusing.

As far as Arthur knew, she wouldn't normally contact Old Arnold, much less come to his room personally.

When he opened the door and looked at the red-haired woman, Arthur controlled his voice and asked,

"Is something the matter?"

"..."

In terms of appearance, Melissa reminded Arthur of Vanessa Crimson. She had blood-red hair and originated from the South, but that was where all the similarities ended.

Melissa had a pretty nasty attitude and seemed to be in a bad mood all day long, which made conversing with her difficult.

"I said we need to talk. Come with me."

She turned around and walked away, not even bothering to check if the parasite followed or not.

The two ended up walking for close to 30 minutes. Melissa halted her feet when they reached a secluded and open area West of the campus. Arthur spotted the elven building from a distance away, he also saw the beautiful blue trees stacked together to form clusters.

This was considered a dangerous region, meant only for special examinations.

"Since when?" Muttered Melissa as she faced him with a pair of cold eyes, though her voice was slightly shaky.

"Miss Melissa?"

"I asked you since when. Don't try that fake bullshit with me."

"..."

Arthur didn't need an explanation. The situation was crystal clear, and the woman's reaction made it undeniable that she knew the truth or at least part of it.

Rather than a mishap on his part, he suspected that something else played a part in exposing his identity.

Hearing nothing but silence as an answer, Melissa gritted her teeth. A savage and dangerous aura burst from her body as she charged towards him with a speed as fast as lightning.

Before she could hit him, there was a swirling green mist followed by a scythe that came slashing at her flank.

The Dean raised her left arm, using her bare skin to stop the scythe. However, her body faltered as she couldn't breathe. Still, she was steadfast as the scythe made of condensed green mist was swung again, piercing an inch of her abdomen and pushing her back.

'What is she made of… tsk tsk!'

Arthur was startled to see his strike deal absolutely no damage. It was like slicing metal or trying to push a mountain.

Seeing her recover and perform a slow punch in his direction, the green mist dispersed and the parasite appeared a couple of meters away.

Melissa snorted and changed the trajectory of her punch as her fist slammed against the ground, cracking it and causing a tremor.

Spikes surged from the ground, but they were stopped by the cubic yellow-ish barrier protecting Arthur.

Yet again, Melissa's body blurred as she rushed at him and punched the barrier, cracking it.

"When did Old Arnold die!"

She shouted as her fists rained on the Sanguis Barrier. Arthur looked at her before moving his hands and taking out a sword.

His mouth opened wide as a devilish cry reverberated across the forest. It was a terrifying howl that momentarily stopped Melissa and allowed the parasite to retaliate.

The Sanuigs barrier transformed into a wall and moved rapidly, bumping Melissa from behind before flanking her.

Meanwhile, Arthur swung his sword and used [Sword Blast]. This time, his strike managed to pierce through the Dean's defense and inflict a small wound across her right collarbone.

What surprised, Arthur, however, was that he was also sent flying to the back. He couldn't even see her cast any spell or attack yet Old Arnold's body was blown away like a leaf.

"Hah! Motherfucker knows a thing or two, huh!"

Melissa spat some blood as she glared at the parasite. After rolling on the ground, he got up and cracked his neck, seemingly unscathed by her attack.

"Do you still want to continue? Because I can do more too." Mist swirled around his right hand while a small pyramid-shaped barrier was hovering above his left hand.

"Fuck! Fuuuck!"

Melissa cursed out loud while angrily stomping the ground. In the end, she didn't attack him again, but she didn't act in a friendly way either.

"Are you deaf or what? When did Old Arnold die?"

"A couple of days ago? It was a heart attack."

"So you used his body for your benefit? Typical egoistical behavior of a parasite."

"My, thank you for the praise." Arthur chuckled and sarcastically bowed.

"What are you doing in here?"

"Before that…"

Arthur looked around and licked his lips, "Wouldn't your office be a more suitable place? If I remember correctly, Vanessa served me a delicious tea. Maybe you have it too?"

"..."

Melissa glared at him before spitting in his direction and walking away.