The Nemia Academy

Volume 4 Part 2 : The Feast of Lies and Sea of Spies.

The Nemia Academy was a prestigious educational institution for those gifted in all fields of magic. It catered to all types of talented teenagers, whether it was for learning close-quarter combat or difficult comprehending such as Theoretical Magic or spell-casting.

Unsurprisingly, the academy welcomed only those with distinguishable talent.

'Societal Status doesn't matter' They liked to preach, but it was clear what type of people were admitted; those vastly rich and capable of paying the hefty annual fees. Only one in a thousand commoners would be lucky to enter the Nemia Academy, and that's only if they get noticed by a teacher or they get sponsored by the nobility.

The backgrounds and talents of the students definitely varied, but they were all born with a silver spoon and blessed with exceptional genes.

"This brings back old memories." Muttered Arthur as he munched on a delicious sandwich while stretching his legs.

He was at the back of the cafeteria, in a storage room, which was where he was instructed to rest or eat.

When he arrived at the Nether Storm Archipelago, or more precisely the port city known as Ilexset. He had thought of multiple methods to infiltrate the school, but one presented itself to him not even a day after his arrival.

He was planning on possessing a student or simply relying on the small hosts in his magical bag, but all of that was unnecessary when he got hold of Old Arnold.

Old Arnold was the one and only janitor of the school, tasked with performing some cleaning.

Magic could do a lot of wonders, so a simple thing such as cleaning entire regions wasn't a particularly daunting fact. Arthur also mused over that for a while, but he soon came to learn why Old Arnold was kept.

Apparently, the elderly was close to Melissa, the one in charge of the institution's employees. Melissa was also the Dean, which made her position second only to the Principal in terms of authority.

Apparently, Melissa owed Arnold, so she kept hiring him every year and even paid him a decent amount.

Whether it was the machination of Fate, or pure coincidence, Arthur didn't care. He had been roaming the streets of Ilexset only to stumble upon Old Arnold, who was heaving a heart attack.

Unfortunately, the old man didn't survive, therefore, Arthur immediately possessed him and abandoned his previous and inconsequential human host.

Just like that, Arthur spent a few days to understand Arnold's situation and habitual himself with the new lifestyle.

He had even met Melissa, but their conversation was brief and it didn't seem like she noticed any peculiarity.

"Break is over!"

The plump chef barged into the storage room and urged the parasite to resume his work.

Already feeling bored with this monotonous job, Arthur grunted and went outside. With the broom in his hand, he toured the vast campus of the academy, admiring the elven architecture and the lush green plants wrapping around the buildings like a blanket.

Arthur's objective in coming here to was to find the members of the Circle of Damnation as well as learn more about that secret organization.

The library was the best choice for Arthur, but as a janitor, he didn't have the right to use the library. It was the only place that was restricted solely to the students and teachers. The regular employees, few as they were, were warned not to enter the library.

Such excessive limitations were because the library housed thousands of books, and some taught special magical techniques. Clearly, the higher-ups didn't want a commoner or a normal employee stealing a precious book, though it wasn't like the security was lacking.

Arthur mocked the ridiculous rules as he glanced at the joyful and chatting students.

Although he had significantly expanded his knowledge regarding the world's history and geography, he had, regrettably, neglected to learn more about the people, or more specifically, the talented geniuses residing in the Nemia Academy.

There were princes and princesses from the South, children of the aristocracy of the Militant Syndicate, and even nobles from the Global Azakin Empire. Basically, it was a place infested with spoiled brats, or so thought Arthur.

Since he used Old Arnold as a disguise, he did not need to involve himself with any of the students, though it was an enticing alternative. After all, there were bound to be rumors and secrets circling around between certain key figures.

'For now, I'll keep a close eye on the students. I'll try to get my hands on a student too, having two disguises is safer and more efficient.'

Late at night, Arthur possessed a black-feathered bird with a brown beak and soared in the skies. With his beady eyes, he looked down and scrutinized every inconspicuous space that could potentially hide either unruly students or those with a hidden scheme.

Since no one would pay any heed to a bird, Arthur boldly flew down and spread his wings, gliding around the campus while examining the roaming teenagers.

For three hours, besides seeing couples flirting and students strolling around doing absolutely nothing of value, Arthur finally caught sight of something highly-unusual.

It was already past midnight and most of the students had retired to their respective dormitories. However, as he flapped his wings and looked down, Arthur saw three students grouping up in a small forest south of the spacious campus. After conversing for a minute, they collectively headed Southwards until they reached the cliff facing the dark coast.

Once they confirmed they weren't followed, they jumped down one by one, disappearing into the darkness of the night.

The parasite stealthily and soundlessly followed them, soon seeing the cave suspended in the middle of the cliff.

'A hideout?'

With the current host, his magical capabilities were limited, nevertheless, Arthur dove into the cave and stuck close to the roof as he went deeper.

Alas, he bumped into an invisible barrier, which immediately notified the students. One of them, a thin-looking youth with curly beige hair, dashed toward the barrier and looked at the parasite.

"A bird?"

He and the bird stared at each other before the latter opened its beak and let out an unpleasant sound.

"Kooow! Koow!"

"Ugh! It got me scared for a second." While breathing a sigh of relief, the student unceremoniously waved his hand at the bird and then returned inside.

When he was left alone, Arthur approached the barrier with his tiny bird legs and examined it using one of his new skills: Magick Sense.

It was an incredibly useful skill that allowed him to study the subtle movement and circulation of Mana in artifacts and spells. A gross oversimplification would be to say that Magick Sense appraised a non-living target and allowed Arthur to destabilize it or destroy it using 'Wither Touch'.

It was a racial skill he had acquired when he reached Lv20. Moreover, it worked regardless of the host, allowing Arthur to feel as if he had an extra pair of eyes that could see any slight Mana fluctuation in his surroundings.

The cost-to-efficiency of the skill was negligible, thus allowing the parasite to keep it activated for a prolonged period of time.

'It is significantly inferior to the Sanguis Barrier. I can break it but it'll alert them and they could relocate to another hideout. I'll come back during the day and check this place.'

Arthur returned to Old Arnold's shabby room and patiently waited for the sun to rise. As usual, he did some fake cleaning before feigning sickness and taking the rest of the day off, though it was not like he had to answer to a superior.

"Let's see… a young host."

Arthur's magical bag had a limited spatial capacity, so he had to choose carefully what hosts he had to keep. The small ones weren't a problem, but he had big ones excluding the human corpses.

"This one should do it."

Arthur took out the slightly rotten body of a black-haired youth with a remarkably boorish face and a slim physique.

He didn't know the specifics, but it belonged to a small group of adventurers that succumbed to the Black Bear he had hunted weeks ago.

After stuffing a Little Bunting in one pocket and the Bombardier Beetle in the other, Arthur transformed into a thin green mist that slipped through the window.

[Mist of Decay] allowed him to shroud himself and even became immaterial, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be harmed by magical spells. Nonetheless, it was a very good skill that allowed him to traverse large distances while gliding or hiding from plain sight.

Within fifteen minutes, Arthur easily reached the cliff and entered the cave.

'Now then, it's time to hunt.'

Arthur grinned and extended his withered fingers, clawing the invisible barrier. It shattered upon contact, so Arthur chuckled and walked deeper.

Soon, he reached the circular and slightly spacious end of the cave. It felt cozier as there were a couple of tables and even a sofa.

However, there were no books or anything of importance. It seemed like a place for hanging out and passing time.

Five minutes crept by, in which the parasite toured the cave room, trying to find something of value.

As he laid on the sofa and sighed, a figure rushed into the cave and stopped several meters away.

"Hello."

Arthur waved his hand at the youth from yesterday.

"Who are you?!"

"No one, really."

The youth's expression hardened as he raised his hand and mumbled something. Two breaths later, three icicles shot at the parasite.

They crashed into a yellow-ish barrier and broke into pieces. Still, the curly-haired youth channeled more Mana as a freezing aura manifested itself.

"Can't we talk about this? I'm not here to cause trouble." Amicably said Arthur as he raised both hands as a sign of surrender.

More icicles appeared and flew at him, but they couldn't get past the Sanguis Barrier. In fact, they didn't even inflict a single scratch on it.

"Be smart and stop attacking, will you?"

The youth gritted his teeth and cast another spell, this one unleashing a burst of chilling aura that froze the ground and crept closer to the parasite.

This time, the Sanguis barrier shook violently before breaking apart. A shocked expression appeared on Arthur's face as he defensively crossed his arms.

Starting from his feet, the freezing blast quickly turned the target into a statue.

Seeing the stranger turn into a block of ice, the youth sighed in relief.

Afraid that there might be more people in hiding, he looked everywhere and only stopped when he ascertained that he was alone.

He even walked to a certain spot and tapped the wall three times before picking a small stone and drawing a runic symbol. He peeked inside the space inside the wall and softly smiled when he saw nothing missing.

…

"At least you took care of it."

A female student kicked the frozen invader, causing the block of ice to fall down and shatter into pieces.

"But who could it have been?" Said the third of their little group, a young man with brown hair tied into a ponytail.

"I don't know. He seemed strange." Muttered Frey as he slumped on the sofa, tired from being on the lookout for the whole day. He didn't dare exit the hideout, going as far as skipping classes.

"Could be that Prick Nader. Those Blasphemeres are crazy."

"Nah! It must be that perverted Verno. He's taunting us." Retorted the girl as she stomped the ground.

"You're just easily provoked, Stella. Don't let him get to you. "-Frey

"Either way, we must change our hideout. I know a good place not far from here."

The student with a long ponytail was clearly their leader. The other two immediately sprung into action, gathering their belongings and cleaning the area of any evidence.

Unbeknownst to them, a relatively large beetle was watching their every move. Its jet-black shell shook as it drilled into the ground.