บท 132: Formal Invitation
2 days later
It was a place akin to a warehouse, situated North-East of Ilexset and owned by a wealthy business man called Bernard Miller.
Mister Miller was an obese and flamboyant individual, but his worst trait was his insatiable greed.
"This is enough, yes?"
Miller patted his bulging stomach as he grinned from one ear to the other and glanced at a relatively tall woman next to him.
The woman had long brown hair tied into a bun and wore thin silver armor over a set of casual clothes, though the most eye-catching thing was the pair of curved dagger holstered around her waist.
"Yes, it is, Mister Miller. The payment will be transferred to you within two days, at most."
"Hahahaha I have no doubts it will! I'm always pleased to work with patrons such as yourself, Miss Monica."
"..."
The woman was disinterested in prolonging her conversation, instead focusing on a man standing at the center of the empty warehouse.
'These Demons always like to act so high and mighty… whatever! I'm getting paid a shitload of Gold!'
The fat businessman inwardly snickered and, likewise, shifted his attention to the main 'guests'.
On one side stood a silver-haired young girl, the 2nd daughter of the Demon King, Teresa Moon.
Across from her was a middle-aged man with somewhat long dark red hair, a well-kept thin beard and a naturally calm demeanor. He wore fancy leather clothes and rested his hands on a cane.
"I trust there will be no intervention." Stated Arthur as he looked at Monica, who was Teresa's personal attendant and the one who will bring her back home.
Unlike normal Demons, so to speak, Monica had three short black horns protruding from her forehead, which she didn't bother to hide.
He had scanned her using [Magick Sense] and, lo and behold, she had a ridiculous amount of Mana coursing through her body. It was, by far, the most impressive quantity Arthur had seen in a target. Even the Deacon and the Black Priest paled in comparison.
Naturally, he felt particularly wary of her, especially since she kept eyeing him in silence.
"Of course not! I want a fair fight!"
Teresa gave an angry snort in response and took a fighting stance: Her left leg was on the front and the right was on the back, her hands raised and clenched into fists, and her aura increasing by the second.
"Don't hold back! I'm serious!"
The parasite smiled and nodded as he put the cane on the ground and beckoned for her to attack.
This little 'spar' of theirs was purely for Teresa Moon to prove that she was superior in terms of close-quarter combat. Long-range or Short-range spells were prohibited and only physical enhancement Magic could be used.
Arthur didn't have any specific active skills that increased his physical prowess, at least not while he was possessing a human host.
Nevertheless, he had [Physical Enhancement(Passive)] which he obtained from his first ever host. Furthermore, his stats were significantly higher than average, making him a walking brute.
After enough time passed for mental preparations, Teresa kicked the ground and shot toward the parasite, crossing the distance within a split second and throwing a straight punch.
Arthur side-stepped to the left and threw a punch of his own, which was intercepted by the girl's elbow. She pushed his fist away and raised her leg, kicking him in the abdomen.
Much to her surprise, the man didn't even flinch, his smile broadening as he grabbed her ankle and pulled her closer before delivering a punch.
His fist connected with her stomach, making her stagger and cough multiple times.
Before she could recover, she felt a gentle breeze as the parasite appeared on her flank and raised his leg, kicking the back of her knee to make her fall then striking her back.
Admittedly, he didn't look like an expert in close-quarter combat, nevertheless, the parasite was considerably faster than his opponent.
To make matters worse for Teresa, his attacks hurt like hell; Her body fell to the ground but she rolled to the side, barely avoiding his stomp then she pushed her hand against the floor and jumped to her feet with an impressive somersault.
Her aura grew stronger and the Mana within her body grew more intense. Arthur saw her figure blur, but he was still able to follow her movement and intercept a punch to the face by crossing his arms.
Upon seeing her punch being stopped so casually, Teresa gritted her teeth and retreated to the back and then rapidly circled around him, trying to find an opening.
'Leonis' was stationary, his eyes followed her every movement. After a couple of seconds, she rushed again and punched again, but at the last second, she stopped.
'A feint, huh!'
At that second, as she took a step back, Arthur saw her body vanish from his vision before he felt something strong hit his neck. A crisp cracking noise resounded in the warehouse as the host's head was bent in an unnatural and horrifying manner.
Teresa had already been warned about a parasite's abilities, but the sight of her opponent made her flinch and back down rather than attack again.
Unfortunately for her, that was her biggest mistake as the parasite grabbed the top of his head and, in a horrifying casual manner, fixed the position of his neck before rushing at her.
He used a barbaric technique as he literally extended his long arm and grabbed her front.
A brief grapple ensued between the two, though that ended with Teresa's loss as she was physically overpowered.
Arthur lifted her body then smashed it on the ground. He wanted to deal the finishing blow but Teresa was already struggle to get up, so he just stepped back and said,
"It's done."
"N-no! I can still fight!"
As she slowly stood up, planning to continue, Monica appeared right behind her and gently pulled her back.
"You cannot win against him. This battle is over, Teresa."
Seeing her attendant's cold glare, Teresa lowered her head and begrudgingly admitted defeat.
Monica approached Arthur and politely bowed her head while speaking,
"It has been a pleasure seeing you fight, sir."
She took out a golden envelope from a pocket under her armor and presented it to him.
"This is a formal invitation, signed by His Majesty. He had been informed of what happened in the Nemia Academy and strongly wishes to make your acquaintance. Please accept it."
Arthur, albeit surprised, took the envelope and examined it with interest.
"It bears the Seal of Moon, which is easily recognizable by the high-ranking members of our armies and government. If you ever come to the Northern Continent, please use it and come visit us. His Majesty will be delighted to befriend an esteemed Parasite."
"Are you sure about that? Last I heard, Demons and humans both hate my kind."
"Hating a race depends on the individual, sir. His Majesty doesn't differentiate between Race and sees the potential rather than the threat."
"If you say so…"
Arthur put the envelope away and watched Monica drag the gloomy Teresa away with her.
"Next time we meet, I'm going to beat you into a pulp!"
Teresa raised her clenched fist and waved it at him as they exited the warehouse along with the obese businessman.
Arthur stood there for a bit, seemingly absent-minded. Only when his pocket watch started emitting a subtle ringing sound did he snap out of it and sigh.
"Everything ended well, I guess. It's almost time for the boat to leave."
…
Arthur didn't have any luggage excluding the magical bag, which could be strapped to his hip or back. He had acquired a considerable amount of Gold, obtained a strong body for 'Last Possession' and learnt enough about the Circle of Damnation to decide on his next destination.
His sojourn in the Nemia Academy lasted more than he had anticipated, nonetheless, the outcome was favorable.
At the large port South of Ilexset, Arthur stood at the wooden bridge and gazed at the massive docked ship.
He had grown tired of travelling the sea using a shark or a fish, therefore, he acted like a civilised person and bought a Pass. With how much Gold he had, the price didn't matter, and he would be able to enjoy a cozy trip in which he could rest and possibly read some of the books he had bought yesterday.
Soon enough, the passengers started boarding but Arthur didn't move and kept impatiently waiting for Feylord Lernon. The young man, who continuously begged him for help, had left early in the morning after informing him that he had a meeting with a friend.
Arthur wasn't given any details, nor was he interested to ask about the matter. However, time was growing short yet there were no signs of Feylord.
'It's not like I need him to come with me.'
Still, the ship will only leave after an hour, so Arthur sat on a lonely bench and enjoyed the beautiful scenery.
1 hour ago
Ilexset, Gemma District, St. Lourne Street.
Feylord, looking a bit nervous, disembarked from a large and exquisite carriage. He moved his eyes from the short girl walking in front of him to the wide and heavily-guarded entrance of the castle looming in the distance.
Reyna Vos Azakin, the girl he had befriended due to her status, had contacted him yesterday for a sudden meeting.
When she came to pick him up in the carriage, Feylord was dumbstruck to see three Guardian Knights aboard.
Guardian Knights were the personal protectors of the Imperial Family and it was natural for them to be protecting Reyna when she was outside of the academy. However, they usually kept themselves hidden and out of the public eye. Yet, these men, clad in dark golden armor, were sitting in front of him, looking solemn and slightly scary.
More surprising was that Reyna was oddly quiet, so much so that, besides a simple greeting, she had not said a single word.
Feylord didn't know whether she was angry or troubled, and with the Guardian Knights around, he opted for polite and awkward silence to mask his trepidation.
The trip to the famous St. Lourne Street was brief, but Feylord did see a ridiculous amount of mages and Knights guarding every corner. Such tight security was mainly because of the raid that happened a short while ago.
Just like that, Reyna and her protectors guided the anxious blond-haired youth to the grand castle.
As he followed them, he grew more and more uneasy. Dark thoughts haunted his mind and he started thinking about an escape plan in case they tried to subdue him or turn him into a slave. After all, the Imperial Family must've learnt about what he did and, like everyone else, they might be interested in the Phoenix Feather, which he had quasi-absorbed but not fully 'controlled'.
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