Like any other time he inspected the strange young man, Arthur sensed nothing from the newcomer.

Nader stopped right at the entrance and broke into a faint and amicable smile as he continued speaking.

“Please, do not be alarmed. I’m not here to fight.”

His composed demeanor and overly-friendly attitude only made the parasite all the more cautious. He couldn’t assess Nader’s power and felt as if he had been fooled.

“You have been reasonably meticulous, but you still left subtle signs. Only after hearing about Jan’s capture did I ascertain your real identity.”

As he said that, Nader raised his hand, which made Arthur call back his barrier and protect himself.

Surprisingly, he wasn’t the one who got attacked. The Witch of Izakan, who was trying to recover, tried to call for help but she fell unconscious out of nowhere.

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t kill her. I fully understand that she’s a good ‘host’ to have, but she’s not like Julian. She’s a high-ranking member of the Unholy Blasphemers, although most of her acquired privilege stems from her unique magical ability.”

Seeing Nader remain at the same spot and speak in an inexplicably polite manner, Arthur surrounded himself by the mist and leapt back.

He picked a sword and pointed it at Jan, ready to finish her off.

“What do you want?” Questioned Arthur, his tone containing a mix of confusion and wariness.

“First and foremost, I think you should see this.”

As he said that, Nader slowly, and with his hands raised as if he was surrendering, walked to one of the corpses close to him.

The ‘procedure’ was almost incredibly fast, rendering Arthur unable to react in any way.

He saw the corpse stand up and Nader’s body fall down. Using the new ‘host’, Nader cleared his throat and spoke with a different and deep voice.

“As you can see, I’m also a parasite. More accurately speaking, I'm a mutant Parasite: Abyssal Ghost Parasite.”

Arthur, flabbergasted by this revelation, stood there and stared back at Nader. While it was true that the youth had been different from the other spies, he had never suspected that he was actually a parasite.

Ever since the Arman Empire had launched a full-scaled extermination expedition, the Parasite Race had become basically extinct. There were so few of them left that they weren’t considered a major threat anymore, or so the historical books liked to claim.

After his demonstration, Nader returned to his original host but he didn’t make any sudden movements.

“From your expression and reaction, I can see that it’s your first time meeting another of your kin. Also, while I admit you are decently powerful, your strength isn’t that of an old parasite, which makes me believe that you’re relatively ‘young’. The circumstances of our meeting, coupled with what happened between you and my organization, might make you think I’m an enemy, but I swear I’m not one. Before I’m a member of the Unholy Blasphemers, I’m a parasite… and in case you didn’t know, Parasites will never attack or kill each other. It is our one and only rule. Our eternal principle.”

With a deep frown, Arthur glared at the solemn-faced Nader and asked,

“Then why did you show up here? And as such perfect timing.”

“Three reasons,” Instantly responded the parasite, “One: If I showed up any earlier, you might’ve opted to flee rather than risk it, which wouldn't have made it possible for peaceful conversation. Second; I wanted to see how you fight and deal with them, therefore allowing me to make an accurate assessment of your capabilities and ascertain your identity. Third; I had to appear exactly now to stop you from killing Jan.”

He paused for a couple of moments as he glanced at the unconscious orange-haired girl.

“The Witch of Izakan is well-versed in curses, but she’s far too inexperienced and relies too much on her ‘Mana Burst’. However, she has subjected herself to a detrimental curse that, while limiting her magical abilities, would ensure the death of her killer. Of course, as a parasite, your host will die in your stead, but even that will leave you vulnerable for a considerable amount of time… enough for reinforcements to arrive and ‘find’ you. Curses and Charms are considered the most effective counter to our kind.”

“So you wanted to save me?”

“That was my main goal, yes.” He nodded thoughtfully, ”But I also wanted Jan to live. My motive is neither sentimentality or occupational obligation, I just need her to live. This might be surprising, but she’s amongst the ‘good guys’.”

Arthur maintained a bit of silence as all sorts of thoughts rampaged in his mind. He was thinking of a way to escape, a way to fight Nader, and a way to make sense of this ridiculous turn of events.

For now, Nader, or specifically, the parasite, was non-hostile and more than willing to speak honestly. Then again, there was no way to determine the veracity of his reasons.

“You are confused and surprised. I wholeheartedly understand and if you want to leave, and I will not bar your way. If you wish, you can bind my body or use any incapacitating means in your disposal. What I want is just converse with you.”

“Why? What is there to talk about?”

“Anything and everything. It has become clear that you’re young and lack sensitive knowledge about our kind. I can give you advice and offer you much-needed exposition. Alternatively, you can leave this place and I can make an oath not to divulge your identity. Either way, I’m going to cover up this incident and put all the blame on a random, non-existent ‘Shapeshifter’.”

Noticing the hesitation on Arthur’s face, Nader walked to one of the corners of the room and sat down, using a harmless gust of wind to push all the corpses toward the parasite.

“They are all yours. However, please keep Jan alive. That is all I can ask for.”

“What if I don’t?”

The youth shrugged, “It is your choice. No matter what happens, I will never attack a kin of mine.”

“And if I attack you?”

“Why would you do that? I didn’t antagonize you. It’s reasonable that you bear suspicions and cannot believe me, nevertheless, we are both parasites. It is pointless to fight amongst each other. There’s no benefit to be had.”

The sword was still close to Jan’s exposed and burned neck, but Arthur didn’t swing it. He stood there for an inordinate amount of time, deliberating over his choices.

“We can meet tomorrow, if you’d like. In a much more suitable place in which I can answer all your questions and perhaps even help you achieve whatever you’re seeking in the academy. If it’s possible, I’d like Julian’s body. You possessed him, yes? He’s practically useless to you, but I need him, alive or dead makes little to no difference.”

Arthur stared back at the youth, who had a faint smile, and let out a self-deprecating sigh.

“Tomorrow it is, then.”

The tension in the atmosphere remained until Arthur was enveloped by mist and flew out of the room, leaving Jan alive.

His voice echoed in the mausoleum as he disappeared thereafter. A couple of minutes later, Nader, seemingly in a good mood, approached the Witch.

Just like what she had done earlier, he drew a magical circle using his blood and summoned the creepy skull.

“Equal exchange. Single transaction. Five years. Memory alteration targeted toward The Witch of Izakan.”

The parasite felt a violent tremor inside of his body as the skull sucked his life essence. Still, he didn’t seem troubled as he pressed his index on Jan’s forehead and changed her memories. Five years was too great of a cost, but it was necessary to make her forget about Arthur and replace it with vague, fragmented, and fake memories.

The tunnel leading outside was dark and not particularly big. It took Arthur barely five minutes to reach a staircase that led to the surface. When he was outside, he found himself in a luminous forest strikingly similar to Blue Blossom Forest.

However, when he rose to the air, he discovered that he was not on the same island the academy was located in. Instead, he was on the adjacent one, the small piece of land that housed the ‘Blossom County’, the territory of Count Evermore, an old and reclusive vampire.

Arthur didn’t linger there for any longer, instead, he hastily returned to where he had hid Khalil’s body. Fortunately, no one discovered it so its recovery was devoid of any complications.

An hour and a half after meeting Nader, Arthur was already back at his residence. The lights of the room were shot and the window was half-open, letting in a gentle warm breeze.

There were many things Arthur could have done; Killing then possessing Jan then confronting Nader, possessing the Witch and impersonating her to lure more targets, or simply playing along with Nader’s scheme.

But, there was no need to escalate the situation or antagonize the other parasite. Nader had shown goodwill and sincerity, and though that wasn’t nearly enough to make Arthur trust him, it did make him question some things.

‘if Nader was strong, wouldn't it have been easy to find and catch Julian?’

‘if Nader was a parasite, how come neither the Principal or the Dean didn’t know about him? After all, the contract clearly stated that he had taken care of all the spies. If Sonia really knew, she wouldn’t put a parasite against its kin. Instead, she would try to separate them in fear of a fierce, possibly disastrous retaliation.’

‘The fact that Melissa discovered his identity and not Nader’s made Arthur sure that he had unwittingly done something that revealed his Race. Alas, he had yet to know what it was exactly.’

“Whatever his reasons may be, this is a good chance to ask about the Circle of Damnation amongst other things. If we meet in a public space, there’s less chance of getting ambushed by him or his organization.”

There were some inconsistencies, but Arthur felt relieved and pleased about his progress. He had been unable to kill or possess Jan, but he learnt of Nader’s identity and even raised his stats by quite a bit. That and the acquisition of some interesting skills.

There was also the matter regarding the Alchemy Scripture, the involvement of Parmenas, and the plan of Jonathan.