The Sky Island Quest Begins
Two weeks had passed since then, and the day the Sky Island quest would finally launch loomed ever closer.
Nothing had stood out as particularly remarkable up to that point, yet it was clear that the demon leaders had unmistakably recognized me.
The proof lay in the unnatural behavior of Arin and Kana, whose bodies now housed magic parasites. The other students and professors had no idea, but I could see it plainly.
A host with a magic parasite embedded within typically became its eyes and ears, but if the other side intervened, it could subtly influence the host as well—twisting their will without them realizing it.
And it had been done precisely like that: guiding them just enough to avoid detection, so they could explore the academy grounds while remaining aware of us at all times.
In the end, whether the demons were investigating the academy or me made no real difference, so I had simply allowed it to continue.
Now, a month had passed, and I found myself waiting in the academy for the Sky Island quest that was about to begin.
*Why am I still here at the academy?*
No, the truth was I didn’t even know the exact start date. In the original game, it had simply read “about a month later,” so I hadn’t been given a precise timeline.
I had only assumed that now that a month had passed, the quest couldn’t be far off.
That was why the place I was in right now was the principal’s office. Invited by Mira, I sat at the table with a teacup in hand.
*Clink—*
The sound of my teacup and saucer clinking together echoed through the office.
Mira placed a luxurious-looking teacup in front of us and poured the freshly steeped tea with careful precision.
The fragrance alone was enough to mark it as a high-grade blend. Mei and I savored its aroma for a moment before taking a small sip.
Yes, it was just the two of us. The person sitting across from me, enjoying tea with me in the principal’s office, was Mu in his Mei form.
Originally assigned to monitor the Sky Island, Mu had insisted on coming along after I had agreed to let him join.
“Aria-nim and I have shared tea on several occasions, but this is the first time I’ve met Mei-nim. How do you find the taste of the tea?”
*Ung…* Thank you for your consideration…*
“Oh my, how adorable.”
The way Mu, half-closed eyes like a cat, sipped his tea had been irresistibly cute. Mira smiled faintly as she watched him respond.
Of course. Mei did look adorable. I myself had often stroked Mu’s head whenever he transformed into her form.
Well, since there was no better outcome available at the moment, I relaxed and enjoyed the tea party Mira had arranged.
“This… is delicious…”
“There’s plenty. Drink as much as you like.”
*Crack—* The sound of biting into the crisp cookies on the table filled the room with a satisfied mumble.
Mira’s face twisted in an exaggerated grimace at Mu’s squirrel-like expression, and I couldn’t stop my hand from reaching toward his head.
It was better to rest alone in bed or train by oneself, but sometimes it was good to take a break like this.
The difference between resting by myself and watching others rest was as vast as heaven and earth.
“Oh, speaking of which…”
*Hm?*
While stroking Mu’s head, Mira suddenly opened her mouth as if a thought had just occurred to her.
The teasing sound of her voice made me look over. She slid the plate of cookies across the table toward Mu and asked us both.
“You two have been giving your classes quite the buzz lately… specifically Aria’s and your younger siblings’ lessons. From the students’ perspective, it’s bad, but among the professors, it’s quite good.”
“I have noticed that you seem to be pushing the limits just a bit. Is there any problem?”
*Could someone have poked at me and said I was working them too hard?* I had thought the lessons lacked consideration for the extras, but had they truly been that demanding?
If so, I would have apologized to Mira and slightly reduced the difficulty. But before I could finish speaking, Mu, who had been sipping his tea and nibbling on a cookie, set both down and frowned.
Mu’s half-closed eyes narrowed further in anger.
“No. Everything you and the others have done is right. The reason the students dislike it… is because they’re all weak. They have no problems with you.”
*Heh heh.* Your feelings toward us are truly deep. But don’t worry. I’m not here to say your lessons are flawed.
Mu’s prejudiced remark, which could have been quite rude since he was my homunculus, was actually not intended to criticize us at all. Fortunately, Mira had only brought it up in passing.
Mira uncrossed her legs and alternated glances between Mu and me before asking the question she had been holding back.
“Just wondering how much you two have grown because your lessons are so extraordinary.”
“Ah, you don’t need to worry about that.”
*Ung…* Because we push the limits, the growth is assured…*
How much had we grown? There was no hesitation needed. I could answer with absolute confidence.
We had grown to the point where growth was no longer comparable. In the past month alone, we had trained them to the point where they could protect their own lives even if left to fend for themselves during the quest.
And at my immediate reply, Mu and Mira both looked at us with shining eyes.
“Could you give me examples of the students?”
“Well, everyone has talent, but in swordsmanship, it’s undoubtedly Arin and Kana. They have already cleared the next stage—rising from boulders to attempting wall-cutting with their blades.”
“In magic, it’s Shaty, Pina, and Fran… Pina and Fran fall a bit short compared to Shaty, but… the three of them can already create things they imagine. Their offensive magic is powerful enough to shatter meteorites, and their defensive magic is strong enough to block them…”
The students Mira had asked about as examples were, of course, the main characters from my own classes—the only ones who stood out.
They were simply on another level from the rest of the students: natural talent and hard work combined.
In the swordsmanship lessons, Arin and Kana had easily cleared the boulder stage and were now challenging wall-cutting. The difficulty had risen dramatically, and they were struggling, but the fact that even they hadn’t fallen behind was proof of their exceptional ability.
In the magic lessons, Shaty, Pina, and Fran had gone beyond mere chanting. They were already creating the things they imagined. Their power was exactly as Mu had described—enough to destroy and block meteorites.
A month of dazzling growth, pure and simple.
Mira’s eyes widened in genuine surprise at our words. After all, what we had described was so unrealistic that it was no exaggeration.
“That’s truly impressive. Yes, very much so.”
“Well, it seems they’ll grow even faster soon.”
Of course they would. It was inevitable for them.
I wanted to reply that they would grow even more, but I barely held back my excitement and only managed to say a few words.
We were still in an unknown future. There was no point in getting too carried away. So I reached for my teacup to wet my dry throat.
And then.
“…This is…”
“They’re here….”
The teacup in my hand trembled so subtly that it was nearly undetectable.
I shot to my feet, and Mu followed suit, both of us hurrying to the window.
“Aria-nim? Mei-nim?”
Mira, startled, tried to stand as well, but we no longer had time to answer her.
*Crash—!*
Mu dashed to the window and flung it open. I walked up beside him and looked out. Mira, who had followed, also turned her gaze toward the open window.
What lay before us was a flawless blue sky.
No, more precisely, a sky twisted in an unnatural way.
*That’s…*
“Something hidden…”
“Complete concealment using shamanism and magic. A collaboration between shamans and mages who have crossed a certain threshold.”
As principal, Mira immediately sensed the anomaly in the sky and asked. I gave a simple explanation, and Mu added a perfect one.
The moment Mu finished speaking, an enormous island began to slowly emerge from behind the distorted space, as if oil were spreading across water.
The massive island covered half the size of the Phra Kingdom, blocking out the sun and casting a deep shadow.
Mira murmured the obvious conclusion in a tiny voice.
*The Sky Island?*
*…It’s finally started.*
I couldn’t hear Mira’s dazed muttering as I whispered to myself.
I hadn’t expected the quest to begin today, of all days, but it didn’t matter. Whether it started today, yesterday, or tomorrow, the outcome would be the same.
As my whisper faded, a small magic circle appeared beneath our feet, glowing brightly.
Not just ours—the magic circle meant to forcibly transport us to the Sky Island had been drawn at the feet of everyone in the academy.
*Mei in his Mu form could have easily reversed it, but following the previous command, he remained perfectly still.*
“This… a magic circle?! Forced teleportation?!”
The only one who screamed in panic was Mira, while Mu and I maintained our composure.
We couldn’t even tell her not to be alarmed before we were swallowed by the blinding light bursting from the magic circle.
A purple flash engulfed our vision completely. Closing my eyes for a moment, I recalled the landscape of the Sky Island and murmured to myself.
With these equipment made from grinding you up, I’ll beat you to death before I die.
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* [System: Quest has begun! You are now forcibly transported to the Sky Island. All students and staff present at Lua Academy have also been transported. The island is extremely dangerous. Exercise extreme caution.] *