Extracting the Parasites
Now then, patient. Say “ah~” and let me know if it hurts~
Her hands were numb. Worse still, her arms—after endlessly circulating mana—refused to move properly.
The 500 kg lead plates she had worn on Yujia’s orders since the very first hand-to-hand combat class had long since been removed, yet her limbs felt as heavy as if every plate were still strapped to them. Her mind grew hazy.
Two full hours of nonstop clapping, followed by lunch, then another two hours of the exact same drill.
On top of that, she had to focus on swinging the sword, throwing the sword, channeling mana, and resonating with the ambient mana all at once. It was a miracle her arms could still move at all.
“Auuugh……”
“My arms… my arms hurt so much……”
“I don’t think I’ll be able to move them properly until tomorrow……”
Arin clutched her aching arms and groaned. Beside her, Kana and Riana were doing the same, moaning softly.
Muscle soreness tomorrow morning was practically guaranteed.
If only they had succeeded despite the pain, it might have been bearable. But they hadn’t even caught a glimpse of success, let alone achieved it. The disappointment felt like falling into an abyss.
Before that despair could fully settle, a voice reached them.
“Good work, everyone. Make sure to rest properly today. That way you’ll be ready to train again tomorrow.”
“And don’t be too discouraged just because you didn’t succeed. This technique normally takes a full month of study before anyone even grasps the basics.”
Aria and Yujia each offered a few words—one calm, the other cheerful.
The students let out collective sighs at the prospect of repeating today’s grueling lesson tomorrow, but Arin’s tired eyes lit up.
Her rapid growth came from talent, yes, but even more from an unyielding persistence that rivaled an immortal’s. She had absolute confidence in her ability to keep pushing forward without giving up, so she forced fresh energy into her exhausted body.
“Ah, and Arin, Kana.”
“Yes?”
“Us?”
Just as Arin was steadying herself, Aria called their names. Every head in the room turned toward the two of them.
Under the weight of so many stares, both girls stiffened.
Aria wiggled her fingers and continued.
“You two, rest for a bit and then come to my office. I have something to discuss.”
“Alright! Everyone, good work—dismissed!”
The moment Aria finished speaking, she turned and walked toward the main building with Morgan. Yujia followed, announcing the end of class.
At the word “dismissed,” the students began to disperse across the training field in small, noisy groups.
A few curious glances still lingered on Arin and Kana when Riana, standing beside them, asked with a worried expression.
“Did you two… do something wrong?”
“I wonder……”
“I can’t think of anything at all……”
Arin and Kana answered vaguely, almost in unison.
They had always followed the academy rules to the letter, so they truly had no idea what this could be about. That only made them more anxious—perhaps they had unknowingly broken some rule.
After all, unknown mistakes were far more frightening than known ones.
“Still, there’s no point guessing when we have no clues……”
Arin decided it was better to hurry than to waste time worrying.
“Kana, let’s go.”
“Okay…… I’m scared, though.”
Arin took Kana—who had started biting her nails—by the hand and headed for the main building, silently praying that whatever mistake they had made wasn’t serious.
She prayed with all her heart.
It didn’t take long to reach Aria’s office on the third floor of the main building.
Maybe ten minutes at most. Far too little time to calm their nerves.
Arin stopped in front of the door, then knocked lightly, clutching her anxious heart.
Knock, knock.
A moment later, Aria’s voice came from inside.
[Come in.]
The tone was no different from usual. Arin carefully turned the handle and opened the door.
“Excuse us.”
“E-excuse us……”
Creaaak───
The door opened with an unusually loud sound—or perhaps that was just their imagination. Both girls stepped inside, voices barely above a whisper.
The office was a modest fifteen-pyeong room lined with bookshelves. The shelves held difficult-looking tomes, neatly organized documents, and sharply honed real swords. The distinctive scent of well-worn books tickled their noses.
Isolde, the assistant instructor, sat on her staff with legs crossed, reading a book. When Arin turned her head, she saw Aria at her desk, calmly polishing her sword.
Polishing her sword.
“Eek?!”
“What are you so scared of? Sit down already.”
Kana let out a reflexive yelp at the sight. Aria sighed and pointed to the two chairs in front of her desk.
The cushions looked soft and inviting. Just before sitting, Arin bowed toward Isolde.
“Um…… Hello, Assistant Instructor Isolde.”
“Yeah, hi.”
Isolde barely glanced up before returning to her book.
Arin sighed and took the seat beside Kana.
Plop──
The chair was every bit as plush as it looked. A small, relieved smile appeared on Arin’s face; Kana wore the same expression.
Aria watched them, chuckled softly, and slid her polished sword back into its sheath.
“You both look quite tense, but there’s no need. I didn’t call you here because you did anything wrong.”
“R-really?”
“Truly? Really?”
“Of course. I don’t lie, so believe me.”
Arin and Kana straightened up at once, relief flooding through them.
With the worry gone, curiosity took its place.
“Then why did you……”
“Call you? It’s simple. I was busy with the royal audience yesterday and other matters the day before, so I forgot. I just need to finish what I left undone.”
Aria answered before Arin could even finish her question.
Arin and Kana tilted their heads, still unsure what exactly had been forgotten. Aria studied them for a moment, then let out a short sigh.
“Do you remember the demons we saw with Yeonha a month ago?”
“A month ago……”
“You mean the demons that died at Master Yeonha’s hands behind the restaurant?”
“Yes, those ones.”
The memory returned instantly. Aside from the Demon King they had glimpsed on Sky Island, the only demons they had encountered were the ones at the restaurant a month earlier—an incident they had been asked to keep secret.
Aria knew about it because the principal trusted her. At least, that was what Arin assumed.
Then Aria dropped the real bombshell.
“The magic parasites that came from the magic crystals those demons carried have been planted inside your bodies. We only noticed after the Sky Island incident.”
“What?! Magic parasites……! What does that mean?!”
“There are things like that inside us right now?”
Both girls shouted at the same time, eyebrows shooting upward.
They didn’t fully understand what magic parasites were, but the word “parasite” alone was enough to make their skin crawl.
Aria’s next words only made it worse.
“Once planted, a magic parasite’s job is simple. It turns you into a spy that moves according to what your eyes and ears see and hear.”
“That’s horrible…… So we’ve been acting as spies this whole time……”
“Then the demons have been using us to gather academy information……?”
“I don’t know who created these things, but they must be truly vile. Still, don’t worry. Even if you were briefly the demons’ spies, the information that leaked was negligible. There’s no need to feel guilty. If anyone should feel guilty, it’s the one who made these disgusting things.”
Aria spoke firmly, assuring them they bore no blame while cursing the demons who had created the parasites.
Arin and Kana were nearly moved to tears by her consideration—until a loud thud from behind made them whip their heads around.
Thud──!
“Ah…… Assistant Instructor Isolde? Are you all right?”
“It sounded like you hit your head on the bookshelf……”
“Ow…… I-I’m fine. It was just an accident. Don’t worry about it.”
Isolde rubbed her forehead, looking awkward as she floated back up on her staff. But there was no time to dwell on her strange behavior.
Aria had already risen from her seat and drawn the sword she had just sheathed.
Shing──
“So, this is the main point. I’m going to remove every magic parasite inside your bodies right now. It might hurt a little, but it’ll feel no worse than getting a shot, so don’t worry.”
“Um…… Professor Aria. It’s hard to believe you when you’re holding a sword while saying that……”
“You’re really going to use that to take them out……?”
Arin and Kana backed away as Aria approached, but she didn’t stop.
One step. Another.
The short distance vanished in an instant. Before either girl could fully stand, the blade flashed toward them.
They couldn’t even resist. Cold steel touched the nape of their necks.
Aria’s gentle voice followed.
“If it hurts, just say so.”
By the time you manage to say it hurts, it’ll already be over.