The Black Mirror Society exists everywhere and nowhere at once.
It spreads throughout the empire like a network of capillaries, yet even among its own members, no one can identify another as a member of the society.
Its existence is undeniable, but it is something one should neither seek nor attempt to find.
Operating under complete anonymity, they blend into society to carry out their missions.
This is the first principle of the Black Mirror Society.
The same goes for the steward, Oned.
'I never expected the Seventh Lord would go so far as to become a servant.'
He recognized Jed.
Even with concealed eye color and shabby clothing to hide his identity, it was absurd for a member of the Black Mirror Society not to recognize the heir of Arahan.
Initially uncertain, he felt an unspoken pressure from Jed that confirmed his suspicions.
'There's no need for such measures… I should report this first.'
Leaving the mayor's office, Oned quickly moved to a secluded area.
A small space set behind the building.
After a brief wait, black smoke coalesced, revealing someone's figure.
Oned immediately knelt and bowed his head.
"I greet you, Captain."
"Report."
"Yes."
The captain of the Black Mirror Society, Robin.
As he listened to the report with his expressionless face, a slight crack appeared on it.
"A servant? He has chosen to identify as a commoner?"
"Yes, it seems he is investigating the mayor's corruption."
"Hmm."
"I'm unsure how to proceed. It appears that the Seventh Lord…"
"Have you forgotten the Black Mirror Society's code of conduct?"
"N-no! I will maintain my cover and act solely as a steward."
"Given his keen perception, you must be even more cautious."
"I understand."
As Oned bowed his head, a gentle breeze stirred.
With another swirl of black smoke, Robin vanished once more.
Oned let out a sigh of relief and stood up.
Reverse summoning is a magic that only high-level wizards of the ninth circle or above can perform.
When Robin was briefly blinded by Calis's reverse summoning and opened his eyes again, he found himself in Arahan's grand mansion, specifically in the lord's office.
"Lord, I have something to report."
Jenedin, seated at the highest position, looked down at him.
It must be an issue significant enough to warrant direct reporting.
A low murmur from Jenedin echoed in the office.
"What is it?"
"It concerns the Seventh Lord."
"Why him?"
His tone rose slightly, revealing his keen interest in Jed.
It was noteworthy that even the captain of the Black Mirror Society was close to the Seventh Lord.
Robin reported only objective facts without personal opinions.
"The Seventh Lord has become a servant to Mayor Lemang."
"Mm."
Caught off guard by this unexpected information, Jenedin fell silent.
While it was astonishing for Arahan's bloodline to claim commoner status, he focused on deciphering his youngest brother's intentions.
Eventually, he spoke slowly.
"It seems he does not intend to follow the emperor's orders blindly. He could simply hunt them down."
Jenedin's insight was unparalleled.
He refrained from adding unnecessary opinions when reporting to the lord for this very reason.
All Robin could do was maintain his silence.
"Is he intending to rescue them? How very typical of my younger brother."
A wizard who values practicality.
Jed had taken a convoluted path for what could have been a simple task—an act far removed from practicality.
Yet Jenedin couldn't hide his satisfied smile; he was pleased that Jed wasn't following the emperor's commands blindly.
"You're making an easy task complicated. Moreover, becoming a servant…"
Calis observed Jenedin's reaction closely.
He had been a loyal subject protecting Arahan for over fifty years. He understood well that those born into noble families often developed an air of superiority.
While he found it difficult to comprehend the Seventh Lord's actions, Jenedin thought differently.
"He is simply staying true to himself. That boy has always been this way. It's no surprise."
"I see…"
Principles versus practicality.
At every crossroads, Arahan had always chosen practicality. This was quintessentially Arahan-like behavior.
Under normal circumstances, Jenedin would have erupted in anger.
At least that's how Calis perceived him; he expected nothing less from Jenedin.
'He seems particularly lenient towards the Seventh Lord.'
In fact, this wasn't an isolated incident; it had happened more than once.
He had allowed family secrets twice and even lent out their rarest magical artifacts.
It was astonishing enough on its own for the other seven masters.
But that wasn't all.
Having summoned a fire dragon using his own mana, he would have no defense against accusations of favoritism from those around him.
'This must mean there are high expectations for the seventh master.'
Kallis, ever the loyal subject, understood the head of the family's intentions.
As he nodded in agreement, Genedin spoke up.
"Robin, assist with the seventh master's mission."
"Pardon?"
For a moment, I thought I had misheard.
There had never been a time when such orders were given to the Black Knights.
Until now, their involvement in Jed's matters had always been to rescue him, never to assist him.
Yet now, I was being asked to help with a mission?
Taken aback by the unexpected command, Robin looked up at the head of the family but quickly lowered his gaze and replied.
"I will follow your orders, sir."
"I don't mean for you to spoon-feed him. Just help him without making it obvious and without undermining his sense of accomplishment. Do you understand?"
"… Yes. I will keep that in mind."
"It's reassuring to have you here. Now go on."
"...?"
Reassuring? Was this really not a figment of my imagination?
The head of the family had never once offered praise before.
Robin stared blankly at Kallis, who simply smiled and nodded lightly.
'What is happening…'
Even though he received praise, Robin felt more bewildered than happy.
His face turned beet red only after leaving the office.
As he walked away in a daze, he let out a short sigh.
No matter how much I cleaned, it felt never-ending.
By the time I had tidied up enough for it to resemble a livable space, sweat was beading on my forehead.
"What kind of pig has been living here? How could there be this much food waste?! And they lived here without a care?"
Nunes didn't stop complaining for even a moment.
His constant ranting left me no choice but to focus solely on cleaning.
Just when I started feeling disheartened about whether this was really necessary, Nunes threw down his cleaning tools in frustration.
"Ugh! Damn pig!"
"Keep it down; someone might hear you."
"I can't believe I'm doing this! As the heir of House Colt, what is this mess?!"
"I told you not to reveal your identity. I've said it over and over—I'm more wronged than you are."
"Tch!"
Bang!
"?!"
At that moment, Oned opened the door to the mayor's office and walked in.
Could he have heard us?
I quickly glanced around in surprise before bowing my head.
"Welcome."
"Oh… you've cleaned up already."
"We have to work hard. Haha."
"Ahem. If you're done with the basics, follow me."
"Yes!"
Fortunately, it seemed he hadn't heard anything we said.
Oned led us down to the fourth floor.
At the end of the corridor was a small room with bedding set up—presumably where we would stay.
"Didn't you bring any belongings?"
"Oh, yes. I came empty-handed."
"Alright then, rest here for a bit."
"Rest?"
"When the mayor arrives, I'll call for you again."
"...."
What's with this sudden kindness?
I expected him to work us hard, but instead, he tells us to rest?
While I was puzzled by this change in demeanor, Nunes wiped his forehead as if relieved.
"Do you think he heard us? My voice was pretty loud…"
"That's why I told you to be careful! Can't you stop acting like an idiot?"
"I'm sorry… I just got too worked up for a moment."
"Please. If we got caught because of you, we could have ruined everything."
"I get it. I'll be careful from now on."
I was anxious because of this guy.
Maybe it would have been better to come alone.
But did he really not hear us?
'Is the soundproofing good enough…?'
What if he pretended not to hear us just to report back to the mayor?
Suddenly feeling uneasy, my brow furrowed.
If he planned to act like nothing happened while reporting to the mayor, things could escalate quickly.
I opened the door and peeked into the hallway.
"What are you doing? He told us to rest; let's lie down. Who knows when we'll get another chance?"
"You stay here."
"Why? Where are you going?"
"I just want to check things out; better safe than sorry."
It was better for me to act alone than risk bringing Nunes along.
I quietly made my way up to the fifth floor, careful not to make any noise as I passed through the corridor.
I cautiously checked the mayor's office but found no sign of Oned.
'Where could he have gone?'
What if he ran off to find the mayor?
The sudden kindness felt unsettling.
I moved past the fourth floor and started searching from the third floor onward.
'Not here either.'
The rooms were filled with dust as if they hadn't been used in ages.
"?!"
As I reached the second floor, I heard a noise coming from inside.
Oned was here.
I approached slowly, noticing that the door was slightly ajar.
Peering through the crack, I saw Oned sorting through a stack of documents filled with scribbled notes.
What's that?
I could only catch a glimpse of the writing; it was impossible to discern the contents.
As I pressed myself against the wall, Oned finished organizing the papers and seemed ready to leave the room.
"Hmm?"
I quickly ducked behind a pillar.
However, Oned stopped and began to glance around, slowly walking in my direction.
Damn…!
Being at the end of the corridor left me with no space to escape.
The sound of approaching footsteps quickened my heartbeat.
At this rate, it was only a matter of time before I was caught. The footsteps came to an abrupt halt right in front of me.
"Did I hear something?"
Oned muttered to himself as he stood just a few feet away.
Then he turned around and began to walk away slowly.
I wiped the cold sweat from my brow and peeked out cautiously.
Thank goodness.
He headed down to the first floor.
I emerged from behind the pillar and entered the space where Oned had been, retrieving the hidden documents.
It was too dark to read anything clearly.
I almost lit a magical lamp but reconsidered and gathered a small amount of energy to illuminate the area faintly.
What is this?!
The writing was blurry, but I could make out enough to understand its contents.
Documents detailing the mayor's corruption lay before me.
I internally celebrated as I examined each one.
I thought he was loyal, but he secretly compiled this?
The documents were organized by date.
I couldn't tell if they were meant as insurance or if he planned to betray someone.
What mattered was that I now held undeniable evidence in my hands.
"Surround the building!"
"?!"
Suddenly, a booming voice echoed from outside.
Turning my head, I saw the flags of local soldiers fluttering beyond the window.
What were they doing here? Had our identities been exposed?
In this urgent situation, I forced myself to stay calm.
This was the only plausible explanation.
If that were true, then I needed to avoid confrontation for now.
"Nunes! Get out here quickly!"
"Uh, what's going on?"
I dashed up to the fourth floor and shook Nunes awake, who had fallen asleep in the meantime.
As much as I wanted to smack him for being so careless, there wasn't time for that now.
"We need to leave immediately!"
"Why? We're in the middle of our cover operation!"
"There's no time to explain! Hurry!"
I grabbed Nunes by the arm and pulled him along as we rushed out.
In that moment, I sensed soldiers approaching up the corridor.
Even if we tried to jump out of a window, the entire building was surrounded.
How did they find out? Oned was just here!
My mind raced with confusion.
There was nowhere left to run or hide.
As I hesitated briefly, the sound of clanking armor grew closer.
"Damn…!"
There was no choice left; we had to break through!
I focused my energy as I watched soldiers charging toward us.