The rain had stopped by the time I left the academy.

I sat in the back seat of the car, fingers tapping against my knee as the city lights passed by the window in blurred streaks.

I'd waited longer than I should have hoping the invite would appear somehow.

Maybe an owl, a crow, or some sort of spirit messenger.

That's how these secret organizations liked to do things, right?

But nothing came...not even a trace of magic.

I sighed.

"Am I supposed to go somewhere specific?"

I muttered to myself.

Without the original body's full memories, I couldn't even be sure where or how the Black Pilgrimage was supposed to contact me.

The thought alone made my head ache.

Frustration began to build inside me... a restlessness that wasn't entirely mine.

I could tell it was one of this body's character traits taking effect and surfacing again.

The real Noel Saint Grenn had been a punctual man very strict with time.

The kind of person who'd rather die than arrive late to a meeting.

So, not even knowing if I was late… or if the meeting had already happened without me…

It was eating me alive.

The car came to a smooth stop in front of the Saint Grenn mansion, its pale marble gates opening slowly.

Ben, my chauffeur, stepped out quickly, his coat fluttering slightly from the evening wind as he came around to open the door.

"You have arrived, Young Lord."

He said politely.

As I stepped out, Ben's eyes shifted downward... then his brow raised in confusion.

"I didn't know the Young Lord was into…"

He stopped himself halfway, clearing his throat.

"…Since when did the Young Lord have a pet?"

I blinked, caught off guard for a second, before glancing down at my hands.

Right.

The cat.

In my gloved hands was a small black cat with yellow eyes, purring softly, its tail flicking lazily.

I had decided to take care of it when I found Leor and the princess in the academy's music room.

"Oh yeah..."

I muttered under my breath, brushing its fur absentmindedly.

Now that I'm looking back at it...I said that because I wanted them to head back to their dorm rooms and not wonder around.

Ben tilted his head, still curious.

"A cat, Young Lord?"

I didn't bother explaining.

"Ben..."

I said instead, looking up at him.

"Didn't I tell you to take a few days off?"

He gave a nervous chuckle.

"You know I can't do that."

"And why not?"

"I can't let the Young Lord be driven to and from the academy by someone else."

He said firmly.

"That's my responsibility."

I stared at him for a second before speaking.

"You just don't like the idea of someone else touching your polished dashboard and steering wheel, do you?"

Ben froze, then laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

"Haha… you caught me..."

The corners of my lips lifted faintly not quite a smile, but close enough.

I stroked the cat's fur one last time before heading toward the mansion's front doors.

"Have a good evening, Ben."

"You too, Young Lord."

He said, waving slightly from beside the car.

As the doors closed behind me and the echo of my footsteps filled the empty hall, I heard his voice faintly behind me...it was spoken softly like he was talking to himself more than stating something.

"He's really changed a lot since returning from the military…"

I didn't turn around, but for some reason, the words lingered with me longer than I expected.

***

I had just stepped through the front doors, shaking off the cold air from outside, when I caught sight of movement to my right.

Natalie.

Moving from the kitchen to the open study area, a bun sticking halfway out of her mouth, one slipper on, the other… nowhere in sight.

Her hair was tied up messily, and crumbs trailed behind her like she was some kind of walking evidence line for a crime scene.

I exhaled.

"You're always eating something," I said flatly.

"Do you ever stop?"

She froze mid-step, eyes narrowing at me like I'd just insulted her ancestors.

With the bun still in her mouth, she mumbled...

"Say that again and I'll shave your hair off in your sleep."

I didn't even blink.

"Wouldn't be the first time you tried."

Before she could throw something, her eyes landed on the black cat in my arms.

"...KITTY!!!"

And just like that, she was running toward me, half the bun flying out of her mouth, excitement lighting up her face.

I took a slow step back.

"Natalie, don't—"

Too late.

She jumped and snatched the cat right out of my hands

"Aaaah, it's so cute!!

Look at its little face!"

She squealed, tapping its nose and brushing its fur with both hands.

The cat, surprisingly, didn't scratch her.

Traitor.

"Since when do you have a cat, Noel?"

She asked, eyes gleaming like she'd just discovered a secret.

"I don't..."

I said simply.

"I'm not great with animals.

You can feed it and… do whatever people do with pets. Until I bring it back to the academy."

"Nooooo!"

Natalie whined, hugging the cat closer to her chest.

"Why would you take it back?

Did you borrow it?"

"It's a stray," I replied.

"Wanders around the campus grounds...doesn't really belong to anyone...

I think."

"That's okay!"

She said instantly, already spinning around in place like she'd made a grand decision.

"As the future head of the Saint Grenn household, I officially welcome this cat as a new family member!"

"I don't think you can just—"

"Shut up-"

She interrupted sharply, waving a hand without even looking at me.

Typical Natalie.

She kept playing with the cat for a few seconds, murmuring little nicknames — "Mochi," "Luna," "Sir Paws..."

"Don't worry...we'll find a name for you..."

l

Then her tone changed.

Her smile faded, and she turned her gaze to me her eyes serious and sharp like she'd suddenly remembered she was supposed to be an adult.

"Noel," she said quietly

"What exactly are you doing at the academy?"

I blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"I saw the headlines," she said.

"They land on my office desk before I even get there, remember?"

"Why would you form a club with almost half of the rivalry houses?"

I sighed.

"Oh, this again.

Don't worry ...I have it under control."

"I sure hope so…"

She muttered, but her voice softened again as she looked down at the cat, stroking its fur gently.

"You hear that? Your owner's out there stirring up noble drama again."

"I'm not its owner," I corrected.

She ignored me.

"Let's go make you something yummy, hm?"

She cooed at the cat, turning back toward the kitchen with her usual energy, humming a tune and calling the cat along.

I watched her go, the cat's tail flicking in rhythm with her steps, and for a second, something flickered in my head... an old memory.

We were children again.

Natalie's voice rang out in the summer air, furious and high-pitched.

I had tied her pet a raccoon-looking small animal by the tail and hung it upside down from a tree branch.

She'd been screaming that she'd "beat the hell out of me" while I laughed until I couldn't breathe.

I blinked.

"What the…"

I muttered quietly.

"Why would I think of that?"

Embarrassment crept up before I brushed it off and headed for the stairs.

***

The first thing I did when I got back to my room was tear open the travel bag I had brought with me during the Gresha incident where I had found the crow mask.

If that bag had contained that item… maybe there was something else inside.

Something that could tell me where or how to attend this so-called meeting.

I searched through the bag's compartments, unfolding clothes and shoving aside small items that clinked and rattled as I dug deeper.

There was nothing that even resembled a clue.

Just when I was about to throw the bag aside, a sudden chill brushed the back of my neck.

The air in the room began to stir quietly at first, then swirling fast enough to ruffle the curtains and lift my sleeves.

I froze.

From the corner of my eye, a faint light blinked from the mirror on my right.

And when I looked down… there was light coming from my arm.

A soft purple light pulsed beneath my shirt.

"What the hell—"

The energy twisted around me, pulling at my hair, lifting papers and books into the air.

The sigil burned into my forearm was an intricate tattoo, shaped like a rotating seal of lines and circles, glowing brighter with every pulse.

The light became too intense to look at, forcing me to half-close my eyes as I raised my arm to shield them.

The air cracked and the pressure grew.

There was a flash as everything before my eyes vanished.

---

When my vision steadied, I was no longer in my room.

A vast, dark expanse stretched around me.

There were no walls nor ceiling. Just an endless void lit faintly by an unseen glow that outlined a long table before me.

I was seated in one of the chairs.

And I wasn't alone.

All around the table sat other figures—silent, still, each wearing a mask.

One had the head of a white fox with silver streaks, another a serpent carved from jade.

There was a stag mask with branching antlers that glimmered faintly like crystal, a wolf's mask carved from obsidian, and even one shaped like a raven with golden eyes.

None of them spoke.

'Luckily I was able to grab the crow mask by the bag during the flashing in time...all thanks to fast thought processing...'

I said to myself.

'I didn't know what would've happened if I came here without wearing it...'

Then another figure appeared from the darkness and sat at the highest seat at the end.

His face was covered by a golden mask made of tiny square facets, like a mirrored disco ball that caught every stray glint of light.

There was no mouth and only thin slits where his eyes were.

His black hair fell loosely over the mask.

My throat tightened.

'…Is that the Bishop?' I thought to myself.

So… this was the meeting.

The tattoo had brought me here.

I couldn't feel any mana radiating from him. No oppressive aura, no command presence. Nothing that screamed authority...not even the slightest mana obedience that most House Patriarchs have.

Yet somehow...he was the one who had pulled everyone here.

"A Tenth Law Authority user..."

He had to be.

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