The silence lingered for a long while before the Bishop finally spoke.

"Let us begin."

His voice echoed across the dark expanse, smooth and calm yet carrying a weight that silenced even the faintest breath.

No one dared move.

"Those who were assigned external duties," he continued.

"...begin with your reports."

The first to speak was a man wearing a white fox mask, his tone sharp and professional.

"The nobles of the southern province have begun reinforcing their ties with the imperial council.

The Duke of Marren has accepted our terms. His household will continue to funnel resources through the trade routes as agreed."

The Bishop gave a slow nod.

"Good.

Continue monitoring him. He's not one to keep loyalty for long."

Next, a woman with the serpent mask her voice low and almost hissing spoke.

"The financial front remains stable. Our funds have been laundered through the merchant guilds of Gradelia.

A new construction in the east has provided us a steady stream of donations... all under the Church's own registry."

A faint murmur of approval passed through the table.

Then a man wearing a raven mask leaned forward.

"Regarding the internal factions within the Empire, the Grand Chancellor suspects the clergy's recent movements, but has no evidence.

Still, several inquisitors are sniffing around.

I've already dealt with two."

The Bishop's head tilted slightly, the mirror-like mask reflecting the faint glow of the void.

"Dispose of them quietly next time...the fewer traces, the better."

A fourth voice calm, old, and weary came from a stag-masked figure.

I could tell he was an old man not just from his voice but also the streaks of white in his dark hair.

"Our agents in the western guilds have begun recruiting wanderers with rare mana attributes.

The success rate has been higher than expected."

The Bishop's voice cut through again, this time directed.

"Now… I need word on what happened at Gresha. With the chapel."

His head turned slightly.

"Mr. Arsene."

My heart thudded once.

That was me.

The name this mask carried.

For a moment, I felt every gaze turn toward me.

I didn't know what the original Arsene had done, what he would've said but my instincts told me to keep it brief, controlled.

My character traits [Adaptability] and [Improviser] took effect.

I exhaled softly, keeping my tone even.

"I was able to defeat the brother of the chapel."

I said.

"He had been corrupted by a portion linking to the All Seer."

There was a long pause.

Then I added quietly, "Another loss, it seems."

Silence fell again.

Even through the mask, I could feel the Bishop's eyes fixed on me.

But he didn't speak.

And after what felt like a minute, he finally leaned back.

"…We still align with our goals," he said at last.

"There's a new finding," the Bishop went on. "And a side mission I would like one of you to take… or rather, a duo."

The members straightened slightly.

"There will be an event of adoption at the Main Church of Lumina in Parnonia," he said.

"But I've received word that one of the children there will be sold to certain nobles… for bio-experiments."

"I want two of you to retrieve that child for me," the Bishop continued.

"...and she will be kept under the Black Pilgrimage."

No one spoke.

Then his mirrored gaze turned toward me again.

"Mr. Arsene and Miss Frett."

"You two as a team have proven effective over time," the Bishop said.

"A higher success rate than the others.

Therefore, you'll take on this mission.

Further details will be provided soon."

"Understood," the woman supposedly named Frett replied.

She had her hand to her chest as she spoke.

I noticed her mask and immediately noted her from the Gresha incident.

She was the one who had had told me about this meeting.

Before I could even react, another member the one with the snake mask tilted her head toward the Bishop.

"Regarding the Divine Candidacy," she asked, "which house does the organization intend to take on this time?"

The Bishop didn't hesitate not even for a second before replying.

"The Saint Grenn household."

My heart instantly sank.

The silence that followed felt heavier than anything before.

The serpent-masked woman bowed her head. "Understood."

The Bishop rose from his chair, the golden mask catching the dim light like shards of a thousand tiny mirrors.

"That concludes this meeting," he said.

"We'll reconvene soon.

Until then, remain at your posts… and carry out your tasks with heart."

Before I could even take another breath, the same purple radiance that had brought me here returned.

It swallowed everyone in the place.

One by one, everyone dissolved into light and vanished.

And in the last fleeting moment, I caught one final glimpse of the Bishop, unmoving in his chair, the mirror-mask reflecting me back as I faded from the expanse.

***

༺[Next Day]

[Velorian Imperial Academy]

The small room was quiet when Leor pushed the door open.

Inside were Grassia Saint Gress and Her Highness, the Third Holy Princess Talia Veloria.

"Leor," Grassia greeted softly, lifting her head from the stack of documents in front of her.

Leor gave a polite nod, adjusting his round glasses.

"Morning, Grassia."

His voice was flat, almost distracted.

He didn't even glance in Talia's direction.

"Morning to you too, Leor."

Talia said, her voice polite but edged with surprise.

Leor clutched the two books in his arms closer to his chest and quietly closed the door behind him.

"Shall we start?"

He said, sitting down beside Grassia not across from Talia, though that seat was open.

Talia blinked once, brushing a strand of silver-blonde hair behind her ear.

"Yes, let's begin."

Grassia straightened the papers on the table.

"Instructor Noel gave us the assignment outline...he wants us to design a compact mana conductor that can distribute stabilized energy across five separate nodes.

It's supposed to simulate a portable conduit for low-tier magic circuits."

Leor nodded immediately, already flipping open one of his books.

"R-right.

We'll need... to test the load capacity and determine the safest output threshold before the actual prototype phase...

If we skip that...the mana might overflow and trigger a backlash."

Grassia hummed.

"I've been thinking about using filament cores instead of crystal shards, they're lighter and—"

Talia leaned forward, resting her chin lightly on her hand.

"But wouldn't that lower the efficiency by around thirty percent?

The shards have a better stabilizing ratio when exposed to flux mana."

Leor didn't respond.

He just turned another page in his book and began scribbling notes with his quill.

Talia blinked again.

"Leor?" she asked, trying to keep her tone neutral.

"Did you hear what I said?"

Grassia looked between the two of them before speaking quickly.

"A-Actually, she's right...

The shards are a better match for high-tier output.

We could maybe mix both—"

Leor adjusted his glasses, eyes still fixed on the notes.

"Sure," he said flatly, his tone completely detached.

It was obvious he wasn't talking to her.

Talia leaned back in her chair, lips pressing into a faint line.

She didn't say anything at first.

But her eyes didn't leave him for the rest of the discussion.

Grassia tried to keep the conversation moving, flipping through the instructor's notes.

"So, we'll each handle a part of the project.

I'll manage the circuit layout, Talia can test mana calibration, and Leor, you'll take the power conduit design?"

"That's fine," Leor said immediately.

"I'll handle it by tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?"

Grassia said, startled.

"That's early..."

Leor stood up, closing his book with a soft thud.

"Better to get things done sooner."

Grassia turned the page of her notebook, glancing between the two of them.

"Ohh yeahh....about the task Instructor Noel assigned us," she said.

"We're supposed to get the entire class ready before he arrives tomorrow.

He said the mana-thread alignment test needs to be done perfectly this time, or he'll make everyone redo it."

Leor nodded slightly, his eyes fixed on the notes in his lap.

"Uhh...I-I've already drafted the procedure list," he said quietly.

"I'll...I'll assign...sections to each group once I double-check the calibration records."

Talia, seated across from him, tilted her head.

"Shouldn't we split that up between us? It'd be faster if—"

Leor didn't respond.

He continued writing, flipping through another page as though he hadn't heard her.

The soft scratch of his pen filled the silence.

Grassia glanced awkwardly between them before continuing.

"Right… uh, we'll also need to prepare the mana stones and make sure no one tampers with the meters again.

Last time, half the class forgot to recharge them."

"So...I-I already took note of that," Leor said evenly.

"The stones are stored in the cabinet. I'll inspect them before class tomorrow."

"Maybe I can help with—"

Talia started, only to stop when she realized Leor had moved on, turning to Grassia instead.

"Could you handle the attendance list?" he asked her directly.

"We'll need everyone accounted for before Instructor Noel arrives."

"Ah, yeah, sure," Grassia said, blinking.

"No problem."

Talia's brow furrowed slightly, her expression calm but her fingers tightening around the pen in her hand.

She waited for Leor to glance her way, but he didn't. Not even once.

He continued speaking, his tone all business.

"Le-Let's meet ten minutes before class to make sure everything's ready. I'll bring the record sheets."

Grassia nodded.

"Alright, I'll take care of the mana stone distribution.

Princess Talia, maybe you can—"

"—I'll help," Talia said, her voice soft but carrying a faint chill.

Leor stood, gathering his books to his chest.

"That should cover everything," he said, directing his words only toward Grassia.

"I'll finalize the list tonight."

"Got it," Grassia replied, still glancing nervously between them.

He adjusted his glasses again, not once meeting Talia's eyes.

"I'll see...see you... around, Grassia."

And just like that, he left.

The sound of the door closing echoed faintly in the quiet room.

Talia stayed seated, staring at the door for a moment.

Her brows furrowed slightly.

'What's wrong with him?' she thought.

'Did something happen?'

Grassia glanced at her but didn't say anything, gathering her notes.

Talia forced a small smile before standing up, smoothing her skirt.

When she stepped into the hallway, the murmurs hit almost instantly.

"Did you see that?"

"He came out of the same room as the princess…"

"Were they the two of them?"

"Has to be…"

Talia's steps slowed.

"I heard they locked themselves in the music room last night past the required time on campus grounds."

Her eyes widened slightly.

The music room?

How would anyone even know about that?

It had just been her and Leor… no one else should've known.

Leor wouldn't just talk about something like that. He wasn't the type.

Then her mind drew to one single name.

The only other person who had been there that night.

Her gaze lowered slightly, her lips parting in quiet realization.

"Senior Instructor Noel…"

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