When Kishiar visited the Imperial Palace, there were two items he intended to retrieve.

One was an old edition of the Scripture of the Black Moon said to be asleep within the Forbidden Archive of the Imperial Library, and the other was located in Section 2—within the Court Mage Office.

“Is it really okay to walk through here like this?”

“Of course. We just happened to come this way while walking—what could be the problem?”

Kishiar led Yuder, picking a path as if he had a ghost’s sense for avoiding guards, straight toward the Court Mage Office. There were so many previously unseen corridors in places that seemed like they shouldn’t exist that even while following, Yuder couldn’t help but be freshly surprised.

Even after arriving, Kishiar’s movements were unhesitating. Instead of heading to the front entrance, they circled around to the side and entered through a door that looked like an ordinary wall. When Yuder asked if that door had always been there, Kishiar replied that it was a waste disposal route used by cleaning staff.

“Since mages reside here, they often produce hazardous waste unfit for public eyes. That’s why a passage like this is absolutely necessary.”

“There’s all kinds of things here, huh. And how did you know about this place?”

“I used to be close with a cleaner named Jims who handled waste disposal here. He’s retired now, but he was a good man.”

Yuder wondered for a moment whether that cleaner Jims ever knew who Kishiar really was. But he stayed silent and simply listened as Kishiar recalled his memories with Mr. Jims.

“Now, once we pass through here...”

The place Kishiar boldly opened led to a preparation room for laundry, piled high with mage robes waiting to be washed.

“Thorough disguise is a must for intruders. Let’s each pick one and suit up, shall we?”

Watching Kishiar naturally pick out two purple robes—one for Yuder and one for himself—Yuder was suddenly reminded of an old memory.

“...Back then, when Kanna nearly got expelled after encountering an uninvited guest near here, you showed up wearing one of these robes, didn’t you?”

That day, when they had run into Count Gallon—someone Yuder didn’t even want to call Kanna’s father. While Yuder was consoling the despondent Kanna, who had been outed for joining the Cavalry under a false identity, Kishiar had suddenly appeared in a court mage’s robe. Yuder had thought it strange—he was supposed to be with the Emperor at the time—yet now it made sense where that robe had come from.

“Were you doing something similar back then too?”

“Mm... yeah.”

Kishiar smiled and admitted it readily.

“Since I was already at the palace, I figured I might as well scout around unnoticed. And this robe’s the best for that.”

It covered the body completely, and thanks to its distinctive purple color, anyone who saw it from a distance would assume the wearer was a court mage and naturally steer clear. According to Kishiar, nothing beat it as camouflage.

“Just in case, you should remember this, my aide. The best disguise to roam around the palace unnoticed is stored right here.”

“......”

Everything he said painted a clear picture of what a handful he must have been growing up.

Kishiar winked, then pulled down the hood of Yuder’s robe to cover his face all the way to below his nose. It seemed like nothing would be visible in front of him, but surprisingly, it wasn’t that bad.

“Now, for me.”

Though fully capable of dressing himself, Kishiar leaned in with an air of entitlement. Silently, Yuder pulled the hood over Kishiar’s head the same way. A sly smile curled on the red lips just barely visible beneath the cloth.

“Thanks.”

With this much coverage, they really didn’t need any magical disguise tools. And yet, Yuder found himself wondering—why did that man have lips so captivating, even now?

As Yuder debated whether to suggest he use a magical tool anyway, the man leaned in and planted a quick kiss on Yuder’s lips with a loud smooch, then straightened up.

“...What was that?”

“Your lips were exposed, and it reminded me of earlier. I couldn’t help myself.”

“......”

“Too rude?”

“No.”

“Mm. I figured you’d answer like that.” 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

Wasn’t this what they called a premeditated offender? It was so absurd Yuder almost laughed.

Just then, the door opened, and someone appeared, pushing a cart full of laundry.

“Oh? Who are you?”

“I think I accidentally left a spell sheet in a robe. I came to retrieve it before it gets washed.”

With perfect composure, Kishiar replied in a solemn voice, as though the earlier whispering and kissing had never happened. Though it was just a slight change in tone, he seemed like a completely different person.

The cleaner, wearing a janitor’s uniform, let out a sigh as if this wasn’t the first time.

“You know we separate and return any personal items left in laundry.”

“Can I afford to wait that long? I need it for an immediate test.”

“Ah, yes...”

“I’ve found it, so I’ll be going.”

Kishiar passed by the cleaner with utter confidence. Yuder followed right behind him.

“Mages... not a single one of them’s sane!”

The cleaner’s grumbling was cut off as the door closed behind them. They were now in a proper hallway inside the Court Mage Office—not the janitor’s route.

“You’re quite good at impersonating a real mage.”

“Years of observation taught me the tricks.”

Kishiar beamed.

“To formally access the archive here, you’d have to submit a request and wait months. But that doesn’t apply to fellow mages. Come on, let’s go fetch it quickly.”

Indeed. The second item they sought was presumed to be a historical record kept in the Court Mage Office’s archive.

It was the record of a particular incident—one in which numerous mages from the Empire’s Magic Institution died while deployed to the Airik Mountains some twenty years ago. It was suspected to be the very incident Yuder’s grandfather had been involved in.

Though the institution had been disbanded and renamed in the aftermath, the records themselves should have been preserved. Kishiar headed for the archive with firm confidence.

This is my first time entering this place like this.

Yuder walked naturally behind Kishiar, taking in the surroundings. In his previous life, tensions between mages and Awakeners had been so high that he had almost never visited this place. And even when he had, it was just to meet the department head directly, so his only memory was of that office.

He saw a few other mages passing in the distance, but they too wore purple robes pulled over their heads, just like him, making their faces impossible to see. No one greeted each other or spoke.

A very private atmosphere. Typical of mages, really.

He now understood why Kishiar insisted this robe was the best disguise. Everyone avoided each other, covered themselves up—there was no way to identify an intruder.

Kishiar, walking with the ease of someone who’d worked here twenty years, located the archive effortlessly. With just a few exchanged words with the person guarding the entrance, he was granted passage without raising suspicion. Yuder, of course, wasn’t stopped either.

“What did you say to get us in so easily just now?”

“I told them a senior mage urgently needed this ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) data for a report to the department head.”

“And who did you say I was?”

“A new recruit, even more pitiful and adorable than I am, being forced to help by an overbearing senior.”

“...You actually said that?”

“Don’t worry—they didn’t doubt a thing.”

It happens a lot here, Kishiar added with a grin. Yuder was baffled that anyone would buy such a story—but they had entered with no issue, so there was nothing to say.

“In the Cavalry, we’ll need to tighten procedures so no one can access archives with such lax methods.”

“Good attitude.”

Kishiar, still smiling, suddenly stopped walking.

“Hm. Seems someone who shouldn’t be here at this hour is here after all.”

“Excuse me?”

“Don’t say anything. Just stay behind me. They’ll be coming out soon.”

At that moment, the door ahead opened. The person stepping out wore a robe far more luxurious than theirs, adorned with gold embroidery.

Yuder’s eyes narrowed slightly.

That emblem on the robe... It’s the insignia of the Deputy Head of the Court Mage Office.

Only the department head had visited the Room of Truth today. The deputy hadn’t come.

That thought immediately triggered another piece of information he’d recently heard.

Helrem has been the Court Mage Head since before I was born. Her husband and children were all mages. Her daughter is now the Deputy Head...

Which meant, the person walking toward them was Helrem’s daughter.

The deputy, strolling quietly down the hall, paused when she saw Kishiar and Yuder standing in the corridor. She wasn’t wearing her hood, and her face—clearly visible—bore a strong resemblance to Helrem.

“Do we have such a tall mage in our division? What’s your affiliation?”