After finishing his conversation with Hahn at noon, Lucius returned to his room to catch up on sleep.
By the time he woke, it was already dinnertime, and he was called up again to eat.
While eating, he thought that he was less free than before. Back then, he could eat whenever he wanted—or not eat at all. Now that someone was keeping an eye on him, it really didn't feel good.
He ate as he listened to Hahn report on the day's events and what needed to be done tomorrow.
"Around three this afternoon, we received a bill from the East District. It was for ice cream your friend Will ordered from the Mousse Hut dessert shop. He said you'd agreed to pay. It also came with a folded Paper Crane."
"Who!?"
At Lucius's question, Hahn checked the bill again to make sure the name was Will.
He calmly replied, "Will. Will Auceptin."
Once he confirmed it was him, Lucius could only say helplessly, "Oh, right, that did happen. Just put the Paper Crane in my room."
Why did Little Snake send me the bill? We're not even close. Is he trying to mooch off me now? But if he knows where I am, why didn't he come in person instead of sending the bill ahead? The dessert shop probably means he snuck out for ice cream while his parents were away. He should be about eight now, before his restart. And wasn't his name something else...
And wasn't the biggest issue that someone who had never left the house somehow had friends outside? If Hahn thought this was perfectly reasonable, did the Monster Pathway have some ability that explained it?
There was no point refusing the bill. One serving of ice cream wasn't worth much.
Hahn continued, "Tomorrow is the Memorial Service for the master. The invitations have already been sent. I'll accompany you at the entrance to welcome the guests. After that, you'll join Count Lev Strauss in hosting them until the banquet ends."
"The day after tomorrow, we'll set out for the fief to bury the master and inspect the estate. Those matters should take about a month."
"Then, in a month, we'll return to Bexland..."
"These are the plans for roughly the next two months. Please let me know if there's anything you'd like to add, young master." Once he had finished reporting the schedule, Hahn handed the itinerary to Lucius.
Lucius flipped through it casually. "A guest should be arriving in a little while. Just bring him directly to see me. I'll give you instructions about what comes after later. If I don't say anything, just follow your plans."
A guest was coming, but Hahn couldn't recall the young master having any friends. Could it be someone he'd met that morning?
Hahn Clayton instantly felt he had failed in his duties.
Unsure what kind of guest was coming or how they should be received, Hahn asked, "Understood. Should I prepare some desserts and drinks?"
"No need. Just receive him as usual. He's an ordinary guest." Lucius could do nothing about what was about to happen. Choosing something himself and being forced into a choice weren't the same thing.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Young master Lucius, your guest has arrived."
After announcing the guest, Hahn opened the door and ushered in the strange "guest." He was an utterly unremarkable middle-aged man, both in appearance and dress, with a huge box strapped to his back.
Lucius stood to greet him. "Hahn, you can go now. And you, sir? Please, have a seat."
When the middle-aged man didn't sit down, Lucius asked curiously, "Sir? May I ask your name?"
The man had no intention of giving it. He went straight to the point. "Baron Sheffield, you're too kind. I've come because my superiors instructed me to deliver this mirror to you. I have other business to attend to, so I can't stay."
The "man" opposite him took the box off his back, opened it, and pulled out a full-length rectangular mirror. Its frame was made mostly of some kind of metal, carved and inlaid with colorful minerals arranged in a pattern of blooming flowers.
As expected of the Royal Family. Even with a machine doing the carving, a frame like this would have cost tens of thousands of yuan before he'd crossed over. Given the current level of craftsmanship, with all those clear crystals and gemstones, the materials alone must have cost at least a thousand Gold Pounds.
"Baron Sheffield, this is the mirror I brought for you, along with a bottle of 'solution.' Just smear the 'solution' on the mirror when you use it."
"The smaller hand mirror is included as well."
Looking at the two mirrors, Lucius felt a chill inside. True God Churches used mirrors for divination too, but contacting people through a mirror should have been a Demoness's special ability!
"At seven, someone will contact you through the mirror. You only need to smear the 'solution' on it before then."
"Now that I've delivered the message, I'll take my leave."
Before Lucius could say a word, the strange man turned and left.
Nothing about the exchange had felt like normal conversation. He spoke in a mechanical, stiff manner, like a system following preset instructions, and didn't do a single unnecessary thing.
Watching the man leave, Lucius didn't feel like going out to see him off. There was no point when the man clearly didn't want to talk to him.
"Young master."
Lucius looked over and saw Hahn standing in the doorway with several people, carrying assorted desserts and a pot of something he couldn't identify.
"Hahn, the guest has already left. There's no need for the desserts. You can eat them yourselves."
"Just put this mirror in my study before seven."
After speaking, Lucius left the Reception Hall.
Hahn watched Lucius go and couldn't shake the feeling that everything that had happened today was strange.
"Butler Hahn, what should we do with these?" one of the maids asked after everyone else had left.
Looking at their expectant faces, Hahn said, "You can eat them, but finish your work first and move the mirror to the study."
Looking at the mirror, Hahn felt uneasy too. It was clearly no ordinary mirror. From its design, it looked more like the sort of mirror that belonged in the lady of the house's bedroom.
But it also had Spirituality, so it was probably an Extraordinary Item. Shouldn't something like this be kept in the vault and sealed behind a Wall of Spirituality?
Everything that had happened today had been strange. He wondered whether he should inform Count Lev Strauss, but he served the Sheffields, not the Strauss family. Revealing information about his employers without permission was a serious taboo...
But he was also worried something might happen to Lucius Sheffield. No—perhaps he should ask Count Lev Strauss about it tomorrow?
The matter left the experienced butler Hahn at a loss.
After having the mirror moved to the study, Lucius ordered everyone out and told them not to disturb him. He began smearing the "solution" on the mirror. The red solution probably contained blood.
As the clock struck seven, the surface of the strange mirror began to shift, eventually forming an image of George III.
George III then teased, "Looks like you've made your decision."
Lucius prepared to keep pretending not to understand. "I've spoken to Uncle-in-law Lev. He..."
George III replied expressionlessly, "You don't need to explain this to me. But only you and Lev should know about it. Don't let anyone else find out."
"Since you've agreed, someone will announce your succession to the earldom at your father's Memorial Service tomorrow. As for the fabricated identity, write it up as soon as possible and leave it by the door. Someone will collect it."
"Someone will bring your mysticism teacher to meet you, along with the Potion. For now, you should be thinking about how to keep the others from discovering your real identity tomorrow."
Before you continue