Curse

Edwin's gaze settled. He slowly raised his head and looked toward the dressing mirror before him.

The reflection in the mirror still had the same face and build, but to his spiritual perception, the edges of that image seemed shrouded in an extremely faint aura of decay.

They were like living vines, one end tightly coiled around him.

The source of the curse was this mirror.

This was the mirror he used every morning, yet it had shown no abnormalities before.

In other words, the curse had been placed less than twenty-four hours ago.

Only a handful of servants responsible for cleaning and maintaining his living quarters could have come into contact with the items in his private bathroom without his knowledge.

Having confirmed this, Edwin showed no outward sign of anything amiss.

He did not choose to destroy the mirror directly. That would only alert the spellcaster hiding in the shadows.

As usual, he straightened his collar, turned, and walked out of the bathroom as though he knew nothing of the curse.

Back in the study, he spread open his palm.

Matter began to transform, eventually assembling into several mechanical creations the size of mosquitoes.

This was an Alchemist's ability, allowing him to grant his creations simple life.

They would become his eyes and ears, monitoring every possible target within the estate.

Once he had finished, he pulled the bell rope beside the desk.

A crisp ring sounded. Moments later, the study door was gently pushed open, and Old Buck, the butler dressed in a black tailcoat with his hair meticulously combed, entered.

"Sir, what are your instructions?"

Old Buck bowed as he asked, his voice as steady as ever.

"Backlund has been unsettled lately. I want to conduct a routine security background check on the estate staff.

Bring