A Test from the Shadows

"I'm sorry I'm late. Is it still possible for me to go in for the ceremony now?"

As evening approached, at the south gate of the Silver Gallery, a stylish blonde girl explained to the guards, "I had a family emergency during the day, so I had to go take care of it. But since my students are taking this exam, I still want to see the results. This is my invitation; could you please...?"

"In principle, this is not permissible, madam, as His Majesty has already entered, and it would be disrespectful for other guests to enter after him."

The Examination Institute staff member standing at the door took the invitation from the girl's hand and carefully checked it. "However, I can understand your feelings. If you really just want to see your students' performance, as long as you don't go into the viewing area after entering, taking a look from elsewhere won't violate the rules."

"Really? That's great!"

The blonde girl raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, and a look of joy appeared in her tired eyes, which were covered in dark circles. "Thank you so much. I was just wondering what to do in this situation..."

"Haha, after all, it's the Queen Year, so we should be more accommodating."

The magical girl on guard waved her hand, adopting a "no big deal" attitude. "However, because our superiors previously requested that simply checking the invitation isn't enough, we also need to verify the Certification Card and the person's magical energy fluctuations. Although I also feel it's a bit of over-protection... let's go through the process anyway. Do you have your Certification Card with you?"

"Ah... Certification Card, right?"

The blonde girl paused for a moment, then lowered her head and began rummaging through her handbag. However, as she searched deeper, her expression became somewhat unnatural, clearly indicating that things were not going well.

"That's strange, I remember putting it in there when I left..."

She muttered to herself in frustration, her hands gradually slowing down until she finally gave up searching. "Sorry, I couldn't find it. Maybe I left it at home."

Are you sure you forgot to bring it? Or did you accidentally lose it?

The magical girl guarding the gate said somewhat seriously, "If it was lost accidentally, it's best to sense your location as soon as possible and retrieve the Certification Card. Things haven't been very peaceful in the city lately."

"Ah, no... I don't remember using it since I left, so..."

The blonde girl closed her eyes, seemingly sensing something intently. After a moment, she opened them, a somewhat helpless expression on her face. "Hmm, judging from the location and distance, I definitely left it at home."

"Really? That's good."

The guard relaxed his brow and nodded. "However, please understand our rules. Although you have an invitation, we still cannot let you in without showing your identification."

"Oh, I see... But my home is far from Silver Gallery. If I go back and forth, I might not make it in time to see the results of the assessment."

The blonde girl pleaded, "Is there really absolutely no room for compromise?"

"I'm sorry, ma'am," the guard could only shake his head.

Clearly, the blonde girl was reluctant to go home to get her Certification Card and come back, so she pleaded for a while until the guard firmly stated, "You must have Certification Card," before she left somewhat dejectedly.

The blonde girl flew sadly away from the gates of the Silver Gallery. She lingered in the Academy District for a while, then slowly flew a short distance towards the Emerald Zone. However, as if she had changed her mind, she turned back towards the Mana-Free District. A few minutes later, she entered the boundary of the Mana-Free District. Gathering all her magic power, she walked along the street like an ordinary passerby for a while before lowering her head and suddenly disappearing into a small alley.

Then, no one ever saw the girl come out of the alley again.

Meanwhile, several blocks away in another alley, a capable woman with long, flowing blonde hair, wearing a gray-black trench coat and sunglasses strode out and calmly walked into a nearby coffee shop.

She waved to the shop owner at the counter to say hello, then walked up the wooden stairs to the second floor, and then slipped into a private room.

"No, you can't get in with just an invitation. Their checks are very strict. You need Certification Card and they'll check your magic fluctuations."

After going inside and closing the door, she didn't offer any further explanation but immediately recounted her entire experience. Then she walked to the only empty seat, sat down, and picked up a half-finished but still warm cup of coffee from the table in front of her.

"To be honest, the checks these past few days have been really intense. Whether leaving or entering the Silver Gallery, I felt more than one hidden sensor. Even when I left the Silver Gallery, someone followed me and observed me for a long time. I thought I had been exposed."

"Did you shake them off?" the person sitting opposite her asked.

"Hmm, I threw out a few different magical lures, and the guy took the bait but couldn't stick with me."

The blonde girl put down her coffee, pulled up her sunglasses to reveal her dead fish eyes, which seemed to have rotted away. "But this time it's because they didn't take me seriously enough. Next time, if it's a Flower Card) that comes, I'm afraid I won't be able to come back so easily."

"Anyway, there's no need for a next time; one test is enough."

The other girl sitting to her left spoke flippantly, poking at her dessert with her fork as she chuckled, "But I really didn't expect the people of this Kingdom to go to such lengths for an exam... Cat Sister, you've probably been sold out by your old flame."

The person she called "Cat Sister" was the one sitting opposite the blonde girl who was the first to ask about the situation. At this moment, "Cat Sister" remained calm and composed, simply sitting there quietly, as if deep in thought.

"It might not necessarily be because of the Black Cat side. My personal judgment is that it's also possible that the Royal Court wants to make a big show of force, which is why they've excessively increased security."

The blonde girl retorted, "While this logic doesn't explain why someone would follow me, it's as if they're actually looking for someone."

"It doesn't matter. Their motivation for intensifying scrutiny is irrelevant to us, because from the beginning, we were prepared for the worst."

Just as the three girls had expressed their opinions to some extent, a fourth voice suddenly emerged from the small cubicle.

Upon hearing this, the three girls reacted differently. The blonde girl looked impatient, the girl eating cake next to her was quite interested, while the girl known as "Cat Sister" remained expressionless, staring silently at the speaker's location with beast-like eyes.

Without a doubt, these three people are the ones Claw Mark, whom the Magic Affairs Institute had been searching for for nearly half a month, but who had vanished without Claw Mark. The girl known as "Cat Sister" is Ink Lotus, who had many interactions with Larkspur in the past.

As for the one who suddenly spoke up and attracted their attention with his words, it was someone who seemed out of place at the scene.

It was a man wearing a gray suit and a mask.

He had neatly combed short black hair, and his hands, which were slightly wrinkled and protruding from his sleeves, indicated that he was not young. However, his upright posture and his magnetic voice, which did not show any signs of aging, proved that he was not that old.

Without a doubt, this is a middle-aged man who is around fifty years old and gradually entering old age.

I'm trying to get back to daily updates; I don't intend to give up.