The temple had never been this busy before.
And strangely—
Almost none of the visitors were pilgrims.
Inside the mirror realm, Lee Eunwoo floated near the glass surface while observing the growing number of soldiers passing through the chamber.
Boots.
Armor.
Weapons.
Lots of weapons.
"Okay… this is definitely new."
Over the past two days, the royal presence had increased steadily.
First it was two soldiers.
Then four.
Then a full patrol rotating through the temple every few hours.
Now there were guards stationed at the entrance of the chamber itself.
Eunwoo sighed.
"I feel like a museum exhibit."
The soldiers weren't even pretending to be subtle about it anymore.
One of them stood directly beside the altar, arms crossed, watching every visitor carefully.
Another paced near the shelves.
Occasionally he glanced suspiciously at Sir Frogbert.
Which was understandable.
Sir Frogbert looked suspicious even when doing absolutely nothing.
Eunwoo nodded toward the statue.
"They're onto you."
The frog remained profoundly unhelpful.
Meanwhile, the priests of the temple looked increasingly stressed.
They whispered to each other constantly.
One of them nearly dropped a tray of candles when a soldier asked him a question earlier.
Eunwoo stretched lazily inside the mirror realm.
"Whatever's happening outside, it's making everyone nervous."
Right on cue, the temple doors opened again.
More visitors entered.
But these weren't pilgrims.
These were royal scholars.
Again.
The same group from before walked into the chamber, led by the suspicious scholar with glasses.
This time they carried equipment.
Metal instruments.
Measuring rods.
Small crystal devices that glowed faintly with mana.
Eunwoo immediately sat upright.
"Oh no."
The leader approached the altar with calm confidence.
"Good morning, gentlemen."
The other scholars spread across the room like researchers entering a laboratory.
One began measuring the magical energy in the air.
Another carefully examined the mirror frame.
A third started drawing complicated diagrams on a scroll.
Eunwoo watched them nervously.
"Why do they look like they're about to disassemble me."
The lead scholar leaned close to the mirror again.
He adjusted his glasses.
"Still the same pattern."
One of the younger scholars asked,
"You still believe the mirror might be… alive?"
The man shrugged.
"Alive is a strong word."
Then he looked directly at the glass.
"But it certainly behaves like something that observes."
Eunwoo stared back.
"I am being academically hunted."
The scholars continued their work for hours.
They measured mana flow.
Recorded reflections.
Studied the altar.
At one point they even examined Sir Frogbert.
The youngest scholar lifted the frog statue.
"This thing is hideous."
Eunwoo nodded.
"Yes."
The scholar rotated it slightly before putting it back down.
Eunwoo narrowed his eyes.
"…You just made the problem worse."
From the corner of the room came a soft laugh.
Constance.
She had been sitting on her usual bench quietly while the scholars worked.
Her head tilted slightly toward the shelf.
"You moved the frog again."
The young scholar blinked.
"…What?"
She smiled faintly.
"I heard the stone scrape."
The scholars exchanged amused looks.
The leader chuckled.
"Impressive hearing."
Constance simply shrugged.
"When you can't see things, you listen carefully."
The scholars eventually finished their measurements.
The lead scholar closed his notebook thoughtfully.
"The artifact's behavior remains consistent."
Another scholar asked,
"So what is your conclusion?"
The man looked at the mirror one last time.
"…It's reacting to people."
Eunwoo froze.
"Sir, please stop being correct."
The scholar continued calmly.
"The mirror's magical resonance shifts slightly when individuals look into it."
The younger scholar nodded.
"Almost like it's… responding."
Eunwoo slowly backed away inside the mirror realm.
"Please stop solving the mystery."
The leader closed his notebook.
"We need more data."
He turned toward the soldiers.
"We will return tomorrow."
The soldiers nodded.
The scholars left the chamber.
Eunwoo collapsed dramatically in mid-air.
"This is how my peaceful mirror life ends."
Silence slowly returned.
The soldiers resumed their guard positions.
Outside, the temple bells rang faintly in the wind.
Constance spoke softly from the bench.
"They are very curious people."
Eunwoo glanced toward her.
"Yes."
"Yes they are."
She turned her head slightly toward the mirror.
"They sound different from the pilgrims."
"How so?" Eunwoo muttered.
"They listen more than they talk."
Eunwoo thought about that.
"…That's exactly why they're dangerous."
Constance rested her hands in her lap.
"I think the mirror doesn't like them."
Eunwoo blinked.
"Wait."
"How would you know that?"
Of course she couldn't hear him.
But she smiled slightly.
"The room feels tense when they're here."
Eunwoo stared at her for a moment.
Then sighed.
"Maybe you're right."
Outside the temple walls, soldiers continued arriving throughout the evening.
Messengers rode through the mountain roads.
Royal banners were raised along the courtyard gates.
The kingdom of Valtheria was quietly preparing itself.
Because somewhere beyond the border—
Another nation was doing the exact same thing.
And the small mountain temple now held something both sides wanted.
A mirror that was becoming more valuable every day.
Inside the mirror realm, Eunwoo stared at the chamber silently.
For the first time since his reincarnation—
Things were starting to feel… unstable.
And far away in the capital, King Edric received a report that made him frown.
Darmouth's army had begun moving troops toward the border.
War wasn't declared yet.
But it was getting closer.
And in the quiet temple chamber, the mirror watched everything unfold.
Even if no one realized yet—
That the mirror was beginning to care about what happened next.