Eunwoo had been watching the two "pilgrims" all day.
Not because he wanted to.
But because they were the only interesting thing happening.
Inside the Mirror world, he lay on the grass near the lake, staring at the reflections drifting across the water.
One ripple showed the main hall.
Another showed the outer corridor.
And in three different reflections—
Those two men kept appearing.
"They really like walking around," Eunwoo muttered.
Pilgrims usually came to the temple, prayed loudly, stared at the Mirror for a while, and left.
These two were different.
They moved slowly through the building.
Looking.
Memorizing.
Sometimes whispering to each other.
Very quiet.
Very careful.
Eunwoo watched one of them count the pillars in the hallway with his eyes.
"Yep," he said.
"Totally normal pilgrim behavior."
Still, no one else seemed suspicious.
To the priests, they were just visitors.
To the guards, they were harmless travelers.
And to the kingdom…
They were invisible.
Constance entered the hall later that afternoon.
Step.
Tap.
Step.
Tap.
Eunwoo sat up slightly.
"Ah, the responsible one."
She carried her usual basket of cloths and began cleaning the pedestal.
The soft scratching of fabric against stone echoed quietly in the hall.
After a few minutes she paused.
Her head tilted slightly.
Listening.
Eunwoo noticed immediately.
Constance's hearing was sharper than most people's sight.
Even faint sounds caught her attention.
Right now—
Footsteps approached from the corridor.
Light ones.
The two pilgrims.
Constance resumed wiping the pedestal, but her ears followed every step.
The men entered the hall politely.
One of them bowed slightly toward the altar.
"We came to pray again."
Constance nodded politely.
"Welcome."
Her voice was soft, calm, and gentle as always.
She didn't ask questions.
She didn't act suspicious.
She simply continued cleaning.
But Eunwoo noticed something.
She moved just slightly closer to the pedestal.
Almost without thinking.
Standing near the Mirror.
Listening.
The two men knelt near the altar for a while.
One whispered a quiet prayer.
At least, it sounded like a prayer.
Then they stood again.
One of them approached the Mirror.
Not too close.
Just enough to look at it.
Eunwoo leaned forward.
"Thinking about stealing me?"
The man simply stared at the surface.
For a moment their eyes almost seemed to meet.
But of course—
He couldn't see Eunwoo.
To him, it was just a mirror.
After a few seconds, the men left the hall.
Their footsteps faded down the corridor.
Constance remained standing quietly beside the pedestal.
Listening until the sounds disappeared completely.
Then she relaxed again.
"They walk carefully," she murmured to herself.
Eunwoo nodded slightly.
"Yes."
Very carefully.
Evening arrived slowly.
Lanterns were lit across the temple.
Guards walked their usual patrol routes.
Priests finished their prayers.
Everything looked peaceful.
Too peaceful.
Inside the Mirror world, Eunwoo stared at the reflections across the lake.
Something felt… off.
The temple was quiet.
But not the comfortable kind of quiet.
More like the silence before a loud noise.
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"Maybe I'm just bored."
That was possible.
Boredom could make anyone suspicious.
Night deepened.
Most of the priests had gone to sleep.
Only a few guards remained on watch.
Constance had left earlier.
The temple halls were dark except for a few lanterns.
Eunwoo was half asleep beside the lake.
Then—
A sound.
Heavy.
Distant.
He sat up immediately.
"What…?"
Another sound followed.
Boom.
Very faint.
But unmistakable.
Drums.
War drums.
Eunwoo stood up slowly.
Outside the temple walls, torches appeared in the distance.
Hundreds of them.
Moving across the dark fields.
An army.
The Kingdom of Dermouth had arrived.
"…oh."
So the storm had finally reached the capital.
Inside the city, alarm bells suddenly began ringing.
Shouting echoed through the streets.
Guards rushed toward the gates.
But before the temple guards could even react—
Something else happened.
A quiet click.
The massive temple gate opened.
From the inside.
Eunwoo froze.
"What?"
The heavy wooden doors slowly swung outward.
Outside, shadows moved.
Armored soldiers rushed forward.
The Dermouth army surged through the entrance.
Inside the courtyard, the temple guards shouted in shock.
"INTRUDERS!"
Steel clashed.
Torches fell.
Chaos exploded across the temple grounds.
Inside the Mirror world, Eunwoo stared at the reflection.
Someone had opened the gates.
From inside the temple.
And a few moments later—
Two familiar figures stepped into the courtyard shadows.
The same "pilgrims."
Now holding weapons.
One of the temple guards pointed at them in disbelief.
"…You!"
The truth spread quickly through the chaos.
They hadn't been pilgrims.
They had been waiting.
Watching.
Waiting for the right night.
The right moment.
And they had just let the enemy army into the temple.
Inside the Mirror world, Eunwoo exhaled slowly.
"Well."
He crossed his arms.
"That explains a lot."
Outside, steel clashed louder.
The Dermouth soldiers were flooding into the temple.
And somewhere in the city—
Constance had no idea what had just begun.