I knew something significant had happened when I heard a dozen field agents take medical leaves at my home base. Since our campus in South Fest employed only two dozen of them, our power abruptly dropped in half.

However, Supervisor Johns kept her poker face, deflected all questions about what happened to our colleagues, and stonewalled our requests to visit them. Supporters, such as secretaries, campus security, and machinists, helped piece together the relevant information, and we concluded that Sienna brought them to capture someone important, and the team lost! Witnesses claimed some arcanists became addled and lost their abilities to cast spells, and the medical leaves involved treatment at special facilities focused on recovering their minds.

Despite the big blow to the South Fest branch, my boss never vented her anger or lashed out. Instead, she emailed me to continue clearing my backlog in the Loarnant Hills. Thus, I obeyed her order and picked Sunset Town for today's visit. This location had five thousand residents and was the second most populous area within the Loarnant Hills Province. Its importance meant merchant groups offered regular steam bus service between the local train station and this town.

I wasn't surprised to find Eliza Bensley waiting at the bus station. She followed me as I entered a bus, and we sat in the rearmost row. Customers couldn't see my mirror badge since the bus had a dozen rows, and the rows of seating obscured me from view. Thus, they sat inside the bus as my fellow passengers.

"You're so naughty," Eliza giggled, looking at my badge before turning away.

Per custom, I set my alarm to buzz when our bus reached Sunset Town, and the trip took only a half hour. But since I used minimal mana during yesterday's visit to the Pitchfork Estates, I was bright and alert and didn't need the tablet's alarm to wake.

I waited in the aisle and gestured for Eliza to walk before me. My reason was two-fold: I used her body to block my badge from view because other passengers might curse me for hiding in the back of the bus. Secondly, I was responsible for the noble girl's safety and couldn't perform my duty while standing before her.

The other travelers ignored us and dispersed while we walked the streets like a young couple. My mirror badge was prominent, and most pedestrians avoided us. However, some groupies started following me, and I could not stop them.

I checked my magi tablet, which provided a minimap to direct me to the address: B90 Everspring Street #17. The B referred to the second sector (out of four) within Sunset Town, and the first two digits were the building identifier along the named street.

The founders of this development gave names to match the outdoorsy theme of this town in hopes of attracting wealthy residents. Unfortunately, the marketing ploy failed as corporations viewed this location as too far from the provincial train station, thereby depressing the property values. Consequently, middle and lower-income families bought and rented apartments in these new developments and entrenched the lowered commercial value of Sunset Town.

I knew this town's history because I lived here briefly before my family moved after the landlord demanded a nosebleeding rent increase to renew our lease. Thus, I boxed out the first six years of childhood, and returning to Sunset Town made me feel melancholic because my life would have changed if I remained in this area. I wouldn't qualify to become a mirror checker and would be working a desk job in a tiny cubicle.

Eliza read my unusual mood and wisely kept silent beside me. We checked the minimap periodically until I reached Everspring Street and ignored the various bars, eateries, and coffee shops and their patrons until someone mustered the courage to mess with me.

"Look here, mister mirror checker; I think there's a mistake. We got no complaints about devouring mirrors in Sunset Town, so you should turn around and return to the train station," a ruffian asserted while blocking my path.

I decided to humor him by showing the official complaint on my tablet. "Our agency received a complaint two weeks ago for a place on Everspring Street." I pointed at the street sign, and its name matched the document. "I see that I'm heading to the right place. Please excuse me before I arrest you for impeding an official investigation," I said while glancing at the man's buddies.

"Hahaha! Take him, boys!" the leader barked. Six men rushed toward me while Eliza smartly backed away. The attackers ignored her and threw punches at me.

I jumped while circulating mana to control my body; it spun like a top as I reinforced my leg to harden my bones and flesh. My hurricane kick slapped everyone's faces and knocked them down instantly. I landed and stared at the provoker. "Anyone else wants to play?"

The witnesses captured my melee on their magi cams, and some uploaded the files to the public internet. People started posting reactions, and I ignored the hornets' nest that I had stirred with my public demonstration. Since these kids threw the first punch, I acted in self-defense, and Eliza will support my claim. I pulled her hand, stepped over my defeated opponents, and continued walking along the street until I reached building B90.

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The apartment building was part of a group of similar-looking five-story walkups with no elevators. I lived in the same type of building during childhood, and running up and down the stairs became my daily exercise routine. At the front entrance, I checked the directory and saw apartments 1-20, meaning each floor held four residential units.

I placed my magi tablet close to the door lock, and my device granted access instantly. The tablet was tuned to my unique mana signature, so others couldn't use it even if they somehow stole my government property. The magi tablet contained a unique program operated by law enforcement personnel to gain access to commoner properties. Only nobles could prevent entry from us by withholding permission.

I opened the door for Eliza and entered the front lobby. I turned around and said, "My destination is on the top floor. Are you sure you're willing to walk five flights of stairs?"

The noble girl nodded. "I could use the exercise!" Eliza puffed her chest.

I took the lead and set a slower pace than usual. The staircase led to an inter-floor platform with a window for circulation within the common area. Government regulations dictated this architecture for new residential buildings after a tragic fire broke out decades ago, and trapped occupants on the upper floors asphyxiated while descending the steps to escape. These windows also provided firefighters and rescuers openings to bring out the trapped residents.

I halted for a minute break at each landing before ascending the next flight of steps. Eliza displayed her fighting spirit and kept up with me, even though she breathed heavily and sweated profusely upon reaching the top floor.

My nose twitched heavily, and I realized multiple devouring mirrors were inside Unit #17. I knocked on the door of the adjacent apartment, #18, but no one answered. I used my work tablet to override the door lock and quickly checked the apartment to ensure it was empty. Then I went down to Unit #13 and repeated the process.

Eliza stayed on the landing between the two floors.

When I exited the fourth-floor apartment and passed her, I explained, "I detected multiple magic mirrors, so I need to clear out the units adjacent and below to avoid civilians getting hurt in a crossfire."

"Should I go downstairs?" Eliza proposed solemnly.

I shook my head. "I think you'll be okay," I responded confidently. "Here goes!" I jogged up the stairs and opened Unit #17's front door with my magi tablet. I immediately cast a magic shield to block the hallway. *Bam* A mirror monster slammed into my barricade!

Other creatures appeared, and I counted six in all! I used my magi tablet to call for backup because there were too many devouring monsters to defeat safely. "Leave now, Eliza!" I yelled.

The girl started descending the stairs while the monsters slammed against my shield like cannonballs. After a minute, I couldn't resist them any longer. I crouched in the landing and pulled out all the holy bullets from storage. After loading one into my arcano pistol, I dropped my shield and blasted a mirror monster. Then I descended the stairs while adding another holy bullet. When the creatures appeared, I shot my second target before raising my shield.

I repeated the process while burning up my mana pool. Unfortunately, there were more than six devouring monsters! I took my final stand in the front lobby and shot at an approaching monster, killing my sixth enemy. My mana pool emptied, and I resorted to using melee combat. I pulled my knife, coated with holy water, and slashed at the silvery tendrils.

I managed to cut four before the rest slapped me around; my body slammed against the wall, and my vision blurred.

"This won't do," Eliza interrupted with a hint of annoyance. The noble girl stood before me and waved her hand. The three remaining devouring monsters froze solid before their bodies cracked and dispersed as fine mists, leaving only their monster cores! The rescuer turned toward me with a kind smile and pointed at my forehead. "Rest."

I lost consciousness.

***

I awoke in a patient room at the local hospital. Thick bandages wrapped my body like a mummy, and braces kept my limbs and neck in place. My eyes landed on the magi screen on the left wall, which showed my body's condition: a cracked skull, broken lower spine and neck, and a shattered pelvis.

I tried wiggling my fingers and toes, but they felt like stone, meaning I sustained partial paralysis! However, I didn't resent my fate because I knew my job as a mirror checker had a high mortality rate. Moreover, I didn't become an idiot like my colleagues, so I could do something else within the agency after recovering from my severe injuries. I succumbed to the lull of sleep.

Supervisor Johns visited my room several days later. She smiled and said, "I wish you waited for backup to arrive, but I understand the threat was extraordinary. If the monsters exited the building, they would kill the pedestrians in a rampage. You set a world record and defeated nine devouring mirrors solo; we found their monster cores in Unit #17 and within the stairwell and lobby."

"Unfortunately, you paid a heavy price with your body. Our government lacks the funding to buy you an elixir; without it, you won't recover fully and regain medical clearance for fieldwork. Therefore, I am dismissing you from service as a mirror checker and submitting paperwork for your permanent retirement with full disability benefits. I know you were reluctant to become a mirror checker after high school graduation, so your early dismissal is the best reward for your service to our Ousligalla Kingdom. It has been my honor to supervise you."

Sienna saluted and exited my patient room without waiting for my response. But her clenched fists revealed my supervisor's guilt at my condition, so I accepted my abrupt firing gracefully.

I stared at the magi screen, wondering if Eliza had escaped because I would never see her again. My last memory of Eliza was watching her run down the stairs under my order.