Chapter 43: The Level 5 [Reflection Man]

Back at the school, Zorn had used certain means to slay the Rat King.
And within the noble academy, there were official supernatural beings.
Naturally, such an event could not be kept hidden.
Zorn deduced that it would take some time before the authorities tracked him down.
In Zorn's plan, cooperating with the authorities was inevitable.
Though it was not strictly necessary to become a pillar of the Republic,
he intended to secure a place for himself behind the curtain of power.
He had not expected the official supernatural being to arrive so soon.
Moreover, the lady who had come possessed a rather extraordinary identity.
She was a renowned countess and noblewoman of Ogran City, commanding astonishing wealth and bearing the surname "Isaiah."
On a less known front, she was also a Level 5 [Reflection Man], wielding the bizarre power to invert the world.
Furthermore, she was a core member of Ogran City's official supernatural organization.
In the present era, as the wave of steam technology was just beginning to surge,
possessing a Level 5 status was already quite formidable.

Inside the living room,
Zorn frowned as he caught a whiff of the faint, oceanic-scented cigarette smoke.
This young body, healthy and robust, naturally rejected the smell of tobacco.
Yet the woman sitting opposite Zorn, appearing to be in her early thirties, showed none of a lady's reserve or politeness. She puffed away continuously, treating Zorn as if he were invisible.

"Countess Mabel, what... brings you here to see me?"
After a moment, Zorn spoke slowly to inquire.

"Do you... truly not know why I am looking for you?"
Mabel Isaiah slightly adjusted her sitting posture, her silvery-gray pupils narrowing as she scrutinized Zorn with serious intensity.
Knowing her personality well, Zorn was fully aware
that if he answered, "I truly do not know,"
she would likely waste the entire day here with him until the sun went down.

"Is it about the incident at the school?"
Zorn asked tentatively.

Seeing that the young man before her had confessed, Mabel very decisively stubbed out her lit cigarette.
She waved her hand, and the smoke drifted rapidly out through the window.

"You are the [Brawler] Zorn Corik who eliminated the Rat King. With your strength, you clearly could have eliminated more ratmen. Why... did you flee?"
Lady Mabel leaned forward, and Zorn noticed that her silvery eyes were growing increasingly bright.

"She possesses some special ability to distinguish between truth and falsehood."
Exhaling softly, Zorn began to weave a response that blended truth and lies.

"After engaging in a life-or-death battle with the Rat King, I was heavily injured, but at the same time, I sensed the opportunity for a breakthrough."
"Furthermore, other supernatural beings had already intervened at the school by then, and I needed to seize that rare chance to break through."
"Besides, while escaping, I also kicked two plague rats to death and saved two classmates."
"Lady Mabel, you cannot expect me, a newly graduated student, to save the world and rescue everyone. I was a victim of this disaster as well."
Zorn spread his hands.
"Besides, that damned Rat King almost bit through my throat."
"If it truly came to that, no one would have sought justice for me, would they?"

Mabel narrowed her eyes, her gaze lingering on Zorn for a long time before she slowly withdrew it.
"Indeed, you did very well."

"One might even say that if you hadn't killed the Rat King, the academy's losses would have been far more disastrous."
"Therefore, I am visiting you today in a personal capacity, rather than to investigate you on behalf of the official supernatural organization."
"In addition..."
Lady Mabel paused briefly before continuing.
"One of the two girls you saved is my niece."

Hearing this, Zorn was slightly taken aback.
Then he heard Mabel explain in a gentle tone:
"She was terrified at the time. If you hadn't stepped in to help, she probably would have been dragged deep into the caves by those horrifying creatures."
"In fact, another purpose of my visit today is simply to thank you for coming to my niece's rescue."
Having said that, Mabel Isaiah stood up and bowed slightly to Zorn in gratitude.

"So, that is... how it happened!"
Mabel Isaiah's explanation instantly made Zorn understand the coincidence behind it all.
The curious outcome produced by such strange interlocking gears of fate made even Zorn marvel at its unpredictability.

When Countess Mabel sat back down, the stern expression on her face had vanished entirely, replaced by a faint smile.
"A supernatural being like you, who commands mysterious powers and possesses astonishing strength, should make something of yourself."
"This is..."
As she spoke, Lady Mabel pushed an object across the table toward Zorn.
A golden, custom-made card materialized on the desk in front of him.
"This is an invitation card to the Clover Club."
"You can think of it as a club for supernatural beings—a place where they exchange resources and information with one another."

[The Clover Club]
Zorn's heart stirred slightly, but he remained outwardly calm.
The [Clover Club] was the absolute top-tier circle of supernatural beings in Ogran City.
It boasted numerous high-level supernatural figures
as well as many powerful individuals holding real authority.
With Zorn's ordinary supernatural sequence and average sequence rank,
being a mere, decent citizen of Ogran City in identity,
he fundamentally lacked the qualifications to be invited into the [Clover Club].

While Zorn was lost in thought, Lady Mabel continued speaking.
"There... you can make friends with more supernatural beings, learn more occult knowledge, and enrich and strengthen yourself."
"Yesterday... was truly a nightmarish day."
"Only when your rank is higher and your strength is greater can you prevent such terrifying nightmares from befalling you."

Initially, Zorn had been somewhat apprehensive, but after Countess Mabel's explanation, he felt entirely at ease.
"She simply thinks I'm a relatively strong [Brawler] and purely wants to recruit me."
"And along the way, she wanted to express her gratitude for rescuing her niece."
"If I guessed correctly, she was most likely just passing by."
"It's clear that she truly dotes on her niece; otherwise, she wouldn't have gone out of her way to thank me in person."
"After all... no matter what, I am merely a [Brawler], a low-stakes sequence unworthy of a grand stage."

Zorn's thoughts spun rapidly.
Although the other party did not hold him in exceptionally high regard,
the golden card before him allowed Zorn early access to the [Clover Club], which was immensely advantageous for his future development.
After all, the [Clover Club] undoubtedly held good things.

"Thank you very much, Countess Mabel."
Seeing Zorn accept the golden card, Countess Mabel also stood up and said,
"Though I would love to stay a little longer and hear you recount how heroically you slew that Rat King,
time does not permit it. I must go and visit an important guest."
"In addition..."
Mabel paused for a moment.
"Although the churches and the authorities have always suppressed supernatural beings like you who seek supernatural power on your own,
the situation in Ogran City is rather chaotic right now. Based on the intelligence I've received, terrifying forces are brewing within the sewers."
"If you and some of your supernatural friends can eliminate some of those disastrous rats in the sewers, it will also be of some help to your own sequence."
"The Ogran City Hall hopes that you will do so as well."
"Ogran City will remember your contributions."

Zorn caught the subtext in Lady Mabel's words.
"I have some rat-catcher friends, and during this period, I will join forces with them to eliminate those damned disaster rats," Zorn replied.

...

Entering the steam automobile, as the vehicle started
and drove away from the [Brawler]'s estate,
Lady Mabel lit a ladies' cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled a wisp of hazy smoke.

"What do you think?" she asked aloud.

Directly above her, on the opposite side of the carriage ceiling, a mirrored world surfaced clearly.

"I could sniff out some evil power. Perhaps it's because he only just advanced to Level 2. Although he concealed it very well, I still detected it—a very faint evil power. Moreover, his ring is a taboo item."
The reflection gave its reply.

She exhaled the smoke through her nose.
"Those fellows who rack their brains to acquire supernatural power, master it, and survive are none of them kind-hearted."
"He killed a Level 2 Rat King. Although it was most likely the result of two people cooperating, one can still see his astonishing strength. For such a rare talent to master some special power is no big deal; it would be stranger if he hadn't mastered some unique tricks."

"You know that's not what I asked."
"A very interesting little fellow. I think you can afford to interact with him a bit more."
The figure within the reflection spoke slowly.

"Oh?"
Lady Mabel looked slightly surprised.
"Why?"

"Intuition!"
"Intuition?"
Lady Mabel frowned slightly.
The reflection's intuition had always been accurate.

She looked back through the carriage window at the estate that had been clearly visible just moments ago.
At this point, it had already been swallowed by the deep shadows of the tree canopy.