After the "Aldia's Fiery Night," the palace atmosphere changed completely. No more parties. No more laughter.
Now, everyone in the palace corridors whispered only one name—James Moriarty. A mysterious figure who attacked the palace, burned the grand hall, and left behind a letter and a silver cane, now secretly kept in the investigation room.
But no one knew... The real culprit was a seven-year-old boy from the East Wing, who was now walking casually, kicking a small stone.
Elric.
---
"La~ la~ la~... Hmm... one crow, two crows... they all come when I call..." Elric hummed softly. His face looked cheerful, like any other child, but his mind was already exploring various revenge scenarios.
"Hey! You!"
A harsh shout stopped him.
A handsome young man, red-eyed, with charming silver hair, looking angry, approached him. His noble uniform was neat, though his face still bore long scratch marks from that fiery night.
"Prince Revan, second prince huh? interesting" Elric whispered to himself, but his face remained blank, as if he didn't recognize who was calling.
"Don't pretend you don't know!" Revan glared down at him. "You must have laughed in your room while we were being attacked by those crows, huh?!"
Elric just stared, saying nothing.
"You weren't even invited to the party, you half-blood trash!"
Roughly, Revan pushed Elric, causing him to fall onto the stone floor.
"Hmph... You should have been discarded at birth."
Elric remained silent. Then— Slap! A hand struck his face.
And he... pretended to faint.
Revan scoffed, spat on the ground, and walked away without another word.
Once his footsteps faded... Elric opened one eye.
"Your game... has just begun, Brother."
---
Operation Mirror Shadow
Step 1 – Uncovering the Target's Weaknesses
The next night, Elric sneaked into the private library wearing an old servant's cloak. Among the rows of law and history books, he found the shelf of financial records and noble schedules.
"Hmm... Revan's name... here. Private appointments every Tuesday night? Interesting..."
He opened another document. A servant's report.
"'Often requests certain servants to personally clean his room... wow, this would be quite scandalous if known by important people.'"
From his sleeve, Elric pulled out a thin black pen. He noted:
> High ambition for power. Previously involved in a secret scandal with a noble servant. Often sneaks out of the palace at night. Hot-headed, easily provoked. Frequently insults the 'lower class.'
"Perfect target," he whispered with a slight smile.
Step 2 – Crafting a False Narrative
The next day, Elric summoned his two favorite crows in his room.
"Vern, Halem, let's start the game. Take this letter, and... place it behind the vase in the palace kitchen, and another... behind great-grandmother's portrait."
The letter read:
> "Prince Revan is our asset. He will open the gates of destruction from within. Ensure he remains unsuspected." – JM
That night, a kitchen servant found the letter while cleaning the floor.
"W-What is this...? 'Prince Revan'...? 'Organization'...? Oh no..."
She immediately told another servant, and rumors began to spread:
"They say Prince Revan is actually... part of the attack that night...!"
"Impossible... but he was the first to be seriously injured, right...?"
"And... he does have strange night schedules."
Step 3 – Noble Servant Murder Scandal
Elric waited until the fourth night. He wrote a small letter using a fake handwriting:
> "If you don't want your secret exposed, meet me in the back garden on the fifth night."
He slipped the letter under the pillow of a noble servant known to have a secret relationship with Revan.
Then...
The fifth night arrived. The next step was executed.
Elric's crows watched from the treetops.
"Once he arrives in the garden... release the poison."
Under the moonlight, the servant walked slowly to the garden, looking around nervously.
"Hello...? Who called me...?"
Then from the bushes, Elric's crow flew swiftly—attacking with a small beak coated in freezing magic poison.
A stifled scream. The body froze.
The next morning, the corpse was found with an eye symbol on the chest.
"S-Sir! This... the same symbol found during the fiery night...!"
"And... this... a small silver cane! Just like Moriarty's!"
Step 4 – Emotional Manipulation
While Revan was being cornered by investigators in the palace corridor:
"You went out at night without permission, Prince. And your schedule... was found alongside the victim's."
Revan exploded: "You're accusing me of killing that servant?! Nonsense! I—"
Then, Elric passed by. With small steps and an innocent voice, he said:
"Brother Revan... You often go out at night, huh? Why never take me for a walk to the back garden? I heard it's beautiful..."
All the guards fell silent. They looked at each other.
"Back garden... the victim was found there."
"And those fake letters also mention 'prince.'"
"Could it be...?"
Revan was shocked: "You—! This kid set me up?!"
"Eh...? I just wanted to go for a walk..." Elric blinked innocently.
Revan roared in frustration and left. But from that day...
---
Result:
> Revan's reputation was destroyed. His movements were restricted. The nobles began to avoid him. Scandals spread. And there was no evidence pointing to Elric.
That night...
In his room, Elric combed his hair in front of the mirror. He smiled at his reflection—but within that reflection stood the silhouette of an old man in a neat suit, with a sinister smile on his face.
James Moriarty.
He said nothing.
But his gaze... proud.
"The next performance... Very impressive..."
Elric touched the mirror's surface.
"The mirror game has just begun."