The infiltration itself went far more smoothly than I'd expected.
No alarms. No suspicious glances. No sudden interruptions.
Even the main gate—easily the biggest risk and most obvious obstacle—was cleared without incident. Wrapped in invisibility magic, I slipped past the guards and entered the imperial palace as if I belonged there.
So far, so good.
Confidence swelling, I headed straight toward my destination, footsteps light against the marble floor.
Then—
"Huh…?"
Without warning, the sensation vanished.
The familiar distortion around my body dissolved, and my form snapped back into view.
I stopped dead.
Panicking, I immediately reactivated the spell. My body turned transparent for barely a second before—
It shattered again.
"What—?"
I tried once more. Same result. The moment the magic took hold, it was forcefully undone, like something was rejecting it outright.
Cold sweat broke out along my spine.
