Karrakas walked with his hands in his pockets, the afternoon breeze ruffling his dark blue hair as he moved through the street.

On either side of him walked two men he hadn’t seen in several months.

Theo, who was broad shouldered, and always walked with the confidence of someone who had never particularly worried about where he was going.

And Daniel, shorter than both of them, quick on his feet, and always talking slightly faster than the situation required.

It had been Daniel’s idea to meet. It was always Daniel’s idea.

"I still can’t believe it," Daniel was saying, gesturing with both hands. "You were bottom of the class. You were even nicknamed dead last. The academy rankings had you so far down the board they practically needed a separate sheet of paper."

"I remember the sheet," Theo chuckled.

"And now," Daniel spread his arms wide with a laugh, "You’re directly employed by the Le Fay family, walking around in a suit like you own the city."

Karrakas smiled. "The suit has nothing to do with the Le Fays. I’ve always dressed well."

"Nah. You dressed like someone who was trying too hard," Daniel said.

"And now I dress like someone who succeeded," Karrakas replied. "The difference is the result."

Theo laughed at that, the sound rumbling out of his chest.

"You guys just love teasing me. You’re all acting like you’re not the impressive ones," Karrakas said, looking between them. "One of you works directly out of the City Lord’s mansion. The other is embedded with the Infinity Guild."

He shook his head. "I’m not even the most prestigious person in this conversation."

"You’re the best dressed though," Daniel offered.

"I’ll take it."

They laughed, the three of them moving easily through the foot traffic, the way people do when the company is comfortable and they had nowhere urgent to be that afternoon.

Then Karrakas saw the Le Fay pavilion ahead, its wide front rising above the surrounding buildings.

He slowed slightly. "This is me."

Daniel looked at the building. "Of course it is."

Karrakas grinned, shook both their hands, and watched them continue down the street before turning towards the pavilion entrance.

He had something to report.

He moved to the building, walking across the main hall to the door at the far end. He pressed his ID to the keypad and stepped through into the smaller hall.

He didn’t approach the main desk. Instead, he reached into his jacket and produced a different card. It was smaller than his ID, plain on one side, with a single embossed mark on the other.

He held it up briefly towards the nearest attendant.

The attendant’s posture changed immediately. He walked across the room, said nothing, and led Karrakas to a different door along the side wall. Beyond it was a short corridor, and at the end of the corridor, a small room.

The room had plain walls, a chair, and a large mirror hung on the wall directly opposite the door.

The attendant left without a word, pulling the door shut behind him.

Karrakas sat in the chair and looked at the mirror. His own reflection looked back at him. He stretched a hand towards the mirror and sent a wave of his mana into it, activating the [Item].

The reflection rippled, the surface shifting slowly like the surface of a pool as he waited.

A few minutes later, the reflection cleared, revealing Morgana sitting on the other side, in what looked like a private study. Baldwin stood behind her left shoulder, arms at his sides, watching the mirror.

Karrakas inclined his head. "My lady."

"Karrakas." Morgana’s voice came through cleanly, as if the mirror were simply a window. "Report."

He folded his hands in his lap. "With Lukas’ group, we started with a hunt outside the city. I gave them the standard introduction to the desert floor, and they performed well above what I’d expect from new E-rank Adepts." He paused. "After that, Lukas asked to attempt his class change quest."

Morgana’s eyes narrowed slightly. "What class?"

"I don’t know the class name. He didn’t say and I didn’t push." Karrakas kept his tone void of any inflection. "The quest required him to walk barefoot in a straight line for twenty-four hours. We went into the desert, and he completed it."

Morgana nodded slowly. "Go on."

Karrakas hesitated. It was short and barely noticeable, but he knew Morgana noticed it.

"During the return journey," he said, "we encountered a C-rank Spiked Turtle."

"Lukas handled it alone. The remaining three of us moved clear of the area at his instruction and watched from a distance."

He looked up, meeting Morgana’s gaze. "He defeated it, alone and without assistance."

Morgana sat up, her brows rising. To Karrakas she might as well have gasped in shock.

She said nothing for a moment.

"There is something else," Karrakas said. "I’ve been observing carefully since we left Salaria."

He paused again. "I believe he is tri-classed."

The room on the other side of the mirror was very quiet.

Then Morgana spoke. "Thank you, Karrakas. Continue as normal. Your compensation will reflect the quality of this report."

She gestured towards the mirror, and the reflection returned.

Karrakas sat in the small room alone, looking at himself.

He exhaled slowly and stood.

As long as he continued doing exactly what was expected of him, retirement was still waiting at the end of this road.

He straightened his jacket and left the room.

Back in Salaria, Morgana sat with her hands folded in her lap, looking at the mirror for a moment after Karrakas’s image disappeared. Then she leaned back in her chair and looked up at Baldwin.

"What do you think?"

Baldwin was quiet for a few seconds before speaking.

"You were right," he said. "When you signed that contract in Havenhart, I had my reservations, but I guess you saw something the rest of us didn’t."

"I usually do," Morgana said.

The corner of Baldwin’s mouth moved slightly. "The contract will eventually end. Three years passes quickly for people climbing at this rate."

He looked at the mirror, then back at her. "When it does, he won’t need the Le Fay name behind him the way he does now. Which means you need to make sure that when he no longer needs us, he still chooses to remain connected to us."

Morgana looked at her hands.

"Strengthen the business relationship," Baldwin continued. "Make it worth his while to stay an ally even after the obligation ends."

Morgana nodded once.

"Agreed," she said quietly.