How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game Chapter 222 - Bodyguard Knight (1)

“……”

Erendil turned her gaze to the window for a moment. Was this visit to me so hesitant?

I wasn’t sure, but I couldn’t rush her. Even if I treated her casually, she was still the emperor. To give her time, I also looked out the window.

As it was approaching 3 PM, the sun high in the sky was illuminating the world with its brilliance.

The light reflected off the white buildings blended with the distant horizon and mountain ridges, creating a peaceful scene. As if ready to speak, Erendil cleared her throat softly.

“Schurtafen.”

“Yes.”

“Listen without misunderstanding.”

“Please speak.”

“Since you left for the north, I have focused the entire intelligence agency’s efforts on the northern region.”

I tilted my head in confusion. That fact was surprising, but I hadn’t sensed anyone following me with my winds.

Unless it was an exceptionally strong individual, they couldn’t have evaded my detection.

Even if a Sword Master had been trailing me, I would have surely noticed during the flight.

“I don’t mean we followed you.”

Of course not. That would have been impossible.

“I merely arranged for all news from the north to reach me within half a day.”

Ah. Now I understood what Erendil meant. She had used the intelligence agency’s network to respond quickly to news from the north.

“In the midst of that, we heard that the dragon on the northern front had flown southeast. I was certain it was because of you.”

I nodded. It was a reasonable deduction. After all, aside from Rudehrn and the soldiers, I was the only one in the north now.

It was natural to connect the devilish dragon’s disappearance to me.

“As soon as I heard that news, I immediately moved with two Sword Masters. We headed in the direction the dragon had flown.”

Erendil carefully observed my expression as she spoke.

“Even while flying, we maintained communication and heard that you had requested support from Fragon. Since we arrived early, we headed north, thinking you might be in danger.” (+) ^[1] TLN: Before, the author wrote it as Frigon (프리곤), Now it’s Fragon (프라곤).

Now I could understand how Erendil had managed to come to my rescue, transcending the gap in time.

If they had prepared like that in advance, it made sense.

“To be honest, rescuing you was also partly due to luck. We could have missed each other, couldn’t we?”

“That’s right. But that doesn’t diminish Your Majesty’s grace. Thank you. I survived thanks to Your Majesty’s decision.”

However, objectively, it felt a bit like an overreaction. To immediately bring two Sword Masters just because the devilish dragon had left.

Of course, I couldn’t express that as an overreaction in front of Erendil, so I simply called it a decision.

“A decision… To be frank, I was anxious. When I thought about something happening to you.”

“…Was that so?”

“Yes. Considering what you said when you first met me, now that I’ve become emperor, aren’t we in a more advantageous position than those misguided ones?”

Erendil continued speaking as if making excuses, briefly glancing at the ceiling.

“…In that situation, I didn’t want to lose you.”

Then, as if catching herself, she looked at me cautiously.

“Don’t misunderstand. It’s absolutely, absolutely not that I don’t trust your abilities.”

“I don’t misunderstand.”

Moving the intelligence agency’s forces to the north or bringing Sword Masters did feel excessive.

But since I survived because of it, it wasn’t a problem at all. It should be called foresight, I suppose.

“Your Majesty, you don’t need to worry so much. I only feel infinite gratitude towards you.”

Erendil finally smiled, seeming relieved. Then she moved her lips as if she had something to say.

She looked at me, then turned her gaze to the window, then glanced back at me again. I waited for a moment, but she didn’t speak.

“Your Majesty, what happened to the scythe I brought?”

“Ah, you said to destroy it, but I left it just in case. I thought I’d talk to you when you woke up, in case there was another way.”

That was a perfectly understandable situation. It was clearly an ominous object, so destroying it carelessly could cause problems.

“Is that scythe now…?”

I still asked urgently. There could be spies within the imperial palace aiming for the scythe.

“Don’t worry, Sir Faorn is guarding it.”

Knowing that a Sword Master was guarding it was somewhat reassuring, but I still felt uneasy.

It was an object that absolutely must not fall into their hands.

“It seems quite valuable to them. Thanks to that, we were able to catch two spies within the palace.”

As expected, no matter how dangerous it was, it was too valuable a relic to just give up without trying.

I tried to raise my body.

“What are you doing?”

“We need to destroy it as soon as possible.”

“Don’t do that, I’ll call for it separately.”

Erendil pressed my shoulders with both hands, making me lie back on the bed.

“Shall I call Sir Faorn?”

“We need a wide open space, just in case.”

Erendil nodded.

“But what exactly is that scythe?”

“It’s a relic of the devil worshippers. Do you know of Tsukva, the one chosen by the Great Devil?”

“I’ve heard the name.”

“I defeated Tsukva’s evil spirit and brought this from the hidden temple where they served the Great Devil.”

Erendil’s eyes widened. She must have had points she didn’t understand, just like me.

For instance, the fact that the temple was only found now. I explained the situation at that time in detail.

“So that happened. You must have had a hard time. And after that, you were chased by a dragon and even met a devil?”

“Yes. You saved me, Your Majesty.”

“If what you say is true, it’s certainly better to destroy it quickly. To think that the sacrifices needed for summoning devils would be reduced…”

After saying that, Erendil studied my expression.

“You seem uneasy even though Sir Faorn is guarding it.”

“I apologize.”

“Wait a moment.”

Erendil stood up and relayed a message to Sword Master Minteron who was waiting outside.

It was an order for Faorn to bring the scythe down to the training grounds.

“It will take a little time as we need to clear the training grounds. Do you need someone to support you?”

“No, I can walk.”

My condition wasn’t that bad. A moment of silence passed. In the slightly awkward atmosphere, Erendil suddenly called out to me.

“Schurtafen.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Do you remember our promise from before?”

What promise? Did I make a promise? As I tilted my head in confusion, Erendil gently furrowed her brow.

“Didn’t I say that if I became emperor, I would grant your wish?”

“Ah…”

“Do you remember now?”

“Yes.”

That’s right. She did. While rescuing and helping the empress, Erendil had said she had nothing to give me at the moment, so she made that promise.

I didn’t have anything particular in mind, so I hadn’t been thinking about it. Even now, I don’t.

“So, is there anything you wish for now?”

“Um, I don’t particularly wish for anything.”

The reason I didn’t mention the eradication of devils is that it’s already a goal Erendil is aware of.

“Even something trivial is fine, tell me.”

Come to think of it, I remembered a thought I had before coming here. Since I had obtained the dragon heart.

“I’d like to be introduced to the dwarven craftsman in the imperial palace.”

“A dwarf?”

Erendil furrowed her brow.

“Yes, I think I need to have the condition of my sword checked…”

“Is that really all you wish for from the emperor of this empire?”

As I answered while gauging her reaction, Erendil glared at me with dissatisfied eyes. She didn’t seem pleased.

“I wonder if you truly have no desires, or if you’re just pretending.”

Erendil said that and shook her head.

“No. The you I’ve known wouldn’t pretend like that.”

I smiled awkwardly. However, Erendil still looked displeased.

“I don’t like this. Are you being foolish?”

Well, I really didn’t have anything I wanted right now. I didn’t need money or desire a title.

Come to think of it, since coming to this world, all I’ve wished for was survival.

Of course, at first I wanted to return to Earth. To a peaceful place. But now, I’m not sure.

It’s my hometown where the people I miss are, but whether the current me could live there is a different matter.

People change. And I’ve lived through experiences that most people would find difficult to have even once in a lifetime.

No, I’ve lived through things that even extraordinary people in this unusual world would find hard to experience.

‘Could I live normally if I went back to Earth?’

As I just said, humans are creatures of adaptation and change, so maybe I could… but I’m not sure.

Even my personality has become a bit strange since entering this body called Carlyn.

It was a difficult question. Perhaps I’ve been brainwashing myself with the goal of survival for the past decade or so.

It feels like other purposes I could have had have melted away into survival.

“Your expression is complicated.”

“No matter how much I think about it, there’s nothing else I want.”

I studied Erendil’s face. I wondered if she, who could see the truth, might notice something.

However, it was hard to detect any change in her expression. Is it really true that I don’t want anything, even in my heart?

“Is it perhaps that what you desire is something I cannot grant?”

“It’s not that Your Majesty cannot grant it, but rather that I don’t know myself, I think.”

“Hmm…”

Perhaps because she knew a bit about the life I had lived since being an orphan, Erendil fell silent.

I also wondered if I shouldn’t have brought this up.

How did we end up talking about this? Erendil had simply asked me to state a wish, but the atmosphere had become quite heavy.

The silence was broken by a sound from outside.

“Your Majesty, we’re ready.”

“Wait a moment.”

Erendil, who said that, looked at me. This time she didn’t turn her gaze to the ceiling or out the window.

“Schurtafen.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Do you know this?”

Erendil’s expression looked somewhat determined.

“I can see the truth. It’s a mystic ability like your winds. I’ve had it since I was young.”

“Is that so?”

I know. That’s why I’ve been careful with my words in front of Erendil until now.

However, I couldn’t understand why she was suddenly bringing this up. Is she also being candid because I was honest?

“You’re not surprised.”

Erendil smiled.

“Yes, I’ve sometimes thought that you might know. But regardless, I couldn’t see truth or lies from you.”

…Huh?

For a moment, it felt like my thoughts had stopped.

“That’s why it was difficult to deal with you. From the first time I saw you, you said unbelievable things. I couldn’t tell whether they were sincere, or even what thoughts they came from.”

Erendil’s words reached me. My mind was in turmoil. She couldn’t read truth or lies from me?

Past moments flashed by.

The unbelievable thing was that Erendil had still trusted me. The extravagant words I had uttered under the assumption that she could see the truth.

Saying I would make her emperor, when I strongly asserted something out of the blue, and even about the empress’s death.

“But in the end, I believed that you only spoke the truth. Even if you didn’t explain your reasons, you never told a lie.”

“……”

“You must feel that I trust you.”

That’s right. I believed in the trust Erendil had in me. Especially after I came back.

Perhaps Erendil’s hesitation earlier was because she wanted to say this.

“The reason I’m suddenly bringing this up is because I feel very grateful to you.”

Erendil’s eyes focused on me.

“In addition to the loyalty you’ve shown me, you taught me about trust between people without truth or lies.”

“You’re, you’re overpraising me.”

“And this incident made me think I should tell you before it’s too late.”

I gently lowered my eyes.

“The reason I’m insisting you tell me what you want is because I want to do a lot for you. You were the one who changed me when I was weak in the palace. You were the source of my change.”

Erendil stood up and walked towards the wall. It was where Moonlight was.

“I want to give you many things, but you say you don’t want anything, so I’ll have to decide for myself.”

“……”

“Of course, there’s one thing I need to correct first.”

Erendil drew Moonlight.

“We didn’t hold your appointment ceremony the day you came to the palace. Since I came to trust you, I’ve regretted that.”

Knowing what was coming, I got up from the sickbed. Erendil showed a satisfied smile.

“Knight Carl Schurtafen, kneel.”

• 1. TLN: Before, the author wrote it as Frigon (프리곤), Now it’s Fragon (프라곤).