How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game Chapter 227 - Terka (2)

“But what’s this about being injured? You said you almost died.”

When I told Terka we’d talk about the details later, Denif demanded an answer from me.

I first lifted my shirt to show the wound on my side.

Although it was bandaged, blood was seeping through as I moved slightly just now.

If it had been a minor wound, it would have healed by now, but the hole was quite large, causing it to bleed again.

Denif’s eyes widened in shock as he saw the wound. Did he think I was exaggerating?

“What? It’s quite big?”

“I told you I met a devil.”

I lowered my clothes and applied pressure to the bandage with winds. It seemed like the bleeding would stop, but I’d need treatment again when I returned to the imperial palace.

“It was on the second day after separating from you. As I was flying, suddenly there was a hole in my side.”

“You didn’t know it was coming? You?”

“No. I suddenly felt goosebumps all over my body, so I changed direction. If I hadn’t, I’d probably be a rotting corpse by now?”

“Now, are you okay now?”

Now seemingly worried about me, Denif examined me with the fatigue gone from his face. He must have thought I was just exaggerating about almost dying.

I nodded. Denif sighed with his head lowered, saying “That’s a relief,” then abruptly looked up at me.

“But how did you survive? You said a devil pierced your side.”

“Her Majesty the Emperor came to help.”

“Her… Majesty?”

Denif also added the honorific in front of Terka. After all, we had said we were imperial people.

“Yes. I contacted her before we separated, remember?”

“Could she come that quickly? From Chenarus?”

“She said she sensed something was off the moment the devilish dragon disappeared. She appeared with Sir Faorn and Sir Minteron just when I had given up hope.”

“Wow…”

Denif didn’t have any particular feelings towards Erendil. He neither liked nor disliked him. He only liked that Erendil became emperor for Haisen’s sake.

But now it was different. Hearing that he came to save me at that timing, he expressed genuine admiration.

“That’s crazy.”

“Denif.”

“No, um, I misspoke. As expected of Her Majesty the Emperor.”

Denif hastily corrected himself. Terka, who was listening, also looked a bit surprised.

“So it really is Carl Schurtafen. For the emperor to notice something was off and…”

“Her Majesty.”

I cut him off firmly. Terka corrected himself with a reluctant face.

“For Her Majesty the Emperor to move immediately with Sword Masters.”

“It’s a gracious act.”

“It’s because we’ve done a lot for her.”

Denif spoke as if he didn’t want to lose. Well, from Denif’s perspective, he could say that.

While it could be said that making Erendil emperor was my achievement, Denif doesn’t separate me from Haisen in his thinking.

“Come to think of it, what about you?”

“Huh?”

“This is Carl Schurtafen, what about you?”

He’s quite sharp, not letting it slide subtly. I answered on his behalf.

“He’s my friend. You know about me, right?”

“Yeah. An orphan who worked as a mercenary, then was knighted in Haisen and became the princess’s bodyguard knight. Now you’re the bodyguard knight of the emperor, no, Her Majesty the Emperor.”

Terka corrected himself again after receiving my glare.

“Call her Her Majesty. It would be better to be careful from now on.”

“Okay. I got it.”

“Anyway, you know quite a lot of details?”

“It’s an unbelievable success story. You’re the dream of every knight. Every guy I met on the continent was talking about you.”

This guy knew that Carl Schurtafen was me and Carlyn was an alias.

I continued immediately.

“Denif is a friend I met during my mercenary days. He was skilled, but he said he didn’t want to become a knight.”

“Why?”

“I like being free.”

As I set up the situation, Denif naturally picked up the conversation.

“Well, when that incident happened in the imperial palace and I came out, I met him and received help. We’ve been together since then.”

Denif nodded at my words.

“You know, right? At our level, it’s better to be with someone skilled rather than doing mercenary work anywhere.”

“That’s right. We occasionally cross swords, and being next to skilled people brings a lot of interesting things.”

Terka agreed with Denif’s addition.

“Moreover, if it’s Carl Schurtafen, wouldn’t that be even more so? Damn. I should have met you guys earlier.”

“Why?”

When Denif asked, Terka pointed at me.

“Well, it seems like there would have been a lot more interesting things happening when Carl Schurtafen was away from the empire. Right? You were the one who stopped the terror attack at the coming-of-age ceremony, weren’t you?”

This was one of the facts revealed when Erendil restored my honor.

“You’re not wrong. Even when I wasn’t in the capital, there were frequent frictions with devil worshippers.”

“I was late for the devilish dragon, and couldn’t meet the devil. I missed all the fun stuff.”

He regretted it like Denif. Actually, Denif is a bit excessive, but all swordsmen tend to be ambitious.

I also have the desire to face strong opponents.

“The devilish dragon is one thing, but the devil is difficult even at our level. You need at least three Sword Masters.”

“Was it that overwhelming?”

“It was hard even to see its movements.”

Terka sank into thought with eyes filled with expectation rather than fear.

“Still, if you keep the promises you made from now on, there will be more experiences like that.”

“Really?”

“The fight isn’t over yet. Not long from now, we might fight devils too. Though we need to get stronger as well.”

Excitement was visible in his eyes. This wasn’t something I had particularly thought about, but it seemed like this fighting spirit could also be used as a tool to handle this guy.

I had a few things in mind the moment I decided to recruit him. Well, let’s think about it after we get back.

***

I dropped off Denif and Terka near the imperial palace. I had no intention of bringing them back with me.

I told Denif to stay in the safe house. There were many unreliable points in introducing him to the group first while I was away.

After sending them off, I immediately returned to the imperial palace on the dragon carriage. It was daytime when I arrived.

Erendil, who was in a meeting, heard the news of my arrival and briefly left her seat to greet me.

“You’ve returned safely. That’s a relief.”

Erendil let out a sigh of relief as soon as she saw me.

“Did you rescue the friend you were trying to save?”

“Yes. It’s all thanks to Your Majesty’s grace. Thank you.”

“If you saved him, that’s good. It’s a good thing.”

The greeting wasn’t long. It was just a brief break during the meeting. After having my bandages changed and receiving medicinal decoction from the doctor, I left the imperial palace.

The place I headed to right away was the lodging that Erendil had granted me when she became emperor. I hadn’t used it much. It had been a while since I last visited too.

The reason I came here specifically was because I couldn’t go to Denif right away. I shouldn’t show any connection between Carl Schurtafen and the group.

After arriving at the house, I spent about 20 minutes detecting the surrounding area with winds.

‘There’s no one monitoring.’

It was unexpected. I had heard that Erendil had given strict orders to the intelligence agency regarding me, but I thought there would be one or two.

After all, there are usually people in the intelligence agency who act individually due to excessive loyalty to the country.

Maybe they haven’t arrived yet since I just entered the capital. This was good for me.

The fact that I had a connection with Haisen was something to be careful about, even though Erendil had become emperor.

I immediately disguised myself and headed to the safe house where Denif was hiding, then moved locations once more.

After that, I gathered the group for the first time in a while.

“Brother! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.”

“We were terrified when we heard you were injured after catching the devilish dragon and fighting a devil.”

Aron and Jofor rushed to me as soon as the door opened, worriedly examining my body. Everyone else was similar, to varying degrees.

Mary, Rina, Namir, and Osten also let out sighs of relief when they saw me.

It was a natural reaction since I had brought them and was taking responsibility for them. I had also treated them well so far.

“Have you all been well?”

Namir answered on behalf of everyone.

“Yes. The mercenary group is growing steadily without any problems. Even though we’re selective in recruitment, there are so many applicants that we’re considering slightly adjusting the numbers.”

The growth of the mercenary group I entrusted to Namir through connections with the merchant group linked to the imperial family was tremendous.

This was despite not accepting just anyone.

It was natural, given that they even received imperial missions, and our structure didn’t focus on profits, so the pay was good too.

“What about Aron and Jofor?”

“We worked hard!”

“Me too!”

Namir, standing next to them, nodded and smiled.

“They’ve grown a lot. They’ll catch up to me soon.”

“That much?”

“Well, sparring with mercenaries of similar skill seems to have helped them grow rapidly.”

I see. While it’s important for me or Denif to teach them, sparring with people of similar skill is actually the best.

Mary cut in, as if she couldn’t lose out.

“I’m studying hard too! Though it’s a bit difficult.”

“A bit difficult?”

Considering Mary’s intelligence and effort, I didn’t think it would be particularly difficult for her. As I tilted my head, Mary hastily continued.

“Ah, I don’t mean the studying itself is difficult! It’s just… I need to know everything to pretend not to know appropriately without standing out.”

I think I understood what she meant. I had cautioned her not to stand out too much.

“You don’t need to worry about that anymore. There’s no need to hide your skills either.”

Now that Erendil has become emperor, it shouldn’t matter much. Of course, we should still be cautious.

Mary smiled and said it was okay. Next was Rina. She had a slightly disgruntled face.

“What’s wrong?”

“You two are going around without me.”

The reason was obvious. It’s probably because Denif had been away from here for a while. It might also be because her desires were restricted.

I had told her to refrain from theft as much as possible since Erendil had just become emperor. Instead, I told her to sneak around the imperial palace or noble mansions.

“Have you been training?”

“Yes. Diligently. I even went to the imperial palace. Not inside, though.”

“Just bear with it a little longer. And now we’re going to rest for a while.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

Rina’s face noticeably brightened at the news that Denif would be here for a while.

“Hehe. I also have a few things to show you, boss.”

Osten was last. The corners of his mouth twitched. That’s subtly his way of wanting to show off.

He must have invented something again. He’s probably looking forward to my praise and the money that would follow.

“Good job. Oh, and there will be some good news soon.”

“Good news?”

“I told you I’d help you regain your honor and return to the Magic Tower, remember?”

“Ah…! You remembered that.”

Osten’s eyes widened. In fact, when I brought him from Gorivan Magic Tower, Osten would have been treated as a fugitive.

Now that Erendil has become emperor, one word from me could make him an official mage.

“Now you’ll be able to show the world, not just me.”

“B-boss…!”

Osten suddenly became teary-eyed. I was taken aback too. Hmm, while he pretended to be okay as the elder, Osten must have had dreams about honor and such things too.

I patted Osten’s back and changed the subject.

“Ah, and I have someone to introduce to you today.”

The group’s interest peaked. I told them we needed to pretend to be a secret organization working under the emperor.

Maybe because I had never deceived them while bringing in new members, they all tilted their heads but said they understood.

I signaled to Denif. Terka was in the next room, but it didn’t matter as I had blocked the sound with winds.

When Denif brought Terka out from the room, the group’s attention turned to him.

“Hmm. It’s a bit different from what I thought?”

Their faces were a bit disappointed. I could guess the reason right away.

“Why, doesn’t he fit with Carl Schurtafen’s secret organization under Her Majesty the Emperor?”

“Exactly.”

“Everyone has their use. We move separately from the intelligence agency. These are people I gathered when I was outside.”

“Ah, when you were outside?”

Terka nodded and looked at the group again. His gaze changed a bit.

Maybe it was due to Rina’s subtle presence or Namir’s aura.

Well, Terka will soon realize the true value of the group. He’ll have to see the talents of the kids and Osten for himself.

“This is Terka, the first disciple of Sword Master Mondegreen. He will be with us from now on.”

“M-Mondegreen?”

The group was surprised. Everyone was, but especially Namir, Aron, and Jofor’s eyes widened more.

“Hmm, yes. Nice to meet you. I’m Terka, the first disciple of Master Mondegreen.”

True to his Casanova reputation, Terka said this while lightly glancing at Rina and Mary.

It was a sign that conveyed something without overtly frowning.

This guy? I immediately looked back at Rina and Mary, and Rina was frowning heavily.

Then she whispered to Mary first. I focused on the winds.

“Mary, be careful of that guy.”

“Huh? Why?”

“He looks just like a pimp. Those kinds of guys are dangerous.”

“He does look like that, doesn’t he?”

“Guys like that date multiple women at once.”

Huh? Is Terka’s beauty not working?

It was unexpected. I was planning to give them a hint separately later, but hmm, it might be better than I thought.

In fact, even if he’s called the Casanova Sword Master, he can’t seduce everyone.

The high-ranking devil worshipper had a big impact, but there are people who are impossible. Erendil was one of them.

I knew this directly from Terka. He said that when he encountered Erendil wandering outside the imperial palace, she didn’t even pay attention to him.

Of course, cases where people don’t fall for him are rare. Rina seems to have a distrust of humans, so that might be why.

Terka maintained his smile even after seeing Rina’s frowning face. He’s a person with great confidence. It seems like it’ll be fine, but I should give them a hint too.

At that moment, Aron innocently spoke to Terka.

“Are you really Master Mondegreen’s disciple?”

“Yes.”

“Then who’s the strongest among the brothers? Is it still Brother Carlyn?”

“What?”

Denif exploded.

“Carlyn and I are similar!”

Well. That used to be the case. Not anymore. With Moonlight Technique reaching 6-star, I’ve gained a definite advantage.

I just smiled. For things like this, it’s better to smile than to answer.

While Denif was fuming, Terka cut in. He had a confident face. There was a sense of superiority, you could say.

“Our master said I would be the strongest.”

“Really? More than Brother Carlyn?”

That might have been true, at that time. But now that I’ve reached 6-star in Moonlight Technique, I’m not sure.

And I felt it when I briefly saw his swordsmanship earlier.

Neither of us was going all out, but I thought I could definitely handle it.

“Well, why don’t we have a sparring match soon then.”

I looked at Terka and lifted one corner of my mouth.