How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game Chapter 230 - Terka (5)

[Weapon made from Dragon Heart appears after hundreds of years! Returns to Sir Carl Schurtafen, the Empire’s Sword!]

This headline adorned the front page of the newspaper the next morning. The news spread remarkably fast. This must have been permitted by Erendil.

It was good news for the Empire, also connecting to the story of capturing the devilish dragon. Perhaps because of this, there was a commotion outside.

It wasn’t a delusion; it was real. My current popularity in the Empire is indescribable.

I dare say even fairly famous celebrities from Earth couldn’t hold a candle to me.

“Wow! They say Sir Carl obtained a weapon made from Dragon Heart!”

“Of course, Sir Schurtafen is more than deserving of it.”

“Wasn’t it Sir Schurtafen who caught the devilish dragon in the first place?”

As expected, the voices carried by the winds proved my assumptions correct. To be honest, such popularity was only natural.

The things I had done and the stories spread about me contained elements that would capture the hearts of the people.

First, there’s my background. Not a noble, but an orphan who joined a mercenary group, learned swordsmanship, and became a knight.

After making a name for myself in one country, I was recommended and appointed as the bodyguard knight of the Empire’s princess.

This alone was a success story that people would love. What followed was even more impressive.

The merits I earned in the subjugation campaign and the Western War still stirred the hearts of the Empire’s people.

Of course, I protected Erendil by shielding her with my body during the triumphal ceremony, and I did what needed to be done even knowing I would be stigmatized.

And for over a year, even while fleeing after being abandoned by the Empire, I never lost my loyalty to Erendil and the Empire.

‘Even my return to the Empire was to prevent the enemies’ terrorist plot that I had learned about.’

After that, I defeated the devil worshippers, made Erendil the Emperor, and repelled the devilish dragon that had terrorized the North.

In fact, it was a coincidental event, but it was known to the public that I had personally set out to defeat the devilish dragon for the Empire.

Then it was revealed that I had fought a bloody battle with the devil. Though slightly different from the truth, these were events that would excite the people.

-Shh, it’s Sir Schurtafen!

-Kyaaah!

-Sir Carl! Sir Carl Schurtafen! Please look over here!

By now, I was used to the crowds that gathered whenever I traveled between the imperial palace and my mansion as Carl Schurtafen.

While ordinary people couldn’t do this, after my home’s location became known, many nobles and wealthy individuals would visit or send gifts.

It was the same with noble daughters residing in the capital pretending to pass by coincidentally in front of my house. It was quite troublesome.

Of course, this admiration would change in an instant if they knew I belonged to Haisen, but for now, I was incredibly popular.

People didn’t call me the Emperor’s bodyguard knight.

It wasn’t simply because I wasn’t currently by Erendil’s side. Instead, they called me the Emperor’s knight or the Empire’s sword with longing.

To be honest, the latter was a somewhat burdensome title.

‘My skills are still far from sufficient to be called the Empire’s sword.’

It wasn’t a bad thing for me. Such titles represented the people’s fervent support for me.

To be honest, it did feel good to some extent.

Although I was struggling for my own survival, humans inherently have a desire for recognition.

How could I dislike being loved by countless people?

Of course, this didn’t mean I wanted to receive more recognition.

The priority was to drive out the devil to survive. All secondary matters could be enjoyed afterward.

And I was aware that I needed to distance myself from such emotions.

Many have let their skills rust after being intoxicated by such popularity. This applies to athletes on Earth, as well as mages and swordsmen here.

I need to push myself. The first step for today was sparring with Terka.

***

I arrived at the agreed location on time. However, neither Denif nor Terka were in sight.

It was an uninhabited plain in the forest near the capital. I could only see Denif running over about 15 minutes after the appointed time.

“Why are you late?”

“It’s because of this guy.”

Denif pointed at Terka with an aggrieved gesture.

“Why?”

“He messed up his disguise terribly.”

Since we were going out together, Terka couldn’t show his bare face in such situations.

It might be okay to reveal his identity within the mercenary group, but it’s different when going out like this.

He stands out too much because of his appearance. I also disguise myself when I go out like this.

Denif had been teaching Terka such techniques. Terka shrugged his shoulders.

“What can I do? I’ve only done it a few times.”

“It’s not about the number of times, you just lack dexterity. For someone who handles a sword, you’re terrible at this.”

“Swords and disguises are different.”

“How are they different? Think of it as drawing a picture on your face with a sword.”

“Oh…! I didn’t know there was such a method.”

Terka’s eyes widened as if something had dawned on him. Then he chided Denif.

“You should have told me that earlier. You lack talent in teaching, don’t you?”

“What nonsense are you spouting?”

A chuckle escaped me. Why does this guy, who seems intelligent and refined when dealing with women, appear stupid when talking to Denif?

I wondered if people became strange around me, but there was the sane Namir.

Namir had never said “Shall we just kill them?” while working as a mercenary under me.

In fact, I had been worried because mercenary work often makes one feel that way.

Well… I hope he didn’t secretly just kill them without me knowing. It was a sudden thought, but I doubt he did.

Come to think of it, everyone seemed to become strange when talking to Denif. Maybe Denif was the problem.

“Anyway! Who wants to go first?”

At Terka’s words, Denif immediately picked up his sword.

“Me!”

I immediately shook my head and intervened.

“No. I have to go to the imperial palace later.”

“Ugh. Then I guess we have no choice. I’ll go with Terka first, then with you next.”

Denif didn’t say much since it was a work-related matter. Two consecutive sparring sessions could be a bit tiring physically.

But since I often cross swords with Denif usually, it might go more lightly than with Terka.

Denif also seemed to want to directly cross swords with Terka rather than me.

Well, that’s how swordsmen are. They like fighting new opponents.

“Without further ado, let’s start right away.”

I immediately drew Moonlight. Under the sun, Moonlight appeared jet black and silver depending on the angle, while still reflecting sunlight.

Due to this contrast in colors, the sword itself seemed to shine. Denif and Terka opened their mouths in surprise.

“Wow, insane…!”

“So that’s what caused all the commotion this morning. Seeing it in person, it’s understandable.”

“Can I hold it just once?”

It was Denif’s request. In this regard, Terka seemed relatively more mature.

Although both Terka’s and Denif’s eyes seemed to be filled with envy and desire, their reactions were different.

If it were someone else, I would have firmly told them to get lost, but Denif was different. He had even fought briefly holding Moonlight before.

I handed Moonlight to Denif without a word.

“Wow, wow… wow, insane!”

Denif kept exclaiming in admiration as he gripped the sword and swung it around. After a moment, he carefully returned it.

“It’s really incredible. Even though I know it doesn’t suit me well, I can feel how amazing it is. I’m so envious…”

Denif trailed off with longing eyes. Come to think of it, Denif’s sword had broken too.

“I should get you a sword too.”

“Huh? No, it’s okay. Father said he’d make one for me.”

Ah, it seemed he was thinking of having a sword made through Hamal, the dwarf affiliated with Haisen.

“Still, the imperial dwarves would probably be more skilled, wouldn’t they?”

“Well, that’s true.”

Denif continued with a contemplative look. A hint of expectation could be seen.

“And I was planning to get one for you from the imperial armory too.”

“What?”

Denif was surprised.

“You can’t go with me, but Her Majesty the Emperor said I could take whatever I wanted. Couldn’t I just pick up a few similar to what you used before and try them out?”

At my words, Denif’s expression became very serious. I had never seen him look so solemn in my life.

“Bro, no, sir.”

“Yes?”

“Sir Carlyn, I beg you. Just once, let me have a legendary sword…”

It’s not impossible to obtain a legendary sword even in Haisen. But honestly, there are limits.

Not every sword made by a dwarf becomes legendary.

It might differ for others, but personally, I think a high-quality sword that suits you is better than an ill-fitting legendary sword.

Most skilled swordsmen I’ve talked to had similar opinions. Denif would probably feel the same.

“Well, alright. I’ll take a look when I go there later.”

“Thank you!”

Denif jumped with joy. It would be nice if it could be done in one or two tries, but I could manage a few trips.

There are quite a lot of swords in the armory. There should be at least one that suits Denif.

I didn’t think Erendil would refuse my request either.

As I tried to focus on the sparring again, Terka was looking at me with a face similar to Denif’s. What’s wrong with this guy now?

“Brother Carlyn.”

I frowned immediately as my ominous prediction came true.

“Why are you calling me ‘brother’ when you’re older than me?”

“Please, just once, let me have a legendary sword too…”

“You get one from your master.”

To be honest, I felt a bit annoyed.

“Maybe if you asked after we’ve maintained some kind of relationship for a while. How long has it been since we met? As a swordsman, you should know how important a sword is.”

“It’s because I know how important it is that I’m humbling myself like this. Besides, I’ve now joined an organization under Her Majesty the Emperor. It shouldn’t be a big burden for Lord Carl Schurtafen, right?”

A thought suddenly flashed through my mind. I could put another leash on this guy.

“Hmm. True. It’s not a particularly burdensome request for me.”

“As expected of you, brother! As expected of the great Lord Carl Schurtafen!”

I didn’t like seeing him calling me ‘brother’ and flattering me when he was even older than me. The women he tries to seduce should see this side of him.

If this were Earth, I would have recorded it on camera and uploaded it to the internet.

“However, only if you keep the promises you made to me well.”

“Huh? But…”

“Honestly, getting a legendary sword in exchange for keeping your promises to me is an incredibly, no, impossibly good deal.”

“…”

My words weren’t wrong. Knowing this, Terka couldn’t say anything.

“You agree, right? Hey, you wouldn’t have acted like this under Sir Mondegreen, would you?”

“…”

“If you just behave well, you get a legendary sword for free. You’re not going to pass this up, are you?”

“Alright. I agree!”

Terka nodded with a determined face. Then he squinted one eye and looked at me cautiously.

“But how do you know me so well?”

“I can tell just by looking.”

Terka looked at my face and then nodded as if something made sense. What are you thinking?

“Then, the duration of the promise is…?”

He definitely has no intention of truly reforming. Well, people don’t change easily. There’s a reason for the saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks.

“I’ll need to observe for at least a year.”

“Ugh…”

“Even if you start causing a fuss to get a legendary sword from now on, it won’t be easy for a year.”

“Okay, okay, I got it.”

Terka nodded and then glanced at me before continuing.

“But you know.”

“What?”

“The other day, you seemed to talk as if you could beat me.”

Ah, I could immediately understand what this guy was thinking.

“You want to reduce the duration if you win the sparring?”

“As expected! We understand each other! What do you think? A man wouldn’t back down, right?”

I snorted. Well. To be honest, I think the possibility of victory is higher now than a few days ago.

I didn’t just handle external affairs while recovering from my injuries.

The rest was also a time to reflect on my swordsmanship. Moreover, there were brief intense battles with Terka and the devil.

With the devil, I mostly just got hit, but I’ve been studying that explosive and bizarre movement countless times in my mind.

“How much do you want to reduce the promise-keeping period?”

“Hmm, a month?”

“…”

“I guess a month is too little? Then how about three months?”

“…”

“…Alright, six months.”

“Well, fine.”

Joy spread across Terka’s face.

“But I have a condition too.”

“What is it?”

“If I win, it extends to two years?”

“…Alright.”

After a moment’s consideration, Terka lifted one corner of his mouth. It was a handsome smile. Enough to make a woman fall for him at first sight.

Hmm.

With this level of confidence, it seemed Mondegreen had told him something about our swordsmanship. It doesn’t matter.

The past judgment might have included a master’s fondness for his disciple, and I am not the same person I was then.

I raised Moonlight.

Moonlight settles on the jet-black blade. As it moves and the angle changes, silver and moonlight blend, giving the impression of deepening color.

“Then, let’s begin.”

Terka also drew his sword. It was a flashy sword, contrasting with the simple yet elegant Moonlight.