How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game Chapter 235 - Festival (5)

In the evening, when I met Erendil again at the imperial palace, she had changed her appearance with magic. Her hair and eyes were black.

I could sense the mana, but it took quite a bit of attention to notice. There was no sense of incongruity. It was the work of an Archmage.

Most people would find it difficult to notice. Her attire was that of a noble lady. This was probably to avoid any unnecessary problems.

I was playing the role of a knight protecting the lady. The Archmage’s touch had been applied to me as well. It was certainly more comfortable than makeup. Someone like Denif would probably recognize us right away, though.

“Let’s go.”

“Is the lord not coming with us?”

Only Erendil and I were disguised by magic. When I asked Rudehrn, who was standing still, he smiled slyly.

“Why should I move when there’s a Sword Master like you?”

There was no room to argue since it wasn’t wrong. I left the imperial palace discreetly with Erendil.

From the moment we stepped out of the gate, Erendil looked around with eyes full of curiosity.

“Your Majesty, you need to be careful with your speech.”

Even with the same meaning, the language used by royalty differed from that of nobles in some aspects.

“Don’t worry. I’ve been practicing for two days.”

I guess a maid probably taught her. There were still many people, but not as many as on the first or second day. It seemed to be because it was the last day.

For a festival lasting 5 days, some people might have enjoyed it at first but gotten bored by now.

‘Hmm.’

From the moment we left the castle gates, I didn’t forget to use my winds to detect the surrounding area.

There were intelligence agency agents here and there, but they weren’t watching us. It seemed we had come out without informing the intelligence agency.

Well, it didn’t matter. With me, a Sword Master, here, there was no need for the intelligence agency’s observation.

And it could even be dangerous.

There were many cases where remnants raised their heads the moment you thought you had completely eradicated them. I wonder if only the Archmage and bodyguard knights knew about Erendil’s outing.

“What is that?”

“It’s traditional clothing from the east.”

“It looks strange. Not bad at all.”

Erendil will soon be twenty, but she hasn’t had many experiences outside the imperial palace.

When she was young, she was oppressed a lot, and in her teens, she fought for the emperor’s position.

It was a period when her foundation wasn’t solid, and there were even terrorist attacks targeting her, so it was difficult and dangerous for Erendil to go outside.

She spent her most curious age cooped up in the imperial palace, unable to have fun.

She had occasionally marched through the streets during triumphal ceremonies or coming-of-age ceremonies, but she probably didn’t have time to observe in detail as she had to show a proper appearance.

“What are they doing there? I don’t understand why they’re moving the cups around.”

“It’s a gambling game called shell game. They put a small ball in one of the cups, shuffle them, and you have to guess which cup has the ball.”

She doesn’t even know about the shell game, so you can imagine how sheltered she’s been.

“Is that so? I don’t understand. Wouldn’t someone like you become rich if you played that?”

“Usually, it’s a scam. The people who run it are quite skilled too. They probably wouldn’t let someone like me play.”

The shell game in this world is much more difficult than on Earth. Both the tricksters and the players.

In a world with mana, where there are many strong individuals, it’s not easy to cheat.

Therefore, even the tricksters tend to have skills above those of an ordinary mercenary.

Of course, there are many people who are even more skilled than that. When they face each other, the trickster usually lets them win.

They’re doing business by accepting a small loss.

However, if someone tries to interfere, it’s a different story. They either bribe them to leave or the trickster leaves the spot.

There are also people who aim for that bribe. Well, both the tricksters and such people are cut from the same cloth.

“Would you like to try?”

“No, didn’t you say it was a scam?”

She clearly looked curious. She seemed interested, but was she holding back because of her dignity?

“Let’s give it a try. I’ll tell them to play honestly.”

“Hmm.”

“This is also part of the festival. Didn’t you come out to enjoy it?”

Erendil nodded reluctantly. I immediately approached the trickster. Just by looking, I could tell he wasn’t unskilled.

Of course, he couldn’t compare to me, but I guessed he might be a mercenary who usually works in the capital and is doing this to make some money during the festival.

The trickster was already aware that we were looking at him. He started scanning me from the moment we began approaching. It was time for assessment.

“I’d like to play properly, without any tricks.”

I whispered quietly while making eye contact, infusing my words with pressure. The focused pressure on one person made the trickster flinch.

“I’m not the one playing, this lady will.”

Was I too harsh? The trickster looked into my eyes, seeming a bit frightened. He was trying to discern the truth of my words.

I had no intention of interfering. And the pressured trickster nodded.

“A-alright then.”

I placed a few coins on the table. It wasn’t an amount that would cause much trouble. The trickster seemed to have finally understood that I was serious.

Carefully putting the money in his pocket, he returned to his merchant face and tried to build up excitement.

“Well then, my lady. Let’s begin. You just need to guess which cup has the ball.”

As soon as Erendil nodded, the three cups started moving around on the board. Of course, I knew which one was the correct answer.

However, it would be a bit difficult for Erendil. Although she had trained hard, she wasn’t exceptionally gifted in physical abilities.

Erendil focused, her eyes wide open. After a brief moment of distraction, the three cups stopped. The trickster swallowed hard and said,

“Please make your guess.”

“The, the left one?”

Erendil tilted her head.

“The correct answer is… the middle one!”

The trickster said this while unnecessarily glancing at me. I had no complaints since there was no trickery.

“Hmm, I was sure it was the left one.”

This time, Erendil looked up at me with round eyes. She seemed to be asking if it wasn’t a scam.

“It was the middle one. Would you like to try again?”

Realizing she was wrong, Erendil showed her competitive spirit with a slight frown.

“Yes. I’ll get it right this time.”

She used a slightly different way of speaking in front of people compared to when she talked to me privately, which was hard to get used to.

But she seemed to be enjoying it quite a bit. I handed over the same amount of money this time too. The trickster shuffled the cups.

“The middle one?”

However, this time the trickster deliberately let her win. The correct answer was the right one, but… he opened the left cup first and then, while lifting the middle and right cups, used quick hand movements to flick the ball into the middle cup.

Even watching with my eyes, I thought it was quite a skilled sleight of hand. Erendil was concentrating but didn’t notice.

“See! I, I got it right!”

“Well done.”

Erendil looked at me and rejoiced like a child. I smiled back in response.

And to the quite perceptive trickster, I pretended to receive money while slipping him a gold coin.

Having practiced pickpocketing, I could naturally perform sleight of hand as well.

Immediately after moving away, when I looked back, the surprised trickster was looking at me with big eyes after checking the contents.

“My lady! Sir Knight! Have a safe journey!”

Nothing special happened after that. We walked around the capital, experiencing things Erendil found fascinating and eating food from street stalls.

There were things Erendil had never seen before. After all, street food from various regions doesn’t appear in the imperial palace.

“What an interesting flavor. Would you like to try some?”

“I’m fine, thank you.”

“You’re consistent. Did you eat dinner before we met?”

Erendil asked with a concerned voice. Since we met right at dinner time.

This was a natural thing as I had prepared for such a situation.

“I had something light.”

“Hmm. It would have been nice if we ate together. But if you don’t like it, there’s nothing we can do.”

Knowing that I don’t enjoy snacks other than meals, Erendil didn’t press further.

“Isn’t this a drink of the western natives?”

“That’s right.”

It was something like lassi from India on Earth.

“I remember enjoying it.”

Although it wasn’t expensive, Erendil frowned after taking a sip.

“Don’t you like it?”

“It’s a bit different from what I had before.”

I smiled subtly.

“That’s how it usually is. It can’t be compared to the imperial palace chefs.”

“I can’t drink this.”

“Give it to me. I’ll dispose of it.”

As the evening grew later, the city became even more boisterous. It was because the number of drunk people increased.

Bang- Bang-! Lights shot up into the night sky, fired by mages who were paid to do so.

Similar to fireworks on Earth, but being made of magic, they could freely write messages.

This time, it was a love confession between lovers.

“It’s noisy. Isn’t there a quieter place?”

Erendil wasn’t the type to enjoy loud places either. After wandering around for a while, she showed slight signs of discomfort.

Well. It didn’t seem easy to find such a place during a festival. Then a memory came to mind.

The clock tower where I met Phiri.

It was the place I went on the night I first came to Chenarus, the capital of the empire. It wasn’t far from where we were now.

“There’s a good place.”

“Let’s go then.”

When we arrived in front of the clock tower, Erendil tilted her head.

“Is this really the place you meant?”

“Yes.”

“It is quiet, but it looks a bit gloomy.”

“It will be different when we go up.”

I spoke confidently. As we slowly climbed the stairs, I told Erendil the legend associated with the tower.

The story of the crow that hated the sun.

And naturally, it connected to the episode of when I came to the empire. Anyway, Erendil knew I belonged to Haisen, so it didn’t matter. Erendil laughed after hearing the story.

“So you had your clumsy moments too, wandering around Chenarus all day.”

“It was a difficult problem to solve right away.”

“I know. I’m just saying this because I’ve never seen that side of you.”

“I was young back then, you know?”

“Well, sixteen is the same age as when I first met you. Thinking about it, I’ve changed a lot too.”

As soon as we reached the top of the clock tower after talking, Erendil let out a small exclamation.

“Oh, not bad at all.”

While the view of Chenarus from the high ground of the imperial palace was beautiful, this wasn’t bad either.

If the imperial palace had its own beauty, this place had its own charm.

The white city bathed in moonlight shimmered as if it was rippling silver. A wind blew from somewhere, making Erendil’s hair flutter.

Erendil closed her eyes for a moment and felt the wind.

“It’s not your doing, is it?”

“Can you tell the difference?”

“Of course. The wind you blow feels a bit more comfortable.”

She can distinguish the wind? I could understand if it was the type of wind used to maintain body temperature while flying or the wind that wraps around the body.

Of course, I did pay attention to the temperature and strength when making wind blow for Erendil, but it was somewhat surprising that she could distinguish it from natural wind.

“By the way, I heard that Count Sanat’s daughter was rude to you.”

So that’s why the maids seemed to be looking at me. I didn’t expect the story would reach Erendil.

“It was nothing.”

“From what I heard, she seems to be a girl without manners. I’ll take separate measures, so don’t worry.”

“What? Please leave it be. The Count has already reprimanded her.”

“Hmm.”

Erendil looked at me with an uncomfortable face. She seemed to be gauging my intentions.

“It’s not worth Your Majesty’s intervention.”

“Well, if that’s your wish.”

Erendil nodded and looked at the night view. As a moment of silence passed, I had one thing I was curious about.

“Your Majesty, where was the place you wanted to go together?”

Erendil smiled at me.

“The emperor has a separate villa. It’s a place hidden by Great Magic from the past, like Tenorio.”

“Is that so?”

“When I was young, my father took me there once. The scenery was so beautiful. I was thinking of going there.”

“Can’t you go anytime?”

“You played a part in my becoming emperor, so I wanted to see it with you for the first time if possible.”

Erendil spoke calmly while looking at the night view.

“Please call me when you have time.”

“That’s not possible. My knight has reached a new level, so that’s more important. And won’t there be other busy matters after that?”

She’s not wrong. After the festival ends, we need to think about the devil in the north.

However, Erendil’s feelings, who would shoulder all of this, were also an important part. Although she is a strong person.

“It’s alright.”

“I’m the one who’s alright. There will be plenty of opportunities. I am the emperor and a person who knows priorities.”

It was at that moment. Suddenly, thump- I felt my blood heating up. It’s a familiar sensation. It was the descent of a devil.

Oh no, I was a beat late. It seems something happened in the east while the festival was going on.

“Schurtafen! Are you alright?”

Since we were facing each other, Erendil immediately noticed my abnormality. Her eyes were worried.

“…Your Majesty, another devil has appeared in the east.”

Erendil’s face hardened like mine.

“I regret holding the festival. I shouldn’t have done it.”

“It was unavoidable.”

Even if we knew this, we would have had to hold the festival. Internal management is just as important. But I would have headed to the east.

Thump- Thump-

However, the devil’s descent didn’t end with just one. Two more shocks followed in succession.

My heart beat furiously fast and hard. At this moment, 3 devils had descended upon this land.

How on earth?

For me, who had been preventing them, it was an utterly incomprehensible event.