How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game Chapter 249 - Lull (2)

It was impossible to resist the influence of Eccentric Actions anyway. I silently wrapped my arm lightly around Erendil’s shoulders.

Erendil flinched slightly in surprise but soon buried her head in my chest and began to cry softly.

The crying started small but gradually grew into larger sobs. It wasn’t long ago that Minteron had become Erendil’s bodyguard knight.

As I patted Erendil’s back, I felt that this crying was due to emotions that had built up over a much longer time. It was understandable.

Erendil had suffered a lot since she was young. She had been treated like a sack of barley in the imperial palace.

She started receiving attention after I stood by her side, but then she lost her mother and I, whom she trusted, left her side.

Even Emmet, who had been with her for a long time, lost an arm and couldn’t pay much attention to Erendil as he was focused on training.

‘It must have been hard.’

Thanks to me, Erendil’s position within the empire had changed quite a bit, but it must have been unfamiliar for her to endure alone.

After her father’s death, she had killed those she considered brothers, and now this incident had occurred.

Erendil was someone who didn’t take her subordinates lightly. Even during the war with the West, she grieved for the fallen soldiers.

It was understandable for her emotions to well up after seeing the significant casualties, the death of the loyal Minteron who had served her father since childhood, and even dreaming of losing me.

I waited until Erendil calmed down. Intermittent crying continued in the silence.

Then at some point, Erendil’s body stiffened briefly before she rubbed her eyes and raised her head.

“I’m sorry. I’ve shown you an unsightly side of myself.”

Well. Though her bloodshot eyes and tear streaks were clear, I didn’t find it unsightly at all. They were tears shed because she cared for people.

“Not at all. I deeply understand the sorrow Your Majesty feels.”

“Thank you for saying so.”

Erendil nodded as she said that, then looked to the side and let out a deep sigh. After that, her vulnerable appearance disappeared.

Though her eyes were still moist, she soon faced me with the firm expression of an emperor that she showed in front of others.

“So, was there anything unusual in the East? I was very anxious after having that dream.”

“I’ll tell you later.”

It was an important matter, but I didn’t want to tell Erendil now. It was also related to the Great Devil, and if I explained in detail, I would have to talk about things that almost went terribly wrong.

But Erendil looked at me resolutely.

“Something happened. Tell me. I showed a moment of weakness before you, but I’m asking this now as the Emperor of the Empire.”

I looked into Erendil’s eyes for a moment. Her moist eyes had hardened again.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

It seemed I didn’t need to worry too much. I talked about what had happened in the East.

Erendil’s expression became serious from the moment I mentioned entering enemy territory alone.

“That was a dangerous choice.”

“It couldn’t be helped.”

“Still…”

And when I said I had escaped the world of the amulet and faced the devil, she forgot to breathe for a moment, even though she could see I was alive.

When I mentioned seeing the sphere, she tilted her head in surprise, but when I said I destroyed it, she regained her composure.

After hearing that the sphere exploded and darkness clung to my hand, she even opened her mouth wide. It was interesting to tell the story as her facial expressions changed so vividly.

“Your arm, is your arm alright?”

Erendil hastily pulled my right arm towards her and rolled up the sleeve. She was startled to see the black marks.

“This, this is…”

“It’s fine. It’s just a scar, there’s no real problem.”

In fact, it was fine when Devil’s Blood was activated, but afterwards I felt sharp pain when holding a sword or moving.

However, as it was gradually healing, there was no need to make her worry unnecessarily.

“The Great Devil? You think it’s related to the Great Devil?”

“Yes. There’s no need for only one to take the form of a sphere when summoning three. Moreover, the sphere I saw seemed to be trying to condense darkness.”

Erendil couldn’t speak for a moment, her face full of concern.

“This is serious.”

“But I destroyed one… so it should be a bit better. Now there are two spheres and one devil left.”

“Ah, should we have killed that thing here?”

A hint of regret showed on Erendil’s face.

“Did Count Campbell say we should capture the devil even if it meant sacrificing our allies?”

“…How did you know?”

“I thought he might.”

It was what I had expected even before coming here.

“Don’t worry. Any plan would have been meaningless from the moment the devil approached hidden among the monster horde.”

No matter how sharp a Sword Master’s intuition is, it can’t penetrate the aura of a stronger being hiding itself. The devil is stronger than a Sword Master.

Unless one was observing the entire battlefield with winds like me, it would have been difficult for Minteron to detect the devil approaching hidden among the giant monsters from afar. By the time it got close, it would have been too late to escape.

“Is that so.”

Even after I said that, Erendil still looked concerned, so I nodded firmly.

“Yes. Both Count Campbell’s opinion and Your Majesty’s opinion are valid, but the result would not have changed regardless of which method was chosen.”

Count Campbell’s opinion came out when the monster horde appeared, so it was a meaningless assumption anyway.

Still, my words seemed to comfort her a bit, as Erendil’s expression relaxed somewhat.

“Your Majesty, was there any news from the southwest?”

I also needed to hear about how the continent had fared in my absence.

“Not that I know of. Why, is it because of the elves?”

“Yes. The monsters’ actions were the dwarves’ doing, so I wondered if anything might have happened on the opposite side as well.”

I had asked Al Fahri about the southwest, but if the elves moved with full force, it would be difficult for him alone to stop them.

For example, if they had joined hands with the elves contrary to my expectations, the situation could have become complicated.

Judging by the number of monsters, it was clear they had already formed an alliance with the dwarves and prepared in advance.

However, seeing that the elves in the southwest had been quiet, it seemed to be alright. They still had no connection with the devil.

I suppose the Karantang Forest explosion incident must have had an impact. They must think their Archmage was defeated by the devil.

“Schurtafen, have you eaten?”

I had many questions, but Erendil spoke first.

“Not yet.”

“I thought so. You must not have rested properly, rushing here from the East after hearing the news.”

“No, I got the minimum rest.”

“Don’t lie. Your already tired face looks even more haggard.”

Erendil fidgeted with her hands before putting them down. Well, when else did she believe I only spoke the truth.

Well, I suppose our standards for rest are different. Erendil averted her gaze and continued speaking.

“Let’s have a meal together.”

***

In the evening, I bowed my head in silent prayer before Minteron’s coffin. To be honest, we weren’t that close.

Unlike Rudehrn and Faorn, Minteron hadn’t paid special attention to me. But he was a good person. He was loyal and trustworthy.

I heard that Minteron’s funeral was held yesterday evening in a solemn and brief manner due to the wartime situation.

When we return to Chenarus, it will be held as a state funeral.

After the meal with Erendil, the staff including Campbell gathered for a meeting.

First, it was decided that more than half of the army in the north would return to Chenarus for now.

‘There’s not much to do now that they’ve crossed over to the east anyway.’

The remaining forces would begin work to stabilize the northern region that had been considered to be in the domain of devil worshippers.

The rest of the soldiers weren’t being disbanded just because they were going to Chenarus.

As the enemy was in the east, we planned to establish a front line from the northeastern mountains along the Trafal Mountain Range to the east.

We would build the front line with minimal forces, and the remaining soldiers would stand by behind it, ready to move at any time.

Whether we attack first or they attack first, it would be a long and tiring fight for the soldiers on standby.

This was somewhat burdensome for the empire as well. War quickly depletes money, and soldiers are also labor force.

The final decision would be made after considering everything in the capital. The invasion of the east is not something that can be easily decided either.

And very fortunately, I was able to confirm the survival of Aron, Jofor, and Namir.

‘They were lucky.’

I heard they were relatively fine because they were at the front line. The monsters had launched a surprise attack from the mountains in the rear.

Of course, there was fighting at the front line to stop the devil worshippers moving to the east, but it was relatively better.

-Brother, you’ve come.

Even though it was just one battle, Aron and Jofor looked quite grown up. It must be due to the combat experience, as well as meeting and interacting with many people around them.

Many of the empire’s veteran soldiers are people who serve as role models just by their presence.

And some battles can teach more in one go than several battles combined.

I told the kids, who were shaking their heads at my words of praise for their hard work, that luck is also a skill on the battlefield.

‘I’d like to deal with the dwarves before leaving.’

I asked Erendil if I could go alone to the northeastern mountains. It was because of the dwarves. It was a surprise attack by nearly 15,000 monsters.

From the dwarves’ perspective, it’s fair to say they used almost all the resources they had accumulated so far.

However, the problem was that those forces could reappear at any time. There were also concerns about the distribution of Flynn Powder.

If Flynn Powder was smuggled into the empire and turned ordinary people in the east into beasts, it would only make our fight more difficult.

However, Erendil opposed it. She judged it was too dangerous for me to go alone. Rudehrn and Faorn agreed.

The mountains were enemy territory, and the devil might still be there.

‘It’s not wrong.’

I didn’t insist too strongly as I agreed to some extent. The devil probably went east, but you never know.

This battle might not have been aimed at just a surprise attack.

Wouldn’t they have considered the possibility that the young emperor might get excited and lead soldiers into the northeastern mountains?

If I were them, I would have. If we pursued deep inside, they might have planned to launch a perfect counterattack.

Even the thought that they had used most of their monster army was just speculation.

‘It’s time.’

Instead, I decided to head to the southeastern desert. Considering the travel time, Denif should be in the middle of searching the southeastern desert now.

Assuming travel by dragon carriage, it wasn’t a time when I would miss Denif.

There was nothing higher priority than going to the southeastern desert, as a lull would be maintained for now anyway.

Even if we could get just one or two more glowstones, it could change the entire course of the war.

A few days later, in the southeastern desert, I could see Denif training with a sword on the desert sands.

Denif was momentarily flustered when he saw me descending from the sky.

“Oh, oh. Carlyn, you’re here? What’s the matter? Did things in the east get resolved well?”

I glared at Denif for a moment.

“Why are you holding a sword in broad daylight? Are you really searching for the ruins?”

“No, well…”

It’s good that Denif is training with the sword since he has the potential to become a Sword Master, but the glowstone should be the priority.

Moreover, it was a bit vexing to see him holding a sword in broad daylight.

At that moment, I sensed another figure approaching us. As I turned my head wondering what it was, an unexpected person was there.

“Sir Mondegreen?”