How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game Chapter 262 - The Dwarven Mountains (5)

It took a little over two hours to dig through the blocked tunnel and emerge. We couldn’t dig straight up through the ground, so we dug diagonally.

The reason it took longer than expected was that we extended the diagonal path to get as far away from their territory as possible.

The dwarves must have been quite flustered. They blocked the entrance after detecting traces of intruders, but they couldn’t track our trail.

Moreover, seeing the dwarf corpses in the passage we passed through, they wouldn’t think we went in another direction.

‘We won’t be pursued underground.’

Denif filled in the back with the soil he dug from the front. I supplied oxygen with my winds. There was no way for them to detect the tunnel we were digging.

They wouldn’t even think humans could dig a tunnel and escape on the spot.

As we reached the final stage, reflecting on today’s mission, I judged that my choices had been quite excellent. Denif, Rina, and Terka all performed their roles perfectly.

In fact, I had somewhat intended for Denif and Rina. I thought we might need to use sand in the dwarves’ underground city, and Rina was the best candidate for finding things.

In contrast, I brought Terka as a reliable combat agent who knew Rina and Denif. Nothing more, nothing less, and I had no expectations.

But I didn’t expect him to obtain information with his charm at the most crucial moment. It was an unexpected achievement.

‘The combination turned out surprisingly good.’

To be honest, I still thought it would be nice to have a mage. There were still some minor inconveniences.

Orhen, who knows us, would be the best. The problem is we can’t bring Orhen.

We can’t just bring anyone from the imperial court either. Physical endurance is quite important for the nature of the mission.

I didn’t think about bringing another mage since we’ve done well so far. It’s just a bit regrettable.

‘Should I ask Osten for a magic item?’

For instance, he might be able to create a detector that discovers things that have been magically treated. I should at least bring it up.

As we approached the surface, I moved the winds without even poking my head out of the hole.

Since I didn’t even show my face, no one would know we were there even if someone was right next to us.

Our idea of digging a long diagonal path seemed to have worked, as there were no dwarves nearby.

There were some about 1km away. A group of dwarves and monsters surveying the surroundings as if on guard. It didn’t seem like it would be a problem.

Although we were delayed more than expected, we completely accomplished the given mission.

Not only did we destroy the Flynn Powder factory, but we also uncovered the close conspiracy between the dwarves and devil worshippers. We’d have to think about how to respond to that, but it was better than not knowing.

I looked at the sky and gauged the direction. It’s time to return safely now that the mission is complete. I wasn’t too worried.

***

Right after leaving the dwarves’ territory, we couldn’t head straight to the imperial camp. It was because of the famous swords we brought.

From the moment they felt it was safe, Denif and Terka kept glancing at me.

Terka was especially worse. His previous aggrieved look was nowhere to be seen now. His eyes were fixed on the famous swords.

Because of this, I stopped moving for a moment. I figured it would be better to distribute them now since we’d be doing it anyway.

‘I should distribute them before meeting Erendil.’

It’s better to set some aside first and give the rest as gifts, rather than showing them all and then taking some back.

I placed the famous swords I was holding with winds in a straight line in front of Terka.

“Hmm, ah… tsk…”

Terka just smacked his lips, seemingly at a loss for words, looking at the 11 famous swords placed in front of him. When he did this for a minute, I frowned.

“Even though we’re in a safe area, we don’t have all the time in the world. Quickly pick them up one by one and finish.”

“Wait, this is a historic moment.”

“What’s so historic about it?”

“It’s the moment when the next Sword Master finds his sword.”

At Terka’s words, Denif flared up.

“What? The next Sword Master?”

“Why?”

“That’s me.”

“Bullshit. You’re still no match for me.”

Sparks flew from Denif’s eyes. You could see him boiling with anger.

“Just because you’re ahead now doesn’t mean you’ll be ahead till the end.”

“Well. If we go by the sparring order from then, I think I’m next after Carlyn. I won recently too.”

Terka shrugged nonchalantly. In fact, this was a fight Denif couldn’t win.

Denif had consistently lost in sparring unless he actually became a Sword Master first.

There was a bit of a bad matchup. Denif was the type to charge in recklessly, while Terka was excessively flashy.

Of course, this matchup could flip at any time. Denif’s current struggle is because he has a blocked area.

Unless he finds a target he needs to charge at recklessly, he can’t break through just by being reckless.

Denif wasn’t unaware of this, but he was struggling a bit. Terka was also growing by exchanging swords with Denif.

“Enough. We don’t have time.”

I hastily cut off their words. The conversation probably wouldn’t get longer, but the atmosphere felt like they might suddenly suggest having another duel right here.

Suddenly, I wondered if this was the kind of relationship Mondegreen meant when he called Minteron a bad friend.

“You’re both half right and half wrong. Just because you’re ahead now doesn’t mean you’ll break through the wall first.”

I said, looking at Terka. Terka couldn’t refute what I said and turned his gaze away.

Next was Denif.

“And Sword Master isn’t the end either.”

Denif just nodded, seeming to realize his mistake. Rina silently put her hand on Denif’s shoulder. I sighed and gestured to Terka.

“Let’s hurry and go.”

“No, because of him…”

Terka was about to blame Denif but trailed off after seeing my eyes.

“Just wait a bit.”

Then he stared intently at the famous swords again. Honestly, I didn’t understand why he was just looking.

“Why are you doing that? Can’t you just pick them up?”

“It’s cooler if the person who will become a Sword Master chooses his sword at once among 11 famous swords.”

I didn’t hold back my sigh. I don’t know if he needs a story to tell somewhere or if it’s just self-satisfaction. Rina also looked at Terka with contemptuous eyes.

Only Denif nodded with somewhat sympathetic eyes. What fools.

“Aren’t you going to try them all anyway?”

“Well, that’s true, but…”

“Hurry up and grab one. Before I give you only the first one you pick.”

Terka, who was about to say something, looked at my eyes and picked up any sword. Finally, he’s doing it.

After that, I quietly waited during the process of selecting the sword. It’s a sacred moment after all.

Terka tried all 11 swords and narrowed it down to two. The final selection didn’t take long.

It wasn’t the sword Terka picked up first. I thought he might be a bit disappointed, but he wasn’t.

Where did his earlier resolution go? He was swinging the new sword around with an excited face.

“You’re going with that one?”

“Yeah. This is it.”

“Then, Denif.”

Denif also touched this and that, but he didn’t try all the swords like Terka.

When he gripped the third sword, Denif nodded with a confident face. A strange smile was noticeable.

“This is it.”

“You don’t want to try the rest?”

I asked, tilting my head, but Denif was confident.

“Yeah. This is much better than the previous one.”

To be honest, I thought Denif wouldn’t change. It’s not easy to find a sword that fits your hand.

I suddenly thought that Denif might have never held a sword that truly fit his hand until now. His decision was too quick, and that strange smile was concerning.

When he chose a famous sword before, he might have chosen the best option so far because he had no such experience.

When I looked at Denif and gave him a look, he nodded while raising the corners of his mouth. That strange confidence, my guess seemed to be right.

‘This could make Denif grow even faster?’

Either way, I hoped they would both get stronger quickly. The addition of two Sword Masters meant more options.

“Rina, you choose one too.”

“Huh? Me too?”

“You use a sword too. You contributed to finding the base. You can take one.”

At my words, Terka, who immediately looked aggrieved, soon remembered what happened in the tunnel and nodded to himself.

I thought he wouldn’t be like this with women, but he’s surprisingly narrow-minded. Or is it because Rina dislikes him a bit?

Well, anyway. Rina uses a relatively short sword, but that doesn’t matter much in choosing a famous sword.

Not all famous swords are the same length. The 11 we brought were all different lengths.

Rina contemplated a bit longer than the other two before choosing the shortest sword. Unlike us, she didn’t seem to find a sword that matched her.

Still, it’s certainly better than the sword she’s using now, and Rina has her merits, so it’s fine to give it to her. I said I’d give proper rewards when I brought them along.

“Thank you, Carlyn.”

“It’s nothing. You’re getting what you earned.”

“That’s different. You did the mission with us too. It’s thanks to you that we were called, and that we could bring these swords.”

“At least you appreciate it, Rina.”

“I’m different from some sword idiots.”

Denif and Terka looked sheepish at our words.

“Oh, oh. Of course I’m grateful too!”

“Y-yes! I’m really grateful. I’m just not good at expressing myself…”

“That’s enough.”

I chuckled. Although Rina’s words made the atmosphere a bit strange, I didn’t particularly mind.

Denif has helped me a lot until now, and Terka did obtain valuable information.

However, I was a bit pleased to see Rina, whom I brought, show such an attitude. She had been so quiet until now.

Still, I felt we were getting closer little by little as time passed.

“Let’s go back.”

When we safely returned, I could sense that the battle in the mountains had been quite successful even from afar. Apart from the commotion, there was a lot of laughter.

There must have been casualties, but everyone was enjoying the afterglow of victory.

Soldiers who didn’t know I was here were surprised to see me, opening their eyes wide and saluting formally. I waved my hand, telling them to rest easy.

One knight I recognized approached with hurried steps.

“My lord, were you here?”

“Yes. I was carrying out another mission from Her Majesty…”

“Is it related to the dwarves by any chance?”

The knight asked carefully. There was no need to hide it, but I couldn’t tell him in detail, so I just gave a faint smile.

The knight seemed to realize his mistake and licked his dry lips, fumbling for words.

“Ah, I’m sorry. But it seems things went well for you.”

“How did the battle go?”

“It was a great victory.”

Of course, I didn’t ask because I didn’t know that, so the knight provided additional details about the battle situation. It was more successful than expected.

After the invasion of the northeastern mountains was decided, the frontline soldiers trained in formations to counter monsters.

Therefore, they weren’t broken by the monsters’ charges and were able to drive the monster groups into the inner part of the mountains that we had identified.

The Sword Masters and Archmages struck from behind. Enormous Sword Energy and wide-area magic rained down like a bombardment, he said.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Hard work? Up to the dwarves’ stronghold… No, you must have worked harder, my lord?”

The knight started to speak but caught himself midway again, then continued with flattery. He seemed like a person who wasn’t bad but had a loose tongue.

I grinned, bringing my index finger to my lips. It will be announced soon anyway, but it’s better for the imperial court to talk about it than for rumors to spread.

“Yes! I went on a special mission from Her Majesty. Don’t worry about it.”

I smiled but looked at him with resolute eyes, so the knight nodded with a slightly stiff face.

Watching the knight walk away, I spoke to Denif.

“Denif, go check on the kids’ safety first.”

“Okay.”

“They should be fine, right?”

“Don’t worry.”

When Rina worried, Denif nodded firmly. Namir, Jofor, and Aron participated in this expedition too. They would have moved on the front lines, so checking was essential.

At that moment, a knight came running towards me from afar. He was panting, seeming to have run at full speed.

“Huff, huff. Lord Schurtafen.”

“What’s the matter?”

“Her Majesty urgently requests your presence.”

What’s this about? It seems she heard the news of my return, but I couldn’t help but tilt my head.

We won the battle and I returned safely, so why would she urgently call for me? Did some problem arise?