How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game Chapter 29 - The Empire (3)

“By the way, why were you surprised when you saw me?”

My heart seemed to skip a beat. Indeed, a leader was a leader. He saw through the momentary lapse and spoke.

As Phiri’s questioning gaze was directed at me, I quickly turned my head.

In truth, ever since I was surprised, I had been preparing an excuse just in case.

But I was only double-checking before speaking.

The two in front of me were pros among pros; they wouldn’t settle for mediocre excuses.

I looked at Derek with a trembling face.

“On a personal level, it’s a delicate matter… Do I really have to tell you?”

“We need to talk. I don’t want suspicious characters under my command from the first meeting, no matter how much the duke has raised them.”

Derek grinned slyly. Well, I wasn’t sure. Maybe it was just a grin, and I interpreted it that way.

Given the situation and the fact that I knew his true nature.

Deliberately glancing between the two of them, I took a breath and spoke.

“Occasionally, I’ve seen the appearance of a man in my dreams. I wondered if it could be my father from a time I can’t remember.”

“He looks like me?”

“Yes.”

I had momentarily lost my composure earlier, but not now.

Derek, who had been looking into my eyes, let out a faint laugh and nodded.

“Well, that’s disappointing. I don’t know if I have a child somewhere on this continent, but I’ve never seen one.”

With Derek’s words, the atmosphere relaxed.

It seemed like a joke, so I could only smile lightly.

“I apologize for troubling you with unnecessary concerns.”

“It’s okay. It happens. I would have done the same. However, you need to learn to control your facial expressions better. It was alright but slightly delayed.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Although it seemed to pass smoothly, there was a slightly troubling aspect.

Before coming here, I had told Duke that I had no memories of the past.

Come to think of it, it didn’t seem like a big problem.

As long as I mentioned that only the appearance of a person presumed to be my father appeared and I have no memories of the past.

“Well, anyway, nice to meet you. I secretly hoped you would come after reading the evaluation report, but I didn’t really expect it.”

“I came to the Empire because I thought there was much more to learn in this harsh land.”

“I’m glad you find it more appealing.”

Derek smiled at Phiri’s words. Phiri added hastily.

“Of course, my persuasion played a significant role in the process.”

“Are you sure? I heard that this person originally had a different place they wanted to go. Did it change to the Empire?”

“I’m sure. Isn’t that right?”

Phiri turned to me with a self-assured face.

“Yes.”

“Hmm…”

Derek, with a contemplative tone, glanced at me and Phiri.

“Well, let’s just go with that. Take good care of him and teach him while you’re at it. They won’t show it, but there might be some kids who are jealous.”

“Yes!”

“Carlyn, you should learn a lot from Phiri too. Being the youngest vice leader, there’s much for you to learn.”

“Yes.”

As I listened to their conversation, I realized something. It felt like an unexpected blow to the back of my head, so to speak?

It wasn’t a bad feeling, but I would have to ask Phiri about it later. Derek turned his gaze to me.

“Ah, by the way. I heard that you have chronic fatigue due to Mysophobia. Does it pose any problems during missions?”

“I’m fine. I can tolerate it to a certain extent during missions.”

It was a question that served as a confirmation, similar to checking the evaluation report.

I wasn’t too concerned about it. I had been trained in this aspect under the duke’s guidance.

It was a rather painful process, but it was helpful.

Although it was not a cure, it did help me raise my threshold a bit.

It could be mentally challenging if it persisted in the long run, and there had been instances of hyperventilation.

However, it didn’t reach a level where it became a significant issue.

“And sometimes you do strange things.”

“…It doesn’t pose any problems during missions.”

I didn’t have much to say in response to this question. Those incidents were a result of my Eccentric Actions.

Fortunately, they didn’t cause major issues.

Doing things like suddenly drawing on the wall or standing in the rain at the training field despite having Mysophobia?

Of course, they appeared strange to others.

The incidents involving Lena and Marhan getting mad at me, or Orhen and Denif mentioning my eccentricity, were also due to my Eccentric Actions.

“Yeah, well, if you’ve come this far, I guess it’s fine.”

After saying that, Derek returned his gaze to the documents on the desk.

It didn’t seem like he was showing a great deal of interest in me as I had expected.

In a way, it seemed like a natural response.

He was the leader of a spy organization. Even if the duke raised me, he must have dealt with new recruits multiple times.

“Has the destination been decided?”

Phiri asked cautiously, perhaps sensing something from that behavior. The leader nodded his head.

“I have to go to Kahalin and assist the Guild. It seems like things will be more difficult than anticipated. You’ll get the details when you get there.”

“Understood. I’ll depart tomorrow morning.”

Kahalin?

Kahalin was located in the northern part of the empire. Upon hearing that I would depart tomorrow, I sighed inwardly.

“Alright then. You’ve worked hard. You can go now.”

The leader waved his hand casually, his face indifferent. Phiri took a serious step forward.

“Leader.”

“What is it?”

“I should be given the reward.”

Derek furrowed his brows.

“What reward?”

“We made a bet, saying that I would bring him along.”

“Sigh…”

The leader sighed with a weary expression. He seemed somewhat resigned.

The little performance earlier had already caught his attention.

“I’ll give you half.”

“Oh, come on, just a small amount…”

“Don’t be greedy. In the end, Carlyn coming to the empire is the result, so I’m giving it to you.”

“Understood.”

When the leader looked slightly displeased, Phiri quickly nodded and walked away, still smiling at me.

“What are you doing? Let’s go.”

After bidding farewell and stepping outside, I asked the smiling Phiri, while fiddling with the money pouch.

In the narrow alley, I asked the smiling Phiri while holding the stack of money.

“You lied to me, didn’t you?”

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“You said that you would treat me well because I became your target.”

Phiri looked at me with a puzzled expression. I had a rough idea and it seemed like she was really good at acting.

I curled up the corners of my mouth.

“As expected, it feels like the vice-leader takes care of the newcomers who came under the duke’s supervision.”

If you think about it a little deeper, it was only natural.

Originally, the Four Spies Branches under the duke could only enter after accumulating achievements in other spies under the duke’s command.

Although we were talented and chosen by Duke, in reality, we were like nepotists.

We had practical experience, but we didn’t really know how things work in the field.

It was also natural that there would be people whom the leader had designated for special care.

So I speculated that as a rookie, someone like a vice-leader would take care of me.

“Seems sharp of you.”

Phiri said calmly.

“But it’s not a lie when I say I will take care of you.”

“I know that. You’re already taking good care of me.”

“You seem well aware of that.”

Although I treated Phiri comfortably, I had already noticed that it was a certain level of convenience.

There was a high probability of that because we were both th duke’s godchildren.

“But it’s still a bit disappointing.”

“Well, save the disappointment for later. Huh? You look surprised when you see me dealing with the others?”

Well, I’d thrown enough tantrums for now. I nodded my head, indicating that I understood.

“But where are we heading now?”

“To a safe house nearby. Let’s rest there for a bit and leave tomorrow afternoon.”

“Okay.”

Although it took quite a long time to get here, I wasn’t particularly thrilled about leaving right away tomorrow.

I was tired from wandering around all evening and hadn’t eaten anything.

“Don’t you feel a little regretful?”

“What do you mean?”

“You can’t even take a break and you’re constantly on the move. We’ve even come to a capital city! There are so many interesting things here.”

It seemed like the kind of comment someone would make considering my age. I shook my head.

“That’s alright. Following orders is the top priority. I don’t know much about interesting things, but I’ll have an opportunity someday.”

“You talk like an old man, don’t you?”

“I often hear that.”

Phiri chuckled.

“Are you feeling alright physically? If you’re exhausted, we can postpone for a day.”

“No, it’s fine. There are parts I have to endure. Actually, I’m a bit disappointed that I couldn’t receive proper training, but now that I’ve become an official spy, I have to make time for it.”

This place was also a small society. There was always a need to respond positively to such inquiries.

Phiri nodded with a satisfied expression.

“Alright then. Let’s go quickly. I’ve prepared food too.”

“Food?”

“You haven’t eaten since lunch, so you must be hungry.”

Phiri looked at me as if asking for praise. Well, considering she’d been looking out for me all this time, her small considerations weren’t bad.

“Okay. Let’s go.”

I smiled and followed Phiri.

* * *

The Empire originally started from the northern kingdoms and descended toward the center, so the northern part of the Empire was also the northern part of the continent.

Kahalin was one of the large cities located in the central part of the Empire’s north.

Since the godfather’s goods traveled through Kahalin while moving through the north, it was a lively place even in the cold north.

“Ugh, I’m tired.”

Phiri confidently strolled down the street and stretched.

As we came as mercenaries hired by the merchant guild, they didn’t have any reservations about our actions.

Of course, that merchant guild belonged to our spy organization.

As I followed behind, Phiri suddenly whispered to me.

“When it’s just the two of us, it’s fine, but in front of others, you have to act respectful.”

“Of course.”

It was a phrase I had heard before.

Spending a considerable amount of time together, we had developed a certain level of familiarity and had many conversations. Being the duke’s godchild, I could enjoy such interactions with Phiri.

It was like a league of their own among the spies, although other spies might not appreciate it. Politics played a role even among spies.

That was why people with the potential for greater achievements tend to gather together.

“Do you want to eat too?”

Phiri asked, picking up a skewer of chicken from a street vendor.

“No, thank you.”

Having declined a few times before, Phiri nodded with a bored expression, as if expecting my response.

I didn’t eat much outside of regular meal times. At most, I would have a sip of water.

It was because of brushing my teeth. Eating made my mouth feel uncomfortable.

And I wasn’t particularly fond of street food either.

‘I guess I have to tolerate the inconvenience of eating since it’s a meal.’

Phiri, who quickly devoured the meat in three bites, threw the wooden skewer on the ground and turned around. At the end of the street, there was a building with the nameplate of the Plen Guild.

“What brings you here?”

“The merchant guild hired me. They know me as Mercenary Remi.”

Perhaps the lack of formality in my speech didn’t sit well with them, as the guard’s expression seemed slightly displeased.

“I’ll check.”

After waiting for a while, a merchant came down and guided us to where the merchant guild owner stayed.

As we climbed up, I quickly scanned the building, noting the number of doors in the corridors and the window in the middle of the stairs. I mentally drew an escape route in case of a similar situation.

“The hired mercenary has arrived.”

Inside the office, despite the merchant’s announcement, the Guild owner remained focused on some documents. Only after about three minutes did they finally look up.

“Ah, you’re finally here. You, wait outside.”

“Yes.”

After the guiding merchant left, the merchant guild owner glanced around and pressed a button on the desk as soundproofing magic spread through the room.

The merchant guild owner immediately lowered their head.

“Thank you for your hard work coming this far.”

“Are you trying to get yourself killed, Chief?”

“Excuse me?”

Phiri’s sudden remark made the Chief question.

“Do you want me to take care of you, huh? Just about 30 seconds would be enough. Three minutes? Are you crazy?”

“Hehe…”

“Hehe?”

“I apologize.”

The Chief hastily composed themselves and bowed their head. Phiri tapped their foot.

“You didn’t do that to mess with me, did you?”

“No, not at all.”

“Let’s do well.”

“Yes!”

The middle-aged Chief responded like a newly enlisted soldier.

I had sensed it even before, but Phiri had a rather intimidating side. Well, I had expected it when I heard about it, but seeing it in person was different.

As I reflected on my actions so far, I felt a chill down my spine. Did I unknowingly cross a line?

Phiri sighed.

“So, what’s the issue that needs solving?”