How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game Chapter 32 - Escort (2)

Phiri spoke urgently,

“The plan remains the same. In exactly 30 minutes, leave this place and move to the rendezvous point.”

“Understood.”

Phiri’s brown eyes lingered on me for a moment.

I nodded my head, understanding that it meant not to worry. Finally, Phiri put on the mask and lifted the disguise.

Yet, the unease remained as the gaze returned to me.

“…Be careful.”

“Yes, please take care as well, vice-leader.”

“What do you mean, take care. Don’t use such words. People might think we’re going to die.”

Phiri said with a smirk, giving a sarcastic remark. I also chuckled softly and nodded my head.

“Yes. See you again.”

“Yeah.”

Phiri immediately stomped on the ground, swiftly increasing the distance.

As the Winds erased her footprints, a tremendous presence could be felt from several hundred meters away.

Phiri was emitting magic power. This meant that, under the current circumstances, it was an intention to properly draw attention.

I prepared to move within the disguise.

I organized my magic power and put a dry ration in my mouth.

I didn’t know how things would turn out. I had to eat while I still could.

‘But it shouldn’t be too difficult.’

The search team and the encirclement were rapidly heading northeast. Moreover, Phiri started to become more active.

I wasn’t worried about the escape itself. The problem was, as always, the agents and Phiri.

‘I hope they all stay safe.’

Although Phiri was friendly toward me, she also held a considerably high position.

I had never seen her during the game.

As the leader being a devil worshipper, Phiri needed to be strong so that I could use her as a variable later on.

Even without that, there were many concerns since I came to the empire.

My information might have already fallen into the hands of devil worshippers through the leader or someday it would.

A person with Mystic ability. It was clear that II would become a primary target for capture or elimination.

‘The good thing is…’

No one knew that I had Devil’s Blood. That was a relief.

In the past three years, I had obtained meaningful information about Devil’s Blood.

It wasn’t as dangerous as I had worried about. But it wasn’t safe either.

I heard that Devil’s Blood manifested when a person strongly desires something, to the point where their eye color and atmosphere change noticeably.

Anyway, since I knew the leader’s future, I hoped Phiri would remain unharmed. She was the most powerful and friendly weapon I had against the leader in the empire.

My desire to help was overflowing, but I couldn’t act on it. It wasn’t the time to stay still.

I wasn’t ready for that yet.

Why should there be a big problem just because of one annoying person, even in movies? There was no need to unnecessarily escalate the situation.

I spread out the map, putting aside my ideals.

* * *

The escape went as planned, just as I had thought.

Thanks to Phiri, the search party and the encirclement were thrown into confusion, disrupting their personnel arrangement.

Of course, there were still plenty of devil worshipers as far as I had come, but it wasn’t that difficult.

Running through the snowy mountains on a night with falling snow, I arrived at the rendezvous point around midnight.

The road, wiped out by the snowfall throughout the day, was unrecognizable, but I could confirm it with the help of signposts.

To observe the surrounding dynamics, I took a position at a nearby vantage point and waited.

Now, all that remained was waiting.

I couldn’t sleep alone. However, just closing my eyes helped alleviate fatigue.

‘Well, I can sense it through Winds anyway.’

Although I was tired, I hadn’t experienced drowsiness in these past few days, thanks to the disrupted day-night cycle.

In the midst of the cold and monotonous passing of time, something unusual happened around 3 a.m.

Faint tremors and commotion were detected with Winds, originating from the east.

Expanding my senses, I could discern a person moving at high speed and several others chasing after them.

Though I couldn’t see their physical forms through Winds yet, I knew it wasn’t Phiri.

Phiri would never have come here.

In that case, the probability of it being a fleeing ally agent was high. I had heard there were four of them, but now there was only one.

Could it be Toun Zaha?

‘I can’t be certain.’

From the beginning, I didn’t expect all four of them to escape together. The most likely way for at least one of them to survive was for someone to attract attention while the rest fled in different directions.

But…

At that moment, who that person was didn’t matter. What mattered was how I would act.

‘Should I help? Or should I also leave?’

There was still a considerable distance between us. In the midst of the rising tension, I quickly turned my thoughts.

Intuitively, leaving seemed like the right decision, but I needed to organize my thoughts briefly.

For now, staying put was a bad idea.

Would the devil worshipers just stand by when that person passed through here?

‘Absolutely not.’

During the process of fleeing, it was impossible to know what information a spy might have leaked and where. They would likely search the escape route thoroughly. Whether I helped or not, eventually, I would also need to leave this place.

I also had to consider the ally disguised as the Merchant Guild. Problems would arise if they came here.

I had to warn them.

In the end, it boiled down to whether I would help or not.

Escape began shortly after 5 a.m. That meant the person had successfully evaded capture for over 10 hours, an impressive feat even with Phiri diverting attention.

But that also meant their stamina must be depleted. Even if they were the Toun Zaha that the Chief and Phiri had acknowledged…

Would my little help make a significant difference?

The likelihood was low. The distance was closing in. I made a quick decision.

As a spy, I could only do what I could do.

‘It’s unfortunate, but there’s no other choice.’

The uncomfortable feeling faded slightly beneath reason. All I could do was hope for a successful escape.

I immediately stood up from my position.

Decisions were made thoughtfully, actions were taken swiftly.

Erasing any traces I had left behind, I turned around and left without hesitation. If I escaped and warned the Merchant Guild, it would be over.

‘Huh?’

It was just as I took a step forward. Something lingering caught my attention from the scenery I had just seen.

I turned around again. Whether it was a lingering feeling or something else, I needed to confirm it.

Amidst the pouring snow, I could see a distant mountain peak on the opposite side through the hazy visibility.

And in that moment, something brushed through my mind like a lightning bolt.

‘…An avalanche.’

It had been snowing heavily for almost a day. With the additional accumulation of snow, the mountains were completely covered in white.

Could I trigger an avalanche with Winds?

I had seen it somewhere before.

A small snowball at the edge of a branch falling, causing an avalanche.

There was no risk even if it failed. After all, I intended to leave immediately.

If an avalanche occurred, it would be advantageous. Within the variables, I could assist that person with Winds.

Thanks to Phiri’s efforts in managing my stamina these past few days, I had enough energy despite being tired.

‘I need to be swift in action.’

The visibility was extremely limited due to the heavy snowfall, but it didn’t matter. I had Winds.

I calculated the path and focused on the Winds.

The pursuers and the pursued were getting closer. I had to time it well, not knowing the speed of the avalanche.

In the seemingly endless wait, I scraped the snow downward from the edge of the mountain peak using Winds.

And the result was more successful than I had anticipated.

Snowballs that had been moving from high up grew in size as they cascaded downward, transforming into a massive wave of snow.

However, I had no intention of going down. I would only assist where help was needed.

If both Phiri and that person survived, they would come to the branch.

The sense from the winds continued to convey information.

Everyone noticed the approaching massive avalanche. The pursuers were thrown into confusion.

Nevertheless, the lone escapee continued to run without any hindrance.

‘Anyway, this is a good opportunity in a critical situation.’

Even the pursuers, who had momentarily hesitated in the midst of the chaos, started chasing again.

They were all well-trained individuals.

The avalanche alone wouldn’t cause a devastating blow. I had merely created a variable with the Winds.

I supported someone running ahead of the approaching wave of snow with the Winds.

They might have sensed something strange, but they would have recognized that I was helping them.

Toun Zaha would become slightly faster, and the pursuers would become slightly slower. I calculated the magic power.

‘I still have some room to spare.’

I increased the speed of the avalanche. I granted the massive snow masses special wind.

It was to enhance their destructive power.

Soon, the avalanche engulfed the people.

The snow, resembling gigantic chunks of ice, swept away both the pursuers and the pursued.

I expended a considerable amount of magic power to safely assist our ally within it, clearing a path for them.

As for the pursuers, they were showered with massive snowballs, just as I had intended.

‘I’m a little tired.’

A wave of mental fatigue suddenly engulfed me. The task required more precision and focus than I had anticipated.

It was also the first time in a while that I had used the Winds with such precision.

Someone who had safely escaped the avalanche suddenly turned their head in my direction. It was where I was.

Did they notice me from that distance?

It was a surprising and puzzling question, but I immediately shook it off. It was impossible.

The Mystic Winds couldn’t be used to determine the user’s location. The duke had already confirmed that.

Rather, it was likely that the mysterious accomplice was present on the opposite side where the avalanche occurred.

As I observed someone running ahead, I swiftly turned my body without hesitation.

Now, if I escaped like this, it would be over.

I needed to quickly change direction when I meet the approaching Merchant Guild in this area.

If the devil worshippers were aware of their bodies being entangled by the Winds, they would know that there was an accomplice.

Chaos would surely ensue in this vicinity. Apart from that, concerns about other directions began to arise.

‘I have to leave Kahalin and make a run for it.’

Reporting back to the city would leave a record. Returning like this would be suspicious.

The devil worshippers were surely present in Kahalin as well, so there was a fear of being pursued. No, it was certain.

I had to escape Kahalin before that happened.

I was worried whether the Chief would listen to me before Phiri arrived, but… based on their previous conversation with Phiri, they didn’t seem like such a foolish person.

Well, even if we couldn’t communicate, I had to persuade them somehow.

Phiri said she would leave the decision to my judgment. I had to repay her trust.

If she survived, gaining her trust through my judgment would allow me to handle the leader later on.

“Phew.”

Countless snowflakes, carrying my countless concerns, floated into the air with a breath.

I increased my speed. The snow, piled up deeply and crunching beneath my feet, was compacted and flattened.