How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game Chapter 54 - Plague (1)

When I came down in the morning, everyone was having hangover onion soup.

It was clear from Toun’s and even Vasco and Toby’s faces how much they had drunk last night.

Toun raised his hand with an expressionless look. He had been awake until I arrived last night.

He threw me a meaningful glance as he saw me entering the room.

—If you were just 10 minutes later, I would have gone to find you.

Even though he said it with a strong smell of alcohol, it didn’t sound casual. Toun was trying to protect me.

It was probably Father’s orders.

Anyway, I was also at fault. I had said I’d be back after midnight unless something happened.

Normally, that was how I would have moved. It was just that things got a bit complicated because of Casmak.

I said I would tell him tomorrow, so Toun nodded and immediately fell asleep.

He might not have had a restless sleep, but I wasn’t worried.

They were all specialized agents on-site. Even if they look drunk, they never lose their guard.

Especially Toun, he was even more sensitive than me to the environment.

“Please eat while we talk.”

As we sat down, Vasco and Toby nodded their heads while their faces were buried in the bowls.

“First of all, I officially announce the completion of the mission.”

“Huh?”

They both looked up at the same time. Onion soup dripped from Vasco’s spoon.

Their widened pupils and twitching lips were full of joy.

“Last night, Casmak Rodri took control of half of Rasphal by dealing with Surde, Muic, and Veron.”

“Oh…”

“We also discussed cooperation. Now we just need to get back to Haisen.”

Vasco and Toby let out a soundless scream. Their faces were filled with ecstasy.

Only Toun kept his composure.

“Did you help?”

“I only helped by finding the people as requested.”

I told them about everything that had happened without holding back.

Casmak went out immediately after I conveyed the conspiracy going on inside through Luico.

“While I did provide advice on the domination strategy, I didn’t participate in the combat process.”

“I heard he’s strong, how was it when you saw it yourself?”

“Even when capturing less, it’s similar to me.”

“Your usual self?”

Toun was someone who knew about my condition. I nodded my head.

“This relationship should last long.”

“Yes. Before long, he will devour all of Rasphal.”

“Good. We ended up just drinking and the mission’s over.”

“Fortunately. There’s hardly ever a true saying about floating rumors.”

Toun, who expressed his agreement, immediately ordered a beer. Of course, Vasco and Toby followed suit.

No, are we back to drinking just because the mission is over?

Well, I hadn’t rested much recently. I’d been working quite hard to build up experience and reputation.

The agents below me had also been moving almost non-stop.

“When will we return?”

Toun asked. Seeing him order drinks and then asking like that, it seemed Toun also wanted a break.

“We can do it right away today, but…”

Seeing Vasco and Toby’s faces twist slightly, I changed my words.

“Since we arrived yesterday, how about taking a day or two off?”

“Sounds good. Hm, how about fishing?”

“Fishing?”

“Yeah. Have you ever done it?”

I had learned various fields under the Duke, but fishing wasn’t one of them. I had never done it on Earth either.

“No. Let’s give it a try this time.”

“Sure. It might be more fun than you think.”

At that moment, Toby, who had been sleeping, chimed in.

“Since the mission is done quickly, how about going south for a bit?”

“South? You mean the southwestern plains?”

“Yeah. I’ve never been there before.”

Time-wise, there wasn’t a big issue. Going there and coming back would still be sooner than the expected return date.

“But why there? Is there anything to see?”

“The goal is to see this vast world at least once. The southwestern plains are different from the horizon that it gives. Not just the night sky, everything.”

Toby had an artistic disposition. He read a lot of books and enjoyed singing.

Sometimes, when he felt like it, he would just enjoy the scenery.

“I’m fine with it. How about the others?”

“I don’t mind.”

Vasco shrugged his shoulders as he drank his beer. He was someone who lived as things flowed.

Toun also agreed.

“This is our group’s final mission, so it’s good to spend time together.”

A kind smile followed. It was an unexpected statement. Toun seemed more affectionate than I thought.

This mission would be the last for me to return to the empire.

Hmm. Maybe Toby knew that and brought up the topic.

“Alright, let’s make a stop on our way back. Where should we go?”

“Derenet. It’s a place where the continent welcomes travelers, relatively speaking.”

I nodded in response to Toun’s words. Those in the southwest weren’t just called “Western natives” for no reason.

The people in the northwest where I was now used to be in the center of the continent.

After the founding emperor, as the empire expanded its territory, the central kingdoms were pushed westward.

And the displaced natives were pushed further southwest beyond the Melaine River, which cut across the barren plains.

So, the natives disliked people other than themselves. Of course, there were also issues of slavery later on.

However, the natives couldn’t completely reject the entire continent.

The upper area was blocked by the great River used by Westerners, and to the south were the elven forests.

To survive in the harsh plains, they had to engage in trade.

Derenet naturally emerged as a trading city between the continent and the southwest in this process.

‘Hmm. Is that the best choice?’

Since I rarely go to the southwest, I thought about what I could gain, but nothing came to mind.

The native named Cedric was further inward. I had already met him.

“Yes. Let’s go there.”

“Should we travel by boat?”

“We can’t. The escape route is gone. Let’s avoid boats as much as possible.”

Toby looked at Toun for an answer. Toun nodded, and Toby reluctantly accepted it.

“Then we’ll move tomorrow.”

“Sure. Wake up early. We’ll get the fishing gear ready and come, so be prepared.”

As I watched Toun walking away, I evaluated this mission as quite successful.

The mission ended faster than expected, and the profits were immense.

I didn’t anticipate becoming friends with Casmak, aside from finding him.

I had built a connection with someone who would influence not just the western stronghold, but the entire west. I hadn’t imagined how this would turn out.

Of course, there was no telling if it would play out like in the game. The butterfly effect caused by my actions was always a factor.

But that was alright. As long as I guided the direction, there should be no problems.

Hmm. Maybe it would be good to separately mention to the Duke that this was a fairly remarkable person.

I shouldn’t easily discard the cooperative relationship with Casmak.

* * *

We headed straight towards the Melain River. We were planning to cross the river by boat there.

If we wanted to bypass the river, we would have to go up to Imperial territory, so we couldn’t completely avoid taking a boat.

“Wow, my fishing skills haven’t been forgotten. This is a hefty catch.”

“It was just lucky.”

“People who lack skill often blame luck. Isn’t that right, Toun?”

“I hope you don’t drag me into such foolish arguments.”

Toun sighed, and Vasco seemed slightly annoyed, his face twisting.

Both Toby and Vasco were relatively young and close in age, so they occasionally got competitive like this.

‘It seems like it was quite fun.’

Even a few days later, they were still arguing over it. In fact, it wasn’t a difficult task.

These spies were used to maintain focus. They couldn’t afford to miss their timing.

After a trial or two, I successfully caught the big one, except for Toby. It was all small fish. The same with Toun.

I thought about using the Winds to catch fish, but I gave up on that. That was why Toby was so enthusiastic.

“If we do it one more time, I can catch fish too.”

“Then go do it again at the Melain River. Carlyn, what do you think?”

Suddenly, the decision was handed over to me.

Personally, it wasn’t that enjoyable. Even though I had some skills, I didn’t really enjoy it.

For someone with the Worst Condition, focusing during leisure time was energy-draining.

In short, it was bothersome. And baiting the hook wasn’t exactly appealing either.

“Well… if you want to, others can join in.”

I had thought of going to the village of Bendochi and crossing the river by boat.

Since our goal was to see the plains anyway, taking a day’s rest there posed no problem.

“Alright then.”

Toby nodded. Judging by his expression, he probably knew I wouldn’t do it in the first place when he asked.

He was probably just teasing Vasco.

Then, a high-pitched screech resounded through the sky. In the distance, an eagle was soaring.

Heading straight towards us. Toun stated the observation. His forehead was furrowed deeply.

“A bad omen.”

A superstition. It was a superstition that the Western natives have. They consider meeting an eagle a bad omen.

While Toun wasn’t a native, intelligence agents were usually sensitive to superstitions.

Just like athletes who had pre-game rituals. Toun said in a low and quick voice.

“Toby, the fish.”

“Yes?”

Toby had brought some fish he caught and dried. My assistance was a given.

Toun extended his hand, urging him.

“Quickly.”

Following Toun’s words, Toby swiftly took out the dried fish. Toun held up the dried fish towards the sky.

The eagle circling in the sky briefly glanced at us and then turned to us.

“Don’t move.”

Toun whispered in a low voice.

A short wait. After about three minutes, the eagle began descending toward us.

The movement of the air, which was displaced by the eagle’s wing and created a counterflow, felt vivid.

In a fleeting moment, the eagle snatched the dried fish and soared back into the sky.

Due to the atmosphere, we couldn’t speak, but Toby’s face, having lost the fish, looked rather disappointed. Toun heaved a relieved sigh.

“What were you doing?”

“It’s superstition.”

I replied instead. In response, you needed to pull out something to eat toward the eagle who brought a bad omen in front of you.

If the eagle took it and left, disaster was averted. Whether it would be a major disaster or a minor one was uncertain.

The reasons natives believed this were two reasons.

One, that we were safe in the face of an ominous omen, and two, offering something to the omen helped us avoid disaster.

Toby, having heard the conversation, tugged at his chin with a reluctant expression.

“…Should we just head back to Haisen?”

Whenever he suggests it, huh?

A slight smile escaped me. Agents might be sensitive to superstitions, but field agents were even more so.

Of course, there were superstitions unique to each group as well.

Vasco, next to me, had a similar demeanor to Toby. Toun pulled out a cigarette and spoke.

“If this is all because of superstition… then we should keep going.”

“Yes?”

“There’s something Carlyn hasn’t mentioned. The natives believe that if they avoid the eagle and change their path, they’ll encounter an even more ominous omen.”

In the midst of silence, Toun spoke up.

“If the eagle takes the bait, it signifies an opportunity. It could either mean disaster or a way forward, depending on our intention.”

As Toun finished speaking, his gaze lingered on me. After all, I held the final decision-making power.

I nodded.

“Yes, let’s proceed.”

The conversation that followed was new to me. Superstitions… it was better to avoid things that seem ill-omened.

The expressions of the other agents seemed to reflect the same sentiment.

And when we arrived at Bendochi, we could somewhat guess why the ominous omen had appeared.

What we encountered was a village plagued by an epidemic and a crowd consumed by madness.