How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game Chapter 58 - The Knight Who Doesn't Remove His Helmet (1)

“We’ll say that we’re a special unit from Sumuk. We’ll conduct entrance checks properly.”

Sumuk was the kingdom to which this village belonged.

They had come here upon hearing the news that a suspicious group had dispelled the plague in the kingdom.

The prestige of a special unit with a royal decree was formidable.

With a warning not to let a word leak out and an order to scatter to other villages, it would be enough.

Given that communication with the mission team had been lost, it was certain that devil worshipers would come here.

Naturally, these people would all die, and in the process, our information would likely be sold.

‘It was supposed to be a disguise, but it’s too risky.’

The best way to seal someone’s lips was death, but I didn’t want to create innocent victims.

Of course, the expiration date of fear was short. As time passed, more people would start speaking, but…

This should be enough.

In addition to the time that had passed, the words of scattered individuals, rather than a group, would lose credibility.

And by then, it wouldn’t be a problem anymore.

This incident wouldn’t become a topic of conversation, as the continent would be in enough chaos by then.

‘The future might change.’

Since there was a problem with the plague experiment, the future I knew might change.

Actually, that was an irreversible matter the moment I entered Bendochi.

Still, it was not a bad thing.

Instead of risking a change in the future, I met Ines, who could see fragments of the future.

“And we’ll leave the village before morning.”

“That sounds alright. It’s not perfect, but…”

After a brief explanation, Toun agreed without further discussion. Toun probably asked because of the villagers.

Actually, even if they were all killed, it wouldn’t matter. It wasn’t a bad strategy.

“What about the locals? You said they heard about this incident too.”

“Ah, those people are fine. I let them know that Toun is a Sword Master.”

“What?”

Toun’s eyes widened. It was a look that said he didn’t understand my words. I shrugged my shoulders.

“I realized they think I’m a doctor. I changed the approach a bit. They also thought that I hear about the plague from Toun.”

Toun burst into a wry laugh.

“Well, well. I guess I’m better off not going in.”

“Yes. It would be a headache to provoke a nun candidate. I’ll go in and finish things up.”

“Then I’ll just hang out with this guy. Should I take him to Haisen?”

Toun asked, tightening his gloves. It was obvious how they were going to have fun.

I shrugged my shoulders.

“I’ll leave that to Toun’s judgment. He probably doesn’t know much, but you never know.”

Toun replied with a deep smile.

“Yeah. This is my specialty, after all. Toby, Vasco!”

Toun summoned the two agents, seemingly wanting to share the secret. I turned and took care of the supplies.

After all, since meeting the eagle, we had turned a bad situation into an advantageous one.

Suddenly, the night sky came into view.

The eagle couldn’t be seen, but amidst countless stars, the crescent moon was emitting its presence.

Beneath the bright moonlight, I felt a sense of regret within me. The combat had ended too easily after a long time.

It was a feeling of boiling blood without a match to expend it on.

‘Tch.’

Unlike when I first arrived here, I had now somewhat adapted to this body.

It seemed I was more suited to running around on the field like Toun rather than sitting at a desk.

I performed the Moonlight Technique and changed the moon in my inner world.

* * *

-Even if he’s a doctor, at this hour…

The village chief, who had risen early in the morning, showed signs of discomfort.

Despite the immediate change in attitude upon mentioning the Sumuk Special Forces, who had thrown the devil worshipers into custody, there was still a lingering sense of suspicion. It was only natural, given that we had brought them in for interrogation.

To address this, I used my Winds to move a sword close to the chief’s neck and suspended the captive in mid-air.

It might be thought of more as magic than my Winds.

‘They need to see it to believe it.’

After that, our eyes never met again. I answered the questions well, even though my voice was trembling.

The devil worshipers had arrived here about a year or two ago. They had been preparing for this ever since.

-If you want to live, leave the village and don’t tell anyone about this incident.

With a warning that if anyone heard nonsense, both the special forces and other undesirable factions would come after them, the chief nodded vigorously with an alarmed expression.

I would have preferred to gather all the villagers and deliver the message, but the drawbacks seemed to outweigh the benefits.

Given the infamous reputation of the Special Forces in this country, this level of caution should suffice.

Then I immediately sought out Ines. Unlike the guards who were waiting with tense expressions, she had a calm demeanor.

Though all was resolved, I mentioned that I hadn’t figured out who those guys were.

‘Well… though it didn’t seem like they believed my words completely.’

In truth, by saying I knew about the plague, I was implying that I had some idea about who the adversaries were.

Our daytime conversation had also been somewhat vague, but that aspect had been brushed aside.

Still, they had received my help and hospitality, so they didn’t press further.

The situation was summarized, and we informed them that we would be leaving shortly.

Around that time, I sensed a big man fall through the Winds, realizing that the interrogation had ended.

It was quicker than expected.

Whether he had been tortured or he judged there was nothing more to gain, I believed the latter was more likely.

“Well then, I’ll go ahead. The rest of you, move out without delay. The night is still deep even as the moon rises. The village is going to descend into chaos soon.”

As I got up without hesitation, one of the escorts hurriedly asked, 

“Where are you going? It might be better if we move together if we’re headed in the same direction…”

There was urgency in his eyes. Having received only a one-sided explanation of the situation, his unease was understandable.

Furthermore, with just the two of them, setting up camp or going on watch would be arduous.

He might also be hoping to meet Toun, considering him a Sword Master or someone of similar stature.

“Because Master dislikes people…”

“It’s regrettable, but there’s nothing I can do about it.”

The escorts retreated slightly, murmuring at my gentle refusal.

“In the unlikely event that anything happens when you’re in the western region, mention Partrac’s name. We’ll come to your aid immediately.”

I had learned about the significant tribe earlier. It wasn’t worth declining their offer, so I smiled and replied.

“Thank you, I’ll keep that in mind.”

With a few pats on the chest with his fist, the escort expressed his gratitude succinctly.

As I stepped out of the doorway and took a few strides, Ines followed closely behind. Her green eyes drew near.

“See you again.”

The girl spoke with a confident tone. In truth, I hadn’t even figured out how to contact her.

Given our current situation, there was no regular way to communicate.

I had plans to find a way to visit her sometime in the future, but her unwavering conviction puzzled me.

Had she also seen that future?

“Yeah, until next time.”

We exchanged a silent farewell through our eyes and as I turned away, a system message refreshed.

[You have gained experience in Stratagem. The ‘Resourceful Savior’ trait is being transformed into the ‘Calculated Rescuer’ trait.]

* * *

During the return to Haisen, there were no notable events. At best, they had hunted and eaten some wild boars.

However, Carlyn was experiencing events of a different kind.

Ever since meeting Ines, he had been having the same dream every day.

It was a dream of walking through a certain castle. Though not entirely clear, it was a strangely familiar castle.

Carlyn was walking toward a specific room, though he couldn’t determine what it was or why he was going there.

And just as the entrance to that room came into view, he would wake up from the dream.

It wasn’t always the same. The starting location within the castle differed.

Sometimes he wouldn’t even see the door, while other times he had even grasped the doorknob.

‘Is this the influence of meeting the nun?’

He thought that this strange phenomenon might be affecting him.

While it was good that the nightmares were gone, his condition didn’t improve, and the dream itself remained a puzzle.

Unfortunately, the information obtained from Hollin wasn’t particularly useful. The fellow seemed burdened and was not forthcoming with what he knew.

Carlyn believed that the man’s ignorance came from deliberate silence. He had no regrets.

‘If Toun couldn’t get anything out of him, no one else would have been able to.’

The report on the case was concluded. The Duke only left a brief compliment that they did well.

Considering how busy he had been afterward, it seemed like he was delving further into this plague.

Several days after that, the Duke summoned Carlyn.

He quickly realized that it was about a significant mission taking place within the empire.

In the office, which he had found after a few days, the Duke was seated, looking somewhat fatigued.

It was an unusual sight. Despite saying he had gone to the kingdom yesterday, he seemed to have overindulged, unlike his usual self.

“I’m here.”

Duke gestured to the seat in front of him as Carlyn greeted him.

“Sit comfortably, as it seems the conversation will be lengthy.”

As Carlyn sat down, the Duke took out a cigarette and lit it.

“As I mentioned before, you will be going to the empire soon. However, it won’t be to work in imperial intelligence.”

“Then…?”

Carlyn couldn’t respond. He was considerably surprised.

“You will become a knight in service to the imperial princess.”

It was a moment when his surprise increased several-fold. Approaching the princess had been one of Carlyn’s objectives.

However, bewilderment inevitably followed.

‘Is the empress recommending me?’

Narrowing his eyes, Carlyn tried to grasp the hidden meaning behind this sudden mission.

The empire’s empress was formerly a princess of Haisen. In other words, she was the sister of the current King of Haisen.

She had entered as the second wife but eventually became the empress after the death of the previous empress.

However, her position was not ideal.

‘Below her is only the princess.’

The Emperor had four children, but the first, second, and third princes were born to the deceased first empress.

Naturally, they couldn’t harbor any affection for the current empress. There were even suspicions of foul play in the first empress’s death.

Considering the lack of power within the palace, it didn’t matter much. In the first place, the Emperor wasn’t one to favor women, and he didn’t treat the empress well either.

‘Wait a moment.’

Instantly, Carlyn’s mind became complex. It seemed like he had found the origin of Haisen’s downfall.

The war of the princes was about to begin. Haisen must be aware of this.

Carlyn speculated whether Haisen intended to place the princess on the imperial throne, independent of the princess’s will.

While it aligned somewhat with his plan, it ultimately meant a perilous task. Carlyn kept his silence and asked,

“Do you intend to make the princess the empress?”

The Duke looked at Carlyn with a contemplative expression. From his eyes, Carlyn couldn’t discern any emotion.

Did he expect him to realize this? Just as Carlyn was thinking this, the Duke began to speak.

“That’s correct.”

It was a moment when the Duke’s description of the task as an “important mission” became clear.

“It took a while because we needed to establish that lineage.”

With these words, the Duke flicked his cigarette onto the desk and extinguished it.

“It will be tough. You’ll have to make all the judgments on-site. If you decline, that’s okay. We can replace you with someone else.”

There was no reason for Carlyn to decline or hesitate. It was exactly what he intended.

In fact, it wasn’t a bad idea.

Although it was undeniably risky…

If he, with his Death Avoidance, took on this task, he might be able to prevent things from going awry like in the game.

“Nevertheless, personally, I hope you’ll take on the role. In my opinion, this is something only you can do.”

Carlyn agreed with this aspect as well.

Having the Mystic known as Winds set him apart in the palace.

But there was another question.

The Duke had always emphasized the importance of preserving his life, yet he was assigning him such a dangerous mission.

This task was taking him right into the heart of the empire. He couldn’t disguise himself as usual.

This was a place where he might casually encounter a Sword Master. Disguising himself was practically asking to be suspected.

A face was always remembered. Failing meant preparing for death.

‘No. He must have judged this to be a mission significant enough to risk my life.’

It was about solidifying the emperor, who had experienced Haisen’s favor.

Carlyn believed that if the Duke had been able to stake his own life, he would have done it himself, not entrust it to him.

“And… when you said you wanted to go to the empire, didn’t you also say you wanted to see the princess?”

The Duke asked with a smile. It was a conversation from a long time ago.

In his own way, the Duke intended to ease Carlyn’s tension. Carlyn gave a faint smile.

“Yes. I will do it.”

And in that very moment, Carlyn’s vision shifted to black and white. It was a warning from his Death Avoidance trait.