How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game

“Did you perhaps find something inside Tenorio?”

It was a question but the tone was certain from the start. It didn’t make rational sense.

Clearly, no story had been passed on. So how did Faorn know about this?

On the one hand, I thought perhaps I had been too careless. Actually, I didn’t think this would be an issue.

It wasn’t theft since we didn’t break into Tenorio. We found it through proper means.

I thought just telling the truth if asked would suffice. Or rather, I even hoped he would look into it.

To spread the word of Teme’s Spear’s existence and have Sword Master Faorn prove it wasn’t false allegations.

I had told Erendil the same thing. However, contrary to my thoughts, Faorn’s mood was quite serious.

“Ah…”

Perhaps sensing it as well, Erendil hesitated, glancing at me. Really there was no way out now.

Since the other party had noticed already. Right before I nodded, Faorn continued speaking.

“There is a legend passed down among only us gravekeepers.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. We had to swear never to tell anyone. That’s why the previous and current emperors also don’t know.”

Faorn’s words were quite shocking. A legend only passed among grave keepers?

Did the founding emperor whisper it to the first grave keeper? That seemed likely.

It would explain the bizarre way of opening it.

With so many gravekeepers over time, it was unlikely none gave in to greed.

‘Maybe it didn’t open only with Devil’s Blood but also required Erendil’s blood.’

However, I didn’t understand why the founding emperor would tell the gravekeepers about it.

There must have been a reason. Seeming to think the same, Erendil voiced her puzzlement.

“Why couldn’t it be spoken of?”

“The founding emperor once received a prophecy from the indigenous Nun.”

“A prophecy?”

“Yes. That in the distant future, great calamity would befall the empire, and he should prepare for the descendant who would face that calamity.”

Unlike my expectations, the story didn’t flow negatively. Faorn’s worry was different.

“Great calamity… not pleasant news.”

“It could simply be a baseless rumor. Not all the Nun’s words come true.”

The Nun’s prophecy was also unknown to me. Since I never encountered Tenorio in the game, to begin with.

However, the phrasing of ‘descendant who would face’ was heavy. It wasn’t ‘descendant who would overcome’ the calamity.

Faorn’s expression seemed heavy, likely because he was reminded of that forgotten legend.

I recalled Theorn from the game. (+)^[1]TLN: It’s really Theorn (테오른), not Faorn. I think it’s the Author’s mistake. Unless I just don’t remember with this goldfish memory of mine a character with the name Theorn.

Did he associate the devil’s return and the prophesied calamity?

The princes then couldn’t have taken Teme’s Spear. It must have been despairing.

“Still, it doesn’t seem like bad news does it? If the prophecy is true, it means Your Highness will be the next emperor.”

“If that’s how it goes.”

“Also, since Your Highness can quell the calamity, the founding emperor must have prepared for you.”

Faorn smiled wryly.

“At first I thought it was empty hearsay. When told to be sure to pass this story to whoever took out whatever was inside, I didn’t imagine it would occur in my lifetime.”

In truth Faorn’s thoughts were rational. The founding emperor and Nun’s words weren’t known to the public.

Like Ines I met, did the founding emperor also encounter a truly mystical Nun?

Hmm. I couldn’t be certain of that either. It may have just been distorted by the grave keepers over time.

The part about something hidden was factual but they likely embellished it among themselves as time passed.

Personally, I think the probability of that is high.

In the game, the princess never became emperor over such a long playtime.

Moreover, I wouldn’t have found it without me being here. Surely the prophecy didn’t predict my possession?

Of course, I didn’t dare to bring this up in front of Faorn. Erendil, having regained her composure, continued speaking.

“We must hope such events don’t occur. But if so, I will try my best to overcome them.”

“A good mindset.”

“You don’t ask what this is?”

“Please leave an old man to ponder it in his boredom. I think of the sword daily but sometimes tedium comes, so I’ll think it over. Please tell me later.”

“I will.”

Faorn and Erendil exchanged smiles.

“I should train more diligently too. If calamity strikes before I die…”

“If I’m emperor then, will you answer my summons?”

“Of course.”

“Having you puts me at ease.”

Faorn chuckled.

“You’ve had a difficult time. It grew late. Hurry and rest, it must have been tiring.”

“Yes. Please be comfortable as well.”

Evening. We returned from Tenorio but I couldn’t skip the escort. After going around since morning, I was deeply fatigued.

I looked out the window waiting for Phiri.

Since I had already reported going to Tenorio, she would come tonight as well.

In the empty hallway, Emmet who had been training sword stances with one arm approached me.

“I heard you did something odd again today?”

“Pardon?”

“That you went outside the carriage saying you wanted to ride on the dragon’s back?”

“Where did you hear that? We were together the whole time after returning.”

After coming back today, Emmet and I had remained by Erendil’s side without pause.

Erendil hadn’t spoken privately with Emmet either.

“You don’t realize your popularity huh? Your every action is a hot topic.”

“By any chance… did you hear it from Sir Audrey?”

The only one who knew was the knight driving the dragon.

“Yeah. I ran into him on the way to eat. He immediately started talking about it so half the palace will know by tomorrow.”

It was something I didn’t know since I couldn’t monitor the entire palace at all times with Winds.

I scratched my head.

“What’s with that kind of talk…”

“Last time you flipped over a perfectly fine painting and stared at a cat for four hours right?”

“…It was two hours.”

“Whatever whatever.”

“It’s practically double the difference?”

Emmet snickered.

“To someone like me, two hours and four hours make no difference.”

“…..”

“No, but, your speech is normal and your swordsmanship and mind are good. Why do you do odd things sometimes?”

“There’s no particular reason. I just feel like doing it.”

Emmet nodded as if he accepted it.

“Well, staring out the window all the time did seem a bit strange. Don’t they say geniuses are eccentric?”

He likely came over simply to tease me out of boredom. It was the slight entertainment of the escort knights.

In truth, these images weren’t so bad. With feigned annoyance, I lightly sighed.

“So how was riding on the dragon’s back?”

“It was fun. Though unfortunately, I couldn’t ride a dragon without the carriage.”

“Let me know next time you get that urge. I want to see for myself.”

“Don’t get your hopes up.”

Emmet left chuckling. Not long after, Phiri came.

While conversing with her, I pondered Teme’s Spear as I waited.

‘Should I tell her or not.’

After brief consideration, I leaned toward not telling. I have to make the princess emperor and stop the devil worshippers.

While Haisen’s and my first goal aligned, I couldn’t say the same for the latter.

I couldn’t risk the information leaking from Haisen’s side.

I trusted Phiri but not the others, and the leader was an issue.

“Too bad. It was nothing anyway.”

-Even if there was something, previous emperors must have taken it already right?

“I guess so. A shame. If not for the Great Magic we could have estimated the location.”

-Not much use for it right now?

“Won’t we be able to decide the next emperor by our own hands in the future?”

It was a sharp and frightening statement. It meant assassinating the crown princes.

The grave keepers wouldn’t all be Sword Masters.

-Were the devil worshippers uneventful?

“Did you hear something happened?”

-Looking inside, the Imperial Intelligence seems rather busy.

This was a lie. But with the devil appearing, there would be some signs somehow.

Since Haisen was also monitoring them, they would have seen something.

“I heard something happened in the north but don’t know the details because of those imperial bastards. We’re looking into it.”

-I see.

“From your words, it doesn’t seem like a trivial matter. Ah, damn it…”

I could hear Phiri’s cold swearing in my ear.

-Why do you say that?

“Our leader was absent last week.”

-What a coincidence.

“It’ll be the north.”

-Yes, the probability it’s related to the devil worshippers is high.

“Suspicion is plenty.”

A leader level would have quite a high position even among devil worshippers. He probably went to see the devil’s advent.

-What will you do? With the leader gone, wouldn’t it be fine to contact Father now?

“I can’t make a move. One of the leader or vice-leader must remain. He might flee if we’re careless.”

Phiri wants to capture the leader with her own hands. And in truth that would be better.

Most of the information leakage already happened so they had to hold the leader.

“After talking to you I looked closely, he has more people on his side than I thought. They won’t all believe in devils but I can’t act rashly.”

Right. The leader is absolutely merciless. If he told them to report Phiri’s odd behaviors…

Phiri could even be in danger instead.

-So it’s risky to relay in a letter.

“Yeah. I don’t really have a method now.”

Tsk. While I did feel frustrated, turning Phiri’s heart completely was already a great profit.

With Phiri, there was a chance to deal with the leader when an opportunity arose.

-Then let’s wait. The evidence still isn’t sufficient.

“True. If it’s your words, Father might believe, but it’s better to have proper evidence.”

-If things get difficult, we can act on our own.

“Us? You’ve got sharp eyes on you.”

Although there were still two people monitoring me, their quality seemed to have decreased a bit since receiving the Imperial Founder’s Medal.

While they used to be quite powerful individuals even to sense with winds, now they weren’t at that level. It seems they might have been deprioritized.

-I  can handle that level of opposition.

“Alright. Let’s go with that for now. Let’s observe the situation.”

It was the morning of the eighth day after visiting Tenorio. I confirmed the Imperial Intelligence’s surveillance had completely disappeared.

I couldn’t take this as a positive sign.

If it was because I received the Imperial Founder’s Medal, it should have happened much sooner.

Rather, the probability was high that something so major happened, they lacked the manpower to monitor me.

‘Considering the devil’s advent…’

It may be more serious than I expected. Regrettably, I hadn’t obtained high-quality information from Haisen.

The imperial intelligence was extremely vigilant in the north so their activities there were greatly diminished.

It was also because the leader was a devil worshipper. They would know our side’s information.

While Duke was operating a separate intelligence team in the north, they would also communicate with our leader.

‘It would be good if I could move directly.’

I could only feel frustrated.

The situation was already flowing differently than what I knew and I didn’t know when any variables might explode.

It was a moment I wished I had more than one body. Should I have chosen a Mystic Power like self-replicating instead of Winds?

Though there really wasn’t a trait like that to begin with. That’s how I felt.

Of course, I left the worries as just worries. Among uncertain things, I had to create certainties.

Since surveillance had disappeared, I planned to handle the figures I had noted in my mind.

Eyes were on me from many places, not just the Imperial Intelligence. I was currently the most famous person in the empire. Still, I was fully confident I absolutely wouldn’t get caught.

I didn’t know how long an opportunity like this would last. I had to move quickly before surveillance returned.

Hmm.

Which one should I deal with first?

• 1. TLN: It’s really Theorn (테오른), not Faorn. I think it’s the Author’s mistake. Unless I just don’t remember with this goldfish memory of mine a character with the name Theorn.

Author's Thoughts

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