How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game

Chapter 186

Spark (3)

It was difficult to eavesdrop on the conversation between Duke Jonau and the Second Prince inside the imperial palace.

This was because the security in the palace was stricter than ever since I detonated the glowstone and destroyed the Karantang Forest.

It was hard even to approach. They were monitoring almost every direction. Even nobles couldn’t avoid inspection.

Even for me, infiltration would be difficult if it wasn’t nighttime.

Moving winds from the outside was also risky. This was because a Sword Master was periodically patrolling the imperial city.

After the incident, the emperor had recalled Faorn, who had been a gravedigger in Tenorio.

‘One stays by the emperor’s side, and one guards the imperial city.’

The three of them took turns, and the Sword Master’s patrol had no pattern. He would suddenly move to the opposite side of the palace on a whim.

It wasn’t this strict even when the empress died and there was an attempt on Erendil’s life.

It seemed that the glowstone completely destroying the forest had quite shocked the emperor.

Rather than valuing his own life more than his children’s, it was probably due to the scale of the explosion.

‘I had to guess what kind of conversation took place based on Duke Jonau’s reaction.’

The first day was just caution. It wasn’t exact, but I could somewhat guess from the orders Duke Jonau gave to his subordinates.

The Second Prince seemed to think that the First Prince might be trying to check if he was plotting something because of his provocation.

And I repeated the same actions until the day our group was set to leave. I infiltrated Duke Jonau’s mansion once more and created a sense of unease at two other nobles’ mansions.

Unlike Duke Jonau, they didn’t rush straight to the emperor. They seemed to have judged that someone might read their movements. (+)[1]TLN: Emperor? Shouldn’t this be the prince? Might be the author made a mistake, or I’m the one that misinterpreted it

‘Duke Jonau worked in the imperial city anyway so it didn’t matter for him, but it was different for them.’

Still, they immediately sent a letter to Duke Jonau. Perhaps because of this, this morning, the duke headed to the imperial city with quite a serious face.

Just as fatigue was starting to set in, in the evening, the duke summoned Count Habri.

After midnight, I visited the duke’s mansion again. The approaching count’s movements were cautious.

He moved stealthily in the shadows with only one of his knights.

The Imperial Intelligence Agency would have noticed, but it didn’t matter for nobles like them.

I listened as carefully as I could. This was a chance to read the Second Prince’s thoughts and reactions.

-Be prepared.

-Is the First Prince really going to attack first?

-I don’t think so. I think this is a warning.

-A warning?

-Yes. His Highness expected it first, remember? I think the First Prince is saying, “Go ahead and try.”

I was worried they might suspect a third party’s involvement, but fortunately, things were going according to my intentions.

-As you know, even the First Prince can’t move first in the current situation.

-Yes. I think that guess is correct. It’s like saying, “I have the ability to watch you even in this situation,” isn’t it?

-Right. It means, “Try if you want to try, I’m watching you.”

The preparation to fan the spark into a big flame was complete.

Now it seemed I just needed to make the First Prince’s side’s actions look suspicious.

-But what do you mean by being prepared...

-His Highness the Second Prince is properly angry. When we investigated the Third Prince, nothing much came up.

-Well. It’s understandable he’d be furious when he thinks they played a trick and now this happens.

-He’s growing up fiery like His Majesty the Emperor.

I doubt it. It’s not that he’s fiery like the emperor. He’s not even the emperor’s child to begin with. But those people don’t know that.

I understand. They can’t say the person they serve has a bad personality, so they phrase it differently.

-He told me to think of something too. There’s no good method right now, but the chances of something happening soon are high.

-Surely he’s not going to move now? Isn’t it just something he said out of anger like usual?

-No. It feels different. Haven’t I served His Highness for a long time? Whether it’s because he recently felt a threat to his life or not, he seemed to lack composure. rÅŊȪbĘS

-Did it seem like he couldn’t be stopped?

-Would that be possible? Only His Majesty the Emperor can calm down His Highness when he’s properly fired up.

For the cunning Second Prince, the reaction was better than expected. Is he really so shaken from nearly dying that he can’t see straight?

If so, that would be perfect.

-Hmm... Moving now, right before the war, isn’t a good choice.

-What can we do? We have to think about it anyway. Breakthroughs often come in difficult times. If it’s really not feasible, His Highness isn’t someone who would move recklessly. It’s just that the memory of that time is still fresh now.

-Well, I suppose so.

-But if His Highness really sets his mind to it... be prepared.

-Understood.

That was the end of the conversation. However, there was one noteworthy point. It was the count’s muttering as he left the mansion.

“You wouldn’t understand.”

“Understand what?”

“That I, in this damn...!”

The mercenary who was about to raise his voice slightly looked around and then continued in a whisper.

“The feeling of making money in this empire.”

“...”

“You might find it unpleasant to hear, but understand. I’ve had a bit to drink.”

“No. I understand your feelings to some extent. My father was from Rohalak.”

Mateo also speaks quietly so others can’t hear.

“Rohalak? Really?”

“Yes. I lived there when I was young too. The memories are hazy, though.”

“But you’re an imperial person now, aren’t you?”

“Why say such a disappointing thing?”

The flow of the conversation is ominous. Mateo was definitely not from Rohalak. I eavesdropped on their conversation with interest.

“Do you know how my father died? Because he was from the west, he was worked like a slave and one day was hit by a noble’s carriage and died.”

“...I’m sorry to hear that.”

“I hate the empire. The reason I do business here is all to squeeze money from these imperial bastards.”

It was sophistry. But the man, who was already close to being completely drunk, just nodded silently.

Mateo glanced around and then opened his mouth.

“But you seemed surprised when I mentioned Rohalak? Were you from there?”

“That’s right. I was a knight of Rohalak. Ah, don’t tell anyone about this.”

“Of course not.”

Mateo brought out a bottle of alcohol from the back and filled the man’s glass while looking around.

“This is a gift for a fellow countryman.”

“Thank you.”

“By the way...”

“Go on.”

“I know a mercenary group composed of people from the west. Would you be interested in joining? There are people from Rohalak too.”

I was watching how their careful recruitment of talent was carried out.

If he’s a former knight, it’s not bad. If the rumors are true and he was a knight commander, his skills should be decent.

They probably disguise it as a mercenary group like that, test them while keeping them around, and brainwash them before bringing them in.

‘They’re being quite careful for this time of year.’

I had seen part of the difficulties they were experiencing because of the many things I had done.

I felt a bit proud while also wanting to stop them.

That doesn’t mean I had any intention of saving that mercenary. He had hostility towards the empire from the start because he was from Rohalak.

Intervening would only expose my existence.

I should withdraw for today. It was disappointing that there wasn’t much gain. I’ll have to watch for one more day and then try to touch the First Prince’s side.

It was the moment I left the tavern and was returning to my lodgings. My heart sank with a thud.

At the same time, the blood flowing in my body began to boil.

I had experienced this before. It was a signal transmitted by the Devil’s Blood. I could clearly understand.

That another devil had appeared on this continent.

‘How?’

That was the first thought that came to mind. Hadn’t I cornered them quite a bit?

They would have had difficulty recruiting talent while under the empire’s surveillance and it wouldn’t have been easy to move around.

Of course, they could have obtained Devil’s Blood somewhere. After all, I had met Pelia too.

But to make a devil appear, they needed sacrifices in addition to Devil’s Blood. Was that possible while avoiding the empire’s eyes?

This question was resolved the next afternoon. Around lunchtime, they were distributing printed materials on the streets.

The paper that a boy was handing out while shouting “Extra!” contained bad news.

It was news that Vasto in the northwest of the continent had fallen. The castle had barely resisted for a few hours in the evening raid.

And according to the testimony of survivors, it was written that a devilish dragon had risen from the fallen castle.

A devilish dragon... I knew about it, but it was an appearance several years earlier than the timeline I knew.

I was certain that a devil had moved directly.

1. TLN: Emperor? Shouldn’t this be the prince? Might be the author made a mistake, or I’m the one that misinterpreted it Author's Thoughts

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