How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game

Autumn was ending and winter was approaching. This was also why the upcoming war was predicted to be even more difficult.

In the north, they would have to move in an already cold region.

Of course, the cold would affect the devil worshippers too, but it was different since they had already established a base there.

There would inevitably be a difference in the ability to endure the cold between those who had settled in the north and those who were in the central part of the continent.

Separately from that, it was certain that I had ignited a great spark in the second prince’s heart as winter approached.

Now I had nothing more to do. I would simply observe the situation unfolding outside.

I won’t intervene in it. There’s no need to.

Now there are two possibilities. Either something really happens between the princes, or they get caught by the Imperial Intelligence Agency before that.

‘I don’t care which way it goes.’

Whether the first prince is harmed or not, the second prince will be out anyway. Of course, it would be better if the first prince dies too.

Still, I personally think the latter is more likely.

Even if the Imperial Intelligence Agency is short-staffed and busy, it’s never sloppy.

The fact that I can operate comfortably is all thanks to the winds. This would only be possible for me among those who aren’t Sword Masters.

In fact, even those stronger than me can’t move as easily as I do in the empire.

‘Just look at how Phiri can hardly operate.’

Anyway, while I was keeping an eye on the situation with the princes, I wasn’t dedicating as much time to it as before.

It’s a waste of mental energy.

Since it doesn’t matter what happens now, it’s more important to prepare for what’s to come.

That’s why I focused on examining the composition of the imperial army’s troops and commanders while concentrating on my companions.

Of course, the only companions in Chenarus right now are Osten, Rina, and Mary.

The Alrend merchant group was also handling an enormous volume of goods due to changed circumstances.

It was good for me. I also benefited from the situation.

Namir, Denif, Aron, and Jofor had established themselves in the Alrend merchant group in a short time based on their diligent performance of duties.

‘They did as well as I expected.’

Namir and Denif took care of the tensions between mercenaries. Even though their numbers were small, it wasn’t a problem since their skills were decent.

Of course, I cautioned them never to reveal their true abilities. Thanks to that, they could be in a managing position even among other mercenaries.

Usually, slightly larger mercenary groups take on this role, but their recent rise in reputation played a big part.

Especially since Denif had dealt with the leader of a medium-sized mercenary group and done Alrend a favor.

At this rate, I thought they might be assigned important supply missions even after the war.

Actually, I’m 100% sure. Once the war starts, there won’t be many reliable people left. They’ll have to entrust important tasks to trustworthy individuals.

‘Come to think of it, things I thought were unfavorable often turned out to be helpful.’

It was mostly Denif who caused these. Both joining our group and causing trouble while I was away.

Personally, I hoped this war would turn out the same way. Although it seemed like there would be big losses.

While the kids were busy with the merchant group, I made time to oversee Rina’s swordsmanship.

This is because when the four of us are out, Rina is the only one who can use force in the capital.

It might not be enough to protect Mary and Osten, but I don’t think the risk factors will be that great.

Almost all attention will be focused on the outside, the northern part of the continent.

Personally, I don’t think the devil worshippers will target the emperor. The possibility is low.

The emperor is already quite old anyway. From their perspective, they just need to bide their time. That’s also why they’re insistent on targeting the successor.

Of course, killing the emperor would immediately cause chaos, but that would also require quite a bit of effort.

I thought they might rather use that power to attack the imperial army. Anyway, Rina applied herself diligently.

‘Her enthusiasm was tremendous.’

Ever since she asked me to oversee her sword training last time, it seemed like something had really ignited in her.

It also seemed like she had something pent-up from not being able to do the thievery she wanted to do, and her own will was considerable.

It was almost disconcerting how different she was from the Rina I had observed in the game.

Of course, this is good news. She’ll definitely become stronger than the Rina in the game. Her usefulness will increase.

And so, time passed quickly. Before I knew it, the gathered soldiers were preparing to march outside Chenarus.

Although the mobilization was sudden, they didn’t look sloppy since they had recently fought a war in the north. Even light training showed their heightened discipline.

‘They said the march would be in 3 days.’

I, too, had finished preparing to leave the capital. I could leave anytime. However, I planned to stay near the formation.

There’s a high probability that their target is Erendil. Even if there’s a Sword Master, I intended to protect from the outside.

And that evening, the capital began to grow noisy.

The confidants of the first and second princes were being summoned to the imperial palace one after another.

It happened without any warning signs. I, who had been waiting for something to happen anyway, could be certain.

That the second prince’s plot had caught the eye of the Imperial Intelligence Agency.

***

“Second son.”

“Yes, Father.”

The second prince answered calmly, but he had already sensed that things had gone wrong. He had planned to carry it out on the day of the march.

Where could the information have leaked from? His slightly pursed lips betrayed his suppressed anger.

“I hear you tried to kill your brother.”

“Pardon?”

The surprised response came from the first prince’s mouth. He had been curious about the reason for this summons.

When only the second prince’s name was called, he had been pleased, thinking there must be something he had done wrong.

But, he had tried to kill him? Goosebumps rose on his arms. When? How? His widened eyes turned towards the second prince.

The third prince and the princess were the same. They were surprised by the sudden summons, but those words were even more shocking.

“…Brother made the first move.”

After a moment of silence, the second prince glared at the first prince as he spoke. The first prince jumped to his feet.

“Wh-when did I! What move!”

The first prince’s voice trembled as he shouted, seemingly dumbfounded. The Emperor glared at the first prince.

The first prince sat back down after glancing around nervously. The Emperor demanded an answer from the second prince with his eyes.

“I heard intelligence.”

“What intelligence.”

“…”

“I happened to come across a letter reporting from an informant of an Imperial Intelligence Agency agent. It said that Brother was targeting me.”

“Well. Rudehrn, was there such a report?”

“There was not.”

The second prince shouted as if wronged.

“It’s the truth!”

The Emperor waved his hand as if annoyed.

“Whether it’s true or not, that’s not what’s important right now. The problem is that you’ve been caught.”

The Emperor heaved a deep sigh.

“This won’t do. All of you stay in the palace.”

“Pardon?”

The Emperor spoke to the three princes. The princes tilted their heads for a moment before realizing what he meant.

It meant they were to be excluded from this war.

“Father!”

The most enraged were the first and third princes. Of course, the hot-tempered third prince shouted first.

“Quiet.”

“No, I didn’t do anything! Even if my brothers tried to kill each other…”

“Hey! Who tried to kill who? I’m telling you I didn’t!”

The first prince flared up again at the third prince’s words. The irritated Emperor slammed his hand on the desk.

“Third.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Have you already forgotten the war with the West?”

“…But, didn’t the eldest brother also lose that battle?”

“There’s a difference between falling for a strategy and stupidly getting yourself killed by the enemy.”

“…”

The third prince was at a loss for words. The first prince glanced at the Emperor.

“Father, then why am I…”

“Aren’t there suspicions? You need to clear those up first. An investigation will begin.”

“This is unfair!”

“And!”

The Emperor was about to shout but suppressed his anger.

“I said it was different, not that it was okay.”

The Emperor clenched his fist tightly. It was visible how much it was trembling. All the princes saw this anger.

The princes shut their mouths, sensing that anyone who opened their mouth now would face an even bigger problem.

“Get out now, all except Erendil.”

The princes, still reluctant, looked around for about three seconds before standing up. A knight outside gestured to the second prince.

“Please follow me.”

The second prince, who was about to say something, glanced at the Emperor and bowed his head deeply.

In the quietened space, the Emperor looked at the princess with more relaxed eyes.

“Erendil.”

“Yes, Father.”

“Can you call Schurtafen?”

“Pardon?”

Erendil looked at the Emperor with wary eyes at the sudden question. She wondered if her father might harm Carlyn.

“I don’t mean any harm.”

“I have no separate way to contact him.”

“Didn’t he come to save you last time?”

“He probably came after figuring out their plot. He didn’t say anything to me separately. It’s the same now.”

“What a cold-hearted loyal subject. I see.”

“If I may ask why you’re calling him…”

“Never mind.”

The princess didn’t ask further. Even though things were better now, she had seen her father’s anger.

His clenched fist was still the same.

“Is that all you have to say?”

“Yes. You may go.”

Five seconds after the princess closed the door and left, the Emperor coughed violently.

Dark red blood splattered on the desk.

“Your Majesty, are you alright?”

“Rudehrn.”

“Yes.”

“We have a job to do.”

***

I could immediately tell how things had turned out. Several nobles who entered the palace didn’t come out.

Duke Jonau was one of them. Instead of them, the imperial guards rushed out of the palace gates.

The fact that the imperial guards were moving now, right before the war, meant they intended to destroy entire families.

It was the price for daring to touch the imperial bloodline.

Anyway, with this, the second prince could be considered effectively out. He was the most cunning among the princes, but he went down easier than expected.

I guess someone who had lived comfortably as a prince couldn’t withstand a threat to his own life.

‘It’s not the best, but not bad.’

The third prince was already out. Even if the devil worshippers are attached to him, I don’t think it will make much difference.

Unless Erendil had died. Now only the first prince was left.

I was thinking that if an opportunity arises during the war, I could handle it myself, or else… when the nobles’ conversation began.

I had secretly followed two surviving confidant nobles of the second prince as they headed to a high-class tavern.

-What do we do now, really?

-This is all because that count spouted nonsense!

-Let’s side with Her Highness the Princess.

-Will she accept us?

-We’re not bad options, are we?

-No, with all the princes unable to participate in the war, would the Princess accept us? All the credit would be hers.

All the princes can’t go to war? I thought it was natural for the second prince. I thought it could happen for the third prince.

It was unexpected that even the first prince was excluded. If only Erendil was going to war… it was ambiguous.

The situation was good, but from the perspective of predicting that the war wouldn’t go well, there was some concern.

Originally, I was planning to compare with the first prince even if it was a bad war.

-Isn’t that why we should side with her before she gains more merit?

-No. Since it’s come to this, we need to gamble. Is there any guarantee the war will go well? If we’re going to side with someone anyway, we should do it after things fall apart.

-You do that, Duke. I’m going to side with her now.

-Are you betraying us now?

-With things as they are, how can you talk about betrayal?

It was at that moment. A person was detected by the winds I had spread around.

What’s this? Another intelligence agency agent?

I was already keeping the nearby agents in mind under the winds. It’s not time for a shift change…

As I was puzzling over this, I felt a strange sensation. When I moved the winds to examine him, it seemed like he had perceived the winds.

‘No way…’

A chill followed. And usually, in cases like this, ominous predictions usually come true.

Damn it! I confirmed that someone had recognized my winds. It was a Sword Master. I could be certain.

It was a mistake to try to confirm in detail by moving the winds unnecessarily.

In the moment I realized my mistake, that person was already rushing towards my location at tremendous speed.

‘I need to run…’

My feet were already moving faster than I could think, but my head already knew.

I can’t escape. Today isn’t my best condition, and Devil’s Blood hasn’t manifested either.

Damn. Since I’m going to be caught anyway, should I conserve some strength for a final resistance?

It might not be the worst.

The imperial family already knows I’m not a devil worshipper. I made my decision.

‘I didn’t expect to be caught this easily.’

Even if I use winds near a Sword Master, my skill has increased so I shouldn’t be caught easily.

However, this time the problem was that I concentrated power there to observe him. How could he not notice someone observing him?

It was a short wait. In less than a few seconds, Rudehrn revealed himself where I was.

“Schurtafen.”

“Sir.”

“It’s been a while.”

“It has been a while.”

“I didn’t expect to find you this easily. Were you that careless?”

Rudehrn tilted his head. It wasn’t meant to provoke or insult me. He’s not that kind of person either. He seemed sincere.

He had certainly been in the imperial palace until just now. He must have been surprised too. So am I.

“Well, who knows.”

I smiled calmly. I need to gauge the situation. What matter he came for.

“Do you now believe what I said last time, that my actions were for the empire?”

Rudehrn furrowed one eye. He seems to know, since he’s not refuting.

The chances of survival have increased slightly. He also showed some impatience. Probably because he left the Emperor behind. He opened his mouth.

“Come with me. His Majesty is calling for you.”

Author's Thoughts

Hi everyone, I've completely translated this novel! For those who love this novel and wanted to binge read until the last chapter, you can go to my Patreon "Shop" page. There, I have a product in which you can read them with discounted price instead of buying them here with normal price. Thank you for the attention! P.S: If you want to buy the chapters in bulk and wanted a custom price, do hit me up on my discord account @_dawn24

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!