How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game - Chapter 90: Tenorio (2)

Currently, the most popular knight in the empire was not the Sword Master but Carl Schurtafen, Carlyn.

This was largely due to his remarkable achievements in the war, which resonated strongly with the imperial people who had lived as a conquering nation for centuries.

Moreover, he had achieved great victories on battlefields that were considered unfavorable, creating a triumph that would be recorded in history books and military manuals.

Even in the triumphal ceremony, he threw himself to protect the princess, displaying the honor and devotion of a knight.

The incident where he rushed out for a short-term sacrifice to protect soldiers during the recent subjugation war was once again a hot topic.

Because of this, Carlyn received tremendous attention as a respected knight and a hero of the empire.

Carlyn’s humble origin as an orphan and a mercenary was no longer a relevant issue.

Though he was referred to as a Count, which was just a title, he had risen to a significant position.

Of course, his handsome appearance had its effects. Even most of the noble youths admired Carlyn.

From appearance to strength and strategic acumen, he was someone you might only encounter in a grandiose knight novel.

They even daydreamed about being there instead of the princess at the scene of a bomb incident.

Because of this, many noble youths were loitering in front of the royal palace on their way to work. They hoped to catch a glimpse of Carlyn’s face from a distance.

“Good morning, Sir.”

“Would you like to try this once?”

These people were not only noble youths. In the past, no one recognized him when he passed by on the street…

But now, people approached to greet him or even offered food. Rejecting them was also a hardship.

However, having only positive views on Carlyn wasn’t the case. It was the destiny of a celebrity.

Among knights and nobles, some did not view Carlyn favorably.

Most were jealous. A war hero from a humble background. That’s how they saw him.

But those who harbored such feelings were generally insignificant people as most who positively saw Carlyn.

They couldn’t gain anything from Carlyn.

Those higher up sought ways to utilize this war hero.

“My daughter is truly beautiful. Would you like to meet her?”

“How about raising your name in our knighthood? There’s no obligation. Just leave your name. There’s nothing to lose.”

These were suggestions for recruitment through private discussions or official proposals using social events. Secretly or openly, several offers came in.

Even the princes were the same.

In their eyes, all of the princess’s achievements in the war were achieved because of Carlyn alone.

The princes believed that if they brought Carlyn alone, the support for the princess would be redirected toward them.

Especially the First Prince, who had attempted to recruit Carlyn from the subjugation war, had been extremely persistent.

He promised quite decent territories and even a Duke title. Naturally, Carlyn did not accept such proposals.

While there were these normal offers, the world was not so straightforward.

There were people who wanted to kill Carlyn because they couldn’t possess him.

‘Huh?’

It happened when he was walking home after the shift, facing citizens who greeted him warmly.

Behind him, the atmosphere of a certain man was unusual.

It was the effect of the elixir. Thanks to the elixir given by the continent’s top figure, Carlyn reached the 4-star level of the Moonlight Technique.

Of course, the influence of sparring with the Sword Master and training over the years must have had an effect, but the elixir played a significant role.

Between the crescent moon and the half moon.

The body became lighter, and his mana became more refined, not to mention that the senses were further developed.

The sensation of winds. Carlyn could sense a dagger in the man’s embrace.

An assassin.

“Sir! Please try this too. It’s really delicious, just made it.”

“Haha, it’s fine….”

Even as the man approached, there was no warning from Death Avoidance. It wasn’t a life-threatening situation.

Perhaps because it was strange for him to move first, Carlyn calmly waited for the man to move.

The man pulled out a dagger with somewhat stiff movements, even though it was strange that he moved first.

Nevertheless, it was a fast speed. Before those who saw it could be surprised and scream, Carlyn turned his body.

He grabbed the hand holding the dagger. The assassin turned out to be a middle-aged man who looked innocent.

A bewildered expression.

“Oh my!”

Someone’s fresh scream burst out. But the situation had not ended yet.

One more.

After breaking the man’s wrist straight away, Carlyn quickly turned his body backward.

The arm he held. The dagger, now discolored like poison, was right in front of him. The man’s was a distraction, and this side was real.

A woman in her early twenties. Carlyn thrust a fist into her face. There was a clear sound of a breaking nose.

As soon as he confirmed she was unconscious, he also knocked out the middle-aged assassin who was lying down.

‘Annoying….’

Since the war, there had been many people observing him, but this was the first assassination attempt.

He couldn’t kill in front of people, and even if he didn’t, it was a hassle to take them away, staying up all night tired.

Originally, there was no expectation of finding out the mastermind. Carlyn was also affiliated with the intelligence agency.

There was no nutritional value in the information these guys were spit out.

Considering Carlyn’s influence now, he would have commissioned the job to someone below him.

The assassin group wasn’t stupid, and it was clear that they had subcontracted the task to assess Carlyn’s skills.

“S-sir! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

“Those bastards who dare to tear and kill the hero of the Empire…!”

The shocked citizens expressed their anger instead of Carlyn. A young man next to him approached and spoke.

“Are you going to bring them with you?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll help!”

The only fortunate thing was that thanks to the people, the burden could be slightly reduced.

“I heard that assassins came yesterday.”

The next day, as soon as Erendil saw me, she brought up the topic. I already knew that she knew.

It was featured on the front page of the newspaper this morning.

“I heard there are no injuries. Is that true?”

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Is it the handiwork of my brothers?”

“I can’t be sure. There are probably people who harbor resentment against me even in the West.”

Of course, the possibility was low, but it couldn’t be ruled out. Erendil also agreed.

“Well, in that area, you might seem like a devil.”

“…I’ll take it as a compliment.”

“But if it’s the work of my brothers, it won’t end with just this one incident. Are you okay?”

“Don’t worry.”

I knew that this wouldn’t end with this incident. It was an attempt to gauge my response.

However, I didn’t think I would be the one to suffer.

As long as I had Death Avoidance, I was invulnerable to assassination. Unless it was a Sword Master, I wouldn’t know.

“How can you not worry?”

Erendil, who said that, quickly continued.

“Even without this incident, there aren’t many people we can trust around the palace. I can’t even attach a guard to a guard knight.”

“Do you not know who I am? If there’s an assassination, I’m the one doing it, not the one being done.”

Perhaps my words were a bit strong; Erendil opened her eyes wide. After staring at me for a moment, she turned her gaze out of the window.

“I understand. Still, be careful.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

“And the merchant you mentioned last time sent a gift.”

She was talking about Alrend. He sent a gift even though I didn’t ask for anything. He was quite proactive.

“Did you like it?”

“Well, I’m not particularly interested in jewelry.”

Despite saying so, there was a quite satisfied expression on her face.

As the person who would become the Empire’s top merchant, he probably carefully chose and sent the gift.

“Next time, I’ll let him know to send something else.”

“Sure. It wasn’t bad. The snacks he sent along with it were really excellent.”

Ah, so she liked the snacks rather than the jewelry? Maybe she appreciated simple things.

If she was saying that, the snacks might be something rare and valuable, not easily found in the market.

“Yes. Then, I’ll tell him to send more of those snacks.”

“…Sure. By the way, my father asked me to visit Tenorio.”

Tenorio? It was the tomb of the emperors of the Empire. All emperors were buried there after death.

It was the space guarded by the Sword Master.

A place I’d never reached even once in the game. I didn’t even know where it was.

“It’s sooner than expected.”

Originally, the emperor’s children would visit Tenorio when they turned 18.

It was a kind of coming-of-age ceremony, a simple ritual that meant accepting the legacy of the previous emperors.

I only knew as much as was known to the public, so my knowledge was limited.

The princess was now seventeen years old. One year earlier than scheduled.

Probably, it seemed like the emperor had granted special favors due to this recent war. It might have been because this ceremony could influence the succession dispute.

“When will you go?”

“It’s best to go as soon as possible, isn’t it? It’s also a way to prove my position to others.”

“That’s right.”

“Let’s go in two days then.”

It was the day I would take on the escort mission again.

“Then, prepare yourself.”

“Sure. I’ll be back on the same day.”

“Is it close by?”

“I don’t know. However, Tenorio is a place you can only enter by riding a dragon carriage, so it won’t take long.”

Dragon carriage. It was like a small carriage attached to the back of a dragon, serving a similar role to an airplane on Earth.

However, on this continent, only the emperor could use it as a means of transportation.

In the distant past, during the time of the founding emperor, dragons had ruled the continent using magic.

Now, only degraded dragons remained, and even they were kept by the imperial family as a symbol of the emperor’s authority.

“Is His Majesty coming with you?”

“No. You and I are going alone.”

“Me?”

Erendil shrugged.

“There’s something you don’t know. The Imperial Founder’s Medal also grants the authority to ride the dragon carriage.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. My father finds it troublesome, so he told us two to go.”

It was a new piece of information. Originally, the last time the Imperial Founder’s Medal was awarded was 130 years ago.

There was no mention of the dragon carriage.

Well, it might be something similar to the nominal count position. Perhaps it was allowed because the current emperor had a significant influence.

Two days later.

I followed Erendil to the restricted area behind the palace. It was where the dragon carriage was located.

There were only a few dragons left on the continent. Among them, the emperor had six. There were only two here.

The dragon I saw for the first time wasn’t significantly different from what I had seen in many games.

‘It’s fascinating.’

If I felt disgusted when facing monsters during the subjugation war, it was a bit different now.

Dragons were usually a symbol of fear or awe.

However, I didn’t feel such emotions, perhaps because of the dragon carrying the carriage behind it.

Anyway, Erendil and I got on the carriage.

It was a carriage for four people, so Erendil and I had to sit facing each other.

Soon, the dragon took off. There was no shaking since it was enchanted with magic.

The city below, now reduced in size, could be seen through the reinforced window. It felt like being on an airplane above the sky.

During the silence, Erendil couldn’t take her eyes off the window. It seemed like it was her first time riding as well.

“It’s amazing. Don’t you think so?”

“Yes.”

“Schurtafen.”

Erendil turned her gaze to me.

“You’re helping Emmet, right?”

“Yes.”

Emmet returned after our conversation. I sparred with his sword every rest day.

It was better than I had expected. His determination to protect the princess was aiding his recovery.

“Thank you. For some reason, I always find myself thanking you.”

“You don’t have to say that. I’m here to assist. Please consider it natural.”

“I can’t help it. Wasn’t it you who told me to look after my subordinates?”

Erendil kept looking out the window throughout our conversation. After a short silence, she spoke again.

“Even if I become the emperor, continue to make those words come out of my mouth.”

“Yes. I’ll do my best.”

At that moment, my heart thumped. Simultaneously, blood began to boil in my veins.

And I instinctively realized.

Now.

On this continent, a devil had appeared.

Author’s Thoughts

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