How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game - Chapter 91: Tenorio (3)

The blood flowing in my body was informing me that there was a devil on this continent. Its location was vaguely specified as well.

North. Devil’s Blood was pointing north.

In my head, the information I had gathered so far came together. There was some puzzlement though.

Unlike the occasional ‘Devil’s Blood discovered’ events in the game, there was very little information.

Only ancient texts dealt with the matter. Only now could I understand why.

It was because Devil’s Blood only reacted when there was a devil on this continent.

Hmm. I seem to recall that Devil’s Blood was needed to summon a devil…

The devil worshippers must have another way to obtain that blood.

‘Anyway, this is faster than I expected.’

Wasn’t the summoning around the main storyline originally? I couldn’t be certain.

I don’t know all the information in the game. The devil’s appearance time was the same.

The summoning may have happened early but the activity took place later.

Perhaps the terror aimed at Erendil was a smokescreen for the devil summoning in the north.

To divert the empire’s intelligence service’s attention.

The death of Erendil would also suit them, so they tried to catch two rabbits at once.

“…Schurtafen?”

Erendil’s voice broke through my tangled thoughts. Her light green eyes showed concern.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah, yes.”

“Just now your eyes seemed to turn red for a moment.”

I tried to calm my pounding heart. I knew the phenomenon when Devil’s Blood activated.

The color and atmosphere of the eyes change. Luckily it didn’t seem to be too noticeable this time.

It was only for a fleeting moment.

It wasn’t because I craved something that the blood reacted, but just briefly responded to the devil’s appearance.

“Is that so?”

“Hmm. They’re normal now. Was it just the sunlight’s reflection?”

Erendil, pondering for a bit, convinced herself. Phew. It felt like cold sweat was running down my back.

Because it was such a brief moment I was fortunate.

She must have glanced out the window, noticed the strange atmosphere, and turned to look at me.

And in that instant caught a glimpse of the redness.

Silence flowed for a moment. I should change the topic completely so she couldn’t think about it.

As I looked out the window I abruptly opened my mouth.

“Your Highness.”

“Speak.”

“May I step outside the carriage for a moment?”

Erendil looked at me like I was crazy. Her eyes seemed to say, what nonsense are you spouting while in the sky?

“Not off the carriage, but onto the dragon’s back.”

“Isn’t that dangerous?”

“You know my Mystic Power, don’t you.”

Erendil sighed lightly as she silently looked at me.

“You do these odd things from time to time.”

The reason Erendil spoke like that was because of the Eccentric Actions. Though it didn’t happen often, even after becoming Carl Schurtafen that thing was active occasionally.

Fortunately, the behaviors weren’t problematic socially.

Things like flipping over a painting hung in the hallway and staring at it, or sitting in the palace waiting for a cat to move.

-Sir, what have you been doing?

-I’m waiting for the cat to move.

-…Huh?

The latter happened after a shift change and was a bit awkward when caught by one of Erendil’s attendants.

She had apparently seen me standing there for 2 hours as she came and went.

I knew there was talk that the bodyguard from Haisen was a bit odd.

Well, it wasn’t a serious issue. In fact, it worked to my advantage, lowering the empire’s suspicions about me.

“I will just sit down.”

“No, go take a look and come back.”

At some point, I got the sense that the scenery outside the window was repeating. It was strange.

The dragon hadn’t changed direction in the sky. Yet the scenery I had seen reappeared.

And soon, the outside was filled with clouds.

Even expanding Winds, it was hard to grasp the sense of direction. This indicated one thing.

‘It’s great magic.’

It must be a barrier created when there were still great magics, during the founding emperor’s time.

Something about this dragon or carriage allowed passage through it.

That’s why despite Haisen being a small nation, Tenorio’s location was completely unknown. There was a reason for it.

All that could be seen were clouds.

The hazy outside only seemed alive with the wings of the dragon flitting among the clouds.

After about 5 minutes had passed, the view suddenly cleared.

In the middle of a space covered all around with clouds was a single mountain. It looked majestic.

Atop it was a white temple-like building.

The dragon headed not for the temple but below the mountain. I didn’t know why. Erendil also tilted her head quizzically.

I opened the front window of the carriage and asked.

“We’re not going straight there?”

“The entrance is below! The great magic makes it impossible to fly directly there!”

The coachman, who had the status of a knight, answered. Should I call him a dragon rider instead of a coachman? Dragon knight?

Well, it wasn’t an important issue. The dragon landed next to a manor below the mountain.

“Princess, you’ve arrived. We were waiting.”

“Sir Faorn, it’s been a while. I trust you’ve been well?”

“Yes, always the same. You’ve matured into a beautiful woman now, astonishing.”

The one who came to greet us was Swordsmaster Faorn. The over-70-year-old elderly man was the founding emperor’s bodyguard knight.

After his lord’s death, he remained here to continue protecting his lord.

In the game, he typically died fighting the vengeful devil. The old swordmaster glanced my way.

“You must be Carl Schurtafen.”

“Sir Faorn, it’s an honor to meet you.”

“The honor is mine old man in the background… just the passage of time.”

The melancholy in the Sword Master’s tone was faded. Did my words remind him of the past?

Well, he doesn’t look weak at all despite appearances. He’s not a Sword Master for nothing.

Since Sword Masters live up to about 130 normally, he was still in his prime.

He seems rather sentimental though. Just guarding this place for so long after his lord indicates that.

“Aren’t you the honored recipient of the Imperial Founder’s Medal? I often hear news about you here. It’s quite impressive.”

“You flatter me.”

“No, sword skills and intellect are different things. I wondered if I would ever see that medal during my lifetime, and here it is.”

Faorn observed me with deep eyes.

“I wanted to express my gratitude as a knight of my empire.”

“It’s an honor.”

“That aside, Rudehrn’s words were not lies.”

“You two talked about me?”

Faorn laughed.

“We exchange letters occasionally. He mentioned having a kid who would become a Sword Master within 20 years. His eyesight isn’t great. Even if you take your time, it looks like 15 years would be enough.”

“Thank you.”

Whether it was sincere or not, it was a pleasant thing to hear. I glanced at Erendil.

She could see the truth. She was wearing a faint smile. It seemed genuine. Not bad.

“Aren’t you lonely in this remote place? You could return to a more comfortable place.”

“How can it be lonely when I’m with my master? This place is comfortable for me.”

Faorn replied with a smile to Erendil’s words.

“Still…”

“It’s okay. Living with a sword without worries or concerns, wielding the sword with my master, that’s my joy.”

“Is there nothing inconvenient?”

“It’s a luxurious life. Thanks to His Majesty’s care, I can eat what I want and have what I desire.”

As Faorn spoke, he had the expression of a grandfather looking at his granddaughter.

“These words are somewhat touching to hear for this old man for the first time. Princess, you’re the one who said such things to me.”

“My brothers must have come too, right?”

“We exchanged brief greetings.”

The old man gave a wry smile. Was there a hint of disdain in his expression, or was it my imagination?

Probably not.

Now an inactive guardian knight, the old man. He must have judged that there was no need to pay much attention.

They probably didn’t bother taking care of Faorn’s feelings amidst their sentiments.

“Even so, you’ve been here for too long. You used to come by the imperial palace occasionally but not at all lately.”

“Yes, these are days focused on the sword. And an old man wandering the imperial palace for no reason would be presumptuous.”

Erendil didn’t push further after the polite refusal. I thought it was quite a nice conversation.

The devil’s advent.

It left a good impression on the Sword Master who would soon begin activity.

“We’ve gotten sidetracked. You’re busy nowadays I hear but please go up quickly.”

“Do we simply go up?”

“Yes. Go up together with him and come back down after looking around.”

It was less complicated than I expected. It really seemed to just be a ritual.

“It looks rather high but you should be able to climb it in three hours.”

It looked like it would take the better part of a day by eye, but this was likely also due to magic.

In any case, Erendil and I began climbing the mountain.

The path wasn’t difficult. Stairs made of what seemed like marble went all the way to the top.

I followed behind Erendil.

At first, we moved quite quickly. Erendil walked energetically too. She basically took care of her physique and had been training with me lately.

With just the elixirs she took when young, her physique should be better than an average knight’s.

‘Quite capable.’

More than walking, Erendil’s posture seemed rather devout. It wasn’t because she wasn’t talking.

The atmosphere felt full of determination. Was it because she was going to meet the founding emperor and ancestors?

Translate these into English:

The momentum I feel seems to be filled with determination. Is it because I’m going to meet the previous emperors?

However, after about an hour, the pace began to slow down gradually.

It was not due to Erendil’s stamina but rather a geographical trait. This place was incredibly rich in mana.

It was a space where you could easily spot magic stones and magic wood just by turning your head.

Due to the high concentration of mana, fatigue sets in a bit faster.

And after two hours, Erendil looked visibly exhausted.

However, she didn’t show any signs of distress outwardly.

“Let’s take a short break.”

“No.”

For a moment, I thought about suggesting carrying her, but I didn’t because of Erendil’s demeanor.

Erendil persisted bravely.

All I could do was use Winds to subtly assist Erendil’s body and maintain her body temperature.

And at some point, the end of the stairs came into view. The surrounding scenery also changed. It was the summit.

As Faorn said, there was a difference from what it seemed.

The white building was more like a temple than a tomb.

Despite the long years since the founding emperor, the surroundings were neatly maintained.

Erendil looked at Tenorio with a slightly overwhelmed expression and suddenly called me.

“Schurtafen.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Do you know about that?”

Saying so, Erendil turned to look at me.

“I have truly decided to become the emperor now.”

It was an unexpected statement. Could it be the result of my efforts so far?

“You’ve changed your mind.”

“Yes. Seeing the actions of my brothers and what I can do made me think like this.”

Erendil smiled brightly.

“People who once feared and persecuted me didn’t turn out to be that much. Also, more people care about me than I thought.”

Some images came to mind.

The smile Erendil had when soldiers praised the princess in the war and her composure in front of the First Prince. That might be the true nature of Erendil.

Erendil hadn’t received proper treatment as a princess within the palace, especially from the princes.

Perhaps her surroundings had made her passive. It must have been a new experience for her.

“And with you by my side, I feel like I can achieve what I want.”

After saying that, Erendil subtly turned her gaze.

“Do you remember what you said before? The path for the empire. I now feel that those seemingly empty words were sincere.”

Even though she might have known because of the mystic, it was still embarrassing to say it out loud.

Since she doesn’t usually reveal her emotions, this solemnity while climbing the mountain must have been from conviction settling in her heart. I bowed deeply.

“Thank you sincerely.”

“Let’s go in now.”

The interior of Tenorio was also temple-like. In the center was a statue of the founding emperor.

And from the entrance to the statue stretched a golden path, with statues of those who served with the founding emperor lined up along the sides.

The names of the emperors from the founding emperor were engraved into the golden path, starting at his feet.

Up to about the midpoint of the path. Erendil stood at the end.

“My father’s name must be engraved below. I wish my name could be below his.”

“It will be.”

As I said this, I was surveilling the temple with winds.

Like with Leocran’s ruins, just in case there might be something to discover here.

I examined it closely and meticulously from the entrance. And I felt a faint air current.

It was behind the founding emperor’s statue. In other words, there was hidden space back there.

Author’s Thoughts

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