How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game

I felt the crunch of snow being compressed under my feet. There was no sound. My breath spread in a blue haze.

Dawn in the snow-covered north had a slightly different color than elsewhere, and the world was tinged with the hue of daybreak. 

The horizon at the edge of the distant sky slowly began to brighten. In a place filled with blue light, the rising sun appeared as the only color.

I hid in the undergrowth beneath a tree and surveyed my surroundings. There was no one nearby.

A bird perched on a branch, seemingly just noticing my presence, tried to take flight with a flutter.

I pinned the bird to the ground using winds.

‘No need to draw any attention, even a little.’

I observed the forward base. Smoke rose here and there as the approaching morning was greeted.

It was a signal that breakfast was being prepared.

We had stopped by Haisen’s branch and gone to search for missing agents. That was also when we rescued Toun Zaha. It was already quite a while ago.

‘What do they want to do?’

This had been my thought since hearing that Kahalin was the forward base. This place is in the north, but not the far north.

There was still quite a distance to the northern limit where the devil worshippers had hidden themselves.

Moreover, there were two other cities to the northwest and northeast of Kahalin.

It was puzzling that they set up the forward base in Kahalin despite the existence of two cities closer to the northern limit.

What’s more, since coming here, the imperial army hadn’t shown much movement. Light reconnaissance and training were all they did.

At first, I thought the imperial side was being cautious.

‘They might consider those two cities to be under the enemy’s influence.’

The nobles there could be collaborators, or many devil worshippers could be hiding among the city’s people.

Rather than worrying about betrayal from within, it might be wiser to keep a distance.

I couldn’t know for certain. It had been quite a while since I’d obtained information about the north.

The last time I heard information from Haisen was over a year ago.

Are they really trying to buy time?

This was one of the hypotheses I had considered on my way here. Those guys are hiding beyond the northern limit.

Despite it being too cold for people to live, there were two reasons they could do so.

One was living in tunnels connected to caves. A massive hiding place connected by deep tunnels.

And the other was the power of the devil.

Although I hadn’t seen it directly, the devil worshippers in the game said they could live in cold places thanks to the grace given by the father of the darkest place. 𝐫ÁꞐỗ฿Ë𝐒

‘Launching an attack first is quite dangerous.’

Despite people’s anger, commanders tend to be cold-headed. Charging in without knowing the enemy is tantamount to sacrificing soldiers.

Moreover, the emperor had issued a statement.

-Those who believe in the ugly and blasphemous shall receive the iron hammer of the empire. If you think your filthy beliefs are true, reveal yourselves and fight in the north.

-If what you believe in is true, the empire will be defeated, but I am not afraid. For I know of your defeat.

It was a provocative tone. In other words, it meant, “We’ve come this far, so you should reveal yourselves and fight too.”

It conveyed the intention not to recklessly enter without knowing the location of their stronghold.

However, neither I nor the emperor think they will reveal themselves.

From their perspective, there’s no need to engage in an unfavorable battle.

‘It seems they’re trying to buy time until they obtain information about the enemy, while also keeping an eye on the northern limit.’

Considering what the Imperial Intelligence Agency is doing, they must expect to obtain information soon.

With the expedition launched and the forward base set up, public opinion on the empire’s side should have calmed down to some extent.

In fact, I felt a bit regretful. I wanted to observe the devil worshippers since we had come all the way to the north.

Although it was clearly fraught with danger, originally one should know their enemy, as knowing yourself and your enemy ensures victory in every battle.@@novelbin@@

However, it’s not an easy task right now. I can’t go from here to the northern limit.

Protecting Erendil is the top priority.

‘It’s the same today as well.’

Even as morning passed and lunch approached, the imperial army’s routine remained the same. Simple perimeter reconnaissance and training were all they did.

Erendil and Rudehrn were in the middle of a useless meeting.

I say useless because it was about resource management, not strategy.

Since I started eavesdropping with winds, there had been no discussion about future strategies.

In fact, I consider this fortunate too.

If I hadn’t met the emperor, I wouldn’t have been able to eavesdrop with winds. I discreetly checked, feeling frustrated, but Rudehrn didn’t show any signs of displeasure.

It seemed there would be no particular changes today either. I returned to my lodgings. I need to rest now and keep watch around the area at night.

I wasn’t particularly worried about standing out. I had taken lodgings in Kahalin as a mercenary, and there were quite a few others besides me.

Mercenaries tend to flock to such battlefields.

As battles begin and troop losses increase, the value of mercenaries goes up.

Perhaps because of this, the price of lodging was quite expensive.

‘Still, it’s too…’

I’d like to say it’s the calm before the storm, but even so, there was nothing I could do.

All I could do was keep watch around the base and observe the movements of the imperial army.

It seemed likely that Denif would come to Kahalin soon. Even without movement, supplies are consumed according to the number of people. Maybe there will be changes by then.

Well, let’s just watch for now.

***

A month passed. Really, there was no change at all. It was a worthless time, no matter how many times I thought about it.

Light reconnaissance and training, the daily routine of the imperial army repeating every day.

The military discipline of the imperial army, which had been sharply honed towards fighting the devil worshippers, seemed to have weakened a bit.

It was natural since they had done nothing for nearly a month. Of course, even so, they were in quite good condition.

And now I could accurately grasp the emperor’s intentions. Although I can’t be certain, it doesn’t make sense otherwise.

The biggest evidence was the sight of mercenaries or merchants heading south from the north.

‘Even though the numbers weren’t that many.’

Although well-disguised, I could tell at a glance that they were imperial agents, even when seen from afar.

The imperial army at the forward base shows no change, and in a time of impending war, they’re gathering intelligence agency agents? What this implies is actually quite clear, in my opinion.

The emperor has no intention of waging war.

This directly connects to the emperor’s poor physical condition. It was one of the concerns I had after seeing the emperor.

Despite knowing that the princes were not his own children, the emperor had no intention of changing his will.

As I couldn’t use the cards I had prepared, chaos was inevitable.

If the emperor’s health severely deteriorated as the war period extended, it could even lead to a civil war.

‘If Erendil is tied down by the devil worshippers, she can’t return to the empire.’

In that gap, there was a possibility that one of the princes might take the emperor’s position.

The emperor wouldn’t have been unaware of this.

However, it was impossible to remain idle in a situation where public opinion in the empire was boiling, so he chose to send the army but not wage war.

‘Quite cunning, I must say.’

If so, everything is explained – setting up a forward base in Kahalin, sending only one Sword Master, and the lack of additional troops.

Even if the devil worshippers know this intention, it doesn’t matter.

Above Kahalin lies the vast Kahalin mountain range. It was where Toun Zaha had hidden until Phiri and I came.

Because of this, even if they move first, the choice lies with the empire.

The intelligence agency agents will confirm their movements, meaning they can decide whether to retreat or ambush.

A public opinion battle must be ongoing in the empire. They could falsely claim to have fought battles.

They can easily fabricate small battles during reconnaissance.

Moreover, since the emperor has even issued a statement, it’s enough to say that the enemy is afraid and fearful of the empire, not coming out and only observing the movements of our forces.

In other words, the gathering in Kahalin is simply to kill time.

I felt a chill for a moment. Sending the army to Kahalin was before things broke out among the princes.

This means all of this was the emperor’s design. I wonder when he started planning this?

‘No, how far ahead did he look?’

My mind races quickly. The emperor’s design is premised on his own death.

That means he knows when he will die.

It’s certain that his physical condition isn’t good, but there’s always a reason for moving with such certainty.

People can live for ten more years even in a weakened state.

Either he’s terminally ill, or he’s fabricating his own death.

Since the emperor of the empire can’t be said to have died after going into seclusion, if it’s the latter, he would probably choose to end his own life.

‘For the sake of the empire.’

If it’s the latter, I might personally feel respect. My thoughts continue.

Erendil, along with Rudehrn, holds the elite of the imperial army.

If the emperor dies in a situation where time has been dragged out like this without the war progressing, Erendil will return to the capital with these troops in hand.

Even if the princes hurriedly gather troops, it won’t mean much in a situation where elite soldiers are already gathered.

It will take time to mobilize them too.

Of course, it will take time for Erendil to return as well, but they won’t be able to defeat the elite troops that have already formed ranks.

Thoughts flash in another direction as well.

‘Could it be?’

The incident between the princes was induced by my instigation. But even without that, it seems the princes would have been excluded from this expedition.

The reason can be attached to anything.

It’s enough to say their performance in the last war wasn’t great. I just provided a definite reason.

A smirk escaped me.

‘This cunning old man.’

While talking about trampling competitors and surviving, hasn’t he essentially laid the groundwork for Erendil?

There was also a sense of self-reproach.

I could have noticed earlier. The defeat in the war in the game was too ingrained in my mind, and I didn’t think about it.

I pondered on how to reduce losses.

I said not to be buried in past information, but it hasn’t improved much. It can’t be helped though.

If things went wrong, there would have been real big losses. I’m glad I know now, at least. My guess is almost certain, I think, though not 100%.

I’ve reviewed it many times, wondering if I’m thinking too favorably for myself. Nevertheless, what the situation points to seemed clear.

‘If so, there’s not much meaning in being here.’

Should I go to the empire to naturally induce the next situation? It was a thought that suddenly occurred to me.

Even if I’m here, nothing changes immediately anyway.

Of course, I can’t return to the empire because of that. Since the emperor has set the stage, my top priority is to protect Erendil.

And even if I return, it doesn’t seem to mean much.

Well, all I can do is protect Erendil here and wait for the emperor to die.

I wonder how long it will take.

Perhaps calling in the Imperial Intelligence Agency agents is also related to the emperor’s death.

It won’t take long, as there’s also a risk in keeping a large number of soldiers in reserve.

‘It might happen faster than I thought.’

I thought it would take more time and effort to make Erendil emperor…

I didn’t expect it to unfold like this.

I pondered for a moment. Whether I should tell Erendil about this fact or not. Honestly, I’m not sure.

Regardless of the reason, I, who killed her mother, feel a bit reluctant to talk about her father’s death.

Even though I’m convinced, it’s not 100% certain.

However, after a brief deliberation, I chose to tell her. She can hate me if she wants. That doesn’t matter.

What’s more important is for Erendil to prepare to become emperor. I’m a bit worried about how she’ll react though.

I waited for evening to come. Of course, I didn’t feel entirely good about it.

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