How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game

The princess’s thoughts deepened. Entering the capital immediately was not a decision to be made lightly.

Although not certain, according to the duchess, there were well over 10,000 troops in the capital.

Her own forces numbered 3,700, of which 700 cavalry were exhausted from riding non-stop to the capital.

Carlyn said he would open the gate, but it was true that it would be a difficult fight even after entering through the opened gate.

There were many uncertain factors.

Unlike what they had experienced so far, the reason Carlyn presented was also too simple.

‘But it’s Schurtafen’s words.’

Nevertheless, the princess’s trust was firm. Unlike with others, she couldn’t read truth and lies in his words, but the other party was Carlyn.

Memories from when she first met Carlyn quickly passed through the princess’s mind.

Not once had she suffered a loss by following his words. It was always beneficial.

It was all thanks to Carlyn that she, who had been ignored in the imperial family and had no supporting nobles, had come this far.

Carlyn’s face was serious. She thought the simplicity of his stated reason was due to the urgency of the situation.

The princess decided to trust him and nodded.

“Alright. We’ll do it.”

At the princess’s words, Duchess Lyurik quickly interjected.

“Your Highness, forgive my impertinence, but this is a hasty decision. I need to hear a bit more.”

“Go ahead.”

It could be seen as rude in a way, but the princess didn’t mind. The duchess was also one of her trusted people.

“Schurtafen, it feels like there’s no plan. Even if you open the gate, there’s no guarantee the soldiers in the capital will side with Her Highness, is there?”

“You’re right. But at least they won’t attack us zealously.”

“What do you mean?”

“To increase his control over the capital, the prince has dispersed his confidants in various places.”

Duchess Lyurik quickly understood those words.

“You mean we can neutralize them except for the troops the prince brought separately?”

“Yes. We just need to deal with the confidants in command positions. The soldiers are likely to be dissatisfied since their original commanders were changed.”

“That’s right. They have no reason to attack Her Highness first. And if Her Highness says just one word, it would have a big effect.”

He meant a rebuke towards the soldiers who had lost their commanders, asking how dare they raise weapons against the Empire’s princess.

The possibility of soldiers attacking in the face of authority from a realm they dared not challenge was low.

However, there was doubt. It was still in the realm of positive speculation. But it seemed quite possible.

The duchess also hadn’t missed internal information while staying in front of the capital.

In reality, the reputation inside the capital wasn’t very good. The Haisen intelligence agency played a big role in this.

Since they couldn’t use newspapers, they secretly scattered flyers about the prince, taking advantage of the emperor’s death.

These contained appropriately exaggerated truths about his corruption and sadistic tendencies.

That the prince had secretly killed over two hundred imperial citizens for pleasure, or that he was defeated in the war with the West because he was lusting after women.

Of course, such slander could be effective because the reputation of the princes had been poor from long ago.

“Anyway, the longer this drags on, the more disadvantageous the fight becomes for us. We need to catch them off guard. The prince probably didn’t expect Your Highness to arrive today.”

Duchess Lyurik nodded.

“Even now, the troops in the capital are probably being dispersed, focusing on this gate. We need to enter before they settle into position. Time is of the essence.”

Duchess Lyurik accelerated her thinking. It was correct. They had to enter the capital anyway. And it wasn’t just anyone’s words, but Carlyn’s.

She had properly seen Carlyn’s abilities on the battlefield. The princess, after examining the duke’s face, opened her mouth.

“Does the duchess agree as well?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Finally, Duchess Lyurik nodded. The princess turned her gaze to Carlyn with a composed face.

Carlyn inwardly marveled. She seemed calm despite the situation. She showed little sign of fatigue despite riding non-stop from the north.

It was a strong aspect. Carlyn thought the princess had changed quite a lot too. Both from when he first met her and from what he knew of her in the game.

The princess Carlyn remembered was an upright person but preferred to avoid such complex problems.

“Your Highness.”

Carlyn, who was about to say “please endure just a little longer even though it must be very hard,” closed his mouth upon seeing the princess’s eyes. It seemed better to refrain from speaking.

The princess, waiting for his next words, tilted her head.

“Speak. What should I do?”

***

Following Carlyn’s suggestion, the princess mounted her horse without her helmet and in simple armor.

Her armor, dirtied from the long ride, was cleaned so that she could be recognized as the princess even from afar.

The princess and the duchess’s soldiers advanced towards the gate. It wasn’t a charge. It was a leisurely movement, as if it were natural.

By then, Carlyn had already entered the capital and was hiding near the gate.

After positioning his winds near the princess for protection, he turned his gaze towards the gate.

As the news had already spread, three of the prince’s knights were out there.

‘Fewer than I thought. Well, they probably didn’t think 3,700 people could break through the gate.’

Carlyn thought the prince’s soldiers would be gathering in formation towards this side. He was correct.

Still, there was time. They didn’t seem to be moving urgently, probably because they felt at ease.

Carlyn’s eyes traced the gate. He needed to hold out until he dealt with the knights and opened the gate for the princess and soldiers to enter.

He drew the route to rush towards the target and the path to escape after opening the gate. And the princess arrived in front of the gate.

“……”

The silence was heavy. Duchess Lyurik and her subordinates, even the soldiers on the wall, had stiff faces.

The moment they had vaguely imagined was now before their eyes. Amidst the prevailing tension, only the princess had a calm face.

And that calmness was imbued with strength. The princess looked up at the gate, standing 15 meters in front of the tightly closed door.

One slightly furrowed eye seemed to express her discomfort.

“I, Erendil Kisturath, have returned. Open the gate.”

“……”

There was no movement on top of the gate even at the princess’s words. The soldiers looked at the prince’s knight, gauging the situation.

The knight was equally tense. He was taking deep breaths with a hardened face.

“What are you doing? Open the gate at once.”

“Martial law has been declared in Chenarus due to His Majesty the Emperor’s passing! It’s impossible to enter with troops!”

Though he shouted boldly, the knight’s voice was trembling slightly. Even for the prince’s knight, it was difficult to shout at the princess.

Duchess Lyurik’s brow furrowed sharply. From his tone to his attitude, it was clear insolence. Erendil smirked.

“Whose order is that?”

“It’s an order from His Highness the Prince!”

They say the first time is always the hardest. Having done it once, the knight shouted with a more relaxed face. His voice no longer trembled.

The advantage of the situation was clear to anyone. For a brief moment, in his delusion, he was a knight standing next to the emperor.

“I heard my brother’s troops entered.”

“I have no intention of arguing! Only Duchess Lyurik and one escort may accompany you!”

It was a statement with obvious intentions. The knight who shouted this looked somewhat relieved, but in fact, it hadn’t produced a good effect.

The princess receives fervent support from the people and soldiers within the empire. The latter wasn’t simply because of victory in war.

Whenever the princess led soldiers, she took meticulous care of them. These were actions other princes would never do.

The expressions of the soldiers and knights behind the prince’s knight weren’t good.

“How disrespectful.”

Watching this, Carlyn was certain that now was the time to move. He signaled that there wasn’t enough justification to stop Erendil.

Especially with the disrespect shown by the knight. There wouldn’t be many troops to resist if he attacked. Carlyn placed his hand on his sword. At that moment.

“Ugh!”

An old guard standing at the back, stabbed the knight in the back with a spear. The soldiers with him ambushed the other two knights.

It happened simultaneously. They probably never imagined being ambushed by a mere guard, and due to the situation of having the princess right in front of them, the knights were helplessly caught off guard.

Five guards hurriedly looked around with weapons drawn. A dozen soldiers rushed from all directions and gathered together. Carlyn realized this was a coordinated movement.

The soldiers pointed their weapons around, but there were no signs of resistance. The remaining knights and soldiers were frozen in shock.

‘What’s going on?’

A confused Carlyn assessed the situation. There were soldiers on the prince’s side on the wall, but not many. It was because even the soldiers had been dispersed.

From their perspective, it was difficult to move without a commander in a situation where they didn’t know if those were all there were. After all, they were just low-ranking soldiers doing what they were told.

“Your Highness! Please wait a moment! I’ll open the gate for you!”

About twenty soldiers started opening the gate while guarding the surroundings. Despite their small number, no one could stop them.

Carlyn narrowed his eyes and looked at the soldiers. Somehow, they seemed familiar.

And he realized they were soldiers he had fought with in the northeastern subjugation campaign. They were the spiritual pillars among the veteran soldiers.

He remembered because they were soldiers he had gone on his first expedition with.

When Carlyn charged on horseback towards the monsters the 3rd prince had brought, this person was at the forefront forming the battle formation.

As they aged, they had been reassigned as guards protecting the castle along with their long-time comrades. The gate opened.

“I will protect Her Highness the Princess! If anyone wishes to join, come with us!”

The old soldier shouted towards the soldiers on the wall who were gauging the situation, then quickly came down below the gate.

Most of the soldiers were watching the situation, but about twenty more followed. Two knights were mixed in as well.

Although surprised by the situation that differed from what was promised, the princess advanced with a calm face. The group of old soldiers knelt before her.

“Your Highness! I’m glad you’ve returned safely!”

“You are… Telfi.”

“You, you remember my name?”

The old soldier was shocked. He had only briefly spoken with the princess once during the northeastern subjugation campaign.

“Of course. How could I forget a brave warrior who fought alongside me?”

At that time, the princess had observed the soldiers following Carlyn’s advice. Carlyn had told her to send subordinates to listen to their grievances, but she had moved directly a couple of times.

The old soldier looked up at the princess with a moved expression. The soldiers behind him had similar looks.

“If, if you allow it, this old man would like to dedicate his life to following and protecting Your Highness!”

“Telfi, don’t say that. How could I not allow it?”

The old soldier looked at the princess with moist eyes. Erendil nodded firmly.

“Let’s go.”

Thus, the group of soldiers joined. Though small in number, it was a good phenomenon. Just as the prince’s knight had become arrogant, the first step was important.

There was no reason why soldiers who saw them wouldn’t join. The princess began to move forward again.

At that moment, Carlyn was stabbing his Ghost Blade into someone on a nearby rooftop. Blood spurted.

It was an intelligence agency agent who had been aiming at the princess from the rooftop.

‘Looks like there are still quite a few.’

It wasn’t the intelligence agency targeting the princess. There were still devil worshipper forces remaining.

Carlyn caught the arrow that was about to fall. Instead of an arrowhead, a small magic bomb was attached.

He got a slight headache. He couldn’t eliminate all the intelligence agency agents, but he had to filter out ones like this.

There was no choice. Just advance towards the imperial palace. Carlyn bit his lip and drove away his fatigue. He, too, was very tired.

The princess advanced on the main road in front of the gate. She could feel gazes watching from all around. They were from the citizens.

With news of her arrival, people had disappeared from the streets. It was because civil war seemed imminent.

But curiosity is human nature.

Many eyes were watching this scene, the princess’s return, hiding in houses and buildings.

Erendil advanced towards the imperial palace with her back straight and upright posture. Not long after passing through the gate, the sound of hooves could be heard from afar.

Battle was approaching. The people in hiding held their breath.