How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game

Chapter 146: Denif (1)

“……”

No conversation took place between the devil and Carlyn. They only looked at each other through the violet sphere.

The devil reflected in the fist-sized sphere looked small, but his presence was not.

Carlyn felt cold sweat running down as he unknowingly gulped.

The devil of domination. He knew of that existence.

‘Was this bastard the one that first descended in the northern continent?’

The devil stared intently with bulging eyes. The red pupils shone on the black sclera.

The devil looking at him smiled. The sharp fangs looked sinister. The momentary encounter ended just like that.

“Phew……”

In the midst of the scene returning to normal from the purplish-red inversion, Carlyn let out a ragged breath.

His exhaled breath trembled. He had even forgotten to breathe in front of that overwhelming presence.

‘Damn it.’

It’s not like he didn’t worry about potential dangers. That’s why he looked into it with Osten.

When they observed it, they judged that it didn’t have a location tracking function.

Even if it was hidden, they thought the possibility was low. Because they initially judged it as a detector.

If you get bogged down by small risks, you gain nothing. Carlyn just did what he had been doing so far.

However, he didn’t expect to come face-to-face with the devil directly.

He didn’t directly suffer any harm, but after the extreme tension, he felt all the strength leaving his body.

‘Was I too complacent?’

Was it because he was influenced by his companions’ innocence, or was it because he had been on a winning streak since leaving the Imperial Palace?

Things hadn’t been going according to plan, but much better than planned.

No, that’s just an excuse.

Carlyn shook his head inwardly. He had been complacent. He had let his guard down after overcoming the prophecy. It was a moment when he needed to reflect on himself.

Of course, it was a predetermined future.

He wouldn’t have just left the magic tool alone because it was dangerous. He would have tried various attempts.

‘Because I can’t just leave it alone or discard it.’

But it was complacency that he didn’t do it in a safer place.

After dealing with Pelia, his whereabouts were discovered by those guys here. The fact that he was moving east was revealed.

The devil worshippers may have been able to deduce Carlyn’s destination.

He should have done it later, in a safer place. That was Carlyn’s regret. But unexpectedly, there was some relief too.

‘It’s fortunate that I didn’t touch it after making the base.’

If he had come up with this method but didn’t use it until later, things would have become more complicated.

Of course, he would have had to abandon the base and redo his identity cleansing. Perhaps now was better.

Still, this magic tool didn’t seem like a trap set by those guys.

If they had intended it, it wouldn’t have just ended like this.

Carlyn remembered the devil’s gaze.

At the end, he showed an ominous smile, but at the first encounter, the devil also had a puzzled look.

‘It seemed like he saw something unexpected.’

Carlyn’s conjecture was correct. The detector was made by imbuing the devil’s power.

Only the chosen ones could use the darkness to detect Devil’s Blood.

And when Devil’s Blood was captured, it was designed to report that blood was spilled for you by staining it with that blood.

That’s why the devil of domination was puzzled when the blood was stained.

The news of Pelia and Mori’s deaths had also reached them. It was even in the news, so they couldn’t be unaware.

And what appeared was an unfamiliar face. Because Carlyn was in disguise.

But the devil quickly recognized that Carlyn was Carl Schurtafen. He sensed the Winds even while looking through the medium of the magic tool.

‘For now, it seems okay.’

Carlyn judged that the magic tool wouldn’t cause any immediate problems. There was no additional effect.

It was an accurate judgment. The encounter was short because he only dripped a single drop of blood.

Carlyn decided to put aside what had already happened for now. All he could do right now was increase his speed.

Instead, his thoughts turned to how to utilize this. He had grasped the fact that staining it with blood made it activate.

‘If I do it well, I might even be able to sell it as a trap.’

Those guys would probably be suspicious, but either way, they would have to come to the place where Carlyn activated it.

He could set a trap or aim for a clash between a formidable foe and the devil worshippers.

The first person that came to mind was Archmage Shahri.

He hadn’t contacted her yet. It was still too early to deal with the First Prince. The sooner, the better.

Because before that, Shahri might come into contact with the devil worshippers.

Of course, the possibility was low now that the devil worshippers were withdrawing their forces from the north, but you never know.

‘Using the First Prince as a pretext to deal with Shahri doesn’t seem as good as this.’

If he lured Shahri to the place where he activated the magic tool, they would inevitably end up fighting each other.

From the devil worshippers’ perspective, they would send someone stronger than Pelia.

And if an elf was there, they would try to capture and interrogate her rather than talk.

And Shahri wouldn’t meekly let herself be captured either, so the chances of combat were high.

Of course, it was just a thought that had suddenly occurred, so it wasn’t perfect. But the possibility was sufficient.

Even if he didn’t utilize it this way, there was ample room to use it later.

‘I’ll think about this a bit more.’

Now it was time to move quickly. His current location had been revealed to those guys. They might even guess which direction he was headed.

But there was no change to the plan of heading east.

Because the Empire was sharp, the enemy wouldn’t be able to send many forces, and Ju Rina was more important than that risk.

His companions hadn’t noticed what had just happened. The encounter was something only Carlyn had experienced.

“Boss, did you find something out?”

“It’s a more dangerous item than I thought.”

“Huh?”

Osten questioned, but Carlyn didn’t say anything more. It was because of Ju Rina’s presence.

There was no need to unnecessarily make her anxious at the persuasion stage.

“Let’s increase our speed a bit.”

***

I reviewed my plans moving forward.

Since I was heading east anyway, I intended to handle anything that could be done in that vicinity.

I had no intention of exerting influence in the east. The east would definitely fall to the devil worshippers.

It was a place that didn’t get along well with the Empire due to religious conflicts.

Lu Nanna. The believers in the Moon God.

For the ridiculous reason that the moon rises in the darkness, they get close to and are devoured by the devil worshippers in disguise.

‘And yet, the reason there was no major friction with the Empire was due to the geographical trait.’

Between the central and eastern continents, there was a rugged mountain range from top to bottom. Between the south and east, there was a desert area.

It wasn’t an environment that was easy to travel through. That’s why the east was somewhat independent even on the continent.

Since there wasn’t much interaction, trade with the east offered immense wealth but the risk was so high that not many engaged in it.

This eastern region rapidly fell to the devil worshippers after the game’s starting point.

‘Starting in the east meant having to restart, by the game’s rules.’

Originally, I had planned to pass through the east and then head to the desert area. That place, like the northeast and southwest, was also teeming with demonic beasts.

Capable warriors frequently came and went there to sell the byproducts from hunting them.

Among them, there might be someone worth recruiting. Hmm, after reviewing, the southeast seemed fine too.

Even if they found out I was heading east, they wouldn’t come all the way down to the desert area.

‘For now, I need to assess the situation a bit.’

Because unexpectedly, I might encounter the devil worshippers in the east. There was still time.

At that moment, at the edge of my Winds perception, two figures were caught behind us. They were riding horses.

They were people I hadn’t sensed before.

The fact that they were caught now, after increasing the carriage’s speed, meant they were moving very quickly.

‘What is it?’

It’s not unusual for this to happen. It’s common to encounter people when traveling along roads.

But the nearest city was still quite a distance away, so there was no reason to drive the horses that quickly.

For long-distance travel, you also have to consider the horses’ stamina.

A sudden worry that they might be devil worshippers crossed my mind. But that didn’t seem possible.

‘No matter how fast they are, it doesn’t make sense for them to find me this quickly.’

It was too short a time for them to be chasing after me. Moreover, with the situation of Pelia’s death, two people were too few for a pursuit team.

It was more likely they were just passing by.

Still, just in case, I kept watching behind us. The distance was gradually getting closer.

Now, they were close enough to be seen with the naked eye.

I turned my head slightly. The two behind us were a middle-aged man with a sizeable build and a young man.

Despite the considerable distance, our eyes met. And in that moment, I couldn’t help but be flustered.

‘Denif?’

Even with his disguise, I could recognize him. That familiar gaze. I recognized Denif first, then Toun Zaha.

How did they end up following me?

Had Haisen been following me? My mind was in a jumble. It didn’t make sense.

After the incident with Pelia, I had been meticulous about covering my tracks.

I quickly racked my brain. I didn’t have any ill feelings toward Haisen. We wouldn’t fight.

I had acted according to the duke’s orders.

‘But he had told me to come when I deemed it appropriate.’

Had they changed their policy to approach me first? It seemed a bit risky in the current situation where the Empire was still sharp.

I wasn’t ready to join Haisen yet.

I hadn’t properly built up the organization. It was not the right time to return to Haisen.

There was a glimmer of hope, though.

What if they just happened to be passing by for a mission? Of course, that possibility was extremely slim.

‘Separating from my companions… it was already too late.’

They had already seen us. Assuming Denif didn’t recognize me, I could only cling to that faint hope.

But my hope was crushed in less than five seconds.

Because Denif and Toun Zaha started approaching us while gradually slowing down.

Caught off guard by their sudden approach, my companions also regarded them with wary eyes.

Denif and Toun Zaha both had serious expressions. Denif even looked angry.

My thoughts turned negative.

‘Could it be the duke didn’t tell him?’

The duke’s confidant had said that I would be known as a traitor within the Haisen Intelligence Agency.

Only the four of us – me, the duke, the confidant, and Phiri – would know the truth.

I had heard that, but I thought he would have told his godchild Denif. If he didn’t…

The situation wasn’t good.

‘If I handle this wrong, it could really get messy.’

If my assumption was correct, combat would be unavoidable. Denif and Toun Zaha. It wouldn’t be easy.

It might even be tougher than the fight with Pelia.

“Hah, I finally found you.”

Denif spoke while shaking his head left and right. Recognizing me, my companions raised their weapons.

Ju Rina also hurriedly looked around in alarm.

“Carlyn, long time no see?”

I couldn’t figure out what kind of expression I should make.

“Yeah, how have you been?”

“Me? Well enough. But who are these guys?”

Denif grinned wryly. It seemed he had trouble getting information. I turned my gaze toward Toun.

“Toun, have you been well?”

Toun silently nodded. The signs weren’t good. It seemed he didn’t know my circumstances.

It really does look like they weren’t told.

As the tension rose, I pondered what to do. Should I tell my companions to run?

I couldn’t kill Denif and Toun Zaha.

Could I subdue them without killing them? That didn’t seem possible.

Should I go to the duke and escape instead? Negative thoughts filled my mind when Aron spoke up.

“Brother, do you know them?”

“What? Brother?”

The answer came from Denif, whose expression had contorted. Denif shouted at Aron before asking me:

“Brother?”

Denif, who had shown quiet anger earlier, now looked dumbfounded. His face was filled with a sense of betrayal.

A sense of betrayal? Why was he suddenly showing that? I couldn’t understand this situation.

Author's Thoughts

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