How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game-Chapter 197: Chenarus (1)

The forward base began to stir less than 2 minutes after the messenger arrived.

The reactions of the soldiers who were in the middle of their meal were divided into two.

Those who turned to the south with surprised and depressed faces to offer a silent prayer, and those who hurriedly got up from their seats and ran to the barracks.

The latter were the promised soldiers. Of course, their number itself was not large. It’s natural for troops to be divided.

Just because the emperor died, all these soldiers couldn’t be withdrawn. The majority must remain here.

The emperor’s death is a major event for the devil worshippers, just as it is for me and Erendil.

If Erendil were to retreat with all the soldiers, they would bare the fangs they’ve been hiding in the north.

‘Of course, they’ll try to cause damage by taking advantage of the gap in forces.’

If damage occurs in the north, Erendil, who went to punish the devil worshippers, will be held responsible.

It would not be good if the situation in the capital reached a stalemate.

For the devil worshippers who need sacrifices to summon devils, it’s killing two birds with one stone.

Erendil has to move, so Rudehrn will probably stay behind to command the soldiers.

It was an operation that the emperor had arranged, betting his own life. It certainly won’t be sloppy.

Thinking about it again, many things fit.

This part of the plan was probably set up knowing I would participate. Because I would protect Erendil all the way to Chenarus.

If they hadn’t met me, or if I had said something wrong and died, two Sword Masters would have probably come here.

‘The Sword Masters wouldn’t directly help Erendil, but an escort would be needed to the empire.’

Anyway, the prepared force was about 1,500. 700 cavalry and 800 infantry.

Considering that we don’t know what might happen in the capital, it’s not a large number, but it’s enough to escort a princess at war.

However, the departure intervals themselves were different. The cavalry unit left the base first.

And then one of Erendil’s knight escorts followed behind with the infantry.

It seemed they were doing as I had initially thought, sending the cavalry first and having the infantry join later.

There’s no need to worry.

If the princes move quickly, they’ll be far outnumbered, but what matters is arriving in the end.

I didn’t suffer for nothing. The power of Erendil’s supporting nobles is now no less than that of the princes.

Moreover, there’s something to rely on. I think Erendil contacted them after talking with me. Even if not, she’s someone who can move on her own sufficiently.

Anyway.

It’s time for me to move too. I ran straight to the mountain top. There was a reason for this action.

The speed of the cavalry led by Erendil won’t be incredibly fast. They have to consider the horses’ stamina given the distance to Chenarus.

There’s no suitable place to change 700 horses along the way, and in fact, the cavalry’s horses are specially trained ones.

However, following that speed on foot was quite difficult. Of course, it’s possible.

Still, I had to consider the physical aspect too. But if I got a horse to follow, the chances of being noticed would increase dramatically.

So what I chose in the end was a wing suit. There was no better choice in terms of stamina management.

Winds is a mystic, so mana consumption is low. The mental fatigue is at a level I can sufficiently bear.

And using a wing suit, I don’t have to worry about being noticed. If I raise the altitude appropriately, I look like a dot from below. This was a fact I had already tested.

Also, there was no reason for the cavalry heading towards Chenarus to carefully examine the sky.

‘I just need to follow the cavalry from the sky.’

In addition, I could see a wider radius with the naked eye. This means I can react faster if anyone targeting Erendil appears.

I threw myself off the cliff of the mountain. A strong updraft sent my body up into the sky.

***

The cavalry didn’t move in a hurry. The first day was the fastest, and the speed decreased a bit afterwards.

Although they had trained, since they were running on snow, they seemed to be acting while monitoring the condition of the horses in real-time.

It was a wise choice. Time is important now, but there’s also a need to go slowly to go faster.

If a horse collapses, the speed will be even slower.

Also, the condition when arriving at Chenarus is just as important. We can’t rule out the possibility of battle.

We have to consider the possibility that one of the princes has already seized the capital. A battle might break out on the plains in front of Chenarus.

Now I too had put away the wing suit and was moving on foot. This was because the density of mountains decreased as we left the north.

Without mountains, using a wing suit becomes ambiguous. Creating updrafts on flat ground is too noticeable.

‘It’s a bit tiring, but.’

I couldn’t walk following behind the cavalry. As much as I was chasing through paths where people don’t walk, physical consumption was unavoidable.

But given the situation, I had to endure it. It was still okay so far. There have been times when it was harder than this.

I followed behind Erendil, hypothesizing various situations. A traitor within the cavalry was one of them.

But I wasn’t too worried. It was a plan arranged by the emperor.

Then those following Erendil now would have been verified and selected in advance.

‘Rather, the other side is the problem.’

The devil worshippers also know about the emperor’s death news. It’s a natural course of action for them to now pressure the forces in the north.

The two things I’m most worried about now are: First, them blocking Erendil’s journey to the capital.

Especially knowing that Rudehrn remains in the north, they might actively target Erendil.

I’m not sure if there will be important figures on this route, but I need to keep being cautious.

The second is the possibility of them causing trouble in the capital. Now that the emperor is dead, they’ll be trying to make contact with the princes.

They might have strings attached to all princes. I was a bit worried about the first prince. After the last incident, there might be ongoing communication.

The situation flowed too rapidly for me to check on the first prince’s side before leaving the capital.

If they join hands with the first prince and seize the capital, it would be quite a headache.

Personally, I think they would have chosen one of the two. They probably don’t have much capacity either.

As much as the Imperial Intelligence Agency was busy, there probably aren’t many forces within the empire.

Also, since Erendil was at the forward base with many troops, they would have been paying a lot of attention to the north.

But I can’t be certain. There’s enough possibility that they might aim for both sides.

***

By now, I had traveled about half the distance south. Chasing the cavalry on two feet along rough paths, the physical fatigue was at a considerable level.

Still, fortunately or not, contrary to my worries, there were no attacks targeting Erendil.

I viewed it as them having made a choice. Homing Pigeons are faster than human feet and cavalry.

The devil worshippers’ plans would have already been conveyed to the capital. The princes’ side would be up to something.

It’s optimal for them to plot something in the capital where the emperor is dead and Erendil is absent.

They might have judged that it’s better to secure a position in advance rather than targeting Erendil, whose location is uncertain due to the rapid southward movement.

‘I’m not sure how it will turn out.’

There was no way to get news from the capital and the north. This was because Erendil didn’t stop at any city.

Meals were minimized and water was the same. They managed only with supplies brought from the forward base.

I thought it was a decision made because you never know when something might be mixed into the food somewhere.

It would be similar for stopping at cities.

Cities are ruled by nobles. If it’s a noble on the princes’ side, who knows what might happen.

Even if it’s a noble supporting Erendil, there’s a need to be careful now.

‘There aren’t many people who can be trusted.’

Just like the princes’ side, there probably aren’t many people who sincerely loyal among Erendil’s supporting nobles.

Erendil, who can see the truth, would have felt this even more acutely.

There was no need to take unnecessary risks from our side. Maybe except for someone like Duchess Lyurik.

Once again, Erendil passes by a city. And I made a decision.

‘I need to stop by.’

While it’s important for Erendil to go to the capital first, it’s different for me. I needed to grasp the situation.

I need to observe the overall flow and make plans.

The only worry is what might happen while I’m visiting the capital…

I have to take the risk now.

I need to know the situation in the capital to think about how to respond as we go. I have to consider the worst-case scenario too.

If the situation is really bad, instead of going to the capital, I might have to change direction to meet Duchess Lyurik.

The emperor would have prepared the stage to some extent, but if he had prepared everything for Erendil, he wouldn’t have started this in the first place.

‘He sets the stage but wants her to resolve it herself.’

So I turned my direction towards the city. The distance from the cavalry widens dramatically. I, too, needed to move quickly.

As soon as I entered the city, I could feel the disorder.

The emperor’s death and the war in the north.

Anxiety had seeped into the faces of people living their daily lives. I expanded my winds as I moved. I could hear people’s conversations.

‘Devil worshippers have revealed themselves in the north, but the war hasn’t started yet.’

I couldn’t hear information about the capital. There were only talks about who would become the emperor.

Are they controlling the information?

My prediction was correct. As I looked at the newspapers, there was no meaningful information about the capital.

It was all about the achievements of the deceased emperor and content honoring him.

News from the north was just that devil worshippers had appeared south of the northern limit line.

This makes the reason for entering the city meaningless…

Suddenly, I saw a familiar newspaper company name. It was the one operated in Haisen. It was where I accessed information when I was a knight escort.

I felt a bit of anticipation. The code didn’t appear after I left the empire. But now might be different.

‘Please. Phiri.’

I quickly opened the newspaper and turned a few pages. It was where Phiri’s words to me used to be.

And there, I could find traces. A quiet joy rises inside.

I’m not sure if it’s Phiri’s intention who I haven’t met since coming to the empire, or Duke Brusek’s intention.

Of course, that’s not what’s important. I quickly read through the article.

‘What did this mean again?’

Since these were codes we shared about 2 years ago, my memory was patchy, so I couldn’t interpret it right away.

But after a while, I was able to obtain the information Haisen was giving.

-3rd prince’s sloppy usurpation attempt failed. Talks about devil worshippers exist.

-1st prince, 2nd prince in psychological warfare. Confidant nobles’ troops heading to the capital.

-Devil worshippers and devilish dragon appeared in the north. No battle yet.

3rd prince’s usurpation failure? My brow furrowed as soon as I saw this unexpected sentence. Did this guy cause trouble?

I could infer the situation from the word ‘sloppy’.

The 3rd prince had been in collusion with the devil worshippers before. He would have naturally asked for help.

However, now that the emperor is dead, would the devil worshippers have supported the 3rd prince?

Absolutely not. They would have tried to connect with the 1st or 2nd prince. The probability of it being the 1st prince was high.

There’s a possibility they met during the last incident.

The 3rd prince, probably when the devil worshippers didn’t offer help, would have led his small force towards the imperial palace.

The Sword Masters don’t intervene when the imperial descendants fight for the emperor’s position. He probably thought this was his only chance.

But it would have been impossible to seize the imperial palace with that insignificant force.

Next, the psychological warfare between the 1st and 2nd princes was good news for me.

‘I thought they would move faster.’

The news that Erendil is returning would have been conveyed to both princes as well. Public opinion favors Erendil. They both know they don’t have much time.

Yet they’re still in psychological warfare. Hmm, maybe the 1st or 2nd prince is hesitating to join hands with the devil worshippers.

If they had joined hands earlier, they would have acted immediately. Anyway, it seemed okay so far.

I deciphered the last code. The last one was as I expected.

-Duchess Lyurik, who was in training, advancing to Chenarus. The fastest action.

I was certain that Erendil had contacted Duchess Lyurik right after talking with me.

If not, there wouldn’t have been the word ‘training’. The tide seemed to be flowing as I wanted. Of course, I still need to observe the situation more.

The 𝘮ost uptodat𝑒 novels are pub𝙡ished on freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

I checked the time. Deciphering the codes took a bit more time than I thought. How much would the cavalry have moved, it was time to chase Erendil again.

Chenarus was not far away.