Chương 635: Chapter 634: Spy Service

Reja Harbale, Dustorn Fortress"General," the guards greeted and opened the greenhouse door. I nodded and walked inside. A man was alone there. He was wearing dirty clothes and holding garden tools as he cleaned the weeds between the plants. He looked unassuming and forgetful. He was short and average, and nothing remarkable was about him. Even his eyes were dull. People would look at him and think of him as a gardener. He looked like one, and he is one, but that is not all he is.

Countless people made assumptions about him, and they are now lying six feet under the ground. He is a dull man until he enters the battlefield. That is when he turns into a fiend.

"Marquess," I greeted with a deep bow.

"What did they say?" he asked without turning from the weeds, working on them with the practiced grace.

"The same offer, with 15% more territory," I replied. There was no change in him, hearing that,"I had told them you would only accept the offer. If it came from both princes together," I added. He finally nodded. They had come to us countless times with requests and threats. They want him to join the war and be willing to offer a large territory in exchange. The one he has barely fits his title. Of course, it is impoverished, one of the worst in the empire after this wasteland. There is nothing worse than this.

It's not the territory he wants, but agreement from both princes. It is the only way he will not break his oath to the emperor. It is not bound in skill or contract, like oaths of other powerhouses in the empire. The emperor knew him well. He understood that a simple oath would be more binding than the one with the skills and contract on Marquess. The man wants to join the war to defend the empire from the enemies and has his own plans. I don't know what they are, but I am willing to follow him to the end.

"It's not long before they will come back again. The war may seem to have reached a standstill, but far from it. The enemies are preparing, and soon, they will launch an even stronger attack," he said and turned to me.

"There is no murmur about it in the intelligence," I said. To that, the man only smiled. … Soon, it was evening, and I returned from my mounted combat training. I am progressing well with it and even gained a level. The Rider Class is at Lv. 12 now. It makes me happy seeing how stuck I am in my aura. I practiced in the afternoon twice, but I didn't make any progress as always. Bell said I would need a leap. Which could have taken a lot of time; I didn't have the time.

I have two months before the enemies descend on me, and I am scared. The undead have accumulated a lot of force, and I do not have the confidence to stop them.

'Lord Silver, they are here,' informed Jill.

"Send them in," I replied. Click! The door opened, and three men walked inside—Stone, Cardin, and Hiren, the whole military high command. Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. The thing that happened while I was gone was severe enough to bring all of them in.

"Lord Silver," they greeted.

"Take a seat," I replied.

"The spies, we have quite a lot of them," I said as they sat before me.

"Eleven, but we believe we haven't caught all the members of the spy chain," replied Stone. He looked like he ate something bad. We have never caught so many spies at once. He put a file in front of me, and I began to read through it. The more I read, the worse my expressions would become. It is really terrible. We have been alert about the spies, but the enemies were able to covert our people, and some had infiltrated the city. They have converted humans and the forest orcs under our noses.

We are finding them, but the enemies are producing more, which is bad. The undead might not be attacking us, but they are doing other things. It isn't just them; Deerpond, Port Midlet, and our allies are spying on us. We have measures against it, but looking at the things, they aren't sufficient.

"Our counterintelligence group is far from enough. We need to establish an intelligence agency," said Cardin, and I couldn't help but sigh before turning to stone. He is right; things have reached beyond the limit. We need a dedicated intelligence agency.

"Do we have someone?" I asked Stone.

"A few had worked as spies but are not good enough to lead." He replied.

"I know a few people, but they live in the merchant state," he added. To that, I shook my head.

"No, we need our own people to lead it," I replied, looking at the three.

"I tried when I was young, but they said I didn't have what it takes," said Cardin, shaking his head.

"Since that's the case, get the most qualified among the people to lead it on a interim basis. We will watch them while searching for the better candidate simultaneously," I ordered, to which all of them nodded.

"I'd like to be considered for the position," said the voice from my left suddenly. The three and I turned to the voice and looked at Shaun.

"You, spy chief?" asked Stone. He was so surprised that a smile couldn't help but appear on his impassive face. Even I couldn't help but smile looking at the handsome man. Handsome people didn't make spies; they are too memorable, despite what television and books let us believe. He was a Mage—a true High-Mage, no less. While anyone could be a spy, mages were a rarity in the world of espionage—unless the mission involved stealing research or spells. In that realm, none could rival them.

"I have been a spy. I have a class," the man retorted defensively. A moment later, we all felt it—the weight of his class pressing against us. Our smiles vanished, frozen in place. It is a Spy Class, and it is over Lv. 20. Which means he was very good at his job.

"So, first time we met?" asked Stone. It is clear he did not know about it. I looked at Jon, the most perceptive, but he also shook his head.

"I was on a mission," he replied.

"When did you become a spy?" asked Stone.

"I was recruited by the service when I was in the academy," he replied.

"So, you were a spy before the war?" he asked, and Shaun nodded.

"Does your sister know about it?" asked Jon, but he shook his head. I wanted to ask if he is still faithful to the kingdom. However, There is no kingdom to speak of. The king is dead, and the kingdom has been conquered by the undead.

"You think you will be able to lead the spy agency?" I asked after a second of silence.

"Yes," he replied. I didn't say anything further and turned to Stone.

"Alright then, you'll lead it on an interim basis until we're certain of your abilities," I replied. Despite everything—even after he revealed his class—I still preferred him over anyone else. I trusted him. The question is, will he be able to lead it?

"Thank you, Lord Silver. I won't let you down," he thanked. I nodded and opened my mouth when something occurred to me.

"Take Rayna under you. She will be an asset," I ordered. Hesitation appeared on his face for a moment before he nodded. I am not giving her to him because I don't trust him, but because I genuinely believe that she will be an asset to him. Forty minutes later, they left while I slumped back on my chair.

"Will he be able to do the job?" asked Lola, the question I had been thinking.

"I don't know," I replied. I genuinely don't know whether he will be able to do it. I will see it in his work.

"Now that he is gone, I will have to find another mage," I said. Mage is necessary for me, and it should be someone that I trust explicitly. Zela is a primary mage, but I need another when she is unavailable. Like today, she is on leave. She has a date with her boyfriend. She didn't tell me; I just looked. I stayed at the city hall for three more hours, even having dinner there. I wanted to finish all the work since I won't be available tomorrow; Mok's Tavern is dying.

After they have milked it, they will send its core to us. Soon, the carriage stopped in front of the tower, and I got up and walked inside. A minute later, I stepped into the top floor and saw Caena was already there. She didn't get up or speak as I entered. The only thing she did was nod. She didn't have to follow the rules when we were alone.

"Has all the preparations been made?" I asked. I am not just talking about the spell, but also other things, like certain people, that need to be in the legacy tomorrow. They will be part of the spell we will test tomorrow with the Mok's Tavern's core in preparation against the Tranquill Bathhouse.

"Everything is ready. All we need is the core to begin," she replied. They have informed us of the time they will start that detestable process. After they are done milking it, they will send it to us for the first bite.

"Good, I am going to sleep early. I will need to be well-rested for tomorrow," I said. A few minutes later, she left the office. I didn't stay for much longer, either. I went to my room and practiced the aura as I do every day before falling asleep. Valorous Lord of Courage Lv. 39