How to Survive as a Genius Spy in the Game

“What the hell? Can you really be in such good condition?”

Denif placed his plate on the table with a face full of excitement and surprise. Orhen, who was usually quiet, had a similar expression.

I guess that was how astonishing I was today.

To be honest, I was surprised too. I knew I could do well. My body felt so good.

But I didn’t expect to be able to perform like this against Denif.

I had seen Denif practicing during physical training many times. I had been sincerely amazed by his skills.

How could he move like that? And at the age of 13? That was what I thought.

But today, I was able to move just as I had envisioned. Just like Denif back then.

Even though Marhan told Deninf not to hold back.

“Yeah, I didn’t expect it to go this far either. It’s my first time holding a sword.”

I laughed lightly and playfully twirled my utensils. I wanted to chat and build a friendship while my body was in such good condition, but time was running out.

Twenty minutes for eating and brushing my teeth was not nearly enough.

“That’s why it’s so amazing! No, on the day you first hold a sword, you fought me on equal terms because you’re in such good condition!”

Denif blurted out.

Orhen, frowning slightly as if Denif were about to spill his food, spoke up.

“…Denif is right. Carlyn is strange.”

The children’s reactions were expected, given how astonished Marhan was.

Still, yes, it was strange to hear it face to face. It wasn’t a wrong statement, but it felt bittersweet hearing it from Orhen instead of Denif.

“But I’ve been like this before. Usually lacking strength, but occasionally overflowing with energy. My mind works well too.”

“How often does that ‘occasionally’ happen?”

Denif’s eyes lit up.

“Well, once a year? It can be faster or slower.”

“It’s too infrequent.”

When I relayed Marhan’s comment to Denif, he made a disappointed expression unexpectedly.

“That’s true. But why are you more disappointed?”

I asked him indirectly, and Denif shrugged his shoulders.

“Rekun and Mohen have left, and Orhen is a wizard, so there’s no suitable opponent for me. Marhan and Boutreaux are too strong.”

Saying that, Denif took a bite of a roasted chicken leg and continued speaking.

“To be honest, I was a little disappointed when I saw you.”

“…Really?”

“Yeah. We talked about it before, about your slow growth rate. Even with your Mystic, it was honestly underwhelming compared to what I expected. It’s similar to the ones I’ve seen before maybe?”

It was something I had heard before. Denif hadn’t come here because he caught the duke’s attention from the beginning.

As the Chief of Intelligence of a nation, the duke naturally created spies in various places.

Among them, he would bring in remarkable children and raise them to be used in important positions. Denif was one of those beneficiaries.

In other words, I was just an average kid one could see in such a facility.

Honestly, it wasn’t a pleasant thing to hear, considering the limitations imposed by the penalty trait.

But since Denif wasn’t someone who was usually concerned about others’ opinions, I didn’t really have any strong feelings about it.

‘No.’

Actually, considering the worries I had when I first came here, my current situation was something to be grateful for.

Even if it was just half of my ability due to the Mystic or my talent as a spy, it was still something.

Orhen nudged Denif’s elbow, as if she thought my silence was negative.

Denif hastily added.

“Huh? Ah, I didn’t mean it in a bad way. I meant that they were top-notch even among those kids.”

“…I agree.”

Orhen nodded. I knew she wasn’t an orphan, so I wondered what she meant by agreeing.

Is she just going along with it because she was a kind person?

Since I had food in my mouth, I waved my hand to indicate that I was okay.

I didn’t know if it was true, but being considered top-notch with only half my power was quite a good evaluation.

“Anyway, I now understand why the godfather brought you here after seeing you today. Even without the mystic, if you just solve the condition issue, you’ll soon surpass me, right?”

“You think so?”

“Of course!”

Denif shouted excitedly, more than me. It was a question, but it wasn’t incorrect.

I felt the same way. Especially in a state like today.

I knew that the penalty trait wasn’t something that could be easily resolved, but…

On the other hand, I found it fascinating.

He showed more enthusiasm and excitement than a competitive spirit, thinking that I might surpass him.

Well, maybe that was why he became an imperial terrorist.

Because it was not something an ordinary person would think of, opposing the empire on their own.

“Ah, I really hope it gets resolved quickly. No, I want to do it once more today. Should I talk to Marhan? What do you think?”

“Me? I don’t mind. But doesn’t Marhan have to give permission?”

“Wouldn’t he? It takes time to prepare for a duel.”

“Then go ahead and talk to him.”

Saying that, I got up from my seat. I still had some food left, but my stomach was full. I didn’t need to finish it all.

There were 10 minutes left. It takes quite a while for me to brush my teeth properly, so I needed to move quickly.

“I’ll go first.”

“Huh? Are you leaving already? To brush your teeth? Lunchtime is 20 minutes long, though.”

“Yeah.”

“You’re really something.”

Denif, who said that, let out a groaning sound.

“Hey, I don’t know. I don’t feel like brushing my teeth during lunch.”

After saying that, his speed of moving the utensils was noticeably relaxed.

On the other hand, Orhen, who was sitting next to me, glanced at me and then got up from her seat. Denif looked up with a betrayed expression on his face.

“Are you leaving too?”

“…Yeah.”

“Ayyy.”

Eventually, Denif also stood up from his seat. In the world of kids, the majority rule was absolute.

Well, it was a good thing for me. When we dueled earlier, I could smell Denif’s breath with a sharper sense.

It wouldn’t have been uncomfortable for me to our duel later if Denif was in a state where he hadn’t brushed his teeth.

And it wasn’t just good for me.

‘You guys, you’ll be really grateful later.’

In this era, there won’t be any implants or anything. It would be much better to suffer from cavities later than now.

I knew because I’d spent some money on dental care myself.

Of course, back then, I didn’t brush my teeth like I do now. Anyway, dental health was the best.

Whether Denif knew what I was thinking or not, he let out a deep sigh.

“I didn’t finish eating. If only I could eat a little faster…”

He should have just stayed quiet.

Without even realizing it, the corners of my mouth curled up slightly.

* * *

Boutreaux and Sally were guarding the practice grounds, which the children had left. It was because they received a request from Marhan.

Despite it being lunchtime, there was no sign of any complaints.

If one had even the slightest experience in combat, it was a talent that couldn’t be helped but honed.

Marhan explained Carlyn’s usual condition to Sally and Boutreaux.

Boutreaux, who had been contemplating, spoke up.

“Now that the report has been sent, the duke would probably bring a good doctor, but how about trying a sleeping potion for now?”

“A sleeping potion?”

“Don’t you think it’s uncertain whether the child’s claim of not caring about sleep is true? Let’s try putting him to sleep once.”

“No, that won’t do. It dulls the body. It’s not even a good ingredient that accumulates in the body.”

“If we dilute it a little, wouldn’t it be fine?”

Marhan tilted his head at Boutreaux’s words.

If it were a doctor’s prescription, it would be a different story. But using medicine among themselves was an inappropriate practice.

“Instead of that, I called you here to gather opinions on how to make use of today, and what direction the future education should take.”

Sally spoke up instead of Boutreaux, who seemed disappointed.

“You said it seems like not only physical abilities but also intelligence improves, right?”

“Yeah.”

“Is it different from when the child’s head doesn’t work well due to lack of sleep?”

After a moment of contemplation, Marhan nodded.

“It’s not certain, but it seems like that. Haisen swordsmanship is fundamental, but instantly transcending it into one’s own style is in a different category.”

Intelligence is naturally included in the talent of combat. There was no point in testing the five senses when raising a child.

Marhan continued speaking.

“And Carlyn was naturally smart, to begin with. And I think we should think that he’s getting smarter now.”

“For now, it would be better to teach him how much he can absorb today. The problem is whether he can do the same thing tomorrow…”

Boutreaux interrupted the conversation again.

“And it’s also important how the usual training will work on days when his physical condition is good.”

Marhan nodded. Even so, since they were working out together, Boutreaux accurately pinpointed Marhan’s concern.

He had called them together in the first place because of that doubt.

“What do you think?”

“What would be extreme is to simply keep progressing and waste time if he can’t reproduce it on days when his physical condition is good.”

“Then?”

“Shouldn’t we separate a specific field?”

Boutreaux smiled slyly as he said that.

“I will teach him my swordsmanship.”

“Your swordsmanship?”

Marhan asked, surprised.

“Yes. Since it won’t be finished in just one day, wouldn’t it be possible to directly compare the difference?”

“Not a bad idea.”

Creating a unique swordsmanship beyond a certain level was by no means an easy task.

Boutreaux was the one who accomplished that.

He couldn’t be called the greatest swordsman, but if the continent’s swordsmen were lined up, he could confidently say he was among the top.

But swordsmen live by their pride.

Even the duke couldn’t force Boutreaux to reveal his swordsmanship.

That was why Marhan asked Boutreaux about his intentions.

“Are you okay with it?”

“Well, it’s not like it’s the best swordsmanship on the continent, but if it’s the talent I saw earlier, it’s a good opportunity for me too. Actually, I had Denif in mind already.”

“I see.”

It was a fact known to Marhan and Sally that Boutreaux had a particular fondness for Denif.

Whenever he returned from a mission, it was as if he was looking at his own childhood, and he would give small gifts.

“I’m not sure if Carlyn will match my sword yet, but while teaching, it wouldn’t hurt to give them a test and instill a sense of competition in the children. As we saw earlier, Denif didn’t fully ignite, did he?”

Marhan nodded. Denif tended to be lazy compared to his talent.

Today, he showed enthusiasm that hadn’t been seen in a long time. Boutreaux smiled.

“In that case, may I take care of the kids in the afternoon?”

“Sure. Then I will send a letter to the duke after consulting with Lena and come back.”

“Understood.”

Marhan turned away, seeing Boutreaux’s smile.

* * *

Unfortunately, Denif’s wish was not fulfilled.

When we arrived back at the training ground, Boutreaux was waiting for us instead of Marhan.

Boutreaux dismissed Denif’s argument of wanting to train with his own style by simply saying, “No.”

“You will learn my swordsmanship. It may not be exceptional, but it will still be helpful since it is not significantly lacking.”

After saying this, he began to teach us swordsmanship.

He mentioned that he would reveal the name of the swordsmanship on the last day.

Denif was taken aback and asked if he was serious.

Seeing that, I realized that his words were modest but undoubtedly impressive, so I lit up and focused.

And indeed, it was different from the previous Haisen’s swordsmanship. Should I call it finesse?

Even though the movements of the sword were similar, there was a deeper sense of thought within it.

While Haisen’s swordsmanship was faithful to the basics without any distinct features, Boutreaux’s swordsmanship was smooth and relaxed.

‘It didn’t seem to match me perfectly, though.’

Anyway, this time I couldn’t perform it perfectly from the beginning. Unlike Haisen’s swordsmanship, it was only a part.

However, after repeating it several times, I started to feel more familiar with it.

Boutreaux calmly nodded at my remarkable learning speed, and sparks ignited in Denif’s eyes.

It was a positive sense of competition.

‘Clearly, I’m faster in learning.’

Even I, who knew nothing about swords before, knew that this didn’t make sense.

No matter how great my condition was, this indicated that my basic talent was considerable.

‘Perhaps…it’s because of Devil’s Blood.’

It was an unbelievable trait for an orphan from the market. Maybe there was something related to Devil’s Blood.

I wasn’t sure if my parents had died or if they had abandoned me due to circumstances…

But I felt that someday I would have to find out the truth.

It wasn’t just about becoming a recognized figure on the continent; there might be a moment when I would be entangled in unexpected events.