Chapter 6: Imperial Terrorist Denif (1)

Chapter 6: Imperial Terrorist Denif (1)

Ugh!

Dont be so dramatic.

I gritted my teeth and pushed up my arms. It was a simple push-up, but the weak muscles of my frail body screamed in agony.

The man who introduced himself as Marhan stood in front of me, observing me.

It had started as a basic physical training session since dawn. Despite my current struggle, the intensity wasnt too high.

It was more like a way to assess how well I could use my body.

Just looking at what I did earlier, it seems like that.

That seemed right.

He threw a small fist-sized bag that wouldnt cause much pain even if it hit me and told me to defend myself.

He even told me to try and catch it if I could, but his speed kept increasing, and in the end, I could only focus on dodging and still got hit.

Being hit by a bag of sand, even though it caused some discomfort, but one that I couldnt say I didnt want to do.

Even just putting my hand on the dirt floor was like that.

Enough.

At Marhans words, I was about to collapse onto the floor but quickly regained my balance and stood up.

It was already an uncomfortable situation due to the sand sticking to my hands and the sweat dripping.

Marhan, with a slightly complicated and disgruntled expression, greeted me as I stood up with trembling legs and arms.

Hmm, did I do something wrong? After catching my breath, he spoke.

Thats enough for the morning training.

Morning training?

Actually, it was closer to dawn than morning, but the fact that I had to do this again in the afternoon was despairing.

Even though the training intensity was light, it was too difficult for the body of an orphan.

Well, I still have to do it.

Discomfort and pain would ultimately become nourishment for my survival.

For my own sake, I needed to approach it with sincerity.

Yes.

But you still have to observe. Were a bit late, so go ahead and have breakfast first.

Observe what?

In response to my questioning, Marhan gestured behind me. Four people were approaching from the direction of the dining hall.

Two of them appeared to be around my age, while the other two seemed to be around 18 years old.

Well, it wouldnt make sense for the Chief of Intelligence of the Empire to bring only me alone.

It would have been easier to bring a talented child with a broad range of information.

The voices of the children I heard last night seemed to be real, not just a dream.

As the approaching children glanced at me with curious eyes, I was relieved to sense no hostility or aggression.

It was a moment when the possibility of the duke dealing with subordinates as an informant became somewhat higher.

Is this the new recruit?

Yes.

One of the older kids looked at me with a meaningful gaze. It seemed like they were evaluating me in some way.

The other one seemed disinterested.

Since I was the newcomer, I quietly stayed there, feeling their gazes.

Hmm. One of my peers seemed oddly familiar somehowÑøv€l-B1n was the first platform to present this chapter.

Just as I was thinking that, Marhan spoke up.

Well do introductions later. Carlyn, go ahead and have breakfast. The rest of you, get ready.

Yes!

Yes.

I slightly lagged behind in responding to the other kids enthusiastic answers and then headed toward a separate area.

There were still too many unfamiliar things.

* * *

There was nothing suspicious about him. The last time the child was seen was nine years ago.

The duke pondered his thoughts as he listened to the report.

The child claimed to be thirteen, so if that was true, he was abandoned here when he was four years old.

He doesnt seem to be a mentally armed spy.

Yes, thats how it appears.

Of course, the age of an orphan was not accurately determined by mere words.

However, even so, he was too young. It was unlikely that he was a spy from another country.

The duke felt a considerable sense of satisfaction with the stone that had rolled to him on its own. The man standing in front of the duke continued with his report.

As the child said, it seemed like he didnt show his abilities to others. The rats were curious about why the duke took the child away.

Was it just luck? Even if it hasnt been long since the mystic awakening, a few should have noticed.

Even among the orphans, he was somewhat of a loner.

The dukes brow furrowed slightly. No matter how they were orphans, they had their own society.

Being a loner meant having little social skills, which was not an advantage.

But it wasnt a big problem. It could be resolved through education. Training spies required delaying socialization. Pretending to be social was not that difficult.

The rats assessment and yesterdays observations were slightly different

What did they say?

They mentioned that he doesnt speak much and has a gloomy side. Even if someone shows interest in him, he ignores them. If hes hungry, he starves himself and doesnt engage in human interaction.

A young wolf, perhaps?

The duke recalled the image of the child who seemed fearless yet followed the rules well, and he let out a wry chuckle.

Do you think its safe to say that hes a little arrogant in the eyes of someone important?

If the minimum age for randomly generated characters was 13

Assuming Denif was my age, it meant there were at least 10 years left until the games initial starting point.

And 14 years until the main story.

I thought it was closer to the games starting point, but at least 10 years? If I play this right

My mind quickly raced.

I would grow under the Chief of Intelligence, the Duke, and build a friendship with Denif. And then, when I formed a connection with the princess

I could make extensive preparations until the games starting point.

Of course, there was the danger of Devils Blood, but I now had more time than I had anticipated.

Perhaps I could prevent Haisens downfall with the information I had.

I thought it was impossible, but it was still a long time for that to happen. If it turned out that way, things would become easier.

Of course, I would need to investigate further to see if preventing Haisens downfall was possible.

But since I would be under the Chief of Intelligence, wouldnt I find out how things would unfold?

I can think about that when the time comes.

The hazy future became slightly clearer. Now, there were only two things I needed to prioritize.

First, gathering information about Devils Blood, and second, preventing Haisens downfall.

My mind was sharper and more focused than ever.

It seemed necessary to get as close to Denif as possible.

If I failed to prevent Haisens downfall and Denif became an enemy of the Empire

Things would get quite complicated. If persuasion failed, I would have to fight Denif.

Thinking about the Denif in the game, it might be better to handle him in advance.

I was surprised by the eerie thoughts I had.

Indeed, it seemed that my mind still didnt entirely belong to me.

What woke me from my thoughts was a voice that gradually became clearer.

lyn! Carlyn!

Yes? Ah, yes!

It was Marhan. As I quickly regained my composure, he looked at me with a frown on his face.

Suppressed anger was visible in his eyes.

Focus. Even if you dont know anything, just observing can be helpful.

His voice was chilling. If it werent the first day, I would have been in trouble. It was my mistake, so I needed to apologize.

I intentionally slapped my own cheek.

Im sorry! I was feeling sleepy.

The big guys standing next to me were so surprised that their eyes widened. Marhan was the same.

They probably didnt expect me to slap my own cheek.

Just focus.

Although he spoke in a low voice, Marhans expression was noticeably more forgiving than before.

Perhaps there was some consideration. After all, I was a newcomer to training today. And it was from early dawn.

I will focus.

I purposely opened my eyes wide.

Marhan was also a subordinate of the Duke. As someone who just arrived today, I was the center of attention for everyone here.

The Chief of Intelligences mansion. It was only natural for evaluations to be made in that context.

Not just the Duke, but also people like Marhan and Lena, I needed to make a good impression on them.

And while I plan for the future, I need to become stronger first.

Marhan shifted his gaze again. Regardless of the situation here, the duels among my peers were fierce and intense.

Denif wielded a longsword, and the girl called Orhen had a staff and rapier.

In Valhll, even mages carried melee weapons.

Even to my eyes, the duels seemed to be at a high level. They were intense, then gentle, and then intense again.

Of course, the previous duels were much more practical. It was probably due to the age difference.

I need to become like that too.

Having woken up early in the morning and dealing with my Worst Condition, it was honestly difficult to concentrate.

But I made an effort to set aside my daydreaming and not miss out on the duels.

Before long, the duels came to an end.

The children stretched their bodies again, and Marhan called them one by one to give feedback.

Why did you move like that?

I was planning to block and counterattack by twisting my body.

Its dangerous. If you think your opponent will leave openings in their attacks just because you have a few tricks up your sleeve, you might not be able to block. Even if you managed to block, there are significant flaws.

I also tried to listen carefully, thinking there might be something for me to learn, but I ended up just feeling flustered.

He remembered all those minor movements?

It was quite amazing to me that he knew the details of that brief duel.

After that, the duels continued, with the roles switched.

And so, when all the duels and feedback were finished, the sun was already hanging in the center of the sky.

Marhan announced the end of the morning training.

I was led by him and stood in front of the children. Four pairs of eyes scanned me. The attention from the children was particularly high.

Especially Denif, who was looking at me with a curious expression.

What should I introduce myself as?

While I was silently contemplating, Marhan spoke in an emotionless tone.

No need for introductions. This is Carlyn. Establish camaraderie among yourselves at the cafeteria.

His words were so short and clear that it was bewildering.