Ch.670Crow

“There are no gaps in the surveillance network of Edriksa’s defense forces. Not only is it impossible to pass through the city gates, but even if you try to climb the walls under cover of darkness, you’ll be detected the moment you approach. Thanks to mobilizing eighty percent of the defense forces, there are absolutely no blind spots.”

Frigg started earning her keep. Drawing a floor plan of Edriksa on the dirt ground.

“Flying in would likely be impossible too. Some of the sentries are monitoring Edriksa’s airspace in preparation for attacks from flying monsters.”

“That’s thorough. This makes infiltration difficult…”

In terms of security level, it was even stricter than Extrashafel.

Well, I suppose that makes sense. Extrashafel is several times larger than Edriksa and surrounded by three layers of outer walls, so to create this level of security network there would require deploying an entire legion just for wall surveillance.

That would be quite a waste.

“Breaking through gates or climbing walls wouldn’t be called infiltration. I never even considered those two approaches.”

Frigg shook her head and pointed to a corner of the floor plan.

“Despite appearing impregnable, Edriksa isn’t without weaknesses. Here, the sewer connected to the Valt River is a prime example.”

“A sewer?”

“Yes. It’s a facility that drains waste from inside the fortress into the main Valt River. Since the entrance is located deep underwater, it can’t even be observed from the walls.”

“That seems like quite a fatal flaw… why would they leave it there?”

I asked while slowly rolling the cigarette between my fingertips.

“They would have kept it. That sewer also serves as an emergency escape route for intelligence agents. According to Hrafn Kraka, head of Dane’s intelligence agency—Muninsir, it’s an escape route in case the royal family decides to dispose of him.”

Confidential information about Dane flowed freely from Frigg’s lips.

This was why I brought her here—a woman whose combat abilities would lose even to Hush, let alone Nigel. No one would know Edriksa better than an agent from Dane’s intelligence department.

She was literally a righteous traitor now. In a way, she was my junior.

No, if we’re being precise, she might be closer to a traditional traitor.

While I, the senior traitor, gained my position through force and military achievements, Frigg was securing her position by selling state secrets without hesitation, like a proper traitor.

Anyway, Frigg seemed to believe she needed my goodwill to keep herself and Knut safe, so despite her world-weary expression, she was quite actively selling out Dane.

======[ Edriksa ]======

Broman, a mid-level clerk of Edriksa, was the epitome of a typical middle-aged civil servant found anywhere.

Despite entering the royal palace daily, he was a salary thief who idled away his time and left work as soon as the sun began to set.

To his subordinates, he was something of a role model. Who wouldn’t envy a life of getting paid regularly while doing nothing?

Of course, it wasn’t that Broman did absolutely no work.

Though rare, when there was such an overwhelming amount of work that all clerks together couldn’t complete it by the deadline, Broman too would abandon his leisurely attitude and sit at his desk scribbling through all sorts of documents.

On such occasions, Broman would demonstrate processing abilities that no junior clerk could match, proving why he hadn’t been fired despite spending most of his time doing nothing.

‘After all, a mid-level clerk is still a mid-level clerk.’

‘True, if he were truly incompetent, he couldn’t have reached that position.’

‘If he’d been just a bit more diligent, wouldn’t he have been promoted to senior clerk by now?’

‘You don’t get it. That’s the art of living. If he became a senior clerk, he couldn’t loaf around because of royal scrutiny.’

A capable middle-aged man enjoying a peaceful, happy, and relaxed life with a sweet position. Among the clerks, that was how Broman was perceived.

Just as he had intended.

—-

“Seven sausages and four roasted salmon. And please wrap up three pieces of lamb properly.”

“Haha. Your order is larger than usual today! Please wait a moment!”

After leaving the palace, Broman stopped by his regular restaurant to order dinner.

This was routine. After work, he always visited this restaurant to buy dinner to take home. Though the quantity was a bit much for one person, the order itself was nothing special—just ordinary menu items.

Shortly after, the restaurant owner went into the kitchen and returned with the food wrapped in oiled paper, placing it in a small box for Broman.

“Thank you.”

“Come again!”

Leaving behind the restaurant owner who bowed with a bright smile, Broman headed home with the box.

His residence was a small stone building in the eastern district of Edriksa. A single-story building with one room. It was a bit cramped for a family, but there couldn’t be a more suitable place for a widowed middle-aged bachelor living alone.

– Click.

Upon arriving home, Broman unlocked the front door and entered. The interior was dark as he hadn’t turned on any lights.

Broman placed the box containing his dinner on the living room table, hung his coat on the rack, and headed to his study. He had some simple work to finish before dinner.

“……”

Broman’s eyebrows twitched slightly as he reached the study door. His eyes fixed on the doorknob. A moment of silence. Eventually, Broman pushed open the door and entered the study.

The dimly lit study. Piles of documents on the desk, bookshelves filled with all kinds of books, and a longsword hanging on the wall greeted him.

“You’re a bit late.”

Along with an uninvited guest.

—-

In the darkness of the unlit study, a woman leaned against the wall, watching him. Her figure was hidden in shadows.

An ordinary middle-aged clerk like Broman should have screamed suspecting a burglar or assassin. Or perhaps fled outside.

However, Broman merely closed the study door and looked at the intruder with an utterly calm face, letting out a faint sigh.

“After escaping successfully, you walk right back into danger. You’ve become quite reckless while I wasn’t looking. I never taught you to take unnecessary risks.”

“In the past, that would have been true.”

“And now it’s not necessary?”

The woman leaning against the wall stepped forward, fingering the hilt of the longsword at her waist.

Her world-weary face, half-hidden in shadow, created an eerie ghost-like atmosphere.

Former intelligence agent and wanted rebel, the female knight Frigg, was smiling at Broman.

“Yes. I’m no longer with intelligence, so I don’t need to follow intelligence protocols. Isn’t that right, Director Hrafn?”

Mid-level clerk Broman. No, Hrafn Kraka, head of Dane’s intelligence agency, sighed once more.

“If you fled to the Empire, you should have just disappeared…”

Before him stood his undisciplined disciple who had abandoned intelligence for a man.

—-

“There’s only one way to infiltrate Edriksa without causing a commotion. Did you come through the sewer?”

“Yes. Apart from the smell, it was quite a comfortable passage.”

Frigg wrinkled her nose slightly, recalling the stench of the sewer.

The smell was so bad that even the Empire’s First Sword, wearing a strange mask over his mouth, complained that purification devices were useless.

For Frigg, hearing complaints from a monster who could shatter walls with a gesture was like having a murderous tiger sink its teeth into her neck.

“Crossing the imperial border only to return means you’ve chosen to fully cooperate with the Empire. Coming straight to me… I understand. You plan to eliminate His Majesty and Ragnar?”

“Your understanding is quick. I like that.”

“It’s not possible with just your and Knut’s strength, so an imperial agent must have accompanied you. Who did you bring?”

Frigg raised her left hand, pointing at Hrafn. Or more precisely, not at Hrafn but at the study door behind him.

“He’s behind you. Why don’t you meet him yourself?”

No sooner had she finished speaking than the study door flung open.

Hrafn reflexively turned around, thrusting his right hand forward. A dark dagger that emerged from inside his sleeve shot toward the throat of the figure standing outside the door.

“That’s quite a rough greeting.”

The swift and precise attack, worthy of a skilled assassin, was blocked by the intruder’s left hand. The black iron dagger crumpled like clay, unable to withstand the grip.

“Hmm…”

Hrafn let out a groan as he looked at the uninvited guest who had effortlessly neutralized his surprise attack.

Blue eyes glowing clearly even in darkness.

Though his entire body was covered in a black robe and a strange mask concealed his face, it wasn’t difficult to guess his identity.

“The Empire’s First Sword…!”

Aishan-Gioro Haschal stood before him.