Chapter 29: The Empire (3)

"But why were you surprised to see me?"

My heart sank. As expected, the captain is a captain. I was caught off guard in that fleeting moment.

With Phiri's puzzled gaze also fixed on me, I quickly thought.

In fact, I had already prepared an excuse in case I was surprised.

I just wanted to reconfirm before speaking.

The man and woman in front of me are pros, so a half-hearted excuse would be worse than nothing.

I looked at Derek with a troubled expression.

"It's a personal matter... Do I really have to tell you?"

"You have to. I don't want any suspicious kids under me, no matter how much the duke raised them."

Derek smiled bitterly. Well, I don't know. He just smiled, but I felt that way.

Given the situation and knowing his background.

I deliberately observed their reactions, took a deep breath, and continued.

"Sometimes, a man appears in my dreams. I thought he might be my father, whom I can't remember."

"That man looks like me."

"Yes."

I had lost my composure for a moment earlier, but not now.

After looking into my eyes for a while, Derek chuckled and nodded.

"That's a shame. I don't know if I have a child somewhere in this continent, but I've never seen one."

The atmosphere relaxed with Derek's words.

It seemed like a joke, so I could only laugh awkwardly.

"I'm sorry for causing you unnecessary worry."

"It's fine. It's understandable. I would have done the same. But, you need to work on your facial expressions. It was close, but a bit late."

"I'll keep that in mind."

It seemed to go well, but there was a bit of a nagging feeling.

It was because I had told the duke I had no old memories before coming here.

But thinking about it, it shouldn't be a big problem.

I could just say that only the image of a man, presumed to be my father, appeared, and I had no memories of the past.

"Anyway, welcome. I secretly hoped you would come after reading your evaluation, but I didn't expect you to really show up."

"I came to the empire to learn more in a harsh environment."

"Even better."

Phiri smiled, and Derek nodded. Phiri added hastily.

"Of course, my persuasion was quite significant in the process."

"Are you sure? I heard this kid had a place he wanted to go. Did that change to the empire?"

"Absolutely. Right?"

Phiri looked at me confidently.

"Right."

"Hmm..."

Derek glanced at me and Phiri.

"Alright, let's go with that. Take good care of him and teach him. There will be kids who envy him, even if they don't show it."

"Understood!"

"Kalin, learn a lot from Phiri. As the youngest deputy captain, there's a lot to learn."

"Understood."

Listening to this, I realized something. It felt like I had been blindsided, though not in a bad way.

I would have to ask Phiri about it later. Derek turned his gaze back to me.

"Oh, by the way. I heard you have obsessive-compulsive disorder and chronic fatigue. Is it causing any problems with your missions?"

"It's fine. It's manageable during missions."

Since it was mentioned in the evaluation, it seemed more like a routine check.

There's no major concern. I was trained in this area under the duke.

It was a painful process, but it helped.

I'm not cured, but my tolerance has improved.

Of course, if it persists long-term, it can be mentally taxing. I've had hyperventilation before.

But it's not a significant issue.

"And you sometimes do strange things."

"...It doesn't affect my missions."

There wasn't much else to say about this. It was due to the influence of the eccentric.

Fortunately, I didn't do anything seriously problematic.

Like suddenly drawing on the wall or standing in the rain at the training ground during a typhoon despite my OCD?

Of course, it looked strange to others.

I've been scolded by Lena and Marhan, and Orhen and Denip called me eccentric because of the eccentric.

"Right. Well, if you've come this far, it's understandable."

Derek turned his attention back to the documents on his desk.

He didn't seem to have a significant interest in me, as I had expected.

In a way, it was natural.

He's the captain of the intelligence unit. Even if the duke raised me, he must have seen many new recruits.

"Is our destination set?"

Phiri asked cautiously, perhaps sensing something from his actions. The captain nodded.

"We need to go to Kahalin to help a merchant. It seems the situation is more complicated than expected. We'll get the details when we get there."

"Understood. We'll leave first thing tomorrow morning."

Kahalin?

Kahalin is located in the northern part of the empire. The thought of leaving tomorrow made me sigh inwardly.

"Alright. Good work. You can go now."

The captain waved his hand indifferently. Phiri took a step forward with a serious look.

"Sir, Captain."

"What?"

"You need to pay up."

Derek frowned.

"What money?"

"You bet on bringing this kid here."

"Ha..."

The captain sighed, looking annoyed. He seemed to have given up.

He had already seen through the act.

"I'll give you half."

"Come on, be generous..."

"Don't argue. I'm giving you this because Kalin ended up coming to the empire."

"Understood."

Phiri nodded quickly as the captain's expression turned serious and walked out.

He smiled at me with a mischievous look after receiving the money bag.

"What are you doing? Let's go."

After we left and hid in an alley, I asked Phiri, who was rummaging through the money bag and smiling.

In the alley, I asked Phiri, who was holding a pile of money and smiling.

"You lied to me, didn't you?"

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"You said you would be nice to me because you became my mentor."

Phiri looked at me with a puzzled expression. He was a good actor, I thought.

I smiled.

"Usually, kids from the duke are taken care of by the deputy captain, right?"

It made sense when I thought about it deeply.

Originally, the four intelligence units are places where agents from other units under the duke's command must earn their place.

We were taken in by the duke's talent, but we were close to being parachuted in.

We had practical experience but lacked field knowledge.

It was natural that the captain mentioned there would be kids who envy me.

So, I speculated that a figure like a deputy captain would take care of a rookie like me.

"Of course, a seasoned veteran could also be assigned, but..."

For a spy, every moment is a life-or-death struggle. The risk of being caught is too high.

Therefore, a slightly more relaxed deputy captain is a better mentor than a veteran.

"Sharp."

Phiri said plainly.

"But I am being nice to you."

"I know. You're being nice to me now."

"Good to know."

I treated Phiri casually, but I had already noticed that this was a certain level of favoritism.

It was likely because we were both from the duke.

"Still, it's a bit disappointing."

"Come on, be disappointed later. What, you'll be shocked when you see how I treat others?"

Well, enough of the sulking. I nodded and said I understood.

"But, where are we going now?"

"To a nearby safe house. We'll rest there and leave tomorrow afternoon."

"Understood."

It had taken a long time to get here, and the thought of leaving tomorrow wasn't pleasant.

I was tired from being on edge all evening and hadn't eaten.

"Isn't it a bit disappointing?"

"Disappointing in what way?"

"You can't even rest. And we're in the capital! There are so many interesting things here."

It seemed he was considering my age. I shook my head.

"That's fine. Orders come first. I don't know much about interesting things, but I'm sure there will be a chance someday."

"You sound like an old man."

"I hear that a lot."

Phiri chuckled.

"Are you okay? If you're too tired, we can delay for a day."

"No, it's fine. It's part of the job. I'm actually disappointed I couldn't train, but now that I'm a full agent, I'll have to make time for it."

This is a small society. It's always best to give a positive, textbook answer to such questions.

Phiri nodded, looking satisfied.

"Right. Let's go. I've prepared dinner."

"Dinner?"

"You haven't eaten since lunch, so you must be hungry."

Phiri looked at me as if expecting praise. He had been watching me closely.

His attention to detail wasn't bad.

"Understood. Let's go."

I smiled and followed Phiri.

* * *

The empire started from the northern kingdom and expanded southward, so the northern part of the empire is also the northern part of the continent.

Kahalin is one of the major cities in the central part of the north.

Most of the goods traveling through the north pass through Kahalin, making it a bustling place even in the cold north.

"Ah, I'm tired."

Phiri stretched as he confidently walked down the street.

We were here as mercenaries hired by a merchant, so there was no need to be cautious.

Of course, the merchant was one of our intelligence unit's fronts.

As we followed, Phiri suddenly whispered.

"It's fine when it's just the two of us, but be formal in front of others."

"Of course."

I had heard this before.

We had spent a considerable amount of time together, and a certain level of intimacy had developed, leading to more conversation.

As I had guessed, being from the duke allowed me to get along with Phiri like this.

Other agents might not like it, but it felt like an exclusive club.

Politics are necessary among spies, so people with potential tend to stick together.

"Do you want to eat something?"

Phiri suddenly picked up a chicken skewer from a street vendor and asked.

"I'm fine."

Phiri nodded, looking disappointed, as if he had expected this.

I don't eat much outside of meal times. At most, I drink water.

It was because of my OCD. Eating makes my mouth feel uncomfortable.

And I wasn't particularly interested in street food.

'If I have to eat, I'll endure the discomfort.'

Phiri finished the meat in three bites, threw the wooden skewer on the ground, and turned around.

At the end of the street was a building with a sign that read "Phlen Merchant."

"What brings you here?"

"I was hired by the merchant. My name is Remi, the mercenary."

The guard frowned, perhaps not liking the casual tone.

"I'll check."

After a short wait, a merchant came down and led us to where the merchant leader was staying.

As we went up, I quickly scanned the building.

The number of doors on either side of the corridor, the window in the middle of the stairs. I mapped out an escape route in case of an emergency.

"The mercenaries you called have arrived."

Inside the office, the merchant leader was still looking at documents, even after the merchant spoke.

After about three minutes, he finally looked up.

"Hmm. Finally here. You can leave."

"Understood."

After the merchant who had led us left, the merchant leader observed the room and pressed a button on his desk.

The soundproofing magic spread, and the merchant leader immediately bowed.

"Thank you for your journey."

"Branch manager, do you want to die?"

"Excuse me?"

Phiri's sudden words made the branch manager respond.

"Be more aware, okay? Just about 30 seconds. Three minutes? Are you crazy?"

"Ha ha..."

"Ha ha?"

"I'm sorry."

The branch manager quickly straightened up and bowed. Phiri, who had crossed his legs, tapped his foot.

"Did you do it to mess with me?"

"No, sir."

"Let's do better."

"Understood!"

The middle-aged branch manager answered like a new recruit.

I had sensed Phiri's intimidating side from the start, but seeing it in action was different.

Thinking back on my actions so far, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up.

Phiri sighed.

"So, what's the problem?"