Chapter 87: A Better Spy

Chapter 87. A Better Spy

I crouched beside the nearest guard.

Two fingers against the neck.

Nothing.

Next.

No breathing.

Next.

The chest had been crushed.

Definitely dead.

I moved toward another body and stopped.

The man’s head was several feet away from the rest of him.

Yeah.

I wasn’t checking that one.

There was optimism, and then there was wasting everyone’s time.

I moved past him.

Another servant.

Dead.

Driver.

Dead.

Then...

"H-Help..."

I froze.

There.

Near the broken rear wheel.

A young woman was lying partially beneath a piece of shattered carriage paneling. Her maid uniform was torn and soaked with blood around the abdomen.

I crouched beside her and moved the wood away.

Alive.

Barely.

Her injuries actually weren’t as severe as Evelyne’s had been, but she’d clearly been trapped here bleeding for a while.

I sighed.

Another Health Potion appeared in my hand.

This trip was becoming expensive.

At this rate, I was going to start charging rescue fees.

I uncorked the bottle and supported her head. "Drink slowly."

Unlike Evelyne, she was conscious enough to cooperate.

Her lips closed around the bottle, and she swallowed several mouthfuls before coughing weakly. Healing mana spread through her body, closing the cuts across her abdomen and shoulder. Her breathing gradually steadied. "T-thank you, sir."

"You’re welcome."

Her eyes searched frantically past me. "Lady Evelyne... Is Lady Evelyne safe?"

I glanced over my shoulder.

Evelyne stood several meters away.

"She is."

Relief immediately softened the maid’s face. Even half-dead, her first concern had been her mistress.

"Who are you?"

She swallowed.

"Clara, sir. I’m Lady Evelyne’s personal maid."

My attention sharpened.

Personal maid.

How convenient.

"Nice to meet you, Clara."

I glanced toward Evelyne. She wasn’t looking at us. Her attention remained fixed on the ruined carriage, face tight as she stared at the dead guards.

I lowered my hand beside Clara.

[Abyssal Formation Creation]

A tiny formation silently formed beneath my palm, concealed by the grass and my body.

I whispered under my breath. "Mind Corruption."

The system responded immediately.

[Mind Corruption Capacity Reached.]

[A current corrupted target must be released before establishing another permanent connection.]

I mentally opened the list.

Names appeared.

Most were useful.

Servants.

Informants.

Mira was absolutely staying.

Then I found one near the bottom.

[Tomas Venn]

One of Duke Harven’s minor informants stationed in the nearby town. I’d taken him because he occasionally carried messages connected to Harven’s network, but the information he’d provided had been painfully mediocre.

He wasn’t useless.

He simply wasn’t worth the slot anymore.

[Release Mind Corruption: Tomas Venn?]

Yes.

[Connection Severed.]

[Available Capacity: 1]

My gaze returned to Clara.

[Valid Target Detected.]

[Mental Resistance: Low.]

[Protective Enchantments: None.]

The formation pulsed once.

[Mind Corruption]

Forbidden Energy slipped through the formation so quietly that even Clara didn’t notice at first. The magic entered through her mana pathways before spreading upward, threading itself around her consciousness without causing pain or changing her expression.

Her eyes lost focus for less than a second.

Then the connection settled.

[Mind Corruption Successful.]

[Permanent Connection Established.]

[Current Controlled Targets: 20/20]

Clara blinked and looked at me again. Nothing obvious had changed about her. Her posture remained weak from blood loss, her breathing was still slightly uneven, and dirt continued to stain one side of her face. Even her expression looked natural.

I leaned slightly closer so Evelyne couldn’t hear us. "Act normally. Exactly as you usually do."

Clara nodded faintly. "I understand, my lord."

"Don’t suddenly become interested in your master’s private meetings. Don’t steal documents you’ve never touched before, and don’t ask questions you wouldn’t normally ask. I only need information you naturally encounter."

Her eyes remained fixed on me. "Understood."

"Especially anything concerning Rey Valen. If Duke Harven is targeting him, meeting with someone about him, or planning anything against his household, I want to know."

"Yes, my lord."

Simple.

I wasn’t asking her to assassinate the duke in his sleep or sneak into his study wearing black clothes and carrying lockpicks between her teeth. The best spy wasn’t necessarily someone who actively searched for secrets.

Sometimes the best spy was simply someone people forgot was listening.

A personal maid could hear an astonishing amount while brushing hair, preparing clothes, delivering tea, or standing quietly behind her mistress during conversations.

I dismissed the hidden formation and stood.

Evelyne immediately looked toward me.

I gestured toward Clara. "Congratulations, Lady Evelyne. Your maid is alive."

Her eyes widened. "Clara?"

Clara pushed herself upright. "My lady."

Evelyne hurried over, and for the first time since meeting her, genuine emotion broke through the noblewoman’s guarded demeanor. "Clara!" She crouched beside her maid and caught both of Clara’s hands.

"My lady, you’re safe," Clara breathed.

"Yes. Luckily, I’m safe."

Evelyne glanced toward me.

Her expression became considerably more complicated.

Fear.

Gratitude.

Suspicion.

Probably another small amount of fear for good measure.

I looked like I’d murdered everyone here and arranged the monsters afterward for decoration.

"I’ll escort both of you out of the forest," I said. "There’s a small town nearby. You should be able to rent a carriage there."

Evelyne looked at the darkening sky. "How far?"

"Using the road? Several hours."

Her face fell.

"Using my route, considerably less."

That apparently sounded suspicious.

"What route?"

"A shortcut."

We left the ruined carriage behind several minutes later. I didn’t bother taking the monster corpses with me since they would make perfect bait for anything lurking nearby. Hopefully, whatever found them would choose the free meal instead of following us. Besides, they were only D-rank monsters.

Clara insisted she could walk, and the Health Potion had healed most of her injuries, although I deliberately kept our pace moderate. Healing flesh didn’t immediately restore stamina or replace lost blood.

I took the lead this time.

There wasn’t much reason to worry about a trap anymore. My Domain had found nothing nearby, and I knew exactly where we were.

Original Rey had traveled through this region before.

More importantly, Evan’s habits had apparently infected me thoroughly enough that I remembered terrain better than most people remembered birthdays.

The shortcut cut west through a narrow section between two rocky hills, descended along an old trail, crossed a shallow stream, and eventually connected with the trade road leading toward the town.

Twenty minutes later, I discovered a problem.

Lady Evelyne Harven.

At first, she’d managed reasonably well.

Then the terrain became steeper.

Her expensive traveling boots slipped against loose soil.

Once.

Twice.

The third time, Clara caught her arm before she fell. "Careful, my lady."

"I am being careful."

I glanced back.

She was gripping Clara’s hand while glaring at the slope as if the mountain had personally insulted House Harven.

We continued.

Five minutes later, she stumbled over a root.

Then her coat caught on a branch.

Then she froze at the top of a rocky descent.

I stopped several meters below them.

Evelyne stared downward.

It wasn’t even particularly dangerous. The slope was steep, yes, but there were enough rocks and exposed roots to use as footholds.

Clara descended first, turned, and extended her hand. "Slowly, my lady."

Evelyne placed one boot forward.

Loose gravel shifted.

She immediately pulled her foot back.

I waited.

She tried again.

Same result.

Oh, for f*ck’s sake.

This wasn’t an escort anymore.

This was babysitting with consequences.

I looked toward the sky. The last orange light was disappearing behind the mountains, and staying overnight in the forest wasn’t an option I particularly enjoyed. The Maledict Sovereign Crystal might be gone, but there were still monsters throughout the region.

Also, I wanted a bath.

A long one.

Preferably followed by food, my bed, and at least one wife asking why I smelled like an entire monster ecosystem.