30 Years Have Passed Since the Prologue
chapter-125

“Is this a dream? Am I dreaming right now? This couldn’t possibly be happening to me.”

“Keep your thoughts to yourself.”

“Oh my.”

Elpheira looked at Ivan with a vacant expression, then quickly lowered her head again.

It’s because of the incredible destructive power of Graykencos fantasy scenery. She simply couldn’t bring herself to look directly at Ivan’s face.

What a cruel twist of fate this is. Oh, Lord, please save this poor elf. Even though they finally have a chance to be alone, it’s difficult to even look at each other’s faces.

Elpheira drew a sigh and quietly closed her eyes.

-Splash.

The gentle sound of the water hitting the bow was cheerful. The surreal moon hung high, and the mist faintly rose, diffusing light under the starlight.

It’s so perfect. There couldn’t be a more perfect timing than this. Elpheira looked straight ahead, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Ah…”

A small boat, illuminated by the moonlight, the figure shining white, the neat coat, and even the muscles that surged firmly with each stroke of the oar.

-Swish.

As soon as Elpheira felt her nose bleeding, she used her magic to block the blood flow. It’s a sharp manipulation of magic that doesn’t allow a single drop of blood.

She feels like she’s reached a new level of physical control. Of course. It’s the result of her innate talent, Ivan’s amazing teaching methods, and her diligent learning attitude to please Ivan.

All her efforts have paid off now. Here they are, enjoying a boat ride on the lake on a moonlit night.

Alright. The atmosphere is nice, and there’s no one around to disturb them.

As all Kalion elves acknowledge, the one who raises the flag first in the unclaimed territory is the owner. And elves are masters of raising flags.

“Um, Sir Yermov.”

“Hmm.”

Ivan whispered sweetly in a low voice. Ah, is this really not a dream? Elpheira suppressed another burst of nosebleed skillfully and spoke again.

“Do you remember 12 years ago?”

“Hmm.”

It’s a story from when I first met this little one.

Ivan nodded without much thought.

“I’ve wanted to thank you ever since then. If it weren’t for you, I probably wouldn’t be here right now. I was too young back then…”

Elpheira spoke with a face redder than ever, her gaze lowered about 45 degrees as she continued speaking.

Of course, it wasn’t a necessary story to tell. Ivan doesn’t enjoy reminiscing about the past. What’s important is dealing with the future through the lessons of the past.

Ivan is such a rational person.

He casually listened to Elpheira’s words with one ear and glanced at the clock. It was about time.

“So I’ve been wondering how to repay that debt. If it’s a debt of life, it should be repaid with life. As an elf of the Kalion, the most valuable thing I can offer to you, Sir, is myself…”

Ivan rowed towards the dock. Even as the boat slowly approached the shore, Elpheira didn’t seem to notice.

She just continued fervently speaking, tears welling up on her flushed face.

“In the Kalion county, there are various spells that can dramatically extend human lifespan and thought. The only flaw of a being human is their humanity, but now even that flaw can be remedied…”

“It’s time.”

“Uh, yes?”

“You’ve done well.”

Ivan stood up and blew his whistle once. A man who had been fishing at the dock put down his fishing rod and stood up naturally.

“Escort Elpheira to the Elven Residential Zone.”

“Yes, Commander!”

The intelligence officer saluted crisply and quietly approached Elpheira’s side.

Elpheira was staring blankly at Ivan.

“Huh? What? Huh? What are you doing now… Where are you going?”

“This operation is over.”

“Yes? Operation? Huh?”

Elpheira stood on the dock, watching Ivan walk away for a while before lifting her head for a moment.

The moon was shining beautifully.

Covering her forehead with her hand, she let out a heavy sigh before speaking.

“Just tell me it’s just a dream.”

“It’s reality, Lady Graykencos.”

At the cautious tone of the agent, Elpheira’s ears twitched before perking up again.

Her ears, now redder than ever, began to tremble with fury.

“Human… Those humans…!!”

The agent looked at the trembling Elpheira with anger and thought for a moment. Assuming that the daughter of the [Fortress Destroyer] Veolgreen had at least half of her father’s abilities…

A [1/2 Fortress Destroyer] expressing anger out of hatred for humans might become a threat comparable to a Seven Dragon Generals. He thought so.

This was the story of the first day of Ivan’s [Spy Search] operation.

Chapter 125: Academy Date

“Vanka, am I understanding this correctly? Did I understand it well?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“No, wait. Let me… let me organize it.”

Elizaveta quickly skimmed through the thick stack of reports.

And she had to read it twice more because she simply couldn’t believe it.

“First, we need to confirm this. A spy? At the university? And it had to be in your class?

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“How on earth?”

Why in your class, of all places. And asking what purpose they attended your class for was meaningless.

‘How’ had to come first in this situation.

Right now, Frechenkaya was seeking unprecedented safety. It was only natural.

With the vigilant Counterintelligence Command near Frechenkaya, all the nobles of the Prince’s faction were expelled, and all the departments of the Royal Administration willingly obeyed the Princess.

Meanwhile, one of the effective commanders of the Counterintelligence Command was a former rebel. And not just any former rebel, but one who had directly infiltrated Frechenkaya.

Since he turned to the allied side, all the existing vulnerabilities had long been eradicated. Frechenkaya was prospering in absolute safety.

And suddenly, she was asked to approve a ‘Spy Detection Report’ within his own class? How should she accept this?

Moreover, Ivan was not someone who would speak falsehoods.

He was someone who proved himself with results rather than lies. He had been like that until now, and he would continue to be so in the future.

That was the trust Elizaveta had in the Cleanup Units and in Ivan.

“How reliable is the ‘vague information’ you’ve confirmed?” (Elizaveta)

“Personally, about 90%….” (Ivan)

Ivan stopped there for a moment.

Over the past few weeks, during the interrogation sessions disguised as classes, Ivan attempted to extract information through three individuals who could share ‘common sense’ with him.

First was Eugene, who was the most competent in this aspect.

“You see, haha. As you know, if the [intimacy] is lacking a bit, the information won’t be unlocked. What you see now is just the name and level, which is the same as personal information.” (Eugene)

“Useless.” (Ivan)

“But?! But then, if we just get closer, won’t that be enough? Just wait a moment. Who am I? I’m Yevgeny from Karamzin!” (Eugene)

With that proclamation, he confidently joined the crowd of students.

“Hey guys. I’ve come to deliver some good news.” (Eugene)

“Oh, it’s from the theology department. Thanks, but I’ll pass on joining your church.”

“This impure person!!!”

And with that flow, he was driven away. After that, Eugene usually stayed humble within the theology department.

The next one to step forward was Oswald.

“Don’t worry. You know my major. [Mind Sorcery]. Since I’ve been experimenting a lot with Eugene lately, I can’t afford to make mistakes in this area.” (Oswald)

“Uh, isn’t it strictly prohibited to cast mental spells on students…?” (Yuri)

“Well, Yuri, do you know why Romeo and Juliet committed suicide?” (Oswald)

“Why?” (Yuri)

“Because they got caught.” (Oswald))

It was an elvish-like speech pattern, having the mentality that it’s legal as long as you don’t get caught. Naturally, Oswald was Korean.

His attempt was thwarted the moment Elpheira caught wind of it.

“Why, why are you looking at me? Are you asking me to try it too?” (Yuri)

“Hmm.” (Ivan)

“You…do you remember what genre I belong to when I’m dropped into this world…?”

Yuri was an illustrator of works that minors under the age of 19 couldn’t even attempt to play.

Using someone from such a genre as an informant was not the taste of the Cleanup Units. The Cleanup Units didn’t handle information obtained through the beauty industry.

After reminiscing, Ivan responded with a somewhat cautious tone.

“Factually, it’s about 50%.” (Ivan)

“…?” (Elizaveta)

It seems he was using a very unreliable informant. Elizaveta shrugged her shoulders as she replied.

“I’ll reject this operation plan. But Vanca, I’m greatly pleased that you finally came to see me before the operation commenced.” (Elizaveta)

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“So, how about taking a break for a while? The intelligence department is competent, and the university is safe. Even if there is a spy, we’ll definitely detect them in the process of transmitting information back to their homeland. Vanca, there was only one thing you wanted from me, wasn’t there?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The children of hero party. They will safely escort the VIPs back to their hometown. (Minor injuries are acceptable. Ivan can persuade the parents because of it.)

“So, take it easy a little longer. I trust you, and you’ve been doing splendidly so far….”

At this point, Elizaveta paused for a moment. She wondered why she felt so frustrated despite everything going so well.

“You’ve performed admirably. If you can spend another two years safely, your mission will be complete. I hope you’ll serve as a bureaucrat.”

The bureaucrat she envisioned would sit comfortably in a warm room, manage the royal treasury and coffers, occasionally dine with her, enjoy tea time in a pleasant palace courtyard, gently massage her shoulders when she complains about her piled-up workload, and then their eyes meet, and their lips meet…

A bureaucrat who performs such duties is called a ‘gukeo’.

“So, take it easy a little longer. Do you understand what I’m saying? You understand your orders, right?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“But that’s not the expression at all….”

Ivan thought as he stared silently into Elizaveta’s eyes.

It’s better to go with the Cleanup Units’ way.

It’s common sense, but infiltration teams don’t report every operation to the commander. For the security of the information, all operations are conducted at the discretion of the on-site supervisor.

This demonstrates how strong the trust relationship between Elizaveta and the Cleanup Units is. Whatever the case may be, it’s always for the nation, and the Cleanup Units will never betray her.

With such mutual trust as a background, the Cleanup Units also fully accepted Elizaveta’s rear command and executed the operation. At that time, the Cleanup Units boasted the most efficient handling among all infiltration units.

Ivan is a person who prepares for the future through the lessons of the past. He bowed deeply and withdrew.