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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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Chapter 183 - Kirrin’s Black Forest (6)
Tap, tap, tap—
The Second Princess’s knight gripped the hilt of his sword so tightly that his hands trembled.
Noticing the sound, the Second Princess quickly placed her hand over his, snapping him back to his senses.
There was absolutely nothing to gain from provoking Dian.
Only after the knight reluctantly let go of his sword did she compose her expression and speak.
"We meet again so soon, Dian. What brings you here?"
"Do you know where the Nemara Black Forest is?"
"Nemara… You mean that Nemara?"
"That’s right. Where is it?"
"I don’t know."
Dian tilted his head.
"The head of the Empire’s intelligence division doesn’t know something?"
"I mean I don’t know right this second. I don’t have every piece of information memorized. And why are you so interested in the Nemara Black Forest?"
"Let’s just say I have my reasons."
The Second Princess stared at him for a moment, then sighed.
She knew he wouldn’t give a straight answer, no matter how much she pressed.
"Follow me. I’ll show you."
"Your Highness!"
The knight hurried after her, lowering his voice as he walked beside her.
"This is a classified security zone! You can’t just let him wander freely! And the place you’re about to take him—"
"He walked in here without a single person stopping him. How exactly do you plan to keep him out?"
At that, the knight fell silent.
"The laws of the empire don’t apply to him. If you try to force him into a system, the system will break."
"...Understood."
Even as he conceded, the knight kept glancing warily at Dian, unable to relax.
Meanwhile, Dian was completely unfazed, looking around the hallways and peering into the open office doors.
"So this is the great Imperial Intelligence Bureau, huh?"
"More accurately, this is just one part of it. The bureau’s functions are spread across various locations for security reasons. This is merely the command center."
"That does seem like the smarter approach. If someone with bad intentions wanted to take down the intelligence division, they’d have to hunt down every single branch first."
"Bad intentions?"
"You know, someone who isn't too happy about the bureau holding all the information."
"And tell me, does such a person exist in the empire?"
At her question, the knight stiffened, his eyes darting toward Dian.
"Who knows? I wouldn’t."
Dian simply shrugged with a carefree grin.
"I don’t really care what the higher-ups are scheming."
"So you don’t need to care, then."
"That’s one way to put it."
The Second Princess smiled slightly, while the knight discreetly wiped the sweat off his brow.
For some reason, just standing near this man made his palms sweat.
It wasn’t just that he had twice infiltrated the palace undetected.
It wasn’t just that he was casually walking through the most classified area of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, completely unbothered.
It was that—
Here, in a place where the Second Princess could erase a man’s existence with a single twitch of her eyebrow—
Dian acted as if he were simply out for a stroll.
Was this what it meant to be a member of the Demon King Slayer Special Force?
The knight had met others from the same unit before.
When Linus was the Captain of the Royal Guard, he saw him nearly every day.
He also had official dealings with Lormane, the Chief Administrator.
But Dian—
Dian was different.
What was it?
Unpredictability.
Yes.
That strange, suffocating feeling he got from Dian—
It was the fear of the unknown.
The other members of the special forces were predictable.
They had rational minds, followed logical behavior, and upheld moral principles.
They embodied the ideal of justice.
But Dian?
Dian was nothing like them.
He had rejected every reward from the capital and vanished for ten years.
Then, out of nowhere, he showed up at the academy—as a mere professor, despite being offered the Headmaster’s position.
Since then, he had done whatever he wanted with no regard for imperial politics.
And on top of that, he casually broke into the imperial palace whenever he felt like it.
The man was insane.
A completely unpredictable lunatic.
And that was what made him terrifying.
No one could anticipate when or how he might interfere with their plans.
That was why the intelligence analysts were still debating his fried chicken metaphor—
Because they had no idea how his mind worked.
At this point, dealing with him would only be a liability.
The Second Princess finally stopped in front of a door, one among many identical ones lining the hall.
She opened it.
A sign above the doorway read: Geographical Intelligence Analysis Room.
"You’re here, Director."
The agents inside stood and bowed.
"Hard at work, I see. Can you pull up the geolocation data for the Nemara Black Forest?"
"The Nemara Black Forest? One moment, please. But…"
One agent hesitated, glancing warily at Dian.
"Who is he?"
"A classified special agent."
"Ah, I see. Understood."
Without another question, the agents moved toward a massive bookshelf that covered the entire wall.
"Let’s see… Where’s the map of the Nemara Black Forest…?"
As they set up ladders and began climbing the shelves, Dian looked around, unable to hide his amazement.
"This is incredible."
The entire room was filled wall to wall with maps.
Shelves reached the ceiling, tables were stacked with parchment, and charts covered every available surface.
It was a treasure trove of top-tier military cartography.
"How much of the world is in here?"
"Anywhere a person can set foot."
"So basically, this room contains almost all the terrain data for the continent? That’s impressive."
"Keeping it up-to-date requires countless special agents risking their lives. Are you interested?"
"Not at all. I’d hate doing this kind of work."
Dian shuddered, waving his hands.
"I figured. It was a joke."
At that moment, an agent spread a large map onto the table.
"This is the Nemara Black Forest. As you can see, it’s not an easy place to reach."
The location was surrounded by rugged, winding terrain—
A maze of canyons, neither high nor low, but twisted in such a way that navigating them would be a nightmare.
And in the middle of that labyrinth lay the Nemara Black Forest.
Even with a map, it looked impossible to get inside.
"Dark elves set up absurdly intricate traps around their forests. Even in broad daylight, they’re unavoidable."
"I’ve heard that before. Never actually seen it myself, though."
"If you want, I can introduce you to a former special agent who’s infiltrated the Black Forest before."
"Would that be useful? I was just planning to open a dimensional gate over the forest and jump in."
"You lunatic…"
The knight accidentally muttered under his breath.
The hell was wrong with this guy?
"Even if you manage to land inside, there’ll still be traps waiting for you. You might as well listen to an expert."
"Fair enough. I’ll meet him."
With that, the Second Princess arranged a meeting with an older agent, who shared everything he knew about dark elf traps.
But before he finished, he asked Dian:
"Why exactly are you trying to enter the Black Forest? You don't seem like the type with infiltration experience."
"This is the man who blocked the dark elf flank at the Black Swamp."
The Second Princess’s words made the agent’s eyes go wide.
"You’re saying this young man—"
"Yes. The unknown soldier who fought alongside Linus during the war."
"I… I can’t believe it…"
The agent, overwhelmed, grabbed Dian’s hands.
"It is an honor to meet you!"
"Uh… Thanks? Do you know me?"
"Among the surviving veterans, you are a legend! Someone who achieved great feats that are shrouded in mystery from beginning to end, that no one officially recognizes, and then you suddenly disappeared. Isn't that the ultimate example, the epitome of a special forces agent?"
"Ha… ha…"
"You disappeared after the war, and no one knew if you had died or retired in secret! But you’re still active!"
"Active? Uh, sure, let’s go with that…"
Dian just smiled and nodded, not bothering to correct him.
"Anyway, I’m leaving now. Thanks for the help, Princess."
"Of course. By the way, Dian—"
She smirked.
"Did you enjoy the fried chicken?"
"It was good. But I only got to eat the neck."
"Why?"
"One went to the academy staff, and the other spilled on the ground. Only the neck survived."
"I see. Good to know. Safe travels, then."
As Dian walked away, the Second Princess narrowed her eyes.
One was given away. One was completely lost, leaving only the neck.
She turned to the knight.
"Tell the cryptanalysis team to start working on a new cipher."
"Understood!"
# # # # #
Meanwhile, in the Emperor’s office—
"GAAAAAHHH!"
Still in his nightclothes, the Emperor screamed, frothing at the mouth.
"HE WENT TO THE INTELLIGENCE BUREAU?! AND ASKED ABOUT THE NEMARA BLACK FOREST?!"
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Peptobismol]
[Proofreader - Demon God]
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