Overpowered Extra Noble in a Novel

***

At the moment the festival began, with cheers echoing through the streets.

Five men were traversing a nearby forest on the outskirts of the capital.

Weed-like grass that grew up to their calves and dense trees that obstructed their view.

The uneven ground, littered with rocks and protruding roots, was a chaotic mess. For anyone not accustomed to hiking or foraging for herbs, it would be easy to trip multiple times.

However, the movements of the men cloaked in plain robes were agile.

Department 3 of the Central Intelligence Agency’s Investigation Department.

Andre, who was responsible for the southern region, and his staff regarded this harsh forest as nothing more than a playground.

Navigating steep mountainous areas or uneven terrains in the south was commonplace for them.

From the perspective of Department 3, which frequently traversed such terrains, the landscape near the capital seemed almost trivial. Nonetheless, they couldn’t stroll through the forest as if it were a playground.

Andre and his Investigation Department 3 staff were stealthily tracking someone who had entered the forest.

The sun, which had been brightly shining from above, was gradually disappearing beyond the horizon.

The forest was bathed in the glow of twilight, and even though night had not fully descended, the parts untouched by light were already pitch dark.

With visibility partially restricted.

The night in the forest approaches quickly. If the target were to notice the tailing, the mission might turn into a tedious pursuit.

No one wanted to engage in a chase in the dark, especially in such a complex forest.

Though they could move through the forest effortlessly, they had to proceed cautiously, maintaining a delicate distance from their target as they pursued them. Nevertheless…

Crack.

The movement halted at the small sound.

Four pairs of eyes turned toward the source of the noise.

From the rear, a small branch split neatly in half under the foot of the staff member, silently asserting its presence.

The faint echo resonated through the quiet forest.

Andre and his staff immediately crouched low, alert to their surroundings.

“…”

“…”

The forest remained silent.

There were no signs of someone rushing by.

Fortunately, nothing happened.

The staff heaved a silent sigh of relief and communicated with each other through eye contact and gestures.

After recalling them with a hand signal to remain vigilant, Andre turned back.

The subtle sound of footsteps resumed the pursuit.

While carefully inspecting the ground, the staff member trailing closely behind Andre quietly spoke up.

“Director… is moving this way on your own truly appropriate? I can’t help but feel this is risky.”

The troubled voice suggested uneasiness.

At Andre’s turned head, Colon—whom he’d partnered with for a long time—voiced his doubt.

“Private conversations later. Even a brief talk could expose us,” Andre cautioned.

“You never deviate from orders without causing trouble, do you? With the sun already setting…”

“…This operation is necessary.”

Andre murmured to himself, recalling the incident at the Central Intelligence Agency.

The director’s directive to halt all operations and assemble.

At Max’s sudden summons, the scattered directors gathered in the capital.

In a conference room set up in the basement of the imperial palace, Max handed out a list, explaining a single operation.

Hunt down spies infiltrated in the capital.

This was unlike the usual approach of subtly pressuring with Director Soilen from Department 1.

The director’s earnest expression asking for cooperation. His impassioned speech about the future of the intelligence department remained vividly etched in Andre’s mind.

Even Létina of Department 2, who usually had a disinterested attitude, couldn’t help but adjust her stance at the end of Max’s impassioned declaration.

This was a direct command from higher-ups.

‘Higher-ups…’

The fact that Director Max used the term ‘higher-ups’ implied that someone with the authority to manipulate the intelligence bureau directly gave the order—not someone like Lucanov or Duke Schurantz.

Guessing who that was was easier than drinking a cold soup.

‘Her Imperial Majesty, or…’

Cain MacBilian.

The imperial guardian and royal envoy.

An operation that would clearly entail bloodshed was undoubtedly ordered by the Duke himself.

It was a formal directive from the Empire’s moon.

The operation was simple; the intent straightforward.

Reduce the number of spies; leave only those under control.

Expose and eliminate the core that aggregates stolen secrets.

Without any additional questions, the directors moved into action upon hearing Max’s words.

However…

Andre had suspicions.

The directive to eliminate spies might be genuine from the Duke, but Andre was certain of the ambiguity of the accuracy of the list provided by Max.

While proceeding smoothly with the operation, Andre had his staff from Department 3 conduct additional investigations.

And thanks to Colon’s efforts, they came across more precise information.

Some individuals were conspicuously absent.

The concealment was so subtle that it wouldn’t be noticed unless investigated deeply.

An individual classified as already deceased.

‘Could it be that it wasn’t the First Director, but Max himself leaking this…’

The intelligence director had been protecting spies.

Andre was confident that not everyone missing from the list had been concealed by Max; some were genuinely dead, likely bundled together merely to deceive.

‘Sketch that.’

There were strong indications that Max was involved in the current target they were tracking.

Finishing his thoughts, Andre stopped walking.

Through the lush forest, the faint silhouette of a back was barely visible.

They had unknowingly closed the distance.

Observing the target’s behavior, it seemed they had stopped to write something.

Squelch.

He silently transmitted a signal to remain alert and cautiously advanced.

And then, at that moment…

A dull twang reverberated through the air.

Dunk.

Thwack!

“Ugh…”

“!”

A sharp whoosh.

A suppressed, agonized scream.

‘A trap…!’

Before Andre could shout to retreat, an irritating clamor rang out again.

Dunk. Thud. Clunk.

“Khack!”

“Gurgle.”

Out of the dark forest, small shadows began to rush out.

Twinkling in the twilight were small bolts.

In an instant, arrows streaked through the air and struck the staff.

Clang!

“Kh-!”

Dodging an arrow aimed at the neck, but a sharp pain was felt in the thigh.

Andre, barely maintaining his balance, flinched as his gaze flickered.

Unknown figures emerged from the underbrush.

Crossbows loaded with bolts were menacingly pointed from extended hands.

As his consciousness waned and he glanced around, nearly two dozen individuals surrounded them.

Andre clenched his teeth.

Andre and his team of five had falsely reported scouting the northern sector of the capital. It was an unusual move.

Yet, for an ambush to appear as if waiting for them in such a scenario—unless they already knew their route—it was impossible.

Thud.

“Didn’t I say this would end badly? Don’t you understand?”

The cold sensation near his neck and a familiar voice.

Andre spoke with a tone of exasperation.

“Colon, you bastard! Betraying us and siding with Max?”

“Khhk.”

Thud.

“Ugh!”

Andre was forced down to a kneeling position as his groin was kicked.

The jab from the bolt piercing his bent thigh caused his body to tremble in pain.

As he endured the agony with clenched eyes, Colon’s cheerful voice resonated in his ears.

“Bastard you, bastard me—we’re all the same. Tell us to bite, we bite. Tell us to bark, we bark. Wag our tails enthusiastically for a morsel. Isn’t that what we in intelligence are?”

Colon, picking up the dagger Andre had dropped, retreated.

Despite the arrows flying from all sides, Colon was unscathed.

The unmistakable appearance of a traitor.

As the anger boiled in Andre’s chest, he turned his head.

“Hmm.”

Among the sinister-looking figures pointing crossbows, the target revealed their face.

A shaved head, sharp eyes, a cunning face.

Even the unruly moustache was untidy.

‘According to Kalheig’s intel, Benita.’

Benita casually surveyed the surroundings before approaching Colon.

A heavy pouch pulled from his robes made a jingling sound, indicating a considerable amount of money.

Colon politely accepted the pouch Benita extended and concealed it within his own robes, prompting Andre to momentarily forget his pain and shout.

“Is this all just for money? Look around, Colon!”

To Andre’s shout, Colon turned his head with nonchalance.

The corpses that had been riddled with arrows were now cold, the sharp metallic scent of blood invading their nostrils. The sticky blood oozing from the corpses had soaked the ground.

Colon’s reflection on their comrades, who had been his colleagues but now lay as corpses, was fleeting.

“So, what?”

“Huh…?”

Andre’s tone brimmed with astonishment.

As Colon turned to face Andre with an expression of sorrow, he remarked.

“There are classes among bastards. There’s one difference between you and me.”

“Keuuhhh!!”

A dagger slowly pierced Andre’s other thigh.

The forest, filled with a chilling silence, echoed with a harrowing scream.

Colon, who had driven the blade fully into the wound, leaned close to Andre’s ear and whispered.

“You should’ve chosen who to wag your tail to more carefully.”

Though they were both from the city’s streets, Colon admired Andre’s rise to the position of director.

Department 3 of Investigation followed such an Andre, and Colon subtly compared himself to Andre.

Absorbed the basics of the intelligence bureau faster than anyone, executing assigned tasks near-flawlessly.

Though one might expect arrogance to creep in, Colon’s attitude was always humble as he took over the dirty jobs of the intelligence bureau.

Even those who had looked down on him for being a vagrant gradually recognized Colon.

Both Max and other directors acknowledged Colon’s abilities without dissent.

As Colon saw how his environment gradually changed, it twisted something within him.

Even Investigative Officer 2’s own Létina Florence showed subtle interest in Andre.

‘Now, it doesn’t matter.’

Max and Director Soilen demanded Colon’s loyalty under their wings by eliminating Andre.

Without hesitation, they offered all they desired.

The position of Department 3’s director.

And, in the future, Létina Florence’s position after she lost her power struggle. All of it.

Colon’s lips curled into a sinister grin.

“Colon, it’s time to move.”

“Ahh, yes. Correct. Haha.”

At Benita’s prompt, Colon quickly composed his features and bowed his head.

“This one is in a commanding-like role with extensive knowledge; he has access to considerable information. Haha.”

The intriguing suggestion made Benita nod approvingly.

“Hmm. This could be a worthwhile return. Thanks to your efforts, quite the generous reward will be coming your way. Perhaps three times the pouch.”

Three times?

Recalling the heavy pouch within his robes, Colon prostrated himself again.

“Thank you so much! Allow me to conduct the interrogation!”

“Interrogation?”

“The folks in intelligence are notoriously tight-lipped. But I have techniques to make them speak freely.”

As Colon and Benita chatted leisurely,

A faint, cold breeze swept through the gap between the people.

Then—

Thud.

The strange men armed with crossbows suddenly collapsed.

“…”

“…”

Silence.

A profound silence enveloped them, where not even the sounds of bugs chirping or breathing could be heard.

The forest, which had been drenched in crimson moments ago, was now plunged into an inky darkness.

At the sudden turn of events, Colon and Benita, silent and pale, anxiously surveyed their surroundings.

Fresh crimson blood flowed out from the bodies of the crossbowmen, lying sprawled on the ground. Dead instantly.

In a flash, the necks of nearly twenty men had been severed.

Though Colon and Benita scanned the gloomy forest desperately, they couldn’t see anyone.

The surreal situation left Colon collapsing, unable to even scream. Meanwhile, Benita, his sword tremblingly drawn, flicked his eyes violently.

Yet, the forest remained silent.

As the two shivered from the cold temperature, a chilly, low voice reverberated in their ears.

“Benita of Kalheig and Department 3’s Colon.”

A quiet whisper.

Though both spun around in shock, there was still nothing to be seen.

The female voice continued.

“Subject for elimination.”

Swoosh.

Thud.

Benita’s head fell.

At the horrific sight, Colon’s mouth opened, only to have his own head tumble off a moment later.

“…”

As his consciousness flickered, Andre, who had observed the entire situation, felt a slight wind.

The figure who appeared with the wind was a young woman in a green dress.

A maid’s outfit from the imperial palace.

Even in the dark forest, her amber eyes shone gently, devoid of any emotion.

“Investigation Department 3 Director Andre. You have been summoned.”

Andre, whose consciousness waned, heard the woman’s voice.

“Your Master requests your presence.”

And with that, his consciousness slipped away.

***

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