How to Live as a Swordmaster of the Enemy Nation

Infiltration

Gregory left the place where the meeting had been held and headed straight for the Blandi Kingdom.

'I thought at least one person would come out after me out of concern.'

In the end, his sudden flight was an act to protect everyone. He felt a touch of disappointment that no one even tried to stop him, but this was not a moment for petty emotions like that.

Even with a group, it would have been a tight race against time. Given the circumstances, he judged that, at this rate, he wouldn't be able to keep his promise to Radian.

Gregory quickly wrapped his body in gray clothing to avoid being recognized. Walter had prepared these special outfits for the infiltration of the Dawn Knight Order.

The special attire included a hood to prevent the identification of one's face, so after pulling it firmly over his head, he set off in haste, looking every bit like someone in a rush.

***

After a few days, as he was approaching the Blandi Kingdom, the time came when he needed a permit. Escaping the outskirts of Arme was easily resolved by using the identity plaque Hemingway had given him, but there was another problem.

Last time, when he entered the Blandi Kingdom under the pretext of a martial arts tournament, at least he had an official reason to move about in a carriage.

This time, infiltrating in the face of tight security was no easy matter.

"Damn it... Well, this is hopeless."

After deliberating for a while, he decided to enter through a small frontier village.

No matter how strict the security, he thought, there would surely be at least one hole to sneak through in such a remote village.

"Alright... time to give it a try."

Contrary to his own confidence, Gregory came to a neat conclusion and turned his horse toward a remote edge at the end of Blandi's frontline, where there were few people. No matter how talented he was, he deemed a frontal breakthrough insanity.

Thanks to his memories from his previous life, he easily recalled simple information about what kind of place that remote region was and which direction to head.

Just like that, Gregory crossed to the southernmost point of Blandi, near the northernmost border of Arme. This was the spot where Blandi and Arme were geographically closest on the map.

And in between, there was a narrow ravine just barely large enough for five people to pass at once.

Because he'd avoided a frontal breakthrough and skirted around to the far north border, it was already late evening by the time Gregory arrived near the boundary, considerably delayed.

'This is... an old passage, used long ago. There are excessive barriers for transporting valuables, but security isn't particularly strict.'

Because the population density was low in this area, it was true that there were also few guards.

However, when Gregory approached the city gate, it was different from what he expected. Normally, there would be a dull atmosphere and the gates firmly shut, but now the gates stood wide open, with two guards keeping watch nearby.

'What business could there be in a small village like this?'

A shift in plans. Originally, he had planned to climb the wall using a ladder to avoid the patrols atop the ramparts, but not only was there no ladder, there was now an easier method right in front of him.

If he rushed in and attacked, he figured, the guards might remember his face before fainting, making things troublesome later when word spread among the other guards and an emergency alert was sounded, so Gregory hesitated a moment with a troubled face.

Having come all this way, he felt a moment of despair at the thought that he might not be able to pass through even this place.

But on the other hand, he reasoned that if he could just get through here, the rest would be much easier, so he started devising a clever trick.

'Alright. Let's give this a shot.'

His idea was to whistle, strike a loose stone on the cliff with his sword to make it drop, and use the noise to lure the guards forward.

Then, he would stealthily approach and knock them out with a blow to the back of the head.

Pheeew-!

"What the... Didn't you just hear something?"

"Sound? I don't think I heard anything."

Thud-!

"Huh, what? You didn't hear that just now either?"

"Uh... I think I heard it this time."

The soldiers, unnerved by the strange sound, began looking around, and one braver guard stepped forward first.

"Don't be such a coward. Hold on. I'll go check it out."

"Hey... You're sure it's okay, right? Be careful. If something happens, make sure you shout."

"I'm telling you, it's nothing."

Of course, Gregory didn't miss his chance. He quietly closed in and struck the brave guard on the neck with the flat of his blade, rendering him unconscious.

When the forward guard failed to return for a long while, the one left behind grew frightened in the gloomy night and went to call for other guards.

If he merely covered the guard's mouth, Gregory thought, the guard would still remember things later, so he quickly struck the other on the back of the head as well, putting him to sleep.

People riding on horseback was a common sight, so Gregory set off, reassured.

After all, only high officials, celebrities, or distinguished guests were allowed to ride through with such pomp, so he could shed his anxiety and move more freely.

Whenever he encountered a checkpoint, Gregory always said the same thing:
"If I was a problem, they wouldn't have sent me this far. They let me through up ahead, so open the gate."

With this line, the soldiers never dared question him and simply opened the gate. Unless a special warning had gone out, they couldn't muster the nerve to stop such a confident traveler who might be someone important.

Thanks to the brief reduction in tensions between the Arme Kingdom and the Blandi Kingdom, such vulnerabilities were possible. If tensions had been higher, he would have been made to dismount and be inspected.

Outwardly, the guards stood in glittering armor and barred entry, but it was simpler than it seemed. In a nation where power was valued above all, loopholes existed.

Thanks to Gregory's odd little trick, the guards were left in confusion, and he spurred his horse to its fastest speed, charging into the Blandi Kingdom.

Before long, Gregory reached the southernmost town of Blandi, a place called Ramien, and stopped to let his horse rest a bit. Just as he turned the horse to prepare to set off again, something caught his eye.

Three men, who looked like merchants, were standing together by a signboard, looking at the photos and words written there, talking among themselves.

Curious about their conversation, Gregory carefully approached to eavesdrop.

"Ugh, tsk, what a bad man. Leading a rebellion. The world's gone to hell, I tell you."

"That's right. Those who are seeds of rebellion deserve to be executed on the spot..."

"I really hope they catch the ringleaders and bring peace back to the Blandi Kingdom."

Gregory was startled to hear that the ringleader of the rebellion was in the Blandi Kingdom, and checked to see what the men were looking at.

'Wait, who's this?'

Radian's portrait was openly displayed on the signboard. The notice said that Radian had been caught attempting a rebellion and was sentenced to a public execution.

Gregory suspected, without a doubt, that this was the work of the Stria group faction. This was the result of defying Stria group's orders and delaying the war.

They believed that Radian had betrayed them and intended to use their power to crush him.

'The situation is more dangerous than I thought.'

That meant time was truly running out. If he wanted to save Radian's family, there was no time to stand here watching portraits and reading newspapers.

Gregory turned to check another portrait on the board. To his shock, his own face was plastered right there.

Thanks to the curse of Verk, Gregory had rarely attended banquets with nobles since childhood, and his face was not well-known among the Blandi nobility.

However, his performance at the recent martial arts tournament had worked against him. The mysterious swordsman shrouded in secrecy— once they investigated further, word spread everywhere that the swordsman was Gregory, the youngest son of the Ashborn family from Arme.

'Well, this is troublesome...'

It was a sensational event, and since many nobles from other kingdoms had attended the tournament, the Blandi nobility had tried to prevent news about the Ashborn family from spreading in the papers, but their efforts quickly fell through.

Fortunately, Radian's portrait was posted due to his infamy, while—

For Gregory, things were different: his face was posted on the board because people admired his exploits at the tournament, which made him worry less.

No one would suspect that Gregory was behind Radian.

'Now, my face absolutely cannot be seen.'

Gregory knew that if he was careless enough to take off this special outfit, or if anyone recognized his face—

Having entered the Blandi Kingdom without any justification, he realized he could be in serious trouble, so he tightened his clothing.

Gregory quickly turned his horse and set off again, determined to rescue his family waiting in the internment camp, hoping for Gregory to help them escape Blandi.

To save Radian's family, who wouldn't even know how dire things had become, Gregory rode with resolve, even prepared to sacrifice his life. He simply could not bear to see them die so miserably.