[Vol. 7] Chapter 141: Know Yourself and Your Enemy
Hearing the furious roars of the Dragonkin around him and feeling the unfiltered hostility surging toward him, Joseph felt an icy chill spread from the top of his head down to his entire body.
It was over. Completely over.
He had always known there was a risk of being exposed, but he never expected it to happen so suddenly, so abruptly and inexplicably.
How did they manage to pinpoint him? Who was that black-haired girl in the white robe? She looked like some kind of priestess, was she an expert sent by the Holy Empire to assist the Dragonkin? Had those beasts really allied themselves with the Holy Empire? But even if she was a priest, there was no way she could have…
A storm of questions flashed through the Imperial Agent's mind, only to be drowned out by a growing sense of despair. Subtly, he pressed his teeth together, but instead of acting immediately, he chose to stall for time. Taking advantage of the Dragonkin warriors letting him stand up, he looked at the one who had exposed him, the real reason for his downfall, and spoke as calmly as possible.
"Since you've already caught me, I have nothing more to say. But can you at least tell me… how did you do it?"
The priestess gave him a knowing look but didn’t say much. She simply lifted a hand and pointed behind him.
"Thanks to her, of course."
"Huh?"
Hearing the sound of hurried footsteps from behind, Joseph stiffened slightly. Moments later, several figures pushed through the crowd, causing gasps and murmurs as people instinctively backed away.
"You… you’re…?"
Weren’t these the same powerful individuals who had been locked in that intense chase along the steep canyon walls? And among them, wasn’t that the supposed "Imperial Intelligence Bureau agent," the one in the gray cloak?
The figure pulled back their hood, revealing dazzling golden hair that had been trapped for too long. The moment those radiant, slit-pupiled eyes locked onto him, Joseph's mind went blank.
She wasn't some frail, small-built agent.
She was just a child.
The powerful Dragonkin among them didn’t seem surprised at all, while the military experts appeared a bit confused. However, the golden-haired girl paid no attention to them. She simply walked straight to the black-haired girl’s side, her gaze calm but watchful as she looked at the "thief" who had finally been exposed.
It was now obvious. She was never an Imperial Intelligence agent. She had been working with the Dragonkin from the very beginning.
Everything before this had just been an act.
"Good job~"
Violet reached out and ruffled the little dragon girl’s hair. The girl didn’t seem to mind and simply shook her head slightly.
"It was just a little run to stretch my legs. Not even enough to count as a proper warm-up. No big deal."
She said it so casually, but the Dragonkin warriors who had been chasing her just moments ago couldn’t help but look a little embarrassed. Some even awkwardly glanced away.
After all, they had gone all out. They weren’t holding back at all, attacking with full force and real killing intent. Yet this young girl, who shared their dragon-like traits, had effortlessly dodged and countered every move without breaking a sweat. She never even looked like she was in danger. It was clear she had been in complete control the entire time.
At first, these elite Dragonkin warriors, renowned among their kind, had felt a bit insulted when they were assigned this task. The idea that they would be used in such a way had made them skeptical, even slightly annoyed. But now, after seeing the results, it was clear that Violet hadn’t been exaggerating in the slightest.
The priestess wasn’t about to stand in the open explaining everything to the crowd. After exchanging a glance with Claire, including little Lenka, escorted the now-silent Imperial agent back to the tent. They still had to wrap things up, coordinate with the military, and release the bystanders who had been caught up in the blockade.
This whole ordeal had dragged on for too long. The pressure from within their ranks was already reaching its limit.
As the key players quickly left the scene, the clueless onlookers gradually dispersed, chatting among themselves about what had just happened. The remaining members of the Dio Merchant Guild, though uneasy and full of unanswered questions, weren’t foolish enough to act recklessly under these circumstances.
Once the unrelated onlookers had dispersed, a maid named Mia, who had been silently following Violet like a shadow, finally spoke up, her tone carrying a hint of curiosity.
"Lady Violet, how did you figure out that this person was the thief? To be honest, even now, I still don’t understand why you and Miss Light went through all that trouble. What does having her change outfits and run around with the guards have to do with catching a thief?"
The black-haired girl tilted her head slightly and gave Mia a knowing smile but didn’t reply.
Mia wasn’t asking to pry into secrets. She was just naturally curious and wanted to liven up the conversation. Unlike Selna, another elite maid who was much more reserved, Mia was cheerful and talkative. If Selna had been here instead, she likely wouldn’t have asked such a question at all.
As for why Violet didn’t explain, it wasn’t because she was trying to keep things hidden. It was just too complicated to explain in a few words.
The Dragonkin had no concrete proof of who had stolen information from the temple. However, after more than a hundred years of open and covert struggles, they were well aware of which faction was most likely behind such an act at this point in time.
The Imperial Intelligence Bureau.
The Dragonkin weren’t the only ones who knew this name. Violet had heard of it long ago.
For a massive nation to function efficiently, the flow of information was crucial. That’s why intelligence agencies were an essential part of any major power. Just like the "Shadow Guard" of the Human United Kingdom or the "Knight Templar" of the Holy Empire, the Imperial Intelligence Bureau was the Austre Empire’s primary organization for information warfare.
To the general public, this organization was shrouded in mystery, and it was nearly impossible to trace its activities. However, to intelligence agencies of other world powers, it wasn’t as elusive as it seemed.
In terms of pure military strength, the Austre Empire was nearly unmatched. But when it came to espionage, infiltration, and information control, the Human United Kingdom, composed entirely of humans who were spread across the world, had a clear advantage.
Although the Human United Kingdom was known for its exclusivity, it was far from being isolated. On the contrary, to prevent foreign cultures from infiltrating and influencing its people, the nation poured more resources into intelligence agencies than any of the other five major world powers.
The "Shadow Guard", a newly established covert organization under Lilya, had only existed for a few years, but it had already inherited the full expertise of the Human United Kingdom’s former intelligence department. As a result, it had an extensive understanding of its old rival, the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, and had even managed to infiltrate it in return.
Back when they were investigating the "Church of Truth" and the missing persons cases, [Shadow] had handed a highly classified report to the priestess.
This report detailed the movements and activities of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau at the time of the disappearances, strongly suggesting that the bureau had played a hidden role in these events. Among the many details, it specifically highlighted several key pieces of information related to the Special Operations Division.
If the thief was indeed from the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, as the Dragonkin suspected, then any agent assigned to investigate something as high-level as the Dragon God’s secrets could only come from that elite division, which specialized in handling dangerous and difficult missions.
With this in mind, Violet devised a plan. She obtained a cloak that closely matched the description of those worn by Special Operations Division agents. From a distance, it was almost indistinguishable. She then had Xiao Guang wear it and deliberately cause a commotion, engaging in a high-profile chase and battle with the camp’s strongest fighters.
The goal was simple, to lure out the real spy hiding among them.
The location of the "reveal" was deliberately chosen, right in the center of the camp, an equal distance from all major gathering points. This setup was meant to play on the spy’s psychology, creating the illusion that it might be a contact sent by their superiors, who were approaching them at that very moment.
But all of this was just a setup for the real trap.
The ultimate objective was to push the Imperial Intelligence agent into a state of mental distress, forcing him into panic and anxiety, driving his emotions to a level where even the smallest subconscious reactions could expose him.