The Game of a Legendary Genius Dark Mage-Chapter 345

Of course, the intel didn’t stop there.

It was a meeting, after all—there was bound to be a flood of information.

“Isn’t moving to Nocturne a huge risk?”

“Come on, isn’t it one of the cities under Overpalace’s control?”

Some voices couldn’t help but express concern.

But others saw it as an opportunity.

It was true that a city governed by Overpalace came with serious risks.

However, the flip side was—

“If we only worry about Overpalace, it could be the perfect camouflage.”

“Overpalace hasn’t paid us much attention. This might actually be the perfect time.”

“Most of the operation’s personnel are already headed to Nocturne anyway. It might be the most fitting location—plus, it’s the closest of Overpalace’s cities to the Rieskan Kingdom.”

For Seong, who was eavesdropping, this was a major opportunity.

A relocation meant lapses in security—and there’d be plenty of intel to collect during the move.

On top of that, Veladrina had just joined, and her abilities were impressive.

With that in mind, Seong stayed silent and listened.

As more of them agreed to the plan—

The meeting moved on to the next agenda.

“So with half of us moving to Nocturne, the Celestials’ Ruins project will be on hold?”

“Unfortunate, but it can’t be helped.”

“The Sword Saint has issued orders to prioritize finding the successor of the Galaxy Sword Dance.”

Celestials’ Ruins?

At that phrase, Seong tilted his head.

Veladrina quickly offered an explanation.

—They are the opposite of demons. A race that resides in the heavenly realm. Just as we demons are distinct from devilkin, Celestials and angels are also separate. Angels are certainly noble beings—but the Celestials are quite selfish. Still, their technology is considered highly advanced. Where devilkin excel in warfare, the Celestials are superior in magic and craftsmanship.

Thanks to Veladrina’s thorough explanation, Seong quickly grasped the idea.

Although—

—After Lady Helena severed all connections with the heavenly realm, there has been no way to reestablish them.

“...Again, Helena?”

Glancing to the side, Seong saw Helena pretending not to hear.

For now, he focused on the rest of the meeting.

The agents continued their discussions, completely unaware that their every word was being leaked.

4.

Once the meeting wrapped up and the agents began moving—

Seong turned to his vassals.

He had picked up a lot of miscellaneous intel—but also some major points.

Three key pieces of information:

First, that the successor of the Galaxy Sword Dance was in Nocturne.

Second, that the location of the Celestials’ Ruins ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) was known to them.

Third, that they were relocating their base of operations.

‘This works in our favor.’

Right now, they were preoccupied with relocating to Nocturne.

After all, Badia was in shambles and no longer viable.

From a spy corps’ perspective, there couldn’t be a worse place to operate from.

So shifting to Nocturne—where most of their forces were already headed—made sense.

Unfortunately for them, Seong now knew everything.

Of course, that didn’t mean the spy corps was incompetent.

On the contrary—

‘It’s Veladrina’s familiars that are insane—being able to break through four layers of concealment?’

This was Rieskan’s top intelligence unit.

Their concealment techniques were top-tier—yet Veladrina had pierced them completely.

That said everything about her skill.

Even Helena, with her abnormal sensing abilities, hadn’t been able to spot Veladrina at first.

Up until now, Helena had always been unmatched in sensory power, aside from Noctrynium’s former capabilities.

But Veladrina had just barely outpaced even Helena.

Which meant Seong had no doubt now—

Veladrina was exceptional.

Now it was time to move forward with the next phase of the plan.

“Hmmm...”

Following them to Nocturne was the obvious move.

He had already been issued a pass permit.

Even though his level was a bit low, he could now access Nocturne, the eighth city.

But how could he steal all their intel while moving with them?

That was the problem.

As Seong considered his options—

Veladrina bowed her head and spoke.

—Forgive my impudence, but may I offer a suggestion?

Her formal tone still took some getting used to—

But Seong nodded.

Then she continued.

—This foolish mage believes that if we were to use my powers for infiltration, the task would become far simpler.

“Using your powers, Veladrina?”

—Yes, Your Majesty.

At that, Seong recalled what Veladrina was truly capable of.

Summoning familiars wasn’t her real strength.

The descriptive titles given to demon knights and mages usually revealed their core power.

Valtar, for example, was “Knight of Crimson Blood”—meaning he controlled crimson blood as a knight-type combatant.

And Veladrina’s title was none other than Master of the Black Sun.

So—she could wield the power of the Black Sun?

As that thought formed—

Veladrina began to activate her power.

A black aura, like the Black Sun itself, began to surge from her body.

The dark aura flowed around her like shadowy waves—

Then, from within that shadow, something began to emerge.

Ssshhh...

Even though it was happening right in front of him, it was so subtle that one wouldn’t notice without close attention.

And then—

A shadow identical to Veladrina’s form appeared, transforming into an exact replica of her.

—Using the Black Sun, I can create a clone like this. It is a familiar that incorporates three techniques at once—light refraction, heat compression, and shadow blending.

“Huh.”

So this was how her familiars remained so well-hidden?

Even seeing it for himself, Seong nodded in genuine amazement.

This would work.

—By replacing a few of them with my familiars, we can infiltrate them undetected and move alongside them to Nocturne with ease.

It was a flawless plan.

Seong nodded at Veladrina’s proposal.

Though—he had one concern.

“Nocturne’s under Overpalace control, right?”

Every time he’d gotten involved with Overpalace, something weird had happened.

He couldn’t help but worry.

And of course—

The fact that the successor of the Galaxy Sword Dance just happened to be in an Overpalace-controlled city made him even more uneasy.

Muttering to himself with concern—

Helena waved him off like it was nothing.

“Whenever we’ve tangled with Overpalace, it’s always worked out for the best, hasn’t it? What’s there to worry about?”

“...Hmm.”

That was true.

But he couldn’t say out loud that it always came with headaches.

Still, they’d always supported him, and it was clear their actions had been in Seong’s favor.

So maybe it was best not to overthink it.

He nodded.

“Alright then. Let’s get started.”

At Seong’s words, all of his vassals bowed and responded in unison.

““Yes, Your Majesty!””

Hearing their loud, resounding voices, Seong nodded as well.

It’ll work out somehow.

Veladrina’s abilities were incredible.

And as long as he kept his presence hidden—

Things would go smoothly.

With that, Seong turned the page in his mind, preparing for what came next.

5.

The sky was painted red with sunset.

And beneath the long, stretching shadows, movement could be sensed—though it might’ve been an illusion.

Shhh, shhshhshhh.

Some might’ve called them cockroach-like if they were spotted—

But no one did.

They were too stealthy—no one could detect them.

Bit by bit, they advanced from the Rieskan Kingdom—

Their destination: a massive, green-walled fortress that gleamed like an emerald.

And within it—a grand, glowing castle of deep green.

A massive territory that looked like something out of a dream—this was Nocturne.

Located between the Rieskan Kingdom and the Balian Empire, Nocturne was neither of those.

It was a city managed by none other than Overpalace.

If any other magic tower claimed to run a city, people would laugh—

But not with Overpalace.

No one dared question its power.

Rumor even had it that of all the eighth cities, Nocturne was the best-run of them all.

It was a thriving city.

Known as a free trade city, Nocturne wasn’t just full of dark mages.

It was teeming with players, NPCs, and especially merchants.

And slipping into that chaos—

—Stay sharp, everyone.

One of the five vice-captains of the spy corps issued the command.

The subordinates, disguised as a merchant caravan, nodded in unison.

Even in a free trade city, inspections were inevitable.

So they approached with caution.

As they did—

The vice-captain glanced behind him, something feeling slightly off.

His second-in-command’s behavior was... odd.

‘...Strange.’

Normally, the guy would be chatting nonstop.

But now he was completely silent.

Maybe it was just nerves because of the mission—

But something felt off.

The vice-captain, Haldrin, looked directly at him.

“Got orders for me or something?”

The man responded in his usual cheeky tone—with casual words, sly eyes, and an unbothered demeanor.

Not proper behavior toward a superior officer—

But he always blended seamlessly with any crowd.

That was what made him such an excellent spy.

So why did Haldrin feel this strange unease?

Was he the one getting nervous because the mission was so critical?

He had long since purged himself of emotions—

—Never mind. Resume your post.

At his command, the others returned to position.

Other spy teams were also steadily arriving in Nocturne.

There was no time to dwell on odd feelings—they had to prepare quickly.

Just as Haldrin refocused—

Kruger, with his jet-black eyes glinting faintly, silently transmitted everything he saw to an unknown source.

‘Infiltration complete.’

While the spies infiltrated Nocturne unnoticed—

At the very top of the Nocturne castle, someone stood, watching everything unfold with a quiet smile.