Chapter 939

The group of Secret Agent 006 lunged at Siegfried and Hamchi at blinding speed.

However, Siegfried was not flustered at all.

“Not so fast,” he muttered with a smirk.

Wooong!

The Secret Agent 006s were instantly engulfed by Embrace of Despair.

“

A-Argh!”

“Kuhh!”

“Ugh!”

They thrashed helplessly in a bid to escape from the debilitating debuff, but the Embrace of Despair refused to let go of them.

Fwaaah!

Siegfried immediately followed it up with Eternal Flames, shredding their Defense and Magic Resistance.

What was next?

It was time to attack.

“

Kyuuuuuu!”

Hamchi unleashed his laser beam.

Wooong!

Siegfried unleashed the Wave of Annihilation immediately afterward.

“...!”

Three, two, one...

The Secret Agent 006s disintegrated into dust, scattering away.

Ding!

[Alert: You have gained Experience Points!]

[Alert: You have gained Experience Points!]

[Alert: You have gained Experience Points!]

(omitted...)

[Alert: You have gained Experience Points!]

A string of notifications popped up in front of Siegfried’s eyes.

“We must... protect... the secret...”

“For the... empire’s security... we must... stop... intruders...”

Even while disintegrating, the Secret Agent 006s remained faithful to their mission.

“I knew it...” Siegfried muttered.

“

Kyu?

What is it, owner punk?” Hamchi asked.

“Those guys have no idea that they’re already dead.”

“

Kyu?”

“Think about it. These guys are holed up in here while all the other undead monsters are outside throwing a festival. And the reason they recognized us wasn’t because they saw us as fellow undead monsters. They thought we were intruders, meaning... they didn’t even consider that we were undead like them.”

“

Kyu!

Now that you mentioned it, that makes perfect sense!”

“Hmm... But what the hell is this place?”

“It’s gotta be classified secrets!

Kyuu!”

“It must be. Since they were still carrying out their duties even after becoming undead monsters without realizing that they were already dead, it means they've sworn absolute loyalty to the empire. Whatever they were protecting must be of extreme importance.”

“

Kyuu!

Exactly! There’s definitely some top-secret intel here!”

“That means there really is a treasure here,” Siegfried said with a grin.

Obtaining classified intel was something that couldn’t be quantified in monetary value. Sometimes, a piece of classified information could determine the fate of individuals or even entire nations.

But what if this classified intel was from the Marchioni Empire’s intelligence bureau?

There was not a shred of doubt that it was indeed a treasure, probably one far more valuable than gold or precious stones.

“Let’s keep moving.”

“

Kyuu!

Let’s go! Treasure! It’s treasure time!”

Without wasting another second, Siegfried and Hamchi walked deeper down the secret passage.

***

[Marchioni Empire: Intelligence Bureau 6th Unit Secret Base]

At the end of the secret passage was a massive chamber filled with towering shelves and quite a few stacks of parchments. It looked like some massive library at first glance, but it went without saying that these parchments were actually documents containing classified information.

Clack! Clack! Clack!

Brrrr!

Moving up and down ladders, countless agents were frantically rushing around. They were collecting the documents and feeding them one after another into what seemed to be shredders.

— Intruders detected! Intruders detected!

— All agents! Destroy all classified information at once!

— I repeat!

— Intruders detected! Intruders detected!

— All agents! Destroy all classified information at once!

Anyone could tell at a single glance that the Secret Agent 006s were trying to destroy the Marchioni Empire’s classified documents to prevent them from falling into the hands of the intruders.

‘

Oh? Not on my watch,’

Siegfried grinned.

He had no intention of letting them erase the classified information.

“Die.”

A wicked smile flashed across his face as he unleashed a powerful burst of mana.

Flash!

A burst of bright white light flashed as Absolute Zero enveloped the Secret Agent 006s in an instant, but...

“For... the empire’s... security... we must... complete... our d-duty...”

“Information... is... p-power...”

Despite being half-frozen by Absolute Zero, the Secret Agent 006s struggled to move, forcing their frozen bodies in a desperate bid to destroy the documents.

They were completely oblivious to the fact that they were already dead, and their commitment to their mission showed their unwavering loyalty to the Marchioni Empire.

But that was as far as they could go...

Shwiiiiik!

Thousands of radiant blades materialized around Siegfried.

Whoosh!

The radiant blades spun around him before darting forward like a fierce storm. They tore through the chamber, ripping the Secret Agent 006s to shreds while ensuring that none of the documents were torn apart.

Even these high-level, formidable undead monsters stood no chance against the devastating power of the Transcendent Torrential Flower Rain.

In the midst of the carnage, someone bellowed, “Siegfried van Proa! Why are you trying to get your hands on the empire’s secrets?! Are you trying to turn the empire into your enemy?!”

One agent remained standing, and he was obviously no ordinary agent.

[Blofeld]

[A high-ranking official within the Marchioni Empire’s intelligence bureau.]

[He is a former naval colonel of the empire with extensive experience in military intelligence.]

[He possesses exceptional skill and strategic prowess.]

[Type: Undead]

[Rank: Named Champion]

[Level: 410]

[Class: Royal Spy Commander]

[Note: Highly skilled in melee combat. Extreme caution is advised.]

However, Blofeld didn't attack Siegfried.

“I will never let you get your hands on this classified information!”

Instead, he grabbed a thick stack of documents and bolted, making a run for it. His actions made it far too obvious that the documents in Blofeld's hands contained something extremely important and confidential.

“You’re not getting away!” Siegfried exclaimed and hurled his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp.

Swoosh! Baaam!

The +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp flew through the air, drawing a parabola under Flying Sword's influence.

Smack!

It struck Blofeld right in the back of his head, causing him to crash onto the ground.

‘

Now!’

Siegfried seized the opportunity.

A high-ranking monster like Blofeld was bound to be a grueling struggle to fight against, as they often had immensely high stats and tricky attack patterns. Fortunately, the situation was perfect for Siegfried, as Blofeld was caught off guard while escaping with the documents.

The champion monster was focused on protecting the documents in his hands, giving Siegfried the perfect opportunity to kill him.

Wooong!

Siegfried activated Embrace of Despair and Eternal Flames as he rushed at Blofeld, who was still down on the ground.

Whoosh!

He swung down his +16 Vanquisher’s Grasp three times—

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The weapon collided with Blofeld’s skull three consecutive times.

Ding!

A skull appeared above Blofeld’s head.

“Die.”

Boom!

The skull exploded as soon as the fourth strike landed, dealing massive damage to Blofeld.

[Alert: You have gained Experience Points!]

Just like that, Siegfried took down Blofeld, a champion monster and boss of the chamber, with ease.

[Alert: You have obtained Secret Document: 006!]

With Blofeld dead, the secret document of the Marchioni Empire he desperately tried to protect even at the cost of his

life

ended up in Siegfried’s hands.

But...

“Hmm... Is it really okay for me to open this...?” Siegfried hesitated while holding the Secret Document 006.

“

Kyu?

What’s wrong, owner punk?” Hamchi asked, tilting his head.

“Well, the empire is technically our ally, right? Wouldn’t it be wrong to snoop through their classified documents?”

“

Kyu?”

“It just feels a bit... unethical...”

“

Kyu!

Who cares?! This isn’t even the real empire!”

“Well, I guess you have a point.”

“What are you waiting for?! Just open it already!

Kyuuu!”

“S-Should I?”

“Just do it!

Kyuuu!”

“Well, in that case...”

Siegfried proceeded to carefully unseal the envelope containing the stack of documents.

The Marchioni Empire’s top-secret intel contained the following...

This letter originated from the Marchioni Empire and will bring good fortune to one recipient every year.

You, as the recipient, will have four days to pass it on... (omitted...)

One individual failed to pass this letter within ninety-six hours and suffered misfortune as consequences for... (omitted...)

“This is just a fucking chain letter!” Siegfried screamed, his enraged voice echoing throughout the chamber.

The so-called top-secret intel, the Secret Document: 006, was nothing more than an old spam mail disguised as a classified file.

***

The contents of the Secret Document: 006 were anything but classified secrets of the Marchioni Empire.

And the chain letter was not the only thing in it...

[Universal Soy Sauce Recipe]

[Let’s make a universal soy sauce that can be used in almost any dish.]

[Ingredients]

- Ground Pork 600g

- Green Onion 1 bunch

- Kelp 5 pieces

- Shiitake Mushrooms 5 pieces

- Minced Garlic 3 tablespoons

- Dark Soy Sauce 6 cups

- Sugar 1 cup

Siegfried flipped until the very last page and found a soy sauce recipe written on it.

“Damn it!” he cursed after reading through the Secret Document: 006.

“

Kyuuu!

What’s with the sudden outburst, owner punk?” Hamchi asked.

“Treasure, my ass! What kind of crap is this?! Look at this! Does this look like a classified document to you?!”

Fuming, Siegfried shoved the Secret Document: 006 at Hamchi.

“

Kyu?”

“Are they seriously messing with me? It seems like everything is out to get me!”

“

Kyuuu!

You’re an idiot, owner punk! A stupid fool!”

“What did you just say?! Are you picking a fight with me?!”

“

Kyuuu!

Do you really think the Marchioni Empire would just write down their classified intel for everyone to read?!”

“Huh...?”

“Isn’t it obvious?! This is an encrypted document!

Kyuuu!”

“Oh? Now that you've said that...”

Siegfried took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down after hearing Hamchi’s words.

Hamchi had a point. A classified document from the Marchioni Empire was bound to be encrypted.

“

Hmm...

Yeah, you’re right. That does make sense,” Siegfried muttered while nodding.

Then, he continued flipping through the pages of the Secret Document: 006 in hopes of finding something. Unfortunately, deciphering it was impossible no matter how much he looked at it.

Page after page, all he found were useless content like "Encyclopedia of Mysterious Monsters," "Hair Loss Prevention Methods," and "Kamasutra."

‘

This thing’s no better than coarse toilet paper without the code...’

It was then.

‘

Huh?’

A section that had yet to be fully encrypted caught his eyes.

This information is■■■ Neig■berg is ■■■ ■ ■■■■■ compiling this ■■■.

(

omitted...

)

This ■■’s ■■■ ■■■■■■■ is said to be, ■ the world■■ ■■■ an event ■■■ that ■■■■ ■■■■■ something of ■■■ significance.

(

omitted...

)

■ ■■■ ■■’s ■■■■■ among ■■■■■ must always be ■■■ ■■■■ and must never ■■■■■■ be allowed ■■■.

(

omitted...

)

It had yet to be encrypted, but reading it was still nearly impossible.

‘

Neig... berg...? Isn’t that Duke Neighdelberg? One of Emperor Stuttgart’s most trusted people?’

Siegfried thought as he flipped the page.

Accordingly, ■ieg■■d v■n P■■a is to be ■■■■ to ■■■■, and ■rene ■■■ P■■■■■■■■ ■■■■■■ through ■■■■■ ■■■■■ ■■■, with a formal ■■■■ regarding strat■■■■ marri■■■ to be established.

(

omitted...

)

Thus, ■■■ ■■ ■s■■■■ is to be stationed ■■■ permanently reside at ■■■■■■ and must ■■■■■■ ■■■■■■■ ■■■■■ with ■■■■■■. However, ■■■ ■■■■■■■■ modif■■■ ■■■ ■■■■■ be ■■■■■■ only under ■■■■■ ■■■■■■ and ■■■■■■ from ■■ and ■■.

‘

Huh? Siegfried van Proa? Irene von Posteriore? Strategic marriage? What in the world is this? Is this related to Irene being forced onto me?’

Siegfried wondered.

Even though it was possible to read it, important words and sentences were obscured, making it impossible to fully understand what the document was about. Still, a few key words remained readable.

‘

Why? Why would my arranged marriage with Irene be classified as one of the empire’s top-secret matters? This doesn’t make any sense... The rumors have already spread everywhere, so what’s the point—’

It was then.

“

Kyuuu!

Owner punk! Owner punk!”

Hamchi suddenly yelled at him.

“Look! There’s something over here!

Kyuuu!”

“What is it?”

“Come quickie! Hamchi found something incredible!

Kyuuu!”

“What the hell? What did you find that you’re making such a fuss about?” Siegfried grumbled.

He decided to put aside his efforts to decipher the document and check whatever Hamchi had found.