[As expected... Impressive, very impressive.]

"You're too kind."

Lee Shin-Woo was meeting with Count Nellopa—or former Count Nellopa—in a reception room. The lord of the satellite city Kadinan looked like a mummy, all skin and bones but no flesh. Upon inspection, he was revealed to be a [Lv6 Undead Commander].

Lee Shin-Woo was already well aware that the higher leveled the undead, the more likely they were to not be bound by the form of a mere skeleton or zombie, so he wasn't very surprised by how the lord looked. At the same time, he could easily tell that the lord's intellect was higher than that of a normal undead as well.

[Ahem... Is Marquis Setapen...doing well?]

"I have not been in contact with him, as it has been some time since he left his estate, but there are trustworthy knights by his side."

[Marquis Setapen's knights...are renowned for their valor. Indeed. I had thought he would pass on all of his forces along with his estate, but to think that he’s kept people like you by his side; what a sly old fox... Ahem, he's a powerful man.]

The undead truly worked in mysterious ways. When thrust into a battle, several undead would recklessly throw themselves into the fight even if they possessed a similar level of intellect; if they met other undead and remembered their status before their death, though, they would act the part.

There was an extremely thin line between insanity and normalcy for them; only by understanding and arbitrating between that line would one be able to command them. For the past half year, Lee Shin-Woo had encountered countless undead and gained an inkling as to how it could be done.

[But...is it really alright for you to help us?]

"The Empire is in danger. Need I say anything else?"

[Hmm... You're right. Absolutely right. You truly are extraordinary!]

His sharp sense had allowed him to lead the conversation to this point, regardless of what the other was saying! He didn't know how he felt about Marquis Setapen, but now wasn't the time for Lee Shin-Woo to be worrying about something like that!

As he thought, his emphasis on their cause got him an approving nod from the Undead Commander, Count Nellopa.

[May I ask something of you? Since patrolling has been tough with the number of knights we have.]

"Of course. Please do."

And thus, Lee Shin-Woo much too casually and successfully infiltrated the city, Kadinan. The lord didn't call one of the twelve generals, Lee Shin-Woo had entered the city, and they got the opportunity to scout out the area all at once.

Jin was speechless as he watched Lee Shin-Woo march out of the reception area—he obviously couldn’t get in as a horse—where the level 6 undead lord, the level 5 Knight Leader, as well as undead wizards were.

'You're really...'

'Great. Shall we begin?'

Operation 'Bro, why are you there?' was officially a go! Lee Shin-Woo volunteered to patrol the outskirts to avoid attracting the lord's suspicion; he pricked his ears up and activated mana senses as he walked the perimeter of his allotted area.

[Sir Seta. Thank you for all your hard work!]

"You're working hard as well. Are you on your way back from patrolling?"

[That's correct. I was patrolling an important protected area. Hundreds of knights go through dozens of patrol routes so that there's no gap in our defenses.]

"Impressive."

And in the process, Lee Shin-Woo got closer to the other knights and acquired information. They were now telling him about the protected area; all the knights that had participated in human testing were buried there.

[Your horse is quite splendid, Sir Seta.]

"Haha, thanks. You're a full-fledged knight yourself; don't you have a horse as well?"

[That's... For some reason, all of the living horses in the city died. There are countless knights in the city without a horse.]

All horses have died? There should only be dead horses in the Empire by now... That was what Lee Shin-Woo thought, but he kept it to himself.

"How unfortunate. If I have the chance, I'll find a good horse for you."

[Thank you very much!]

There are two over here. It looks like they're the only three hiding along the western outskirts, but there's actually one more there.

Though they were all undead, those in Kadinan trusted Lee Shin-Woo due to the way he emphasized his loyalty to the Empire. It was especially true for the knights. The most important virtue for a knight within the Empire was strength, while loyalty followed as a close second.

"Hmm. It seems the northern defense isn't up to par. Shouldn't we adjust the patrol route a bit?"

Moreover, Lee Shin-Woo made it seem like he was concerned about the defense of the city and their patrols when in actuality, he was fishing for information; he acted like he actually had some 'suggestions' for them, so the undead didn't suspect Lee Shin-Woo in the slightest. There was no way for them to discover his true intentions.

[You truly are perceptive, Sir Seta. However, there's a hidden magic trap over there, so...]

"As I suspected. Kadinan is truly an impressive city."

Okay. I was wondering if they knew about it, but it seems they haven’t noticed that their magic trap is broken... If that's the case, I can say for sure that there's really no reserve troops over there.

Lee Shin-Woo continued to patrol with enthusiasm and collect information during the process; as a result, he figured out their patrol routes, the scope of the patrol, the time they changed shifts, and even the route by which they were deployed and returned. It only took him a couple of days to successfully figure this all out and organize the information to make it simpler.

"Good. Then we should..."

"How the hell did you get such detailed information!?"

Jin had been by Lee Shin-Woo’s side every moment of the day, watching Lee Shin-Woo organize the information on paper, starting with the outskirts and their complicated patrolling routes. Once he saw Lee Shin-Woo detailing where and when the knights were stationed at each and every moment, he couldn't contain his confusion about how Lee Shin-Woo had come up with it all. Looking over the details, Jin couldn't deny that everything looked accurate.

"This is way too easy,” Lee Shin-Woo said. “We can already infiltrate the facility, can’t we?"

"...Let's get rid of that operation or whatever you call it then, and just go to the facility right now."

"But think about it, Jin. Do you really think all they're doing is patrolling the area with some knights? Especially when they're so protective of this place? Even when they have a way to communicate with the twelve generals?"

"What are you suggesting?"

There was a single level 6 mage along with several level 5 mages in the city. Above all, Lee Shin-Woo was most wary of the mages who changed their mana to enact miracles; he had no idea what they could do!

Lee Shin-Woo was sure that they were involved in all this, so he couldn't move in haste and risk making a mistake that would reveal any sort of weakness. This was a crucial moment!

[Ah, Sir Seta. Thank you for all your hard work!]

[Sir Seta, please rest well!]

"You guys have been working hard as well. Good job."

'One would think that you were born as an aristocrat,' Jin muttered silently to him.

In two days, Lee Shin-Woo had thoroughly explored the outskirts of the city. After changing shifts with the other knights, he used his off-duty time to observe the mages in a way that wouldn't arouse suspicion, all the while searching for the 'hotline' that he assumed allowed the lord to communicate with the twelve generals.

In order to do so, he would need to get closer to the lord.

"My lord, it is I, Sir Seta."

[Ooh, Sir Seta. Have you been comfortable here?]

"Yes. I am quite comfortable due to your consideration."

Though that 'consideration' only included a place of accommodation outside where he could keep his horse, it was more than enough for Lee Shin-Woo. Its layout also worked to his advantage. While he could observe the outside from within the abode, the same couldn’t be said of the reverse. If one was to watch him and Jin, they would have to get within a certain distance, which pleased him in particular.

[What may I do for you then? If you wish to know about the imperial decree, you have my apology; I cannot tell you much. It's not because I don’t trust you. It's quite sensitive information, so please understand.]

"Ah. Please don't apologize. I don't have the authority to ask for such information. Rather... If it's alright with you, my lord, I volunteer to take over some of the patrol routes in the inner city that have been ignored as a result of the knights following the imperial decree."

Announcing his intention to break away from the main task at hand while upholding the imperial command suggested Lee Shin-Woo really wanted to help, and wasn't interested in detailed information!

[Mm, you truly are...]

The lord was slightly moved by his words. This man was genuinely trying to help him! He was acting loyally to the Emperor, without any suspicions or putting up any fronts! To think that there was still a knight like this in the Empire...!

Of course, I've already explored as much as I could on the outside, so now it's time I look inside the city.

Noting how moved the Undead Commander was, Lee Shin-Woo concealed a despicable smile. If Jin were with him, he would be shocked by how words could be interpreted differently based on how one said them.

[If that's really what you want... Can you do it for me? This is for the imperial decree.]

"The more important the mission, the more one must focus on the task. My lord, you are the one who was issued the imperial decree. Does that not mean your safety is paramount?"

[Indeed. Marquis Setapen must've felt reassured having you by his side. Hohoho!]

While it was a special situation with the commander trying to follow the imperial decree, Lee Shin-Woo was much too easily able to gain access to the inner city. Since most of the knights were assigned to the mission area, Lee Shin-Woo was able to roam about freely.

He didn't know who was watching him and when they would be watching him, of course, so he kept up the facade of a truly earnest city guard. His performance wasn't even this perfect when he was in the army and assigned to a guard post.

"How is it over there?"

[Jin Taylor - There are mages above the walls, but they're not really doing anything special.]

"Move around and look for places that have an excessive concentration of mana, or check if they make any sort of suspicious hand gestures."

[Jin Taylor - Okay, I got it.]

While he searched the inner city, Jin was responsible for exploring the outskirts. Lee Shin-Woo had asked if it was okay for Jin to move around since his horse would be bored being tied down. The lord had readily nodded then, stating that so long as Jin didn't cause a fuss, there was no reason that the horse couldn't move around freely.

That was a great mistake on the lord’s part. Of course, it wasn't easy to figure out that Jin was an undead horse, let alone a hero, especially when the other heroes couldn't easily figure it out either!

There are quite a few mages, but a lot less than the knights. If I can just figure out when they will gather in one place, it shouldn't be difficult for me to wipe them all out at once.

From the outside, Lee Shin-Woo projected a cool-headed air, but in actuality, the gears in Lee Shin-Woo's brain was constantly turning, busily studying the soldiers deployed on the outskirts and the inner city, all the while keeping a close eye on the movements of the mages, especially the level 6 Mage Leader.

If the mage can't contact the twelve generals, the lord must be the one doing it. I'm sure of it.

If he could just figure out which one of them was given access to the communication line for sure... Then 'Operation: Bro, why are you there?' would move on to the next stage. Lee Shin-Woo's goblin fire blazed; the plan was going really smoothly.