On My First Day Undercover, the Organization Collapsed - Chapter 367

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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First Day of Infiltration, The Organization Was Destroyed — Episode 367
Finding a Secret Base (1)
They were near the Imperial Palace.
The security was so oppressive that if even a mouse dared to wander through, its limbs would be torn clean off on the spot!
And it was in that very place that Ziel said something that made both of them gasp.
“The most heavily guarded places always have the least surveillance on the inside.”
“But Boss, no matter what you say, the Imperial Palace grounds are…”
“Not the grounds. Didn’t I just say that?”
Ziel pointed upward along the wall.
“Inside.”
The Imperial Palace’s massive wall.
Within it.
Inside there…
He intended to build a secret base.
“…”
“…”
Both fell silent for a moment.
Then Gilbert suddenly realized something.
‘That’s right—the Boss is a god!’
There’s nowhere a god cannot reach.
“And a secret base must never be visible to anyone. Anywhere with many people will eventually be discovered.”
Paradoxically, the population density inside the Imperial Palace was low relative to its size—or so Ziel reckoned.
That was his assessment.
It wasn’t exactly secret information.
Though neither Gilbert nor Kelvin could have anticipated that such a conclusion would emerge from those facts.
“A secret base must be installed in the location with the lowest probability of being spotted by anyone.”
“So inside the Imperial Palace… As expected, Boss.”
“M-Master!”
But there was one problem.
How to get inside?
“I noted several locations during the previous practical training at the Imperial Palace.”
Those places were sections of castle wall that had fallen into disrepair.
“From now on, remember the specific points I indicate. They’ll serve as passages to the secret base in case of emergency.”
Ziel had spent the previous night without sleep, conceiving and planning the secret base.
Those brilliant eyes from that time had come alive again.
‘The Boss’s eyes are gleaming.’
‘Master’s eyes… they almost shine gold…’
“And normally, we’ll tunnel underground for passage.”
“From where…”
“That place.”
Ziel pointed to a mansion not far away.
“That must be… the Terssen Mansion.”
A mansion near the Imperial Palace.
In other words, absurdly expensive real estate, and the Terssen Family was among the wealthiest noble houses.
“We’ll buy it.”
“…What if they won’t sell?”
“If we pay enough, they’ll sell.”
“Ah.”
In truth, Ziel could have discreetly dug beneath it without buying it, but he didn’t want to.
Because that wouldn’t be the proper method.
“And we’ll construct the secret base in an unmaintained, abandoned area within the Imperial Palace.”
“That’s truly befitting of you, Boss. Audacious to the core.”
“M-Master, I respect you!”
Though the plan seemed to be spiraling into something enormous, Gilbert and Kelvin placed limitless faith in Ziel.
The more absurd the plan, the higher their trust climbed!
Because the one who had devised it was Ziel himself.
Ziel.
A single name that made even the world’s impossibilities seem possible!
‘A secret base inside the Imperial Palace!’
The thrill, the excitement of it all grew sharper!
“From now on, we secure emergency passages and scout locations for the secret base.”
“Yes!”
Ziel quickly found a gap in the Imperial Palace walls.
Slipping inside proved no great difficulty.
Much like how the Assassin had infiltrated during the Prince Assassination Attempt incident.
If he could do it, it would be far easier for Ziel.
Of course, regardless—the Imperial Palace remained the Imperial Palace.
‘The Boss is a god!’
Gilbert trailed behind Ziel in endless adulation.
That massive frame!
Those unstoppable strides!
‘He must truly be the Sun God.’
No matter what anyone else said, the misconception only deepened in Gilbert’s mind—becoming more and more real.
They arrived at a remote corner of the Imperial Palace.
A place utterly forsaken.
The Imperial Palace sprawled vast.
And unless the Imperial Family had deliberately cultivated gardens there, it would have been left empty.
There was even a small forest.
That was the spot.
“The maintenance here… seems less thorough than elsewhere.”
“Exactly. This is where we’ll establish the secret base.”
Ziel had already marked the location.
To be precise, he’d stumbled upon it once before and designated it as a candidate site for the base.
“But wouldn’t the Imperial Family eventually maintain it?”
“The signs of neglect are unmistakable.”
“I see.”
The Imperial Palace was vast.
So there were surely places they hadn’t reached.
Perhaps they didn’t concern themselves with it since external defenses were perfectly secured anyway.
“And once the base is built, we’ll conceal it completely.”
“Flawless.”
“Right. That’s why it’s a secret.”
Ziel, Gilbert, and Kelvin all stepped into the forest with racing hearts.
But not long after, Ziel’s footsteps faltered.
His expression hardened.
“Boss, what’s wrong?”
“……”
Ziel looked around for some time.
As if searching for something.
Gilbert and Kelvin stiffened, falling into a defensive stance.
‘What is it? Is someone inside?’
Then a rueful sigh escaped Ziel’s lips.
“Hh.”
The Boss was sighing!
“What is it…?”
“Someone has been here. There are traces.”
“Traces?”
“Yes. The same person, by the look of it.”
Ziel moved deeper into the forest.
And what the three discovered was—
“This is…”
“Ah…”
A small shelter.
Crudely constructed, ramshackle—but seeming quite old.
“……”
Once inside, the truth was certain.
Toys.
Books.
And garments worn with age.
Even a new book that didn’t look old enough to have been left there long ago.
Ziel exhaled with a sigh, his expression heavy with disappointment.
“So you’ve already built a secret base.”
Gilbert was taken aback.
It was a face he’d never seen before.
Truly the first time.
‘Does the Boss make expressions like that?’
Such a glum, downcast face!
Except for the rare occasions when he smiled or his expression hardened, Ziel’s face never changed!
So both Gilbert and Kelvin found themselves growing increasingly unsettled.
“Um, Boss. I was thinking—wouldn’t it be better to build your secret base somewhere else?”
“A secret base? Pointless!”
This pressure, this awful pressure that had to be relieved somehow!
Ziel sighed again, looking at the two helpless men.
“This place is perfect.”
“Well, I suppose… but…”
“There’s nowhere better than here.”
Ziel stood in thought for a long while.
The sight of Gilbert and Kelvin earnestly trying to soothe him beside him was somehow incongruous.
“Um, well, Boss. I was thinking—why don’t we just destroy it? We could claim the space for ourselves?”
In the end, they’d resorted to an extreme proposal.
“There’s no choice in the matter.”
“We’ll tear it down at once—”
“This secret base is a precious space to its owner. We won’t destroy it.”
This desire to build a secret base!
The person who’d created this place surely had the same wish when they made it.
So he couldn’t destroy it and take it for himself.
His conscience would never forgive him for it.
“I’m giving up on this place.”
“Understood, sir…”
“We’ll need to look elsewhere.”
As if lingering reluctance remained, Ziel glanced back inside and discovered something.
A diary.
Rustle.
After leafing through several pages, Ziel paused in thought before pulling out something.
It was something Gilbert knew well.
“Boss, why that…?”
It was Magic Powder used together with Illusion Stones.
When scattered, it would prevent anyone who didn’t normally perceive this place from approaching.
In other words, it kept strict people from ever entering.
“Have you changed your mind, sir?”
“No. It’s a gift.”
“A gift…?”
“We discovered it, yes, but I hope it remains hidden from other eyes going forward. It’s a secret base, after all.”
After reading the diary, Ziel understood.
This was the secret base of two princes.
Dietrich.
Franz.
It was a diary that held their entire childhood intact.
Then the entries had stopped abruptly, before beginning again only recently.
Though Ziel didn’t know it, this was right after Dietrich and Franz had engaged in a war of nerves over him.
“Let’s go back.”
“Yes, Boss. So the secret base…”
Ziel still felt the ache of disappointment.
The plan to acquire the Terssen Mansion had come to nothing, and the excitement he’d felt about building a secret base had deflated completely.
But he couldn’t take it.
It was someone else’s secret base.
He had to respect that.
“We’ll find another place.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Gilbert, too, found himself disappointed along with him.
There was nowhere better than this.
According to the Boss, the innermost reaches of the most heavily guarded place would be perfect for a secret base.
In a place like this, no one would ever notice.
“Boss, let me scout around a bit too.”
That was when Gilbert spoke.
“No. We’re going to a different candidate site.”
“Sir?”
“I’ve already scouted several others.”
Ziel hadn’t given up.
Since he’d come out today specifically to survey potential secret base locations in advance, he was determined to achieve his goal.
“Ah……I see.”
“It’s only natural to prepare for when things don’t work out.”
After slipping out of the Imperial Palace and leading his party onward, Ziel headed for somewhere beyond the Capital itself.
It wasn’t far.
Near the Capital.
A mountain at the foothills leading into a great mountain range.
Whoooooosh…….
As they climbed partway up the mountain, a magnificent waterfall came into view, cascading downward.
The waterfall pouring down beneath the moonlight.
The waves of water incessantly shattered the moon’s reflection on the surface—a sight that left an impression.
“This is it.”
“Here…… is the entire place going to be the secret base?”
“No. It’s behind that.”
Ziel pointed toward the waterfall.
The waterfall plunging down with tremendous force.
Right behind it.
“Ah! We take a boat to go through the cave behind the waterfall!”
“No. Midway up the cliff.”
…….
Midway up the cliff.
So that meant climbing the wall and somehow making it behind the waterfall that was crashing down madly.
“Have you been here before, sir?”
“Yes.”
I’ve been here.
To carry out an assassination mission.
I made this place my base camp.
“How on earth did you discover a place like this…….”
“I’d rather not say.”
“I see.”
“There’s a space behind the waterfall. We’ll make that our secret base.”
A truly natural secret base!
Perhaps this place suited a secret base even better than the small forest within the Imperial Palace.
But there was one problem.
They had to climb the cliff.
“Ugh!”
Gilbert’s hand slipped.
Naturally it did.
The walls near the waterfall were soaked and extremely slippery.
If Gilbert, a former Red Raven, couldn’t manage it, there was no way Kelvin would succeed.
“Argh!”
Kelvin tumbled to the ground in despair.
“I’m…… I’m useless…….”
Nothing was working out today.
He couldn’t get through the window properly, kept falling behind, and now he couldn’t even climb this cliff…….
“……That doesn’t make sense.”
In the midst of all this, Ziel left Gilbert speechless.
He simply climbed the cliff lightly and vanished behind the waterfall.
The height was considerable.
“Mas…… Master must be a god…….”
“I really don’t know how you do it…….”
Ziel reappeared beside the waterfall and descended. Then he asked, as if something were odd.
“This won’t work?”
“It’s strange that it does work, actually…….”
Gilbert pointed toward the top of the cliff.
“If we hang a rope from up there and rappel down, it should be manageable.”
“Understood. Do it that way.”
A stroke of luck, at least.
But only for now.
“However, next time you’ll need to climb the wall itself.”
“Pardon?”
“Climbing straight down the wall is far more efficient than ascending the cliff, securing a rope, and rappelling.”
With hell training now promised, the two of them struggled up to the cliff’s edge, tied off the rope, and descended.
Of course, they couldn’t land directly in front of the waterfall, so they came down to the side.
From there, clinging to the slick cliff face to reach behind the waterfall proved grueling.
“S-slipping!”
“Hold on!”
After a difficult ordeal, the two arrived at a hidden chamber behind the waterfall—the secret base-to-be.
Without a second thought, they untied the rope and realized one critical fact.
…….
“……But—how do we get back out?”
The rope was already beside the waterfall.
Completely out of reach.
“Did both of you hit your heads climbing that cliff?”
“No, sir…….”
“Strange. I thought your brains had rattled loose.”
Leaving that harmless jab behind, the two pushed themselves upright.
A secret base.
The secret base they’d longed for—it was here.
Whoosh.
When they lit the torches they’d brought, the interior revealed itself: the passage was quite wide, and the depths beyond seemed to stretch far.
“It’s certainly spacious. How far does it connect to?”
“All the way to Longfirst Peak.”
“Good heavens—that’s much closer to the Eastern Region, isn’t it?”
“It is. The opposite entrance hasn’t been used by anyone either. Not since I last checked it.”
“However did you find a place like this…….”
A heaven-sent fortress and passage, nothing less.
Honestly, it seemed far superior to that Imperial Palace they’d seen earlier…….
“It doesn’t rival the first secret base candidate, but this place is serviceable.”
“This is far better, though…….”
“No. That one is superior.”
The Boss had peculiar opinions sometimes.
“There are several quite spacious chambers within this cave system.”
“Are there no other entrances besides the opposite exit?”
“There are. But you cannot enter through them. Aside from this entrance and the one connecting to Longfirst Peak, all the others open onto sheer cliff faces far below.”
In other words, all the entrances were concealed from casual view.
Impossible to reach by chance, and even if one knew of them, few besides someone like the Boss would dare attempt entry.
A pristine secret base, untouched by human hands!
And now it was in their possession.
“My heart’s racing, Boss.”
“Your heart—I’ll crush it!”
“Not as much as before, but it’s still beating rather fast.”
Ziel didn’t seem entirely pleased with this place.
“It’s far too expansive and deep. Difficult to maintain. Accessibility is also somewhat lacking.”
“Is that so…….”
“It is.”
Still, there was no real need to construct anything—just placing the necessary supplies would transform it into a proper secret base.
This was where Ziel’s dissatisfaction lay.
“There’s nothing for me to build. That’s why I don’t like it.”
“Pardon?”
“Left as it is, there’s virtually no risk of discovery.”
“Ah…….”
“I’d wanted to build a secret base, but what a shame.”
That was it.
Ziel had wanted the process itself of building a secret base.
The way the anticipation builds before a journey, during all those preparations!
But this place, just as Ziel had said, offered nothing to modify or need breaking apart.
It was already a perfect secret base as it stood!
“We’re heading back. I’d prefer a different location for the secret base anyway.”
Gilbert finally understood now.
“Of course. Building the secret base itself is what’s exciting, isn’t it.”
Gilbert too had memories of making secret bases with friends in childhood.
Once they were finished, he’d rarely returned to them and they faded from memory—but the feeling of building them remained vivid even now.
“I failed to grasp your intentions deeply enough, Boss.”
“A se-secret base! I’ll search for one!”
“Mm.”
Regrettably, the secret base construction would have to wait, but the visit hadn’t been entirely fruitless.
“Boss, if you ever need to travel discreetly in the Eastern Region, it seems this passage would serve well.”
That was the purpose of the cave that had been rejected as the secret base site.
“Good.”
“Quite right? And it would be useful in an emergency too. For hiding things, for instance…….”
“That’s good as well.”
Though not a perfect secret base, this cave had its uses!
‘Still, that third location would be ideal for the secret base.’
Ziel had made his final decision.
“Then we head back now.”
But there was a problem.
The rope.
There was no rope.
“…….”
“…….”
Gilbert glanced sideways at Ziel.
He surely wouldn’t hand over a rope.
“It’s training. Find your own way down.”
“Ah.”
That day.
Gilbert and Kelvin threw themselves into the waterfall below.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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