#and only years later he would start to actually work for gotoro

[reallyghostlypost]

I spent too long on this... 😅

Lance could really work as a spy. Aside from his talents and his charming personality that you pointed out he also has a few... odd traits that could show he's hiding something. His personality seems contradictory at times, he also doesn't truly fit in SVE's world and his abilities don't make sense compared to everyone's else. It makes him feel special as a love interest in the game but they could also be useful tools for a spy.

I mean, he's apparently a combat mage but he spends very little time actually fighting monsters and seems to be a researcher more than anything else (but this way he's in the best position to spy on new ferngillian magical developments and why would he risk his life for the enemy nation more than he really has to?) He doesn't seem like the person who wants to hold political/important positions yet he's the vice-leader of his guild, a high ranking wizard and gets invited to fancy political events as the First Slash's representative (it's possible he's placing himself in a better position to spy on important people even if he doesn't really likes this type of life).

He holds these important positions but he's oddly always just a step below being at the top (second in command at his guild and a highly ranked wizard but probably not on in the Ministry's council). So he knows everything that happens in the adventuring/magical community and he's close enough to the top that he could influence things but since he isn't involved in the decision making process he isn't going to get suspected for any weird decision and risk his position. He's also involved in lots of things. He's in a good position to give (wrong) suggestions to both the Order and the Ministry. He's sometimes responsible for training new recruits in his guild (and possible other guilds since he has no hesitation to test the farmer himself and no one finds it unusual) which means he could leave slight gaps (vulnerabilities) in their education for his allies to exploit in a later conflict. He has access to the Badlands and Castle Village and could make things worse there without anyone noticing. If Lance decides to "check" on something in the desert and two months later the situation in the Badlands gets worse who would suspect him? Who would even think to link a trusted person like Lance doing some routine check ups with the odd magic suddenly popping up?

Also, how often does he interact with people/magic/items from Gotoro without anyone even thinking of suspecting him? After all he's a high ranking powerful wizard and it's his responsibility to react first to dangerous threats. For example, torpedo trouts gather around the Fabled Reef. How easy it would be for Lance to redirect a few towards specific targets while pretending to try and catch/kill/study them? Depending on how many fish are there no one would notice a handful suddenly missing. This way Lance could still secretly carry out his missions without leaving any clue about his involvement. How many other similar opportunities does he has? He could "find" random artifacts that have been used by the enemy nation but secretly he activated them himself before reporting them. He could just meet some gotoroan wizard and speak with him and later claim that he the "enemy" ran away before Lance could fight him. Plus he spends so much time alone in isolated locations...

Even after marriage, we don't actually know anything about him. He doesn't talk about his family or about his childhood, we know nothing about about his past, he doesn't mention his problems, fears, hopes, whatever. He doesn't share funny anecdotes about his colleagues. It's a very impersonal marriage. But interestingly, he often talks about his abilities in a slightly negative way. He mentions that he can't teleport exceptionally far, that he doesn't have a Nexus, that he isn't as strong as Magnus, that he needs to become stronger. What if he's actually stronger than he looks like but he hides it? It would make sense as spy, since no one would suspect him if some high level magic disaster happened since no one knows he's capable of it. And he could use his hidden abilities to escape if needed since no one would be able to plan against him. Having a hidden Nexus for example could allow him to travel to Gotoro without anyone else knowing, and if he could teleport farther than anyone else expects him to he could use the element of surprise to escape any nasty situations in case he ever gets discovered.

His interest in the farmer could be a point in this theory's favor too. Since it's his job to analyze Ferngill's magical capabilities he would probably notice the farmer's true magical potential faster than the others since he was trained to actively focus on this types of things. He could realize that the farmer might easily become one of Ferngill's biggest assets in the future. Obviously getting close to this person would be a priority for him. There's also that locked room he creates under the farmhouse, could he contact people in Gotoro in secret there? Keep important information hidden but easily accessible?

The only problem with this theory is that the community is very small and everyone knows everyone else. It's hard for a stranger to just slip in and not raise suspicions. It would be possible that Lance's mentor was also a spy and trained him from childhood to become a spy too. But that would mean that Lance has no ties with Gotoro and no real loyalty to it, why would he continue to spy for them over years, even after he befriends so many people? Could have Lance taken someone else's identity, like an adventurer/mage he killed? He could use something like the shrine of illusions to disguise himself. Still that leaves the possibility that someone will notice he's not who he claims to be.

But what if he used something similar to the memory shrine in the witch's hut? What if he killed some already trusted person, erased any memory of him and then took his place? He could make everyone forget how the original used to look like or any other important identifying information. This way no one could prove Lance isn't who he claims to be, no one would even suspect him in the first place. This could have happened years ago. It could make for a very dark story.

Hi! Who in the guild/magical group (like Camilla, lance,magnus etc…) would be a gotoran spy and how would the rest of the guild figure it out?

Hmm, now that's interesting...

Camilla could have been the prime suspect, but to me, she's just an all-powerful and spoiled witch. Yes, she's smart, cunning, strong in magic and can manipulate people - pretty good qualities for espionage and blackmail. But if you forget for a moment that Camilla really cares about people and their safety, she still wouldn't be a spy at least because she has almost absolute power here in Castles Village. After all, this woman is the only person who decides who can enter the village. She does what she wants here, and her high ego and confidence will not allow anyone to muddy the waters in her domain.

I don't think Jadu would have given so much time and effort to study, to betray at the end everything he has accomplished in all his work as a wizard. After all, double life is so exhausting, and it takes so much strength and emotional fortitude. He is already fucked up enough with his life to have to deal with getting information for the Gotoro Empire... Drama and intrigue? Fuck off please, let him finish his project and finally get some sleep. On the other hand, you never expect betrayal from the quietest and most inconspicuous people...

Like Jadu, Magnus will not sacrifice his status, his friends, or his peaceful life for the empty promises of a warm seat in Gotoro Empire. He is by nature a hermit in the woods, and it is his bliss to live the hermit's life, so why would he throw it all away?

But Lance... Handsome, always polite and friendly, silver tongue and sweet speech. Intelligent, talented in both magic and combat. All perfect, just like a knight in shining armor! Such a man, of course, does not arouse suspicion.... It would seem. Try to remember any anime, manga, cartoon or TV series where one of the characters, always friendly and perfect in everything, revealed his true face by the middle or end of the season. Now look at Lance again. I bet my precious chocolate brownies that he would turn out to be that "double agent". Politeness is one of the main tools of a spy (actually, I don't know if that's true or not, but you get the point).

Isaac is too straightforward and a little tactless in his conversation with his interlocutor. To me, he would not have been a good spy. He looks like someone who always tells people what he's really thinking. Isaac is not stupid, by any means, but espionage is a delicate and painstaking job, and our brave half-naked adventurer would be a fine one for a chain dog. To intimidate someone, yes, but then suspicion would quickly arise.

With Alesia it is rather complicated. It is difficult to answer such a question without knowing the full character, but in all available cutscenes and dialogues, Alesia is presented as a girl who knows the value of honor. The work of a spy can be quite dirty, up to and including blackmailing and eliminating unwanted people (in an extreme case it could go as far as murder), which doesn't suit her at all. Betraying those you are sworn to protect? Alesia would rather die. Though she's also very clever and dexterous, there's no doubt about it.

You could certainly decide that lesser-known adventurers or wizards would be the traitors, but we can judge that when the 2.0 update comes out.

Also, all of the above is purely my opinion, so if anyone also has speculations, conjectures or theories, feel free to share, I would be interested to hear it! Btw, thanks for your ask, anon! 👋