Episode 102
“An actual identity?”
Delrek showed interest. When he turned his head, the fat on his face wobbled.
Kirien narrowed his eyes, trying to figure out her intent.
“The fake identities we gave the last spies were just empty lies.”
“That’s true.”
“This time, we should give them real jobs and affiliations. Something beyond suspicion.”
“For example?”
Helena explained what she had prepared.
“What if we send them disguised as real members of a trading company?”
Kirien immediately argued.
“That’s not as easy as you say. The Southern Merchant Company has a monopoly on direct trade with Castle Ludwig. They won’t cooperate with us.”
All wagons traveling the narrow mountain roads to Ludwig’s domain belonged to the Southern Company.
They didn’t just haul goods—they also carried passengers who visited.
Helena replied calmly.
“Just because they have a monopoly, does that mean no other merchant company can even knock on the door?”
“…That’s also true.”
Delrek looked intrigued.
“So, instead of the Southern Company, you want to choose a third company and send our spies hidden among them?”
“Exactly. Pretend they want to open new trade. The Elso Company would be perfect. Their size is just right, and they’ve never dealt with our demon realm before.”
Even if trade failed, it wouldn’t matter.
The real goal was just to have a reason to stay.
But Kirien still opposed.
“Do you think Elso will just listen to us?”
“Of course they won’t welcome it. They’ll be forcing themselves into a market already dominated by the Southern Company. But merchants are merchants. If one condition is met, they’ll go anywhere.”
“You mean money.”
Delrek nodded.
“Fine, do it. Helena, you’ll be responsible for this operation.”
She bowed, carefully hiding her relief.
It worked!
The first spies had been so loosely chosen that even Helena didn’t know their full backgrounds.
But if she arranged it through a proper group like this, she could control it better.
And since they were posing as a merchant company, Ludwig would also have excuses to expel them later.
“….”
Helena’s mind was already racing with the next steps.
Meanwhile, Kirien’s disapproving gaze bore into the back of her head.
“Chief!”
“What is it?”
In the mountains around Ludwig’s demon domain, inside an orc village—
One of the orc warriors rushed up to the chieftain.
“Wagons! Wagons are coming right now!”
The chieftain wondered why that was worth such fuss.
He hadn’t been chief for long.
The last chieftain had proudly marched to raid Ludwig’s domain… only to be beaten half to death by the lash of an Ent’s vine. After days of suffering, he finally died.
I already have enough headaches. Must he be so loud?
The new chieftain felt the heavy burden on his shoulders.
When they used to plunder Ludwig’s lands freely, their population had swelled.
Now that plundering was blocked, the tribe was in crisis.
In the past, they could just hunt wild animals, but now there were too many mouths to feed.
We need the livestock the demons raise!
Lately, there wasn’t even enough to feed the children.
If it went on, some would starve.
Basic supplies had been cut off long ago.
“Chief, it’s not just one or two wagons! It looks like they’re carrying a mountain of supplies!”
Hearing this, the chieftain shut his eyes tight.
“The last chieftain made a promise with the vampire. Wagons painted in ‘navy blue’ that pass through here must never be touched. Orcs keep promises.”
The vampire, of course, was Bephar, Ludwig’s old treasurer.
Back when he secretly dealt with the orcs, he had warned them:
Never attack the ‘navy wagons’ that belonged to the Fedwick Company.
But after Fedwick collapsed, the founder of the Southern Company had bought up their wagons and painted them the same navy color.
So only navy wagons had been seen on this road ever since.
“Chief, but—!”
He was about to drive the warrior away with irritation—until he heard the next words.
“Right now, every wagon on the mountain road is painted red!”
“What?!”
The chieftain jumped up, his chest pounding.
He remembered every word of the promise made by his predecessor.
“It was navy wagons! That’s what we swore not to touch!”
“Yes!”
“So the wagons we must leave alone are navy!”
“But these are all red wagons! Every single one of them!”
“In that case!”
It was like rain in a drought.
There was no time to sit and consider carefully.
“Gather every man who can hold a weapon!”
“Uwoooooh!”
The orcs’ war cry shook the mountains.
At that moment—
A long line of wagons was making its way down the road.
It was the Elso Company.
Every trading company in the demon realm painted their wagons in distinct colors, easy to recognize from afar.
Elso’s color was bright red.
“This road is nasty.”
“No kidding. Hard to believe Fedwick used to run this path for so long.”
“At least back then it wasn’t so crowded. But they say the Southern Company runs it constantly now. One slip and you’d fall right off a cliff.”
More than twenty wagons moved in the caravan.
They carried goods, just enough to show variety, meant for Ludwig’s domain.
“Selling our stuff over there might work. But will Ludwig sell us his strategic supplies?”
The demon lord didn’t interfere with personal trade by commoners.
But official dealings with Ludwig’s castle always went through the Southern Company.
“This trip is going to drag, isn’t it?”
“Orders are orders.”
None of them suspected—
That the company head riding in the middle wagon had secretly made a deal with Demon Lord Delrach.
Or that the new guards hired to ‘protect’ him were actually Delrach’s elite agents.
While the company stayed, they would secretly spread through the demon domain.
“Huh? What’s that up ahead?”
The peaceful monotony suddenly shattered.
“Orcs! It’s orcs!”
Someone screamed.
The Elso company head, who had been dozing, shot awake.
“What nonsense is that? Orcs?”
He doubted his ears.
As head, he knew the industry’s information well.
“They said orcs never appear on this road!”
But today, that ‘fact’ was broken.
And on the very day Elso tried the road for the first time.
He had no time to think.
“Uwaaaagh!”
A scream tore the air outside.
Looking through the window, the company head froze.
“W-what?! There are so many of them!”
The orcs had come determined to risk everything.
They scaled steep cliffs that wagons and horses couldn’t, surrounding the caravan front and back in moments.
The demons were trapped in the middle, unable to move.
“Help! Over here!”
“These crazy orcs—kill them! They keep coming!”
“Save me! Aaagh!”
“Kyaaah! Graaaagh!”
The company head’s face turned pale.
He looked desperately at the disguised guards.
“You people, do something! At this rate, we’ll all die!”
“…Troublesome.”
The spies finally stepped out.
This wasn’t a time to pretend anymore.
“Raaaagh!”
Delrek’s agents drew weapons and unleashed spells, cutting down orcs left and right.
But there were too many.
“Damn it! They just keep coming!”
“Ludwig’s been fighting these monsters all this time?”
Gradually, the battle turned against them.
“Damn, this won’t work. Retreat!”
One of the spies took to the air with a flight spell.
But an orc archer didn’t miss.
He bent a bow so heavy no normal demon could pull.
His muscular arms swelled like logs—
And he loosed.
Swoooosh!
“Aaagh!”
The flying demon was struck down, crashing into the ground.
He didn’t move again.
Seeing that, the other spies wavered.
“Ugh! N-no!”
From then on, they cared nothing about the mission—only about escape.
They were elite, chosen for their strength.
But no matter how many they killed, more orcs came.
The overwhelming numbers couldn’t be beaten.
“Kraaaagh!”
A spy coughed blood, his face twisted in agony.
Ariella muttered in disbelief.
“My plan failed.”
“……”
“……”
Everyone in the meeting room stayed silent, waiting for her next words.
“I planned to let the spies enter, then find excuses to trim their numbers and expel them. But…”
She gave a hollow laugh.
“…Who would have thought they’d all die before even getting here.”
