Chapter 107
Gruve nodded.
“Everyone who tasted it gave high praise. Lady Cecile herself, who started this just as an experiment, is now considering full production.”
But at the moment, she was far too busy. Cecile said they would need extra staff if this was to move forward.
“What do you think, Gruve?”
“Ah, actually… I tried it too.”
He coughed, looking a little awkward.
“It’s good enough for the Demon King’s castle to invest a separate budget. If we sell it, profits will be excellent.”
“Really, that much?”
Ariella, who never drank alcohol, couldn’t quite understand their excitement.
Even Geru, who was an expert in trade, joined in.
“This will definitely sell! My gut says it’s a hit!”
In the Demon Realm, strong liquor was rare. Most people only drank wine.
And since demons didn’t get drunk easily, there was always demand for stronger drinks.
The problem was, the few liquors that existed were usually awful in taste and smell.
“Ho! Incredible.”
Even the dwarf merchant lord from the South came to taste it—and was amazed.
“It’s strong, but the fragrance is delightful, and it goes down smoothly.”
His eyes shone as he started plotting how to sell it.
“If we brand it as high-class and sell to the nobility, the price can be very high.”
Gruve quickly added,
“Then how about calling it Drunken Dragon?”
The dwarf clapped his hands.
“Perfect! We can advertise it as the legendary liquor that even made a gold dragon drunk! We’ll even draw a dragon on the label.”
Ariella still didn’t quite see what was so great about it.
But when she heard it would bring in good money, her eyes lit up.
“So the wealthy demons will love this? Good. Let’s include it among the trade goods we take to the North.”
Ludwig Demon Realm, Southern Territory.
An orc settlement.
“Ruitz! Time for lunch!”
“Hm? Where’s the boy gone?”
An orc couple had returned home for a short lunch break, but their young son, Ruitz, wasn’t there.
Normally, no matter where he was playing, he always rushed home at meal time.
A bad feeling crept over them.
“Kids, did you play with Ruitz today?”
“Huh? Now that you mention it, we haven’t seen him all day.”
Even his usual playmates shook their heads.
The couple’s faces grew dark.
Their son was only five years old. Where could he have gone?
“Your son’s missing?”
The demon overseer halted work for the afternoon, and all the orcs abandoned their jobs to search.
“Look over here!”
Orcs were skilled hunters. These days they labored in construction, but their instincts were sharp as ever.
Soon, they picked out Ruitz’s tiny footprints among the many tracks in the village.
Such tracking was impossible for demons or humans.
“Yes, these belong to Ruitz, but…”
The parents’ faces drained of color when they saw where the footprints led.
“No… it can’t be!”
The mother rubbed her eyes and checked again, but the tracks were the same.
“Ahh…!”
The father groaned.
Ruitz’s trail led into the one place orcs were forbidden to go.
“The Ent Forest!”
The mother screamed.
Most of them remembered the battle years ago, before peace was made with the Ludwig Demon Realm.
They had tried to invade through the south—only to be utterly crushed by the Ents.
Even the previous chieftain had died later from wounds taken by a single blow.
Those walking trees never spared intruders.
The couple’s hearts went blank with terror. Their hands shook, and they could barely breathe.
“We have to find him! Our son—our son!”
They tried to run into the forest, but other orcs stopped them.
“No! Have you forgotten what happened before?”
“If you just run in, you’ll be torn apart!”
The mother cried,
“I don’t care! We have to save Ruitz!”
“Wait! Let’s bring the overseer. The demons might know how to deal with Ents—”
But they wouldn’t listen. Driven by panic, the parents shoved past the others and rushed into the forest.
“Ruitz!”
“Answer us, Ruitz!”
Their desperate cries echoed through the trees.
For the moment, even fear of the Ents disappeared.
They just searched, calling for their child.
“Kyaaah!”
The mother froze.
“H-honey!”
“You heard that?”
“Yes. That was Ruitz’s voice!”
They ran toward the sound.
And then—
“Ruitz!”
They saw their son at last.
But instead of relief, they froze.
Rumble…
“Hahaha!”
Rumble, rumble!
“Fun! Fun! Do it again! Higher!”
The father’s mouth hung open.
“What… what is this?”
Ruitz was laughing joyfully—playing with several Ents.
Not the towering, fearsome Ents from the war, but much smaller ones.
“…Saplings?”
They were young Ents, newly sprouted.
With roots half pulled from the ground, they swung their thin branch-arms playfully.
One sapling bent its branches into a swing, and Ruitz swung back and forth, laughing until he dropped.
Another sapling caught him gently.
“Again, again!”
Ruitz shouted, and the saplings cheered in their rumbling voices.
Rumble!
They linked arms to form a slide, and Ruitz slid down with delight.
“Wow! This is the best!”
The parents had imagined horror, but their son was having the time of his life.
“Are those his parents?”
A deep voice spoke.
The couple turned—and only then realized the saplings were surrounded by massive trees.
The full-grown Ents.
“Y-yes!”
The father quickly bowed, desperate to apologize.
“We looked away for a moment, and our child wandered in without permission. He’s only little—please forgive him!”
But the Ents weren’t angry.
Instead, their calm, soothing voices rustled like wind through leaves.
“Do not fear. We understand.”
“Ahh!”
“Did you think we would harm him? We too raise children.”
Their deep tones were peaceful, like the heartbeat of the forest.
Another Ent spoke.
“Ruitz, you said? Our saplings enjoy his company very much.”
The parents stared, speechless.
“They delight in meeting a new friend and discovering new games.”
“As long as he respects our rules, he may visit the forest anytime.”
“Yes. Look how happy the saplings are.”
The Ents were far gentler than the parents could ever have imagined.
The orc couple bowed again and again.
“Thank you! Truly, thank you!”
“Ruitz, it’s time to go home!”
“What? Can’t I play a little longer?”
Though reluctant, the boy followed as his parents took his hand.
The saplings waved their slender leaves, seeing him off like new friends.
Time flowed quickly.
“Lady Ariella, the shipyard is finished. We’re ready to start building ships.”
Cecile reported, and Ariella smiled with satisfaction.
“That’s much faster than planned. The orcs’ skill is impressive.”
She praised the overseer beside her, who bowed deeply.
“With such good work, maybe we can change our plans a little.”
Ariella didn’t need to explain. Cecile understood instantly.
“You mean—let the orcs join the shipbuilding too?”
At first, only demons were supposed to work on the ships.
But trust had built up over time, and these excellent workers didn’t need to be excluded.
The overseer received permission and went straight to the orc village to call the foremen.
“So that big building wasn’t a dragon’s lair?”
“No wonder. It had all sorts of strange facilities.”
The overseer bowed.
“Sorry for keeping it secret. The Demon King’s realm ordered this project to be kept top secret.”
“Well, hearing the reason, I can’t blame you.”
The orcs had gained too much from this to complain now.
“Don’t worry! The secret won’t spread. We don’t even contact other demon lords anyway.”
Then one of the foremen frowned.
“But shouldn’t our chieftain be told?”
“We’ve already sent envoys to explain to him properly.”
“You want to build ships and sail the sea?”
At that time, in the mountain orc village, the chieftain sat across from Richmond.
“You wish to hire our people for the shipyard too, but the secrecy must be absolute.”
“Yes. Besides the normal wages, you will receive extra pay for helping keep the secret.”
“I agree.”
The chieftain answered without hesitation.
Richmond sighed with relief. He prepared to return to the Demon King’s realm.
But then—
“With one condition.”
“What is it?”
The words that followed shocked even Richmond—and Ariella would never have guessed them.
“When the ships sail north, can our orcs come aboard?”
