Chapter 74
The orc chieftain had not expected this.
The Ents hated it when their territory was invaded, but they did not drive away dumb, harmless animals.
The only reason they had fought with fairies before was because those noisy creatures had caused too much chaos.
But ordinary animals had never done anything that drastic.
So the Ents had accepted the beasts of the forest and mountains rather than drive them out.
That way, plants and animals could live together, and nature’s cycle would continue.
“You crazy firewood monsters!”
The chieftain finally gathered his courage and charged forward.
Whuuush!
Smack!
“Guaaahhh!”
Every time the Ents swung their massive branches, soldiers were struck and sent flying into the air.
The chieftain watched in shock, frozen in disbelief.
Now he understood what kind of trick the demons had used.
“They planted Ents here, mixing them in among the regular trees!”
If the orcs had been more observant, they would have noticed that the forest had grown larger and there were more trees than before.
The demons had carefully transplanted the Ents so they could blend in and live among ordinary trees, all under the dragon’s blessing.
“Filthy things! Get out of my sight!”
Whooosh!
A thick, whip-like branch filled the chieftain’s vision.
Thud!
A sharp pain exploded in his body, and his world instantly went black.
“Orcs attacked again. This time from the south… through the Strange Gate.”
“Judging by your tone, I take it the situation is already handled.”
“Yeah. Those walking trees chased them all away again.”
“Planting Ents in the southern forest was an excellent idea by the Contract Holder!”
“It wasn’t that hard. We just tilled some soil behind the territory, and they grew nicely.”
Ariella smiled as she spoke.
The soil in the Demon King’s territory had become rich and fertile over time, but there were still areas that were lacking.
The hatchling dragon blessed the land every day, starting at the northern border, and its influence slowly spread southward.
Ariella had carefully studied this pattern and ordered the villagers to act.
She recalled the time outsiders had tried—and failed—to steal soil from their land.
So the villagers carried soil from the north, where the dragon’s blessing was strongest, and spread it to less fertile areas.
As a result, the southern lands became suitable for the Ents to settle.
The Ents grew roots carefully, filling in empty spots and avoiding harm to the ordinary trees already there.
“This proves the Ents can now guard every border of the Demon King’s territory without gaps,” said Ulken with a laugh.
“Good! Now we can finally train our soldiers properly instead of keeping them on guard duty all day.”
In other words, Ludwig’s demon army had spent so much time patrolling the borders that they hadn’t had proper training.
But now, everything was finally falling into place.
“There’s another important matter we should discuss today,” Ariella said, smoothly steering the conversation.
Lately, she had been leading most of the castle meetings herself.
“We’ve tracked down all twelve spies Delac sent into our lands. I even planted surveillance artifacts near their hideouts.”
Ulken clicked his tongue.
“Twelve? That’s twice the size of their official envoy!”
“I know, right? Sending twice as many spies as diplomats… and we didn’t even notice them at first. That’s on us.”
Before leaving, Helene had confessed all of Delac’s schemes.
“The spies entered Ludwig’s territory before we arrived. Even after we left, they stayed behind to observe everything.”
But even Helene didn’t know how many there were, who they were, or where they were hiding.
They were all directly under her stepmother, Kiren, and Helene had been left out of the loop.
Still, Ariella couldn’t just let them roam free.
So she turned to one particular ally.
The hatchling dragon.
“Well? Can you handle this?”
“That’s easy!”
Ariella’s request was simple.
She told the dragon to memorize the faces of anyone suspicious—people he hadn’t seen before—who weren’t acting like normal visitors.
Many outsiders came and went through the Demon King’s territory these days, mostly for trade.
But spies had a different air about them.
To the dragon, her request was like a game.
He had flown off excitedly and returned quickly with results.
“There were some really strange demons! They looked like this…”
A dragon never forgets.
From the sky, he had memorized every detail of their faces, down to features so exact they could have been used to paint portraits.
He even remembered their exact movements, where they had been, and where they were headed.
That information went straight to Richmond, who easily tracked down their hideouts and planted surveillance artifacts there.
“What do you think?” Ludwig asked. “Should we grab them all right now?”
“No,” Ariella said firmly, shaking her head.
“There’s no need to rush. Even if they move to a new hideout, Richmond will follow them. They’re already in the palm of our hand.”
She rested her chin on her finger thoughtfully.
“For now, let them do exactly what they want. Let them believe everything is going according to their plan.”
The next day.
As usual, Ariella took a walk around the Demon King’s lands.
The streets were becoming more lively by the day.
Some areas were so crowded she had to stop every few steps.
She couldn’t help but recall the first time she’d toured the territory with Chamberlain Grube.
“Back then, I couldn’t believe how empty it was.”
The biggest difference now was the bustling markets.
In the past, most residents had been farmers.
Now, commerce was flourishing.
“Agriculture and trade are stable now. Next is manufacturing.”
She turned to her guards.
“Take me to the Atelier.”
This was a place that hadn’t even existed a short while ago.
The soldiers cleared the path as they moved quickly through the streets.
Residents recognized Ariella, the Contract Holder of the Demon King, and bowed deeply as she passed.
One kobold even knelt in the street to bow.
“Contract Holder! Thank you! Thanks to the herbs you shared, my father recovered from his illness! I was so afraid you’d leave us, but you stayed!”
Everyone knew it had been Ariella’s idea to distribute healing herbs.
She stopped and bowed slightly in return, taking the kobold’s hands and helping him up.
“I’m sorry I didn’t act sooner. I didn’t realize so many of you were suffering. I’ll pay closer attention from now on. If you ever need help, come to the Demon King’s castle anytime.”
The kobold’s eyes filled with emotion, and he bowed again and again.
That kind of gratitude never grew old for Ariella.
She continued walking with a warm feeling in her heart.
As the land prospered, the lives of its people were changing, too.
“That’s why I won’t allow anyone to threaten this place.”
As she passed through the market, her eyes flicked to a certain building.
She resisted the urge to glare at it.
“That’s where Delac’s spies are hiding, huh?”
They planned to swallow up everything she’d helped build.
But it wasn’t time to strike yet.
If she acted too soon, Delac would grow wary.
“This way,” one guard said.
They moved past the spies’ hideout, through farmland where houses became scarce, until finally arriving at a brand-new building.
“We’re here.”
A large sign read, “Cecile Atelier” in bold demonic script.
Rumble…!
Suddenly, the ground trembled slightly.
“Are you alright, Contract Holder?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Was that an earthquake?”
The shaking stopped quickly—it seemed to be a small tremor.
Ariella nodded, and a soldier knocked on the door.
Knock, knock!
There was no reply.
But it didn’t feel empty; someone was inside.
Instead of waiting, the soldier opened the door.
Inside, Ariella saw a demon woman hard at work.
“Hello, Cecile?”
The woman was so focused she didn’t respond until Ariella called several times.
“Oh! Contract Holder! You’re here!”
It was Cecile, daughter of Geru, the zombie chancellor.
And then—
“Wait… are all of these yours?”
Ariella’s eyes lit up as she looked at the many items spread across the workshop.
