Chapter 57
Inside the Demon King’s castle meeting room.
“The orcs are causing trouble again? They were quiet for a while.”
Ludwig frowned.
Ulken, who had been away for several days, was attending the retainers’ meeting today.
He didn’t even seem to have time to wash up; dried blood was stuck to his fur here and there.
Orc blood, probably.
Ariella remembered a time when Ludwig’s body had also been soaked in blood like that.
Back then, he couldn’t leave the battlefield because he was the strongest force in the castle.
Lately, he’s been staying in the castle, learning politics and participating in governance…
She had even been planning to start teaching him reading and writing properly.
But now, things had taken a turn again.
Ulken looked at Ludwig and made a suggestion.
“I think the Demon King’s strength is needed this time. Those orcs must’ve been building up strength while lying low, they’re coming at us fiercely.”
Ludwig clicked his tongue.
“Fine. I’ll head out this afternoon.”
They spent the rest of the time speculating why the orcs suddenly started acting up again, but nothing certain came up.
Ulken grumbled,
“Who in our land can ever guess what those orc bastards are thinking?”
But in the past, there had been someone who knew.
Bephar, the former treasurer.
That vampire had secretly colluded with the orcs until his death.
When he was alive, Bephar secretly met with the orc chieftain, leaked information, and lured them to attack the territory at just the right moments.
It was all to distract his lord, Ludwig.
If the Demon King started paying close attention to domestic affairs, Bephar would have a harder time filling his own pockets.
So whenever Ludwig seemed to have time to look into things, Bephar called in the orcs, forcing him to leave the castle.
Bephar left no records of these deeds.
And since orcs couldn’t read or write, unlike with the Fedwick Merchant Guild, there was no paper trail of letters exchanged.
Because of that, no one—not even Ariella—knew the truth yet.
Geru spoke up in his usual halting tone.
“Ta-take plenty… of… herbs… for the wounded! We’ve… kept enough… for ourselves, so…!”
“Alright, understood!”
“If… the orcs… disrupt… trade… and herb… sales… that’d be… bad!”
Geru sounded worried. He was imagining the possibility of orcs raiding merchant wagons.
“If… trade routes… aren’t safe… deals… will stop!”
Ludwig and Ulken spoke almost at the same time.
“Don’t worry about that.”
“Orcs don’t attack the mountain roads where the merchant wagons pass. They only target the farmlands at the base.”
“Re-really?”
Geru looked surprised and unconvinced.
Ariella also felt the same curiosity.
“Come to think of it, that is strange. Narrow mountain roads with wagons would actually be easier targets.”
And those wagons likely carried food or valuable goods.
“Why haven’t they attacked them even once?”
Richmond cracked his finger bones and said,
“My guess? Maybe during the Fedwick Guild days, the orcs tried raiding them and got utterly crushed. They could be avoiding them now because of that.”
That explanation didn’t feel satisfying.
“Really?”
Ariella argued,
“Whether during Fedwick’s time or now, the size of those escorts isn’t a secret. There’s no way they have more men than our entire army.”
“Quantity doesn’t matter as much as quality. Even with fewer numbers, those escorts could’ve been incredibly powerful.”
“That doesn’t make sense either. If we’re talking strength, there aren’t many stronger than Ludwig himself. Yet the orcs still invade our land, even with him guarding it.”
Ludwig’s shoulders twitched slightly, and the corners of his mouth lifted. It seemed he took her comment as a compliment.
Ariella and Richmond went back and forth, but they never reached a conclusion.
If Bephar were still alive, he could have explained everything.
The traitorous vampire had given the orcs another special order before his death:
“Never touch the mountain roads leading out of the Demon King’s territory.”
Those were the same routes the Fedwick Merchant Guild had used to transport wealth that lined Bephar’s own pockets.
He didn’t want to take a loss, so he forbade raids on that route.
Now, Bephar’s body was reduced to ashes, unable to explain this secret.
So strange…
Even stranger was the fact that the orcs, not knowing Bephar was dead, had been waiting for his orders all this time.
And that they’d finally started raiding again, unable to wait any longer—
But still remembered to avoid the trade roads, keeping that “promise.”
Ariella had no way of knowing any of this.
What’s really going on here?
All she could do was feel her suspicions deepen.
The next day, after Ludwig left for the battlefield in full armor—
“Ariella, I’m back.”
Philly returned from the Fairy Forest, leading soldiers.
Of course, demon soldiers couldn’t enter deep into the forest, but they escorted her just in case something happened on the way.
These days, trades weren’t done in the fairy village but at the forest entrance.
Fairies eager to trade had been waiting at the edge of the forest, excited to see Philly.
Seeing her with an escort, they whispered among themselves about how important she must be—certain she was a high-ranking retainer.
And they’re right. Without Philly, this whole deal would be impossible.
Instead of just thinking that, Ariella always praised her openly.
Because of that, Philly’s confidence had grown a lot.
Lately, she looked brighter, and even her voice carried strength. Ariella had been proud of her progress.
But now…
“Hm? What’s wrong?”
Philly’s face didn’t look like usual.
She spoke timidly.
“I’m sorry. Today we couldn’t bring as much.”
It was true.
The bundles the soldiers carried were clearly smaller than usual.
“We barely got any Blood-Stopping Herbs this time.”
“Oh?”
Ariella frowned.
That herb was one of their best-sellers, in high demand.
Even high-ranking demons needed it for injuries.
“Why only that herb? Seasonal problem? But the Fairy Forest’s weather never changes.”
“You’re right. It’s not the weather.”
Philly shared what she had heard from the elder.
“They said it’s because of the Ents.”
“Ents?”
Here, Ents weren’t ants, but a race of walking tree people.
They looked like ordinary trees, but they could think, speak, and move.
Their branches and roots acted like arms and legs.
“Wait, Ents live in the Fairy Forest too? But isn’t entry forbidden to all other races…?”
Then Ariella realized something.
“Oh, right. Only fire-using races are banned, huh?”
The fairy nodded.
“Ents don’t use fire, just like us. They stay rooted and absorb water and nutrients. They’re actually vulnerable to fire, so the forest barrier allows them in.”
The fairies even considered them just another kind of plant in the forest.
Which wasn’t exactly wrong.
“So why the problem now? And what do they have to do with Blood-Stopping Herbs?”
“It all started because the fairies have been gathering more herbs for the Demon King’s land. That caused trouble.”
It turned out that patches of Blood-Stopping Herbs grew in the same areas Ents called home.
Unfortunately, those were the most valuable herbs.
“Ents hate noise and disturbance. We fairies always respected that and kept separate zones.”
But recently, the fairies, obsessed with cookies and cakes, had started wandering into Ent territory more and more.
The surge in herb orders didn’t help either.
Eventually, the Ents lost their patience. They grew branches explosively, building walls and domes out of wood to block fairies from entering.
But of course, the fairies weren’t the type to give up easily.
“You know how… difficult our kind can be?”
That was putting it nicely. In truth, most fairies were chaotic troublemakers.
Not like Philly at all.
“Once they couldn’t get in, they threw a fit. They tore branches, plucked leaves, made a huge mess.”
When fairies were upset, they didn’t hold back.
“So the Ents started fighting back for real. Now, the whole forest is in chaos…”
As she listened, Ariella felt a headache coming on.
“So there’s basically a race war between fairies and Ents right now?”
“Yes.”
That explained the herb shortage.
Ariella felt more than just frustration—she felt responsible.
“If you trace this mess back, it all started because of me, huh?”
“…”
Philly silently agreed.
Ariella narrowed her eyes and sighed deeply.
“Phew… Well, I guess I have to clean up the mess I made.”
