Chapter 404

Northern Encampment
(Mhm, this is... a human encampment.)

(I suspected there might be something here, but it’s larger than expected.)

Beyond the forest north of Vardmoi, a human encampment had been constructed.
There was a flag raised, but we couldn’t identify it.
We’ll memorize it for now and ask Marquis Vardmoi to confirm it later.

(What should we do? Just leave without doing anything?)

(It would be bad if they noticed we infiltrated. But it wouldn’t sit right to leave without any intel either.)

(Alright. Let’s try slipping in little by little from the perimeter.)

The area around the camp was surrounded by wooden fences and ditches, but they didn’t pose any problem for us.
They had torches mounted on the fences and guards carrying lights, but those weren’t enough to dispel the darkness of night.
The infiltration itself went smoothly.
Now then, what should we do next?
If only we could bring back some crucial information.

(Hey, over there. That tent looks quite impressive.)

(If there’s someone important, it’s likely there. Alright, let’s go.)

The tent was heavily guarded, but that didn’t matter much to us, as we could move through the air.
With some of us circling around to the back and others clinging to the top of the tent, we began to observe the interior.

“Dammit! Did you fail to find that girl named Lily!?”

“Y-yes, sir. Before reaching Vardmoi, we were approached by a suspicious spider monster…”

“A spider monster? Was it the silver spider said to be under Lily’s control?”

“No, sir. It was a light brown spider, a bit smaller than a person.”

“Hmm? So it looked different from the monster Lily has a contract with.”

“Yes, sir. The one that spoke to us did so via telepathy, I believe. We scattered and fled, but since the others haven’t returned, I assume they were captured.”

“Hmph. Well, I suppose that’s fine. The rest didn’t know what I looked like anyway.”

It seems that some of them escaped from us.
They did get a glimpse of us, but our connection to the contractor hasn’t been exposed.
If that’s the case, there’s no need to rush into action just yet.
… Still, not being able to see the enemy’s face is frustrating.
Due to the slight distance, even mind-reading techniques aren't very effective.
If only we could obtain a bit more information...

At that moment, another man entered the tent.
He was rather lightly dressed for someone in a war encampment.

“How goes it, Viscount Melt?”

“My apologies, Marquis Morogawarde. There’s been little progress.”

Oh? So the ones in this tent are Viscount Melt and Marquis Morogawarde.
The man who saw us must have been a lower-ranking soldier—these two must be the ones in charge.

“I see. That Lily girl has enough power to go toe-to-toe with the First Knights of the Old Royal Family. I’d prefer to take her out before attacking Vardmoi…”

“I feel the same. But ever since spring, none of the agents we sent to Vardmoi have returned…”

“Indeed. Just how tight is Vardmoi’s defense?”

“What shall we do, Marquis Morogawarde? Shall we postpone the attack on Vardmoi?”

“No. We’ve gone to great lengths to establish these northern and eastern camps near Vardmoi without drawing attention from the Old Royal Capital. This is the perfect chance to conquer Vardmoi.”

I see. So their goal is indeed the conquest of Vardmoi.
For now, we should return and report this to Contractor and Marquis Vardmoi.
It’s not our place to act on our own initiative.

What do you think about this chapter?