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Chapter 312: Charge! The Neighboring Agent

――Cortera Trading Company, Sugusarl Branch.

Morning arrived, and the company members began to trickle into the workplace.

“Huh? Where’s Ixel?”

A young office worker blinked in surprise as she entered the office.

Ixel was missing.

He was usually the first to show up, battling with paperwork like a workaholic.

“He hasn’t come in yet, seems like,” replied the bodyguard.

“Wow, that’s rare.”

It was the first time since she joined the company.

(…I wonder if he’ll come in today.)

She had prepared a special beef stew.

She hadn’t touched it the night before, letting it simmer longer, making it even more delicious.

(I hope he can eat it. Will he say it’s good?)

The office girl glanced at Ixel’s usual spot.

The empty desk looked oddly desolate.

†††

Well then, it’s me, Hero Alexander.

We set off from the town of Sugusarl without a hitch.

“Have a nice trip!”

“Thanks!”

Waving goodbye to the gatekeepers, we walked out. When we tried to leave through the gate on the opposite side of our entry, one of them exclaimed, “You’re a face I haven’t seen before,” and I was almost subjected to a holy inspection again.

Of course, I revealed my holy attribute and was granted passage. In most towns, they usually check those coming in while letting those going out pass without trouble.

It might also be due to the proximity to the front lines, but considering how vigilant this town was, Ixel had been quite an impressive spy to have remained hidden for nearly ten years.

According to Ixel, the security had tightened significantly a few years back, and he started staying mostly inside the town just to be safe. Apparently, he had made acquaintances with the town’s soldiers, but if a priest were to cast a holy attribute on a whim, he’d be caught immediately.

Unless there was someone like me who knew his true identity specifically, he would’ve kept pretending to be a merchant indefinitely.

Now, based on Ixel’s testimony, we headed toward a small settlement a few hours’ walk from Sugusarl.

The settlement itself was nothing special, just an ordinary farming village, but it seemed that agents disguised as hunters were lurking in the nearby forest.

There were four of them, masquerading as a human couple, a hunter and his wife. They were said to be surviving by hunting in the forest. With the night elves’ archery skills, they should have no trouble feeding themselves.

Apparently, the last time Ixel made contact was over six months ago, and he didn’t know what they were up to now, but fundamentally they were on standby, preparing for an invasion of the neighboring Tritus Principality a few years from now.

“Man… that’s one long wait.”

“Indeed.”

I had to admit, in the realm of patience, one had to commend the enemy. As we strolled along the highway, Barbara chimed in telepathically, nodding in agreement.

“It’s dangerous, after all,” she added.

“It looks like it’d be tough to do it without transformation magic,” I replied.

However, only I and Barbara, who used to be human, were impressed by the years of waiting. Leila and Antendeixis seemed to be completely oblivious to it, which I found amusing.

Antendeixis obviously didn’t get it, and neither did Leila, being a naturally long-lived species…

――We managed to reach the settlement unscathed, even with a break for snacks along the way.

Thinking ahead, I kept my stomach light.

Since neither Leila nor I could use water magic, it was essential to replenish our drinking water from the nearest human settlement. Water is heavy and bulky, making it the most troublesome item to carry. It would have been easier if we had a forest elf with us for these times.

Although I was on my way to meet not a forest elf, but a night elf.

“Hey, you’re the hunter ‘Huntus,’ right?”

I casually addressed a bearded man who was maintaining his bow in the shade of a tree, slightly distanced from the settlement.

The man turned slowly, looking at me suspiciously, as though I had interrupted his nap like a grumpy bear. He had a distinctly unfriendly expression, with minimal change in his facial demeanor, reminiscent of a dwarf with his burly arms.

…He really didn’t look like a night elf at all.

“—Who are you?” he grumbled in a raspy voice.

“I’ve got a delivery. I brought a letter from Ixel.”

I pulled an envelope from my pocket.

――A genuine letter penned by Ixel himself.

His neck seemed to have been broken, making it awkward for him to write, but the handwriting would raise no suspicion.

Without changing his dour expression, Huntus accepted the letter and quickly skimmed through it. Slightly surprised, he compared me to the letter. What seemed like a casual update contained coded messages indicating that “I am an associate and an important person.”

Grinning, I vividly stirred dark magical power within my palm.

“…You should come in for some tea.”

With a sluggish rise, Huntus gestured for me to follow him. Leila and I trailed behind him.

Just a step into the woods, a cozy log cabin stood. Next to it was a ramshackle hut, with what appeared to be a boar hanging nearby.

“~~♪”

Huntus sauntered along, humming, apparently signaling his “household” of visitors.

“…A guest?”

Barely considering, a weary-looking woman with a blank expression peeked out from the log cabin. Could she be a civilian? No way, could this be the so-called “wife”…?

“Ah, yes. A very important guest,” Huntus nodded ominously.

“It’s a small house, but please come in.”

He opened the door, inviting us in. I felt somewhat uneasy about him being at my back, but it wouldn’t do to show tension, so I reminded myself, “I’m the Demon Lord’s Prince…!” while relaxing my shoulders to step inside.

――The cramped, cluttered interior left much to be desired. Rain shutters were drawn, casting the place in dim light. Hunting gear and animal pelts decorated the walls, offering no hints of night elf characteristics.

At the wall, the weary woman scrutinized me closely—

With a bang, Huntus shut the door behind us.

“…Uh, can you use magic? Something to muffle sound…?”

As Huntus tugged at his beard, he asked in a whisper.

I clapped my hands and cast a noise-canceling barrier with no incantation.

“Is this good enough?”

“Very well.”

Immediately, Huntus’s raspy voice transformed into a surprisingly youthful tone, much to my astonishment.

“Phew. The weak human disguise is exhausting. Do you mind if I drop the disguise?”

“Go right ahead; do as you please.”

I set my gear down and, visualizing my presence dispersing around me, I released my human transformation.

It was the technique Virosa had mentioned, designed to make one’s magical energy less perceivable. While I still had a long way to go to perfect it, the intense pressure of a duke-level presence should be considerably lessened by now.

――The world regained its “color” of magical energy. I felt strength surging through my body.

“…!”

With blue skin, red eyes, and horns on my head, both Huntus and the woman assumed a wide-eyed expression.

…Hmm, the magic fluctuated above too.

“Is that everyone?”

Looking up at the ceiling, I asked, and a part of the ceiling came loose with a clatter, revealing a silver-haired, red-eyed night elf peering down.

“Did we get discovered?”

“No enemies in sight.”

Two night elves landed gracefully on the floor. I see, they had living space in the ceiling. Quite a hassle considering how cramped it must be.

“Ixel also mentioned ‘important figures,’ but to have a demon lord among us… forgive my curiosity, but just who are you?”

“I am Demon Lord’s Prince No. 7 Zilbagias-Reiju.”

As I replied, Huntus’s eyes grew wide once more. However, his eyes moved while his expression remained utterly unchanged.

“Apologies, but I have no means of proving my identity. It’s safe to assume my status is obvious with this magical power.”

“Ah… forgive my rudeness. To think you are of royal blood…”

“Why is a prince like you in a place such as this…?”

The woman at the wall—her voice had returned to its youthful lilt—showed a hint of suspicion. Since the intel had dried up half a year ago, they probably weren’t aware of my expulsion.

“Well, various events led to this… I was attacked by my brother Emelgias, and after defending myself, I was told I could choose between a 50-year house arrest for fratricide or exile. I opted for exile instead. It’s quite troublesome when the other party comes at you unprovoked.”

“Prince Emelgias…”

One of the night elves looked dumbfounded. Oh? A member of the Izanis faction?

“Exiled?! If so, connecting with us is—”

“Ah, no worries. It hasn’t been enforced yet, so you’re safe. It’s a legal loophole, you see.”

Seeing Huntus flustered, I gave a sly smile.

“I can use transformation magic, and I’m here to learn about human society before the enforcement takes place, you know?”

“…I see, I understand the situation now,” Huntus nodded, seemingly convinced for now.

“Still, I’m rather surprised. To think your Highness could use transformation magic.”

“To say nothing of your own terrific disguise. You don’t look a bit like a night elf; you’re not using transformation magic, are you?”

“Ah, about that…”

Huntus took his chin in hand and—

――He effortlessly peeled off his face.

“What?!”

“Yikes!”

We all jumped in shock. Under Huntus’s skin was a youthful face of a night elf, with hair and eyebrows shaved and the ears reshaped to be rounded.

“Quite well done, isn’t it? Just a mask.”

Grinning, the night elf waved around Huntus’s slid-off skin.

“Surprising… That’s astonishingly intricate; I never would have guessed. It felt just like a real face.”

“Yeah, well, it’s the skin I took from Huntus.”

The agent said this with a casualness that rattled me.

“…You took it from Huntus?”

Oh no, I hope not.

“Yes. I’m the original hunter who lived here. I didn’t keep a close relationship with the villagers and only had minimal interactions, so taking over was fairly simple. …Of course, when I sold my own skin in the village, they were quite curious, thinking I suddenly got better at skinning my catches.”

Now, he was purposely slackening the leather processing, he chuckled.

“By the way, these arms are long gloves. I think they came out quite well myself.”

He took the hunter, who lived like a hermit in the countryside,

murdered him, skinned him, and took over his identity and home completely…

“Then what about her?”

I turned my gaze to the woman by the wall—Huntus’s “wife.”

“Similar circumstances here,” she replied.

As she seemed to tuck her hand behind her head, she smoothly peeled off her face too. A similarly young night elf woman emerged, with her hair cropped short.

“This one’s the skin of a priestess I took down on the battlefield. Huntus fell in love with her and proposed; this is our cover story as a merchant’s wife.”

Giggling, the woman waved around her facial skin.

“Lately, they keep saying, ‘You’ve really mellowed out since getting married…’ every time I show my face in the village.”

“They’re a carefree bunch.”

“Thanks to that, we’re getting by.”

The two night elves laughed heartily.

Ah, this is amusing.

“Ha ha ha!”

As I joined in the laughter, I subtly reached for Leila’s neck.

Touching the leather cord—[Kizuna].

Leila.

Casually step outside the house for me.

So she wouldn’t be caught in the crossfire.

“Um, excuse me…”

Leila squeaked, shifting nervously.

“Uh… where’s the restroom?”

Huntus, now a fake, wore a slightly pained expression as he replied, “I’m afraid we don’t have any fancy facilities. You can just take care of it in those bushes over there.”

“Got it!”

Leila hastily surged out, exuding the vibe of “I can’t hold it any longer!”

‘She’s better than I thought at acting.’

Ah… this is a relief.

Now I can relax and—

“So, Your Highness. The letter mentioned you had some business with us…”

The fake Huntus laid his face on the table.

“Ah, about that, actually—”

I casually unbuckled my sword sheath from my belt and set the sword against the wall――

But instead, I drew it out.

――Awaken, Adamas.

With a clink, the holy sword radiated light.

“Whoa!”

“What?!”

The night elves were dazzled.

In an instant, I stepped forward and swiftly decapitated the fake Huntus. Avoiding the splatter of blood, I lunged in with my hand knife imbued with maximum magical power, and shattered the other one’s neck.

“Wha—?!”

As their vision cleared, the night elf agent still grasped for his knife at his waist amid the sudden chaos.

“[Let there be light]!”

I fired a holy, brilliant arrow, searing his face. The screams were inconsequential; the soundproof barrier sealed everything away. I struck his heart with Adamas.

“W-why?! How?!”

The fake priestess panicked, tossed away her mask, and attempted to flee.

“[Escape is forbidden]!”

――Established.

Her body stiffened, freezing in place.

“Wait—”

Before she could say another word, I severed her head.

“—I came to kill you.”

I replied to the severed head of the fake Huntus on the ground.

Thanks to that, my business is settled now.

 

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