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Chapter 339: Schemes and Endeavors

――A crowd had gathered in front of my house.

Officia, who had just returned from the Cortera Trading Company branch, was struck by an immensely bad premonition.

After receiving Outluke’s proposal, Officia and the others took action without waiting for tomorrow. Howard and Paulo advanced their plans to forge identification, while Outluke, fully aware of the risks, headed to the Holy Church to request treatment. Officia went to the Cortera Trading Company branch to procure funds for the treatment.

Then, with the authority of the vice branch manager, she took out as much valuables as she could from the safe and returned home—only to find this.

The shutters of the house were wide open, and an unfamiliar dog beastman, dressed as a guard, was sniffing around, his nose twitching.

This is bad.

Officia quickly left the scene. At least it was dark since night had fallen. Dog beastmen have poor night vision—

“Hey, did you hear? It’s a murder!”

“I heard it was a fire? They found a charred corpse…”

“Apparently, it’s not even a human! The priestess said it was a Night Elf!”

“What!?”

Straining her ears, Officia could hear the gossiping crowd’s conversation carried by the wind.

This is bad. Bad. Bad.

With a bag filled with gold and jewels in hand, Officia slipped into an empty alley, nimbly kicking off the walls of the houses like an acrobat and leaped onto the roof, hiding behind a chimney.

……Let’s recap the situation.

First, my house has been seized. It’s almost certain that the identities of my—my spies have been discovered.

Why on earth?

Suddenly, the face of the mysterious hero Nina had brought earlier flashed through her mind. Could it be him? Was he the Grim Reaper? There’s no basis for it, but it felt that way.

Nina, you’ve attracted trouble for us…!

“That kid…”

Officia, her refined features twisted in a scowl, muttered under her breath.

The survival of Howard and Paulo now seemed hopeless. The “charred corpse” the bystanders mentioned was likely one of the two, burned by sacred magic.

What about Outluke? …It’s wishful thinking to consider he’s safe. By the order of things, Outluke, who gallivantingly showed up at the Holy Church, was most likely the first to be taken down.

Should I assume that, at worst, everyone except me is dead?

(…No, it would be even worse if one or two of them were captured.)

The worst-case scenario would be that one or two are alive but in captivity. While all spies undergo training to alleviate pain, they aren’t resilient enough to withstand torture involving magic or miracles until death.

The Night Elves, being pros at torture, know this well. For medical pain, the psyche is far too fragile. No matter how noble one’s intentions, no one can withstand torture—if all information concerning the spy network or the Demon Lord Kingdom were extracted, that would be a grave problem.

That’s what the poison ring for suicide is for, but Howard had indeed used it. Of course, we had just regrouped, so no spare was prepared.

(This is bad…)

The odds of Howard being taken prisoner should be considered high. I’d like to believe sharp-minded Outluke and quick Paulo are fine, but…

What should I do in this situation?

Checking her belongings. The funds taken from the trading company for treatment at the Holy Church, as well as gold and jewels for future military funds. A portable bow, a few poison arrows, a knife, some drugs disguised as perfume bottles, and the merchant’s typical quilted outfit.

(I need to do something about the smell.)

Taking out her regular perfume bottle from her bag, Officia planned to cover up her scent. Night Elf spies often wore strong fragrances to mask the special sunscreen smells used against dog and wolf beastmen.

However, now that her identity has been exposed, those scents would only be a liability that made her easier to track for the beastman soldiers. The perfume bottle, along with the clothes soaked in those scents, was now nothing but a dangerous item.

(I need to get a different outfit.)

And I need to move.

Running across the rooftop as she removed her clothes. She was now reduced to only her undergarments and a leather harness hanging with hidden weapons, pondering where to dispose of the clothing she’d been wearing.

After a bit of running, she entered a district close to the slums, away from the center. Officia zeroed in on a drain that connected to the sewer.

“…………”

There’s no choice. She wrapped the perfume bottle, serving as a weight, in her clothes and tossed it into the drain, plunging herself into the filthy water to overwrite the perfume and body odor with the stench of sewage.

(…I feel like throwing up.)

The slimy feel of the water and the noxious smell made it unbearable for Officia, who had lived quite well as a high-ranking member of the Cortera Trading Company. Despite her rigorous training as a Night Elf spy, some things are just distasteful. That was only natural.

(I should’ve wiped my body off before tossing the clothes away…)

The beautiful merchant’s outfit had sunk into the drain and was now out of sight. Officia gazed wistfully at the dirty water’s surface, half-heartedly letting her mind wander to that.

(Now then…)

Picking up her bag, she again dashed back up onto the roof to change locations. She’d managed to disguise her body odor. However, she couldn’t keep acting in just her underwear.

No matter if it was for escaping or hiding, she needed inconspicuous clothing. While she had money, the thrift shops were all closed by now, and shopping in such a state would only draw attention, so…

Narrowing her eyes, Officia scanned the alleys from the rooftop.

“～～～♪”

She quickly spotted her target: a drunk man, presumably returning from a tavern, humming cheerfully to himself—alone. He was a bit chunkier than Officia but wore decent, very common apparel.

Quietly, Officia descended into the alley.

“Huh?”

The drunkard voiced his confusion, suddenly feeling the slim legs wrap around his neck.

“Stinky—”

As he belatedly recognized the foul odor of the drain, the drunkard’s voice became his last words.

Officia twisted her body with the legs still clinging to the man’s neck, the momentum snapping his neck. A sharp “crack!” echoed, and the drunken man was dead in an instant.

(Good.)

Killing with a knife would leave blood, and in the current situation, supplies were precious. This method was the cleanest and least messy.

Quickly stripping the drunkard of his clothes, she wore them. To make it look like a robbery, she stabbed the clothes several times with her knife to fabricate the cause of death. As long as the body wasn’t discovered until morning, the broken neck might also be passed off as rigor mortis—

(I’ve masked the body odor, and I’ve obtained clothes.)

Officia pondered while moving again.

……What on earth should I do?

(The plan to disguise myself as a human woman has failed.)

The original plan was to have the Holy Church treat the sick, thereby cleansing her identity, before swapping and hiding in the royal capital—but that plan was ruined by the sudden exposure. Given the time constraints, it didn’t seem likely that Isabella’s treatment was completed yet.

(Considering this plan might have been leaked, getting close to Isabella is dangerous.)

If Howard has been captured, the plan to switch with the human under the Cortera Trading Company would likely be exposed too. The problem was how long the captured spies could withstand the Holy Church’s torture… Even if they somehow managed to hold out for a day, the details would surely be revealed by tomorrow night.

(There’s a chance they might stubbornly hold their tongues, but I shouldn’t expect too much.)

It’s wise to anticipate things on the lower end. Given the probability of being ambushed, it would be best to avoid any buildings associated with the Cortera Trading Company as much as possible.

(…So, should I escape right now?)

Disappearing into the night sounds like a feasible plan.

(…It’s not that simple.)

Wiping the sewage-sodden hair from her face, Officia grimaced.

The Holy Church must also anticipate that she would try to run. Noticing as she dashed through the streets, there were notably more guards than usual. The royal capital appeared to be on high alert. Surely, even the castle gates and the walls surrounding the city had tightened their security.

Even for Officia, skilled in stealth, breaking through the alert net head-on was a challenge at this moment.

(There’s no “now,” at least.)

The personnel assigned to security must be newly mobilized, and their senses would be on high alert. It would be better to wait for their fatigue to set in. For example—dawn.

(They surely wouldn’t expect a Night Elf to escape at dawn.)

In that case, it would be ideal to mingle with the refugees or merchant caravans leaving the royal capital—

(…………)

She pondered. The royal capital was starting to become uneasy about the presence of spies. How could she turn this situation to her advantage?

(…Destruction seems to be the only way.)

To instill fear in the common people. Create a situation that would cause them to want to flee from the city or seek refuge outside with relatives. Therefore, destruction seems the only option available. And what kind of destruction would strike fear in densely populated areas—

(Fires.)

While most buildings in the royal capital Todomarl were stone, there were certainly materials around, and the slums had wooden houses that were practically shacks.

If she could ignite them efficiently. Fortunately, there was no rain tonight, and the air was dry. If managed with the wind, it could be done. If a big fire happened, the capital’s personnel would be too busy dealing with it to search for a Night Elf.

(That means I need oil and a firestarter.)

That was the Cortera Trading Company’s specialty. They had plenty of warehouses throughout the royal capital with vast stockpiles of supplies. Furthermore, Officia’s mind housed the company’s ledgers. If she retraced her memory, she could easily recall where everything was—

“…………”

Opening the mental ledger again, Officia made a sour face.

(What a fateful connection.)

She found the stock of cooking oil, lamp oil, cotton, thread, and fabric—all in the same warehouse.

And that warehouse was located near the Todomarl branch of the trading company, in the urban area.

――It was also the temporary residence of Isabella, the spinning master, and her daughter, Nina.

(Well, that works out nicely. Set a house ablaze with Night Elf destruction, mingle with the panicked commoners to escape the royal capital—)

And the people of the Holy Church were searching for a single woman.

(A woman with a child would draw less suspicion.)

Fortunately, she had several types of drugs disguised as perfume bottles. Among them was a poison that could muddle a human’s consciousness.

(A “mother escaping with her daughter who is fainted from illness.” That fits perfectly.)

Wasn’t that an excellent setup? Kill Isabella, knock Nina out, set fire to the city, and escape veiled in the terror of the populace—

Once she made it outside the royal capital, she’d be free.

(I’ll dispose of that brat and bid farewell to this country.)

Officia grinned maliciously.

――Thus, the plan was set in motion.

 

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