Chapter 54

The inside of the cave is illuminated by the unreliable light of candlesticks. Due to poor ventilation, it feels damp and the air is terribly stagnant. To put it bluntly, the stench of animals is overwhelming. The girl in the black dress couldn't help but wrinkle her nose.

She has no desire to visit such a place again, but she cannot simply return. The girl endured pinching her nose.

In front of her, a giant several times her size sits cross-legged. The one-eyed giant glared at the girl and laughed mockingly.

"What a rare guest in such a place."

The atmosphere is not as tense as if it were a confrontation, but it is certainly not welcoming. The girl, however, seemed unconcerned.

"Yes, I don't want to come to such a place either. But since I have business, I have no choice."

"So, why did you come?"

The giant's words, as if urging her to leave quickly, were casual. But the girl didn't flinch.

"You already know, don't you? About what happened in the Kingdom of Castal, the Empire of Vaiscel, and the Commonwealth?"

"I've heard about the human countries. ...It seems that you, along with the others, have been defeated by humans. Moreover, I've heard that your subordinates have been defeated twice."

The girl, who had her arms crossed, dug her nails into her thin arms. The fabric of her long-sleeved dress was distorted. A dense aura of anger, so intense it seemed to crush the air, emanated from the girl. The giant, however, seemed to enjoy it.

"Do you know about the person who is hindering our plans?"

"I've heard about a human mage. A powerful mage who can turn a thousand monsters to ash with lightning and freeze even a giant golem. Is this person really human?"

"Who knows, I have my doubts too, but perhaps the reason is that this human is a visitor from the same world as our master."

The one-eyed giant fell silent. A human from the same world as their master. The master possesses overwhelming power, but are all visitors from 'that world' such formidable beings?

"Does the master know about this?"

"Of course, I strongly advised him. We should eliminate any obstacles. But, we haven't received any orders from the master."

The giant's eyes narrowed slightly.

"…So, the master's will is not to take action against this human?"

"No, that's not it. Perhaps the master considers them insignificant. To the master, everyone is like dust. Besides, the master is very busy and shouldn't be troubled."

The master has other things to do and can't spare the time. The battle against humans is largely entrusted to them. However, the girl doesn't seem entirely convinced.

"The master may think so, but we can't ignore it. We can tolerate human resistance, but the fact that humans have suffered so little damage is unexpected. It could even disrupt our main plan. It's becoming a real nuisance, that visitor—Chaos."

The Kingdom of Castal, the Empire of Vaiscel, and the Commonwealth. The visitor who interferes with their attacks. The master might consider them insignificant and ignore them, but the monsters are different. Elder Treants, Griffons and Rhinos, and even vampires and Mountain Golems have all been defeated by the visitor and humans.

"Besides, the Wyvern Veevul has lent its power to Chaos."

"Veevul the Wyvern? That's troublesome. The dragons might be siding with humans again. …Then, are the elves, dwarves, and beastmen also supporting humans?"

"From what I can tell, no other dragons have appeared yet. It seems that Veevul is acting on its own to support Chaos. Elves, dwarves, and beastmen are few in number these days. They live in remote areas. If the events of the past have been passed down to the present, it's hard to imagine other races supporting humans, but the possibility of dragons helping humans cannot be ruled out. That is a threat."

"Perhaps a complete reenactment of the mythic era is not possible."

Unlike the mythic era when the evil gods and other deities fought, humans have increased in number, while other races have dwindled and live in small numbers. If the other races, centered around humans, form an alliance, it would be troublesome, but that is unlikely in the current situation.

The giant looked disappointed. Though he is barbaric and crude, he has a strong desire to fight powerful opponents. The fact that the enemy is weakened is not particularly favorable. The girl also dislikes strong opponents, but only if they are not her enemies. Given her preference for one-sided slaughter in battle, the giant's taste is something she cannot empathize with.

"So, Carmilla, what do you want me to do? Do you want me to make this Chaos fight us?"

"If we try to overpower him, it will turn into a full-scale battle. Without the master's permission, we can't act openly. Besides, if it comes to a decisive battle with humans, we should avoid unnecessary losses for now."

Carmilla's eyes glinted dimly.

"The problem is that Chaos is lending his power to humans. Veevul's support for humans is also due to Chaos. If we can sever the connection between Chaos and humans, it won't hinder our future plans."

"So, you want to divide them?"

"Exactly. We need to undermine Chaos's credibility and isolate him. If humans lose trust in Chaos, what will they think of him? They will no longer rely on his power. They will put him under surveillance. He won't be able to act freely. It's a complete reversal of the support he has given so far. When that happens, will humans still trust Chaos? Can he help them without any reservations? It will be interesting to see."

Carmilla expected the giant to show discomfort at such a petty tactic, but she thought his reaction was surprisingly calm. Perhaps it showed on her face, as the giant laughed and explained.

"What, I think it's just a matter of attacking the human countries directly. It's natural to be dissatisfied. However, you, despite your flaws, are loyal to the master. Those who hinder the master are my enemies too. If they interfere with our plans and are related to the master, I can't ignore them."

In other words, he is not willing to cooperate with Carmilla's request, but he will comply because it benefits the master. It is rare for monsters, who lack cooperation, to work together across different species. The absolute existence of the master, who is revered by them, has led to a slight compromise.

"But how do you plan to undermine Chaos's credibility?"

"I should have explained it better, I'm sorry. I want to send one of your subordinates to infiltrate the human countries."

"…That one? You have your own subordinates, so you don't need to. Using them would be more reliable."

"Humans aren't stupid. Once a method is used, it won't work again, and they seem to have learned from it. I think the visitor gave them advice. They have already devised a countermeasure to expose the true identity of the vampire. It's difficult to infiltrate a walled city. Most of the subordinates I created in the Commonwealth have been defeated by humans. It's a struggle to gather information."

"Hmm, not only is he powerful, but he's also smart. This visitor named Chaos."

"Yes, he's really troublesome. That's why we've been on the back foot so far. But even if he's a visitor, he's still human. In fact, because he's a visitor, he has a fatal weakness. I plan to exploit that."

"I see, it's a bit of a shame that we can't fight him, but if he's that much of a threat, there's no choice."

The giant's expression turned more aggressive, likely excited by the prospect of a battle with a powerful opponent.

"But can you get past Veevul the Wyvern? If Veevul notices, it might not work. Veevul is a powerful dragon, and your subordinate won't stand a chance against it."

Dragons have sharp senses, among the best in this world. They can easily distinguish the smell of monsters. However, Carmilla didn't intend to have her subordinate fight Veevul directly. This time, there was a chance of success.

"It's fine. According to the information from my subordinates, Veevul and Chaos are acting separately this time. Even if Veevul can fly fast, there are limits. If we succeed during that time, there won't be a problem."

Besides, the purpose is not to engage in combat. The best opportunity is when Veevul is away.

"I see. Then where should I send them?"

In response to the giant's question, Carmilla smiled slyly.

"To a place called Mauct in the Kingdom of Castal."

***

The capital of the Kingdom of Castal, Mauct.

It's been a while since I came to this capital. I visited during the closed beta test. Was it half a year ago? It feels like a long time ago.

"Hmm, so this is Mauct. It's not much different from Clermont, is it? Well, there might be more old buildings here compared to Clermont."

She muttered, peering out the window of the carriage.

The Commonwealth, fearing invasion by the Kingdom of Castal and the Empire of Vaiscel, formed an alliance with multiple countries and united into one. Clermont itself might have become the capital after its founding, so it might have fewer historically significant buildings compared to the capital of Castal. But I couldn't tell which had the older buildings.

"What are they doing over there?"

Outside the city gates, people were lining up in front of the soldiers. I thought it might be a checkpoint, but the soldiers seemed to be presenting something to the people's noses. When I looked puzzled, she narrowed her eyes and answered in a weary tone.

"Probably a measure against vampires."

"Against vampires?"

"Monsters have more acute senses than humans. Vision, hearing, and smell. Therefore, humans can't detect smells that monsters can. To avoid monster attacks while traveling, it's common to carry herbs that monsters dislike. This way, monsters won't come near. The soldiers are likely holding something similar. It's a bit smelly for humans, but for monsters, it's extremely strong. If it's brought close to the nose, it can make them grimace. Vampires are the same. This is likely to identify vampires disguised as humans."

I can use the map function to determine if someone is a monster, so I can identify a vampire in human form. But the people in this world can't use such a function. I heard that vampires were not very active until recently and were not well-known to the general public, but it seems that measures are already in place.

Considering the damage to the Commonwealth, it's natural to view vampires, who look like humans, as dangerous and take precautions.

"But it's so boring. Is a carriage this boring? We could go faster."

"It's a city, so we can't go too fast."

At first, she seemed excited to ride in a human form, but she quickly got bored being confined in the small space of the carriage.

"If it takes this long, I would have preferred to fly."

"Don't be unreasonable. This is another country, and it would cause a big commotion like last time. The Commonwealth had Rozeline, a human who understood, but Castal might not have such people."

"But it's boring to stay in Clermont alone."

I tried to calm her down.

"Ha, you're quite self-centered, aren't you, Veevul?"

Why is the dragon Veevul in the