The spies who had their souls dominated by Otto continued to send false information to their home Kingdom, the Kingdom of Erzsebet.
The insurgents who had been hostile to Otto also moved according to the false information, sabotaging Erzsebet's intelligence operations.
As a result, Bathory was completely unaware of this fact.
"Your Majesty! We have successfully made contact with almost all the individuals and have managed to recruit them!"
"Is that so?"
Upon hearing the report from the Head of the intelligence agency, a smile appeared on Bathory's lips.
For her, it was as if she had finally set the stage to retaliate after continually being outmaneuvered by Otto.
It was only natural that she was pleased.
"Do not spare any support for them. Provide money and resources without holding back, as long as it doesn't draw attention from the Lota Kingdom. Do you understand?"
"It's finally happening!!""You'll see, Otto de Scuderia."
Bathory ground her teeth thinking about Otto, who was in the west.
Since winter had just begun, the Kingdom of Erzsebet was unable to take any action.
Given that the Kingdom of Caliphate was pressuring the Kingdom of Erzsebet with magic stones as a weapon, it was too risky to take any overt action at the moment.
For now, they had to be content with planting spies and dissidents in the Kingdom of Lota until winter passed.
Of course, even that had been completely seen through, and in truth they were being fed misinformation.
"What are the movements of the surrounding Kingdoms?"
Bathory asked the Intelligence Director again.
"As always, the situation remains stable with no unusual developments," the Intelligence Director replied.
"Good."
Bathory smiled with a look of satisfaction.
"Our Kingdom is surrounded by enemies on all sides. Diplomacy and Intelligence work with our neighbors is crucial to our security."
"Your words are absolutely right."
"This incident will likely cause some to underestimate our Kingdom. We must be even more vigilant in our surveillance."
"I will keep that in mind! Your Majesty!"
The Kingdom of Erzsebet’s use of spies for intelligence operations was not limited to just the Kingdom of Iota.
Bathory actively used the intelligence agency to subtly manipulate the surrounding Kingdoms behind the scenes.
Despite being a great power, it actively utilized spies to overcome the disadvantage of being surrounded by enemies on all sides.
It was no wonder that Bathory's true weapon was often assessed as not being military might but rather intelligence warfare.
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Meanwhile, Otto's group traveled to the Uruk Plains with the wyvern forces commanded by Qasim.
"Why are we going to the Uruk Plains?"
Camille asked Otto.
"Who is the most threatening enemy from the perspective of the Erzsebet Kingdom?"
"That…"
Camille answered.
"The orcs of the Uruk Plains, I presume?"
"But what do you ask?" asked Camille.
"Are you planning to recruit the Orcs to attack the Erzsebet Kingdom?"
"It's a bit different."
Otto shook his head.
"Calling it ‘recruitment' sounds a bit off. I'm just trying to make some friends," Otto said.
"Friends… you say?" Camille asked.
"Yep."
"Were Orcs a race one could befriend?"
Camille said this because, in this world, Orcs are known to be very barbaric and ferocious.
"They can be."
Otto answered as if it was a given.
"They're not as bad as you might think?"
"Huh?"
"You don't know much. Tsk tsk."
Otto said with an air of smugness.
"Orcs, you see. They're actually quite decent. They have an unexpectedly simple side and are quite loyal. To be honest, there are times when they're better than humans."
"Are you asking me to believe that?"
"This is why propaganda and fabrication are scary."
"……?"
"Have you ever met an Orc?"
"No, I haven't."
"Then how do you know that?"
Camille was momentarily at a loss for words and couldn't respond.
In reality, Orcs were one of the most difficult races to encounter.
A long time ago.
A long time ago, Orcs were a common sight across the continent, but that is no longer the case.
As Orcs frequently captured and killed people, the inhabitants of the continent launched a massive extermination campaign against them.
They treated the Orcs as monsters, rather than Sentient Beings.
Thanks to that, today Orcs have gathered and settled in the Uruk Plains, and it has become difficult to find Orcs elsewhere on the continent.
"Isn't there a rumor?"
Camille spoke up.
"A story about the orcs."
"So?"
"Orcs are fundamentally very ferocious and savage, and they are a race that doesn't shy away from cannibalism, right?"
"Have you seen it?"
"Huh…?"
"I’m asking if you’ve ever seen an Orc eating a person."
Camille was at a loss for words again.
Records of Orcs eating people are very common in historical texts, but Camille had never actually witnessed such an event.
"History is written by the victors."
Otto opened his mouth.
"Have you ever thought that the prejudice against Orcs might be a maliciously crafted false accusation?"
"……?"
"Orcs are a combative and valiant race, but they are not a barbaric one. In fact, they value honor as warriors. They don’t eat people."
"What do you mean?"
"In simple terms, the prejudice against Orcs is like an unfounded fear created by people from the past."
"Is that really true?"
"Yes."
Otto nodded his head.
"They simply lost in the struggle for territory with us humans. A long time ago, they lived in groups and formed tribes all over the continent."
"Hmm."
"Because of that, conflicts with us humans were inevitable. Our cultures and customs are different from theirs."
"So what happened?"
"Well, what happened was that humans launched a large-scale campaign to exterminate Orcs, and the surviving Orcs settled in the Uruk Plains."
"How do you know that? It's information that people don't know."
"That's why you should do some reading, read some more."
"….?"
"Aside from the propaganda and fabrications of the victors, there are so many books that contain the truth."
…but of course, that was a blatant lie.
Otto knew a lot about the Orc race, but it wasn’t information he had acquired from books.
In the game [Territory Wars], the 100 Lords, who are the main characters, were not all humans.
There were several non-human lords, like the evil undead Nazrak and Prince Peng Yi of the Peng Tribe.
So there was also an Orc lord, and naturally, Otto had experience playing that character.
As a result, he naturally became well-acquainted with the history of the Orcs.
“If you think I’m lying, go meet them yourself. Then you’ll see just how decent the Orcs really are.”
"I understand."
Camille felt unfairly offended by Otto's suggestion to read more, but decided to hold back and endure for the time being.
That was because Camille had never seen Otto actually reading books.
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Late at night.
Otto and his party landed in an uninhabited spot-not exactly uninhabited-in the Uruk Plains with neither rats nor birds noticing.
Wyverns were highly skilled in night flights and due to their gliding nature, made almost no noise.
In other words, they were the perfect means of transportation for covert infiltration.
"First, hide and wait. If needed, I’ll fire a signal flare."
"Understood, Your Majesty."
Following Otto’s command, Qasim led the wyvern flock into the air and disappeared into the distance.
He went off to find a suitable place to hide with the wyverns.
"What do we do now?" Camille inquired.
"What do you mean?"
Otto responded to Camille's question.
"Over there."
Otto pointed to a distant settlement with lights on.
It was evident that the place was likely swarming with Orcs.
It was a city that seemed to house at least several thousand Orcs, if not more.
“We’re going to meet the Chieftain.”
"The Chieftain… you mean?"
"Yes."
Otto nodded.
"His name is Bagram. He's quite….. a decent man… No… a decent Orc."
"Do you know him?"
"Maybe?"
Otto answered with that and then set off alone.
"I'll go, but you wait here."
"You shouldn't go alone."
"I’ll be back soon, so wait here."
"Ah."
Camille's stubbornness was broken when he saw that Otto's eyes were glowing green.
Otto’s night vision was so exceptional that he could move almost like a ghost in the dark.
To the point where he might be more of a hindrance than a help.
“Don’t worry, nothing will go wrong. I’ll be back soon.”
“Understood. I’ll be waiting. If things get dangerous, you must fire a signal flare at any time.”
"Okay."
After saying so, Otto immediately set off toward the Orc City.
‘If you mess with me, you will have to pay for it.'
Otto recalled Bathory and gave a cold smile.
‘I'll take you down, piece by piece.'
The Uruk Plains were the greatest point of concern for the Kingdom of Erzsebet.
Orcs are a race with exceptional combat skills, so if a war were to break out, they would be an extremely formidable opponent.
Thus, the Kingdom of Erzsebet has been covertly intervening in the Uruk Plains for a long time, manipulating the situation from behind the scenes.
In other words, the Orcs living in the Uruk Plains had been living without knowing that they were being manipulated by the Kingdom of Erzsebet.
Otto intended to break that system.
‘How will they react if they lose control over the Uruk Plains? It should be quite a sight.'
Otto planned to make the Orcs realize the dirty and deceitful schemes of the Kingdom of Erzsebet.
If that happened, the Kingdom of Erzsebet would be forced to worry not only about the Kingdom of Lota but also about the Uruk Plains.
‘I'll make you wish you had ten hands, Hehehe.'
No matter how powerful a Kingdom is, as more and more issues arise, it eventually leads to its destruction.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Otto planned to repay Bathory's attempts to sabotage her through economic sanctions and information warfare in kind.
Otto was also in a situation where starting a war would be costly.
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Late at night.
Bagram, Chieftain of the Thunderhoof Clan, was deep in thought.
‘How long must we Orcs continue to fight among ourselves?'
As the chieftain of the Thunderhoof Clan, one of the two largest factions in the Uruk Plains, Bagram had many concerns.
The greatest concern among them was the civil war that had continued for centuries.
Since settling in the Uruk Plains, the Orcs had not only failed to unite but had been engaged in endless conflicts, creating a tragic cycle of fratricide.
At least ten years ago, there was a period when a peaceful atmosphere among the various tribes, both large and small, had been established.
However, after a certain incident, the Uruk Plains once again turned into a battleground, with bloodshed and conflict erupting anew.
As the chieftain of the Thunderhoof Clan, Bagram found this situation extremely deplorable.
Having been driven to the Uruk Plains by humans centuries ago, it was a time when the Orcs should have been striving to unite, rather than fighting amongst themselves.
Yet, the constant fighting among themselves left Bagram with an overwhelming sense of frustration that was beyond words.
"Turian. Chwik. My younger brother, why did you… Chwiik."
While Bagram was lamenting, thinking of his younger brother.
"May I speak with you for a moment?"
"…..!"
Bagram was startled when a blond, handsome man suddenly appeared.
‘Human?!'
As Bagram’s hand moved like lightning to reach for his axe,
"Calm down."
The blond man unclipped his sword from his waist and laid it on the ground.
"I didn't come here to fight."
"Hmph."
Bagram was taken aback, but when he saw the blond man deliberately putting down his weapon, he stopped in his tracks.
Just as with humans, among Orcs, laying down one’s weapon was a way of showing that they had no intention to fight.
"Who are you? Chwiik"
Bagram asked.
"I’m someone who has come to reveal the truth."
Otto replied.
** ** **
TL/N:
1. If you are familiar with the Chwiik stuff with Orcs in Korean Novels it's a subtle nod for the Legendary Moonlight Sculptor Novel back then when MC disguised himself as an Orc.
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