Side: ????

「Hihihihi. It’s almost time for the festivities in this town to end… How is the progress on your side?」

「Umu. We have four potential candidates. Diaz the guild master, Wijad Aurel the beastman’s group leader, Fermus the former A-Ranked adventurer, and Dimitris the S-Ranked adventurer」

「Were you able to narrow it down more?」

「I think we should go for Aurel and Dimitris」

「But how exactly are we going to get our hands on an S-Ranked adventurer?」

「Each of these two has grandchildren」

「So they’re an easier target because we can take hostages?」

「Yes. Aurel should be useful not only for his combat skills, but also for his knowledge. As for Dimitris, getting him over to our side would be worth as much as getting a whole country」

「I can understand your point, but they must also have strong guards, mustn’t they? Especially when it comes to Dimitris’ grandchildren, they would surely be protected by a very skilled guard」

「I know」

「Oh, right, I’ll be preoccupied with the people from Shallus Kingdom, so I don’t think I can help you this time」

「I have borrowed forces from my master and assembled another forces from this town. I plan to use them」

「Hou? May I know what kind of forces are they?」

「One is a group of kidnapped adventurers that have been turned into undead, thanks to the drugs you gave me」

「Ah, that drug. I wondered why would you ask me for such an unusual drug, I didn’t know you can make undead with it」

「Regrettably though, since we can only prepare a simple ritual, their capabilities are much lower than before their death」

「But they could at least be used as meat walls, right?」

「Indeed. And our main force will consist of ghouls from former C-Ranked adventurers. They don’t retain their sanity like me, but they were created by our master’s own hands, so their fighting ability should be sufficiently high」

「Hihihi. That sounds interesting. Still, I have to admit that I’m impressed that an undead like you is still able to talk like this」

「It’s all thanks to my master and my lady’s power. Both Dimitris and Aurel will also be their faithful servants once they become undead」

「Hihihihi! I bet an undead from an S-Ranked adventurer would surely have terrific prowess! Now that’s something to look forward to!」

「The final will be held the day after tomorrow. Dimitris and Aurel will surely be present for the closing ceremony. That’s when we should make our move」

「Understood. Shall we also adjust the dosage for the people from Shallus Kingdom?」

「I’m sure you know that they still have their uses. This time, why don’t we just let them cause a ruckus?」

「Understood. The Kingdom of Shallus is located in a strategic position for your country after all. Having the option to attack the Kingdom of Kranzel from the north and south will surely expand the range of strategies you can use. It would be a waste to just throw them away here」

「Indeed. Their current king is at the beck and call of his aide. He will even join forces with his long-time enemies if he is advised to do so. Although our attempts in Philias and Sydran failed, having Shallus Kingdom in our grasp is plenty」

「But it seems that some of Shallus Kingdom’s nobles are quite dissatisfied with the situation. There are also those who were skeptical about the king’s instruction among the dispatched nobles」

「It’s your job to take care of them」

「Understood」

「Make sure you’re ready by the time the plan is set to go」

「There are various poisons that I would like to try too. I wonder which one shall I use?」

「And don’t forget about the diversion plan using the people from the Kingdom of Shallus」

「I understand that too. But this looks like it’s going to be fun… Hihihi!」