LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 48
Chapter 48: Skilled Agent
Even though it was a rehearsal for the unit’s movements, I really didn’t need to march too hard right now.
So, before the sky started to brighten, we began preparing for camping.
When I say “preparing,” it means I’m not doing anything at all. The prince is leaving everything to everyone else and just relaxing… Even in the wilderness, I get to lounge around in the carriage. It’s a nice feeling.
It seems the servants are setting up tents and pavilions. With several carriages around, it looked a bit like a military encampment.
We passed through some small villages and towns, but since it was the Demon Lord Prince’s stay, it would only cause trouble for everyone, so camping felt much more comfortable.
Still, it’s strange how the minions of darkness move around—traveling at night and resting during the day just doesn’t sit right with me. I know Night Elves can see well in the dark and that most monsters can be shot down with arrows before they get close, but still…
“Hey, can I ask you something?”
While the servants were preparing the meal, I decided to chat with that skilled agent.
“Please ask anything, Your Highness.”
The Night Elf man bowed respectfully. He crossed his arms and leaned against the carriage, vigilantly observing the surroundings.
His name is Virosa. He’s about 130 years old, a veteran among his people, and seemingly a renowned agent. Other Night Elves look at him with admiration.
As if following the example of their beautiful kin, he’s quite handsome himself. He wears a soundless, matte black leather armor, armed with a bow and a slender sword. A sword, not a dagger or knife—quite rare for a Night Elf.
Every move he makes is so fluid and without unnecessary force that one could easily lose sight of him if they let their guard down for even a moment.
“How do you do that? It seems different from concealment magic.”
I felt a strong magical presence during healing, yet now he seemed so faint.
If this was concealment magic, a strangely unnatural gap in magical energy would form, making him noticeable from this close…
“I spread my presence around.”
As Virosa slightly smiled, his aura gathered, and suddenly the reality around me felt restored. It was as if the cloudy view through a crystal glass had been cleared, making the contours sharp again.
“…Impressive.”
I couldn’t help but stroke my horns. To fool even those with excellent sensory abilities like demons so easily!
“This is a technique I’ve mastered through training.”
“Could I do it too?”
Virosa blinked.
“…Are you interested? This is a technique for ambushing and evading pursuers… so, well, it’s not particularly well-regarded among your kind.”
Not great, huh?
“I’ve always thought… if the ultimate goal is to kill the opponent, isn’t it the winner who can do it by any means necessary?”
To be honest, if the Demon Lord could poison someone, I’d do it! I just don’t because poisons are detected by magical necklaces or rings.
“…Your Highness has a very progressive way of thinking.”
Virosa smiled slightly. His expression seemed to agree wholeheartedly.
“Whether I use it or not is another story. Whether I’d be allowed to use it is another. But I’m interested in your skills. I don’t believe one can master them overnight, but if time allows, could you teach me? One never knows where it might come in handy.”
I knew a bit about Night Elf methods as a hero, but if I could further understand their practices, it would make future encounters much easier.
“Of course, Your Highness. If you wish, I’d be glad to help.”
With that, I broke the ice a bit with Virosa and sat with him, pretending to be a curious Demon Prince, hoping to learn about the actual state of their intelligence network.
“I mainly infiltrated the allied support nations in the rear from the front lines—”
—How do you breach the border?
“If you naively pass through forests or mountains, you risk getting spotted by those pesky forest elf spirit users. I often use underground paths dug by goblins or blend in with dragon air raids to infiltrate. There was even a time I made a long detour by sea to land directly on the coast to the south of the continent—”
—How do you build local collaborators?
“It comes down to money… Your Highness, do you know the term ‘economy’? Oh, then this will be quick. The allied nations have a very developed currency economy, and we have several puppet merchant guilds. Basically, it’s all about bribery and under-the-table deals—”
—What kind of operations do you put into motion exactly?
“Disguised as a merchant wanting to procure food supplies, I once bribed a priest of commander rank in the Holy Church to get advance military plans. As a major counter-offensive operation was being prepared at the frontline fortress, I set fire to warehouses stocked with food and tampered with the bridges along the advance route to make them susceptible to collapse—”
Listening to him chilled me to the bone.
The demon race is brutish. Most probably don’t even really understand the meaning of currency. Yet the depth of understanding the Night Elves have regarding human society is astounding!
I never expected that their espionage had reached even the Holy Church, and the local collaborators had no idea they were helping the Demon Lord’s army!
I desperately etched the names of the merchant guilds, countries, and towns that Virosa spoke of into my brain. Somehow, I had to relay this information to the allied nations, but how could I do it—
“By the way, I heard that before I was born, the heroes attempted a surprise attack on the Demon Lord Castle. Did you have any information regarding that?”
I asked out of the blue, and Virosa’s expression soured.
“…We didn’t predict that ahead of time, either. We caught wind that some White Dragons went missing from the Demon Lord’s domain, that they had been sighted flying over the allied nations, and that several hero squads had been summoned to the Holy Kingdom, along with the increased interactions and delegations between the Holy Kingdom and various countries—but—”
Wait, what?! That’s almost too transparent!
“We never expected they would make a one-way suicide attack on the Demon Lord Castle—”
We had most of the information collected, but we just couldn’t anticipate that far.
Hmm. Indeed, that surprise operation was so secretive, kept mostly from anyone except the national leaders and executors. The soldiers in those units seemed to have been limited to those who wouldn’t need to bid farewell to families, like me.
It can be inferred that the defense against espionage is still solid for those near the national leadership levels… But thinking about how the lower ranks might be so clueless is not comforting…
“Still, it’s impressive how you can operate without being found out in allied territories.”
I pretended to be genuinely impressed.
“What kind of disguises do you use?”
“Changing skin tone with makeup is basic, but the problematic part is the eye color.”
Virosa pointed to his Night Elf-like dark red eyes.
“There’s magic that can change them, but not everyone can use it due to their magical levels. So, we create lenses by processing a soft shell of a transparent crab that lives in a certain underground lake and a special corn species that secretes pigment. We call this material ‘Karakon.'”
“Oh, interesting…”
“However, since our original eye color is red, it can’t be changed to blue shades. We mostly disguise it to black or brown.”
So, those with blue eyes are less likely to be Night Elves…
“And to protect our skin from sunlight, we apply a special ointment made from specific herbs.”
I know about this… That herb has quite a unique smell, which allows specially trained dogs to sniff out the Night Elf’s base even.
“However, recently, those dogs have begun to detect the smell of this ointment, so we started using a different type of herb. The previous ointment has become more about diversion now. I have several different ointments prepared that have similar effects but different smells, and we plan to keep updating them as countermeasures are established.”
What…!
I was dumbfounded, but I brought myself back together and inquired more about that herb. Virosa happily shared, but I have to be careful not to get too inquisitive, or he might start to find it suspicious.
He’s a professional spy. Thanks to being the Demon Prince and a benefactor who healed him, I don’t raise suspicion, but if he finds me suspicious, it could be a problem.
“…Generally, standard agents use props for disguise, but those with strong magical abilities can use [Human Transformation Magic] to masquerade as humans.”
Listening to the explanation, Virosa suddenly said something unexpected.
“Human Transformation Magic?”
“Yes. Originally, it’s a spell from the Dragon Race. They can assume the form of humans whenever they wish.”
I know about Dragon Race magic. I haven’t seen it directly, but I heard that White Dragons also take on human forms during negotiations.
Wait, can other races also do that?
“Is that magic usable by races other than the Dragon Clan?”
Since ancient times, humans and dragons have been quite hostile—dragons love shiny things and attack humans, while humans retaliate for their materials and treasures—so not much progress has been made in studying their magic.
“Yes. However, to learn the spell, you need to consume dragon’s blood, and the practitioner must possess considerable magical power. Additionally, a significant price is required to drink the dragon’s blood, so not everyone can use it.”
“Oh, interesting… So, of course, Virosa, you can use it, right?”
I raised an eyebrow and asked pointedly, and Virosa grinned.
Suddenly, his shape warped.
And the next moment, sitting before me was a middle-aged human man.
Unlike youthful Night Elves, he appeared to be appropriately aged. Upon close observation, you could see Virosa’s features, but the unshaven beard made him look entirely human. His ears were round, and both his hair and eye colors had changed to brown.
“W-wow…!”
I was left utterly speechless and shaken.
This… is almost indistinguishable…!
“What about sunlight and resistance to holy attributes?”
“Sunlight is generally fine. Just a bit more susceptible to tanning.”
With a slightly raspy but robust voice, Virosa replied as the older figure.
“However, returning to my original form while tanned will be hell. It’s best not to be active during the day. As for holy attributes, unfortunately, those cannot be concealed.”
Thank goodness. It seems holy attribute detection is still effective…
“And you might have guessed, but when I take this form, my senses and magical power are weakened to human levels.”
…Indeed.
Compared to his previously scattered presence, he now seemed so—
“—Weak, doesn’t it?”
Virosa smirked as if seeing right through my thoughts.
“Well, yeah, kind of.”
“However, humans can’t be underestimated either. Would you like to see something interesting?”
Suddenly, Virosa stood up and drew a slender sword from his hip.
—What a finely made weapon.
Underneath the slightly brightening sky, the blade glinted with a menacing light.
Without any tension, Virosa, with a natural motion, sliced through a nearby tree.
Silently, the blade slipped through the trunk.
And with a horrifyingly smooth cut, it tilted and fell.
—I felt a chill run down my spine.
The sharpness of that sword seemed to defy the laws of nature.
Unbelievable.
This guy is a Night Elf!
“You—how is it that you are—”
Naturally, my voice trembled.
“A ‘Sword Saint,’ aren’t you?”
Virosa sheathed his sword and turned back to me—once again, he gave a sly smile.