Episode 299
Tauga, who had been feasting on the Ogre King’s arm, glared at the wizard and spoke.
“In battle, consuming the flesh of the defeated is a sacred ritual. Interfere with a warrior’s rite, and only death awaits.”
Despite Tauga’s threat, the wizard remained unfazed and continued.
“The Mountain Lord has returned.”
At the wizard’s words, Tauga dropped the arm he was gnawing on and stood up.
“The Mountain Lord, you say. An old bear like that is best boiled for strength. I’ll go and take its head.”
The wizard shook his head.
“The Mountain Lord is a divine beast that has dwelled in these mountains for millennia. We weakened its power by disrupting the mountain’s energy flow, planning to strike with the druids. But a few days ago, a golden aura swept through the mountains, restoring the Mountain Lord’s strength.”
As the wizard’s explanation dragged on, Tauga yawned and ground his teeth.
“Humans always talk too much. Step aside. I’ll just go and take the old bear’s head myself.”
The wizard frowned at Tauga’s words.
“No, it’s not that simple…”
Just then, a commotion erupted among the orcs in the camp.
Tauga shouted at the orcs causing the ruckus.
“What’s all this noise about?”
In response to his shout, an armored orc ran towards Tauga.
“Chief! We’ve got an intruder!”
Hearing about the intruder, Tauga grinned.
“An intruder, huh? Could it be that Mountain Lord?”
The wizard shook his head again.
“No, it can’t be the Mountain Lord. Tauga, wait. We need to identify the enemy first…”
But Tauga didn’t wait to hear the rest. He called out to his subordinates.
“Bring me my armor! I’ll personally capture whoever dares to invade our fortress and uncover their identity.”
The wizard sighed, watching Tauga act on his own whims.
“Damn orcs.”
Assigned to deal with these unruly orcs, the wizard lamented his fate, stuck in the Ogre Mountains enduring all sorts of hardships.
“I need to report this to headquarters.”
As the orcs charged forward with weapons raised, the wizard shook his head and headed to the command tent.
The ogre camp was built by carving into solid rock, creating caves where families lived. The ogres, now enslaved by the orcs, were kept in pens, and the wizard had set up a camp in one of the caves as his command center.
Inside the tent, the wizard retrieved a crystal ball from a chest. He infused it with magic, attempting to contact his superiors, but all he got was static.
“Why won’t this thing work? Damn budget cuts.”
As he was about to tap the crystal ball in frustration, he felt a sharp sensation at his neck and froze.
‘How did they…’
Without a sound, someone had managed to get behind him, leaving the wizard on the verge of fainting.
Zeke, holding a dagger to the wizard’s throat, spoke.
“So, you’re from the Empire, huh? Part of the Intelligence Bureau’s 13th Division?”
The 13th Division was a secretive branch, handling only the most confidential missions within the Intelligence Bureau.
Zeke bound the wizard with chains and sat across from him.
“Let’s skip the pleasantries. Tell me everything you know, and I’ll make it quick.”
The 13th Division was known for its elite operatives, immune to simple persuasion.
“I-I’ll tell you everything! Just spare me!”
Zeke was taken aback by the wizard’s unexpected response.
‘Is he really from the 13th Division?’
The wizard’s demeanor was nothing like what Zeke had encountered with Boris.
“Alright, first, confirm if you’re really from the 13th Division.”
The wizard nodded vigorously.
“Y-yes, I am. 13th Division.”
Zeke pondered for a moment, finding the wizard’s behavior uncharacteristic for someone from the Empire’s top-secret division.
‘Is he pretending to lower my guard?’
Despite considering various angles, Zeke couldn’t find a reason for the Intelligence Bureau to stage such a ruse.
The wizard, seeing Zeke’s contemplation, muttered to himself.
“Damn it… I knew it was over when I got assigned here…”
Zeke asked, “Were you recently assigned to the 13th Division?”
The wizard nodded again.
“Yes, yes. I was originally a communications officer in the Empire’s magic corps, but I was suddenly reassigned here.”
Typically, Intelligence Bureau agents were rigorously trained from the start. The 13th Division, in particular, required even more grueling training.
It was strange to assign a wizard with no basic espionage training to such a sensitive division.
Zeke considered a possibility.
‘There might be internal issues within the Intelligence Bureau.’
Running an intelligence division required substantial resources and a patient leader. Lacking either could destabilize the division.
The Empire’s Intelligence Bureau was vast, requiring immense funding. Its operations were intertwined with various power structures, likely leading to complex internal dynamics.
Zeke asked the wizard, “What was your mission here?”
The wizard, voice trembling, replied, “I was sent here to…”
Thwack!
Suddenly, a poisoned dart flew in.
Zeke intercepted it with his palm, the poison potent enough to kill within seconds.
He immediately swung his sword towards the source of the dart.
Slash!
His strike tore through the tent, revealing a cloaked figure retreating into the cave.
But Zeke’s summoned phantom soldiers blocked the escape.
Whoosh!
The phantom slashed the cloaked figure’s thigh, causing him to collapse.
The figure, a trained agent, attempted to take poison, but Zeke was faster.
“Recovery.”
Holding his sword, Zeke healed the agent, restoring him from the brink of death.
The agent, bewildered by his survival, stared at Zeke.
Zeke dragged the agent, now bound, to sit beside the wizard.
Removing the agent’s mask, Zeke asked the wizard, “Do you recognize him?”
The wizard, startled, nodded.
“Yes, yes. He’s the one who delivers messages and supplies from headquarters.”
Zeke grabbed the agent’s chin.
“So, you’re a 13th Division agent. Unlike this one, you’re properly trained.”
The agent glared at Zeke, attempting to bite his tongue, but Zeke’s healing rendered it futile.
Zeke asked the agent, “What happened in the 13th Division that required external recruits?”
The agent remained silent.
A 13th Division agent was unlikely to divulge information, even under torture.
Zeke opened his third eye towards the agent.
“Look at this.”
The agent trembled, but some mental block prevented him from speaking, causing him to foam at the mouth and collapse.
Zeke shook his head at the sight of the incapacitated agent.
“Damn Empire. What have they done to their minds?”
Using shadow manipulation, Zeke extracted information from the agent’s shadow.
With enhanced perception, he gleaned clearer details than before.
‘The head of the 13th Division changed? Why switch command so suddenly? Wait… the Emperor. Has something happened to the Emperor?’
Though he couldn’t uncover specifics, Zeke learned that changes around the Emperor had caused significant personnel shifts within the Intelligence Bureau. The new head of the 13th Division had brought in external recruits, unsettling the internal atmosphere.
‘This agent also harbors resentment towards the new head. Bringing in outsiders to a secretive division like the 13th would naturally make existing agents feel threatened.’
Moreover, the existing agents were burdened with monitoring the new recruits, leading to exhaustion.
Zeke realized the Empire’s Intelligence Bureau had vulnerabilities.
‘Rushing things always creates gaps. I should inform Boris to investigate what’s happening in the Empire.’
Having dissolved the deceased agent with decay magic, Zeke turned to the wizard.
The wizard, witnessing the agent’s complete dissolution, was pale with fear.
“Pl-please, spare me! I’ll do anything you want!”
“Let’s finish our earlier conversation. Tell me what you were doing here.”
“I was ordered to bring those orcs and take over the ogre settlement!”
“I already know that much. What I want to know is how you brought the orcs here and what you plan to do with the ogres.”
The wizard, trembling, began to speak under Zeke’s intense gaze.
“I-I don’t know exactly…”
“Hmm?”
Zeke’s glare intensified, and the wizard, now visibly terrified, shook his head frantically.
“No, no! I don’t know where they got those filthy orcs, but they said they’d tame the ogres and use them in battle!”
“Tame the ogres?”
“Yes! The orcs will capture them, and then they’ll use drugs to brainwash them for battle.”
As the wizard spoke, something clicked in Zeke’s mind.
‘The Empire’s experimental stimulant. They’re planning to use it on the ogres.’
He remembered how mercenaries who had been subjected to the stimulant by Boris had gone berserk.
If the ogres were to be injected with that same stimulant, they would become far more dangerous than any mercenary—a living weapon of mass destruction.
Zeke had a hunch about the Empire’s intentions for these brainwashed ogres.
‘The Join Tribe ghetto. They’ll unleash the ogres there, destroy the tribe’s defenses, and then march in under the guise of peacekeepers to claim the territory.’
The Empire could justify deploying troops to deal with the monsters, giving them a convenient excuse to take over the Join Tribe’s land without lifting a finger.
Having pieced together the Empire’s scheme, Zeke turned back to the wizard.
“What’s the total size of the orc unit in the Ogre Mountains?”
“This is the entire unit. We have 144 members in total.”
The orc unit was larger than Zeke had anticipated.
Even if the ogres were intelligent enough to form settlements, they couldn’t stand against trained orc warriors.
Zeke nodded at the wizard’s response.
“Good, you’ve answered well.”
The wizard smiled, hopeful. “Then you’ll keep your promise and spare me?”
“I’ll keep my promise.”
“Thank you—”
Before the wizard could finish, Zeke’s dagger swiftly sliced through his neck.
True to his word, Zeke ensured the wizard’s death was quick and painless.
After disposing of the body, Zeke gathered all the documents left in the camp.
He had stumbled upon a crucial lead on the Empire’s plans.
‘I need to release the ogres to create more chaos.’
With everything he needed in hand, Zeke slipped out of the cave, staying hidden.
Thwack!
A massive arrow shot towards him, but Zeke deflected it with his sword. As he scanned his surroundings, he realized the cave was surrounded by orc warriors.