Elf Tensei Kara no Cheat Kenkoku-ki

Book 5: Chapter 14-1: Covert Operations

「Hey, glad you could make it, Elf.」

I sat across from the chief of the orc tribe. Their village, home to about a thousand, was several times larger than Erucy.

Their level of civilization was low, with crudely constructed mud and wooden houses sparsely scattered across the vast land.

「It's been a while, Chief of the Orcs, Lingaga-dono.」

「Ga-ha-ha, just Lingaga is fine. We are comrades bound by our hatred of the Empire. Let's get along, shall we? You are a warrior I recognize. I grant you the privilege of speaking as an equal.」

「Then I'll take you up on that offer.」

I dropped the formal speech and adopted a more brazen attitude. It would be foolish to show subservience here. It would only invite contempt.

「What did you say your name was?」

「Cyril.」

Lingaga laughed heartily, his mouth wide open. I maintained my smile without faltering.

Most adult orcs had green-tinged skin and were a race with enormous bodies over two meters tall, clad in armor of rock-hard muscle.

They are widely despised for their custom of abducting women from different races to bear their children. This custom developed due to a characteristic of their race: the inability to give birth to females. Generally, in mixed-race pregnancies, the offspring would be of the same species as the mother, but Orcs are a rare exception.

「So, what brings you here? Coming all the way from Erucy, it must be more than just a casual visit. I'm sure you don’t have time to waste. Of course, neither do I.」

Lingaga smirked, lifting one corner of his mouth. However, his eyes conveyed a clear message: he had no interest in trivial matters.

This guy might seem simple and rough at first glance, but he was sharp and quick-witted. After all, the orcs had an official peace treaty with the Empire. They had struck a secret deal using the formidable strength of the orcs as a shield: the Empire turned a blind eye to the orc’s raids on villages under its control in exchange for the orcs not attacking the Empire's mainland.

The Empire could wipe out the orcs if it used all of its military, but a conflict with the strong orcs would result in significant casualties. Moreover, even if they won, there would be nothing to gain. If the damage was limited to the tributary villages and other countries, the Empire could afford to overlook it.

While they were tentatively at peace, the Empire viewed the orcs' raids on its tributary villages as a nuisance, and the orcs found it difficult to resist the tempting prey that the imperial mainland represented, resulting in a strained relationship.

「Of course, Lingaga. I have brought you a proposition that will surely satisfy you.」

「As one would expect from the man I acknowledged.」

As Lingaga said this, one of the orc men behind him, who had been cautiously watching me, made a displeased face.

「Boss! Why do you allow such a scrawny guy to act so big in front of us!?」

「Murtaka! You lost to Cyril, didn't you? He defeated you, the top warrior of the orcs. Cyril here deserves our respect. I’m sorry I forgot your name, it's not that I underestimated you; my brain is just a bit slow. I’ve got more muscles than brains in here.」

「But!」

「When did you become great enough to talk back to me? Huh?」

「…My apologies.」

The last time I was here, I had a duel with the man named Murtaka. The orcs respected the strong, so by winning the duel I was able to speak on equal terms with their leader like this.

「Cyril, I apologize for the disturbance caused by my subordinate. Please, continue.」

「Today, I've come to deliver a gift. Please bring the sacks from my carriage here.」

「Oh, a gift, eh? Murtaka, Mumbaba, go fetch them now!!」

「Yes, Boss!」

At his command, two burly orc men who had been standing behind Lingaga hurried off.

「Cyril's gift, huh? It must be something splendid.」

「Yes, I'm sure it will please you.」

I smiled slightly. The item I brought today should be extremely beneficial for the orcs.

「Here, we've brought all the cargo from your carriage.」

It appeared that not only Murtaka and Mumbaba but also others had been summoned to carry all the cargo.

「Thank you.」

「Hey, Cyril, can I open it right away? I'm dying of curiosity.」

「Go ahead.」

As I said this, one of the sacks was placed on the table with a loud thud. Then, as the sack was torn open, bundles of Empire bonds spilled out, scattering onto the table.

Lingaga's eyes widened in surprise, and he shakily reached for a bundle of notes. Seeing his reaction, I was certain of it: the orcs had used Empire bonds as a substitute for gold coins before.

「How about it? Do you like it?」

「Are these really imperial bonds? Indeed, they all carry the guarantee of being exchanged for gold coins next year. With this amount… gehehe.」

「These are indeed imperial bonds, but they are fakes made in Erucy.」

「Fakes, huh? Hey, Murtaka! Bring the bonds from the safe.」

「Yes, right away.」

At Lingaga's command, the real imperial bonds were brought from the village's warehouse. Lingaga then meticulously compared my counterfeits to the real ones.

「This is incredible. They look real no matter how you look at them. Hey, you guys, compare these too. If you find even the slightest difference from the real ones, let me know!」

The Orcs gathered around, thoroughly comparing my counterfeit bonds to the real ones.