Chapter 225: The Grand Plan (2)
The city of non-humans, Beneta.
Not long after Lord Dorneth held a festival to commemorate the founding of the Blood Pact, Beneta had to maintain a wartime stance due to the invasion of the Blyer Army.
However, this didn’t mean that entry and exit from the city were restricted or that strict surveillance was imposed.
After the Blyer Army retreated to Etor Territory, the city gates were reopened, and the marketplace resumed its activities.
Now, Beneta had become the safest territory in the Tobaron region, attracting dozens of merchant caravans daily, with the number of visitors growing several times over compared to before.
The city quickly regained its vitality.
“Another big haul today!"
Fenry Chaser threw herself onto her bed.
Clink-clink!
A massive pile of gold coins tumbled down, covering her body.
She had a habit of stacking up a mountain of gold on her bed and diving into it whenever she longed for the scent of wealth.
All of this treasure was thanks to Arthur’s scheme, which had allowed her to monopolize the iron ore trade.
By forming an agreement with Dorneth, the largest shareholder of the mine, and ensuring that all stake sales were conducted exclusively in iron ore, a bizarre phenomenon had occurred—the amount of iron ore one possessed now determined their share in the mine.
Iron ore, of all things, had become a commodity so valuable that merchants were willing to pay extra just to obtain it.
The mine was like a goose that laid golden eggs, and traders were pouring their very souls into acquiring iron ore. Naturally, the gold coins they paid ended up in Fenry’s pockets.
In the corner of her room, chests filled with gold from iron ore sales were neatly stacked in two rows.
She was certain she would spend another happy night counting gold until morning.
“Oh, now that I think about it...”
As Fenry flicked a gold coin into the air, she recalled the situation at the mineral exchange.
For the past few days, a large amount of iron ore had suddenly flooded the market.
Upon investigating, she discovered that most of this iron ore had been supplied by Blyer through trade.
“Why the hell is Kamel selling iron ore to merchants??”
There was no way Kamel Blazer, the Mad Butcher, was unaware that Beneta’s greatest weakness was its lack of iron ore.
And yet, the leader of the enemy had just delivered a massive supply of it to Beneta through merchant caravans.
"That bastard just ruined my iron ore game... And it looks like even the dwarves are about to stop selling their shares.”
She wasn’t particularly upset.
After all, the amount of gold she had earned over the past month exceeded the total profit she had made running Blue Rose.
‘No wonder humans love fraud so much.’
With the city’s storehouses already overflowing with iron ore, she could halt stake sales at any time.
And once sales stopped, iron ore would become worthless.
Before that happened, she planned to sell off every last bit of her remaining stock.
Looking at the chests full of gold coins, Fenry grinned in satisfaction.
Lately, she felt full without even eating.
“I need a place to store my babies.”
For now, she had been keeping them all in her room, the safest place she knew.
But with the sheer quantity she had accumulated, it was time to find a separate storage space.
Nella had suggested giving some of the gold to Arthur as thanks for the opportunity, calling him a benefactor.
But that was out of the question.
“That bastard has tricked me and tossed me around too many times.”
Just imagining Arthur’s smug face as he received the gold made her stomach churn.
“It’s all mine!”
Standing on her bed, she clenched her fists and declared her ownership.
Then, she summoned Banri, her shadow spirit.
From the shadows beneath the bed, a tiny figure peeked out—it was Banri, a miniature version of Fenry herself.
“Banri, where did we stop counting yesterday?”
Banri wiggled its fingers for a moment before pointing to one of the chests.
With their next counting target decided, Fenry hummed a tune and opened the chest wide.
The dazzling sight of gold coins instantly brought a smile to her face.
Scooping up a handful of gold in both hands, she watched as Banri eagerly rubbed its hands together, ready to receive them.
But just then—
Banri suddenly melted away into the shadows.
“Huh? What’s wrong all of a sudden?”
Her question hung in the air as her expression slowly stiffened.
Clink—clink—clink—
The gold coins in her hands slipped through her fingers, scattering across the floor.
Despite the mess, Fenry’s gaze remained fixed in midair.
It was a sensation she hadn’t felt in a long time—one that made her skin crawl.
“…Did someone just die?”
A fellow kin had perished.
Through Banri, she confirmed the death of the branch leader in Etor.
And the moment that realization hit, Fenry’s body vanished as if it had never been there.
***
“What the hell just happened?”
Appearing atop Beneta’s walls, Fenry rushed to the edge, scanning the vast plains below.
Banri, having returned to the Spirit Realm, was tracking the traces of Charlotte, the branch leader’s spirit.
A task only possible for a shadow spirit.
Moments later, Banri located Charlotte’s remains and relayed the branch leader’s information.
“...It’s close? It’s not Etor???”
The location of Charlotte’s death was closer to Beneta than Etor.
Who had done this? And how?
With a grim expression, Fenry closed her eyes and began tracking an object—
The necklace she had handed over to the Black Market in exchange for learning Arthur’s true name.
Originally, it had been bait to steal the artifacts Kamel had been collecting.
But since Kamel had personally worn it, the situation had become complicated.
Still, it gave her the chance to track Kamel’s movements.
Though she couldn’t pinpoint his exact location, she could at least sense his presence.
“Goddamn it...”
She had just confirmed Kamel’s position—and it wasn’t far from where the branch leader had died.
Kamel Blazer was the ruler of Blyer and Etor.
There was no way he was moving alone.
At minimum, he had a knight order with him.
At worst, an entire army.
“If their target is Beneta, this is bad.”
Without hesitation, Fenry summoned her Black Roses and sent them to scout Kamel’s location.
As soon as the Roses disappeared, she turned and headed straight for the lord’s castle.
She had to meet Dorneth.
***
“You really are a damn cat. I told you not to use the shadows to enter my room.”
Late at night.
Fenry had entered so stealthily that Dorneth had instinctively grabbed his weapon before realizing it was her.
After confirming her identity, he clicked his tongue and lowered his weapon.
Normally, she would have teased him with a line like "I thought you were busy making love to Sharbadin."
But now was not the time for jokes.
“The Etor branch leader is dead.”
“What?”
“The location was closer to Beneta than Etor. And Kamel was detected near the site.”
At Kamel’s name, Dorneth immediately sat up in bed.
He understood the gravity of the situation.
"When did you confirm his position?"
“A little while ago.”
“Can you pinpoint his exact location? And why he’s moving?”
“I’m still tracking his position. As for his intentions...”
Fenry furrowed her brows.
“There’s a high chance Beneta is his target.”
“What’s your reasoning?”
“You know war always begins with an intelligence battle, right? Aside from me, capturing Etor’s branch leader wouldn’t have been easy. Kamel made his move deliberately. You should check with your own informants too. Chances are, you’ve lost contact with them.”
“Are you saying they’re all dead?”
“He already played his hand. We’re just realizing it too late. And by the time we fully grasp the situation and respond, Kamel will already be breathing down our necks.”
Dorneth paced the room, deep in thought.
When it came to intelligence matters, Fenry was sharper than him. He never ignored her warnings.
Instead, he felt a growing sense of urgency.
Ever since returning from the Witch of Ordor Forest, he had been enjoying a rare moment of peace—only to be struck by this sudden storm.
“First, let’s prepare immediately.”
He summoned Natone, the dwarven commander, and ordered him to shut all city gates and enforce strict entry and exit controls.
If Kamel was targeting Beneta, there was no doubt he had already planted spies inside.
“I’ll have the Black Roses handle his spies. Meanwhile, you send an urgent request for aid to the witches.”
“A request for aid?”
“That’s why you went to the forest personally with those damn expensive bribes, isn’t it? You can send a signal to them, right?”
“I can, but… do we really need it? This is Beneta.”
“I know the dwarven fortress walls are absurdly strong. But what if they’re breached?”
“Then we all die. We don’t stand a chance against Kamel’s forces in an open battle. We need a safety net.”
“…Fine.”
Accepting the reasoning, Dorneth reached for a small hand mirror on Sharbadin’s vanity.
It was an enchantment tool given to him by Cordy, the Witch of Ten Thousand Ears, allowing for one-time direct communication with her.
He chanted a spell, and the mirror turned transparent—revealing a cute witch wearing round glasses.
[“Lord Dorneth, I told you this was a one-time use item. I hope you’re not just calling to say hello.”]
[“Cordy. I am invoking our alliance and formally requesting aid.”]
[“…Please explain in detail.”]
Dorneth handed the mirror to Fenry, who was quicker at assessing the situation.
As she provided a concise breakdown, Cordy listened quietly, her expression growing more solemn.
[“I will inform the Elder and send reinforcements. However, in the worst-case scenario, we may not be able to provide military support.”]
“What? Why?”
[“Demtor is targeting the forest.”]
“That’s nothing new,” Fenry snapped, glaring at the mirror.
If they were hesitating now after forming an alliance, then what was the point of the pact?
[“Demtor’s Stars are gathering near the border city.”]
At that, Fenry’s irritation disappeared.
Not one, but multiple Demtor’s Stars moving together?
This wasn’t just a forest invasion—it was a potential crisis for the witches themselves.
“Wait a second…”
The timing was too perfect.
“Have Demtor’s Stars ever moved together before?”
[“...No.”]
For the first time, Cordy seemed to realize something.
The timing of Kamel’s movements and Demtor’s attack aligned too perfectly.
Was there a secret agreement between Kamel and Demtor?
And if so—what was their next move?
This situation had spiraled beyond prediction.
One thing was clear: if they hesitated, they would suffer a massive blow.
Then, a face suddenly popped into Fenry’s mind.
Why hadn’t she thought of him sooner?
“Get me Arthur! He’s the only one who can fix this!”
[“He’s not in the forest.”]
“What?! Then where is he?”
[“Elletor Fortress.”]
Cordy briefly closed her eyes, chanted a spell, then sighed.
[“He left the Ghostly Forest. Getting a message to him immediately will be difficult.”]
“Then send someone to him. No, send multiple people! We need Hunt right now!”
The witches’ support was important, but what they needed most at this moment—was Arthur.
Especially his mind.
Fighting Kamel required his strategic thinking.
[“I will dispatch witches immediately.”]
As the connection ended, Fenry cursed and tossed the mirror back to Dorneth.
“Dwarf, watch over Sharbadin. If I were Kamel, she’d be my first target.”
“Who dares lay a hand on my fiancée—!”
“Shut up and increase her guards. Arthur sent a letter—he told us to protect Sharbadin and Nella.”
At Arthur’s name, Dorneth groaned and nodded reluctantly.
Seeing this, Fenry shook her head in disbelief.
‘Damn. Sharbadin’s benefactor buff is ridiculously strong.’
Even this thick-headed dwarf was completely devoted to Arthur.
“…Wait.”
If Arthur had left the forest, shouldn’t he have headed straight for Beneta?
Then why had he gone to Elletor Fortress instead?
A twinge of frustration hit her.
If Arthur appeared before her tomorrow, she might even be willing to give him one of her hidden gold chests as thanks.