The Perfect Frame-Up
A flash of inspiration. It was absolutely intoxicating. What if I could frame the Orcs for the string of disappearances in this forest?
"Huh?"
If the humans believed the Orcs were responsible, wouldn't they just deal with the Orcs themselves and head back home? They wouldn't even suspect that a mysterious Demon was lurking in this uncharted territory; they’d just assume it was the Orcs.
If that happened, I could keep my identity hidden for much longer! I could stay in the shadows indefinitely!
"Yoshi!"
That’s it! I’ll pin it on the Orcs!
The moment the thought crossed my mind, it felt like thunder striking in my brain. I could use the humans to wipe out the Orcs while simultaneously keeping my own existence a secret. It was the perfect plan—killing two birds with one stone!
The longer I stay hidden, the more my influence grows. My knowledge increases, too. And that means my survival probability goes up!
Whoosh.
I quickly brainstormed to turn this brilliant idea into reality. The Orc tribe. They looked like they’d just moved in from somewhere else, but their numbers were significant. Even a rough estimate suggested they were at least platoon-sized. I didn't know why they moved, but that wasn't important right now, so I’d skip it.
A platoon-sized race with better physical stats than humans.
If they were that strong, they might actually be able to smash my Phalanx head-on. It was dangerous. But if the enemy was that formidable, the humans would be convinced. Seeing so many muscle-bound brutes? They’d definitely think, "These bastards are the ones who killed the missing people!"
But first, I needed to verify a few things.
"Vanessa."
I called out to her immediately.
"Vanessa, how many Orcs could you take on by yourself?"
"Well... I've never fought them alone, so I'm not entirely sure. Being a knight doesn't make me invincible. If I were surrounded, I'd be defeated."
"What if it were roughly a three-on-one fight?"
"That would be manageable. If I kill one first and then deal with the remaining two, I could win. But five would be dangerous."
"Five, huh."
They said it was damn near impossible for a regular soldier to beat an Orc one-on-one. You basically had to assume they couldn't. But Vanessa, a knight, could handle about four.
In reality, fights are decided by numbers. In games, movies, and manga, you can easily win one-versus-seventeen, but in the real world, even two-on-one is damn tough.
"Two adventurers, two nuns, and you, Vanessa. Do you think you could handle that Orc tribe?"
"Hmm... that would be difficult. Wait, don't tell me. You're planning to use those Orcs?"
"As expected of a knight, you're quick on the uptake."
"...You're wicked."
Wicked? I wouldn't call it that.
"Sharan, let's end the scouting here for today."
"Shaa."
I needed to get back home. I had to summon the Lizardmen and Hobgoblins here, too. I shouldn't fight the Orcs until the human invasion was imminent. Our living areas overlapped, so they’d figure out we existed sooner or later... but as long as we didn't strike first, they wouldn't attack us recklessly either.
If nothing else, the monsters in my Demon King's Dungeon were different from the common ones. The Orcs had just moved in, so they’d naturally be cautious.
We’d maintain that state of non-aggression. And when the human regular army arrived, that’s when I’d use the Orcs. If we pretended to attack them first, they’d explode with rage and prepare for battle. And if the humans discovered that? Everything would be A-OK.
"The most important thing is to maintain a non-aggression pact with the Orcs until the humans arrive."
With the policy set, we returned to the dungeon.
As expected, the Orcs began scouting. Since they were in a new area, they had to look around. In the process, an incident occurred where our Goblins encountered a small group of Orcs.
"Keruk! My King! I shall report in detail!"
"Good! Report! Platoon Leader Buril!"
"Keruk!"
Buril, who had been scouting with a Goblin unit, had run into the Orcs. I had originally ordered them to assess the scale immediately and run away if there were too many. But Buril had judged it safe and made contact.
"The number of Orcs was two! At first, they saw us and tried to attack! Keruk! But when we showed them our numbers, they got scared! And then they turned back!"
"Is that all! Buril!"
"Keruk! That is all!"
"Good! Well done!"
It was also important to let the Orcs know we existed. In any case, I had to keep the Orc tribe in check. I just needed to show off our military power while avoiding direct conflict. Setting up a sort of territory wouldn't be bad.
If I could plant the rule in their heads that "this side is our territory," they wouldn't make contact recklessly. And at the decisive moment, if we invaded their territory first, they’d be furious, wondering why the hell we were coming over.
That’s what setting a territory is all about. It prevents them from crossing the line, and if they do, it triggers their rage. I’d use that rule.
"Buril. From now on, keep scouting that way, and just make a show of force so the Orcs can't cross beyond a certain radius. If it looks like trouble, run away immediately."
"Keruk! Understood! I just have to let them know it's our turf, right!"
"That’s it!"
He really was smart.
Rub, rub.
I rubbed his head, and Buril let out a happy, growling sound. Now, let’s hear Serineu's report.
"Serineu, come in!"
"Yes!"
Jiggle, jiggle.
At my call, Serineu came running, her breasts bouncing. She had a very serious look on her face.
"Serineu report!"
"I found humans!!"
"What!!!"
Oh, shit!
"What's the scale!"
"There are five of them!"
"Explain it properly!"
"Yes!"
I had trained the Pixies well. I told them that if they saw humans, they should hide their bodies as much as possible, find out only what they could, and come back.
"First, one female and four males!"
"Hmm."
One female? Was my sex-special-forces unit about to grow again? Serineu continued her explanation. The woman was holding a staff, and the men weren't wearing full-body armor, but standard gear. They were even carrying backpacks.
"A search party, then. Well done, Serineu. Thanks to you, I can prepare."
"It's something only we Pixies could do!"
"Hehehe, yes, yes."
Squeeze, squeeze.
I squeezed Serineu's breasts as a reward.
"Aung♥"
"Alright, Serineu. Tell everyone else, then go get some rest."
"O-okay...♥ Hn♥"
As I squeezed her voluptuous chest, Serineu's face turned bright red, and she stumbled out of the room. She was so cute. It was so convenient to have flying Pixies.
"Phew."
"My King. The humans are here now?"
"Yes. It seems so."
"Sharan will kill them all for you! Shaa!"
Sharan hugged my neck and purred, acting all cute.
"Hehehe, thank you."
As if that weren't enough, she started licking my ear. Sharan was the only one who showed such genuine affection. Lumika was gentle, but she lacked this kind of cuteness.
"Oh, wait, Sharan. Go and call Vanessa for me."
"Yes, my King."
Trot, trot, trot.
Sharan, who was basically my secretary now, went to fetch Vanessa. Vanessa entered, and I explained the situation to her.
"Bringing a mage along... it's definitely a search party. They must suspect the appearance of a medium-sized or larger monster, so the others must be highly skilled as well."
"Are they knight-class?"
"They wouldn't be knight-class. But skilled searchers are also experts at escaping."
I couldn't let them get away.
"What about the mage's combat ability?"
"A skilled battle mage would be tricky. But this is likely a mage who specializes in research."
"I see. Well, research might be necessary."
In other words, their combat power itself wasn't that strong. From what she said, they were definitely beatable. The important thing was that there should be no survivors.
Except for the woman.
"Then."
Let’s start preparing the dungeon for battle.
The next day. I went out on patrol with the Pixies. The human search party had to be around here somewhere. For now, I’d try to lure them toward the dungeon.
"Sharan. Every time we move, make some grass grow or something to cover our tracks. Moving secretly is important."
"Yes, my King."
Rustle.
They were masters of searching. Since there was a high chance they’d find our footprints, I decided to use Sharan's power to erase our tracks as we went. That’s why the scouting party this time was just me, Sharan, and the Pixies. More feet meant more tracks. I had to minimize them. It was risky, but it was the only way to be sure.
Hummm.
Up in the air, the Pixies slowly moved between the trees to search, while down below, we kept an eye on our surroundings. We advanced slowly, listening to the Pixies' reports.
How much time had passed?
One of the Pixies flew toward me cautiously.
"Found them! It's the humans! All five are together!"
She whispered into my ear.
"Good. All Pixies, retreat to the rear. Hide and wait for my command."
"Okay!"
"And always keep an eye on my hand."
"That hand signal, right? Don't worry!"
After sending the Pixies back, I had Sharan make me a ghillie suit and moved stealthily toward the direction the Pixies had indicated.
The humans came into view.
...
They were sitting down, taking a break. There were five of them. Their descriptions were exactly as I’d heard. And the mage... she was quite pretty. Her chest was on the larger side, too. Red hair, wrapped in a robe. The fact that my first thought was about stripping her shows just how much of a demon I've become. What would it feel like to have sex with a mage?
That wasn't important right now.
Let’s try eavesdropping.
"It's definitely strange. There's no sign of a Troll at all."
"There are a lot of Goblin and Imp footprints, too. If a Troll had appeared, they all would have hidden, so it's strange indeed."
"There are many signs of them picking fruit. Yet, there's no damage to the trees... If it were a Troll, there would be some kind of mark."
The search party was discussing the Troll.
"U-um... then maybe it's not a Troll...? There's a chance it's some other monster, right...?"
The mage chimed in.
"That might be the case. Perhaps an Orc tribe has appeared."
"An Orc tribe... if that were the case, that female knight should have been able to win easily."
"That's the strange part. Are there many of them? But we still don't see any Orc tracks. There seem to be many Goblins, but that's also strange. If there were many Orcs, there couldn't be this many Goblins."
Their deductive reasoning was no joke.
Now that they were actually here to search, it was almost certain it wasn't a Troll. It would be a problem if they gave up the search here.
I couldn't let them go back.
I had a plan to lure them toward the Orcs, but these guys were too smart. With that kind of reasoning, they might actually figure out the truth. I couldn't afford to be sloppy.
I had to kill them all here.
I would eliminate any threat to the Demon King's Dungeon.