Kumo Desu ga, Nani ka?

233 – The black-hearted biles

I succeeded in making Argnar submit. Though, since he seems to be carrying some kind of secret agenda still, I can’t be careless. Grinding him to a pulp right now is an option, but having a demon general actually in collusion with elves already, that’s just too delicious a situation, so instead I shall literally work him like a cart-horse.

Specifically, to dig for intelligence on the elves, and to leak convenient intelligence to the elves about the demon army. I don’t have much hopes about the former. Compared to what Argnar can dig up, what I can dig up myself will definitely be more substantial information. What’s important, is the latter. Feeding elves disinformation, feeding them accurate but safe to leak meagre information, I want to manage them somewhat with those methods. If that can be done successfully, I should be able to lure them into a trap. If it becomes too obvious the elves will then get suspicious, so I’m leaving the details of that side to Argnar.

I’ve lightly explained that to Argnar (it took more than a whole day), and after flaunting the deployment of my clones I returned home by teleport. I’m worn out. Mostly emotionally. Seriously, using people is such a pain. It’s crossed my mind that wouldn’t it be better for me to do everything myself. Why is it so hard for people to understand one another? Tell me please, god. Hey D, you shut up.

I want to take a break, but now’s not the time for that. While my main body was in contact with Argnar, my clones were up to various things. I gotta review all that and think about my next steps.

First up, the Elro Great Labyrinth: The entrance on the other side has been reached, so it’s finally time to start penetrating the Daztoldia continent. I guess it’s as expected huh, that at the entrance something like a fort is erected, for the humans to keep a lookout from. To penetrate stealthily, rather than all of them at once, it’s necessary to go carefully so that not a single one is noticed. We’re currently experiencing a spider traffic jam. Though the ones that have gotten past have begun the investigation of the Daztoldia continent, at this rate it seems like it’ll be some time still before full scale action begins.

Next, the human territories: For the objective targets in the human territories, this has been revised from searching for reincarnators to investigating the elves. The intelligence gathering in the streets will continue, but the others will smoke out the elves, shifting direction to surveillance. Unsurprisingly not many elves have been found yet in such a short time. It’s necessary to be patient and look at the long term.

Demon area: Argnar is dealt with. Next is, to strengthen the surveillance of the rest of the commanders and other important people. At present the only ones with a relationship with the elves are, the recently purged Warkis and then Argnar. It seems that the hoodlum will be temporarily governing Warkis’s territory for a while. If he does well I think that maybe the hoodlum will be promoted to commander, becoming Warkis’s successor.

Sensei: After that, she joined up with another elf unit, and is being safely protected. I’m not relaxing the surveillance. If anybody tries to do anything strange to sensei, I won’t go easy on them.

Vampire girl: She’s doing all sorts of crazy stuff at the academy. Really, girl. Considering your specs you’re already good enough to even beat an ordinary elite demon with one hand you know, if you get that serious with the kids around you they’re gonna die okay. What are you thinking?

And finally, the most important one, the elf village: The eggs that I made those 3 guards swallow have safely hatched. As planned, they hatch after going inside the barrier. They have succeeded in penetrating the barrier nicely.

I greet them during the night while they’re inside the mouths of the guards who are sleeping. Bile-1! Bile-2! Bile-3! Together you three are, the bile sisters! It’s show time!

Uwha, stinky. Nai wa. Sheesh, the way it was done was nasty, and nasty for me too. No repeats.

For now, with just three there’s limits to what can be achieved, so they’ll lay low for now, and endeavour to increase their numbers. Luckily the elf village is quite spacious. Excluding the residential-like place, the forest-like area itself is also spacious. No problems with food then. In the worst case I can supply energy from my main body anyway.

However, the barrier hinders the transmission efficiency of the energy drastically it seems. It’s not much, but their connection with my main body is also being inhibited. I’m sure it won’t be broken completely, but the information comes out late with what feels like a time lag. For the main body’s perception, before they hatched a bit earlier it probably didn’t feel too strange but now that they’ve hatched there’s good evidence for that from the gathered information.

In real time their hatching, was perhaps more than half a day earlier. I’d like to do something about correcting this out of sync perception, but while the barrier is functioning I guess I’ll endure it. I don’t really want to do it, but for the clones inside the barrier I should let them possess a certain degree of autonomy I guess. With the remote controlled types thus far, during an emergency situation, because of the time delay it’s possible that they won’t be able to cope at all. If that happens, it’s likely for the clones inside the barrier to be destroyed one after another completely. To stop that happening, I guess I better add the ability for them to take a certain amount of autonomous decisions.

For that reason, it’s really been a long time but I’ll separate my will. Injecting it into the clones inside the barrier. Even for this work the barrier gets in the way, so it took quite a long time. On top of that it wasted quite a lot of energy. But, now they should be able to get results inside the barrier. I’m relying on you, bile sisters!

Now then, I guess that’s it for the mortal world. Much of my overall offensive capability is being concentrated towards promoting anti-elf measures. The elves will be crushed. That much is certain.

In addition, I am simultaneously continuing with my old plan. Now that I think about it, that could be considered a betrayal against sensei. The one working to save the reincarnators is sensei. With my standpoint, I may kill the reincarnators instead. And not just the reincarnators. Whether they’re humans or demons or elves or monsters. It may well become a massacre on an unprecedented scale. Amongst the reincarnators, I’m sure some will become involved in that.

I will take away all the skills. With what I’m aiming for, the more skills one has, the higher their chance of dying because of that.

Translation notes:

Technically, “gastric juice” would be more accurate translation than “bile” but I went this way for better readability. And yes, Shiraori is treating the “bile sisters” like they’re action figures doing group actions.