Chapter 26

Chapter 26 – The Monster at the Frontier (6)

‘Everything is proceeding steadily.’

Though it appears peaceful when viewed by the main body sitting quietly in the deepest part of the first nest, which could be considered the main base, in reality, once I close my eyes and enter the collective consciousness, I can feel just how intensely and busily we are living.

We have attacked and captured a Demon city and are now in the process of reorganizing, but that’s just a part of it.

The workers, who make up half of the collective, are still bustling about, harvesting everything that can be eaten and bringing it back. The combat units sent out to hunt are also tirelessly pursuing the extermination of all life in this northern frontier.

The new nests we are expanding are increasing in number, and with them, the artificial wombs and digestion organs for producing troops are growing, demanding more soldiers and more nourishment.

The forces consumed in the previous war have been replenished in one go, and now there are even more troops lying dormant, ready to move as reserves at any moment.

“With this, we’re at least at the level of having an actual estate now.”

Players who start as the smallest faction—a village or hamlet—in the game gradually expand their territory.

The rank of Lord is only given to those who possess tens of thousands of residents and multiple strongholds.

Though this northern land is barren and of little value, the territory where we have extended our nests and influence isn’t insignificant. The number of units in the army under my command has long surpassed ten thousand.

This means we’ve entered the stage where we must actively fight with surrounding factions.

“What do you plan to do now, my Lord?”

“I need to ask a few questions to the captives we’ve taken.”

Smirking at Syla’s question, I transferred my consciousness.

There, a single hobgoblin was trembling in fear, pinned down by the legs of ordinary soldiers.

All of his companions have already been killed, but this one was deliberately captured.

“I plan to extract information from him. He’s probably a messenger sent to investigate after hearing that the city was attacked.”

“In that case, I will take care of it.”

“If you want to, go ahead.”

Syla said she wanted to personally interrogate the prisoner. I smiled at her newfound initiative, which seems to have changed due to my influence.

There’s no point in stopping her if she wants to do it voluntarily. She might even be more talented than I am.

“H-Hiik…”

The hobgoblin, captured by the soldiers and brought back to the place where their city once stood, was trembling out of pure terror, his teeth chattering.

The city is mostly destroyed now.

Inside the town hall in the city center, a breeding ground for our legion has been established, from which countless eggs are currently being hatched. Meanwhile, the corpses that haven’t been fully digested yet are gradually being processed into nutritious fluids.

When we dragged the hobgoblin, who had already seen all this, to the chair once used by the hobgoblin mayor Bekins, overlaid with tentacles and slime, he trembled as if on the verge of fainting.

“I won’t kill you right away, so let’s talk.”

I began the conversation calmly.

After all, whether he chooses to confess for less pain or endures the greater suffering is his decision.

Completely overwhelmed by both my presence and the soldiers around him glaring fiercely, the hobgoblin is entirely subdued, unable even to resist.

“What’s your name? And which faction do you belong to?”

“My name is Bron. I serve noble Lord Ludras, the hobgoblin count.”

Fortunately, thanks to the fear we deliberately instilled in him, he began answering my questions fluidly without needing Syla’s intervention.

“Count Ludras…?”

Bron was, as expected, part of the hobgoblin faction ruling this city.

It surprises me a little. Though hobgoblins are the higher species among goblins, I didn’t think they could gain a title as high as a count. This is a rare case in the game, so Lord Ludras must be quite capable.

“Well, what mission did your master send you here for? Is it because of the city of Loen?”

“The one who sent me is Lord Ludras’ retainer and top shaman, Lumon. Last night, Lumon received an urgent request for support from the northern city of Loen, asking for an immediate investigation.”

“So, you’re here because Loen sent an urgent request?”

They seem to still have no accurate idea what happened. They only know that an unknown attack has put the city in danger.

Satisfied with Bron’s trembling but detailed answers, I couldn’t help but smile and slowly stood up from my chair.

At this moment, Bron’s eyes, which were staring up at me, started quivering violently.

“You seem to know a lot, so you might as well tell me more. The scale of your faction, the regional power relations, and the current international situation. Tell me everything.”

I looked down at his pale face with shining eyes.

After all, our legion’s future ‘diplomatic’ strategies will be based on the information Bron provides.

*

“Thinking about it based on gathered testimony, there are currently three factions bordering our territory.”

“Hobgoblin Count Ludras, Orc Viscount Zik, and Wolf Duke Agar.”

On the map of the region I obtained from the captured city, I marked the information provided by Bron. These are the three factions with whom we’ve come into contact to the west, south, and east as we’ve expanded our territory.

None of them appear to be under the protection of a player.

They are all indigenous residents who had been cultivating their power since before I regained consciousness here. From the perspective of a player playing the game, these natives are mere targets for conquest or annexation. And that applies to me now too.

“Agar’s faction, which overlaps slightly to the east, is more of a region that only exerts minimal influence than a direct threat. Meanwhile, the two territories to the west and south have now completely overlapped with our range of activity.”

Syla mentioned the two factions as she pointed at the map. These might very well be our next targets.

“Which faction do you plan to attack first?”

Syla naturally assumed that I would attack them and consume them.

She’s not wrong. The areas I’ve already occupied are becoming barren in real-time. We have neither interest in nor leisure for sustainable development. We simply fight continuously to grow stronger and gain more nourishment. Therefore, planning to find new targets to attack is only natural.

“Orc Viscount Zik’s faction has a smaller force and only needs to be wary of the nearby hobgoblin Count Ludras. On the other hand, Ludras has to deal with many competitors around him.”

Efficient resource usage is necessary for us as well. I fell into contemplation for a moment, but with the auxiliary brain aiding my calculations, the answer came quickly.

“There’s no reason to attack the territory of the hobgoblin count, a major power in this area, right away. First, we will crush the Orc Viscount Zik’s territory in the northwest, while simultaneously sending a reconnaissance team into the hobgoblin territory for real-time monitoring.”

“If we send regular reconnaissance units, there’s a high chance of them being discovered. Most lords are serious about eradicating mana beasts in their territory.”

“Then we should send something other than mana beasts as scouts. They’ll never even suspect that they’re my reconnaissance troops.”

Syla was momentarily surprised by my suggestion to infiltrate enemy lines, but I smirked and immediately reshaped a duplicate body right there.

We can divide and grow larger, but we can also alter our forms like this.

Thanks to the fully analyzed genetic information of hobgoblins, I can now transform into a regular hobgoblin. With this knowledge, I could even create hobgoblin units if I wanted to. However, their lack of self-awareness might make disguising them difficult.

“You can do this…”

Even Syla seemed surprised at this development.

I plan to send this duplicate instead of killing Bron back to the hobgoblin faction.

I’ll make up a story about being the sole survivor of the city, lying about Bron and his reconnaissance team sacrificing themselves while fleeing from a relentless monster to save me, allowing me to infiltrate their ranks.

“It’s been a long time since our existence spread, so hiding it completely is impossible. However, by mixing truths and lies, we can create more confusion. I’ll go infiltrate them and share information while hiding key points, Syla. You worry not and prepare to conquer new foes.”

I donned the pre-prepared hobgoblin clothes and armor, then set off from the nest.

To be honest, I was a little excited. This was my first opportunity to see a fully intact Demon Realm city.