The first prince of Dilirea, Alfonso Dilirea's information network is centered with the knights of the kingdom.
The sixth prince with a bottomless greed, Leonard Dilirea's information network is centered with the noble faction. This enables him to create rumors about anyone anytime he so desires.
Me, the guild master of the demon hound guild's information network is centered with my members who gather intel in various places.
It wasn't long until we were in the Berda. And for the newspaper to spread this fast throughout the entire continent means that it was someone who has a big influence with the merchant guild.
We headed to the manor in the city after the sun have set.
"Ugh, is something wrong, master?"
The fifth prince Ezekiel Dilirea was tossed by Eddie to the other side of the room.
Why do they keep on tossing people all the way to the other side of the room. Are these guys showing off?
"I have to say your acting is a lot better than I thought"
"Wha-what do you mean, master?!"
"Don't bother"
Belphegor brought two servants who belong to the merchant guild.
"Belphegor, enter their dreams"
"Yes, milady"
The two servants who were terrified was sound asleep a second later.
The two servants began to talk about how they receive a detailed sketch of my face from this manor. The thing is, is that the only one who ever saw my face in this entire manor would be Ezekiel.
Everyone who knew my face was replaced by Ezekiel's servants and every time I would come here ever since Ezekiel took over this city I would be wearing a veil and a wig.
This brings the question: Who was the one that gave a detailed sketch of me?
The probability of me blaming him right now would be about seventy percent. But thanks to the second part of volume one, when their childhood was reenacted I saw that Ezekiel's hobby is to draw.
The art style that I saw from that reenaction of his childhood and the one in the newspaper matches perfectly.
"Honestly, I already knew that you were bound to find a loophole to the combination of the slave contract and the slave collar. You are smart and cunning after all. I won't pry as to what method you used to do it but it does not change the fact that you will be facing many punishments for this"
Belphegor let go of two and carried Ezekiel after he put him to sleep.
Now that we are done here, I-
The bookshelf moved and opened.
"Your highness, I..."
"Eddie!"
"I know"
Eddie quickly caught the girl who came from the secret passage.
Belphegor put her to sleep and entered her dream.
We then found out how Ezekiel was able to spread my face to the world.
His hobby is drawing. His servants and knights knew that very well. When Ezekiel left a portrait of me in his room, his servants figured out what it means.
The woman with the veil who would occasionally come to the manor at night. The portrait of a woman. The woman who bewitched the seventh prince of Dilirea. And the odd behavior of their master lately.
They pieced these together and their conclusion is that their master is being restricted somehow by the guild master of the demon hound guild, me, and spread out my face using the sketches that Ezekiel made.
Not only is Ezekiel cunning but he also has decent subordinates. Not bad at all.
"Eddie, bring Ezekiel to Alex so that Aamon can re-write his memories. Don't worry Aamon is capable enough to know my intentions. After that, you should go back and deal with the affairs regarding the duchy"
"Okay"
Before going, Eddie opened a portal to the east, the city that the sixth prince governs.
I entered Leonard's mansion just like how I enter Ezekiel's.
Unlike Ezekiel, Leo is obedient as long as it gives him profits.
When the six princes became my slaves, Leo's paper that I made prohibits him from doing one thing. Colosseum matches of slaves. There are a lot of monsters that comes from the forest further east from this city. This makes the city popular for the monsters you can kill so many adventurers and ability users come here.
And if there are a lot of monsters nearby, nobles of all kind watches slaves fight monsters at night in a colosseum.
Those nobles wants to see people fight, then why don't they go to the front lines?!
Disgusting nobles.
Since his profits that comes from colosseum matches are now gone he became the sole seller of my medicine in this entire kingdom. He was really happy because the money he earns is approximately eight times more than the colosseum matches he would do a month.
Leonard entered the room with a somewhat gloomy face.
"What happened to you?"
"Well, there are currently monsters that are pooping out in the forest recently"
"Isn't that normal?"
"Those monsters... they have an insane regenerative ability and does not need to eat"
A monster that doesn't eat but has an insane regenerative ability?
Monsters are basically mutated animals. Whatever monster it was, it has to retain the traits of its origin.
"Can you describe the appearance?"
"It had a wolf's head, a weird looking tail and bloodshot eyes based on the ones who were at the scene"
Wolf with weird looking tail?
"How many?"
"So far, three has been spotted. The two small ones are weak but the big one is incredibly strong. Stronger than the black needle bear"
But the black needle bear is the strongest monster in land. And this guy is telling me that the monster with a wolf's head is stronger?
"Leo, I have a job for you in exchange I will take care of it"
"Anything as long as those monsters are taken care of, master"
I gave him the product made by my disciple.
"It is a shampoo. Go and try to smell it"
He put little drops on his palm and sniff it.
"This has an amazing scent!"
Of course it does. 'My' student was the one who made it after all.
"You will be in charge of selling it in return you will be giving me eighty percent of the total profits"
"Eighty?"
"It will be my side that will be the ones making the product anyway and you will be in charge of labor"
"That does sound reasonable. Not to mention, adventurers who would fight monsters always gets dirty after they fight the monsters in the forest"
"Exactly. Now, go prepare a carriage full of delicious meat. It better be done by sunrise"
"I shall do as you say, master!"
He left with a bright smile on his face.
"Milady, what are the meat for? And a whole carriage at that"
"Those monsters are not pure monsters. They are hybrids"
It was pretty good scene in the novel when the wolf headed monster with bloodshot eyes wreck havoc before the war of Otvon and Sukel.
But it was never mentioned that it had regenerative abilities and a tail.
"Hybrid? As in an offspring of a monster and a human?"
"Yes. And those three are siblings"
Before sunrise, Leo reported that the carriage filled with delicious cooked meat was ready.
"Do you really not need knights who will protect you?"
"No need"
I made a strong perfume a long time ago that all monsters hate.
Belphegor and I started to travel to the forest after I covered the carriage with the perfume.
Are journey to the forest was rather enjoyable despite it being feared as the worst place in the kingdom.
There was no monster in sight. The horses were fine and the path was flatter than I expected it which made things go better for us.
We arrive at a small cave. It was covered with thick leaves as if to blend in with the surroundings and hide the fact that there was a cave here.
"Milady, there are quite a lot of Dels' mushrooms here"
"Yes. It means that we arrive at the right place"
Dels' mushroom are known to be mushrooms that releases spores that causes monsters to sleep in the day but is harmless to humans. Many attempted to use the mushroom to their advantages but failed. The mushroom dies instantly once it is removed from the ground therefore removing the mushroom along the ground is the only solution.
But that method also has flaws which made people to give up on the thought of using it in actual subjugation.
Belphegor placed the meat one by one on the carpet that I laid down on the ground. He then placed the Dels' mushroom further away so that the three inside won't be affected by the spores it emits as well as the carriage.
"Okay! Nana! Lulu! Harry! You guys can come out now"
"....."
A little later the big monster that matches Leo's description came out.
"Gggrrrrrr"
He was snarling and growling at us.
"These food are for you"
I took one using my hands and ate it right in front of him.
"As you can see, it is not poisoned. So do eat it well if not I will finish all of this by myself"
The wolf headed monster slowly took the form of a human. Black hair and vibrant red eyes.
"Are you not disturb about the fact that the guy is naked, milady"
"Not at all"
They weren't though to wear clothes since they live here in this forest their entire life so expecting them to be mindful would be the same thing as me expecting the sun to rise in the west.
Harry crawled to the carpet where the meat were. He sniff the food for quite a while. I once again took another lump of meat from the pile that was in front of us and started to eat it.
He took one and ate it.
As he was unable to hide his smile he took about a third of it and brought it to the cave.
"Milady, is it alright if I ask something out of curiosity?"
"Yes"
"How exactly do you know their names as well as their situation, milady?"
"Simple. I just know because I read a lot"
An hour later, Harry came out with his sisters hiding behind him.
He sat down in front of me, crossing his legs.
While I was waiting I already ate some of the meat that were piled up in the carpet. He noticed it and held out his hand.
In contrary to what his hand looked like before he entered the cave with a third of the meat earlier his hand right now is clean. As clean as the maids that are in a noble's house.
I shake his hand.
The two girls behind him look at each other and came towards me happily.
"May I know your name?"
"My name is Marie Anne"
"Are you strong?"
"I can destroy world if I wanted to so I guess my answer to your question would be a 'yes'"
"Why did you help us?"
"Simple. I am the daughter of your mother's friend. There was a letter that states that your mother is currently living here however, my mother, she died when I was still young so she wasn't able to come here"
As if.
Based on the novel, their mother did left a letter to a friend of hers in hopes that her friend would help her in the near future.
And that friend of hers is dead. I was the one who killed her since she was playing with children's lives.
I gave him the letter and he opened it.
Tears started to fall from his cheeks as he recognize the penmanship of his mother.
"As the letter says I am here to help you all"
They were joyful for this occasion. Now there is no need for them to live like beasts and to struggle to look for food.
In a river nearby I help the two young girls to take a bath while Belphegor helps Harry somewhere else.
"This! This! It smells so good!"
"Yeah! Amazing!"
Their mother must have taught them how to write before she died, right?
I wrote something using mud and the two girls understood what it meant proving that they do can read. When I wrote a mathematical problem, the two solved it easily.
Right now, I am sure that they can use simple to moderate mathematics as well as average writing skills compared to young nobles on their age.
"Danger!"
The two yelled.
They were looking at the trees.
A black needle bear appeared.
It fell.
"What happened, Nana?"
"I don't know, Lulu"
The two look at me with curious eyes.
"Miss! Miss! What is that on your hand?!"
"Is it a weapon?"
"Yes, this is my weapon"
There is no way I'm going to the middle of a forest that is infested with monster unarmed. That's the same as suicide.
"How did you kill the big monster?"
"I didn't kill it. It just fell asleep"
Each of my bolts has a very strong hallucinogenic poison to make sure that anyone who would come at me would stall themselves by the illusion that is created by the poison.
The two wore the clothes that I prepared for them.
They were happy with it. Good thing I chose comfortable clothes.
We went back to the carriage and waited for the two.
"I'm sorry if it took us quite some time, milady"
"It's okay, we.... wow~"