I Became a Druid in Another World

– Clop, clop, clop.

The carriage passed through a deserted shadowy alley. To add to the eerie atmosphere of the "ghost carriage" rumor, I pulled the hood of my black cloak low over my face and hunched over as I drove. The sight of Storm who was invisible thanks to the Shadow Cloak pulling the carriage gave me chills, even though I knew what was going on.

"My God. I can't believe you actually had a 'ghost carriage'."

Louis who had been waiting for us at the end of the alley clicked his tongue in disbelief. He circled around the carriage and inspected it with fascination before stepping back.

"How is it moving by itself? Is a ghost horse pulling it?"

"It's not moving by itself, and it's not a ghost horse either."

I removed the Shadow Cloak I had draped over Storm and stored it back in my space ring. Louis let out a small sound of admiration.

"Amazing…"

"Well, since the 'ghost carriage' rumor is already out there, I figured we might as well make good use of it."

"Smart thinking. No one will suspect a thing."

Following Louis's lead, we entered an old house at the end of the alley. The place was filled with items covered in layers of dust. It had clearly been abandoned for a long time. Sure, it was a good spot for a secret meeting, but… isn't this place a little too shabby? Just as that thought crossed my mind—

-Thud!

-Creak, creak, creak…

When Louis twisted and lifted the fire poker that had been standing next to the fireplace, the wall behind it slowly slid open to reveal a hidden space. So, this was the "secret room," huh?

"This way."

We followed Louis into the space behind the fireplace. A narrow, steep staircase descended below; it was barely illuminated by a faint light coming from the bottom. Carefully, we made our way down into the underground area.

The underground space was much larger than the house above. It looked at least twice, maybe three times as big. The vast area was set up like a meeting room, with a large table in the center and wooden chairs around it. On one side, a few simple weapons were mounted on the wall, and across from them was a map of Corin. Below the map, there was a desk cluttered with various papers, maps, and books.

It seems he's been investigating things alone here.

After surveying the room, I sat down at the long table. There was a piece of paper on the table that seemed to have been scribbled by Louis.

-Corin's army…

-Dawood…

-Mercenaries…

It looked like he had been estimating the military strength of Corin and the size of the mercenary force Dawood had gathered. While Corin's army wasn't surprising, the number of mercenaries Dawood had assembled was much larger than I'd expected. Judging by the sheer size of the group, it wasn't just seasoned veterans; it seemed he had scraped together a bunch of rookies and random recruits as well.

…It looks like even the Empire must be keeping an eye on this place.

The Imperial family had always been highly sensitive to lords gathering military forces. Since Dawood had amassed this many mercenaries, it was only natural that the Imperial family would be keeping a close eye on Corin as well.

It's crucial to extinguish the spark before they make their move.

Taking action before things escalated was the best way to minimize potential damage. It wouldn't be easy with the Crows involved, but…

Fortunately, nothing has happened yet.

This was undoubtedly still the preparation stage. Corin hadn't yet reached the advanced state of the Crows' plans like the Silver Mountains or Dihid. Perhaps they were right on the verge.

"Give me a brief explanation of Corin."

Louis who was standing in front of the map explained each district of Corin, its surroundings, and the castle. The information wasn't much different from what I already knew. Well, except for one detail.

"There's no mention of the castle's 'secret passage'."

"...!"

Louis looked at me as if to ask how I knew about that. Did I slip up just now? I rolled my eyes briefly, then looked back at Louis with a casual smile.

"Well, most castles tend to have at least one secret passage. I just guessed…"

Louis seemed to accept the explanation somewhat, but his gaze still held suspicion. Then he said with a voice that hinted at wounded pride,

"…Yes, there is a 'secret passage' known only to the lord and his closest aides. There's no way a commoner like you would know…"

"Louis."

"…That was a mistake, a slip of the tongue."

When Lloyd called Louis by name after his "commoner like you" remark, Louis immediately backed down. Well, it didn't really bother me, but… maybe this was a good chance to fix that noble's attitude.

"It's fine, Lloyd. Nobles don't change their ways overnight."

"…I apologize."

At my sarcastic comment, Louis begrudgingly apologized and cleared his throat a few times. I nodded generously, then asked what had been on my mind.

"The lord and his closest aides…?"

"My father, my brother, me, my mother, and the head of the guards. Five people in total."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. Only those five know the exact location."

"...."

I wasn't so sure.

Did Louis still have some trust left in Dawood? He seemed to believe that his brother wouldn't have told an outsider about the secret passage, but…

I thought differently.

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you anything about the secret pass—"

"Louis, don't take this the wrong way, but there's a high chance the 'secret passage' isn't a secret anymore. Your brother has likely already told Fabio everything about it."

"..."

Louis looked at me with a frown. He then shook his head, as if he was refusing to believe it.

"The secret passage of the castle is the lord's final lifeline. For his own safety, he wouldn't have revealed it to anyone."

"But the only way to enter and leave the castle secretly is through the secret passage, isn't it? A passage that only five people know about, one that isn't used regularly… Fabio must have used this passage to meet with your brother far more frequently and for much longer than you think."

"But…"

"Of course, my guess could be wrong. And if it is, then that would be fortunate. But if my guess is right…"

"..."

"Think about what might happen."

Louis's face darkened. Naturally, if the secret passage that was meant to protect the lord and his closest aides had already been exposed to outsiders, it wouldn't serve its purpose when truly needed.

"In that case…"

"From now on, you need to keep the passage under watch."

It would be best to seal it entirely, but doing so would alert Dawood and the Crows to the presence of opposition. So, for now, monitoring it was the only option.

"Think of it as an opportunity. If you manage to catch someone using the passage, it'll give you the justification you need to take responsibility for the castle's safety."

"…I understand."

"We will monitor the secret passage from the outside while you watch over it from within the castle. If the captain of the guards is trustworthy, working with him would be a good idea."

"He's been a close friend of my father for a long time. He's definitely someone I can trust."

"That's good to hear. Let's leave the exit to Lloyd then. That way, you can have peace of mind as well."

Louis nodded his head. Judging by the atmosphere, if it weren't for this situation, the secret passage would never have been mentioned. Since a man like him was talking about it… it must mean the situation is truly dire.

Beyond that, we received explanations about the layout of the castle, the guard placements, and the structure of the city, as well as details about the upcoming subjugation, before we left the house.

"...."

On the night of the full moon, when the Hunter's Moon rises largest and roundest, the subjugation will begin in the Sequoia Forest where the orcs appear. They say the red light of the Hunter's Moon protects the warriors, which makes it seem like a favorable time… but…

That also means it's just as dangerous.

There's something people often overlook. The belief that the gods watch over only "humans" is a deeply arrogant one. Of course, it's understandable why people might think that, since gods like Arzan and Donar mainly care for humans… but…

Just as the goddess of the forest and earth Lynshaka favors the elves, and the god of technology and wealth Daewar favors the dwarves, the god of war Belek shows no partiality. Any "warrior" can receive Belek's blessing, be they human, barbarian, beastman, or even monster.

The red light of the Hunter's Moon didn't only protect "human" warriors. If the subjugation target had been beasts, zombies, or other monsters that didn't wield weapons, humans would surely have the advantage… but orcs were monsters that did wield weapons. So they too would gain strength from the red light of the Hunter's Moon.

'Which means this won't be an easy fight.

To make matters worse, more than half of the mercenaries Dawood had recruited were rookies or misfits. Even with the Hunter's Moon's blessing, it wouldn't make much difference for them. Pushing these people into the subjugation was, quite literally…

…sending them to die.

The subjugation was just a trap to obscure the real plan. It was clear that their true objective lay elsewhere. Though I hadn't figured it out yet…

– Caw, caw, caw…

I heard a crow's cry in the distance. It was Blackie. As dark as the night sky itself, Blackie soared in a circle above me before slowly descending to perch on my shoulder.

– Flap, flap…

The bird dropped a red thread into my hand with its ends frayed as if it had once been knotted. There was wax stuck to the middle of the thread, which melted and hardened. Though the seal was too worn to recognize, I had a good idea where it had come from.

"Good job, Blackie."

It must have fallen off one of the messages they sent attached to their birds, or maybe it was discarded. Though they had burned the letter, it seemed they didn't pay attention to the thread or wax that had sealed it. Blackie must have spotted it and brought it back. Which means…

"You found their trail, didn't you?"

– Cawww.

"You've done well."

After tucking the thread into my pocket, I gently scratched under Blackie's chin. Blackie closed his eyes and tilted his head, clearly enjoying it, then relaxed completely and nestled into my arms. Well, after flying through the city all night, no wonder he was tired.

"…Let's get some rest today. Both you and I."

Because it's not like we'll be able to rest for long.