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Volume 5 Chapter 13-2: Improving the Drug “Shoji”

One after another, the man betrayed his comrades. He seemed to feel no guilt about it whatsoever.
「This is everyone! Everyone! I told you, I told you everything, so please, the medicine, give me the medicine!」
「Good boy. As long as you’re obedient, I’ll give you medicine.」
I tossed the drug at him, and the man lunged for Shoji once again.
「It’s also time for feeding. Here, eat.」
Like feeding a dog, I slid a large portion of foul-smelling leftovers through the bottom of the cell door. It contained scrap vegetables and meat discarded from making dried meat. Its preservation was poor, and it was oozing strange threads. It had been picked up from the garbage dump, so it was only natural. It was so foul-smelling it could turn your stomach.
「Wow, such a feast! Delicious, so delicious, I’ve never had anything so good!」
And with that, he gobbled up the garbage as if it were truly a delicacy. He devoured it like a dog with his mouth pressed against the plate. As I watched him, I thought to myself.
I made the drug a bit too strong. It was too destructive in this state. If I spread it in the Empire like this, it probably wouldn’t spread properly. I should adjust the concentration to make it weaker. Also, the hallucinogenic effect was too strong; that needed adjustment too.
This experiment proved insightful. Initially, I planned to use the drug to control him and turn him into a double agent, but now he was beyond any use. Might as well use the other spies he ratted out to test the adjusted Shoji. This time, I needed to be careful not to destroy them entirely.
「Ouch, it hurts, it hurtsss, ah, it feels good. It feels goood. Ahahaha.」
The man, who should have been suffering from a stomach upset from eating rotten food, let out a voice of deep pleasure. Probably, in his state, he was actually happy.
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In the end, after various adjustments to the concentration and ratios of the drug, and tinkering with the intervals of administration, I finally succeeded in making a double agent out of the third person. Moving forward, I would use him to disseminate false information and for gathering intelligence from the Empire.
The one I turned into a double agent had reached the ideal state where he retained some level of rationality but couldn’t survive without regular doses of Shoji. As expected of a professional intelligence officer of the Empire, he was highly capable, and I had high expectations for his future contributions.
The rest were rendered useless, but the gain was significant. Thanks to their sacrifice, I was able to adjust Shoji to an ideal concentration for distribution in the Empire.
After completing the adjustments, I mass-produced Shoji using the ingredients I had brought from Erucy — ephedra, Hikageshibire mushrooms, powdered alcohol — along with the marijuana from Bell Erucy. Each pill of Shoji was approximately 100mg, so with the 80kg of raw materials I brought, I could create a considerable quantity of it
「Are you leaving already, Cyril-sama?」
「Yes, I’ve finally managed to create something satisfactory. Thank you for taking care of me during my stay in Bell Erucy, Johann.」
I was about to depart from Bell Erucy in a high-speed carriage. Johann, the leader of the kobold tribe, had come to see me off.
The carriage was loaded with the drug and a large amount of counterfeit bonds.
The counterfeit bonds were mass-produced in Erucy using cannabis leaves and stems as raw materials. Their quality was so good, that even I found it hard to distinguish them from the real thing.
「I heard that the elite troops from Erucy will be arriving soon. Why not delay your departure for a while?」
「I can’t, there’s no time left.」
With just one month until the war started I needed to act now. The time left was short, but I still had enough, if barely, to inflict damage with the counterfeit bonds and Shoji.
「It’s unthinkable for you, Cyril-sama, to go alone to meet with those barbaric orcs!」
「It’s precisely because they are likely to be the most troublesome that I must go. Besides, among the anti-empire forces, the orcs are second only to Erucy in terms of size, we can’t afford to fail to gain the orcs’ cooperation.」
We weren’t going to distribute the counterfeit bonds and Shoji directly. We would use the people from the villages surrounding the Empire.
When I went on a reconnaissance mission to the Empire last time, I visited several anti-empire villages and met with their leadership. After our victories against the Empire, Erucy was seen as a beacon of hope for the anti-empire movement, so they welcomed me warmly.
I had already discussed the counterfeit bonds with them. All these anti-empire villages were struggling financially, and their food situation wasn’t good either, so they would gladly accept hoarding food using counterfeit bonds. At the same time, I would have them sell Shoji to the citizens of the Empire. Initially, it was just a drug that make one feel good. They would gladly get hooked on Shoji… unaware of the terror that came with dependency.
First, I would go to the orcs, the largest and most violent group. And as additional batches of counterfeit bonds were made, Nettle, the elite troops of Erucy, led by Roleau, would visit other villages using the high-speed carriages. I’d instructed Roleau and the others to collect the Shoji that I finished adjusting in Bell Erucy too. This way, counterfeit bonds, and narcotics would simultaneously flood into the Empire from multiple villages.
「Why don’t you take some of the elite of the kobold tribe with you? They may not be as strong as Nettle, but they could be of help. The ferocity of the orcs is unmatched! Even for you, it would be too much to handle alone.」
Johann seemed particularly worried about me. But I was confident.
「I’ve already spoken with their leader once. There’s no need to worry.」
There had been some troubles, but I dealt with them, including using force when necessary, and everything turned out fine. I’m sure this negotiation will go smoothly too. They might be barbaric, but they are simple and straightforward. Far better than those who wear a smile but harbor ulterior motives.
「Ahhh, Cyril-sama, wait please!」
Ignoring Johann’s worried face, I spurred the horse into action and set off for the villages near the Empire.