Operation Splendid Curry Purification was proceeding swimmingly. My collaborator, Beere, was in high spirits as well. I was in charge of the operational command for now, but once we settled matters with the Eld Caldia Order, the plan was to transfer all the rights over to him.
We were currently in the meeting room of the Beere Curry Grabaldo Store. Grabaldo served as the headquarters for the Bandelt Group, and the Order’s main base was located here as well. In other words, we were in the heart of enemy territory.
At that moment, curry shops were opening one after another across the Bandelt Group’s domain. The buildings were being thrown together in no time by Petit Golems equipped with Create Golem magic tools. Beere provided the staff; apparently, on top of the former bandits, he was utilizing people currently in training for the upcoming Rebvuer expansion. Any remaining labor shortages were filled by Golems. Even mindless Golems could handle simple, repetitive tasks, after all.
"According to reports, the penetration rate for Clean Green Curry is around twenty percent," Beere noted. "It seems to be spreading primarily among the artisans."
"Twenty percent?! That’s much faster than I expected!"
I was genuinely shocked by his report.
One of the primary goals of the shop expansion was the purification of the silverization candidates. The secret weapon for that was our Clean Green Curry—a green curry made with the Magic Seasoning I’d infused with my Clean spell. I’d purposely differentiated it from our standard curry because eating it caused that nasty, slimy silver thing to be purged from the body. I wanted to protect the reputation of our original recipe.
Still, twenty percent in such a short time? It felt almost too good to be true.
"The free samples and half-price promotions are doing wonders," Beere said. "New customers are flooding in just to take the deal. I can’t stop laughing!"
Beere let out a villainous "kukuku." Since he looked like a child, it was almost charming, but if he were a Commoner, I would have considered reporting him to the authorities.
"How is the sabotage of the Order’s proselytizing going?" I asked.
"Ask him yourself," Beere replied, jerking his chin toward Lauya.
Lauya, a former high-ranking member of the Order, was now working under Beere. It was supposed to be a temporary arrangement, but knowing Beere, he would probably have the man completely won over before I knew it.
"I don't have the exact figures, but things are going well," Lauya reported with a smug expression. His head caught the light, gleaming brightly.
The mohawk Dende had so carefully maintained was gone, shaved clean away. It wouldn't have been wise to infiltrate the Bandelt Group’s territory with such a distinctive hairstyle. Dende had looked incredibly guilty about it, saying, "To think I’d have to cut a mohawk more precious than life itself... I am truly sorry," but I was fairly certain Lauya didn’t actually care.
Lauya’s job was to scatter a specific rumor throughout the territory: that the Order was mixing a mysterious Silver Powder into the people’s food. Well, it was the truth, really.
As a former executive, Lauya knew all the details. Since he was an Infiltration Operative, he claimed to be an expert at spreading rumors and misinformation. He wasn't the type of person who possessed much loyalty, which made me a little anxious, but I figured there was no need to worry about a betrayal as long as we held the upper hand. I’d assigned Allen to him as a watchdog, just in case.
As it turned out, Lauya had exceeded my expectations.
"In situations like this, subtle guidance is the most effective approach. People tend to believe the conclusions they reach on their own," he had explained.
Regardless of how true that was, the effect was undeniable. Distrust toward the Bandelt Group and the Order was spreading rapidly, starting with the curry shop customers.
All Lauya had done was use his connections to spread the word in every town that the Order was adding Silver Powder to the food supply. He didn't mention that the powder was harmful; he simply shared the fact that an unidentified substance was being mixed in.
Meanwhile, the curry shops spread a different rumor: that the food might be contaminated. They didn't name a cause either, but they chose their timing perfectly. They would mention the rumor right as a customer was being purified by the curry, watching as the parasitic Silver Abomination fled from their body.
The Silver Powder, the Silver Abomination, and the pre-existing resentment toward the Order and the Bandelt Group all swirled together, leading the people to a single conclusion: the Order was using that Silver Powder for something sinister.
It was exactly where Lauya’s rumors were intended to lead them. Because they hadn't been told directly, the people didn't doubt the conclusion for a second, believing it was their own discovery. Lauya did have a bit of a shady air about him, so I suspected his success rate was much higher this way than if he’d tried to convince them face-to-face.
"If distrust in the Order is growing, we shouldn't have to worry about the silverization anymore," I said.
The conditions for completing the silverization were apparently a certain amount of Silver Powder combined with religious faith. If the Order lost its support, the risk would drop significantly. Everything was going according to plan.
"Indeed," Beere laughed. "If anything, their popularity is plummeting because they keep trying to mess with our shops. Fools. They should know better—grudges over food are a terrifying thing."
We weren't hiding the purification effect, so both the Bandelt Group and the Order had been trying to interfere with our business. However, the customers had become such fans of the curry that the backlash was massive. The patrons looked ready to drive the thugs off themselves before we even had a chance to step in. I’d secretly Golemized the tables and the ground outside the shops just in case, but it seemed there was rarely a need for them.
So far, the only ones harassing the shops were Bandelt Group combatants or low-level cultists. Since they weren't likely to have better intel than Lauya, we just purified them and sent them on their way. Surely they would realize soon that sending grunts wasn't going to cut it.
Right then, the rapid tap-tap-tap of footsteps echoed from the hallway. The sound stopped right outside the room, and the door swung open.
"Tort!"
Halfa burst into the room.
"Did something happen?" I asked.
"Yeah! Someone with a Silver Wound just showed up! The shop is a total wreck because of him!"
It looked like an executive had finally made a move.
"Alright," I said, standing up. "Let's go!"