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It’s been about half a month since we occupied Lüenheit.
The city has regained its function as a trade hub, and there’s a touch of liveliness returning to the streets.
Still, before the occupation, this was a major trade junction with caravans coming and going constantly. It’s not quite back to that level yet.
But now, a new commercial opportunity has emerged—trade with monsters.

“How’s business?”

I came to inspect the dogfolk caravan gathered at the south gate.

Dozens of dogfolk merchants, not affiliated with the military, had gathered. More than ten wagons were lined up, and a small crowd—well, a crowd of dogfolk—had formed around them.

“Oh, Veit!”

Big Sis Fern, the woman in charge of the south gate, noticed me and smiled brightly.

“Business is booming! Look at this—I got these silver accessories as a gift!”
“I told you not to accept bribes…”

I sighed as I looked at the silver ring and necklace Fern was holding.

In a demon society where strength is everything, explaining why bribery is wrong is… tough. I gave up on that early on.

“Hey, Veit, didn’t they say dogfolk corrode silver or something?”

Fern tilted her head curiously while pinching the ring, so I explained.

“That’s a false rumor humans spread.”
“A false rumor?”

I continued explaining to the puzzled Fern.

“Dogfolk craftsmanship with silver is something ordinary humans can’t replicate. So humans who didn’t like that spread lies.”

Because of that, dogfolk were driven from the mines and forced to live hidden in forests. It’s a sad story.
What’s worse, they hold no grudges over it, which somehow makes it even sadder.

I asked Fern about the general situation; “How’s business with the humans?”

“Going great. They were nervous at first, but once they saw how the dogfolk looked and acted, they got used to it fast.”

Indeed, I saw some human merchants had gathered. Still a bit wary, but you could tell they knew how to haggle.

“This set of 50 silver spoons—how about you knock off the price for five of them if I buy them all?”
“I can give you three off!”
“Deal then.”
“Mister Dogfolk, you guys need some salt from the southern coast for your return trip?”
“Hmmm, I’d prefer sugar over salt.”
“We’ve got some—bit pricey though!”

Yeah, not bad at all. They’re not reliable in battle, but I’m glad I brought the dogfolk along.
Just to be safe, I warned Fern, who was grinning at the silverwork.

“If there’s any trouble, report it properly to the Lüenheit Chamber of Commerce. Don’t try to cover it up yourself.”
“Okaaay~”

She’s easygoing, but she’s got a strong sense of justice. Should be fine. Probably.

I decided to take a break and bought a tropical fruit the caravan had brought. It looked like a pineapple from my past life, but the inside was a vivid green.

“Tastes good?”
“Hmm, I like it.”

The dogfolk who looked like a borzoi handed me a slice, and I paid for it.
It smelled amazing, but the sweetness was average. Made me realize again how much human fruits had been selectively bred for taste.
As I munched on the green pineapple, a sudden commotion broke out among the dogfolk and werewolves.

“What’s going on?”

Before a subordinate could answer, my ears caught it first.
A signal whistle. From the north gate.

Three whistles.
Enemy attack.

Even before I could give orders, Fern jumped to her feet.

“Shut the south gate! Tell the caravans to evacuate into the city!”

I swallowed the pineapple and transformed on the spot.

“UOOOOOH!”

People nearby screamed and fell over in shock, but this wasn’t the time for that. I had to take this form to let out my howl.

“AWOOOOOOO!” With that, I issued an emergency call to all werewolf and dogfolk units. Since it was my voice, they should be mobilizing quickly.

I immediately selected personnel from the south gate.

“Jerich team, Monsa team, Hammarn team—you’re with me! The rest of you, stay here and guard the gate. Protect the civilians!”

At my order, those named transformed simultaneously. More screams erupted, but it couldn’t be helped.

“Let’s go!”

With the three teams—twelve people—I left the south gate. As we ran across rooftops, howls from other werewolves echoed all around.

“Enemy.”
“Close.”
“Strong.”

The howls all indicated enemy attack. One advantage of being a werewolf is our instant long-range communication.
Though, as they are howls, they only convey simple messages. No proper grammar.
So “strong”—does that mean they are strong, look strong, or someone just thinks they might be? Who knows.
Please, just don’t engage yet.

I stopped by the governor’s mansion and pulled out three more teams—bringing the total to 24, half the werewolf unit.
When we reached the north gate wall, the stationed dogfolk were shaking.

“Lord Veit, the enemy’s here!”
“Got it. No need for the whistle anymore. Where?”

I jumped up to the watchtower and scanned the field. The other werewolves did the same.

Hammarn, a werewolf with sandy fur and desert origins, unusually sharp-eyed for a werewolf—spoke calmly.

“Captain. Judging by the flag, it’s the Miraldia Allied Forces. From Tübahn.”

Tübahn… That’s the industrial city north of Lüenheit. I believe they had mounted archers.
Still, something felt off.

Monza, always laid-back, tilted his head.

“Tübahn’s not that big, right? Looks like they’ve got about four hundred troops, infantry and cavalry.”
“I don’t see any siege weapons either.”

Jerich, the blacksmith’s son, also looked puzzled.

With just 400 troops, they can’t surround Lüenheit—it’s too large for its population. And they don’t seem capable of breaking the gates either.
No sane army would pick a fight with no chance of victory.
So there must be a strategy. A reason they think they can win.
That means there’s only one real possibility.

“Monsa team, Skudl team—go guard the front gate! If you see anyone acting suspicious, detain them on the spot!”
“Roger that.”
“Understood!”

Eight werewolves descended toward the north gate.
I really hope I’m wrong about this…