Ch.1233A World Without Anyone to Trust

Several days later.

We advanced deep into the central region again and began building an underground fortress in a suitable location.

With a rocky mountain overhead making it extremely difficult to discover or infiltrate, and a river flowing alongside that made it perfect for escape and flooding the place if things went wrong.

I suppose the clever and cautious Turangkai had found us an excellent spot. There couldn’t be a more suitable place for our new base.

Since it was such a good location, there were some natives, but Turangkai himself had already cleared them all out before we arrived.

He had successfully completed the “special mission” I had assigned him.

“Turangkai king! King has returned!”

“Star god was right! We believed!”

The rock monkeys simply cheered at the fact that their “king” had returned, and Turangkai, perhaps due to the joy of reuniting with his subordinates, didn’t notice my lie and fell for it.

Maybe there were too many important matters for him to even remember my false speech.

“—I’ve returned as promised. This one has also sworn to join our cause.”

“…Hmph, this has turned into quite an amusing situation.”

First, there was the matter of Bergelmir and Caljarat joining us.

A giant with his entire lower body covered in mechanical devices like some huge robot, and an orc with six arms and a grumpy face, gnashing his tusks.

Yes. As promised to me, Bergelmir had proven to Caljarat that the revival of the orc race was possible, and brought him over to our side.

“Your side? Don’t misunderstand. I merely swore to lend my strength through a deal with this giant. I have no intention of becoming your subordinate.”

Unlike Bergelmir, who had sworn loyalty until death, he insisted that he was merely in a business relationship, lending his power in exchange for compensation.

“Well, whatever you say.”

Of course, it didn’t really make any difference.

Caljarat would move according to Bergelmir’s demands as per their deal, and Bergelmir had to obey my orders according to our pact.

Though he probably wouldn’t follow orders to die or unreasonable demands.

It just meant that with one extra step in the middle, Caljarat himself would ultimately have to move according to my will.

He knew this well, which was why he had that expression on his face. He was displeased about having to follow unwanted orders because of an offer he couldn’t refuse.

In other words, he was only cooperating out of necessity and still harbored feelings close to hostility toward me, with no intention of hiding or abandoning them.

Though the level of what he suffered at my hands wasn’t much different, his attitude was in stark contrast to Bergelmir, who had straightforwardly sworn loyalty despite everything.

Of course, since Bergelmir’s persuasion had worked, that hostility wouldn’t lead to actual antagonistic actions…

‘I can’t expect a sense of belonging or loyalty from him.’

It would be difficult to expect anything more. After all, the one he needed was Bergelmir, not me.

If by some chance a situation arose where either Bergelmir or I had to die, he would choose Bergelmir without hesitation and leave me to die.

And he wouldn’t feel the slightest remorse about it. He might even feel delighted or relieved. It would be like his untouchable enemy falling on his own.

A force that could be relied upon but not trusted. That was Caljarat’s current position. And it probably wouldn’t change in the future.

[But he’ll follow orders. As long as there’s hope, he can’t betray you. Isn’t that enough?]

Hersella, the sarcastic eavesdropper who loved listening to others’ private thoughts, smirked and commented as if telling me to expect only what I should expect.

She implied I had some nerve expecting loyalty after fighting with the intent to kill and forcing submission by holding an entire race’s fate hostage. Even shamelessness had its limits.

‘Oh, how unusual. You’re actually saying something right.’

[Since someone without conscience keeps telling lies, I should say something right to maintain balance.]

Since she wasn’t wrong, I just laughed it off.

Right, I never expected loyalty in the first place.

What I wanted wasn’t a tail-wagging loyal dog, but a leashed beast. A hunting dog that would tear out the enemy’s throat and pierce their heart, even at the cost of mutual destruction.

If he had been loyal to me, it would have been rather awkward.

While I intended to help revive the orc race, I had no intention of letting Caljarat lead that revived orc army.

The threat level of an orc army with a demigod versus one without was worlds apart.

Considering the infamous reputation of orcs recorded in history books, while the latter might be acceptable, the former should never be allowed.

In other words, Caljarat would eventually have to die. Or be weakened to the point where he was no longer a threat.

Too harsh, you say?

It’s less harsh than creating a force as harmful as the werebeast army with my own hands and releasing it upon the continent.

Thinking of humanity, this was the right thing to do. Though even by my standards, it was hard to call it just.

—-

…But when it comes to shamelessness, isn’t this orc worse?

He started the trouble first, picking a fight when we were at a disadvantage, and then holds a grudge just because he got beaten in return. What kind of logic is that?

Moreover, I spared his life and even gave him hope for his race’s revival. Instead of holding a grudge and being sulky, shouldn’t he be thanking me and bowing down?

Even for an orc, as a being with intelligence, he should have at least some basic conscience. How can someone be so shameless and petty?

As an expert in pettiness, I’d say his level of pettiness ranks in the top 5 among all the people I’ve encountered.

To the point where I seriously reflected and resolved never to become such a person.

—-

Anyway, thanks to recruiting those two powerful beings as allies, we could now move more actively than before.

“Bergelmir, you and your subordinates build a base over here. Spread your men out to set up some outposts too. We can use Caljarat as a reserve force.”

In gaming terms, it’s like we could now build a forward base.

Previously, we couldn’t disperse our forces for fear of being picked off one by one, but with a demigod-level powerhouse stationed there, they could handle most threats on their own.

Besides, Bergelmir was too large to accommodate underground, and keeping him on the surface would be like advertising our presence.

Building a forward base wasn’t an option but a necessity.

The same went for Caljarat. It was better to send him to the forward base than keep him here.

Since he had no forces under him, it was awkward to separate him completely like Bergelmir, but keeping him at our base made the existing members uncomfortable.

Additionally, while Bergelmir alone might be somewhat insufficient in terms of power, with Caljarat added, they could handle most attacks on their own.

“Turangkai, there should be silver mines or something similar around here, right? Once the fortress construction is complete, have your men look for them. Be careful not to be discovered.”

I assigned the rock monkeys with fortress construction and silver mine reconnaissance.

“Silver mines…? Those aren’t exactly common enough to just stumble upon, are they?”

“I know that too. But just in case, have them look around. The difference in casualties on our side will depend on whether we find silver mines or not.”

Turangkai reacted as if I was talking nonsense, but from my perspective, it was a necessary order.

Eventually, we would have to fight against Caliburn’s werebeasts, and if we discovered silver mines and stockpiled silver weapons, we would have a significant advantage when that time came.

—-

After giving these various instructions, I went to the promised location to meet with Lati, the fox werebeast, and informed her that I had decided to form an alliance with them.

“Thank you for your wise decision. He will be pleased as well.”

She couldn’t hide her smile, as if she had hit the jackpot. If she knew what I was thinking inside, she wouldn’t be smiling.

“No need to thank me. If the dead are our enemies, then the living should help each other.”

I smiled slightly, finding it amusing.

I’m sorry, but what you’ve caught isn’t a jackpot but a poisoned chalice. And not a fast-acting poison, but a deadly toxin that will be irreversible by the time you notice.

But don’t feel wronged. After all, you’re thinking the same thing inside, aren’t you?

If you plan to use and betray others, you should be prepared to be betrayed first. So accept it gracefully. Whatever happens, it’s all your karma.

“Then, I’ll see you next time. At that time—”

“You’ll come with your leader, right? Got it. We can work out the details then.”

Anyway, after I showed a positive attitude toward the alliance, Lati requested a formal meeting on behalf of their leader—that werebeast called Caliburn.

She suggested we meet at a neutral location, neither their base nor ours, where the leaders could discuss and decide on the specific terms of the alliance.

I had anticipated this and was hoping for it myself, so I readily agreed.

After all, since they would eventually become enemies, meeting in advance would give me a rough idea of when and how to deal with them.

Of course, there was a possibility that the meeting could turn into a knife fight rather than a discussion, so some negotiation was needed regarding the location and the number of subordinates to bring.

It took about a minute? In the end, I would decide the location, and Lati would determine the number of people.

– Let’s make it around here. I’ll prepare chairs and a table.

– Is it acceptable to bring 2 people, with power less than a demigod?

A terrain where I could easily escape if ambushed. Attendants who would be enough for appearances but meaningless against a demigod-level attack.

It was a reasonable and exquisite conclusion that was essentially both sides openly declaring, “I still don’t trust you.”