Ch.58Chapter 58

When Gelmir first planned the expedition, he anticipated that commanding this large, greedy, and selfish group would not be smooth sailing.

Even those who rise under the banner of a noble cause cannot avoid discord…

So how much would an alliance stained with greed care for one another and cooperate to overcome adversity?

“Your supply unit was attacked while passing through your territory. How are you managing your lands?!”

“Heh. More than a hundred warriors are born in the frozen lands, and even more live as raiders. Why blame me?”

“Have you forgotten your guarantee of safety at the last meeting? Let’s hear your excuses!”

“It was safe when I was heavily guarding my post. Who could have known thieves would run rampant as soon as I left?”

“You call that an explanation?!”

Of course, these greedy creatures were incapable of consideration and cooperation.

Gelmir pressed his wrinkled eyes with his hand, tired of the insufferable arguing. What was the point of all this?

‘We haven’t even faced the Djin yet, and already there’s such chaos.’

If this had been merely a dispute between individuals, Gelmir wouldn’t have cared.

As the only one with authority to give orders in the alliance, the more divided the chieftains and Summoners became, the easier they were to control.

But when these fools started forming factions within the alliance and uniting, the problem became serious.

The Summoners and chieftains in the meeting hall exchanged signals and began running their mouths.

“Raising your voice like that is inappropriate.”

“Are you trying to shift the blame for your subordinates’ mistakes to another chieftain? That’s quite disgraceful.”

“You… you bastards!”

When those who had been quiet until now began pouring out criticism, the chieftain felt both indignation and rage simultaneously.

It was hard enough to bear the cut-off supplies, but now they were even shifting the blame onto him. How could he endure this?

If he remained silent, he would be no different from a castrated pig rather than a northern warrior.

The chieftain, suddenly made into a criminal, roared and drew his sword. Murderous intent formed in his eyes filled with resentment.

Normally, as soon as a chieftain drew his sword, others would respond with their own killing intent…

But Todel stepped in front of the chieftain with a mild smile.

“Please calm yourself. Should we cause discord over such a trivial matter?”

“Shut that bewitching mouth of yours…!?”

As the chieftain was about to roar again, Todel’s face hardened as he lunged forward and swung his dagger.

Wind blades swirled around the dagger, and the chieftain hurriedly blocked them with his sword.

However, a mere iron sword couldn’t withstand blades forged by magic. The chieftain’s sword broke upon impact as if made of mud.

Todel sneered as the man trembled and glared at him.

“Heh. It seems your sword skills are worse than your rhetoric? You couldn’t even block an attack from a mere Summoner.”

“Enough! Even if he drew his sword first, that was too harsh for a tribal chieftain. Todel!”

Unable to watch anymore, Gelmir pounded his staff on the ground and shouted. Even for Todel, who regularly mocked and provoked the chieftains, Gelmir found this concerning.

Every aged Summoner typically concealed at least one sharp dagger, after all.

‘This should be sufficient.’

Todel gave a sly smile and nodded slightly in lieu of an apology.

It was an extremely disrespectful gesture, but Gelmir wasn’t easily provoked. Rather, his cold, settled gaze made Todel nervous.

Gelmir spoke quietly, yet clearly enough for everyone to hear.

“Todel. Go outside and control yourself.”

“…As you wish.”

As Todel nodded and left the meeting hall, several others who had been watching carefully followed him out.

Gelmir sighed at this pathetic and absurd scene.

How could he continue the meeting in this situation?

“Today’s meeting ends here. Everyone, please leave.”

“Hmph. I suppose that’s that.”

“Tsk, tsk, I wonder how they all view war, displaying such unseemly behavior…”

Grind.

As those leaving the meeting hall expressed their dissatisfaction, Gelmir gritted his teeth.

Normally, those who had lost warriors should have been subdued and compliant, and by now the alliance should have been following his control!

When Gelmir showed his discomfort, those who remained in the meeting hall until the end looked at him with suspicious eyes.

The situation had clearly deviated far from the initial plan.

“Gelmir. I’ve lived as long as you and never doubted your abilities. So… the current situation is quite unexpected.”

“I can’t even guess what gives them the nerve to act this way. Are they performing a ritual for complete destruction since they’re already ruined?”

Normal opinions began to circulate in the meeting hall, which until moments ago had been filled with useless talk that only left emotional wounds.

Gelmir tapped his staff on the ground and fell into thought. It was strange no matter how he looked at it.

‘What was our purpose for gathering? Wasn’t it to obtain the Djin’s mysteries, magic, and land?’

Among the Summoners who had been unfairly(?) expelled by the Djin without even asking for a reason, those who weren’t afraid of bloodshed.

What reason would such an alliance have to cause discord with no benefit, just because some warriors died and their pride was wounded?

There were two possibilities.

Either they were fools who didn’t know what was beneficial… or they had another way to achieve their goals.

‘Though chieftains may be violent and lazy… there aren’t such idiots among the Summoners.’

When selecting Summoners to join him, Gelmir hadn’t bothered with trivial matters like personality, but he had definitely confirmed their abilities.

These were men who would throw their pride into the mud if it meant gaining magic.

No matter how he thought about it, the latter possibility seemed more likely.

In Gelmir’s mind, there was only one way they could achieve their goals while causing such disruption.

‘There are traitors among them. And clearly more than one.’

It was the most likely reason, but Gelmir was puzzled. Not because he trusted the Summoners.

In Gelmir’s opinion, the Summoners who joined the alliance were the worst of the worst in terms of character.

What puzzled him was that the Summoners had so readily accepted the Wendigo’s offer.

What had been promised as the price of betrayal that made the Summoners turn so quickly?

‘Without a reward comparable to the ice crystal Isaac brought, they wouldn’t betray so quickly…’

That would be insane by any reasonable standard. Wasn’t the ice crystal Isaac brought dangerous for inexperienced Summoners?

Such an item wouldn’t be used merely to encourage betrayal. It would be more profitable to directly eliminate enemies.

But if, just if, the Djin had lived so long that it had mysteries to spare, and its eccentric personality enjoyed such schemes…

“It seems there are rats within our alliance.”

“Hmm… Yes. It’s not an impossible scenario.”

“But aren’t there too many? The recent disputes are too numerous to count on both hands.”

One chieftain reconsidered with a sour expression, but Gelmir shook his head.

“Not everyone needs to betray us. Even if the Djin is cunning, it wouldn’t bear the expense of planting so many traitors.”

“Then?”

“Probably three or four have persuaded the fools. They likely thought they could get a larger share of the spoils if they banded together.”

“Tsk… that’s not entirely implausible.”

The incompetence of allies is often more frightening than the competence of enemies.

The chieftains frowned, condemning those who had fallen for the scheme. How incompetent must they be to fall for the traitors’ tricks?

“Gelmir. What should we do?”

“I think… increasing our advance speed would be the best approach.”

“Ending the expedition quickly is good, but… is it safe? What if they stab us in the back?”

“It’s fine. I plan to let them lead the vanguard anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

In Gelmir’s assessment, the traitors’ influence hadn’t yet deeply penetrated the alliance.

They had made the atmosphere hostile, but they hadn’t directly sabotaged the alliance yet.

If many had joined the betrayal, the alliance would have already split in two, with each side aiming for the other’s throat.

So this was the last chance to drive out the Djin.

“The traitors have been scheming, but most are probably acting under deception, unaware of the betrayal.”

“What does that have to do with advancing quickly…?”

“If they haven’t betrayed us, they’ll be eager to achieve military merit. Let’s give them what they want and use them as arrow fodder.”

At Gelmir’s suggestion, the chieftains murmured and exchanged opinions. It was a fairly good proposal.

After all, the longer the expedition took, the more troublesome it was for them too.

The food the warriors consumed came from their storehouses, and moreover, having brought many warriors, they couldn’t guarantee the safety of their territories.

“But… if they achieve military merit, won’t our spoils decrease?”

They didn’t want to suffer losses, but a reduction in spoils was problematic. Especially in this barren northern land, the value of fertile land was immense.

Fewer people dying of starvation meant more potential warriors growing up.

Gelmir understood their concerns. He burst into laughter, shaking his head at their naivety.

“Both chieftains and Summoners, how naive you all are.”

“Gelmir. Stop with the strange talk and explain…”

“Those who follow the traitors—once negotiations with the Djin are successful, they’ll be weakened, and we can simply eliminate them all.”

“That’s… quite a good idea.”

Gelmir’s explanation appealed to the chieftains and Summoners.

Who wouldn’t like the idea of letting others bear the losses while they reap the rewards?

Gelmir smiled cunningly, pleased as smiles appeared on their faces.

Not one voiced a complaint—working with bad people was indeed the most convenient.

* * *

Among Gelmir’s many misconceptions, the most erroneous was his belief that the number of traitors was small.

The Wendigo had recruited no fewer than 10 men. He could have recruited more but thought too many wouldn’t be beneficial, so he stopped at 10.

They were so honest about their greed and so unhesitating that they eagerly grasped his hand when he offered land and mysteries as payment.

“So they’ve decided to advance quickly.”

“The traitors are doing their job properly.”

“Bad people are always most effective when dealing with other bad people.”

When Geron expressed disbelief, the Wendigo responded matter-of-factly. With similar thought processes, they understood each other’s intentions well.

Geron nodded and moved pieces on a large map made of connected parchment.

“Though this hastily made map may not be accurate, the enemy’s current position is estimated to be around here.”

“Not too far from here. Have the routes been properly blocked?”

“Yes. Setting up decoy paths wasn’t difficult—my skills haven’t rusted. The problem is that we can’t abandon the village in this situation…”

“You’ve only just started to settle down—I can’t ask you to abandon your village. That would be too cruel an order.”

When the Wendigo shook his head, Geron smiled and nodded.

The Wendigo examined the map and found a suitable location.

A flat area at a good distance from the village, ideal for concentrating warriors.

“This looks good. I’ll order the traitors to lead the army here.”

“Indeed, it seems like a good place for battle. With few trees, the wolf riders can easily tear through the enemy…”

“Oh my. Battle? That might cause many warriors to be injured.”

“What? Surely you don’t plan to fight alone? No matter how strong you are, facing all of them is dangerous.”

Geron urgently advised reconsideration, thinking the Wendigo intended to shoulder the burden alone.

But the Wendigo looked at him as if he were speaking nonsense.

“Do you think I would do something so reckless and inefficient?”

“…I think you’re quite capable of it.”

Geron looked at the Wendigo with a blank expression, recalling the incident with the Blue Mane tribe.

The Wendigo cleared his throat, feeling somewhat guilty. He couldn’t deny that he had fought rather recklessly.

“Ahem. I have no such intention this time. I have others who will fight in my place.”

“Oh… if you mean your doppelgangers, that seems quite reasonable.”

The Wendigo shook his head. Doppelgangers weren’t a good choice against such a large army.

Without his direct control, even the best-fighting doppelganger could easily lose its head to a Summoner.

The ones the Wendigo would use weren’t doppelgangers… but the traitors.

“I plan to make the traitors fight the alliance. That should be enough to reduce their numbers.”

“But will the traitors obey so readily?”

“Of course not. But don’t worry. I have a plan.”

When Geron looked at him with meaningful eyes, the Wendigo created two ice arrows and showed them to him.

“These two arrows will be enough to make them rage and rush to kill each other.”