I Became a Wendigo in a Fantasy World

58 – Episode 58

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

Even those who stand up for a noble cause cannot avoid conflict…

So, how much will a union stained with greed be considerate of each other and cooperate to overcome adversity?

“The supply unit passing through your land was attacked. How on earth are you managing it!!”

“hehehehe. There are over a hundred warriors born in the frozen soil, and there are even more who live as plunderers. Why are you picking on me?”

“Did you forget that you guaranteed safety at the last meeting? Come up with an excuse!”

“It was safe when I stayed there. Who would have thought that thieves would start rampaging as soon as I left?”

“Are you saying that right now?!”

Of course, there was no way these greedy things would be considerate and cooperative.

Gelmir pressed his hand against his wrinkled eyes from the tiresome argument. What on earth is this doing?

‘I haven’t even faced the spirit, but it’s already gone crazy.’

If this argument had been a matter between individuals, Gelmir would not have cared.

As the only position in the alliance with the authority to issue orders, the more the chieftains and shamans divided, the easier it was to control them.

But when these guys started to form factions within the alliance and come together as one, the problem became more serious.

The shaman and the chieftains in the conference hall exchanged signals with each other and started talking.

“No matter what, it’s okay to raise your voice.”

“Are you planning to pass on the mistakes of your subordinates to another chief? That’s so ugly.”

“These… These bastards!”

As those who had been quiet until now started pouring out criticism in earnest, the chief felt both resentment and anger.

It’s hard to bear that the supply has been cut off, but how terrible is it that he even passed the blame on to himself?

If he endured like this, he would be no different from a northern warrior than a castrated pig.

The chief, who instantly became a criminal, burst out in anger and pulled out his sword. The chief’s eyes, filled with resentment, were filled with sorrow.

Normally, as soon as the chieftain drew his sword, he would have responded with a fierce response…

Todel stood in front of the chief with a gentle smile on his face.

“Calm down. Is it really okay to cause trouble over something like this?”

“Shut up that ridiculous mouth…!?”

When the chieftain tried to roar again, Todel stiffened his face and jumped out, brandishing his dagger.

As the blade of wind swirled around the dagger, the chief blocked the blade with his golden sword.

However, a sword made of iron could not block the blade created by magic. The chief’s sword broke upon impact as if it had been made of clay.

Todel laughed as the guy trembled and glared at him.

“hehehehe. It looks like your skills with a sword are worse than your verbal skills? I can’t believe you can’t block an attack from a mere shaman.”

“Stop. Even if the opponent drew his sword first, this is too much treatment for the chief of one tribe. Todel!”

Gelmir, who was inferior, pounded his staff on the ground and shouted. No matter how much Todel ridiculed and scolded the chieftains, Gelmir felt burdened.

Every old shaman is bound to have at least one sharp dagger hidden within him.

‘This should be enough.’

Todel smiled slyly and nodded his head to apologize.

It was an extremely rude action, but Gelmir was not easily agitated. Rather, the glare with his cold, sunken eyes made Todel nervous.

Gelmir spoke quietly but clearly so that everyone could hear.

“Todel. Go out and take care of yourself.”

“… Let’s do it.”

When Todel nodded and left the conference room, several people who were watching followed Todel out of the conference room.

Gelmir sighed at this pitiful and absurd sight.

How would you conduct a meeting in this situation?

“This is the end of today’s meeting. Everyone, please leave.”

“Hmm. Let’s see if that happens.”

“Tsk, tsk, what does everyone think of war that makes them look so ugly..”

Clud.

Gelmir gritted his teeth as those leaving the conference room complained.

Originally, the guys who ruined the warriors should lose their momentum and become obedient, and the coalition should be under his control by now!

When Gelmir revealed his discomfort, the last people remaining in the conference room looked at him with suspicious eyes.

Somehow, the situation was very different from the initial plan.

“Gelmir. I have lived the same amount of time as you and have never doubted your abilities. So… I guess the current situation is quite unexpected.”

“I can’t even guess what the basis for their boldness is. Are they just trying to ruin everything that has already been ruined?”

Normal opinions began to be exchanged in the meeting room, which had just been filled with useless and emotionally hurt nonsense.

Gel Mir tapped his staff on the ground and thought for a moment. No matter how much he thought about it, it was strange.

‘What was the purpose of our gathering? Isn’t it to gain the mystery, magic, and land it possesses?’

Among the shamans who were unfairly (?) Kicked out without even being able to ask the spirits why, they were those who were not afraid of seeing blood.

What reason would there be for an alliance of such people to cause a conflict without any benefit just because a few warriors have died and their pride has been hurt?

There were two possibilities.

Either they are stupid enough to not know what the benefit is… Or there is another way to achieve their goal.

‘There are many chieftains who are violent and lazy… But among the shamans, there are none who are such idiots.’

When choosing a shaman to work with, Gel Mir did not consider something as trivial as personality, but he definitely checked his abilities.

In the first place, they are people who can throw their pride into the mud for the sake of witchcraft.

No matter how much I thought about it, the latter was more likely.

Even after going through all this trouble, Gelmir thought there was only one way to achieve their goal.

‘There is a traitor among them. It’s clear that it’s not just one person.’

It was the most likely reason, but Gelmir was puzzled. Of course, I didn’t believe in witch doctors.

In Gelmir’s opinion, the shamans who participated in the alliance were among the worst-tempered people.

The reason he was puzzled was because the shamans readily accepted the Wendigo’s offer.

What on earth did they offer in return for betrayal that made the shamans betray so quickly?

‘There’s no way he would betray me so quickly if it weren’t for the compensation equivalent to the ice crystal that Isaac brought…’

That was crazy according to common sense. Wasn’t the ice crystal that Isaac brought a life-threatening item for an inexperienced shaman?

There was no way such an item could have been used to stop betrayal. His only business was to wipe out his enemies directly.

But what if the spirit has lived too long and remains mysterious, and has an eccentric personality that enjoys trickery like this…

“It looks like there is a rat within the alliance.”

“Huh… Okay. It’s not an entirely unlikely story.”

“But isn’t the number too many? Just the recent fights are so big that I can’t count them on two hands.”

One tribe reconsidered with a shocked expression, but Gelmir shook his head.

“There is no need for everyone to betray. No matter how cunning the spirit was, he would not have been willing to spend that much to plant traitors.”

“Then what?”

“Probably three or four of them must have tricked the idiots. They must have thought that if they banded together, they could get a bigger share of the loot.”

“Tsk… It’s not entirely unlikely.”

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

The chieftains frowned and criticized those who had fallen for their trick. How incompetent do you have to be to fall for the tricks of traitors?

“Gelmir. What should I do?”

“I think… The best way would be to speed up the advance.”

“It’s good to end the expedition quickly… But is it okay? What if they hit you in the back?”

“It’s okay. I’m planning on leaving the vanguard to them anyway.”

“What does that mean?”

In Gelmir’s opinion, the traitors’ magic had not yet reached deep roots in the alliance.

In fact, it did make the atmosphere of the union difficult, but it never caused a direct hit like sabotage.

If a significant number of people had participated in the betrayal, the alliance would have been divided into two long ago, aiming for each other’s throats.

So now was the last chance to drive away the spirit.

“Although the traitors were carrying out a trick, it is clear that most of them were acting out of deception without even knowing that they had betrayed them.”

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

From Noble mtl dot com

“If it’s not betrayal, wouldn’t you be red-faced to make a major point? You’re just giving them what they want and using them as a fodder for their arrows.”

The chieftains murmured and exchanged opinions on Gelmir’s proposal. It wasn’t a bad offer.

In the first place, the longer the expedition was delayed, the more difficult it was for them as well.

The food the warriors ate also came from their own storehouses, and more than anything, because they brought so many warriors with them, the security of the territory could not be guaranteed.

“But… If they make a big deal, the loot we get will decrease, right?”

I hate to see losses, but it was difficult to see the loot decrease. In particular, the value of fertile land in this barren northern land was enormous.

If the number of people dying from starvation decreases, wouldn’t that be a new sprout that will grow into a warrior?

Gelmir also did not know their feelings. He burst out laughing and shook his head at their foolishness.

“Not only the chieftains, but even the shamans are so immature.”

“Gelmir. Don’t say strange things, just explain…”

“They are the ones who followed the traitor anyway. As long as the negotiation with the spirits goes well, wouldn’t it be enough to get rid of those weakened bastards?”

“That… Is a very good story.”

Gelmir’s explanation was one that the chieftain and shaman liked.

They take the losses and keep the spoils, so who wouldn’t like this?

Gelmir was delighted to see a smile on their lips, smiling slyly.

No one complained, and it was easiest to work with bad guys.

* · * *

Gelmir had many misconceptions, but the most mistaken among them was that he thought the number of traitors would be small.

There were as many as 10 people captured by the Wendigo. I thought I could increase it to more than that, but I thought there was no benefit in having too many, so I stopped at 10 people.

He was so honest and unhesitating in his greed that he grabbed the hand of the chieftain and the shaman without any division when he said he would pay for the land and mysteries.

“They decided to advance quickly.”

“The traitors are doing one thing right.”

“Basically, bad guys are at their best when dealing with bad guys.”

When Geron looked absurd, the Wendigo spoke calmly. Since their thinking structures are similar, they probably know what each other is thinking.

Geron nodded his head and moved his horses on a large map made by piecing together parchment.

“It’s a hastily made map, so I’m not sure if it’s accurate. Their current location is expected to be around here.”

“It’s not that far from here. Did you block the street properly?”

“Yes. I don’t think my skills were rusty, but it was easy to build a manned road. The problem is that we can’t abandon the village…”

“We’ve finally started settling down, but you can’t tell us to abandon the village. That’s too harsh an order.”

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

The Wendigo looked at her map and found a suitable location.

It is quite far from the village and is a flat land where warriors can gather.

“This would be good. I’ll order the traitors to bring their troops here.”

“It certainly seems like a good land for spinning. There are few trees, so it’s easier for the Wolf Rider to plow through the enemies.”

“Uh huh. Rotation. If that happens, the warriors might get hurt a lot, right?”

“Huh? Are you really planning on fighting alone? No matter how strong the spirit is, it’s dangerous to fight them all.”

Geron thought that the Wendigo was planning to carry her burden alone, so he hurriedly asked for her inventory.

But the Wendigo looked at Geron as if asking what she was talking about.

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

“… I think he’s a good enough person.”

Geron looked at the Wendigo with a sullen expression, recalling her previous encounter with the Blue Mane tribe.

The wendigo also cleared its throat because it felt like it was being stung. If you think about it, you couldn’t deny that you fought quite violently, or rather, recklessly.

“Hmm. I don’t think so this time. There are people who will fight on my behalf.”

“Uh… I think it’s pretty good if you’re talking about clones.”

The wendigo shook her head. Self-immolation was not a very good choice against such a large army.

As long as the clone was not directly controlled, no matter how well the clone fought, it would not be surprising if its head flew away from the shaman’s line.

The people the Wendigo would use were not clones… But traitors.

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

“But will the traitors obey?”

“Of course that can’t be possible. But don’t worry. I have a solution in mind.”

As Geron looked with her meaningful eyes, the Wendigo created two arrows of her ice and showed them to him.

“If these two arrows are fired, they will get angry and rush to kill each other.”