The Strongest in the World Doesn’t Want To Do Anything

46 – Tendrial’s Deceptive Progress Method

“Let’s spend the night here today,” Tendrial said to the members as they entered the forest on the outskirts of Terosa.

The members, bodies battered and bruised, began preparing for the camp.

Watching them, Tendrial counted how many had survived the chaos they experienced in Tessa.

“Damn…”

Faces of the members stabbed by knives and pierced by arrows in Tessa flashed before Tendrial’s eyes.

Their helpless expressions seemed to hold lingering resentment towards an incompetent leader.

Regardless of how those dying members truly felt, Tendrial thought about it that way.

Tendrial’s self-loathing, which had persisted for a while, halted after the camp was set up and he lay down on the goblin-laid mattress.

It wasn’t just the meaningless self-blame; the discomfort around his waist, caused by some unknown debris, also contributed.

Tendrial was easily distracted when his body felt even a bit uncomfortable.

“Let’s get some sleep.”

As the troubling thoughts in his mind vanished, drowsiness began to fill the empty space.

Without resisting the gradually closing eyelids, Tendrial fell asleep.

That night, Tendrial had a nightmare.

Armed with the non-human autonomous territory he had gained in exchange for betraying Wolfgang, Terosa’s heavily armed soldiers appeared and began slaughtering non-humans wherever they found them.

They mercilessly killed even children and pregnant women.

Tendrial tried to stop them, but his arms and legs seemed tied as if bound by something.

“You foolish woman.”

Turning at the voice from behind, Tendrial faced Kacy, her rotting and decayed face holding him captive.

“Gasp! Huff… huff…”

Tendrial, awakened from a horrifying nightmare, rose from his bed, cold sweat dripping.

“Ha… I need to get some fresh air.”

To breathe in the fresh air, Tendrial moved his steps around the campsite.

Carefully, he moved, fearing that sensitive comrades might wake up at any sound.

As Tendrial turned halfway around the campsite, embracing the cold night air, he heard a rustling sound from a clump of grass.

Tendrial lowered himself, hiding, and listened intently to the sound.

“What should we do?”

“We have no choice but to do it.”

“If not now, we won’t get a chance.”

“Yeah, to survive, we have to kill first.”

Adapted to the darkness, Tendrial could identify the figures scheming in the clump of grass.

Two goblins and one orc.

They were the ones preparing the campsite.

“Stop mumbling and let’s take care of it quickly.”

“Yeah, we can’t go on like this forever.”

“True.”

Cold sweat ran down Tendrial’s back. Where was the leader who wouldn’t be surprised to hear his subordinates plotting against him in real-time?

Tendrial composed himself, resolved to strike before becoming a victim, and approached the traitors in the clump of grass, muffling his footsteps.

Through the tall and unkempt grass, he saw their backs. Tendrial drew the dagger he always carried and leaped towards them.

“Leader? Oh.”

“Ugh.”

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“Kek.”

Tendrial swiftly slit their throats. His agile movements left the traitors frozen, and shortly after, they fell simultaneously, spouting crimson blood from their throats.

Breathing heavily and filled with rage, Tendrial sharpened his teeth.

“These bastards. How dare they try to stab someone in the back.”

In the eyes of the courageous woman who had been speaking boldly, a table stained with blood appeared. On it, pieces of a board game, distinguished by black and white, were scattered.

Judging by the flow of the game, it seemed like black was about to be mercilessly defeated.

Tendrial dropped the dagger he held in his hand.

“W-what in the world…”

Tendrial remained seated in place, hugging his trembling body. Despite going through such hardships, he showed no sign of distress, and the three of them had finished their preparations for the camp, intending to relieve the accumulated stress.

“What have I done…”

He had killed three subordinates with his delusional paranoia, without any real guilt on their part.

Why? Why had he become so mentally fragile?

It was all because of these tiresome humans, especially Queen Rosalia of Terosa.

Was the death of a single Casey such a significant loss? Hadn’t the Forest members, including himself, been more useful to her in various ways?

Yet that foolish queen had made the mistake of turning the Forest into an enemy.

If only he had eliminated Wolfgang as planned from the start, none of this would have gone so wrong.

No, the very idea of betraying Wolfgang in the first place was a mistake. The current situation made that clear.

Indeed, humans were a race that should not be underestimated.

Tendrial reaffirmed his ultimate goal of eradicating humanity.

Only now did he feel a sense of clarity about what needed to be done.

“Sigh…”

Having calmed his mind, Tendrial spent the night with those wide-open eyes.

The next morning.

From the early hours of dawn, Tendrial gathered the members.

The non-human members gathered with drowsy expressions, waiting for Tendrial to appear.

Shortly afterward, she appeared on a high rock where everyone’s presence could be seen at a glance. The chaotic atmosphere that had been there disappeared, and all non-humans focused on her.

“Last night, the filthy humans poisoned us from within.”

At Tendrial’s words, the members began to murmur again.

Tendrial arranged the bodies of the members he had killed last night on the rocks for them to see.

The mood among the members eased slightly as they saw the bodies of their comrades.

“These were the ones who were building the camp last night. They pretended to be at ease and secretly tried to relay our location to the Terosans.”

Tendrial pulled out a map he had made and placed it under the rocks for the members to see.

Members nearby rushed to look at the map.

As Tendrial had said, their location was marked on the crude map.

“Uuuuu!”

“Traitor scum!”

When some non-human members checked the map, they started booing, and soon all the members were cursing and shouting insults at the traitors’ bodies.

“They even planned to assassinate me. Luckily, I happened to discover them gathering and talking loudly yesterday, and I executed them on the spot.”

“Wow! As expected, it’s the leader!”

“Exterminate the humans!”

The members, soaked in helplessness and defeat, were suddenly shouting insults and cheers with energetic voices. Seeing the desired reaction, Tendrial smiled and intensified his next words.

“Now, let’s exterminate these filthy humans who dare to sow discord among us! Remember, Forest! Our original purpose. We cannot stop until we erase all humans from this world!”

In response to Tendrial’s impassioned speech, all the members shouted in unison. Just last night, these individuals had been as good as defeated, yet now, with the fake traitors executed by Tendrial, they had regained their morale.

“Alright! Let’s proceed as planned! Poison the lands of the humans, intoxicate them, and slowly kill them! When the time comes, wield our swords and axes, and devour the ailing humans!”

Wow-oh-oh-oh!

Tendrial!

Tendrial!

Let’s kill the humans!

Watching the fervor-filled members, Tendrial threw the traitors’ bodies down the rocks. The members rushed in like ants, randomly mutilating their corpses.

Tendrial observed this mad scene and made a vow.

He would somehow survive in this hellish place, trusted and followed by his members.

He would exterminate all humans and establish their own world.

For the sake of righteousness, just as now, he could deceive and kill even those on his side.

Perhaps they would understand.

If necessary, and if possible, he could resurrect the demons that almost ended this world and join forces with them.

If necessary, he could risk his life and stand by Wolfgang’s side.

Wolfgang…

If he could use his thirst for revenge, wouldn’t it be easier to achieve his goals?

For a moment, Tendrial pondered the name Wolfgang.

The fear he didn’t know when they were on the same side, the terror he felt when facing him as an enemy.

A shiver ran down his spine, a fear he had never experienced from any being.

“Still, it’s worth a try.”

The betrayal and rage Wolfgang might be feeling.

Perhaps the hatred towards the Queen would surpass the hatred towards Tendrial himself.

If he could exploit that aspect, it seemed like there might be some possibility, however slim.

“If only I can succeed in capturing him…”

***

“Ah, seriously, we should catch that damned Tendrial and just bash his head in.”

Wolfgang was spewing foul and pungent curses as he stepped on the fallen dwarf’s head.