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

26 – Episode 26

Dreadful pain surged through Tendrial’s entire body.

Holding onto Casey’s leg to prevent the knife in her boot from moving, she fought to keep the blade still.

“Ugh! Seriously… to the end!”

Tendrial twisted Casey’s leg that he had been holding onto, breaking it, and sat down on it.

Casey, who was already severely injured, could only gasp for breath without even screaming.

Tendrial slowly removed the bladed boots from Casey.

Then, he carefully moved away from Casey’s body to assess his own condition.

“The blade wasn’t long enough to stab deeply.”

Tendrial cautiously pulled the blade embedded in the boot from his abdomen.

He tore his clothes and attempted to staunch the bleeding with the fabric.

Casey, who had collapsed to the ground, was already in a state of combat incapacity.

Despite being conscious and not unconscious, her entire body was so battered that it was astonishing.

With a determined expression, she struggled to swallow something, whether saliva or blood, with great difficulty.

Tendrial took out a bandage and wrapped it over the bleeding area, then approached the lying Casey, pulling the blade from his waist.

“…Wolf… gang…”

As if her soul was escaping, a weak voice escaped from Casey’s bloodstained lips.

Tendrial knelt down, supporting Casey’s head to raise her upper body.

Then, with the dagger in his hand, he slit her throat.

A red line appeared on her white neck, and drops of blood dripped down.

“Ke… Casey…”

Tendrial held her until Casey’s breath completely ceased.

It was an unconscious action, driven more by thoughts of the future than by past affection or pity.

“Damn it… What do I do now?”

As Tendrial held Casey’s lifeless body, a small ethereal cloud hovering above her head drifted away with the wind.

***

Wolfgang lightly grasped the ethereal cloud that had come to him.

The form of the cloud dispersed in his hand.

Scenes contained in the ethereal cloud rapidly replayed before his eyes.

“Catching a traitor by becoming a traitor.”

Wolfgang murmured softly as he replayed the scene of Tendrial slitting Casey’s throat.

Having confirmed that the duel was well recorded, he decided to wait in the treetops until Tendrial left.

After a while, forest members gathered and took care of Casey’s corpse.

“Leader! What are your plans now?”

“For now, let’s clean up the bodies here. Then, we’ll head back to Tessa.”

“Isn’t it too risky? Those escaped guys are coming into the city with the corpses of the Order’s officers.”

“Don’t worry. We’re just following the Queen’s orders, right? She released you as well, all on the Queen’s command. The bodies were just found by chance as they were faithfully carrying out their mission when Casey was killed by Wolfgang.”

“…Understood. I’ll bring back those who went to find the medicine.”

“No, leave them be. They’ll stick close to the Queen for now. Since there’s no one trying to control us anymore. Let’s watch over Tessa’s situation from a close distance and swallow her up at the perfect moment. Until then, we’ll prepare without anyone knowing.”

Wolfgang, who had been listening to their conversation with interest, smirked.

“Looks like an elf in appearance but acts sly with that ignorant mind.”

Her subordinates loaded her body and the bodies of the Forest members onto a large cart and left the place.

Tendrial, with some of his subordinates, stayed behind to search through the bushes.

“Huh? I want to take the rifle with me.”

Wolfgang looked at the Ghost lying under the tree as if sleeping.

“Hey! Streya!”

At the sound calling him, the Ghost raised its head towards the tree, emitting a faint blue flame.

“I’m coming!”

Wolfgang jumped down towards the Ghost.

The Ghost quickly stood up and leaped towards Wolfgang as he descended.

In mid-air, carrying Wolfgang, the Ghost landed and simultaneously struck forward.

Wolfgang’s red hair and the Ghost’s blue flame scattered in the wind.

***

Kentauros, searching through the bushes with Tendrial, found a rifle with a trigger tied to it.

“Hey! Leader! I found it!”

He lifted the rifle above his head and showed it to Tendrial.

“Oh, good! Just as expected! Well done! What was your name again?”

“I’m Wooseok!”

“Right! Wooseok! You did a damn good job. Okay, let’s go back now. It’s going to be tough searching here.”

Tendrial patted Wooseok, who found the rifle, on the back and turned around, giving the order for the rest of the members to return.

Members of various races stood up, preparing to return.

After finishing the cleanup himself, Tendrial was about to leave with the members when he didn’t hear Wooseok’s footsteps behind him.

“Hey! What are you doing? Let’s go!”

Tendrial turned back towards the Centaur, urging him on.

For some reason, the Centaur stood still, rifle raised above his head, frozen in the same posture as before.

It was a bizarre sight.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Sensing something amiss, Tendrial drew his dagger and began to cautiously scan the surroundings.

At that moment, the Centaur’s head, frozen in place, dropped to the ground with a ‘thud.’

“Damn it! Everyone, run!”

Tendrial’s urgent shout fell flat as other members, like the Centaur, stood frozen.

It felt like the world, except for himself, had come to a halt.

“…Da… damn.”

A cold sweat ran down his spine.

Chills began to rack his body, and his hands and feet started trembling uncontrollably.

Suppressing rising terror as much as possible, Tendrial retrieved a vial from his pocket and brought it to his lips.

As the transparent liquid trickled down his throat, a crushing headache surged.

In sudden agony, he involuntarily bowed his head.

The potency of the potion seemed to act swiftly due to acute tension.

The movement in the surroundings seemed to slow down rapidly.

Tendrial raised his head and scanned the area again.

After taking the potion, something previously unseen started to become visible.

Around the frozen comrades, ethereal figures resembling will-o’-the-wisps danced.

Due to already intense tension, his body remained even more motionless at the surreal sight.

As the potion spread through his body, the movement of the ethereal figures became clearer, albeit gradually.

“That… that is…”

The dilated pupils of Tendrial, now completely under the potion’s influence, widened.

The faintly glowing blue flames gradually began to take shape.

Shortly after, having confirmed the identity of the will-o’-the-wisps, she collapsed on the spot, landing on her buttocks.

The identity of the ethereal flames dancing around the comrades was blue flames emitted by a ghostly apparition.

And atop that ghostly apparition was a goblin with fiery red hair riding it.

“Wolfgang…”

At an incredible speed, Wolfgang rode the ghostly apparition, striking the throats of the comrades with his palm.

The centaurs had undoubtedly suffered Wolfang’s attack.

Tendrial could only watch in silence as he ruthlessly slaughtered his subordinates with bare hands, surrounded by a sepulchral blaze.

After delivering the final blow to the last remaining orc, Wolfang turned his gaze towards Tendrial.

Without uttering a word, he smirked, fixing her with an empty stare.

Tendrial couldn’t even think of escaping.

“Is this how I meet my end?”

Tears threatened to fall.

Like a deer facing a colossal lion, rationality succumbed to terror, leaving her with no thoughts.

“Move! Run!”

Her body defied the commands emanating from her brain.

The only part of her body that could move was her eyelids.

So, she closed her eyes.

Hoping for a death as painless as possible.

A few moments passed since she accepted her fate.

“Pah! Haa… Haa…”

Unconsciously gasping for air, Tendrial cautiously opened her eyes.

The corpses of fallen comrades, heads separated from bodies, littered the surroundings.

With trembling hands, she grabbed her own neck.

“I’m still intact.”

A mix of relief and fear overwhelmed her, and she swiftly fled.

Unaware of her destination, she ran aimlessly.

As the tension loosened, tears began to flow.

Wolfgang, who had fought alongside demons just a few days ago, now seemed more terrifying than any other entity.

“Damn it! It’s unbelievable!”

Tendrial blamed herself, recalling the night Adewus first proposed to her.

Was it because he embraced her, a criminal who wouldn’t be out of place facing immediate execution on the scene?

Was it due to his kindness, treating the members of the Order as friends and family?

She had mistakenly believed that betraying Wolfgang, with his overwhelmingly powerful abilities, showcased through his kind demeanor, would be easy.

After running for a while, Tendrial, her legs giving in, found herself crouched in some unknown part of the forest, shedding tears filled with regret.

Wolfgang chuckled as he observed Tendrial sitting on the ground with closed eyes.

Mockingly, he passed by her and swiftly grabbed the rifle held by the centaur, rushing towards his shelter.

Arriving at the cozy cabin, Wolfgang pet Ghost’s head and spoke, “Well done. Since we’ll go to Rome tomorrow, rest well. Oh… is it okay?”

Wolfgang shrugged, opened the door, and entered the cabin.

Placing Kacy’s rifle and the treasure map on the table, he sat down on the chair as if throwing himself onto it.

Wolfgang focused his mind and summoned an illusionary spell.

A dense fog unfolded before his eyes.

“Playback.”

In the mist, scenes of Tendrial and Kacy engaging in battle played out.

“Well captured.”

With a satisfied expression, Wolfgang replayed specific segments.