I Got Reincarnated Into a Game I Was a Top-Ranker in and I Became the Leader of a Villain Group That Will Destroy This Shitty Country - 24

Chapter 24: Poisonous Plant That Grew in the Garbage Dump

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On the night they retreated from the 15th floor of the dungeon and returned to town, Heo Kaltz was drinking alcohol with Gebels in the guild’s hidden room, a small room located on the highest floor of the guild. 

“Fufu~ What a pity… The boss room of Gray Clyden is located on the 18th floor. We were almost there…”

“I know, right?! Haa… Everyone’s spirit has gone awry…”

As if hoping to drown his sorrows with alcohol, Kaltz gulped his liquor down. He originally planned on defeating the dungeon boss within three days, got the hidden artifact and thwarted Shadow. However, not only he had failed in conquering the dungeon, he had ended up showing a disgraceful side of himself toward Gebel instead, the right-hand man of the crown prince. With his pride wounded, Kaltz grumbled as he slammed the table down, seemingly unable to tolerate the situation with his party anymore. 

“Darn it… Just how did things end up this way? Alwyn is a promising clerk, the one who will become the next pope even… Brien is one of the most talented archers among her kin and Chloe’s excellent ability is famous within all the empire.. Just why, why is this happening?!”

Kaltz’s voice gradually became rougher. He then sighed deeply. He couldn’t fathom it. Every member of his party were all talented individuals in their fields. How come they couldn’t clear an intermediate level dungeon? No matter how hard he thought about it, Kaltz just couldn’t find the right answer.

He failed to realize that everything was his fault for not gathering enough information beforehand which in turn ended up making his teammates unable to unleash their true potential. 

“Indeed. Just as you say, Kaltz-sama. This situation is quite strange indeed.”

Gebels nodded, agreeing with Kaltz to pull the thread that would kickstart his plan in motion. 

Gebels already knew. Even though Kaltz was strong, he actually lacked the ability to lead his party. He was someone with great strength but no talent in making other people work together. Not only was Kaltz slow-witted, but he was very stubborn with his own ideology too. Gebels knew that Kaltz must be blaming everything but himself. After all, Kaltz couldn’t see his own fault. Gebels was well aware of these hidden thoughts of Kaltz. 

However, this was the reason why Gebels liked Kaltz so much. By just giving Kaltz a little bait, Kaltz would immediately snap at it, obediently following Gebels’ scheme. Kaltz was indeed a convenient pawn given how foolish he was. 

“As far as I can see… This is not about the lack of strength. Just as Kaltz-sama mentioned before, each and every one of you is very strong in their own expertise, right?”

“…Then, Gebels-sama… What do you think is the cause?”

“Well, if combat prowess isn’t the issue… Then it seems the main problem is the morale of the party. Perhaps… There’s someone in the party who’s lowering the party’s morale in a subtle way?”

“…Someone who’s lowering the morale in a subtle way…”

The main cause is you, Kaltz. 

Gebels thoughts to himself while wearing a benevolent smile on the outside. He steered the subject deftly. According to Gebels’ calculation, one certain person must’ve came to Kaltz’s mind right now. 

“Chloe.”

“…Fufu~ Oh my? Is something the matter with Chloe-sama?”

Just as predicted, the easily manipulated fool took the bait magnificently. Gebels asked nonchalantly, all the while observing Kaltz’s vexed expression carefully. 

“This is all her fault! She’s always ruining everything!”

“Ruin everything… You say?”

“Haa.. I can’t even tell you how exasperated I am with her. We need to get stronger as soon as possible and obtain the hidden artifacts… But Chloe is only thinking about lazing around in town!”

“Oh dear… That sounds horrible.”

“She’s always like this! Always holding us back! She’s the one that’s been lowering the party’s morale! And yet… She likes to go on solo missions.. She said she has something she needs to investigate… But! She doesn’t understand the importance of sacrificing yourself for the greater good! She doesn’t care about her comrades! She’s a trash! A trash!”

Kaltz kept on ranting endlessly. It was as if all of his bottled up frustration had exploded. And… The angrier Kaltz got, the wider Gebels’ smile became. 

This is easier than I thought…

Gebels thought to himself.

“Well, can’t expect too much from a filthy slave I guess. If I’m not wrong… Chloe-sama was born in the slum, right?”

“That’s right! Haaah… I thought I could mend her because her skill is good enough… I was willing to ignore her unknown background… But darn it… I guess I was wrong. I shouldn’t have allowed her to enter my party…!”

Good… This is good… Things are going well… Now I just need to provoke him a little bit more…

Tilting his head slightly, Gebels leaned forward and uttered the final word. 

“Then… Don’t you ought to remove that woman from your party as soon as possible?”

“…Huh? What?”

“The mood and the morale of the party can be more important than combat power sometimes. Moreover… Kaltz-sama, you are a Hero. The one chosen by the holy sword to defeat the demons and overturn the prophecy that said the demons would consume this world whole.”

“….”

“I believe someone as noble as you shouldn’t get yourself held back by that kind of trash… Don’t you agree, Kaltz-sama?”

Kaltz, who had been so brimming with energy just a moment ago, suddenly froze. Despite all the insults he had hurled against Chloe, deep down in his heart, Kaltz knew that Chloe was the second strongest in his party after him. Her combat prowess and adaptability were incredibly valuable. And furthermore… She had saved his life before, when they were about to get taken down by the Ancient Ghoul. Chloe was the one that saved and carried all three of them to safety. Kaltz was a fool, but he wasn’t foolish enough to throw such a valuable asset to his party. Of course, Gebels had anticipated this reaction too. Gebels didn’t expect to succeed at first try. The purpose of this meeting was to gradually instill the doubts in Kaltz’s heart. This was just the first steps of getting the Hero to get rid of Chloe, a troublesome trash that might had made Gebels’ plan go awry.

“Tha-That trash… Well, it is true that Chloe lacks a lot of things, but if I suddenly kick her out, I’m only going to lower Brien and Awlyn’s morale even further.”

“Oh? So Alwyn-sama and Brien-sama trust Chloe-sama?”

“….Yeah. I don’t know why but even Brien, who didn’t get along with Chloe at first, has started to trust Chloe with her life.”

The moment he said those words out loud, the Hero felt something gnawing on his chest. He recalled the looks in Brien and Alwyn’s eyes. Lately, it seemed the two of them had more respect for Chloe than at him. 

But why? Even though I’m the leader of this party…

“I see… Even trash can be useful depending on how you use it then, fufu~”

“……”

“Oh, my apologies. I misspoke… Well, if she’s such an important figure in your party, maybe it’s better to keep her close. However, I’m afraid you’re only going to get even further from achieving your wish, Kaltz-sama.”

“What do you mean by that, Gebels-sama?”

At this point, Gebels immediately turned serious. The charming expression completely disappeared from his face. He clasped his hand together and leaned forward. His voice that followed was so cold that it sent chills down Kaltz’s spine. 

“Chloe is a realist who has no pride as a hero or whatsoever.”

“……..”

“That trash did a lot of filthy things to survive in this slum. That was how she ended up as an assassin. Someone who was born in a garbage dump like  her… Do you really not know what someone like her desires the most, Kaltz-sama?”

“Wha-What is it?”

“The downfall of the empire.”

At the sound of Kaltz’s gasp, Gebels half-opened his eyes and gently curled the corner of his lips into a smile. 

“Well, I mean, isn’t it only natural? Of course she wishes to bring the downfall of the empire that treated her like the trash she is. Think about it, Kaltz-sama. Do you really believe she joined your party without any ulterior motive?”

“Tha-That’s….”

“She’s a poisonous plant that grew in the garbage dump, willing to do anything to survive. True, she might appear like a good herb at first glance, but if you keep poisonous plants like her close to you… Its poison will gradually corrode your body.”

“………..”

“Kaltz-sama, you’re the great hero, the one destined to save this world. Please, don’t let yourself get chained by the present. You need to think about the future. Do you really think someone with vile thoughts like Chloe has any place in the future you envisioned? Fufu~”

“…..”

Kaltz couldn’t say anything back. After all, he already had his own suspicions. Gebels was right. Chloe sometimes went off on her own to investigate something. However, what if all those solo actions she did were meant to destroy the empire?

“Oh dear… It’s almost about time for the trash to start prowling around… Fufu~ Well, this is the slum after all…”

Gebels laughed as he looked out the window. It was a perfect night. The moon was shining brightly and the sky was clear without a single cloud in sight. 

With an eerily calm voice that didn’t suit the magnificent night sky, Gebels continued on…

“It’s about time for us to start throwing the trash out… Ufufu~”

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T/N: When you put all your point in STR but none in WIS… 눈_눈