Chapter 9

The wendigo spent a night at the mansion and headed towards Hegilson’s village. They couldn’t depart immediately because Hegilson’s physical condition was too poor.

After receiving Skadi’s attentive (though Skadi didn’t seem particularly eager) care, Hegilson fell into worry as he headed towards the village. He hadn’t expected to receive care from a shaman.

‘It’s hard enough to imagine the price for calling a shaman and a spirit, but what about the herbs used to treat me?’

Hegilson recalled a story he had heard from an elder in the past. The story of a shaman who appeared disguised as kindness and forced a sale came vividly to mind…

“Hegilson. I know what you’re thinking, but don’t worry. We’re not so impoverished as to do such things.”

“Gasp!? Spirit-nim. I wasn’t thinking that way, it’s just that old memories came to mind…”

Hegilson tried hard to make excuses, but the wendigo wasn’t particularly interested in what he was thinking. Honestly, it wouldn’t be strange for him to be suspicious.

The care given to Hegilson wasn’t to extort compensation. What the wendigo wanted was to leave a good impression on Hegilson.

‘At first I thought about living in hiding, but thinking about it, that doesn’t seem necessary.’

In a world unfamiliar with spirits, it would be right to live in hiding. Humans hunt even beasts when they judge them dangerous, so if a monster were roaming around, they would surely organize an extermination, not just a hunt.

But… after talking with Skadi and interacting with people, the wendigo’s thoughts changed.

Unlike Earth, this was a world where sorcery actually existed and spirits were fairly well-known.

Moreover, from what he heard, there were clearly monsters too. Even the leather he was wearing used troll hide.

At this point, the wendigo concluded that approaching people would be more beneficial than hiding in the forest.

It didn’t seem difficult to live among humans if he made a name for himself roaming the forest with Skadi.

‘Once misunderstandings are cleared up, they’ll naturally spread good stories. Honestly, the herbs used on Hegilson weren’t even that precious.’

“Hegilson. I’m more curious about the beasts that attacked you. Was there anything special about them?”

“Special? Of course there was. Honestly, they were very special.”

Hegilson recalled the horrific things he wished he could erase from his memory.

“The holes in their heads had bloody roots sticking out, making them look like monsters straight out of hell. Even when the heads were cut off, if the roots were still connected, they kept moving, like…”

“You mean they looked like that?”

“Yes, those things that look like… Huh!?”

The wendigo pointed at wolves running towards them from beyond the forest. Hegilson’s description was perfectly accurate.

“Keheheek!”

“They howl strangely. Skadi, take Hegilson and step back.”

Skadi nodded without a word. Hegilson asked as he stepped back with Skadi:

“Will, will you be alright? Even for a spirit, it won’t be easy to face that pack of beasts alone.”

“Don’t worry. Mere beasts won’t even be able to touch a hair on Wendigo-nim.”

Skadi said not to worry, but Hegilson couldn’t help it. There were quite a lot of wolves.

If even a few wolves got past the wendigo, they would surely come for them. If Skadi were to be harmed, could they solve the village’s problem?

‘No. The spirit is helping us because the shaman is with us. If the contractor disappears, the spirit would have no reason to help.’

Hegilson resolved to protect Skadi no matter what. He stepped in front of Skadi and raised his sword.

“Shaman-nim. It could be dangerous, so please step back…”

Hegilson was speaking when he turned his gaze towards the front, feeling a chill.

The wendigo hadn’t moved. He was just opening his mouth towards the approaching wolves.

That was enough.

Thick fog poured out of the wendigo’s mouth. Hegilson felt an inexplicable unease from the fog.

Unlike Hegilson, who instinctively stepped back, the wolves threw themselves towards the fog. Their instincts had malfunctioned due to their brains being controlled by the strange plants.

The fog spread, engulfing grass, trees, and wolves, and where it passed, a pure white world unfolded with everything frozen.

Naturally, the wolves had become part of that white world too.

“I tried imagining a dragon’s breath, but it’s not great. It’s not easy to control.”

The wendigo withdrew the fog and approached a wolf, manipulating the cold to extract the wolf’s head from the ice.

The wendigo split the wolf’s head with his claw and tore out the strange plant.

The strange plant was dead and black, but a faint mystery could be felt. That mystery was more similar to a spirit’s mystery than a shaman’s.

‘It seems a spirit was indeed involved.’

“Spirit-nim. Be careful!!”

Hegilson was shocked. The bear that leapt out from the bushes was as large as the wendigo.

The wendigo turned his head to look at the bear. The roots protruding and writhing from its eyes were incredibly disgusting.

The wendigo caught the bear’s arm as it flew towards his face. He could probably take the hit, but there was no reason to.

“Kweoeoeoek!?”

“I think I’ll have to tear you apart while you’re still alive.”

With a cracking sound, the bear’s arm broke. The wendigo furiously swung his fist at the bear’s upper body.

With the sound of skin tearing, the bear fell, spewing blood, but pitifully, it continued to twitch without dying.

The wendigo split the bear’s head to check its brain. Inside the brain, roots were writhing around something that looked like a seed, as if alive.

When he grasped the seed with his claw, the roots controlling the bear’s brain wrapped around the wendigo’s arm.

“Disgustingly noisy.”

The roots tightened around the wendigo’s arm as if to crush it, but they couldn’t even scratch his hide. The wendigo tore off the roots and pulled out the seed as if annoyed.

A strong mystery could be felt from the living seed. Despite the strange acts it had committed, the mystery contained in the seed held the pure energy of nature.

“Skadi. This seed was clearly planted by some spirit. Can you track the spirit through this seed?”

“Hmm… It seems difficult to track since it’s not controlling through the seed, but rather implanting commands. Still, since it’s a mystery planted by a spirit, we should be able to recognize it if we encounter it.”

That meant the seed wasn’t particularly necessary.

The wendigo crushed the seed. The mystery, having lost its vessel, scattered into the air.

Hegilson watched this blankly and swallowed a hollow laugh.

What, protect the shaman? A shaman protected by such a spirit?

‘If there’s something the spirit can’t handle, it’s better to just give up and accept death.’

Hegilson felt something melt away in his heart. Whether it was fear or worry, he couldn’t tell…

---

‘His expression seems to have loosened up a bit?’

“There, that’s our village of Nidhorn. The entrance is a bit of a mess, but I’d appreciate your understanding.”

Hegilson guided the wendigo with a relaxed expression like an enlightened monk. He had realized that there was nothing he could do if the wendigo decided to do something.

The wendigo read the change in Hegilson’s emotions but let it pass. If his heart had turned in a bad direction, it would be different, but since his mind had actually become more at ease, wasn’t it better this way?

The wendigo examined the village. The entrance was indeed a mess, confirming that Hegilson wasn’t lying about being attacked when he left the village.

Animal blood, broken roots, and a palisade on the verge of collapse…

If not for the signs of life felt from inside, it wouldn’t have been strange to call it ruins. As they approached the entrance, men with fierce eyes came forward, brandishing weapons.

‘They’re thin from lack of food, but their eyes are stronger than those in Skadi’s village.’

“Friends, calm down! It’s me, Hegilson!”

“Oh, it’s Hegilson. Who’s that… person behind you?”

At one man’s question, the men’s gazes turned to the wendigo. The wendigo realized he was getting used to the fearful looks in their eyes.

At first, he had been at a loss for how to explain himself without scaring people, but now it was different. He now had people who could explain for him.

“This is Wendigo-nim, whom I serve. He’s a merciful spirit, so don’t be afraid.”

“He, he looks scary, but he really is a kind spirit. So please, put down your weapons.”

Skadi spoke dryly, while Hegilson spoke almost pleadingly.

At the words “merciful spirit,” the man’s face twisted strangely. The words “merciful” and “spirit” didn’t connect in his mind.

‘Just how much havoc have these spirits wreaked for them to react like this to those words… No, come to think of it, even now this is happening because of a spirit.’

The wendigo felt a bit wronged but understood. Even now, these people were suffering because of some unknown spirit, so how could they not be suspicious?

The men seemed to ponder for a moment before putting away their weapons. Though scary-looking and a spirit, they decided to trust Hegilson’s words.

“You seem to have quite a good reputation, more than I expected.”

“Hahaha. Well, I am a pretty decent person, aren’t I?”

It wasn’t great for him to call himself decent, but it wasn’t entirely wrong. After all, why had Hegilson risked his life to escape the village? Wasn’t it to save the villagers?

If someone who risked their life to save the village wasn’t decent, that would be stranger.

The men were still afraid, but they didn’t stop the wendigo from entering the village. Honestly, they didn’t think they could stop him even if they tried.

As they entered, people’s gazes focused on the wendigo. Naturally, a giant wearing a deer skull walking around would attract attention.

The wendigo read people’s emotions.

Worry, anxiety, anger… and hope.

‘Hope in this situation… Did someone arrive before us?’

“Wendigo-nim. I feel a strong mystery from inside.”

At Skadi’s words, the wendigo focused on the mystery. As she said, a strong mystery could be felt from inside the village.

It wasn’t concentrated in one place but divided into several pieces, which seemed to indicate a shaman.

“It seems there’s a shaman who arrived before us. What’s that place over there?”

“Oh, that’s the village’s food storage. If only that storehouse had been safe, we could have held out a bit longer… But suddenly all the grains and fruits rotted, causing a disaster.”

“We should go there.”

The wendigo headed towards the food storage. Two middle-aged men were talking earnestly in the building that reeked of rot.

“It must be that the spirit dwelling in this land has sent divine punishment for not worshipping it. Look here, under the storehouse, you can see the rotting roots? Through these roots, a sinister energy…”

“Chief Geron, I’m sorry to interrupt, but I’ve brought a shaman. I think you should greet them.”

As Hegilson spoke, a middle-aged man with a stern face turned his head. Geron showed joy at seeing Hegilson, and then shock at seeing the wendigo.

“Wh-who on earth have you brought!”

“Ah, that’s a long story…”

“I’ll explain. I am called Wendigo. And this is Skadi, a shaman contracted with me. As for me… think of me as something similar to a spirit.”

At the word “spirit,” Geron’s expression changed. He had just been hearing about how the village had come to this state because of a spirit, and now a spirit appeared before his eyes.

Geron hurriedly bowed his head in respect. He had no intention of offending the spirit’s mood.

“This insignificant old man greets the incarnation of nature and the great spirit.”

“The fact that you’re managing a village in this harsh forest is enough to show that you’re sufficiently capable, so there’s no need to lower yourself like that.”

“!”

Geron, not expecting to be praised by a spirit, couldn’t hide his emotions and showed his surprise. Geron’s gaze turned to Hegilson, but Hegilson didn’t have much to say either.

“Well, the spirit is more generous and merciful compared to ordinary spirits…”

“Just speak honestly. Say that I’m decent, unlike those bastard spirits.”

Flinch.

The middle-aged man next to Geron trembled at the wendigo’s blunt words. He was a middle-aged shaman with a benevolent face.

The shaman composed his expression and greeted politely.

“I, Lyurik, a shaman who studies mysteries, greet the merciful spirit.”

“Ah, Spirit-nim. This is the shaman who came to help our village.”

Geron introduced Lyurik with a reverent attitude.

He helped the youth who escaped the village, came to the village to share herbs and food, and was bustling about to solve the problem…

Hegilson was amazed as Geron, who was usually stingy with praise, spoke endlessly in praise of Lyurik.

‘He really is a good shaman!’

Hegilson thought that the heavens hadn’t abandoned them after all. They would have to pay a price, but to think that the shaman and spirit who came to help the village were such kind beings!

The wendigo stared at Lyurik for a moment before approaching.

“You say you’re dedicating yourself to the village?”

“Yes, that’s right! How perceptive you are, to immediately…”

“I see.”

The wendigo didn’t even listen to the rest of Geron’s words and swung his claw. His cold-imbued talon flew towards Lyurik’s neck with a vicious sound.

“Huh?”