Chapter 13

While the wendigo was absorbing the source, Skadi acted more zealously than anyone else.

She took care of people’s health, helped those in need, and offered warm words to those who were mentally struggling.

People’s wariness melted away instantly at her benevolent appearance.

“To think a shaman like Skadi-nim exists in this world. I’ve never seen such a kind person in my life.”

“Not only is she kind-hearted, but look at her appearance. She might be a bit exotic, but none of the village girls can compare to Skadi-nim.”

“If such a person serves a spirit, wouldn’t that spirit be amazing?”

In a world where good shamans are rare.

Skadi was more than enough for people to like.

Her exotic appearance wasn’t a big issue for those living in the forest. The forest they lived in left no room for such complaints.

The forest is a place where beasts, poisonous plants, monsters, and evil spirits lurk.

It was foolish to build discord with others in the forest. With barely enough time to deal with the problems in front of them, where was the time for that?

Naturally, people valued cooperation over discrimination, and as a result, most thought of discrimination as a useless waste of time.

As people judged and recognized Skadi’s essence rather than her appearance, something that had been hidden in Skadi’s heart began to stir!

“If you set up a support like this for this crop and plant this around it, it will grow healthier.”

“When butchering a deer, if you focus on this area, you can get fresher meat~”

“Now, when you’re sick, if you find an herb that looks like this in the forest and boil it well, there’s nothing better!”

It was the need for recognition.

Like a fish in water, she wanted to show off her knowledge while going around everywhere.

Skadi’s particularly troublesome childhood.

No matter what she did, she never received praise. The villagers were quick to curse her, starting with “That, that soul-selling demon!” whenever she accomplished something.

Of course, Skadi had been praised before. At least her mother recognized Skadi’s talent and treated her with affection, so it was natural.

However, Skadi’s need was not satisfied with just her mother’s praise.

More praise, more attention, even more recognition!

“Skadi-nim. My mother hurt her finger, what herb should I use?”

“Hey, just deal with a little finger injury yourself. Skadi-nim. There’s a girl I like, but I don’t know how to win her heart… Oof!?”

“Change your face first before asking. Skadi-nim! Answer my question first!”

“Skadi-nim! Skadi-nim!!”

‘Ah, I’m really glad I met Wendigo-nim!’

It didn’t even take a month for people to treat Skadi as the village sage once she started fully expressing her desire.

You might think how an outsider could do that, but think about it carefully.

A young lady suddenly appears, exorcises the evil spirit that was troubling the village (strictly speaking, it was a spirit, and the wendigo did the exorcism),

bestows precious herbs and knowledge to people, comforting their bodies and minds (they weren’t precious herbs, and there was more trivial knowledge),

and she’s even beautiful?

At this point, unless your eyes are knotholes, it’s only natural to consider Skadi extraordinary.

The only people who viewed her rationally were Geron and Hegilson, but…

“Chief. Were our villagers always this stupid?”

“Well, Skadi-nim likes it and the people like it, so it should be fine. And she is a good person, isn’t she?”

“Yes, well… that’s true.”

As even these two accepted it as ‘if it’s good, it’s good,’ Skadi’s presence grew rapidly.

The final blow was when the wendigo’s new mystery made the farmland fertile and even took care of the crops’ health.

For those whose survival depended on that year’s harvest, the existence of the wendigo and Skadi was more than enough to receive fanatical respect!

“ㅡ That’s what happened!”

“Hmm, I see.”

Inside the dwelling built for the wendigo and Skadi.

Skadi sat facing the wendigo and told him about what had happened. The wendigo nodded glumly while reading her emotions.

Although Skadi tried to hide it, the wendigo, whose senses had become more sensitive after absorbing the source, clearly read her emotions.

To think she had moved so diligently while he was unconscious.

The wendigo felt ambivalent about her actions, which were both touching and burdensome.

‘It’s hard to get angry, but it’s also difficult to be happy about it.’

She hadn’t done anything wrong. But he hadn’t wanted her to do this well.

How could he have known that Skadi had such a talent for agitation, no, guidance?

The wendigo gently stroked Skadi’s hair. As Skadi smiled with her eyes, the wendigo resigned himself.

‘Right. It’s already happened. If I had explained properly in the first place, this wouldn’t have happened.’

‘Wendigo-nim praised me. This must have been what Wendigo-nim wanted!’

The wendigo spent the day unaware that he was encouraging her misunderstanding.

---

The wendigo and Skadi decided to stay in the village. Although it hadn’t been long since they acquired the mansion, a dwelling for him had been created in the village, and her influence had grown so strong that it was awkward to leave.

After packing necessary items and placing mystery to protect the graves, the two began living in the village.

While Skadi was busy holding gatherings and bestowing rituals, the wendigo didn’t have much to do.

At most, all he did was sit on a large wooden throne and mediate conflicts.

‘I don’t like the rumor going around that I eat souls if people commit crimes, though.’

But what could he do when he looked like he would do such things? The wendigo just accepted it.

As the wendigo heavily maintained his position without causing trouble, and Skadi solved people’s worries, the village quickly found stability.

The person who noticed the village’s changes fastest was Geron. As soon as he felt the change, he acted swiftly.

He came to the wendigo, who was eating roast deer for lunch, and bowed.

“Spirit-nim. The only one who can take care of this village is Wendigo-nim. I want to resign as the village chief!”

Even for the wendigo who enjoyed eating, he couldn’t enjoy his meal with someone suddenly bowing. Moreover, the reason for the visit was also a factor.

“You’re not the type to flatter, so this isn’t nonsense. Isn’t the position of village chief valuable to you?”

“Not at all. What does it matter if I’m not the village chief? We have Spirit-nim and Skadi-nim.”

The wendigo read Geron’s emotions. It wasn’t a lie, but he felt that Geron was expecting something.

If he were a con man, the roast would have flown with a shout, but Geron wasn’t a con man. Although it hadn’t been a long time, the wendigo had somewhat figured out Geron.

A man who loves the village, has flexible thinking, but isn’t a pushover – that was Geron.

“It seems you want something. Tell me. What do you want?”

“Yes. I want to become the caretaker managing Spirit-nim’s dwelling.”

The wendigo thought for a moment and then nodded. Thinking from Geron’s perspective, it was quite reasonable.

Anyway, with his and Skadi’s appearance, it was inevitable that Geron’s influence would decrease.

In that case, it’s beneficial to give what needs to be given and take what can be taken.

The title of caretaker might seem laughable, but not just anyone could be a caretaker.

In any organization, caretakers have a lot of hardship, but they also get to eat a lot of the leftovers.

They receive things from those above, and can wield the authority of those above to those below.

“I knew forest people were brave, but their wisdom can’t be ignored either.”

“Not at all. Compared to Spirit-nim, the incarnation of the forest containing a thousand years of time, my wisdom is insignificant.”

‘I haven’t spent a thousand years, though.’

The wendigo swallowed the words that were about to come out. How could he damage the image that Skadi had worked hard to create with his three-inch tongue?

As he moved the mystery, a sword-shaped tree grew from the ground. The tree carved and twisted itself, transforming into a longsword of appropriate size.

“Take it. Although its essence is wood, it will be harder and sharper than most swords.”

“!”

Geron bowed in awe and carefully approached the sword. As he grasped the handle, the sword adjusted its shape to fit his hand perfectly.

Geron drew the sword. And he opened his mouth in admiration at the extraordinary energy he felt from the sword.

‘I can’t boast of having an excellent eye for swords, but at least I can tell that this sword is extraordinary.’

The copper-colored blade shone with a vicious light. Is this really a wooden sword?

Geron felt the warrior’s soul, which had withered with age, burning hot. He wanted to test this sword right away.

As he stared blankly at the sword, the wendigo laughed softly and said,

“Ask Skadi about what you need to do as a caretaker. I don’t really know about such things.”

“I-I’m sorry. I was blinded by the treasure bestowed by Spirit-nim…”

“No. Rather, I felt bad for taking away your position as village chief, but seeing you so happy like this makes me feel a bit better.”

Loyalty welled up in Geron’s heart. How could he say such grateful words?

‘I realized how irreverent my past doubts were. To bestow such a treasure and not only not burden me but worry about me. How merciful is he!’

“I need to finish my meal, so you should go now.”

“Yes. Thank you. Thank you!”

As Geron left, expressing his gratitude with deep emotion, the wendigo resumed his meal.

He tore off the deer’s front leg whole, generously applied Skadi’s personally mixed secret sauce, and was about to take a bite…

Knock knock knock.

“Great spirit, Hegilson wishes to see you. May I let him in?”

“… Tell him to come in.”

The wendigo sighed and put down the front leg. Since he didn’t feel hunger, work came first.

‘If only I felt hunger, I could at least rationalize it.’

“Oh my. I didn’t know Spirit-nim was in the middle of a meal. If you’ll forgive me, I can report next time-“

“There’s no need for that. I don’t feel hunger anyway. By the way, Hegilson, it seems like it’s been a while.”

Compared to their first meeting, Hegilson looked much more dashing. With muscles and flesh added, and his beard neatly trimmed, he looked like he could make women cry.

“Hahaha. I’ve been going around here and there on Skadi-nim’s orders, so I haven’t had time to show my face in the village.”

“Hm? Skadi’s orders? Did Skadi ask you to do something?”

“Huh? Didn’t you know?”

As Hegilson scratched his cheek and asked back, the wendigo searched his memory. But nothing came to mind.

“I don’t know. What did Skadi order?”

“She told me to go around the villages I’m familiar with and spread the word of Spirit-nim’s greatness. Oh boy, really. When I said there was a merciful spirit, their faces were-“

“Wait. What did Skadi tell you to do?”

The wendigo covered his face with one hand and fell into confusion. He doubted if his ears were working correctly.

Hegilson laughed heartily and answered in a loud voice.

“She told me to spread the word of Spirit-nim’s greatness!”

“Ah, damn. I didn’t hear it wrong.”

The wendigo lost his composure and ran his hand over his skull. And he sighed.

‘I’ve raised a tiger!’

Skadi, she was a more passionate woman than the wendigo had thought.