Chapter 118

Two months after the report sworn in the name of the World Tree and the artwork drawn by Elhemina crossed the sea.

A fleet from the Elvenhome Republic appeared with a delegation on the western coast of the north.

The delegation included many officials besides diplomats…

“Honestly, I don’t think I needed to deal with legal officers or high priests, even if I could handle the diplomats.”

Dario, exhausted, complained to Wendigo as soon as he entered the conference room.

He thought he would only handle diplomacy, but most issues except administrative matters were forwarded to him.

It was fortunate that he had received crash course education on elven culture and etiquette from Elhemina; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been strange if he had committed at least one faux pas.

“I’m sorry. But there was no need to take risks when we have the most eloquent and perceptive person in the forest.”

“Hehehe. I’m sorry too. This old man is born a forest person, so I’m not very good with words.”

“Really… you’re all too much. At this rate, I’ll collapse from overwork rather than dying of old age.”

When Wendigo and Geron praised him, Dario grumbled and took a seat at the back of the conference room.

His words were a bit crooked, but he wasn’t truly dissatisfied.

Considering the times when he had to worry about assassination even when he achieved merits, let alone praise, being just physically tired was rather welcome.

Starting with Geron, people began to gather in the conference room one after another.

Subjects who had sworn loyalty to Wendigo, like Skadi and Syr, and Geron.

Staff and educators who would be central to various projects centered around the university, like Rodomel and Walton.

Finally, investors who joined aiming for Wendigo’s authority and various interests.

Wendigo realized anew that he had become entangled with so many people on the subject of a university.

‘The world is truly unpredictable.’

To think that what started as merely selecting talent to teach his friend’s disciple would grow this big…

“Spirit Lord?”

“Ah, sorry.”

Wendigo shook off his idle thoughts. Now was not the time to be sentimental.

Wendigo opened his mouth, gazing at the people filling the conference room:

“Then let’s start the meeting.”

“Yes. First, I’ll start the report on non-aggression and trade with the elves. Dario.”

When Geron called his name, Dario sprang to his feet.

It might have seemed rude, but as he straightened his chest confidently and smiled with a gentle curve, Dario looked like an upright young man straight out of a fairy tale.

Dario bowed deeply and raised his voice, giving Wendigo an extremely polite greeting:

“First, I would like to express my gratitude to Your Highness for your dedication to the north and its people. Your Highness’s grace is no different from the prosperity of the north, and that grace will remain in song even after a thousand years.”

Dario first loosened his tongue by praising Wendigo.

Of course, he wasn’t doing this to move Wendigo. Dario knew better than anyone that Wendigo wasn’t soft enough to be moved by such flattery.

Dario’s target was not Wendigo, but the subjects loyal to him.

“Hmm, the king deserves such praise.”

“Though young, he seems to have a good head on his shoulders and understands the world.”

“The king wouldn’t have given him a chance for nothing. He must have been the most capable youth among the impetuous young ones.”

The chieftains of the forest and nearby tribes nodded and responded to Dario’s praise.

How could they not admire someone who had turned the poorest land into the richest?

However, such blatant praise could be seen as flattery.

Dario, raising his head, turned to the audience and bowed once more.

“Next, I also greet the elders of the north who have joined us for our united purpose. If the king laid the cornerstone, aren’t you the ones who raised the pillars on it!”

Even those who had been watching Dario with disapproving eyes loosened up at his words.

It was an open secret that Dario was favored. How could it be hidden when he accompanied the king’s procession at such a young age?

In that sense, Dario’s social skills were adept. Knowing he was envied for his meteoric rise, he instead lowered his head.

Considering his age, when it wouldn’t be strange for him to have a high nose and run wild without fear of the world, it was truly a sharp action.

“Indeed, Dario of the Kapustin family was born with a magnanimous disposition. It’s natural for the king to favor him, as he knows how to be humble as well.”

“He’s a young man with a refreshing personality and good with words. If only my son were half like him, it would have been so good.”

“……”

Those who knew Dario’s true nature refrained from speaking.

There was no need to pour ashes on the greatly refreshed atmosphere of the conference room.

As applause erupted from here and there, calling Dario’s name, he repeatedly bowed his head and enjoyed the attention.

As the applause subsided, Dario took out a long scroll from his breast and unrolled it.

“The plenipotentiary ambassador of the Elvenhome Republic, Joachim… I’ll omit the elven name as it’s too long.”

“Let’s skip such trivial details. It’s taking up many people’s time, so move straight to the main point.”

At Wendigo’s instruction, Dario nodded. He continued turning the scroll and stopped in the middle…

“Why aren’t you speaking?”

“That usually boisterous fellow is quite…”

“Could something have gone wrong with the diplomacy?”

When Dario stopped and didn’t open his mouth, the conference room filled with murmuring voices.

Wendigo stared at Dario in disbelief.

It wasn’t that Dario couldn’t open his mouth due to a serious problem. Rather, it was the opposite.

He was keeping his mouth shut because he couldn’t compose his voice, feeling proud of his achievements.

‘He’s true to his nature, full of desire for recognition even while being sly. It’s truly fortunate that desire is directed in a good direction.’

Dario, who had been grinning, finally seemed to have calmed his heart and cleared his throat.

A small but distinct sound echoed around the conference room, and people instantly fell silent, waiting for Dario to open his mouth.

“First, the Elvenhome Republic has completely denied ownership of the World Tree that has taken root in this land and declared to exclude all possibilities that could cause discord.”

“!”

People were startled and opened their eyes wide. Some shouted with joy, and those who were more extreme clenched their fists and jumped to their feet.

It might seem rude at first glance, but no one in the conference room blamed this reaction.

The Elvenhome Republic’s attitude was more friendly than expected.

“D-did the republic really make such… a concession?”

A man cautiously asked Dario.

Others were quiet, but they eagerly waited for Dario to answer the man’s question.

Dario smiled, enjoying the attention.

“Yes. The Elvenhome Republic affirmed that the World Tree taking root is not their will, but the World Tree’s will. Above all, they prioritize the World Tree’s words over the administrator… a kind of king.”

“Is that really true?”

“According to the ambassador, the World Tree warned that there would be no benefit if the republic and His Highness went to war.”

At Dario’s affirmation, people exclaimed with joy.

While the university establishment was an issue, from the northerners’ perspective, the very existence of an unknown entity across the sea was unsettling.

Moreover, it wasn’t ordinary humans or beastkin, but elves with long lifespans who had established a unified country…

Dario’s affirmation was enough to wash away such anxiety at once.

However, Dario didn’t stop his report here and continued without giving people time to compose their emotions.

Designation of elven residential areas and full-scale trade permission, exchange of scholars and technicians, and so on.

The conference room soon became like a festival atmosphere, beginning to burn hot with people chanting Dario and Wendigo’s names.

“That’s all the report I can give. Other people must have things to report too, so I’ll step down now!”

Dario, who had left a strong impression on people’s minds, exited while receiving countless handshake requests.

Perhaps thanks to Dario’s clean start?

Not only Skadi and Syr, who were in charge of magical fields, but also Geron, who negotiated with elven officials, and Walton, who promised academic exchanges.

Reports of top performances in their respective tasks continued, and no one in the conference room imagined a negative future.

Wendigo finally asked them:

“If there are any problems with interacting with elves or establishing the university, you may speak.”

“……”

Everyone closed their mouths and bowed their heads, showing reverence to Wendigo.

At the moment, only two words were flickering in their minds:

Peace and prosperity.

That’s what everyone wants in this age where gods and witches, monsters and heroes run rampant.

---

With the issues related to the Elvenhome Republic resolved, there were no more obstacles to establishing the university.

Wendigo moved to the site where the university would be built, along with those who had run together for the university establishment so far.

There, elven sculptors and architects who had arrived earlier had finished preparations for construction using materials brought from their homeland.

While people were marveling at the unfamiliar sight of the elves, an elf woman in splendid silk clothes came running from afar.

“Your Highness!”

“Elhemina. You look especially splendid today.”

The woman’s identity was Elhemina. Although Elhemina had been wearing silk clothes since their first meeting, today she was more splendid than before.

Bracelets expressing intertwined tree trunks, a golden amulet modeled after the World Tree, and pure white silk clothes with beautiful embroidery.

“Ahaha.. It’s my first time wearing such splendid clothes too.”

Elhemina laughed awkwardly, as such splendid attire was a first for her too.

Her attire was originally worn by high priests serving the World Tree when participating in ceremonies.

The problem was that she was the only priest serving the World Tree named ‘Blue Leaf’ due to the mass death of priests who participated in the expedition.

Elhemina expressed reluctance and fiddled with her ears.

“Or-originally, this isn’t clothes that a young priest like me can wear. Usually, you need to be about 150 years old to wear this.”

Elhemina wearing high priest attire meant she had to perform the role of a high priest at the ceremony.

Naturally, as a young elf who had lived just over 100 years, she was worried about performing such a weighty task.

For such an Elhemina, Wendigo eased her tension:

“Dario negotiated with the republic’s diplomats at just about thirty years old, so what are you worried about? It will be over soon if you act as you’ve learned.”

“Do-do you think so? But I’m so timid…”

“Timid, you say… From what I see, it seems more like you have a strong sense of responsibility. If you were just a timid woman, you wouldn’t have tried to save the lives of dozens of soldiers.”

“……”

Elhemina looked at Wendigo with surprised eyes. It was the first time someone had called her unsightly aspect an advantage.

Wendigo chuckled and extended his claw to her.

“I look forward to working with you.”

“Ah… Yes. I’ll do my best!”

Elhemina, her tension eased thanks to Wendigo’s praise, answered in a bright voice and grasped his claw respectfully.

She could feel an inexplicable warmth from Wendigo’s cold claw.

Perhaps this is why the humans of this land respect rather than fear the king, because of such human-like aspects.

Elhemina, who had bowed her head for a long time in gratitude, let go of his hand and returned to prepare for the ceremony.

Dario stared blankly at Elhemina as she walked away, then approached Wendigo. He asked Wendigo in a strangely transparent tone:

“It seems Elhemina has some big role this time? Her clothes are completely transformed. Of course, I don’t mean she looks bad…”

“… Do you perhaps like her?”

“Huh? Me? Your Highness, it seems you’re not as good at jokes as I thought! In the world, for me to like Elhemina…”

‘It seems I’m right.’

As Dario stuttered and denied it, Wendigo was convinced that Dario had fallen for Elhemina.

If it really wasn’t true, the eloquent Dario wouldn’t have reacted so excessively.

It wasn’t strange for Dario to be interested in her, as she had outstanding looks befitting an elf and was a good woman who strived to save people’s lives.

Age was a bit of an issue, but…

“If you’re not just captivated by her appearance, don’t regret it and try confessing. If I find a way to extend lifespan, I’ll help you.”

“I told you it’s not like that… But will you really help if you find a way to extend lifespan? It’s not for confessing to Elhemina—”

“Oh my, it seems preparations are finished, so let’s move.”

When Dario showed signs of clinging to his leg and whining, Wendigo chuckled and left his seat.

Dario, cursing himself for kicking away the luck that had rolled in, chased after Wendigo, calling him in a desperate voice.

---

An unprecedented number of people gathered at the site where the university would be built.

The university establishment alone was receiving hot attention in the north, and with elves appearing as well, any northerner with leisure came to see this sight.

“They’re truly all handsome men and beautiful women.”

“To think some among them are similar in age to our fathers… The world is truly unfair.”

“More than that, the Forest King is amazing. Who would have thought he’d bring elves to build buildings?”

They marveled at the scene unfolding before their eyes, but only for a moment.

Elf priests rang a large golden bell to signal the start of the ceremony, and young elf women sang beautiful melodies.

People were entranced by this exotic scene and fell silent. They were absorbed in the splendid yet solemn ceremony they had never seen before.

As the song reached its end, Elhemina stood in front of a large tree model imitating the World Tree and offered a prayer.

The content of the prayer emphasized the preciousness of peace to the point of being old-fashioned, but no one thought it was boring.

That’s how beautiful Elhemina’s attire was, and her voice contained a softness that made people’s moods mellow.

“Ohhh…”

‘He’s completely smitten.’

When Dario looked at Elhemina with uncharacteristically dreamy eyes, Wendigo recoiled.

Although he had encouraged love, he felt an instinctive aversion when Dario showed an unsuitable appearance.

Certainly, Elhemina’s appearance as she offered prayers was quite beauti…

“Huh?”

Perhaps thanks to Dario’s appropriate visual stimulation?

Wendigo realized, come to think of it, that the scene before him was more… alien than he thought.

In the sky, not a single cloud passed by, and the brilliant sunlight shone down.

The dew-laden leaves sparkled in the light, beautiful like stars descended to earth.

On the trees were sparrows, pigeons, and crows…

‘… They’re not thinking of causing trouble, are they?’

Indeed, was this strangely dreamlike atmosphere the gods’ mischief?

Wendigo realized that the gods were interested in this place right now, but deliberately ignored it.

Just as all problems were finally being resolved, how troublesome would it be if Alfodr appeared and caused problems?

Above all, Elhemina, who was overcoming her fear and conducting the ceremony, might faint.

“Ohhh… What a beautiful sight is this?”

“Painter, where’s a painter! We must capture this scene in a painting right now!”

“To think I would shed tears of emotion at this age… I never expected this.”

“……”

Fortunately, Wendigo was the only one who felt the sense of alienation.

Even elves who were 200 years old were trembling in admiration at the beautiful scene, so how much more so for humans who were at most(?) 50 years old?

Shortly after, when Elhemina’s prayer ended, thunderous applause erupted from all directions.

As she exited, this time architects and sculptors rushed in to take her place. They looked around with very tense expressions.

They were worried if it wasn’t sacrilegious for them to be in a space that had just exuded a sacred atmosphere.

Of course, Wendigo, who knew that the sacredness of this place had the trickster god’s seasoning mixed in, calmly raised his hand and ordered:

“Proceed.”

“Yes!”

Although they were sculptors and architects renowned in the republic, they answered with great tension.

It wasn’t that they had no experience in building structures comparable to universities, but…

‘If I make a mistake here, I die. If I make a mistake here, I die!!!’

‘OmercifulWorldTreepleaseguidemyhands…’

Rather than making a mistake in a scene that wouldn’t be out of place decorating a page in a history book, it would be easier on the mind to bite their tongues and commit suicide.

Dozens of elves, called masters in their respective fields, held each other’s hands and concentrated.

The soul of an artist that cannot tolerate mistakes or inadequacies burned hot.

“The trees are moving!!!”

“My goodness… The rumors were true!”

The trees moved. Wendigo watched the scene with interest.

While the trees he moved were extremely rigid, the elf masters were kneading the trees like dough and building a massive structure.

People watched the mystical scene unfolding before their eyes in a daze, even as the ground shook.

They couldn’t miss this awe-inspiring sight that might never occur again in their lifetime.

The building completed while captivating people’s souls was no different from a massive castle.

A huge castle built on top of incredibly thick ramparts had pointed spires rising, and thin amber stones with elaborate patterns sparkled in place of windows.

People blankly looked up at the massive castle shining with golden light, and…

Thud!

“?”

Wendigo turned around, puzzled by the sound from behind.

There, a man was kneeling with tears in his eyes. Wendigo tried to ask him the reason but couldn’t.

As if the man was just the beginning, people started kneeling one after another.

Forest people loyal to Wendigo, spectators who came to watch, merchants and chieftains hoping to profit from the university, and scholars and warriors who came with dreams of education.

They knelt and bowed their heads to Wendigo. They didn’t dare face Wendigo’s figure with the brilliantly shining sun at his back.

Wendigo was too dumbfounded to open his mouth.

Now that the building was built, he was thinking of dismissing the people…

‘It would truly be a bad thing to just tell them to disperse here.’

If he couldn’t figure out what they wanted, he wouldn’t have been able to reign in the forest until now.

Wendigo realized that they were swearing loyalty to him. However, he carefully considered whether their loyalty might be temporary.

It’s common for people to act impulsively in a moment of fervor, regardless of age or race.

‘Let’s see…’

Wendigo recalled the things he had done so far.

Subjugation of the 300-year-old parasitic magical beast sleeping in the forest.

Making the land fertile and subjugating and integrating the nomadic tribe and evil wolves that appeared from the east.

Dealing a iron hammer blow to the northern tribes by force and granting their positions to their children.

‘And then…’

He freed the starving northerners from hunger in a fertile land.

Established the first university in the north.

Even formed a relationship with the elves, who were unknown beings, and even planted the World Tree in this land.

‘Thinking about it this way, their actions aren’t strange.’

Wendigo realized anew that he had truly done many things.

From among the kneeling crowd, an old man approached Wendigo with light steps as if he had been waiting.

Wendigo noticed the old man’s identity and called his name with a disgruntled expression:

“Alfodr. For someone who calls himself a god, you’re quite leisurely.”

“It’s been a while. I’d like to ask if you’ve been well, but… looking around, it seems you’ve been too well.”

“I think this scene is your work, but what’s your purpose?”

“Hohohoho! Is that important right now? What’s important is where you’re standing right now.”

Even those who didn’t dare raise their heads lifted them out of curiosity at the word ‘god’.

The old man was irreverently joking with the king, but strangely, it didn’t feel irreverent at all.

People instinctively sensed that the being before them was a god.

Alfodr waved his arm towards the crowd and said to Wendigo:

“Forest King. Even if you’re not interested in reigning, those who admire your achievements are not.”

“……”

Wendigo finally met the eyes of those who had raised their heads.

In their eyes was a unified goal. The unknown path of a united kingdom that northerners had never experienced before.

Wendigo looked at Skadi and Geron. They were watching him with eyes that seemed proud of him.

Understanding the meaning in Wendigo’s gaze, the two nodded as if it were natural.

Alfodr burst into laughter as if he had expected this. Dario, worried that Wendigo might refuse, shouted loudly:

“Forest King, please protect us forever!!!”

“”Forest King, please protect us forever!!!””

Alfodr, throwing off his shabby hood, mounted an eight-legged horse that appeared galloping across the sky. He pointed at Wendigo with a spear engraved with runes and shouted:

“I, Alfodr, king of the gods and god of poetry, ask the new king of this land. What is the name of your kingdom that will not be forgotten even after a thousand years!”

“A name…”

Wendigo pondered Alfodr’s question. But that pondering wasn’t long. He answered the question, gazing into Alfodr’s eyes:

“Manheimr, my kingdom is Manheimr.”

“Manheimr… A truly plain name, but a valuable one. Even if your kingdom disappears in the waves of time, I will remember your reign.”

Alfodr chuckled at the new kingdom’s name and paid his respects. When he shook the reins, his horse galloped across the sky with thunder-like neighing.

As Alfodr disappeared, people cheered, chanting the names of the new kingdom and the king of Manheimr.

Manheimr

It meant homeland.

---

A few months later.

Wendigo stared blankly at a crow in the palace expanded by the elves’ hands.

The crow moved its ominous beak and shouted:

“Since we helped with your ascension, we’d like you to allow us to be patrons of the university!”

“… I should have known.”

As the crow cawed, Wendigo sighed.

Alfodr.

He was a god who never did anything that didn’t benefit himself.