Ch.103Chapter 103

People have their own plans.

Especially when they’re about to engage in an argument, most prepare for questions or attacks from the other side.

If the opponent launches personal attacks, they’ll go after the opponent’s parents.

If hidden tricks in long, complex words are discovered, they’ll distract with new tricks.

Naturally, the visitors who gathered to meet the Wendigo came prepared as well…

But when they first faced the Wendigo, they felt their minds go completely blank.

Even those who had experience meeting Djin or hunting Beasts weren’t much different.

The enormous monster—no, the king of the forest—before them was more terrifying than any being they had encountered before.

If he had aimed for their necks instead of sitting on the throne, wouldn’t their heads have been severed before they even noticed his approach?

‘Damn, who would have thought such grotesque rumors were true.’

‘Negotiation? No, this isn’t negotiation—we should be grateful for mercy. He could take everything by force and we couldn’t make a peep.’

Extreme fear sometimes brings clarity rather than panic. And with clarity, some even felt grateful.

The thought of such a being invading their lands naturally broke their will and rang alarm bells of fear.

While the visitors collected themselves in their own ways, the Wendigo tilted his head and relaxed.

“I apologize if I seemed threatening after inviting guests. How are you feeling now? Better?”

“Your majesty was overwhelming just now, and now your voice is clear and pleasant to hear.”

The response came not from the vassals, Skadi, or even Geron, but from among the visitors.

A woman concealed in robes with a plain mask covering her face stepped forward toward the Wendigo.

When she removed her mask and lowered her hood, her hidden beauty was revealed.

“Shir, you should have told me you arrived earlier.”

“Separating business from personal matters is my principle. I couldn’t be with them yet since I’m still a trader, not your vassal.”

When Shir revealed herself, the chilly atmosphere in the audience hall instantly became vibrant.

The men followed her with gaping expressions, while the women gazed at her with admiring eyes.

The Wendigo was both bewildered and relieved.

‘I was worried about how to lighten the mood, but it resolved more easily than expected.’

He hadn’t anticipated that people who were frozen stiff moments ago would relax their tension by being distracted by a woman’s beauty.

…Come to think of it, it was strange. If an encounter with a beautiful woman helped, wouldn’t Skadi have been sufficient?

The Wendigo, puzzled, gestured for Shir to approach, and she walked confidently toward him with a smile as bright as the sun.

“Ahh…”

“Shouldn’t someone stop her?”

The visitors sighed as the beauty headed toward the Djin, not a beast.

Since even Djin appreciate beauty, if the forest king turned violent to claim the woman, she would be dragged away without a chance to resist…

“Shir, I thought it strange not to hear from you recently, but I see you’ve become a Witch.”

“A half-witch, unfortunately. Well… it’s the price for embracing both Djin and mystery.”

The Wendigo noticed that the mystery emanating from her was her own and congratulated her on this fact.

At first glance, her ability to captivate people’s attention seemed similar to Ellen’s power, but its essence was quite different.

While Ellen’s power contained a decadent energy that forcibly subjugated others, Shir’s power shone like the sun in the sky, drawing out people’s goodwill.

“I’m still having trouble controlling it, but I’m quite satisf— Oh, really.”

“?”

Shir, who was about to boast of her greatness, frowned and sighed. She plucked a strand of her hair and burned it.

A golden flame appeared and soon took human form.

“Darling~ If you spend intimate time with me, I can help you control your power anytime… Kyaang!”

“Stop whining in my head and shut up!”

Freya, who had appeared, was hugging Shir from behind and whining when she got punched in the stomach.

Shir skillfully pulled Freya in front of her with deft movements.

She slapped Freya’s back with an irritated expression.

The blow was quite forceful, causing Freya to cry out…

“Hmm…”

“Oh, damn it. Freya!”

When she let out a strange moan, the Wendigo exclaimed in disgust.

Though they had grown closer, he didn’t want to know about Freya’s secret preferences.

She used to be mischievous and enjoyed teasing Shir…

‘I don’t know what changed in her mind since Shir became a witch, but it feels unpleasant.’

Shir glared at Freya with a cold expression and pushed her forward. Freya pouted with disappointment and complained to the Wendigo.

“Eung, I was just getting excited with Shir after so long, and you ruined it.”

“That wasn’t excitement, it was anger. And is this appropriate for the situation? Given the atmosphere…?”

“Ahem!”

“Hem-hem!”

Those watching Shir and Freya’s quarrel regained their composure when the Wendigo’s gaze turned to them.

Of course, since both Shir and Freya were beings who dealt with the mystery of beauty, it was inevitable that they would attract attention…

But to be spectating (?) in the cold atmosphere of the audience hall was no ordinary feat.

Freya giggled and seductively stroked her arm.

“Don’t be too disappointed~ When will humans get to see such a wonderful sight again?”

“Sigh…”

Thwack!

The Wendigo reached out and flicked Freya on the forehead.

Freya, not expecting such a treacherous attack from her colleague(?), allowed the attack, and a clear impact sound along with her scream echoed through the audience hall.

Feeling as if her head was ringing, Freya glared at the Wendigo with tears in her eyes.

“Tsk… Isn’t that too much just for a little joke?”

“What’s excessive is your feather-light attitude.”

The visitors barely stopped themselves from nodding in agreement.

When Shir comfor—no, grabbed Freya by the back of her neck, she clicked her tongue with a sullen expression.

Watching this scene, the visitors realized something as they processed what they had witnessed.

“That… from what I can see, that woman seems to be the famous Summoner of the Freyr tribe.”

“Indeed. Who would have thought the Forest King had subjugated even a tribe as renowned as the Freyr.”

“Isn’t that judgment too extreme? That woman just said she made a deal with the king…”

“Then how do you explain that flick just now?”

The visitors from the south had no way of knowing the relationship between Shir, Freya, and the Wendigo.

Asking directly was one option, but who would take responsibility if they offended the two Djin by asking?

Moreover, the sight of the Wendigo flicking Freya and her grumbling made it seem like the Wendigo held the upper hand between them.

‘What flick? That would have blown a human’s head off.’

‘The Forest King’s power is clearly greater than I thought.’

Though the atmosphere that had nearly made them faint was gone, the visitors’ nervousness reached its peak.

An extraordinary and special leader, loyal and capable subordinates, a fertile land promising prosperity.

All of these were scenes commonly found in stories of ancient heroes.

One word flashed through their minds:

Nation-building (建國)

As they thought of this word, their eyes began to burn with delight, shock, passion, and determination.

‘First they were terrified, then captivated by women… now they’re burning with intense emotions.’

Of course, this was something the Wendigo, who was thinking about the university as a big project, hadn’t considered at all.

The Wendigo looked curiously at the visitors whose emotions were changing rapidly.

It was awkward to say, but… northerners seemed a bit strange.

* * *

When Freya calmed down and the visitors waited for his words with composed attitudes, the Wendigo roughly understood the situation.

Though he couldn’t grasp the exact reason, he realized that the visitors were lowering themselves and watching his reactions.

Surely they weren’t intimidated just by his display of mystery at the beginning…

‘Still, this is a favorable situation for me, no doubt about that.’

If those you need to persuade bow their heads voluntarily, you should naturally be grateful.

The Wendigo began the speech he had prepared for the visitors.

He explained what ideology had initiated the establishment of the university, what he expected from them, and how the university would be operated in the future.

“I’ll skip the details as you’ll hear about them later. Any questions?”

At the Wendigo’s question, people shook their heads.

These were matters they had already heard from merchants and mercenaries and discussed with their close associates, and even warriors and summoners who had to judge alone had already made their decisions.

As their gazes turned to him, the Wendigo brought up the topic they were most curious about.

“Then I’ll quickly move on to the next matter. While you are all selected personnel, I cannot accept everyone. The university is likely to be associated with many vested interests and is related to the future of the north.”

The Wendigo paused briefly and gestured to Skadi and Geron.

The two stepped forward according to the prearranged gesture, and the Wendigo continued.

“Those who wish to invest in the university’s establishment will speak with Geron.”

The merchants, tribal chiefs, and ambitious individuals who had come to get a piece of the university establishment nodded as if they had expected this.

They looked at Geron with complex expressions.

They could tell that Geron was a favored minister of the Wendigo, but…

Based on the information they had gathered, they couldn’t perfectly gauge how much authority Geron held.

To build in the forest and its vicinity required permission from Geron and the Wendigo, and most administrative matters were reviewed by Geron before being forwarded to the Wendigo.

This much could be considered the duties of an ordinary administrator, but… Geron didn’t stop there.

Merchants had to go to Geron for permits to trade with forest people, and most taxes were verified by Geron and reported to the Wendigo.

Considering just this, Geron’s title could be described as both administrator and treasurer.

But… Geron’s work didn’t end there.

When envoys visited, Geron received them; servants organized dispatches and reported to Geron; even palace management was Geron’s responsibility…

‘Just how much can he handle with his personal discretion?!’

‘How is he still alive without collapsing? Is he actually a monster created by the Djin’s wicked magic?’

At least there were no rumors of the king punishing him, so he must be performing his duties properly…

Normally he should collapse from overwork, but how???

The investors sensed that Geron would not be an easy opponent and became very tense.

Naturally, the investors’ attitudes became respectful, and the Wendigo watched this with satisfaction.

“Those who came for investment, please follow Geron. Geron, I’m counting on you.”

“Yes. Don’t worry.”

Geron bowed his head and led them out of the audience hall first.

The Wendigo was about to introduce Skadi next…

“Shir, if it’s alright, could you assist Skadi in dealing with the summoners and witches?”

“Of course. You’ve always rewarded requests with compensation.”

Since Shir was also present, the Wendigo instructed Shir and Skadi to interview the witches and summoners together.

Those who weren’t witches or summoners looked at them with envious eyes.

It wasn’t common to converse with beauties of different charms.

However, those who became the recipients of this “fortune” checked the two women’s reactions while sweating nervously.

‘This is why laypeople are…!’

‘Is she really a witch like me?’

Summoners basically possessed spiritual sight, and witches could sense mysteries through their own exceptional senses.

They trembled at the mystery emanating from the two, who were both summoners and witches.

They were literally feeling the difference in class.

So they couldn’t help but find those envious glances annoying.

“Follow us.”

“Yes, yes!”

Showing respect like disciples to masters, they followed Skadi and Shir out of the audience hall.

Naturally, only those who remained to impart some teaching were left in the audience hall…

They blinked their eyes and looked around to find who would deal with them.

Just as the visitors’ gazes turned toward the tribal chiefs.

“Huh, huuuh?”

The Wendigo, who had been sitting, rose from his throne and approached them.

As he approached, the Wendigo said:

“Assessing your levels will require bringing in various merchants, mercenaries, and technicians, which will take some time. So…”

“…gulp.”

They looked up at the Wendigo with trembling eyes.

When the Wendigo extended his hand toward the ground, an ice sword responded to his call and revealed itself.

Cold air swept over their bodies, and the Wendigo spoke while resting the ice sword on the floor.

“I should first hear from those of you who have decided to be in charge of education at the university.”

But why did he draw a sword to do that…?

It was a question everyone present wanted to ask, but their mouths wouldn’t open.

As if the blade of the ice sword was pointed at their necks, a heavy cold air settled on their throats.