Ch.112Chapter 112

Wendigo’s ice sword spewed cold air, dominating the space.

The two old veterans guarding Elhemina, the White Captains of the Republic of Elvenheim, swallowed dry saliva and placed their hands on their weapons.

It was an instinctive reaction to a tension so overwhelming they might faint—something they had never felt before, even when facing blessed beasts, monsters, or fellow elves.

Dario frowned, pointed at the two, and shouted at Elhemina.

“Elhemina, these two don’t seem to understand the situation. How dare they look directly at the king and put their hands on their weapons!”

“Well, that’s, um…”

“?”

When Elhemina couldn’t answer Dario’s outburst and only stared at the ground, Wendigo noticed something strange.

Elhemina was unnecessarily honest and not particularly eloquent.

‘Come to think of it, she revealed more than I asked.’

It was strange.

Regardless of the era, religious figures were often skilled with words.

This wasn’t because they were special, but because their social role required verbal dexterity.

Conveying divine messages and their meanings in ways tailored to others was more difficult than one might think.

Wendigo quietly observed Elhemina, who couldn’t lift her head.

She trembled like an aspen tree, frozen to the spot as if she had become one with the ground.

Above all, the scent emanating from her revealed extreme fear, sadness, and a strong desire for survival.

‘…I seem to have been mistaken.’

Seeing how the soldiers followed orders, he had assumed Elhemina held a high position, but he had clearly made a significant error.

Such a timid woman couldn’t possibly bear the responsibility of dozens of lives.

“Elhemina. Raise your head.”

“……”

At Wendigo’s command, Elhemina lifted her head.

Her face was haggard from flowing tears and cold sweat.

Her blue-tinged lips repeatedly opened and closed as if about to scream.

“…I seem to have misunderstood.”

“!”

After brief contemplation, Wendigo released his ice sword. It shattered into dozens of sparkling fragments that flew away on the wind.

Elhemina watched with surprised eyes as the ice sword disappeared, leaving a beautiful afterimage.

“I apologize for creating such a tense atmosphere. Would you mind standing up? Unlike the others, your skin seems delicate.”

“Ah…”

Perhaps the pressure of having everyone’s lives depending on her had weighed her down.

Elhemina realized her knees and palms were scraped and torn from the gravel and sand.

The stinging pain brought her back to her senses. She stood up, and Wendigo beckoned her with a flick of his claw.

Elhemina hesitated momentarily but slowly approached Wendigo.

Looking at her tear-stained face, Wendigo clicked his tongue.

“Your pretty face is a mess. I apologize. Dealing with fearless individuals lately has made my manners rough.”

“Eh?”

Wendigo wiped away her tears with his claw. Though precise movements were difficult, he had become quite adept at this thanks to his time with Skadi.

Elhemina was confused, not understanding the situation… and soon began crying profusely as the tension drained from her body.

Wendigo gestured to Dario and asked:

“Didn’t Geron share some berries with you?”

“Yes… I received them. Thanks to them, my mind remained clear even while working.”

Dario grumbled as he pulled out a pouch from his clothes. When he opened it, a pungent aroma burst forth.

After checking the contents, Dario frowned and tightly tied the pouch shut again.

Freya, curious, rested her chin on Dario’s shoulder and asked:

“What’s that? Did you secretly bring some suspicious medicine behind Wendigo’s back?”

“What… These aren’t the berries Elder Geron gave me. If Elhemina, who has no tolerance, ate these, her body would obviously go limp.”

“…Why do you people eat such things?”

When Freya looked at him incredulously, Dario pouted and glanced at Wendigo.

As if they would eat such things by choice. They ate them because they had so many stressful situations to deal with.

Feeling Dario’s gaze, Wendigo cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Enough chatting. Take out the berries.”

“Yeah, why did you suddenly draw your swo… which you had every right to do. Yes, as the king bearing the fate of this forest, you couldn’t let this matter slide easily.”

Dario, who had been grumbling, adopted a respectful posture and presented the berries when his eyes met Wendigo’s.

Wendigo took the berries and offered them to Elhemina.

“Eat these. They will help calm your mind.”

“Th-thank you. But why do you carry such things around?”

Having composed herself, Elhemina asked while putting the berries into her mouth one by one.

With her tension suddenly released, her mouth asked questions of its own accord.

At the unexpected question, Wendigo and Dario stared at each other, while Freya approached Elhemina with a mischievous smile.

“Everyone gets scared when they first meet Wendigo. That’s why his subordinates carry such berries to give to startled people!”

“I see…”

“M-Miss Elhemina. Logically speaking, one doesn’t do such things just because a king is frightening.”

As Elhemina nodded with an innocent face, the White Captains hurriedly tried to correct her common sense.

However, they too seemed intrigued, glancing cautiously at Wendigo.

Indeed, with such an intimidating presence, perhaps for the sake of smooth interactions…

“……”

Wendigo was dumbfounded but held his tongue. Honestly, the reason for eating the berries could be interpreted as fear itself.

If he had to be an object of fear, he’d rather attribute it to his appearance.

* * *

As the atmosphere lightened, Elhemina belatedly realized her mistake.

From their perspective, the World Tree’s sapling was an invaluable treasure, and she had mistakenly assumed other races would view it the same way.

This wasn’t a mistake due to Elhemina’s youth(?). More precisely, it stemmed from the ignorance all elves shared regarding other races.

Having lived their entire lives on an island populated only by elves, how could they know how other races would perceive the act of planting the World Tree?

Elhemina bowed deeply and formally apologized to Wendigo.

“Our ignorance has caused us to commit an unforgivable rudeness to the king. I truly have no words.”

“We old ones are also at fault. Despite Elhemina being young for a priestess… we should have thought and spoken first.”

The two White Captains bowed their heads following Elhemina.

Though soldiers follow procedures, they felt it was their fault for entrusting all command authority to Elhemina, who had been at the bottom of the priesthood.

“I also overreacted due to misunderstanding. As a ruler with the duty to protect this land, I hope you understand it was unavoidable.”

“Of course.”

The White Captains nodded at Wendigo’s concession.

To them, who had served as soldiers of the Republic all their lives, Wendigo’s attitude was not strange.

They too would have attacked with lethal intent if another race appeared in Elvenheim and behaved suspiciously.

If anything, Wendigo seemed generous for drawing his ice sword but not immediately swinging it, waiting for a final defense.

Once the situation was sufficiently clarified, Wendigo decided to address the issues step by step.

“First… I permit you to stay here until you return to the Republic. However, payment is required.”

“O-of course. But due to most of our ships being wrecked, we have few resources. I wonder if we can provide payment that would satisfy the king…”

“Miss Elhemina, the Republic can provide support for such matters if requested.”

“If the Consuls and Elders aren’t fools, they’ll provide support even if just to save a single soldier.”

When Elhemina showed a dark expression of worry, the two White Captains reassured her.

Dario noticed something strange in their conversation and asked:

“From what you’re saying, it seems the Republic currently needs many soldiers?”

“Ah, that’s right. Though Elhemina said the Republic has found peace… it hasn’t actually returned to its former state.”

“Just as we resolved a near split of the country, now there’s trouble in the provinces.”

The two White Captains ground their teeth, recalling the hateful separatists.

Many soldiers had lost their lives suppressing the rebellion.

Moreover, citizens were so averse to war that volunteers had decreased incomparably from before.

As a result, the government’s control had diminished, and in the provinces, subversive forces were multiplying like poisonous mushrooms.

Because of this, soldiers had become scarce, so they might receive support… but the White Captains, whose lives were essentially dedicated to serving the country, didn’t like this situation.

“It pains me as a soldier to say this, but the current Republic of Elvenheim lacks the capacity to send troops abroad.”

“Hmm… Huh?”

Wendigo, who had been calculating as he listened, turned to Dario when the latter nudged him.

Dario covered his mouth and whispered to Wendigo in a very small voice:

“It seems they really did come to find a way back to the Republic? From what I hear, they sent personnel abroad just to show they still have intact strength.”

“At least they’re not lying. If so, then they’re genuinely talking…”

“Look at Elhemina. I’ve met many bad people, so I know—she’s absolutely incapable of devising sinister plans.”

Dario’s assertion was quite reasonable.

If they had wanted to establish a colony, there was no reason to seek out such a cold, barren land.

Objectively, wouldn’t it have been more convenient to occupy the ownerless warm lands to the south as originally planned?

Above all, Elhemina’s attitude was incredibly naive.

If they truly wanted to lay the foundation for colonization, they wouldn’t have sent such an innocent woman as a priestess, but rather individuals with political insight.

‘…It wouldn’t hurt to show goodwill.’

Whatever else, there was no benefit in antagonizing the Republic of Elvenheim.

They had the resilience to maintain their nation for millennia… and why would they covet this freezing land?

Though the area near the forest was surprisingly fertile, the elves already lived in lands blessed by the World Tree, so they wouldn’t be desperate for it.

“I’ll send carpenters and shipwrights. If you pay, I’ll also provide food and clothing.”

“Can we pay with silver and gold?”

“I’ve heard elves build structures with wood… is that right? I’m thinking of requesting something quite large.”

At Wendigo’s question, Elhemina nodded with a bright face.

As a priestess serving the World Tree, she took pride in the elves’ magic of shaping wood.

“If there’s enough World Tree sap, building structures with wood is easy. However, we currently don’t have much sap, so it’s impossible right now.”

Not only the battle markings inscribed on warriors’ bodies but also the weapons they used required sap.

Wendigo hadn’t expected them to build structures immediately anyway.

He had anticipated that controlling wood to build structures wouldn’t be easy.

Wendigo signaled to Dario with his eyes, asking if there was anything else to discuss.

Dario thought for a moment, then took out a blank sheet of paper from his clothes and handed it to Elhemina.

“What’s this?”

“While I hope everything ends well, we don’t know if the Republic will confirm this. So I’d like to draft a simple memorandum.”

“Dario. We are mere soldiers, and Miss Elhemina isn’t a high-ranking priestess.”

One of the White Captains expressed his objection to Dario with a disgruntled expression.

Writing a memorandum that transcended races was truly dangerous.

Especially without proper legal experts…

“Surely we’re not writing a complex memorandum? I’m just suggesting we establish at least a primitive non-aggression treaty.”

“Hmm…”

“White Captain, honestly, aren’t you also uneasy? Even if the king welcomes you, his subjects might not.”

Dario’s persuasion tickled not only the White Captains’ hearts but also Elhemina’s.

Overheated loyalty competitions were more common in the Republic than on the continent.

It was like a regular event in the Republic for those associated with families to cause trouble their masters didn’t even want, ending up in court.

“Think about it. From the Republic’s perspective, is there any reason to antagonize the King of the Forest? Even if they decide to interact with the continent, would they show interest in this cold land?”

“…It’s truly just a non-aggression pact. If there are other clauses, this memorandum is void.”

“Of course. However, I’ll also add content related to trade. This building isn’t just any small structure. It’s a university…”

“We have universities in the Republic too. I enrolled and learned various disciplines… and yes, they’re certainly not ordinary in size.”

It would be strange if the Republic of Elvenheim, boasting thousands of years of history, didn’t have something that existed even in human empires that had lasted mere hundreds of years.

Elhemina responded to Dario’s words, recalling her memories.

Thanks to this, Dario didn’t need to explain and smiled as he added university construction-related items to the memorandum.

A short, simple document stating that in exchange for supporting safe return, they would not infringe on each other’s interests and would be responsible for university construction.

Elhemina and the White Captains read the paper and lightly entered their respective positions and names.

Wendigo didn’t show it, but he admired how Dario naturally inflated the compensation.

‘He plans to summon elves whenever he builds university-related structures…’

The non-aggression treaty was merely bait to ease the other party’s tension. Despite its name, a non-aggression treaty could be broken by creating a pretext if necessary.

What Dario truly aimed for was the construction of the university.

The part of the memorandum stating “In exchange for support, Elvenheim will be responsible for university construction” could be broadly interpreted depending on the reading.

Bluntly put, even after the university’s establishment, they could invoke the memorandum to push additional constructions onto the elves.

‘If it’s truly difficult, they might object… but that doesn’t seem likely.’

If Elhemina herself boasted that it was possible with sufficient sap, it suggested this was something that could be permitted at an individual’s discretion.

From the Republic of Elvenheim’s perspective, they might be satisfied with establishing an external connection, even if it was somewhat troublesome.

Dario grinned as he carefully stored the memorandum in his ledger and signaled to Wendigo.

“Let’s end the meeting here. Though our first encounter had some friction, I hope we maintain good relations going forward.”

Wendigo extended his hand toward Elhemina. He held out a single claw, and Elhemina, realizing it was a request for a handshake, smiled.

“Yes! When we return to our country, we’ll tell them how benevolent the King of the Forest is…”

[ Wait. ]

Just as Elhemina’s hand was about to grasp the claw, without any warning, an unidentifiable woman’s voice resonated around them.

The warriors drew their weapons in confusion, and Wendigo extended his hand toward the ground…

Crack!

“What the—!”

“Aaaack!?”

Snow-white roots writhed and burst from Elhemina’s chest.

Wendigo recognized the roots as the World Tree’s sapling and immediately drew an ice sword from the ground.

Apparently, such a peaceful resolution wasn’t the World Tree’s intention.

As expected of a ferocious tree that even consumed Djin as fertilizer…

[ Spirit. Plant me in this land. ]

“…What?”

The writhing roots formed a sphere in the air.

The sphere cracked open like a germinating seed…

“A child?”

What appeared was a small child.

A child with golden hair and snow-white bark growing like scales around their arms, legs, and cheeks, looked at him with empty eyes.

[ How rude to call me a child. If we count years, I’ve lived longer than even the first god. ]

The child—no, the World Tree—extended both hands to Wendigo with an expressionless face, puffing its cheeks.

[ Let me grow in this land. If you permit, I will make your land healthy and livable. ]

Wendigo hesitated at the sudden situation. At least, he didn’t sense hostility from the World Tree…

But accepting the offer outright would also be strange.

In such situations, it was best to seek expert help.

Wendigo looked at Elhemina, presumed to be an expert on the World Tree, and asked:

“Elhemina. What’s happening here…”

Thud.

Elhemina rolled her eyes and fell backward.

With dozens of roots bursting from her chest, no ordinary courage could prevent fainting.

“……”

[ Spirit. I would appreciate an answer. ]

Unaware that its devotee had fainted because of it, the World Tree demanded an answer with an expressionless face.

Wendigo looked down at the World Tree, pondering.

‘Should I just strike it with the ice sword?’

The thought of resolving the problem with a single swing strongly tempted him.