Ch.122Chapter 122

Silence fell over the cave at Gulmarg’s statement.

The stillness was so complete that even the sound of water droplets falling from the ceiling could be heard.

Gulmarg nodded, twitching his tusks as if he had expected this reaction.

“I know human common sense. This is crude way to find mate.”

“No, no! I was thinking this method actually suits you, Master!”

“J-Jermy? That’s not really… a comforting thing to say.”

Jermy hastily tried to explain himself, apparently feeling quite guilty about his true thoughts being exposed, but it wasn’t much of an improvement.

Depending on how one heard it, it sounded like saying Gulmarg was finding a mate in a crude, ogre-like fashion.

“No. This method, it is strange method indeed.”

But Gulmarg didn’t seem to mind. Even he thought it wasn’t a particularly good approach.

Could it be considered normal to subdue someone you should love in order to win their affection?

Finding it absurd himself, Gulmarg chuckled while wiping dust off his leather club.

“From what you’ve said, it seems you have a specific reason for choosing this method, Lord Gulmarg?”

Dario asked curiously. He figured there must be some rationale behind choosing such an approach despite acknowledging its strangeness.

Dario’s guess was correct as Gulmarg nodded.

“Wendigo, did you check tracks?”

“I did. They clearly show large creatures engaged in battle.”

The tracks belonged to a massive insect with legs like giant skewers and a hunter large enough to prey on such creatures.

They were estimated to be creatures with builds that wouldn’t lose to either of them.

“I wandered world looking for mate. Giant races, naturally learned their ecology.”

“Well, I suppose… there are humans who marry beastkin.”

“And humans who want to marry elves, too.”

“Ahem!”

As Wendigo smoothly continued, Dario cleared his throat and pretended not to know what he was talking about.

Gulmarg also immediately caught who Wendigo was referring to and snickered before speaking.

“World, amazing. Life, even more amazing. Different races can bear new life together.”

“Oh my…”

“?”

At the explicit expression, Anna blushed and covered Jermy’s ears. Jermy looked at her in confusion, already knowing everything, but she didn’t remove her hands.

Gulmarg continued his story without concern.

There were various couples in the world. There were humans married to orcs, trolls and ogres who had children together, and ogres who paired with giants.

Gulmarg had focused on the latter two cases. And while researching them, he had realized something.

“Big creatures, usually two types. Violent ones, and patient but violent ones.”

“Aren’t there any gentle ones?”

“No. Big creatures, big nasty personalities to match size.”

When Gulmarg stated this firmly, Dario nodded while giving Wendigo a sidelong glance.

It wasn’t that he disrespected the king’s character, but from a subject’s perspective, there was no ruler as vicious as Wendigo.

What king in the world would sacrifice his officials for the sake of peasants?

“Indeed…”

“…Let’s move past that. So what you’re saying is that your potential partner is likely to be violent?”

“Yes. And usually mates divided by strength. Conversation, must subdue first.”

Ogres, trolls, and even giants often chose their mates instinctively.

What worked best with them wasn’t sweet words but proving one’s strong muscles and tireless stamina.

Gulmarg stood up and shouldered his club. He looked at his cherished disciple and advised:

“Jermy, if lover approaches you this way, run away. This, not normal method.”

“Um… would such a person really exist?”

“Jermy. Lord Gulmarg wouldn’t say such things without reason.”

When Jermy looked dubious, Anna made him look at her and said with a kind smile.

Jermy nodded reflexively. Anna’s unusual assertiveness made him think this might be important advice.

“Now, repeat after me. I will not be interested in women who chase after me.”

“Um… I will not be interested in women who chase after me?”

“Mmm, good. Jermy is such a good boy.”

Anna hugged Jermy and stroked his head.

Wendigo and Gulmarg looked at Jermy, who was staring at them in confusion, with pitying gazes.

“Jermy, you will be captured and live under someone’s thumb.”

“I agree.”

“?!”

Jermy felt wronged without understanding why, as both his king and master spoke in agreement.

* * *

After completing preparations, Gulmarg continued tracking northward. At first, the scenery remained similar, but after a day, the surroundings changed noticeably.

The forest covered in vegetation diminished, and snow began to fill the area instead.

Shivering in the bone-chilling cold, Dario trembled and pleaded with Wendigo.

“Your Majesty. May I return now? Honestly, what help could I possibly be in Lord Gulmarg’s search for a companion?”

“You never know. Your eloquence might help Gulmarg find his match.”

“What use is a silver tongue for someone who must be won through strength… Whoa!?”

“Puhihihihing?!”

Dario, who had been grumbling, was startled when his horse suddenly convulsed, and he pulled on the reins.

Wendigo, who had been looking around, noticed something strange stuck in the ground and pulled it out.

It was a fragment of a giant insect’s leg. It appeared to be the end part, shaped like a sharp spike.

“It seems clear there are giant insects in this area. Judging by the leg… a spider perhaps?”

“What? This is much larger than even a giant spider!”

Dario, who had just calmed his horse, was shocked when he gauged the size of the insect leg in Wendigo’s hand.

If Wendigo was right, this spider would be so enormous that a giant spider would be considered tiny in comparison.

Imagining such a creature, Anna turned pale and trembled.

Gulmarg calmly cleared away snow and checked for more traces. He found more legs similar to the one Wendigo had discovered.

“Why spider legs here?”

“Perhaps someone was hungry, ate the spider, and left only the remains before departing?”

At Dario’s suggestion, Gulmarg examined the spider leg and then put it in his mouth and chewed it.

Dario was horrified by the sound of the shell being crushed and the muscle and flesh inside being mashed, and shouted at him.

“What if it’s poisonous? Why would you just put it in your mouth?!”

“It’s fine. Poisons don’t affect Master.”

“I, even bitten by basilisk, was fine. Poison, has little effect on me.”

Gulmarg waved his hand dismissively, indicating there was no need for concern, and continued chewing the leg.

After chewing until the leg was completely pulverized, Gulmarg swallowed it in one gulp.

“This, too good to waste. Definitely delicious part.”

“Hmm, now that you mention it, it does look like crab legs. Let me try…”

“……”

Dario was dumbfounded as Wendigo evaluated the giant spider leg as crab legs and showed interest.

With so many normal, delicious foods available, why would he want to try something so dangerous-looking!

Wendigo followed Gulmarg’s example and put a leg in his mouth to chew. Indeed, as Gulmarg had assessed, the spider’s leg was a delicacy like a plump crab.

The more he chewed, the more savory flavors burst from the flesh and muscle.

“Hmm. Even considering the low temperature, the flesh and muscle are too intact. There doesn’t seem to be any poison, but it’s strange that animals haven’t scavenged it.”

“Ah… so you ate it to check that?”

“…What other reason did you think I had for eating it raw?”

When Wendigo glared and asked, Dario looked around and avoided his gaze.

Considering Wendigo’s considerable appetite, he had thought the king might have eaten it simply because he wanted to.

…Since Wendigo wasn’t entirely innocent of such intentions, he let the matter drop with just a glare.

“Gulmarg. It seems there was a fight in this area.”

“Tracks, hard to confirm because of snow. Anna, can you use lantern?”

“Yes. Just a moment.”

Anna took out the lantern she had been saving in case they ran out of strength before finding their target and lit it.

The lantern blazed brightly, illuminating the traces around them and showing the direction they needed to go.

“Jermy, Dario. We must find target before lantern goes out, so move quickly.”

“If we find them quickly, we can return to the warm palace, so I’m all for it.”

“I’m fine with that too!”

Seeing their enthusiastic attitudes, Wendigo leapt forward, kicking off the ground. Gulmarg quickly followed, while the two on horseback followed at some distance.

Snow mist swirled where they passed, and the lantern swung, creating noisy metallic sounds.

At this speed, they would soon meet Gulmarg’s woman…

“Wait! Everyone stop!”

Wendigo felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding and stopped, warning the others. Gulmarg managed to stop by striking the ground, but the other two couldn’t.

“What?!”

“It would be nice if you’d warn us earlier!”

Jermy and Dario were startled and pulled on their reins. However, the horses, galloping at full speed on the slippery snow, couldn’t stop easily.

As the horses continued forward, stumbling, Wendigo clicked his tongue and snatched the two riders.

The riderless horses continued galloping down the snowy path.

CRAAACK!!!

“Neeeiiigh!?”

A massive form rose from the snow and pounced on the horses. Sharp legs pierced through one horse, and terrifying teeth bit off the head of the other.

The massive creature made horrific sounds in the snow mist as it savored its prey.

Wendigo cleared away the annoying snow mist with a gesture, naturally revealing the culprit who had attacked the horses.

“Disgustingly large for a spider.”

Were the spider legs they had found from its offspring?

Indeed, the spider was disgustingly large, befitting a creature that could bite off a horse’s head in one bite.

A spider covered in shell that looked as rough and hard as rock.

Its legs were as thick as trees, and dozens of pairs of teeth wriggled incessantly as if demanding the next prey.

“KIEEEEEEEK!!!!!!!”

The spider shrieked when Wendigo interrupted its meal. How angry it must have been to have unwelcome guests appear just as it was about to savor horse meat for the first time.

With an air that suggested it might charge at any moment, Wendigo drew his ice sword and looked back.

“Dario. It could be dangerous, so stay back—”

“Don’t worry! I’m already far away, so Your Majesty can fight with peace of mind!”

“……”

Dario shouted from a distance, with just his head poking out from between the trees.

Certainly, it was more convenient for Dario to stay back rather than join the fight, and Wendigo had wanted him to stay away, but…

‘This is oddly irritating.’

Shouldn’t a subject at least pretend to worry about his king’s safety?

Making a mental note to give Dario more work when they returned, Wendigo pointed his ice sword at the spider.

Just as he was about to charge forward to cut down the spider—

SWOOSH!

THWACK!

“KIEEEEEEEK!?!”

A massive blade flew in with the sound of chains and struck the spider’s back. Then the chain attached to the blade tightened, and something could be heard flying toward them.

BOOM!!!

Smashing through the forest trees, that something landed on the spider’s back. Though “landed” was an understatement—it was more like a bombardment.

Wendigo recognized it was a woman and asked Gulmarg in a dry voice.

“…Is that giantess perhaps the one you’ve been looking for?”

“Yes! Smell, smell is same!”

The woman was incomparably larger than an ordinary human.

The blue-skinned giantess, dressed in clothes made of animal hide, struck the spider’s back with her fist and shouted fiercely.

“Too hard to catch alone. If you understand me, help me catch this thing. If you’re useless bastards who don’t understand, get lost!”

“What a fiery personality.”

“Good female!”

Wendigo and Gulmarg briefly evaluated their first impression as they grabbed their weapons and charged toward the spider.