Ch.128Chapter 128

Dario slumped his shoulders, and Wendigo felt a slight twinge of guilt.

What human would want to stay long in a place with such bitter cold that human footprints couldn’t be found, and where giant monsters like armored spiders roamed?

‘Since the marriage is confirmed, I might as well send this fellow back. Jeremy and Anna can go with him too.’

After brief consideration, Wendigo decided to send Dario back.

Dario’s political skills were useful with reasonable opponents, but they had little value against monsters that slaughtered everything in sight.

It would be better to send him back to the warm palace as he wished, so he could catch up on his backlog of work.

Wendigo flicked his claw to get Dario’s attention.

“On second thought, I don’t think you and the children need to wait for Gulmarg’s wedding. I can’t make you stay in this cold land indefinitely when we don’t know when this problem will be resolved.”

“…You’re not testing my loyalty, are you? I may have been incompetent before, but I’ve reformed and am serving with complete devotion now.”

Surprised by Wendigo’s generous offer, Dario gave him a suspicious look.

Considering how Wendigo had been driving him hard until now, he wondered if this might be some kind of test.

After all, hadn’t he literally risked his life when dealing with the elves and the World Tree?

“……”

Seeing Dario’s sensitive reaction, Wendigo reflected on his own behavior and felt remorseful.

How much pressure must someone be under to react that way?

“Well, if that’s how you feel, forget about the early return…”

Grab!

Realizing Wendigo was sincere, Dario hastily grabbed Wendigo’s claw. Wendigo looked at him with a puzzled expression.

Dario cleared his throat, avoided eye contact, and began wagging his tongue.

“Well, a true loyal servant should pretend to be fooled even when he recognizes his master’s true intentions.”

“But you just said I was testing your loyalty.”

“On second thought, Your Majesty can read people’s minds, so why would you need to test loyalty? You could just hold a knife to my throat and ask if I’m loyal.”

Apparently desperate to return to the palace, Dario blurted out whatever excuses came to mind.

How could he miss this opportunity when he had no idea when he might get another chance to return to the palace?

As they say, you can’t spit on a smiling face. Dario smiled as he slowly released Wendigo’s claw.

Wendigo stared at Dario in disbelief for a moment before sighing.

“If you couldn’t talk, you wouldn’t be so annoying. If you want to go back, convince Jeremy and Anna tomorrow.”

Jeremy and Anna, who regarded Gulmarg as both mentor and benefactor, would likely want to stay even if the wedding was delayed.

However, it didn’t seem right to keep them waiting indefinitely in this situation.

“There’s no question about it. The kids need to spend some time in a warmer place too.”

Dario quickly nodded at Wendigo’s instruction.

Though Jeremy and Anna might want to attend Gulmarg’s wedding, if he could persuade stubborn scholars, how hard could it be to convince children who knew nothing of the world?

Wendigo, well aware of Dario’s eloquence, wasn’t particularly worried about that aspect.

However…

“I am a bit concerned though. It’s strange that I’ll be the only guest for the groom.”

“That is… a bit awkward.”

As Wendigo muttered while stroking his chin, Dario nodded in agreement, apparently sharing the concern.

While Gulmarg was certainly the best groom by Hrimtur standards, a wedding wasn’t complete with just a splendid bride and groom.

Guests to make the wedding lively, gifts to add splendor, and a celebratory feast were all essential elements.

“I don’t know about Gulmarg, but for women, weddings are extremely important. They say even when a wife grows to dislike her husband, memories of the wedding help preserve the marriage.”

“I wonder if the day will ever come when Angrid dislikes Gulmarg, but that’s not a bad point.”

“My mother always said that a man who takes weddings lightly is the worst.”

It seemed Dario’s mother had been unable to have a wedding ceremony due to an unintended marriage.

It was understandable, as having a wedding would have inevitably spread unsavory rumors among the surrounding nobility.

Too conscientious to ruin someone else’s wedding and leave, Dario seriously considered solutions, and a confident smile spread across his face as something useful came to mind.

“Come to think of it, I don’t think it matters if there aren’t enough guests to make the wedding festive.”

“Then what do you plan to use instead of guests?”

“It’s simple. Prepare such magnificent gifts that no one will care about the lack of guests.”

“?”

Though it was an obvious suggestion, Wendigo couldn’t understand.

Not only was the number of guests a problem, but Gulmarg couldn’t prepare particularly impressive gifts either.

Of course, once the wedding was confirmed, he could prepare gifts for his friend, but considering the size of the Hrimtur, preparing gifts in a short time would be difficult.

So what did he mean by preparing magnificent gifts?

“Think about it. The reason the wedding is delayed is because armored spiders are swarming everywhere, right?”

“That’s right.”

“If this is an intentional problem, then someone must be benefiting from this situation. So what if Gulmarg takes the lead in solving the problem?”

“It would be no different than giving the wedding as a gift. If there’s someone behind this problem, he’d become a benefactor who eliminated the root of all evil.”

“Exactly.”

Dario snapped his fingers and pointed at Wendigo. Indeed, serving someone who was quick to understand was always the best.

“So, Your Majesty…”

* * *

The next day.

Wendigo explained the situation to Voltorn and sent Dario and the children back first.

Fortunately, Voltorn understood that humans were vulnerable to cold and wasn’t petty enough to make an issue of it.

However, Angrid was dejected that her husband’s disciples couldn’t attend the wedding.

In the tent where a strategy meeting about the armored spiders was in full swing.

Angrid, perched on Gulmarg’s back, grumbled.

“That’s too bad. I hadn’t known them long, but I wanted them to attend the wedding.”

“I’m sorry. Unlike us, humans can develop problems even with just a little cold, so it couldn’t be helped.”

Wendigo apologized on their behalf. It wasn’t strange for her to be disappointed, as she was practically the star of the wedding.

Despite his apology, Angrid pouted with a sullen expression, so Gulmarg comforted his wife.

“Sorry. Disciples, not strong enough to face armored spiders. Didn’t want to put them in danger.”

“No, it’s not your fault, Gulmarg.”

“……”

At Gulmarg’s words, Angrid smiled broadly and cheered up. Wendigo watched in amazement.

There wasn’t much difference between Gulmarg’s words and his own, yet she showed such favoritism.

Voltorn seemed equally uncomfortable, as he tapped the ground with his axe to draw attention.

“Save the honeymoon for after this problem is solved. Hergal, any results from the reconnaissance?”

The warrior summoned by Voltorn shook his head. He and his comrades had ridden mammoths in all directions but had no meaningful results.

Mammoths weren’t particularly fast beasts to begin with, and the armored spiders were deliberately hiding, making them impossible to find.

“I asked other Hrimtur tribes too, but they haven’t figured anything out either. The only information I heard is that periodically, five or six armored spiders capture prey and drag it somewhere.”

“They don’t eat their prey immediately but take it away…”

Voltorn frowned at the warrior’s report. It was very inconsistent with what they knew about armored spider behavior.

Though they resembled spiders, armored spiders didn’t store their prey. They ate what they hunted immediately and abandoned the remains before moving on.

The fact that they were taking their prey somewhere suggested they had someone to hand it over to, and there were too many possible reasons for this.

The worst-case scenario was that they were feeding their offspring.

He shuddered at the thought of armored spiders growing up with parental love, unlike Angrid.

“There are already so many of them, but if the offspring start growing by eating prey…”

“It probably won’t take them a short time to grow. What’s important now is finding out where they’re hiding.”

In the end, the solution to all problems was discovering their location.

Even the large number of armored spiders could be managed if they allied with other Hrimtur tribes.

Yes, if they could find their location in this vast forest and the snowy plains beyond.

‘It’s time to speak up.’

Wendigo wiggled his claws, signaling to Gulmarg. Gulmarg saw the signal and nodded.

Wendigo quietly raised his hand, requesting permission to speak from Voltorn.

“Wendigo, do you have a solution?”

“Indeed. At first, I was hesitant to intervene as an outsider… but it seems this isn’t the time to worry about such things.”

“What does being an outsider matter? If we can’t figure out why the armored spiders have changed, we’ll have to flee for the sake of the tribe.”

Voltorn extended his hand toward Wendigo, as if urging him to speak quickly.

Wendigo wiggled his claws and planted mana into the ground. Plants grew from the earth and began to writhe like tentacles, which the Hrimtur watched with curiosity.

“As you saw when I blocked the armored spiders’ charge earlier, I have the ability to manipulate mana.”

“But isn’t that the ability to control plants?”

Angrid’s mother questioned with puzzlement.

While the ability to control plants wasn’t worthless, it didn’t seem particularly useful for locating armored spiders.

Gulmarg, who had been quietly listening, answered on Wendigo’s behalf.

“Wendigo, not just plants. Wendigo, can control animals too.”

“I’ll command animals to search extensively.”

“Oh?”

Voltorn’s eyes flashed as he looked at Wendigo. He had expected Wendigo to be no ordinary being, but he hadn’t anticipated such capabilities.

However, Voltorn soon recalled something and asked Wendigo with a skeptical expression.

“Will that be enough? Even using animals, the land you need to scout seems too vast.”

“It might be a bit much… but please consider it a wedding gift for Gulmarg.”

Though Wendigo actually had more than enough resources, he pretended to be making a sacrifice.

Angrid, believing Wendigo was genuinely straining himself for her friend’s wedding, was deeply grateful.

“My husband really has a good friend! Should we name our first son Wendigo?”

“…That would be cruel to the boy, so please don’t.”

Wendigo politely declined Angrid’s sincere reaction, averting his gaze.

He didn’t particularly want his friend’s son named after a deer-headed monster, especially when he wasn’t actually making much of a sacrifice.

Reminding himself that this was all for their happy marriage, Wendigo nodded to Gulmarg.

When his turn came, Gulmarg awkwardly lifted Angrid from his back and carefully placed her on his knee.

Angrid blushed with embarrassment at showing such intimacy in front of others.

“What, what’s wrong? Was I uncomfortable on your back?”

“Angrid, light as a feather, so it was fine. I, have something to say, that’s why I put you down.”

“Oh my!”

Seeing her tomboy-like daughter blush, Angrid’s mother delightedly punched her husband’s shoulder.

Gulmarg looked into Angrid’s eyes with a serious expression and spoke.

“Angrid, I don’t have many possessions. I have woefully inadequate gifts for my lovely wife.”

“What are you talking about! You’re all I need!”

“That can’t be. Angrid, you are the most beautiful woman in the world.”

Gulmarg lacked Dario’s smooth eloquence but had no hesitation in directly expressing his feelings.

Angrid blushed at Gulmarg’s embarrassing compliment and looked away.

“So I thought. I will kill whoever is interfering with our marriage and solve the problem. I will give you his head as a wedding gift.”

‘…This is quite different from what Dario suggested?’

Wendigo was taken aback by Gulmarg’s more direct confession(?) than expected.

When they had discussed it together, the plan was to praise the beauty of marriage and punish the one who stole such a precious gift, making him atone before her…

But in Gulmarg’s way of speaking, it had become a bloody promise to turn the wedding into a bloodbath.

Fortunately, Angrid was perfectly in sync with Gulmarg.

She blushed like a girl receiving a romantic confession and buried her face in his shoulder.

“@#$!@@#@!$!!!!”

“An-Angrid? Are you alright?”

“Our son-in-law~ My daughter is just so happy, so don’t worry too much. It reminds me of the old days. My husband also proposed by bringing me a saber-toothed tiger as big as the mammoth that bit my father to death.”

“……”

Angrid’s mother looked at Gulmarg with approval, apparently moved by his hunting promise, or rather, his confession.

No mother-in-law in the world would dislike someone who made her daughter happy.

Voltorn gestured for Wendigo to come closer with a worried expression. Wendigo approached him, puzzled.

Voltorn whispered to Wendigo in a low voice, keeping an eye on his daughter and wife.

“Can you really find them? I’m afraid Angrid will be disappointed if you fail.”

“No need to worry. I plan to mobilize as many as I can right away.”

“Hmm…”

Despite Wendigo’s assurance, Voltorn couldn’t shake his concerns.

Even if Wendigo was willing to use his power for Angrid’s wedding, searching the entire snowy plain with even dozens of animals seemed impossible.

He could only hope that his daughter wouldn’t be disappointed if Wendigo failed.

* * *

The next day.

The Hrimtur tribe awoke to an unfamiliar earthquake.

Unlike the usual heavy, singular tremors, this was a combination of dozens of vibrations merging into one.

Voltorn, thinking it was an attack by armored spiders, armed himself and ran toward the direction of the earthquake…

“What is this?”

“Are those all birds? There must be dozens of them.”

“Are those elks and wolves running together? They’re not chasing each other, they’re running side by side.”

What the Hrimtur tribe witnessed was over a hundred beasts running through the forest, heading north.

The variety was astonishing—predators like wolves and bears paid no attention to tempting prey like elks and reindeer running right in front of them.

Moreover, dozens of birds led by owls and crows were flying overhead, nearly blocking out the sky.

Watching this scene, Wendigo muttered with slight disappointment.

“The numbers are a bit low since I only chose creatures resistant to cold.”

“……”

The Hrimtur looked at Wendigo with dumbfounded expressions.