Ch.139Chapter 139

# The Next Day.

Gulmarg and Angrid invited Wendigo before he returned to Manheimr. It was to express their gratitude one last time before his departure.

Of course, Wendigo didn’t refuse their invitation. Not only was he looking forward to the food, but he wasn’t so busy that he would decline a friend’s invitation.

However…

“Are you… alright? Your face looks absolutely dreadful.”

“Hmm…”

Wendigo asked Gulmarg with a dubious voice after seeing his complexion. Gulmarg’s face seemed somewhat… gaunt.

Gulmarg scratched his head and answered honestly.

“Angrid was stronger in bed than I expected. It’s my own fault, so I have nothing to say.”

“……”

Even when facing Jeloa, he had more energy than this…

It seemed that Angrid and Gulmarg had better compatibility than expected.

In a way, this was a good thing for a married couple, so Wendigo decided to send them some medicinal herbs good for the body later.

“Angrid, like a fierce saber-toothed tiger in bed…”

“Gulmarg, as your friend, I advise you not to share intimate stories about your wife with others. More importantly, do you plan to continue living with the Hrimtur tribe?”

When Gulmarg tried to describe the passionate time he spent with Angrid, Wendigo hastily changed the subject.

No matter what, sharing the intimate moments of his friend’s marriage was uncomfortable.

In response to Wendigo’s question, Gulmarg shook his head and spoke.

“Until yesterday, that’s what I thought. But Angrid has a stronger sense of adventure than I expected.”

Considering Angrid’s weakness to heat, Gulmarg had planned to live in the snow fields if possible. He intended to live among the Hrimtur, adopting their customs appropriately…

Whether she had always been adventurous or not, Angrid expressed to Gulmarg that after enjoying their honeymoon sufficiently, she wanted to travel south together.

Of course, as a husband, Gulmarg strongly approved of Angrid seeing more of the world. After all, the knowledge and experiences a mother sees and learns are passed down to her children.

However…

“Angrid is too weak to heat. Even an ordinary spring would be hell for her.”

“Hmm… that’s certainly a problem.”

The Hrimtur are a race strong against cold and boast remarkably sturdy bodies, but they are very vulnerable to heat. Even if they lived in the north, it wouldn’t be an easy path.

Understanding Gulmarg’s concern, Wendigo nodded.

“Then I’ll ask Skadi Brynhild to find a useful artifact. She’ll make one quickly.”

“Really?”

“If I tell Skadi it’s for your wife, she’ll make it with congratulatory intentions.”

Gulmarg nodded, recalling Skadi’s character.

She was a woman who maintained her upright personality even after attaining a relatively high position among humans, so as Wendigo said, there was a high chance she would help.

“Thank you. When we go south, we’ll express our gratitude to Skadi.”

“Oh? Why is Gulmarg bowing his head? Were you discussing something important?”

Having just returned to the tent with prepared food, Angrid looked at Wendigo with a puzzled expression as Gulmarg bowed his head in gratitude.

Wendigo waved his hand as if it were nothing.

“It wasn’t anything significant, so don’t worry about it. More importantly, I’d like to eat.”

“Ahem. You can look forward to it! My cooking is something no one except my mother and father has ever tasted.”

Angrid displayed confidence as she set down the food one by one on the floor.

Indeed, befitting the daughter of Angrboda, the idol of the tribal women, Angrid’s cooking skills were as impressive as her fighting skills…?

“Hmm…”

Wendigo stared at Angrid’s cooking while stroking his chin.

The ingredients were clearly mammoth and whale meat commonly eaten here, but strangely, he felt an instinctive aversion.

Wendigo wanted to carefully pick up a piece of meat from the stew and put it in his mouth. The meat was fresh(?) as if it might come alive and move at any moment.

Moreover, the broth with its salty taste of the sea prevented the meat from spoiling…

“How is it? Delicious? It’s delicious, right!”

“……”

Wendigo subtly turned his head to look at Gulmarg.

Gulmarg nodded while struggling to eat the food. He couldn’t disappoint Angrid who was full of expectations.

Seeing his painful expression, Wendigo gave Gulmarg a pitying look.

Whatever else, he’s going to suffer quite a bit because of the food!

“Angrid, I think you should learn more about cooking from Angrboda.”

“Huh? But Dad said it was delicious—”

“I guarantee that if your cooking continues like this, Gulmarg will die while eating.”

Angrid’s face filled with shock at Wendigo’s harsh criticism. She never expected such severe criticism from Wendigo, who never refused meals.

Could it be that the reason her parents were so anxious whenever she said she would cook was…?

“An-Angrid. It’s okay… ugh!”

“Aaaah!? Gulmarg, if it’s hard to eat, spit it out!”

Gulmarg, who had been taking Angrid’s side until the end, succumbed to his taste buds and covered his mouth. Only then did Angrid realize her terrible cooking skills and grabbed Gulmarg by the collar, shaking him.

Wendigo watched the scene and shook his head.

Today, for the first time, he got up from his seat without finishing a single bite of food. It was Angrid’s complete victory.

* * *

Before returning to Manheimr, Wendigo visited Voltorn and Angrboda one last time to propose a simple trade.

He suggested exchanging by-products of whales, sharks, and mammoths hunted by the Hrimtur for things obtainable from the south.

Naturally, this wasn’t a bad proposal from the Hrimtur’s perspective. Now that they knew, they were just as curious about southern goods.

Of course, Voltorn doubted whether the weak humans from the south could brave the cold and visit the Hrimtur lands…

“I guarantee that they’ll go crazy offering payment just for mammoth tusks or saber-toothed tiger pelts.”

“Hmm, if you’re so confident…”

Wendigo closed the deal with Voltorn, speaking as if stating the obvious.

Of course, his confidence wasn’t unfounded. Merchants going crazy for new products was a universal truth regardless of the era.

While saber-toothed tiger pelts might be obtainable in the north with luck, mammoth tusks or hides, not to mention hunting whales or sharks, were life-threatening endeavors for humans.

If such items could be easily obtained, would merchants care about mere cold?

Having completed everything he needed to do with the Hrimtur tribe, Wendigo set off for Manheimr without regret.

* * *

When Wendigo, who had left his throne vacant for friendship, returned, a great commotion in Manheimr…

“I heard the king has finally returned? Will he stay in the palace for a long time now?”

“I guarantee that if another problem arises in the kingdom, he’ll go personally. He always moves first when big things happen. There’s no better benevolent ruler.”

“Indeed, indeed. Just look at how he visited a land of nothing but snow and ice for friendship. His character, no, his personality… ah, whatever. He’s an admirable person anyway.”

…there was no commotion. When had Wendigo ever been the type to just sit still and twiddle his thumbs?

Many living at the End of the World, especially the forest people who had witnessed Wendigo’s actions from the beginning, simply thought of his departure as “Ah, another problem has arisen.”

Of course, not everyone felt this way. Since Wendigo declared the founding of the nation, quite a few visitors had come to the forest, which was practically the king’s land.

A merchant who had recently settled in the forest was buying drinks for locals and listening to their stories. He cautiously expressed concern.

“But still, he’s the king, so what if something—”

“Hah, if it’s a problem serious enough for the king, what can ordinary humans like us do? By the way, I heard this fellow recently got permission to move near the forest…”

“What if he’s a spy sent by those wretched people trying to defame the king?”

Glare!

As the storytellers, drunk on alcohol, shouted and laughed, the attention in the tavern focused on the merchant.

When some placed their hands on weapons at their waists, the merchant turned pale, waving his hands and head frantically while shouting.

“Why would I do something so dangerous? I finally got permission and started being treated like a proper husband by my wife. Why would I do something so disrespectful?”

“Tsk, tsk, sorry about that. We’ve been hearing some unpleasant rumors lately.”

“Come on… why bring up those guys who sided with the Empire? It ruins the taste of the alcohol. Besides, the king will decide how to deal with them.”

“Hahaha! You’re right. You’ve gotten smarter after drinking. Next time we go on patrol, I should get you drunk first.”

The man nodded at his friend’s scolding. For warriors like them who wielded weapons, it was enough to faithfully follow the king’s orders.

The man raised his glass for a toast. Once again, toasts praising the king continued to erupt in the tavern.

* * *

The first thing Wendigo did upon returning to the palace was to share a feast with his vassals.

It was to thank those who had worked hard for the kingdom in his absence and to tell them about the Hrimtur.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely unrelated to his desire for food made from vegetables and fruits after the greasy dishes unique to the Hrimtur.

Seated at the head of the banquet hall, Wendigo talked about what had happened in the north while waiting for the food.

The romantic(?) meeting of Angrid and Gulmarg, the existence of armor spiders, and the characteristics of the Hrimtur race…

“So I’d like to ask Skadi for an artifact for Angrid… if you’re busy, I can ask another summoner.”

“It’s not a difficult task, so it’s fine. The university has found stability recently, so I’m not that busy.”

“While Your Majesty was away, Walton organized the university’s system with Skadi’s help. Thanks to that, Skadi has gained some free time. Personally, I wished Walton would join the banquet…”

“If he doesn’t want to, what can we do? We must respect that.”

Unfortunately, Walton had sent word declining the banquet. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to meet Wendigo, but he had never been fond of such gatherings.

For Walton, meals were a time for quiet reading and contemplation, and Wendigo had no intention of disturbing someone who diligently performed their duties.

What was the point of bringing someone who didn’t want to be there? It would only make everyone uncomfortable.

“I see now that besides Walton, another seat is empty.”

After being reminded of Walton’s absence, Wendigo finally noticed that a familiar face was missing.

No wonder it seemed strangely quieter than usual…

“Where is Dario? Has he gone to meet Elhemina?”

“That’s not it. Actually…”

“Ahem. Recently, several northern tribes have begun expressing discontent with Manheimr by joining hands with the Empire. Coincidentally, the Kaffustin family has also joined them, so Dario went to meet them personally.”

Geron spoke up on behalf of Skadi, who seemed uncomfortable with the topic.

Many tribes had pledged loyalty to Manheimr and decided to follow the trend, but there were always those who didn’t follow the majority and pursued different paths.

This was especially true for those adjacent to the Empire’s borders, who lived abundantly by either raiding or trading with the Empire, so they had no reason to pledge loyalty.

Of course, the university was impressive… but suddenly bowing to a strange being that appeared one day was a different story for them.

The problem was that Dario’s Kaffustin family was also among them.

For Dario, who had been thriving by following the King of Manheimr, he was about to become a traitor because of his unhelpful family, so he wanted to resolve the issue personally.

“Hmm… I’m worried if he’ll be alright.”

“Don’t worry too much. If they have any sense, they wouldn’t harm Dario. Besides, although Dario may be a bit cunning, his social skills and eloquence are impressive even by Your Majesty’s standards.”

“That’s true.”

Wendigo nodded in agreement. Despite Dario’s somewhat slippery nature, he was a capable fellow.

With his natural gift for words and perceptiveness, there shouldn’t be major problems unless he encountered madmen.

“The food is ready. With your permission, may we serve the dishes?”

“…We invited everyone to a banquet, so we can’t delay the meal.”

As the servants brought in the food, Wendigo dismissed his worries.

Surely nothing serious would happen?

* * *

A few days later.

[After meeting those who call themselves the Children of Dencan, I found no flaws in their logic, which has raised questions for me as well.

Your Majesty has never walked the northern lands to feel its spirit, nor have you persuaded the tribal chiefs to form bonds, have you?

I, Dario Kaffustin, have sworn loyalty to the king, but just this once, I ask that you meet these people directly…]

“…It seems he’s been captured by madmen.”

Reading the letter stamped with Dario’s seal, Wendigo was so dumbfounded that he put it aside.

He didn’t know who these Children of Dencan were, but the name itself was suspicious. It was clear that this letter was sent under coercion.

Otherwise, how could someone with such good eloquence write something so irritating?

Having become accustomed to such incidents, Wendigo calmly folded the letter and tossed it toward the brazier.