Ch.143Chapter 143

The Wendigo who had taken the heart created a box made of ice. It seemed unlikely that the warriors would try to dig up treasures from the ground, but he wanted to bury something just in case.

‘If it’s too plain, it won’t feel like treasure. I should carve some skull patterns in relief… and bind it with chains.’

The Wendigo put great effort into making the box to preserve the warriors’ enthusiasm, if not their childlike wonder. Of course, it wasn’t a box meant to be opened.

It seemed unlikely that the warriors would dig up the ground and try to open the box, but how confused would they be if an intruder opened the box and they found nothing inside?

Skadi Brynhild, noticing what the Wendigo was decorating the box for, shook her hot head and picked up charm fragments scattered on the floor.

Most had been shattered in the storm they had created, but even with just a few pieces, it was easy to form a sentence.

“Lord Wendigo. If we put this on, it might look more convincing.”

“Indeed, that’s a good idea.”

The Wendigo, who was stuffing the box into the ground, admired Skadi’s wit when he saw the charm fragments she offered.

Certainly, treasure needed a mysterious atmosphere to have style.

After decorating the box with the charm fragments Skadi had given him, the Wendigo froze it completely and buried it in the ground. He enjoyed the satisfaction as he smoothed the ground.

If someone found the box, they would be amazed by its appearance and solidity, exclaiming, “A box sealed with magic is truly different!”

Knock knock knock!

“Your Majesty, are you alright!? I heard loud noises from inside and dare to request an audience despite my rudeness!”

“?”

When they heard Dmitri’s voice along with knocking from outside, the Wendigo and Skadi simultaneously looked at the door.

Dmitri had withdrawn to avoid disturbing the Wendigo, but when sounds like a storm erupted from the room where the treasure was sealed, he hurriedly brought warriors to assess the situation.

The Wendigo scratched his head in embarrassment. It was certainly strange that they couldn’t hear the sounds from outside.

“It was certainly noisy. Skadi, let’s keep what happened here between us.”

“Yes. I’ll keep the secret even if Mother asks.”

“I don’t think it’s that heavy a secret… No, if that’s what you want, so be it.”

The Wendigo was about to caution Skadi, who casually pledged her life, but shook his head instead.

He recognized from the determination sparkling in Skadi’s eyes that she wouldn’t listen.

Well… surely nothing problematic enough to endanger Skadi would happen?

The Wendigo thought little of it as he rose from his seat. Having buried the box well, it was time to calm Dmitri who was anxiously calling for him.

“Ahem, you may enter. It’s fine.”

“Yes!”

When the Wendigo gave permission, Dmitri entered through the door with a tense expression. The warriors who followed him inside scanned the surroundings, emanating faint killing intent.

They were ready to slaughter anyone who might harm the king—that’s how serious they were.

However, only the Wendigo and Skadi were in the room. The warriors whispered to each other in confusion.

“Hey. Those guarding outside definitely said there were loud noises. But there’s only His Majesty and the Great Witch?”

“You think they’d lie about the two of them? If they wanted to die, they’d just kill themselves, not do something like that.”

“Forest Keeper, there’s no trace of anything else no matter how I look.”

“Hmm…”

The sounds had definitely been no joke when heard from outside…?

As Dmitri looked around with a bewitched expression, the Wendigo cleared his throat to focus everyone’s attention.

“There seems to be a misunderstanding. I apologize if resealing the treasure was rather noisy. It contained more powerful forces than expected, so it couldn’t be helped.”

“Gasp!?”

When the Wendigo offered an apology, Dmitri and the warriors were horrified. There was no one here crazy enough to be happy about receiving an apology from the king.

Fortunately, only warriors of the same position were present; if this had happened outside, warriors with burning loyalty might have caused a commotion trying to stab their own hearts!

Dmitri, true to his role as Forest Keeper, quickly thought…

Thud!

“Not at all! Your Majesty always works hard for the people of Manheimr, and this foolish one made a mistake! I will gladly accept any punishment for causing a disturbance by not trusting Your Majesty!”

Without a moment’s hesitation, he released the strength in his legs and surrendered to gravity, prostrating himself.

The warriors, who had been admiring his nimble movement, were startled when the prostrated Dmitri shot them a fierce glance, and they threw themselves to the floor.

Since even the Forest Keeper, whose abilities and character the king recognized by bestowing an artifact, was acting this way, they felt as if the hangman’s noose was already around their necks.

Of course, the Wendigo, who had no intention of punishing them, was merely disgruntled.

“… If I punished for something like this, what kind of person would the world think I am? I’ll withdraw my apology, so get up.”

“But—”

“If you truly don’t want punishment, then stand up.”

Flinch.

What pervert in the world would actually want punishment… Well, they might exist, but at least reasonable humans wouldn’t.

The warriors quietly rolled their eyes, waiting for Dmitri’s judgment. Standing up abruptly seemed too disrespectful.

Naturally, Dmitri, who had experience serving under the Wendigo, knew well of his generous nature.

If he were alone, he might have requested punishment again to prove his loyalty, but…

“I will always keep Your Majesty’s generous judgment in my heart. Everyone, stand up!”

“Yes!”

Dmitri wasn’t selfish enough to involve his subordinate warriors.

Worried that even sluggish movements might offend, the warriors straightened their posture as swiftly as wolves. Skadi crossed her arms proudly at their disciplined appearance.

The Wendigo stared blankly at Skadi, bewildered.

Technically, we’re the ones who caused trouble, so why…?

“Anyway, as I just said, there was some commotion while resealing the treasure.”

“No! We didn’t hear anything!”

“That’s right! As the Forest Keeper said, we didn’t hear anything!!!”

“……”

Wondering why excessive loyalty never failed to make people look ridiculous, the Wendigo gave up trying to convince them and pulled Skadi by the shoulder as he approached Dmitri.

“Very well. I’m glad you didn’t hear. In any case, the treasure is safe, so I’ll be counting on you from now on.”

“Yes!!!”

The warriors and Dmitri saw the Wendigo off with a resounding salute, and the mentally exhausted Wendigo waved his hand casually, half-pulling Skadi along as he left the military camp.

The warriors watched the Wendigo’s departing figure and inwardly sighed with relief.

‘I really thought we were in big trouble. So the inscription on the wooden tablet was true.’

‘To think the treasure we’re guarding was significant enough for His Majesty and the Great Witch to personally come and reseal it!’

‘The Great Witch’s face pressed against His Majesty seemed strangely gleeful… No, that can’t be.’

… Except for the last one, the warriors felt a renewed sense of pride knowing that the treasure they guarded was more extraordinary than they had thought.

To think such an important item was entrusted to them… They naturally felt a sense of responsibility and pride swelling within them.

The warriors, grateful for the king’s trust and mercy, made a silent pledge.

Though they didn’t know exactly what the treasure was, they would guard it with pride from now on!

* * *

After retrieving the heart from the warriors’ protection, the Wendigo returned to Skadi’s office with her.

The Wendigo took out the still-beating heart and handed it to Skadi. She lifted it carefully as if it were truly the Wendigo’s own heart.

Perhaps due to the immense mystical power imbued in it, the heart released cold air with each beat.

“Lord Wendigo. By now, the apple pie I prepared before leaving should be ready. Would you like to enjoy it while waiting a moment?”

“I’m fine, but I’d prefer to eat together after you finish your work.”

“Hehe, it’s fine, please eat first. This won’t take long.”

Perhaps her office was truly no different from her cottage.

Knowing well that the Wendigo wouldn’t take her words at face value, Skadi headed directly to the oven containing the apple pie.

Skadi skillfully inserted a flat stick into the large oven and pulled out a huge apple pie to serve the Wendigo.

The apple pie, made with generous amounts of spices and quality apples, stimulated the Wendigo’s appetite with its rich aroma and subtle tangy scent.

The Wendigo finally succumbed to temptation, sat down, and reached for the apple pie.

Crunch!

The perfectly baked crust was crispy, and the cream and fruit filling that flowed out were sweet.

The appropriate tartness that followed refreshed the tongue—

As the Wendigo savored the apple pie, forgetting to speak, Skadi smiled and quietly approached his model. She placed her hand on the model’s chest and invoked mystical power. The part where the heart should be split open, creating a space…

Thump!

“You too want to fulfill your role for Lord Wendigo quickly.”

As if responding to the mystical power imbued in the model, the heart beat more intensely, emitting mystical energy.

Skadi stroked the heart as if finding it endearing. She carefully pushed the heart into the opening. The heart, as if it had been waiting for this moment, pounded vigorously, exerting its power.

Crack!

“Oh my?”

As if truly knowing its role, the heart extended roots toward the inside of the model. Thanks to this, Skadi didn’t need to push it in with force.

The roots pulled the heart inward, and the heart created its own space as it settled inside the model.

“!”

Skadi, stroking the model’s body, looked at the heart in surprise. If her senses were correct, the heart’s thin, delicate roots had instantly taken complete control of the model.

Originally, she had planned to create pathways with magic so the mystical power in the heart could flow throughout the model…

‘The heart itself has extended roots to create the most efficient pathways for mystical power to flow?’

True to being the heart of a parasitic beast, its ability to dominate a body was supreme; the heart had established roots in the most suitable form for the model’s body.

Skadi removed her hands from the model and approached the Wendigo. The Wendigo, licking cream from his fingernails, tilted his head curiously.

“That finished faster than expected?”

“Hmm… I didn’t expect the work to be completed so quickly either.”

Skadi was sincere. She had thought the heart would lose its characteristics since all of Gicas’s mystical power had drained out, but the ability demonstrated by the heart was clearly influenced by Gicas’s parasitic capability.

When Skadi made an awkward expression, the Wendigo looked puzzled, rose from his seat, and approached the model.

The gap Skadi had opened had already healed and disappeared. However, the pulsation heard from inside clearly proved that the heart was inside the model.

The Wendigo turned to Skadi and asked.

“Can I possess it right now?”

“Yes. The possibility of problems occurring is minimal. Still, just to be safe, let me check a little…!?”

Before Skadi could finish speaking, the Wendigo attempted to possess the model.

The moment his mind connected with the possession body—which was difficult to call just a model anymore—the Wendigo realized this possession was different from usual.

When attempting to possess beasts or avatars, there was always a slight sense of foreignness.

Avatars weren’t living beings, so there was a sense of bodily rejection, and with beasts, there was resistance from suppressing their souls and consciousness.

However, this possession body didn’t give the slightest feeling of rejection.

It breathed like a living body with a beating heart, yet there was no owner of the body—it was literally a body made for possession.

The Wendigo moved his body around to check if there were any sensory abnormalities.

“Arms and legs all seem fine. This is the most satisfying possession I’ve experienced so far. Let’s see…”

Crunch!

The Wendigo, maintaining the possession, put a piece of apple pie in his mouth. Amazingly, the taste of the food was vividly transmitted through the tongue.

At this level, it was truly no different from a living creature…

“Lord Wendigo. You should check the most important thing.”

When Skadi urged with eyes full of expectation, the Wendigo nodded and extended his hand toward the floor.

Crack!

Ice fragments that rose from the ground took shape—it was the Wendigo’s ice sword. The ice sword revealed its elegant blade, welcoming its master.

The Wendigo let out a small laugh and muttered.

“… Finally, I can go after the bastards who took Dario.”

As if responding to its master’s words, the ice sword flashed its blue blade, exhaling cold air.