Ch.185Chapter 185

Hair as beautiful as pristine white snow flowed like silk.

Her ruby-red eyes sparkled brilliantly, making it impossible to look away, as if enchanted.

How could one turn away when such a woman, whose charm transcended gender, blushed with embarrassment?

‘I find myself thinking anew how truly beautiful she is.’

He had met the Djin of beauty, encountered the Summoner who commanded that Djin, and even met elves, known as the race of beauty, not to mention one of the most perfect beings in the world—a goddess.

Yet Wendigo could confidently say that the woman before him, Skadi, was the most beautiful woman in this world.

Therefore…

“You’re beautiful.”

“!?”

The exclamation that escaped his lips could be considered an irresistible force.

Flustered, Skadi’s lips trembled as she frantically waved her arms. She tried to say something, but her thoughts wouldn’t connect, as if her brain had overheated.

‘Should I thank him? No, at times like this, I should humbly deny it… but that would be dismissing Wendigo’s judgment—’

Dozens of possible words and actions swirled in her mind like leaves caught in a gust of wind.

But the world wouldn’t wait for her deliberation.

“…Are you alright?”

Nor would Wendigo wait for her. It was only natural for him to worry when she had been flailing her arms and then suddenly froze.

Striding over, Wendigo carefully extended his claw to brush aside Skadi’s hair. The cold emanating from his body briefly cooled her head.

Until his claw touched her forehead.

“You don’t seem to have a serious fever.”

“…!”

With a silent scream, Skadi’s face flushed as red as it could possibly get. She couldn’t understand why she was reacting this way.

This wasn’t the first time he had brushed aside her hair, so why did she feel so embarrassed?

‘This, this is strange. Yes, it must be related to why students have been sending more letters lately!’

Though it was just a thought to calm herself, Skadi’s deduction was spot on.

But even if that were true, what difference would it make in the current situation?

As Wendigo leaned closer to examine her condition more carefully, Skadi stepped back with a cute gasp…

“I-I’m fine, so please don’t worry about me! I’m sorry, but could you please leave for today?!”

“…You don’t seem fine to me.”

“I really am fine!”

Skadi shouted, covering her reddened face with both hands. It was behavior anyone would find strange, but after brief consideration, Wendigo nodded.

In her current state, it seemed difficult to ask for her opinion, and Skadi clearly needed time to organize her thoughts.

Wendigo carefully stepped back and said:

“I’m glad you’re fine. But if anything feels wrong, let me—”

Bang.

Moving as if he were in his own palace, Wendigo rammed his antlers into the doorframe.

It didn’t hurt, but when a startled Skadi stared at him with wide eyes, Wendigo hastily ducked his head and left the room.

Perhaps it would be best to return to the palace and wait until things calmed down—

“Ahhh! What should I do? Should I go out and apologize now, but I asked him to leave…”

Flinch.

Wendigo stopped at the sound of Skadi’s voice from inside. He had intended to comfort her if she was blaming herself.

But what he heard wasn’t self-blame.

After rambling incoherently for quite some time, Skadi crouched on the floor, buried her face in her knees, and murmured:

“I guess I really do like Wendigo a lot…”

“……”

Wendigo quietly and quickly left the area.

The expert needed now was clearly not Skadi, but someone else.

* * *

Summoned by the call, Dario Kaffustin arrived and asked with a disgruntled expression, pointing at himself:

“So when you said you needed a love expert, you meant… me?”

“You’ve charmed other races and are popular among men as well, so wouldn’t that make you an expert?”

“……”

Dario stared blankly at Wendigo’s response. It wasn’t wrong, but couldn’t he have phrased it more delicately?

Something like being recognized by the race of beauty and having the charisma to make men follow him…

But it was unseemly for a subject to grumble to his sovereign. Dario pushed down the self-praise that was about to burst forth.

Above all, how could he raise his voice when His Majesty had sincerely called for help?

Recalling the elf and dwarf who had recently been humiliated after raising their voices made him feel inner peace.

Dario played with an apricot on his palm and said:

“Since Your Majesty asks for my advice, how could I as your subject refuse? Please ask whatever you wish to know.”

“Hmm… First, do you think it’s acceptable for a human to like me?”

“You mean Your Majesty?”

Dario blinked in confusion at Wendigo’s question.

Wendigo found Dario’s reaction perfectly normal. Honestly, loving a monster was inherently strange by common sense.

Moreover, he was several times larger than a human, and his head was replaced by a deer skull, as if it belonged to a non-living being.

Wouldn’t loving such a being potentially lead to unhappiness?

“Well, why would that be a problem?”

“Huh?”

Dario scratched his head and answered as if it wasn’t anything special, which naturally surprised Wendigo.

At least if he resembled a human it would be understandable, but strictly speaking, except for standing on two legs, he was a monster.

How could loving such a monster not be a problem?

“I somewhat understand what Your Majesty is thinking. Since ancient times, beings closely associated with the mystical, like Djin or Beasts, have been objects of hatred.”

Having caught Wendigo’s thoughts, Dario nodded as if it made sense.

Indeed, both in the past and present, discussions about Djin or Beasts rarely included positive remarks.

From Wendigo’s perspective, it was natural to worry about the malicious gazes that would follow Skadi like a tag.

However…

“But Your Majesty is neither a Djin nor a Beast. If you said such things elsewhere, you’d be stabbed before even meeting a warrior.”

“Hmm, isn’t that a bit extreme?”

“I actually think I’m being generous.”

Dario could be considered among the highest-ranking officials in Manheimr.

This meant that, whether he wanted to or not, he became aware of incidents occurring throughout Manheimr.

How could he not know when officials who admired him were constantly chattering?

‘I probably shouldn’t mention that recently, an imperial mercenary group that made insulting remarks about Your Majesty in a village was completely annihilated.’

Wendigo had no support base. How could one speak of a support base when those who opposed him had no place to stand in Manheimr?

Just as those who witnessed miracles naturally bowed their heads to prophets, there was no one who wouldn’t bow to Wendigo, who had brought prosperity to this frozen land.

If someone disrespected such a being, and in Manheimr of all places… wouldn’t they be beasts rather than humans?

“No, even beasts follow Your Majesty, so how many humans must love Your Majesty? If you issued a decree seeking a queen right now, women from the End of the World to the Empire would line up—”

“Enough with the jokes. So what you’re saying is that there’s no reason why it should seem strange for a human to love me.”

“No, I wasn’t joking… Yes, let’s say that’s the case.”

Swallowing the praise that was itching to come out, Dario looked at the troubled Wendigo.

If he wished, he could fill the palace with beautiful women, and having more than ten queens wouldn’t be considered a major flaw.

The king before him was a conquering monarch who had achieved unprecedented feats in the north and had virtually unified the northern territories.

A conquering monarch who had conquered these barbaric, death-defying northern barbarians with just a handful of blood.

‘Such a great king… perhaps one who will forever be praised as the Great King, is worrying so much over just one woman. Well, I’m not one to talk.’

Just now, his claim to understand Wendigo’s feelings wasn’t just a setup for explanation.

As someone who had become lovers with an elf—a race that would certainly be among the most beautiful in the world—how could he not have worried about racial differences?

Elhemina had said that distinctive types like Dario were actually popular among elves, but that was among elves—humans were different.

He had countless means of retribution prepared in case Elhemina became the subject of vicious human gossip.

Therefore, Dario could be certain.

‘It seems His Majesty is also interested in Lady Skadi.’

The marriage of a virtuous king who brought prosperity to the north and the Witch who made a great being into a king…

It was quite a fitting picture.

“Your Majesty, I think it would be better to speak directly with Lady Skadi rather than worrying like this.”

“…I suppose you’re right.”

“Yes. Through sincere conversation, tell Lady Skadi what you’re concerned about. Listen to what she thinks, and then make your decision.”

Wendigo quietly nodded. Dario was certainly right.

After all, the things he worried about ultimately depended on how Skadi felt.

* * *

Several days later.

The passionate wave of romance among young people gradually subsided. Though challenges for love were still more numerous than before, the number of young men proposing on the streets had decreased.

However, the fever left behind by that passionate wave still troubled people.

“Sigh.”

Skadi was also suffering from that fever.

She tried to forget by increasing her workload and reducing her breaks, but all that increased were sighs and loneliness.

She desperately wanted to rush out of the university and meet Wendigo right away.

But was that acceptable?

“His Majesty now belongs to everyone. If my childishness becomes a burden to him…”

She muttered with a gloomy expression while signing documents.

Just then, there was a knock on the door, and a servant’s voice flowed through the gap:

“Lady Skadi, His Majesty asks if you have time tonight for an evening walk—”

Crash!

Startled, Skadi half-fell from her chair and rushed to the door. She flung it open and asked the servant:

“Is, is that true?!”

“Yes, yes. His Majesty said he misses not having seen you recently… Oh, and though it’s an evening walk, he mentioned you might go quite far.”

“Far?”

“His Majesty said he would take you to the place where you first spent time together. Now, if you’ll excuse me.”

As the servant who delivered the message withdrew, Skadi sat in her chair, staring into space and murmured:

“The place we first spent time together…”

Tonight, together to that place.