Ch.20Chapter 20

A few days before arriving at Gicas’s nest.

Wendigo had planned to persuade the village to form an alliance as originally intended. However, there was a slight difference from the original approach…

“Um, Lord Djin. No matter how you look at it, won’t people be shocked if we approach them carrying something like that?”

Geron asked, pointing at the vanguard. The warriors at the front were moving with disgusted expressions while holding spears…

With corpses hanging from the tips of their spears. These were, of course, no ordinary corpses.

The parasites and the remains of the warriors who had been their victims hung pitifully from the spears. Even for Geron, who had spent considerable time with Wendigo, this was a bewildering order.

Why hang such things? They were already viewed with suspicion because of their appearance.

The warriors perked up their ears at Geron’s question. They were curious about it too.

Wendigo nodded and said, “They will be shocked. It’s only natural to be surprised when seeing such hideous corpses.”

“But why…”

“Geron, think about it. Do you believe those we need to persuade wouldn’t be shocked at our first meeting even without these corpses?”

Geron thought for a moment before shaking his head. Upon reflection, people being shocked was a constant. Anyone meeting Wendigo for the first time would inevitably be surprised.

If they were going to be shocked at the first meeting anyway, it was better to make the impact stronger.

That way, they would immediately think, “Something, something is happening!”

“People are easier to persuade when they’re excited or flustered rather than when they’re rational. When they think deeply, doubts increase, but when faced with a major problem, they focus only on the situation before them.”

Of course, whether this was actually true remained to be seen. Wendigo had learned this knowledge but had never applied it before.

It was merely knowledge learned from a professor in modern times…

“Indeed. Your wisdom is truly vast, Lord Djin. Is this also some hidden wisdom of nature?”

“Nature has nothing to do with it. It’s just the result of trying to understand the human mind.”

Geron and the warriors were greatly impressed. How many long years must he have spent trying to understand humans to have gained such insight?

In reality, it was knowledge he had been forced to learn while chained to the leash of academic credits, but the warriors who knew nothing of the terrible dungeon called university had no way of knowing that.

Once the purpose of displaying the corpses became clear, the warriors erased their uncomfortable expressions and marched proudly, raising their spears high.

Naturally, the combination of warriors marching proudly while displaying grotesque corpses was enough to throw the village into confusion.

Stopping there would give room for suspicion to spring forth.

Wendigo didn’t stop there. At his command, the warriors shouted loudly.

“A great crisis has come to the forest! Join us if you want to protect your families!”

“The demon hiding in the forest has revealed itself! Those who flee will have their bodies and souls stolen and suffer! Join us to defeat this evil!”

What great crisis? What demon hiding in the forest?

As Wendigo’s group continued shouting without making any attacks or demands, the confused warriors naturally passed judgment to others. Specifically, to the village chief.

The gate in the palisade opened, and the village chief appeared with minimal guards.

The chief, with his long beard, stood straight, but his eyes trembled with fear.

Wendigo decided to speak first. The chief’s complexion was so dark that he seemed incapable of asking questions.

“First, I apologize for arriving in such a disruptive manner. Had there been no reason, I would have approached more respectfully.”

“N-no, that’s fine. But… may I ask why you’ve come to us?”

The chief gathered courage to ask when Wendigo showed a gentle demeanor. After all, wandering around with corpses wasn’t exactly normal.

Wendigo heaved a deep sigh. The sigh was so heavy that the chief unconsciously felt concern.

‘What kind of major event could make a djin appear like this?’

“Look at the corpse. Does it appear normal to you? Or do you sense some malice in it?”

The chief swallowed hard as he looked at the corpse hanging from the spear.

A strange creature that was neither snake nor worm, and a body eaten by insects.

The chief wasn’t afraid of parasites the size of forearms. There were many monsters in the world that looked just as terrifying.

However…

“Is, is this really a person? This is…”

“This is why we’ve come.”

The parasite’s puppet was different. Thanks to Wendigo’s cold energy, the creature’s condition from when it was alive remained vivid.

The sight of worms wriggling through burst skin and parasites revealed through severed limbs was enough to disgust any human.

While the chief stared at the corpse in shock, Wendigo began his story.

The tale that began with meeting Ivan gradually climbed uphill, reaching its climax at the village conquered by parasites.

“Can you imagine? The sight of humans whose bodies were stolen by parasites and whose souls were toyed with. I received a request from this warrior there. He begged me to take his life. Though his body was defiled, his soul sought peace.”

“Ah…”

Though the story was mixed with some exaggeration and lies, it was all the more captivating because of it.

By now, the village warriors had gathered around Wendigo, listening intently to his story.

When the chief didn’t return, the warriors had bravely come to look for him and ended up hearing the tale.

‘The monster—no, the djin—is telling a story, so they must be curious.’

“So, so what happened to the warrior? Was he saved?”

“Yes. It was difficult. The warrior was so strong that it was hard to believe his body was controlled by parasites. The fight inevitably dragged on… and resulted in this condition.”

The village warriors sighed and looked at the corpse with respectful gazes.

Those who knew the truth closed their eyes and composed themselves. Sometimes it was necessary to pretend not to know one’s master’s lies.

Feeling a twinge of conscience, Wendigo scratched his chest and delivered the final touch.

“In the final moment, as the parasite crawled out, begging pathetically for its life, the warrior regained his body and told me, ‘I was deeply saddened by the loss of my family and friends, but I fear the demon lurking in the mountains even more. O Djin, please look after humanity.'”

“Then, Lord Djin!”

“Though I am not human, the warrior’s final request touched my heart. So I swore, honoring his soul, that I would prevent more victims like him.”

“Ah! Truly an honorable warrior! To think such a warrior exists in this world!”

As the village warriors and chief shed tears of emotion, Wendigo cleared his throat. He felt awkward about making up a story.

‘I’ve turned Parasite Warrior No. 1 into a noble warrior.’

At this point, only the fact that he was a warrior remained from the original, but what did it matter?

Wendigo assessed the emotions of the village warriors. Indeed, their tears were genuine—they were immersed in strong resolve and magnificent emotion.

Even the chief, who should have been the most rational, was showing respect to the corpse with reddened eyes, making it the perfect timing to make a proposal.

Wendigo stood up and spoke in a solemn voice.

“I saw people there weeping as they cut down their families and friends, a sad sight that moved even me to pity. If we don’t stop them, such tragedy might befall this place too.”

The warriors nodded in agreement with Wendigo’s words.

According to Wendigo’s story, the parasites were no different from demons who defiled body and soul and followed vile desires. In reality, this wasn’t entirely untrue.

As the warriors’ emotions began to flare, Wendigo raised his hand high and said:

“I intend to keep my promise to the warrior, but I cannot guarantee I can stop them alone. So I ask: those who will join me in preventing tragedy, raise your hands.”

“I will go! Now that I know, I cannot just wait!”

“This concerns the lives and souls of our families. I may not know much else, but I cannot tolerate that! I will join you!”

One by one, hands were raised, and the warriors were swept up in the fervor. Wendigo’s warriors also cheered at the moving sight.

‘You guys shouldn’t be doing that…’

Wendigo looked at his own warriors with salty eyes. How could those who already knew the truth be joining in?

Of course, while it was absurd, he didn’t stop them. Unity itself wasn’t a bad thing.

Wendigo gathered warriors and supplies from the village that joined the alliance. And he repeated this until they reached Gicas’s nest…

That’s how he shattered Gicas’s narrow knowledge and arrived at his nest leading over two hundred warriors.

No matter how much knowledge one accumulated, it could never become wisdom.

* * *

The deep part of the forest was a place of dry air and settled cold. The snow covering the mountains and the frost revealed how long the cold had persisted here.

‘No wonder humans haven’t discovered this place, hidden in such a location.’

While humans could live in any climate, they wouldn’t deliberately choose to live in harsh conditions.

Since they could live in moderately cold places just a little way down from here, humans had no reason to come this far. Thanks to that, he could hide safely.

Wendigo frowned at the stench flowing through the air.

“Geron, fall back and prepare for battle.”

“Lord Djin, is this the right place? Shouldn’t we go further in…”

Geron asked, scanning the bare trees and snow before them. Not only was there no sign of the enemy, but there wasn’t even a hint of presence.

Geron’s question stemmed from concern about the warriors’ morale, and Wendigo didn’t think his question was wrong.

However, while they might be able to hide their appearance, they couldn’t deceive Wendigo’s senses. Wendigo manipulated the cold to create a spear.

A spear twice as long and thick as the one he usually used.

Wendigo silently aimed the spear. Sensing that Wendigo’s demeanor was unusual, Geron retreated and shouted to the warriors.

“Prepare for battle! The enemy will appear as soon as the Lord Djin throws his spear!”

Having a perceptive subordinate was this convenient. He did what needed to be done without requiring explanation.

Cold energy swirled around the spear as Wendigo’s muscles tensed. Wendigo threw the spear with all his might.

The spear flew toward the snow-covered hill, creating a gust of wind.

Crash!

With a loud noise, the log hidden under the snow burst apart. Wood fragments and snow filled the air, but the spear didn’t stop there.

Behind the log, the spear penetrated a deep, dark space and embedded itself into something with a dull sound.

『KYAAAAK—!!!』

A terrible scream erupted from deep within the cave. As if that were a signal, enemies hidden in the snow revealed themselves all at once.

“How dare they injure our master! Kill them all!!”

The enemies surged forward like a wave, their eyes blazing with murderous intent.