Ch.27Chapter 27

Wendigo carelessly tossed the seeds aside and glared at the man.

Facing Wendigo’s ferocious appearance, the man trembled and wept.

“Please have mercy…”

“…I understand, so answer my question.”

The man nodded frantically. It wasn’t befitting of a warrior, but he had no choice.

Death itself wasn’t frightening, but the prospect of eternal torment by an evil spirit was terrifying precisely because there was no end in sight.

“Which tribe are you from? Why did you attack the people?”

“Th-that’s… gack!?”

“!”

Just as the man was about to speak, the mystical energy protecting his body transformed into a noose and seized his throat.

Wendigo let out a small gasp of surprise and pulled up the mystical energy.

‘Is it trying to prevent him from revealing secrets?’

With the mystical energy wrapped around his claws, Wendigo glared at the man’s throat.

One wrong move and the man’s head would fly off along with the mystical energy… but he was going to die anyway.

‘He’s going to die anyway, so it should be fine.’

Without hesitation, Wendigo swung his claws toward the throat. The claws expertly avoided the neck and tore through the mystical energy instead.

However… Wendigo frowned. Something felt off.

“Kheuk!”

“Your master is quite thorough. Putting shackles on his subordinates.”

After confirming the man was still alive, Wendigo turned his attention to the mystical energy. The half-destroyed mystical energy on his claws gathered together and began to form something.

The mystical energy gradually took shape. A voice emerged from what appeared to be a mouth.

-I didn’t expect to find a Djin who had settled in this forest.

“I should have known. This forest has never been peaceful.”

Wendigo grumbled quietly as he sensed the Djin’s energy from the mystical form.

What could possibly be worth eating in this forest to cause so many incidents!

The mystical energy, mimicking the form of a wolf, glared at him and spoke.

-First, let me apologize. I had no idea a Djin had settled in a place like this.

‘At least he’s apologizing. He might be better than that boar or that parasite.’

The boar had been arrogant from the moment they met, trying to act like a know-it-all.

And the parasite had thrown a tantrum as if age gave him some special privilege.

In that sense, the fact that this one was apologizing suggested he might be decent…

-That’s enough apology. Now for the main point…

“Of course. Djins can’t possibly be nice.”

-What did you say?

“Nothing. Continue.”

Wendigo feigned innocence at the question. Having no facial expressions made it impossible to be caught in the lie anyway.

The mystical energy stared at Wendigo silently before speaking again.

-I am the Ferocity Swallower, worshipped by the beastkin in the wide plains to the east… In human tongue, they call me Oneton.

“My name is Wendigo. That’s interesting. Was the name Oneton given to you by humans?”

-Of course not. It’s disrespectful for humans to even speak my name. So I had them call me by a name they could pronounce. Isn’t it the same for you?

Snorting and showing contempt for humans—this one clearly had a nasty personality too.

Wendigo tilted his head slightly, encouraging him to continue.

-You must be wondering why a mature Djin like myself would come to such a barren place.

‘I don’t really care and wish you’d leave.’

-But sometimes one must swallow their pride and make necessary choices. That was my situation.

Oneton, like a noble wolf, gazed into the void and began his story.

Wendigo listened while appropriately ignoring most of the grand tale. He had no interest in how cunningly and viciously Oneton had betrayed both Djins and humans.

After hearing the story to the end, Wendigo summarized the conclusion.

“So… your subordinates were incompetent, your perfect plan fell apart, and you had no choice but to retreat to the forest to bide your time?”

-Precisely.

Oneton nodded with satisfaction.

Indeed, being a fellow Djin must make understanding quicker!

While Oneton was evaluating Wendigo as an intelligent Djin, Wendigo was looking at Oneton with incredulous eyes.

If he stripped away all the flowery language and straightened out the convoluted narrative…

‘So he basically got his ass kicked after being too greedy and ran away?’

To tell such a long-winded story about how he attacked an empire in the south and got severely beaten by humans.

‘No, wait. If they’re called an empire in this world, they must be strong.’

In any world, the title of “empire” carried significant value. It meant they had enough power to maintain that status among numerous forces.

Especially in a world where Djins and Beasts ran wild, an entity called an empire couldn’t possibly be weak.

Naturally, Oneton, who had bared his fangs against such an empire, must be a fairly powerful Djin.

‘I’d prefer to avoid conflict if possible.’

-Now, let’s get to the main point. Look at the map I’ve drawn.

Oneton’s tail spread wide, creating a map.

-This forest is located at the northern end of the continent. There’s little food, and even fewer humans.

In the north lay vast, endless forests and human tribes.

To the east were the lands of nomadic beastkin.

In the west, an alliance of elves was growing in power.

And finally, in the south stood the sturdy empires and kingdoms of humans and dwarves.

Honestly, compared to other places, this forest had few advantages. Yet there was one reason Oneton had sought it out.

-This forest has only one advantage: it’s good for hiding.

“Are there no other advantages? Like being rich in mystical energy… or having many Beasts?”

-None of that. It’s just a disgustingly vast, barren land.

“……”

Wendigo glared at Oneton. He knew it already, but to speak such nonsense in front of someone—no, a Djin—who lived here.

‘I want to smack him.’

-Let me continue. The only advantage of this land is that it’s good for hiding. Criminals, witches, losers… such trash keeps hiding here.

Oneton licked his lips and cackled. Wendigo had thought wolves were quite magnificent animals… but laughing like that made him look utterly vulgar.

-So this land is good for waiting for opportunities.

“Because you don’t have to worry about rumors spreading? I can’t accept that as the only reason it’s good for waiting for opportunities.”

Indeed, this forest was good for hiding. Even Gicas had been able to hide for three hundred years, partly because there were few people in the forest.

If someone like Gicas had lived near a city, rumors would have spread one way or another.

However, Oneton looked at Wendigo as if he were pathetic.

-You fool. Have you forgotten what a Djin should naturally consider?

“What are you talking about?”

-Mystical energy, of course. This forest is a very reasonable place to gather mystical energy.

How could it be suitable for gathering mystical energy when it wasn’t even abundant in it?

Wendigo pondered for a moment, then asked Oneton with a suspicion.

“Are you talking about human sacrifice?”

-Yes! Fortunately, you’re not a complete idiot. This forest is the optimal place for obtaining mystical energy through human sacrifice.

‘A Djin even crazier than I thought… no, this is what normal Djins are like.’

Wendigo was disgusted but then accepted it. In a world where even Beasts devoured humans to increase their power, Djins were no different.

From the perspective of Djins in this world, Wendigo might be the crazy one.

A mad Djin who, instead of using humans to increase mystical energy, was obsessed with nurturing them… that’s probably how other Djins saw Wendigo.

While Wendigo was dumbfounded, Oneton revealed his ambitions in an excited voice.

-A land where sacrifices come on their own without anyone paying attention! Moreover, the creatures living in this land are scattered, making them optimal for hunting!

“So why are you telling me all this? There must be a reason you’re revealing your plans.”

-You’re perceptive. I like that in others.

Oneton withdrew the map, met Wendigo’s eyes, and warned him, baring his teeth.

-If you don’t interfere with me, I’ll specially leave your subordinates alone. Fighting another Djin here would waste mystical energy… and I also pity you, stuck living in this land.

“Are you saying I shouldn’t care whether you cause trouble in the forest or not?”

-Exactly. As I said, you’re quick to understand. I’ll take that as your agreement. I hope we won’t have to face each other with hostility next time.

As Oneton finished speaking, the mystical energy lost its form and collapsed. Having served its purpose, it oxidized and returned to nature…

“Unbelievable.”

“Y-yes, that’s… kuhek!”

Wendigo swung his claws and severed the man’s head. Keeping him alive would only build resentment without providing any benefit.

More important was Oneton’s threat. As expected of a Djin known for his malevolence, this one was no ordinary being.

It was just a conversation, but he was essentially saying, ‘If you interfere with my business, you won’t live comfortably either.’

“He probably thought he was being reasonable…”

An ordinary Djin might have thought so. Those types would have been like, “Forest… human sacrifice meta… noted,” and moved on to the next target.

But Wendigo had no such intention. Instead, he felt irritation rising.

‘Just when I was trying to gather humans and live well!’

If such beings ran wild in the forest, not only would people not gather, but he would also be lumped together with them.

For Wendigo, whose goals differed from the Djins of this world, it was absolutely unacceptable.

‘How vexing. To dare threaten to cause trouble in my land.’

Strictly speaking, the forest belonged to everyone… but he had no intention of letting it slide. Especially not from someone who threatened rather than approached with humility.

‘Such types need to be taught through actions, not words.’

Wendigo decided to act immediately.

“Skadi. Are you outside? If so, come in…”

Wendigo stopped mid-sentence. The man he had just killed was still there, and if he called her now, she might misunderstand…

Before he could correct himself, Skadi entered, responding to his call.

Skadi quietly looked at Wendigo’s face once, then at the headless corpse.

With a determined expression, she pledged to Wendigo.

“I’ll make sure this never gets known in the village.”

“No, it’s not what you think. Really.”

“Yes, I believe in you, Wendigo. I’m sure you had your reasons for doing this.”

“……”

A firm resolve to keep the secret even if a knife were held to her throat.

Confronted with Skadi’s unwavering determination, Wendigo regretted not explaining the situation to her beforehand.

It took him quite a while to explain the situation and convince Skadi.

Whether it was genuine understanding or just consideration, he wasn’t entirely sure…