Ch.38Chapter 38

Inside a prison made of ice and roots.

Wendigo woke up from a long, long sleep.

‘… I don’t know how much time has passed.’

Considering the boar incident, at least a month, perhaps two months had passed.

Wendigo looked around the prison. He was wearing a collar made of roots, and the prison remained intact, maintaining its original form.

But not everything was the same. Wendigo looked at the talisman attached to the root collar.

It was a talisman that repelled evil energy.

‘Seems like Skadi has been managing it.’

If she needed to place such a talisman, quite some time must have passed.

As he slowly moved his body, Wendigo’s stiffened form creaked and screamed.

Tearing off the talisman attached to the collar, Wendigo slowly rose from his place…

“This is where Wendigo is sleeping. After facing an evil Djin, he’s now in a deep slumber…”

“AAAACK!!! T-the corpse is moving!”

“……”

Wendigo, who was about to express his delight at seeing Skadi entering the prison, froze when he saw the woman screaming beside her.

The woman was so shocked that her eyes rolled back and she fainted. Wendigo looked at her with an incredulous expression.

“Wendigo! You’ve finally awakened!”

“It’s good to see you, Skadi. You must have worked hard protecting me.”

“Not at all. Assisting you is both my duty and my joy. More importantly, are you feeling alright?”

At Skadi’s question, Wendigo examined his own body.

The mystical energy flowing through his body was still abundant, but its nature had somehow changed.

‘The mystical energy feels deeper… and more stable.’

The wild mystical energy seemed to have good compatibility with Wendigo. He had felt this sensation when absorbing the boar’s essence, but this time it was more special.

A sense of fulfillment, as if things that should have existed from the beginning had been filled in.

It felt like the absorbed essences had become gears, interlocking stably with each other.

“I’m quite alright. I’m not sure exactly what has improved, but I’m certainly stronger than before.”

“Your efforts have paid off, Wendigo. I’m so relieved.”

“Yes… But is it alright to leave that woman unconscious?”

Wendigo pointed at the woman he had been trying to ignore.

The reason for her fainting was easy to guess. If his appearance made warriors tremble with fear, how terrifying must it have been for a woman?

Skadi looked down at the woman for a moment and lowered her posture. Surely the kind-hearted Skadi would help her up…

Slap!

“Wake up!”

“…?”

Wendigo, who hadn’t expected Skadi to slap the unconscious woman, stared at her blankly.

He wondered if he was seeing things, as if Oneton had tampered with his essence.

But when Skadi slapped her again, he realized it wasn’t an illusion.

‘… Did Oneton’s temperament somehow transfer to Skadi while I was unconscious?’

At least when he absorbed the boar, nothing like this had happened…

Wendigo approached Skadi, intending to stop her.

“Skadi. Has she done something wrong?”

“Huh? She hasn’t done anything wrong particularly.”

“… Then couldn’t you wake her up with a gentler method?”

“Ah!”

When Skadi seemed to understand, Wendigo felt relieved. It seemed she hadn’t gone through puberty while he was unconscious.

However, Skadi didn’t stop slapping. She continued with lighter slaps while explaining her reasons.

“I don’t like using such violent methods either, but I have no choice. There are so many people who want to visit this place!”

“Wait. What do you mean there are many people who want to visit? What…”

“S-stop. Skadi, please stop hitting me! I’m awake. I’m awake!”

When the slapped woman shouted, Skadi stopped and backed away.

The woman frowned while rubbing her stinging cheek. Wendigo was puzzled when he checked her scent.

For someone who had just received an unexpected slap, she showed considerable goodwill and respect.

If the woman didn’t have some strange preferences, there must be a reason for this.

“Skadi. Why is this woman here?”

“Well… it’s quite a long story. Is that alright with you?”

‘If it’s a long story, I’d rather skip it, but her sparkling eyes make it difficult to refuse.’

It was almost unfair how she looked at him with those bright, expectant eyes.

How could he refuse when he could imagine how disappointed she would be?

“It’s fine, tell me. I need to know what happened while I was unconscious.”

“Yes! Well, let’s see…”

Skadi began with a bright smile.

* * *

Skadi was fundamentally diligent. It wasn’t just the life attitude she learned from her mother; her nature was far from laziness.

True to her character, she took action as soon as she realized Wendigo had lost consciousness in the prison he created for himself.

She gathered people and informed them of Wendigo’s condition.

“Oneton, was it? It seems Wendigo has fallen into slumber to prevent the curse left by the evil spirit Oneton.”

“My goodness… Summoner, is that true?”

“Are you doubting Wendigo?!!!”

“No, absolutely not! I just thought a Djin wouldn’t do such a thing…”

No one could argue with Skadi’s words. Not only those who followed Wendigo but also the warriors of the Blue Mane tribe.

Who would dare question the Summoner who served Wendigo, who had overwhelmingly slaughtered the hateful Oneton?

Naturally, the thought “Wendigo is different from other Djin!” settled in their minds.

The same was true for Jacken. Or rather, he had been favorable toward Wendigo from the beginning.

It was obvious to everyone that Wendigo was on the side of good, and he even forgave the warriors’ sins.

Recognizing him as the actual leader, Skadi made a proposal to him.

“Wendigo bears no great grudge against the Blue Mane tribe. If you don’t plan to return to the plains, why not join us? Wendigo would be pleased.”

“That’s…”

Although Jacken wasn’t the official chieftain of the Blue Mane tribe, he was essentially the chieftain in practice.

With Rektar’s death, the lineage was broken, and all those higher in rank than Jacken had died, so becoming the chieftain was the natural course, whether he liked it or not.

Jacken’s deliberation ended in just a day.

“Our Blue Mane tribe will follow the Djin.”

“A wise choice. There are few as rewarding to serve as Wendigo.”

Having been driven from the plains, they couldn’t return without building up their strength.

In such a situation, with warriors dead, the chieftain dead, and even their Djin lost, Jacken didn’t have many options.

Among those limited choices, choosing Wendigo was the best decision Jacken could make.

However, even with justification, the massacre of the Blue Mane tribe was still a massacre, so some defections were inevitable.

Skadi found this somewhat regrettable but didn’t worry too much. After all, the essence wasn’t all that Wendigo had gained from this war.

“Since Wendigo has confined himself, rebuild the village around that place!”

“Who among the Blue Mane tribe are skilled craftsmen? It would be good to have someone proficient in metallurgy or construction.”

“Today, let’s talk about ‘The Oath of Wendigo and the Nameless Warrior’?”

Many tribes chose to follow Wendigo, and Skadi, who gained new techniques and knowledge through the Blue Mane tribe, worked diligently.

She rearranged the village around the temple and where Wendigo had lost consciousness.

To supplement the forest people’s lacking technical skills, she threatened… no, persuaded the Blue Mane tribe’s craftsmen.

And to leave a good impression of Wendigo on the newly joined people, she told stories.

Thanks to her painstaking efforts, the forest quickly found stability.

The reason for her efforts wasn’t anything grand.

‘This should be enough to earn praise from Wendigo!’

It was pure, or perhaps obsessive. But it wasn’t harmful to others, so it was fine.

Thus, she spared no effort while waiting for the day Wendigo would awaken.

Bringing the woman who got slapped was also part of her efforts to proclaim Wendigo’s greatness.

* * *

“It’s impressive that you accomplished so much on your own.”

“Ahaha… I didn’t do everything alone. Geron helped, and Jacken assisted in persuading the craftsmen.”

Realizing that her words might sound like self-praise, Skadi blushed and answered modestly.

Wendigo looked at her with approval. Even if others had helped, it was still a remarkable achievement.

Frankly speaking, could people have built a village and united without her taking the lead?

Wendigo thought absolutely not.

‘… I should let go of scolding her about the bone helmet.’

Her dedication was too significant to scold her for such a thing. Even Wendigo himself wasn’t sure he could have done as much.

With capable companions, carrots are more effective than sticks.

“Skadi. If there’s something you want, tell me. If it’s within my power, I’ll grant you one wish.”

Flinch.

Skadi swallowed hard as she looked at Wendigo. How could she not have desires toward Wendigo?

Rather, as a Summoner, she had much to gain from him.

‘A necklace made from Wendigo’s nail clippings… No. Maybe a bracelet from some of his fur?’

Whatever it was, as someone who served Wendigo, she absolutely couldn’t give up (?) this opportunity!

Skadi made a difficult decision and answered enthusiastically.

“If it’s alright, your hand…”

“Skadi! Skadi! Are you alright?! It’s been an hour already! Please answer!”

“……”

Wendigo realized today that people could curse without words.

As Skadi’s eyes flashed dangerously, the woman who had been rubbing her cheek approached Wendigo with a shrill scream.

She thought Wendigo could calm Skadi’s anger.

‘I’m glad she’s not afraid of me… but it’s a bit sad that she fears Skadi.’

Wendigo tapped the woman’s shoulder with his claw to calm her. Seeing this, Skadi glared at the woman with jealous eyes.

The woman trembled with indignation and fear. If she said the wrong thing here, Skadi might…

“Skadi. It’s a bit noisy outside, but we can continue our conversation if you’d like.”

At Wendigo’s words, Skadi was tempted but soon shook her head. She was too diligent to simply ignore her responsibilities.

“No, no matter how happy I am, it’s my fault for forgetting that people are waiting outside. Let’s talk about this another time when you’re comfortable, Wendigo.”

‘Being too diligent is also a problem.’

As Skadi dropped her shoulders in disappointment, Wendigo inwardly vowed to reward her. Such matters should be handled by the one giving the reward.

Skadi left the prison first, and Wendigo followed her outside.