Ch.41Chapter 41

As Geron recited the contents of the scripture, Wendigo let out a sigh.

‘It seems there really is such a thing as an unlucky name.’

Of course, this problem could have happened even if the wolf hadn’t been named Oneton.

The story about someone tracking the wolf meant they had their eye on it even before arriving at the village.

But something about it being the name of that nasty, petty fellow made his irritation rise. Just as a hateful person seems hateful no matter what they do.

After storing the scripture in the repository, Geron asked Wendigo for his opinion.

“What should we do?”

“… Did you say the one who followed Oneton is a Summoner?”

“Yes. Though it seems people didn’t recognize him as a Summoner. It appears he proclaimed himself as one.”

Wendigo tapped his nails on the armrest of his throne, lost in thought.

Someone following Oneton was already in the past.

What mattered now was why the Summoner had followed him.

If he had come due to some personal grudge, it would obviously become troublesome.

‘But it would be a waste to just drive him away.’

After all, setting aside the reason, this Summoner was the third one Wendigo had encountered.

There had been no time for persuasion with the one who contracted with the boar, but this time was different.

At least the fact that he hadn’t caused any trouble suggested there might be room for dialogue.

‘I don’t even expect to bring him under my command, but it would be nice if I could extract something from him.’

He pondered for a moment what he could extract from the Summoner, but nothing suitable came to mind.

In times like these, rather than struggling with the unknown, the right approach was to summon someone knowledgeable and seek their opinion.

“Geron. Send someone to call for Skadi.”

“Indeed, Skadi would be more adept at handling such matters, wouldn’t she?”

“Yes. With my knowledge, the only way to gain something from a Summoner would be to simply rob him of his possessions.”

Wendigo spoke of robbery with such confidence, but Geron remained unfazed. It was absurd, but this was quite a Djin-like response.

Besides, as a forest person, Geron was quite accustomed to the law of the jungle…

‘Still, I hope he doesn’t speak like that in front of Skadi.’

Geron ordered a warrior waiting outside to summon Skadi.

* * *

A short while later.

As the warriors opened the door, Skadi entered riding on Oneton. As always, Oneton panted with a bright, innocent expression.

‘They say you can’t spit in a smiling face. That’s not wrong.’

Wendigo looked at Oneton with uncomfortable eyes. Though he knew it wasn’t Oneton’s fault, he kept seeing the face of the wolf Djin in him.

Wendigo deliberately shifted his gaze from Oneton and waved at Skadi. She smiled gently and greeted Wendigo.

“Lord Wendigo! I heard you needed me… Has something troublesome happened?”

“Hmm… It seems a Summoner has come to the village.”

Wendigo explained to her why the Summoner had come and asked if there was anything they could get from him.

Touching her delicate lips thoughtfully, Skadi offered her personal speculation about the Summoner’s identity.

“In my opinion, the Summoner who appeared in the village probably isn’t that impressive. Most likely, he’s a wandering Summoner.”

“A wandering Summoner. You mean like the one who contracted with the boar?”

“No. Actually, Summoners who have contracted with Djin don’t wander around that often.”

To Skadi, who grew up under a strict mother, a Summoner without a contract with a Djin was barely worthy of being called a Summoner…

But not everyone in the world was as strict as her mother. For ordinary people, dealing with the mystical was enough to be called a Summoner.

Among those born with spiritual talent, the fortunate ones are recognized for their abilities and become disciples under elderly Summoners.

Even Summoners who live for their own glory want to leave their achievements to the world when their time comes.

These lucky ones receive instruction in sorcery and wisdom from their masters and are granted some power through contracts with Djin that their masters have painstakingly persuaded…

Naturally, such fortune was rare. Most Summoners took nature as their teacher and learned sorcery on their own.

“Then, the one who contracted with the boar… Lyuke?”

“Lord Djin. Not Lyuke, but Lyurik.”

“Close enough. Anyway, are you saying he was quite a skilled one?”

“Yes. Even the tree giant that faced you, Lord Wendigo, is something a wandering Summoner might create only after dedicating his entire life.”

Wendigo was disappointed. To think that a Summoner like Lyurik was considered among the skilled ones.

That meant the Summoner who had come to the village might be even less capable.

Geron caught the subtle slump in Wendigo’s shoulders and gently prompted Skadi to continue.

“But surely there must be something we can gain from a Summoner?”

“I suppose there could be…”

“I knew it!”

Geron turned to Wendigo with a brightened expression. Wendigo also regained his spirits at the mention of potential gain…

“However… for that, we’d have to completely strip the Summoner. If he’s a wanderer, everything he carries is likely his entire fortune.”

At Skadi’s resolute statement, Wendigo sighed as if he had expected it. It was something he had somewhat anticipated.

“If you wish, Lord Wendigo, I can capture the Summoner and take everything he has.”

“Lady Skadi! Even as a joke, such words…!”

Geron thought Skadi was joking, but seeing her determined gaze, he couldn’t help but be shocked.

She was looking at Wendigo with eyes that suggested she would carry out her words immediately.

Wendigo found her proposal somewhat tempting but after a moment’s thought, shook his head.

“No. Even so, to rob someone without knowing if they have malicious intent… Geron, what are you eating?”

“Berries that are good for mental stability. I received them from Lady Skadi recently?”

“Why are you… No. You can eat if you want. I apologize.”

When Geron clutched the pouch of berries so tightly that it made a crunching sound, Wendigo quickly apologized.

Sending a resentful gaze, Geron apparently thought Skadi’s radical(?) idea had originated from Wendigo…

‘If anything, she’s more extreme than I am.’

But this argument wouldn’t work with Geron, who thought of Skadi as a daughter.

Wendigo decided to willingly bear Geron’s misunderstanding. In truth, he wasn’t entirely innocent either.

“Let’s summon the Summoner first. We’ll talk about Oneton… and if he doesn’t give up, we can deal with him then.”

“Yes. I’ll send someone to the village to bring the Summoner.”

Wendigo hoped the Summoner would be a reasonable person. He didn’t want to see bloodshed unnecessarily.

* * *

The wandering Summoner, Issac, found his current situation quite interesting.

‘I didn’t know such a large force had formed in the forest.’

Though Issac was a northerner, he wasn’t a Summoner particularly connected to the forest. If the wolf he was tracking hadn’t fled into the forest, he wouldn’t have even thought of entering.

He had entered the forest only because the wolf he was chasing had fled there… but the forest presented a completely different image from what Issac remembered.

‘It’s fascinating how the villages are built as if divided into districts, but the mystery emanating from that place is truly…’

Issac sipped his tea while looking at the forest through the window. Though the inner forest was shrouded in darkness, making it impossible to see inside, the mystery emanating from it was unmistakable.

A pure yet slightly eerie mystery flowed gently from the forest.

That alone tickled the curiosity unique to Summoners, but Issac’s curiosity didn’t stop there.

Issac recalled what he had observed on his way here.

‘Not only the land with its strong vitality, but the livestock emanating mystery are definitely not normal.’

While humans might enhance the energy of the land through effort, imbuing livestock with mystery was not something ordinary humans could do.

‘Clearly, someone in this forest is up to something!’

Normally, upon sensing something unusual, one would feel anxious and try to flee, but Issac didn’t.

To become a proper Summoner, one sometimes needed to risk one’s life.

“Summoner, permission has been granted. I’ll guide you to the shrine.”

“Hmm.”

As a warrior with his lower body covered in pants and leather and his upper body exposed addressed him respectfully, Issac scrutinized him with a solemn face.

While Summoners require various qualities, Issac’s strongest was his ability to gauge others’ capabilities.

The warrior, with his exposed upper body and wolf skin, might have seemed barbaric and dismissible, but Issac’s eyes lit up when he noticed the bone helmet at the warrior’s waist.

The bone helmet had quite a profound spell cast on it. A complex spell that would be difficult for someone of Issac’s level to attempt.

‘If he possesses such an artifact, he must be a warrior of considerable rank?’

Since enchanted items were generally regarded as treasures, ordinary warriors couldn’t carry them around. Without the strength to protect it, a treasure could be as harmful as poison to its owner.

Issac naturally dropped his solemn expression and flattered the warrior with a friendly attitude.

“Your bearing is extraordinary, suggesting you’re a strong warrior… Are you of high rank in the village?”

“What? Hahaha, Summoner, you jest too much. While I can’t say my rank is low, it’s not that high either.”

“…?”

When the warrior waved his hand and dismissed it as a joke, Issac looked at him strangely.

By all accounts, the bone helmet the warrior possessed was something only a huskarl, a chieftain’s bodyguard, or someone of similar rank would possess…

Pleased by Issac’s unintended compliment, the warrior tapped the bone helmet and muttered a few words.

“In our village, there’s a Summoner whose skills reach the heavens, who made this treasure for us. Besides me, many warriors…”

The warrior went on about Skadi, who was both the pride and idol of the village.

One who dispels the cold, heals the sick, and shares dreams and hope with everyone…

‘This is why commoners are…’

Issac nodded appropriately while inwardly clicking his tongue. He thought the warrior was completely infatuated.

However, Issac judged that the words weren’t entirely useless. If someone could create such treasures, perhaps half of what the warrior said was possible.

‘It’s a pity I lost the wolf… but perhaps this is an even better opportunity.’

Issac recalled the large white wolf he had been chasing. While the mystery it held wasn’t extraordinary, it was still valuable to a wandering Summoner like Issac.

Initially, he had planned to hunt the wolf and use it for his sorcery… but now it seemed the wolf wasn’t the issue.

‘At least this Summoner the warrior speaks of must be one of the key figures in this alliance.’

Issac wondered if he could become a disciple of this unknown Summoner.

Judging by the level of the spell on the helmet, the Summoner must be quite old… perhaps he could become a disciple.

“We’ve arrived. If you go inside, the warriors guarding the shrine will escort you.”

“Ah, thank you.”

The shrine they reached after passing through the forest was not only imposing, but the strong mystery emanating from inside made Issac tense.

The entrance of the shrine was guarded by warriors wearing bone helmets and wolves. When all the warriors looked at him, Issac felt a chill down his neck.

‘So what the warrior said was true.’

It was strange that building guards, not personal bodyguards, wore such treasures. Issac looked at the warriors with curious eyes.

When the wolves approached and sniffed, Issac reached for the dagger in his bosom, thinking they might attack.

The warriors scolded the wolves for their rude behavior, pulling on their leashes.

“You beasts! What are you doing so rudely!”

“I apologize. These creatures seem to like people and are excited because an outsider has come.”

“It’s, it’s alright.”

As the wolves whimpered and were pulled away, Issac waved his hand, touching his neck.

The warriors smiled at his humble demeanor. Of course, due to the bone helmets, Issac couldn’t see their expressions.

When the warriors opened the door, Issac entered. Inside the shrine, many people were moving around, working.

Putting vegetables in baskets, checking prepared meat…

‘… If it’s a shrine, why are there food ingredients?’

“Summoner, please follow me.”

“Ah, I apologize. I was distracted.”

Though Issac had questions, he followed the warrior’s guidance further inside without time to resolve them.

Issac swallowed dryly upon seeing a massive door. The cold emanating from inside made his body shiver involuntarily.

After one of the large warriors guarding the door spoke inside for a moment…

“You may enter.”

“… Thank you.”

Issac heightened his senses to the maximum and stepped inside.

What the tense Issac faced was… a giant throne and a giant sitting on it.

Issac looked around as calmly as possible. The warrior had clearly spoken to someone inside, so there should be a person…

No matter how much he looked around, he couldn’t find even a shadow of a person.

‘… What a grotesque taste in statues, though.’

Issac looked at the giant sitting on the throne and harshly criticized the forest people’s aesthetic sense.

Judging by the powerful mystery emanating from it, the statue was clearly made by a Summoner.

He had heard that Summoners or those called magicians operating in the Empire created such grotesque things to establish cults…

Issac unconsciously muttered while looking at the statue.

“Even so, decorating the head with a deer’s skull is…”

“It’s not a decoration, it’s my real head.”

“… Huh?”

When a voice came from somewhere, Issac looked around. But still, no person was visible.

With a creeping sensation down his spine, Issac slowly raised his head to look at the statue’s head…

“Yes. You came to the village chasing a wolf…”

“Aaaaaaah!!! The, the statue is talking!?”

When the statue, no, Wendigo opened his mouth, Issac screamed in terror and pulled out the dagger from his bosom. Wendigo looked at Issac with bewilderment.

‘Even so, to call me a statue…’

… For a Summoner, he’s quite stupid.

Wendigo decided to lower his evaluation of the other party.