Ch.42Chapter 42

The Wendigo carefully examined the mysteries that Isaac possessed.

Even for a wandering summoner, he was still a summoner.

To travel alone in this dangerous world, one should at least have an ace up their sleeve…

‘This guy. He really has absolutely nothing.’

Though Isaac would have trembled at such a rude assessment, the Wendigo meant no malice.

What could be done about someone who truly had nothing?

‘The tingling sensation from the dagger seems to be poison, and the familiar feeling from the cloak—is it some beast-related summoning spell?’

Though not a fundamental Djin, the Wendigo had been posing as one for quite some time.

By now, while unable to determine exactly what spells were cast on objects, it could at least sense how much mystery they contained and what kind.

And the level of the items Isaac possessed was by no means impressive, even as flattery.

‘…Certainly Skadi wasn’t lying.’

It would have been better if she had lied by telling him not to expect too much.

The Wendigo stared blankly at Isaac with disappointment, even knowing there was nothing more to find.

“Wandering summoner. I’d appreciate if you put away that dagger when you’re not using it.”

“Yes, yes sir!”

Suddenly reduced to a tactless, incompetent summoner, Isaac hurriedly put away his dagger. He had realized that the being before him was a Djin, or something equivalent.

‘Damn it, why would a Djin materialize and sit on a throne! Isn’t that a waste of mystery?’

In fact, from wandering summoner Isaac’s perspective, this was an unfair situation. Djin weren’t beings one could see just because they wanted to.

It was common knowledge among summoners that most Djin wouldn’t reveal themselves unless they had reason to intervene in reality.

From a Djin’s perspective, there was no reason to constantly maintain a physical form that was both uncomfortable and consumed mystery.

Yet why was the Djin before him maintaining physical form, and even leisurely sitting on a throne…

‘Surely it’s not because it has mystery to spare… and its appearance is different from the Djin I know?’

Isaac pushed down his rising questions and bowed respectfully to the Wendigo. Curiosity aside, he needed to secure his life first.

“This humble summoner, Isaac son of Mollik, greets the great Djin. May the honor of beholding your noble countenance be passed down through generations…”

“Your skill with flattery is quite impressive, but unfortunately, I don’t care for such talk. So I’d like to get straight to the point—is that a problem?”

“?!”

Isaac was taken aback when the Wendigo cut him off.

To think that the flattery he had learned by paying silver to a summoner who claimed to have met a Djin and survived would be ineffective.

He wondered if perhaps the Djin wanted praise for its humility, but the Wendigo seemed genuinely uninterested.

What kind of Djin was this…?

“Yes. If that is what the Djin wishes, please proceed. But… what do you mean by ‘the point’?”

Isaac raised only his head while maintaining his bow as he asked the Wendigo. Even while questioning, he remained vigilant.

If there was any sign the Djin might harm him, Isaac planned to use the spell on his cloak, the “Deer Sprint Cloak,” to escape.

Though the deer that provided the material wasn’t particularly remarkable, its talent for escape was exceptional.

That talent imbued in the cloak had always saved Isaac’s life when in danger, and he believed it would do so again!

…Of course, the Wendigo was reading Isaac’s thoughts perfectly. In fact, there was no need to read his emotions.

How could one not notice someone with a rigid face showing signs of bolting at any moment?

‘His courage seems lacking as well. Skadi was bold enough to ask for my help from our first meeting.’

The Wendigo briefly reminisced about his first meeting with Skadi. How boldly she had asked for help even while being pursued…

Her face had been pale and trembling, but back then, being unskilled at controlling the cold, he had been emanating chilly air—surely that was why she’d been cold?

‘If I mention Oneton now, he’ll get scared and run away.’

Though it wouldn’t matter if he left, the Wendigo wanted to gain something if possible. After a moment’s consideration, the Wendigo sent a signal to Skadi’s ice necklace.

He had kept her on standby at the temple just in case, so Skadi should arrive soon…

BANG!

“Lord Wendigo. Did you call for me!”

“Grrrr!”

‘Was she waiting right outside the door?’

Skadi and Oneton burst through the door opposite to the one Isaac had entered, with a loud noise.

The source of the noise was clearly Oneton ramming into the door. There would be no reason for the door to make such a breaking sound otherwise.

‘I’ll have to tell Geron later to replace the door. And give some discipline to that mutt—I mean, Oneton.’

While the Wendigo was looking at Oneton in disbelief, Isaac stared at Oneton so intently it bordered on rudeness.

‘That, that creature looks like… it resembles the wolf I was chasing?’

No matter how much its size had increased or its aura had changed, the original form remained the same, so it wasn’t strange that Isaac recognized it.

The problem was that the wolf he had been chasing appeared before him, and moreover, it seemed to possess mystery several times stronger than before.

Isaac prayed that the large wolf wasn’t the one he had been chasing, but when their eyes met, his breath caught.

Oneton’s golden eyes were piercing through him. Isaac instinctively realized that the wolf before him was indeed the one he had been pursuing.

‘I’m doomed! I thought it was just a wolf, but it was a beast favored by a Djin!’

Djin were arrogant and capricious, rarely bestowing their favor easily, but there were exceptions.

Since many Djin were born in the form of beasts, there were some who were particularly fond of animals.

Such Djin occasionally selected favored beasts and bestowed mystery upon them…

Isaac had no idea that the wolf he had been chasing was such a creature. Had he known, he wouldn’t have set his sights on it in the first place.

If he had caused even a slight injury, the Djin would have appeared and inflicted a terrible punishment!

‘I need to escape now!’

Deciding that this was no time to worry about becoming a summoner’s apprentice, Isaac awakened the spell in his cloak.

His judgment and simultaneous backward leap showed the quick thinking befitting a wandering summoner, but…

“How dare you try to use a spell without permission in Lord Wendigo’s presence.”

Skadi’s capabilities as a summoner surpassed Isaac’s. She looked at Isaac with displeasure while fingering her ring.

The spell contained in the ring—a branch with sprouting buds—consumed the mystery Skadi channeled and exerted its power.

A cyan wave burst forth from the ring with a fresh fragrance. It moved so quickly that Isaac had no time to escape using his cloak.

As the wave swept past, Isaac felt his body grow heavy. Moreover, the spell in his cloak seemed sealed, no longer responding to his will.

Collapsed on the floor, Isaac fearfully looked at Skadi with great effort, moving only his eyeballs.

He had thought her appearance riding the wolf was unusual, but to think she was a summoner!

‘Such a spell cannot be handled without a Djin’s help. Does that mean this young woman is a summoner contracted with this Djin!’

Isaac trembled at Skadi’s spell, which was in a completely different league from his crude magic.

“I thought it was plant-related mystery, but there’s cold-related mystery as well. Did you weave two mysteries together for this spell?”

“Yes! I focused on the concept of binding from both cold and roots. This is my first time using it in a real situation… but thanks to your mystery, Lord Wendigo, it seems to work well for a prototype.”

“To think such a spell is merely a prototype… gack!?”

When Skadi patted Oneton’s neck, he transformed instantly from a cute pet wolf to a predator.

In one bound, Oneton pinned Isaac’s back, baring his teeth and exuding killing intent.

“Urrrgh!”

Isaac couldn’t resist the paw pressing down on his back. Even with sharp claws pointed at his neck.

Skadi gave Isaac a cold stare.

“What shall we do with this rude one? If you wish, Lord Wendigo, I can make him spill his spells and information, and then this wretched neck…”

“Wait. Though there was some misunderstanding, this summoner had no ill intent. It was merely a mistake born of fear, so don’t be too harsh.”

“!!!”

When the Wendigo spoke in his defense, Isaac was so surprised he almost forgot the pain on his back.

In the world, there might be summoners who persuaded Djin to save people, but never had he heard of a Djin persuading a summoner to save someone.

If a storyteller had told such a tale, Isaac would have certainly mocked them as a fool.

A Djin helping humans? What could be more implausible!

“Skadi, release your spell, and Oneton, remove your paw. Tsk, hide those teeth. No matter how hungry you are, you shouldn’t eat someone unless they’re an enemy.”

‘…From the way it speaks, it does seem to be a Djin.’

Saying something that essentially meant it was fine to eat enemies right in front of the person concerned—it had to be a Djin.

Still, Isaac wasn’t foolish enough not to realize his life depended on the Djin before him.

As soon as he could move, he prostrated himself without hesitation.

“I must have lost my mind with fear! How dare I try to use a spell without permission from the Djin who rules this land!”

Isaac pressed his head to the floor, scraping his arms and legs. The Wendigo seemed to have forgiven him already, but Isaac noticed that Skadi had not.

Despite blood getting in his eyes from his torn skin, Isaac kept his gaze on Skadi.

‘For some reason, that summoner clearly cannot tolerate disrespect toward the Djin. So it’s not the Djin I need forgiveness from, but that summoner!’

Meeting Skadi’s cold eyes, Isaac was startled and pressed his head to the floor again.

He hit his head so hard that he nearly lost consciousness. Barely holding onto his senses, he prepared to bang his head again…

“Enough. Even seeking forgiveness has its limits. This is clearly excessive.”

“If you say so, Lord Wendigo…”

When the Wendigo’s claw stopped Isaac’s head, Skadi stepped back with a sulky expression.

No matter how much she disliked Isaac, her loyalty wasn’t so weak as to go against the Wendigo’s mood.

As Skadi withdrew her hostility, Isaac bowed to the Wendigo with tears in his eyes and sincere gratitude.

He never imagined he would bow so sincerely to a Djin!

“The Djin’s heart is wider than the vast sky and more loving than a mother toward her child!”

“No. That flattery is too much even for me.”

“What? I think it’s the most intelligent and correct thing this rude person has said today.”

Flinch.

Isaac felt defeated by Skadi’s shamelessness.

Even he had thought ‘Ah, that might be going too far’ after saying it, yet she accepted the flattery without the slightest hesitation!

“The summoner who serves the Djin is right. This foolish one failed to realize that and caused trouble for the Djin… I will pay the price.”

“You’ve finally understood your place. Had it been any other Djin, you would have been tortured to the brink of death rather than forgiven. From now on, live with eternal gratitude for Lord Wendigo’s grace.”

“……”

The Wendigo was impressed by Skadi’s harshness and equally impressed by Isaac, who listened to her words without showing any emotion.

Honestly, if it had been him, he doubted he would have had any teeth left after hearing such talk.

‘His skill may be unknown, but his tenacity is remarkable.’

“O Djin, please tell me what price I must pay. Whatever is within my capability, I will accomplish.”

The Wendigo couldn’t help but be surprised by Isaac’s determination. Though there was anxiety and worry, there was no scent of deception.

So he truly meant that he would do anything within his power…

‘Nothing particularly useful comes to mind.’

‘Surely they won’t ask something impossible of someone like me.’

Of course, Isaac was well aware of his limited usefulness. Considering the skill Skadi had just demonstrated, he could estimate his standing.

Moreover, the Djin before him was unbelievably kind for a Djin. Even his earlier flattery, though exaggerated, was half sincere.

‘Hmm… he seems so eager to do something, it would be a shame to refuse him.’

After a thought that would have made Isaac weep tears of blood had he known it, the Wendigo came up with a price that was reasonable and wouldn’t burden Isaac too much.

“As a wandering summoner, you must know something about summoning beyond this forest?”

“Yes! Although my level is humble and compared to the summoner here, the difference is like heaven and earth, I do know a little!”

Isaac downplayed himself as much as possible, but his shallow tactic didn’t work on the Wendigo.

What mattered to the Wendigo was that he knew some summoning, even if just a little.

“That’s fortunate then. There is something you must do.”

Isaac wasn’t too worried. The Djin before him didn’t seem like it would demand an unreasonable price!

“Yes. Please tell me!”

“Teach Skadi the summoning you know.”

“…Pardon?”

Isaac blurted out stupidly at the request that far exceeded his expectations. But he hadn’t misheard.

“Is your ear blocked because you’re bleeding? Teach Skadi the summoning you know. It’s not a difficult task, is it?”

“Uh…”

Isaac’s throat made a creaking sound as he turned. Facing Skadi, who was looking at him with a blank expression, Isaac thought to himself.

‘…Should I just offer one of my arms in exchange for forgiveness?’

Teaching that summoner? It felt like his limbs would be torn off for not knowing his place…

Isaac seriously considered becoming one-armed.