Ch.46Chapter 46

The Wendigo waited for Issac at the temple.

He was sitting on the throne with quite a solemn attitude… Geron was walking around him, checking for any problems.

“Hmm… I should consider applying lacquer to the throne soon.”

“No. I don’t think there’s any need to trouble people with that…”

“That won’t do. You’re not ruling a small tribe anymore. Even if it’s not an extravagant throne, you should maintain at least a minimum level of authority.”

Geron firmly countered the Wendigo’s minor complaint.

If it were others, they might have been moved by the Wendigo’s complaint, thinking, ‘He’s truly considerate of his subordinates!’ But Geron knew the Wendigo too well.

He knew this was just the Wendigo wanting to skip over something because it was bothersome and troublesome!

“In the past, we had no choice because we lacked manpower and resources, but that’s not the case now. For the sake of maintaining at least some dignity, we must change the throne.”

“… Then what if I make the throne myself? It would be sufficiently dignified and impressive.”

“Absolutely not.”

Geron rejected the Wendigo’s suggestion with an even more serious expression than before.

He knew that if the Wendigo made the throne himself, it would certainly be an extraordinary object. The problem was that the throne would undoubtedly be too extraordinary.

“If you made the throne, wouldn’t cold air flow from it? Ordinary people would find that difficult to endure.”

“If I used plants to make it, the cold would be reduced somewhat…”

“Still, no. I don’t want to see people who come to meet you freezing to death from the cold emanating from the throne.”

The Wendigo looked at Geron as if asking who he thought was a monster that killed people, but Geron stood firm, making it clear this was non-negotiable.

Geron had been suffering from the cold just by living near the Wendigo.

It was fortunate that Skadi Brynhild understood the situation and provided him with enchanted talismans and clothes; otherwise, it wouldn’t have been surprising if he had fallen ill.

And now the Wendigo wants to deliberately craft a throne?

As loyal as Geron was to the Wendigo as his lord, he couldn’t guarantee that no accidents would occur.

“I remember there’s a tribe skilled in working with lacquer trees. I’ll contact them to prepare a throne for you.”

“Sigh… Very well. Since you insist so strongly, Geron, I have no choice. But don’t force them. If they agree to do it, prepare appropriate compensation.”

Geron nodded with a smile. He thought that this aspect of the Wendigo elevated his loyalty.

How many rulers would prepare compensation for tasks that subordinates consider routine?

‘I heard they have difficulty raising livestock because they work with lacquer trees… I should help connect them with a nearby tribe that raises livestock…’

He paused.

Geron was about to go outside to send a message when a concern crossed his mind, causing him to stop at the door and turn his head toward the Wendigo.

“I remember you were planning to reward Issac today, is that correct?”

“Yes. Since Skadi seems to have learned enough from him, it’s about time we let him go.”

“… I’m asking just in case. The reward for Issac isn’t something extremely dangerous, is it?”

The Wendigo looked at Geron with a disappointed gaze in response to his question.

Of course, since expressions couldn’t be formed on a skull that lacked any facial features, Geron couldn’t detect the meaning behind the gaze.

“Don’t worry too much. I’ve discussed it with Skadi and plan to prepare something at a level Issac can handle.”

“Ah, if Skadi is involved…”

“That’s harsh. You trust Skadi but not me?”

The Wendigo casually made a joke. Others might have broken into a cold sweat at the Wendigo’s authoritative jest, but Geron remained completely unfazed.

“It’s because you tend to be overly generous with rewards, isn’t it?”

“Such nagging… Alright, go ahead.”

When the Wendigo waved his hand as if telling him to leave, Geron reluctantly stepped outside.

* * *

Shortly after.

Issac visited the temple with Skadi Brynhild and greeted the Wendigo.

“The humble Summoner, Issac, greets the Djin.”

“There’s no need for such excessive formality with me… But are you alright?”

“Yes. What discomfort could I possibly have?”

I don’t think so…

The Wendigo examined Issac’s complexion.

His eyes were somewhat unfocused, and his body lacked strength, as if he were intoxicated…

“Could it be that he ate too many berries and ended up like this?”

Flinch.

As Issac’s body trembled, the Wendigo looked at Skadi Brynhild standing beside him. Skadi scratched her cheek and let out an awkward laugh.

“Ahaha… When I told him he needed to see you, he ate too many berries.”

“Even so… The man has become completely dazed.”

The Wendigo directed a cold breeze toward Issac’s face.

As the cold air seeped through his eyes, ears, and nose, Issac’s eyes widened.

The cold breeze was so intense that he thought his head might freeze!

“D-Djin! I’m fully alert now! I’m alert, so please stop the wind!”

“Quite effective.”

When Issac spoke while his teeth chattered, the Wendigo stopped the wind. Skadi placed her hand on Issac’s shoulder and absorbed the cold energy residing in his body.

The cold energy flowed into the ring on her little finger according to her will.

The Wendigo admired her skillful performance.

“You seem to have become quite adept at using the ring already.”

“I’m not yet able to cast spells using the ring, but I’m familiar with your mysteries. Simple methods like this are quite manageable.”

“Th-Thank you.”

As warmth returned to his body, Issac expressed his gratitude to Skadi with a dazed expression.

Who could have known he would suffer such an ordeal just because he ate some berries due to nervousness?

‘If I had known this would happen, I would have eaten fewer berries!’

Blaming himself for eating 15 berries because they were effective, Issac corrected his posture. After all, he didn’t want to appear undignified before a Djin, especially one he respected.

The Wendigo burst into laughter at Issac’s demeanor, which had completely changed since their first meeting.

“I thought I had done something terrible to you, but it seems you haven’t left empty-handed.”

“Yes. Of course.”

Issac nodded with a pleased expression.

As the saying goes, a blessing in disguise—Issac prided himself on having taken a step closer to a higher realm through his efforts to overcome hardship(?).

The cloak he wore was imbued with the agility of wolves, and the white wooden staff he carried was wrapped in cold energy.

Both were items created through Skadi’s guidance.

Their quality was sufficient for him to proudly call himself a Summoner anywhere!

‘… The leather is one thing, but that branch?’

The Wendigo subtly turned his head to look at Skadi, but she shamelessly avoided his gaze.

This was a form of evasion that the Wendigo couldn’t have imagined before, but he decided to let it pass this time.

He was proud that Skadi had finally found some composure, and besides, if he really wanted to see a white tree, he could simply freeze one.

“What you’ve gained here is the result of your own efforts. So if I am to compensate you for your hard work, I should prepare something else.”

Issac looked at the Wendigo with anticipation. A gift from a Djin was enough to make one’s heart race, even without knowing what it might be.

And with the Djin before him, it would surely be something proper!

The Wendigo, wanting to meet his expectations, raised his hand and condensed mystical energy at its center.

The condensed mystical energy manifested as a pure ice crystal, and Issac trembled at the mystical power contained within it.

‘Is something containing so much mystical energy really going to be my reward?’

Filled with ecstasy, Issac watched as the Wendigo completed the ice crystal.

The Wendigo infused the ice crystal with mystical energy.

The Wendigo infused it with even more mystical energy than before.

The Wendigo infused it with much, much more mystical energy…?

Skadi, shocked by this outrageous—no, amazing—sight, rushed toward the Wendigo.

“Wait! Just a moment! Wendigo, please stop!”

“Huh?”

When Skadi rushed over, the Wendigo paused his work in confusion, and the ice crystal, which had been devouring cold energy like a glutton until just now, gently settled in his hand.

Skadi rose on her tiptoes to check the state of the ice crystal.

The pure mystical energy that the Wendigo had infused into the crystal had found stability like a calm lake, but…

“Wendigo. Don’t tell me… that’s not Issac’s reward, is it?”

“… Is it too much?”

The Wendigo carefully asked for her opinion in response to Skadi’s reaction. Skadi barely suppressed a scream that was about to escape and held her head.

Although Skadi had always keenly felt how different the Wendigo was from ordinary beings, this time she couldn’t help but be surprised.

To think he would consider putting so much mystical energy into such a small ice crystal!

“Wendigo. The ice crystal you’ve created is truly pure and excellent. However, there’s a problem…”

“What problem?”

Skadi glanced at Issac with shifting eyes.

Issac immediately understood what Skadi was trying to say and nodded calmly with a pale face.

“Issac’s level is too… low to handle this ice crystal. There’s a high risk that the mystical energy contained in the crystal could burst out like a wave and engulf him.”

Issac nodded repeatedly at Skadi’s explanation, as if it was exactly what he wanted to say.

While he had expected a reward, he certainly hadn’t anticipated something so dangerously powerful!

“Hmm… I wanted to give something valuable as a reward.”

“How about removing some of the mystical energy? To a level appropriate for Issac?”

Issac was horrified at Skadi’s question. While he thought the ice crystal was excessive as a reward, he didn’t want the mystical energy to be removed—it seemed too wasteful.

If only Skadi could have it instead…

But before Issac could offer his opinion, the Wendigo began extracting the mystical energy.

As the mystical energy burst out like water from a leaking tank, Issac froze in shock.

“Is this level acceptable?”

“You need to remove more, I think.”

“How about this much?”

“You still need to remove more. At this level, if Issac makes a slight mistake, one of his arms could freeze.”

Issac stared at the mystical energy scattered in the air as if he were dreaming.

His spiritual vision wasn’t as clear as Skadi’s, but it was sufficient to see the mystical energy flowing like a river before his eyes.

Not only was this the first time he had witnessed so much mystical energy, but to think he would see it being released into the air without any use!

‘Would other Summoners believe this story if I told them?’

Probably not.

Though not as much as Djin, Summoners were quite stingy when it came to mystical energy.

How could such Summoners believe that he had seen a Djin dispersing mystical energy into the air?

They would sooner believe that Djin were kind.

“Is this really the best we can do?”

“Even that level requires Issac to avoid major mistakes to handle it.”

The Wendigo looked at the ice crystal in his hand with a disgruntled expression. No matter how he thought about it, the crystal seemed too modest to give as a reward.

Even the ice spears he regularly used seemed to contain more mystical energy than this…

The Wendigo held out the unexpectedly modest ice crystal to Issac. Only then did Issac come to his senses and carefully lifted the crystal.

“Compared to what I initially made, it’s too modest… Are you satisfied with that?”

“Yes! I’m extremely pleased with it!”

Issac nodded happily.

While the ice crystal first shown to him had been too intimidating even to touch, the one before him now was at a level he could manage.

Of course, he still needed to be careful lest the cold energy penetrate his body, but this was far better than the alternative!

Skadi approached Issac, whose smile stretched from ear to ear.

“This could still be dangerous, so let me split it in half for you.”

“Really?”

Issac looked at Skadi with a moved expression at her consideration.

Skadi nodded with a smile. When she tapped the ice crystal with her ring, it split cleanly in two.

“Ohhh!”

“I’m glad you’re happy.”

As Issac joyfully handled the split ice crystal, the Wendigo swallowed his disappointment.

Since Issac had been of great help to Skadi, he had wanted to give him something more useful as a gift, but all he could offer was this.

Just in case, the Wendigo threw out bait to Issac.

“I’m glad you’re pleased, but if you want, I can give you something more useful.”

“No need! This is perfect for my level!”

“……”

When Issac responded cheerfully, the Wendigo felt deflated. He had wanted to give a reward that was impressive and touching…

“… I’m glad you like it. Go find Geron outside. Tell him what you need for your journey, and he’ll prepare everything generously.”

“Thank you so much! I will widely spread word of your benevolence to people outside the forest!”

Skadi was about to caution Issac about his words, but the Wendigo raised his hand to stop her.

Issac bowed and quickly left the temple. His steps were incredibly light, having gained a rare experience and treasure.

After he left, naturally only Skadi and the Wendigo remained in the temple.

Skadi asked the Wendigo with a worried face.

“Wendigo. Will it be alright? If Issac spreads word about the forest outside, it might cause quite some trouble.”

“That’s not wrong. But we can’t avoid attention to the forest just because of that.”

The Wendigo didn’t deny it. However, he had no particular intention to prevent it.

From the beginning, there was no way to prevent the forest’s situation from becoming known by silencing Issac.

“The land continues to become more fertile, and the forest people are emerging as a unified force. Naturally, those outside the forest must be noticing these changes.”

“… So the outside world will eventually respond to the changes in the forest.”

“They will. But don’t worry too much. We’ll just act as we always have.”

The Wendigo, fundamentally a pacifist, had a very simple approach.

If they approach us amicably, we will join hands.

If they approach us with hostility, we will break those hands.

Whoever might be the first to reach out from the outside…

The Wendigo only hoped they would make the right choice.