Ch.57Chapter 57

The luminous moon in the sky enchants the human village, while the curtain of darkness separates oneself from others in the night.

Few things stirred the human heart like the night. Naturally, evil spirits and malicious beings seized these moments to pour poison into human hearts.

The being that spoke to Todel was an ancient evil lurking in the forest… of course not.

Why would such a being hide in a land of nothing but trees, rocks, and snow?

The voice belonged to the Wendigo. Naturally, he hadn’t come in person.

He had borrowed the body of a large raven, which was normally used to deliver his commands, to find Todel.

‘I wonder if this will work.’

The Wendigo’s plan was simple: persuade a summoner or chieftain responsible for an important position in the alliance to collude with him.

This required appropriate discord and compensation… honestly, it wasn’t a method he was confident in.

Unlike turning people to his side, turning enemies into allies was something he was attempting for the first time.

‘Besides, the relationship between them and me can hardly be called good.’

Although the outside summoners had attacked first, the Wendigo had made trees from their corpses as a warning.

Of course, they were trash who took beast-faces to use as materials, but grudges were far from rational judgment to begin with.

Moreover, the forest warriors had beheaded enemies who invaded the forest, so it wasn’t strange that tensions were high.

“Who’s there! Show yourself!”

As Todel shouted while watching his surroundings, the Wendigo moved the raven to perch on his shoulder.

The raven was large enough to be compared to a human’s upper body, and naturally, it was quite heavy, causing Todel to stagger.

Unable to imagine that a raven would fly over and sit on his shoulder, Todel frowned and glared at the raven.

‘Now even a mere raven dares to humiliate me…!?’

However, Todel recognized the raven’s identity and widened his eyes in shock.

It seemed familiar—wasn’t it the same raven that followed the summoners around, cawing loudly!

Although he had fled without saving face from the forest warriors, a summoner was still a summoner.

Todel barely held his trembling heart and asked the raven.

“Are you the Djin of the forest?”

[ Yes, I am. ]

“!!!”

When the voice of the being who had just asked the question flowed from the raven’s mouth, Todel shuddered as if struck by lightning.

He never expected to face the Wendigo again so quickly. Who could have imagined the Wendigo would seek him out first!

“Coming to find a summoner secretly on such a late night… this is truly unexpected.”

Convinced that the raven was the Wendigo, Todel threw away all the negative emotions he had been burning until just now and pretended to be calm.

As a rule, negotiation begins by making the other party anxious.

Todel tried to hide his true feelings with an expression and posture that showed coolness, proving his talent for persuading and moving his tribe…

‘He seems to be halfway convinced already.’

But the Wendigo wasn’t fooled at all. Though expressions and posture could be hidden, the smell emanating from his body could not.

How could he not notice someone who had been emitting a terrible odor suddenly giving off a fragrant scent as if flipping his palm?

Unaware that his emotions had already been exposed, Todel asked the Wendigo with a stern expression.

“Why are you asking me such a question? Aren’t we enemies, Djin?”

[ You talk too much. I already know you desire power. Surely a summoner like you hasn’t failed to grasp my intentions. If you’re not interested, I’ll find someone else… ]

“Ahem! I was merely asking to clarify the conversation.”

When the Wendigo showed signs of annoyance and flapped his wings, Todel unconsciously grabbed the raven’s leg and cleared his throat.

He hadn’t expected the Wendigo to try to leave so indifferently.

‘It seems I’m not the only target for persuasion…’

Images of the summoners and chieftains who had been rebuked at the council meeting flashed through Todel’s mind.

Not only were they wounded in pride, but they were hardly men of modest desires, so they would likely fall for the Djin’s sweet talk.

Todel rubbed his palms together like a merchant and carefully asked the Wendigo.

“Djin, if my thinking is correct, I believe you came to persuade me… am I right?”

[ Yes. It’s all because of the war you started. The chieftains wouldn’t have pushed their precious warriors into this land without reason. It’s obvious you stimulated the chieftains’ greed and started the war. ]

“Hmm. We had no choice but to make a deal with you, Djin…”

[ I may not know everything about this world, but I know that those who negotiate with swords are robbers. ]

“……”

The Wendigo nailed them as robbers without giving Todel a chance to make excuses. Honestly, it wasn’t wrong.

What kind of merchants would initiate deals with force? By any measure, that was robbery.

Todel couldn’t refute this point either, and he blushed and avoided the Wendigo’s gaze.

[ At least you know to be ashamed. ]

“You didn’t come to insult me, did you? If you want to persuade me, offer compensation instead of a whip!”

When the Wendigo looked at him with cold eyes, Todel shouted angrily. As expected of an experienced summoner, he was skilled at changing unfavorable topics.

[ Perhaps it’s better to see than to hear. ]

“What? What are you…!?”

Another raven flew over and fluttered in front of Todel, extending something caught in its talons to him.

After Todel took the object, the raven disappeared without making a sound.

[ I didn’t answer, but I know you desire power. And that object is the price I can offer for your betrayal. ]

“What is this?”

Todel shook what the Wendigo had offered with a sour expression.

A spherical object sealed with enchanted leather.

[ I’ve concealed its mystery in case it might be discovered. Unseal it. ]

At the Wendigo’s command, Todel swallowed hard and unwrapped the leather.

What kind of object would require such a seal…

“This is!”

[ It’s not as good as the ice crystal Isaac took, but it should be attractive enough for you. ]

Todel was shocked by the clear, refreshing mystery flowing from beyond the unwrapped leather.

It wasn’t as vast a mystery as the ice crystal Isaac had brought, but the identity of the leather-sealed object was indeed an ice crystal.

His surprise was momentary.

Todel hurriedly sealed the ice crystal with the leather again. He feared other summoners might sense the mystery and come looking.

With a much more respectful attitude than before, he asked the Wendigo.

“Are you really giving this as compensation?”

[ That’s just an advance payment. Depending on what you do, you might receive something even greater. ]

Gulp.

At the Wendigo’s sweet temptation, Todel felt his mouth water and his throat go dry with thirst.

If Todel had been a righteous summoner with firm principles, he would have thrown the ice crystal away and proudly declared, ‘I cannot betray those who share my cause!’

“I was too foolish to recognize your greatness, Djin! Please allow me to serve you to atone for my rudeness until now!”

[ …… Summoners certainly have an amazing talent for gilding their tongues. ]

The Wendigo revealed his true thoughts out of astonishment. He had expected some interest, but not such an extreme reaction.

While a man should not sheathe his sword until he has cut off the enemy general’s head, Todel didn’t care at all.

If his original purpose had been war, that would be different, but wasn’t the reason he came on this expedition to gain a legitimate(?) opportunity to deal with the Wendigo?

After Todel skillfully dropped his muttering and waited for a response, the Wendigo issued his orders.

[ What I want isn’t that difficult. ]

“Even if it were difficult, if you desire it, I’m prepared to break my bones…”

[ It’s truly not difficult, so stop the flattery. What you need to do is create discord within the alliance. ]

“You mean sow division? But I can’t do it alone.”

They say one loach can muddy a puddle, but that’s only possible under the right circumstances.

If he made a mistake, he might not only be driven out of the puddle but also be cut into pieces while still alive.

No matter how tempting the Wendigo’s offer was, Todel wasn’t crazy enough to risk his life.

[ Don’t worry. I plan to select others besides you to cause internal strife. ]

The Wendigo didn’t expect that much skill from Todel either. If he had been that talented, he wouldn’t have been crushed by the forest warriors.

From the beginning, these were men who cooperated solely for gain, without proper cause.

Once five or six of them started muddying the waters, shouting would break out in an instant.

Todel seemed to have noticed this much and showed signs of relief.

The raven possessed by the Wendigo took off from Todel’s shoulder. It perched on a branch and spoke.

[ When you hear a raven cawing late at night, come to the forest. Until then, it’s enough that you carry out my orders. ]

“How could I refuse? I’ll look forward to seeing you again.”

As the raven took flight, Todel bowed respectfully to see it off. His face, looking at the ground, showed clear signs of triumph.

Who could have known that the clash in the forest would return as such an opportunity!

‘When the alliance crumbles, other summoners will fall away, and then the only one who can deal with that Djin will be… hehehe.’

Todel returned to the camp with a sinister laugh.

* * *

“Will this be alright? Even if the alliance crumbles, those traitors might cause problems.”

“Geron. Don’t worry too much.”

Geron asked the Wendigo, who had released his possession, with a worried expression. He couldn’t trust the alliance’s traitors.

However, the Wendigo lightly answered his concern as if there was nothing to worry about.

And for good reason…

“I understand your concern. How can we trust men who push people to their deaths for their own greed?”

“Exactly. While the summoners who have received your grace are beyond doubt in character, those men are not. When the alliance crumbles and they start demanding their reward…”

“It’s fine. From the beginning, they are destined to die when the alliance crumbles.”

“…Pardon?”

When Geron looked at him with surprised eyes, the Wendigo answered as if it were obvious.

“Geron. I said I would give them compensation, not that I would spare their lives.”

“My lord, you usually don’t seem like a Djin… but when dealing with enemies, you sometimes do.”

“Isn’t that too harsh? I’ve never harmed anyone first. And honestly, if we’re talking about cruelty, those summoners are no less than me, if not more.”

“No, it was truly a Djin-like thought. Honestly, I was worried because you treat people too leniently… but seeing this side of you reassures me.”

“…… That’s going too far.”

The Wendigo looked at Geron with sulky eyes at being called Djin-like, then possessed the body of another raven.

[ Do you desire power… ]

To recruit another traitor.

Geron watched this scene, continuously expressing admiration.

* * *

Gelmir thought he could control the alliance by intimidating those who had made mistakes and recruiting those who followed his will.

The former couldn’t act rashly because they needed to achieve military merit, and the latter would follow his words because they could stand above others.

Afterward, he planned to gradually occupy the forest using well-controlled warriors…

“We will wash away our sins with military achievements! Make us the vanguard!”

“You shameless bastards! How is that atonement? You’re just whining!”

“Ha! If you don’t like it, we’ll act separately!”

“Hmm. We did make mistakes. But do you remember which tribe provides most of the food you eat?”

“You madman. Threatening with food during wartime! Come out. Let’s talk with swords!”

“Oh my. I was just asking if you remembered, why such a reaction?”

“Arrrgh!!!”

Gelmir’s plan went awry from the start. Those who should have behaved like sinners began to intimidate others instead.

He thought he had properly established discipline on the first day…

‘What on earth happened in just a few days that they’re all acting as if they’ve taken drugs!’

Gelmir ground his teeth with rising anger.

He hadn’t ground his teeth in anger since he grew older, but this was a fury he couldn’t contain without doing so.