Ch.64Chapter 64

Wendigo always avoided the absurdity and harm of violence, but sometimes violence was effective for certain problems.

Their legs were broken, eyes bruised, and lips torn, but it had certainly cleansed the prisoners’ rotten spirits.

“He-here it is.”

“Hmm…”

As the prisoner dragged his broken leg forward and held out the parchment, Wendigo read it carefully.

Wendigo looked at the prisoner to ask a question.

When their eyes met, the prisoner panicked and shouted.

“I swear on my life. Nothing written on the parchment is false!”

“…Alright, go back and wait.”

Wendigo couldn’t tell if the prisoner before him was afraid of him or afraid of the warriors.

Perhaps it was both…

As the prisoner bowed repeatedly and retreated, the warriors watched with satisfaction.

“Beatings are indeed the medicine for such fellows.”

“From now on, should we beat any outsiders who wish to see the Djin first?”

“That sounds quite fun—I mean, like a good idea.”

It was a rather tempting suggestion, but Wendigo rejected it internally.

These men might be hostile to the forest and rotten to the core, but not all outsiders were like them.

‘…Come to think of it, most of them seem to be that way.’

The village that persecuted Skadi, the Summoner and nomads who planned human sacrifices for their ambitions, and even those who took the beast-faced one…

Just as Wendigo began to seriously consider the warriors’ idle talk, Geron approached and addressed him.

“Djin. I will extract the messages from these fellows, so why don’t you rest?”

“The battlefield hasn’t even been cleared yet. For me alone to rest at a time like this…”

“What leader in the world would consider such things? Rather, if someone of your position handles such matters, it would be troublesome for us.”

At Geron’s words, the warriors bowed their heads with respect. They felt guilty that Wendigo was concerning himself with such matters.

Couldn’t they just break fingers and crush bones until they got the answers they wanted?

Wendigo pondered briefly at Geron and the warriors’ reactions.

Could he entrust this to the warriors when he himself lacked the ability to discern truth?

After thinking carefully, Wendigo looked at the prisoners.

Their bodies were bruised, bones somewhat shattered, and lips and eyelids torn—they were in terrible shape.

‘…Anyone who would still try to deceive after suffering like that would truly be insane. I can give them the benefit of the doubt once.’

After all, this was about selecting the most suitable person among those with inheritance rights.

There was no reason not to trust someone who would stake their barely-hanging life on a lie.

Besides, such a person would likely meet an untimely death even without his intervention.

Having made his decision, Wendigo rose from his throne, looked at Geron, and nodded.

“Very well. If you insist so strongly, I have no choice.”

“I will not disappoint you, Djin.”

“It’s not that important, so don’t overdo it.”

As Geron made his firm promise, Wendigo left with a smile and some light encouragement.

After confirming Wendigo’s departure, Geron turned to the prisoners with a serious expression.

…More precisely, he looked at the warriors who were stretching their bodies as soon as Wendigo left.

“Everyone, put down your clubs.”

“Huh? Aren’t we going to beat them?”

“Their eyes look so sinister like those of beasts, we should draw more blood… Ah, I understand. I’ll put it down.”

When Geron’s eyes began to look ominous, the warriors reluctantly lowered their clubs.

“I think we could beat them a bit more…”

As one warrior muttered, the prisoners trembled in fear.

In their eyes, the forest warriors appeared more evil than the Djin.

* * *

Despite telling Geron otherwise, Wendigo did not rest after extracting—or rather, receiving—messages from the prisoners.

Even if he wanted to rest, the surrounding area was still quite chaotic.

War demanded considerable time not only in preparation and execution but also in conclusion.

Gathering and burning enemy corpses, collecting and arranging allied bodies in a clean state, and gathering enemy spoils was quite labori—

“Woof! Woof woof!”

“Yes, eat, eat. Thanks to you wolves, the enemy corpses will be greatly reduced.”

“Those nomads were quite skilled at collecting spoils, weren’t they? Checking everything from fingers to toes.”

“Hahaha! What about you all? I was impressed by how you tore through leather to find hidden rings.”

…It was laborious but rewarding work. The warriors cleared away corpses while laughing.

How could they not smile when stripping corpses yielded steel armor and weapons hard to obtain in the forest, as well as luxuries like rings and necklaces?

‘It’s good they find satisfaction in this way.’

Wendigo didn’t mind the warriors thoroughly looting the spoils. Wasn’t it natural to receive compensation after risking one’s life in battle?

After watching them with satisfaction, Wendigo headed toward where the surrendered prisoners were gathered.

There, wolf riders with fierce expressions were guarding the prisoners. Some wolves even prowled among the prisoners, growling.

A warrior spotted Wendigo and saluted.

“Djin! What brings you here?”

“Geron chased me away saying I should stop working, so I’m wandering around.”

Wendigo spoke honestly without a single lie, but the warriors burst into laughter. The idea that Geron, Wendigo’s loyal servant, had chased him away sounded like a joke.

The prisoners thought the same. However, they were shocked rather than amused.

A Djin who jokes with humans exists in this world!

They whispered while watching the warriors’ reactions.

“Am I dreaming? If so, my arrow-struck knee wouldn’t be throbbing.”

“Damn. I wish it were a dream. Then I’d flee the forest as soon as I woke up.”

“Maybe he’s not a Djin but a Summoner? A Summoner transformed into a monster.”

“Have you ever seen a Summoner with a good personality? All the Summoners I’ve seen were madmen or madwomen.”

The prisoners put their heads together to make sense of the situation, but they found no satisfactory answer.

In their common sense, both Djin and Summoners were naturally deranged.

As the prisoners continued whispering to uncover Wendigo’s identity, the warriors erupted in anger.

“These bastards! Not knowing who they owe their lives to, insulting the Djin!”

“We-we’re sorry!”

“We apologize. The Djin is indeed a Djin!”

“Th-that is, the Djin is the most Djin-like Djin!”

‘What does “most Djin-like” even mean?’

Perhaps because all the Djin he had encountered so far were abnormal.

Wendigo briefly wondered if the prisoners were insulting him indirectly.

But his concern didn’t last long. As soon as he looked at them, the prisoners gasped and trembled in fear.

“For self-proclaimed warriors, aren’t you rather fearful?”

“Djin, I believe it’s because of the blood on your face…”

When Wendigo expressed confusion, he remembered the bloodstains he had forgotten about.

‘Ah, that would certainly be frightening.’

Wendigo swallowed his bitterness at the perfectly valid reason.

Even warriors who didn’t fear spears and swords would naturally be terrified facing a Djin with blood smeared across his mouth.

“I might end up killing someone with my face. Bring me some water to wash off the blood. And if possible, bring water for the prisoners to drink as well.”

“Water for the prisoners too?”

The warriors asked in confusion. They would follow Wendigo’s orders, but they honestly couldn’t understand.

What was so lovable about these prisoners that they deserved water?

“Yes. Some might have come willingly, but most were probably dragged here by incompetent chieftains and Summoners. We’ll send them back once negotiations are complete, so there’s no need to treat them harshly.”

“Is, is that true?”

When hope of returning appeared, one prisoner reflexively blurted out a question.

At this rudeness, the warriors exuded killing intent and grabbed their weapons, but Wendigo stopped them and nodded.

“There will be no enslaving or sacrificing. As long as you don’t cause trouble, I’ll ensure you return alive to your families.”

“!”

At such merciful grace, the prisoners bowed their heads with tears in their eyes. In their eyes, a halo shone behind Wendigo.

To have doubted such a person and accused him of being an evil Summoner or Djin!

“We were foolish! Not realizing the mercy the Djin bestowed upon us, we spoke such terrible words!”

“Now I understand! The Djin is the most benevolent and good in the world…”

“That’s enough. I’m too embarrassed to face you.”

As the prisoners shed tears and apologized, and the warriors began to fawn excessively, Wendigo stopped them, feeling guilty.

Even this gesture was perceived as humility, as both warriors and prisoners looked up at Wendigo with reverence.

How humble and benevolent he was!

‘Well, I definitely can’t tell them I’m sending them back because there’s no benefit in keeping them.’

The real reason Wendigo was releasing the prisoners was that they were truly useless.

Managing warrior-turned-slaves posed more risk than benefit. What use were hundreds of slaves when there was no large plantation to establish in the forest?

Considering the burden of providing food, clothing, and shelter, it was rare to find something so utterly useless.

‘And it’s not like I’ll receive human sacrifices. Better to speak kindly and send them back.’

Even if not all of them, if just one in three spoke favorably about the forest, it would help with external relations.

“We will pass down stories of the Djin’s mercy for generations to come!”

“If anyone insults the Djin, I will personally behead them!”

“…That’s enough, just wet your throats.”

Wendigo turned his eyes away, unable to bear the prisoners’ sparkling gazes.

…Deceiving bad people was rewarding, but deceiving innocent people made him uneasy.

* * *

One week later.

Though still somewhat chaotic, the forest had successfully regained peace.

This was partly because the prisoners, grateful for Wendigo’s grace, caused no disturbances, but also because Geron had successfully obtained the messages.

‘Some of them did have a few more injuries, but if Geron wanted that…’

“Djin, why are you looking at me like that?”

“Ahem. I was just grateful for all your hard work on my behalf.”

Geron noticed Wendigo was hiding something but didn’t pay much attention to it.

There were more important matters awaiting Wendigo.

“Envoys have arrived from outside the forest. Judging by the minimal escort they brought, it seems your intentions were properly conveyed.”

“That’s good. Have you sent warriors to guide them here?”

“Well, I have swift wolf riders standing by. However, there are some unexpected individuals among the envoys…”

“Hmm. Not entirely unexpected.”

It wasn’t strange that others would take interest after hundreds of warriors were dispatched only to be dissolved without any achievement.

When Wendigo gestured for him to continue, Geron went on.

“A Witch named Shir from the Freyr tribe has joined the delegation.”

“I don’t recognize the name just from hearing it…”

“Shall I call the Witches?”

“No need to call all those busy people. Just summon Skadi and Osa.”

‘Osa probably won’t like this… but an order is an order.’

Perhaps it meant she had earned the Djin’s trust, so maybe Osa would be pleased.

Thinking thoughts that would have horrified her had she known, Geron relayed the orders to the warriors.