Ch.6Chapter 6

Through the ice necklace, Wendigo looked around in amazement.

‘To be able to see outside the forest without leaving it. Remarkable.’

It wasn’t just about seeing. He could feel sounds and smells through the necklace, and even communicate with its wearer.

It was all thanks to Skadi. As soon as she formed a contract with Wendigo, she asked him to make her an accessory, and she quickly created this remarkable item.

[You said you were a Summoner’s daughter, but aren’t you just a Summoner yourself? Be honest. Did you even need my help to escape?]

“Of course not. Humans have almost no way to handle mysteries without the help of Djin. At best, we can only perform minor spells through objects imbued with mystery.”

Humans were inherently beings with little innate mystery.

Some rare humans were born with mystery, but most were not.

That’s why Summoners were obsessed with mysterious objects and Djin. They needed at least one of them to cast spells.

Skadi, who wasn’t born with mystery, would have been unable to escape death if she hadn’t met Wendigo in the forest. Meeting him was nothing short of heaven-sent luck for her.

“Meeting you in the forest was truly fortunate, Lord Wendigo.”

[I think so too. Meeting you seems to have been fortunate for me as well.]

As she smiled and stroked the necklace, Wendigo nodded in response. In Wendigo’s opinion, encountering her was definitely fortunate.

At first, he thought he’d gotten involved in something troublesome, but who could have known she had such abilities?

“Ah, hahaha. I’m embarrassed by your praise. By the way, will people really hand over the items willingly? The things in my mother’s hut were quite valuable…”

Skadi changed the subject, perhaps embarrassed by Wendigo’s compliment. Her concern was quite valid.

Most of a Summoner’s possessions were valuable items.

A branch from a lightning-struck ash tree, scales from a hundred-year-old snake, roses that bloomed in winter…

Objects containing mystery had an inherent power to tempt people. Moreover, her mother was a renowned Summoner.

Just revealing that these were her collected items would surely attract Summoners from neighboring tribes, all willing to pay high prices.

Of course, the village vermin would greedily try to hide them…

To her question, Wendigo answered nonchalantly, as if she’d asked something obvious.

[They won’t give them up willingly. Humans are driven by greed even when their lives are at stake. But what does that matter? Are you planning to leave empty-handed if they don’t return your belongings?]

“…I absolutely cannot do that. Those are my mother’s keepsakes, my possessions, and yours as well, Lord Wendigo.”

[They’re not mine… Anyway, those who hid the items have essentially ignored your warning. Then it’s only natural they pay the price.]

In simple terms, he was saying he’d take their heads if they tried to cheat. Skadi nodded with a smile.

For the Wendigo she served, Skadi could take the villagers’ lives a hundred times over.

* * *

Rolo shouted loudly enough to wake the entire village as he relayed Skadi’s message, driven by a sense of mission to save lives. Despite his efforts, the results weren’t very good.

“That cursed woman made a contract with a Djin? Nonsense! Everyone in the village knows she failed to contract with a Djin!”

“She probably found a corpse somewhere and is trying to scam us. I’ll teach her a lesson!”

The Skadi the villagers remembered was a half-wit. They considered her a cursed girl who hadn’t inherited her mother’s talents.

Despite Rolo’s warning, those with hot tempers grabbed their weapons and went looking for Skadi, only to freeze to death with a single gesture from her. Skadi made the survivors drag away the corpses.

People only realized the gravity of the situation after witnessing the frozen corpses firsthand. To think that Skadi, whom they had dismissed, had truly returned after contracting with a Djin.

With danger at their doorstep, people moved frantically.

“Quickly, gather the things we took from the hut!”

“If you can’t remember, just bring everything. Better than dying!”

The greater the crime committed, the greater the fear.

People hurriedly gathered items and headed to the clearing, afraid of offending Skadi. Skadi looked down at them from the clearing.

They trembled in fear whenever they caught her eye. It might have been less frightening if she had shown anger or mockery, but Skadi just stared at them expressionlessly.

[There are many items.]

“They seem to have brought everything they could grab out of fear. If only they hadn’t stolen in the first place.”

Skadi walked among the people, examining the items. She used her spirit vision to identify objects imbued with mystery.

People swallowed dry saliva and trembled as she passed by, terrified she might freeze them at any moment.

One person, two people, three people…

As she checked the items one by one, she stopped in front of a man.

Sven, the village carpenter, swallowed hard when she stopped right in front of him.

He was so greedy that he was among the first to visit the hut when news spread of Skadi’s mother’s death.

Although Sven had witnessed Skadi freezing people with his own eyes, he couldn’t kill his greed. If he sold these items well, he could even dream of becoming a village elder.

Above all, Sven was confident in his own way.

‘No matter how smart she is, surely she can’t remember all the items that were in the hut?’

If there had been few items, it might have been different, but a Summoner’s house contained many herbs, leathers, and rare objects.

He inwardly sneered when Skadi examined the items he had brought. How could she possibly know about the items he had hidden at home just by looking?

However, Skadi wasn’t checking to see if items were hidden; she was verifying their mystical properties. She didn’t need to do that.

[This one is underestimating you. The smell of sin is strong—he must have hidden items.]

Because Wendigo could confirm it for her.

When Wendigo passed judgment, Skadi stabbed Sven’s chest with her sword without hesitation. Due to her weak strength, the sword didn’t penetrate deeply, but even a small wound was enough.

“Kuhek… Kkek!?”

“Lord Wendigo says you’ve hidden items. How dare you try to deceive him… Atone with your life.”

Though the wound was barely a finger joint deep, Sven couldn’t breathe. The cold energy in the sword had frozen his lungs.

As he struggled in agony before dying, people screamed at the horrific sight. Skadi beckoned to Rolo, who approached her, pale-faced.

“Do, do you have something for me to do?”

“Check the houses of those who passed Lord Wendigo’s judgment, as well as that man’s house. Bring any items you find. If even one is missing… you know what will happen, right?”

“Yes, yes, of course!”

When Skadi gave him a vicious look, Rolo responded as if having a seizure. Others nodded vigorously, following her orders.

After they left, Rolo and the others returned with haunted expressions, carrying items.

Finding the items wasn’t difficult. How large could a peasant’s house be in such a small village? With several people searching, nothing could remain hidden.

But how easy is it to determine whether someone has hidden items or not?

Not at all. That wasn’t something just anyone could do.

Only then did people realize a Djin was helping her, and they frantically begged for forgiveness.

“I’m, I’m sorry! I forgot some items at home. Please allow me to correct my mistake now!”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I must have been possessed by an evil spirit momentarily!”

Wendigo was astonished watching through the necklace. There were more people begging for forgiveness than expected.

Humans might be greedy, but to hide items even in a life-or-death situation…

[It’s fortunate I used my ability through the necklace. Otherwise, I might have turned this village into a sea of blood out of disgust.]

“If Lord Wendigo wishes, that could also be an option.”

As she caressed the necklace and muttered, people trembled. The sight of a woman who had just killed someone smiling and whispering was chilling.

She looked every bit like a witch possessed by an evil spirit. Skadi removed her hand from the necklace and commanded them with a vicious expression.

“The merciful Lord Wendigo has decided to give you one last chance. Go and bring the items you’ve hidden. If you do, we will show leniency this time.”

“Thank you! Thank you!!”

People hurriedly rose and headed home. When they returned, Skadi was inwardly shocked, though she didn’t show it on her face.

‘How much did these lunatics hide?!’

They had hidden everything from small herbs to large animal hides.

Skadi glared at the people with contempt in her eyes. She wanted to kill them right then and there.

[Calm down. There’s no need to waste energy on such creatures.]

“…Huu, if Lord Wendigo says so, I’ll comply. Go bring a large cart and load these items. Three men should prepare to pull the cart. And bring my mother’s body too. I can’t trust even a strand of my mother’s hair to you lot.”

Realizing Skadi was planning to leave, people quickly prepared a cart and piled the items on it. Her mother’s coffin was carefully placed on top.

After loading the coffin carefully to avoid any damage, people looked at each other. They had loaded everything, but who would pull the cart?

One might think anyone could pull it, but the problem was that whoever pulled the cart would inevitably have to leave the village with Skadi.

It took extraordinary courage to pull the cart of a Summoner who killed people as easily as swatting flies. What if Skadi got upset and froze them?

‘Surely they wouldn’t make an old man do such a dangerous task?’

‘Surely they wouldn’t make a young man with his whole life ahead of him do such a dangerous task?’

An untimely game of chicken ensued, and eventually Skadi decided who would pull the cart.

Rolo, who had been following her orders from the beginning; Wigo, the leader of the vigilante group; and Ralof, the cart’s owner and a hunter.

With sour expressions, the three men stepped forward, and Skadi began walking out of the village. Before leaving, she looked back at the village.

She recalled old memories… old memories…

‘The only memories I have are the times spent with mother.’

She snorted and climbed onto the cart.

“Let’s go. Pull it to the edge of the forest, and you’ll be free.”

The three men silently nodded and drove the cart.

* * *

Wigo, a wealthy farmer and leader of the vigilante group, was very displeased about being designated as Skadi’s porter. After all, he was a village elder, and the leader of the vigilante group whom even strong men dared not look in the eye.

If it had been her mother, he might have reluctantly acted as a porter despite his displeasure, but Wigo was one of those who had prayed most fervently for Skadi’s death.

Such a man would not meekly follow Skadi’s orders.

While pushing the cart, Wigo raised his head. His eyes fell on Skadi’s unguarded back.

Could he kill her now?

Fear, depending on its nature, could easily be diluted. Especially for those like Wigo, who were ignorant but wealthy.

He whispered to Ralof, who was pushing the cart alongside him.

“Don’t you feel ashamed to be under the thumb of that witch?”

“What are you suddenly talking about?”

“Well, your brother Maxim was killed by her too. Shouldn’t you avenge your brother?”

Ralof flinched at the mention of Maxim’s name. Of course he wanted to avenge his brother.

Nevertheless, Ralof couldn’t easily nod. He wanted revenge, but he was afraid of Skadi’s power.

Seeing him act fearfully, Wigo inwardly clicked his tongue. A hunter afraid of a mere girl.

Wigo knew exactly what worked as an immediate remedy in such situations. Greed.

“Think about it. If we kill this witch now, not only will you avenge your brother, but you’ll have a chance to become rich.”

“Rich…”

“Yes, rich. How long do you plan to wander the forest and struggle? Just take the items in this cart, and you can become a wealthy farmer like me.”

Ralof’s gaze turned, entranced, toward the inside of the cart. He could barely imagine how much the herbs alone would fetch.

As Ralof swallowed his saliva, Wigo smiled slyly. He sensed his persuasion was working.

Wigo handed Ralof a dagger hidden at his waist.

“We’ll soon reach the forest boundary. She’ll let her guard down thinking she’s left the village, and that’s when you should strike her in one go.”

“What about Rolo? He doesn’t know about our plan.”

“He’s a quick-witted fellow. Given the situation, he’ll make the right judgment.”

“…Since Rolo isn’t part of the plan, we split the goods in half.”

The two greedy men smiled vilely as they hid the dagger in the cart, positioned so they could draw it at any moment.

How much time had passed?

The cart stopped as it reached the boundary. The two men carefully reached for the dagger. However…

Skadi had already noticed their plan. She turned her head to look at them.

“If only you hadn’t had such stupid thoughts, you could have returned alive.”

“!”

When Skadi sneered, the two realized she had noticed. There was no way out, but they didn’t give up.

At least if they attacked from both sides, there was a chance to kill the witch!

“Rolo, grab that woman!”

“Even a witch will die if stabbed with a dagger!”

The two shouted to Rolo as they drew their daggers. They thought if he was quick-witted, he would pounce on the witch.

Of course, Rolo was quick-witted. The problem was that he was even more perceptive than they thought.

Rolo squeezed his eyes shut and sat down.

At that moment, something flew from the forest and pierced Ralof’s head. No, it did more than pierce—it shattered it completely.

Hot blood sprayed, and Wigo was covered in it. Wigo fell and floundered in shock.

“Uh, uwaaaaah!?”

“Worms. The smell through the necklace was terrible, but the smell up close is unbearable.”

The intense cold washed away the warmth of the blood, and Wigo looked up in fear at the monster that appeared before him.

It was a giant. A giant with deer antlers was looking down at him.

Wendigo created an ice spear and thrust it toward Wigo’s heart. Wigo tried to block the spear with his dagger, but how could human strength overcome Wendigo’s monstrous power?

Wendigo’s spear shattered the dagger and pierced Wigo’s heart. When he pulled out the spear, only red ice formed where the wound should have been.

“Ah, aaaah…”

With two men suddenly dead and a monster appearing before him, Rolo lost his words and wet himself. Wendigo looked at Rolo.

“I sense no malice from you. I’ll spare your life, so take the corpses back.”

“Y-yes?”

Wendigo didn’t repeat himself. He pulled the cart and headed deeper into the forest. Skadi followed him into the forest as well.

Left alone with two corpses, Rolo stared blankly at the forest.

It was only after a long while that he came to his senses and left the forest. And as he returned to the village with the corpses, he made a vow.

Never to enter the forest again.