Ch.78Chapter 78

Alfodur smiled widely, showing his teeth.

The thrilling pain, cold air, and even Freya’s killing intent were all incredibly welcome.

All of those things were proof that he had reached the middle realm.

“I’d like to enjoy this sensation a bit longer… but I’m afraid my body isn’t in good shape, so it will be difficult.”

Alfodur felt the limitations of his body and expressed great regret. A warrior’s body wasn’t sturdy enough to contain a god’s spirit.

Of course, it was partly Alfodur’s fault for treating the body roughly. How could one be fine after plucking out a perfectly good eye?

Freya pointed at Alfodur and scolded him.

“That’s what happens when you possess a body that doesn’t match your level. And why did you pluck out the eye? Don’t you see how scared our kids are because of that?”

“Um… us?”

Skadi asked in confusion, pointing to herself and Shir. They weren’t such naive Summoners who would be frightened just because an eye was plucked out.

They were already tough women who had seen their fair share of horrors…

“Well, Freya. We’re actually fi—”

“Hmm, it certainly isn’t a pleasant sight.”

When Wendigo nodded and supported Freya’s claim, Skadi swallowed her words as if she had never intended to say them.

As Skadi gave a subtle smile, Shir sighed.

It was already maddening enough that a self-proclaimed god had plucked out his own eye, but now even Skadi, the most calm and sensible one, was starting to lose her mind…

Alfodur pointed at the sighing Shir with a sly smile.

“That young lady doesn’t seem frightened at all. And if they were to be scared of something, wouldn’t the Ogre beside them be more frightening than me?”

“?”

“You certainly have strong prejudices, like someone from the old days—or rather, an old god. Gulmarg is a kind-hearted Ogre.”

Wendigo lightly countered Alfodur’s remark. Alfodur looked at Wendigo as if that couldn’t possibly be true, but he didn’t back down from his assertion.

Honestly, Gulmarg was more decent by common sense than Alfodur, who plucked out his follower’s eye while they were still alive.

Wendigo glared at Alfodur and warned him.

“You look unwell, so I’d prefer if we got to the main point quickly.”

“Oh, I apologize. I got carried away with idle talk in the excitement of returning. But before we get to the main point… how about sending those young ladies away?”

“You mean Skadi and Shir? Why?”

Wendigo didn’t lower his guard. The northern gods were bad people, as acknowledged by Freya.

It wouldn’t be strange if they tried something while the women were separated from him.

Sensing Wendigo’s wariness, Alfodur explained with a sour expression.

“The story I’m about to tell is quite old. They can listen if they want, but… honestly, I don’t think the Summoners will just sit quietly and listen.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Summoners with aroused curiosity tend to chatter like sparrows. Unfortunately, with my body in this state, if I try to answer all their questions, I’ll die before I can get to the main point.”

“Surely they wouldn’t—actually, they probably would.”

Flinch.

Alfodur’s sharp guess made Skadi and Shir awkwardly turn their heads away.

Wendigo looked at them with an incredulous expression.

Despite the obviously abnormal situation, they were still planning to ask questions…

They blushed and made excuses.

“Records about gods are so rare in the world…”

“And he’s an entity whose name we didn’t even know. It’s unavoidable curiosity for a Summoner.”

Wendigo, who was far from such intellectual curiosity, found it difficult to understand them, but…

Blood is thicker than water, so Wendigo decided to accept their excuses.

“Indeed, a Summoner’s curiosity is an unavoidable instinct.”

“Are you doubting me? Though I have fallen so low that my name isn’t even remembered, no one in this winter land could lie in my name. If you want, I could swear an oath…”

“Good. Swear that you won’t try anything with those two.”

“……”

Alfodur was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Wendigo to be so forceful.

Those who dealt with gods were usually high in status and ability.

Naturally, such people would think, ‘If a god is willing to mention an oath, I can probably trust them,’ and let it go…

‘Do today’s Djin lack ambition for honor?’

Alfodur’s judgment was about half wrong. Even after the gods disappeared, Djin were still arrogant creatures obsessed with strange notions of honor.

However, Wendigo had little ambition for honor and didn’t believe in something as unclear as honor.

‘Most of those I’ve met so far have mentioned honor.’

The Boar, Oneton, and even the Summoners who approached with what they called deals but were actually threats—they all had their own sense of honor.

But in Wendigo’s eyes, honor was nothing more than an ornament. There were too many who would kill someone and then claim it was unavoidable for the sake of honor.

‘I can’t entrust the lives of my people to such beliefs, nor do I have any reason to.’

Wendigo glared at Alfodur as if telling him to hurry up and swear.

Those who consider themselves honorable find it difficult to take back their words.

Alfodur swore with a sour expression.

“I swear by the Creator, who is both my father and mother, that I will not extend my hand to Skadi and Shir…”

“I’d prefer a clearer oath. ‘Extending a hand’ can be interpreted too ambiguously.”

“……”

Alfodur looked at Wendigo with an incredulous expression.

What kind of person is this…?

Watching this scene, Freya felt refreshed as if she had drunk ice-cold water.

‘Hehehe. Wendigo, you’re so annoying when arguing with me, but at times like this, you’re truly lovable!’

Freya looked at Wendigo with affection in her eyes.

Sensing that gaze, Wendigo was puzzled. He couldn’t understand why Freya suddenly showed goodwill.

‘Is she crazy?’

A brief and rude thought crossed Wendigo’s mind—one that would have made Freya shout if she had known about it.

Only after Alfodur made a clear and complex oath regarding Skadi and Shir was he able to converse with Wendigo.

* * *

Alfodur began to tell an old tale to an audience that was hard to imagine—two Djin and one Ogre.

At first, Wendigo thought it wouldn’t be very helpful. After all, he lived in the present, not the past, and needed to focus on the future.

However, Wendigo’s thoughts gradually changed as Alfodur’s story grew longer.

“So… the gods are the children of the Creator who made the world, and they were banished because they caused too many problems?”

“That could be said. The Creator was the most benevolent being and couldn’t stand by watching the middle realm fall into chaos.”

“But couldn’t the Creator have made the gods good from the beginning?”

Wendigo doubted Alfodur’s words. Logically, if the Creator hadn’t wanted it, there was no reason for the children’s personalities to be so messed up.

But Alfodur shook his head and spoke.

“The Creator was omnipotent but not omniscient. The void used as material to create the world was already tainted with evil.”

That’s why the world was indiscriminately born with evil people, good people, and those in between. Even the gods couldn’t escape this law…

Wendigo asked Alfodur curiously.

“So the Djin’s terrible personalities are because they’re tainted with evil?”

“Hahaha. The Djin certainly do have terrible personalities. That hasn’t changed from the old days to now, it seems.”

“That’s right. Djin, terrible personalities.”

“… Why are you looking at me?”

Feeling the sharp gazes directed at her, Freya grumbled, and Alfodur burst into laughter while touching his empty eye socket.

“The reason Djin have bad personalities isn’t because they’re tainted with evil, but because of the law of survival of the fittest. That law is the most powerful one, born simultaneously with the world.”

‘Indeed, contempt for the weak is fundamental to Djin.’

To practice survival of the fittest, one needed the ability to judge whether the other was weak.

Naturally, Djin, born from nature and almost identical to nature itself, couldn’t help but be strongly influenced by this law.

Moreover, since they were surrounded by beings weaker than themselves, it was a natural progression for Djin to become arrogant and cunning.

“Well, let’s move past these boring old stories. Learning from the past is good, but it’s no reason to postpone problems that need to be solved right now.”

“Right. Why did you appear in the forest? You weren’t interested in it before you were banished by the Creator.”

Freya glared at Alfodur with a displeased expression.

Though his personality might have mellowed after living as an exile for a long time, his essence hadn’t changed.

The essence of a war god who glorified warriors’ tragedies and delighted in dozens of lives being cut short.

Alfodur snorted at Freya’s question.

“Freya, are you really going to pretend you don’t know? Don’t you truly understand what it means that I’ve returned?”

“You two, stop talking about things only you understand. We’re young and don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Gulmarg scolded them with a frustrated expression.

Alfodur pointed at Gulmarg and said:

“Where did your high intelligence come from?”

“From a strange fruit.”

“Yes, a fruit. That’s the Fruit of Wisdom that only grew when gods walked the middle realm. It’s a mysterious fruit that makes anyone who eats it awaken to intellect and discern good from evil.”

“What are you trying to say?”

Wendigo urged Alfodur.

This old god seemed so happy about returning to his homeland that his tongue had grown too long.

“The banished gods have started returning to the middle realm, and the awakening of the Fruit of Wisdom and artifacts is just the beginning of it.”

Alfodur looked at Gulmarg, tapped his head once, and then tapped a stone fragment he had picked up from the ground once more.

Throwing away the stone fragment, Alfodur drew runes in the air, creating a large circle with several circles surrounding it.

Alfodur pointed to the largest circle and spoke.

“This circle is the middle realm. The largest, greatest, and most perfect place. It could be said to be more interesting and enjoyable than any other place.”

“And the other circles?”

“What else? They are the dimensions that the Creator separated for the banished children.”

Lines extended from the various dimensions surrounding the middle realm, pointing toward it.

Wendigo realized that this represented the connections between the middle realm and other dimensions.

“It seems gaps have formed between the dimensions.”

“Yes. It could be said to be the result of efforts to return to the middle realm. However… it’s not enough for gods to return to the middle realm.”

“So that’s why you’re possessing a warrior’s body instead of directly descending.”

Alfodur nodded. Naturally, Wendigo became suspicious.

What was the reason for visiting the forest?

“This is suspicious. The forest people have faint faith in the old gods, so why did you come to this forest?”

“You ask the obvious. Of course, I came looking for you.”

Alfodur’s single eye gleamed as he extended his hand to Wendigo.

“Would you like to do something great with me?”

“……”

Wendigo looked at Alfodur’s hand.

Then he looked at Freya’s face, then at Gulmarg’s face…

“… I must say, this is the first offer I’ve ever wanted to refuse so badly.”

Wendigo moved away from Alfodur in disgust. He didn’t even need to smell him.

This guy was clearly a con artist.