Ch.7Chapter 7

The Wendigo who led Skadi into the forest first put her to sleep.

No matter how sudden the situation, people need to eat, drink, and sleep.

With the relief of having completed her mission, Skadi fell fast asleep. The Wendigo expected as much.

Running away from the village through the forest, confronting a monster, and even threatening people in the village…

“It’s only natural to be tired after going through so much.”

The Wendigo selected a suitable piece of leather from the cart and covered Skadi with it. Looking at her sleeping peacefully, it was hard to believe she had acted like such a cold-hearted witch earlier.

After tidying her hair, the Wendigo stared intently at her necklace.

The mysterious necklace created through their contract.

Wondering if he could make one himself, he tried to examine the necklace, but it wasn’t easy.

The patterns and characters engraved on the necklace emitted light as bright as stars in the night sky, not even allowing him to look at it properly.

‘She said something about the gods’ writing… I can’t even see what it looks like because of the light.’

Though he could adjust his vision to not see it, the Wendigo, being something similar to a Djin, could perceive mystical things.

The problem was that whatever Skadi had engraved emitted mystical energy that concealed its appearance even when he wasn’t trying to look at it.

‘Is this an inherent limitation of Djin?’

Perhaps among the powers that Summoners wield, there are forces not permitted to Djin. The Wendigo quickly declared his surrender.

Anyway, if he needed something he didn’t know about, he could just ask Skadi.

‘Since Skadi has nowhere to go, she’ll travel with me. If she speaks well, I won’t need to silence people we meet.’

All things considered, it was fortunate that Skadi was the first human he encountered. He held Skadi in his arms to share warmth.

Though he didn’t need sleep, lying with Skadi didn’t seem so bad.

* * *

Skadi greeted the new morning refreshed, forgetting the previous day’s fatigue. As soon as she woke up, she apologized to the Wendigo with a flushed face.

“I-I’m so sorry! How dare I squirm in your arms, Wendigo-nim!?”

“The fault is mine for acting without saying anything. There’s no need to be embarrassed, so please calm down.”

The Wendigo scratched his skull in apology. His holding her seemed to have been more disconcerting to Skadi than he expected.

She was so startled that when their eyes met as she tossed and turned, she screamed loud enough to wake the dead. She bowed her head in embarrassment.

“It’s fine, so raise your head. I’m thinking of finding a place to bury your mother now. You should choose a suitable spot so your mother can find peace.”

“Ah…”

Skadi let out a gasp as she looked at the coffin loaded on the cart. While the soul had already departed to nature’s embrace, the body was still wandering…

As she gazed at the coffin with a distant look, the Wendigo grabbed the cart’s handle. The cart, which would have made three strong men struggle, was lifted effortlessly.

“I think a Summoner would be better at this sort of thing, so it would be best if you choose your mother’s burial site.”

“Yes! Leave it to me!”

Skadi answered energetically. While she wanted to live up to the Wendigo’s trust, she also had confidence.

A Summoner is a versatile talent, simply put, highly skilled labor.

They butcher animals themselves to obtain important parts, wander around looking for mysterious herbs, and must be good at crafting items to offer to spirits…

With so many tasks that couldn’t be delegated to others, there was much they had to do themselves. Moreover, due to their position as Summoners, they needed to be proficient in rituals, funerals, and geomancy.

With so much to do, they sometimes delegated work to disciples or servants, but…

“Mother said that a true Summoner must know how to fulfill their duties alone. Finding a good burial site is simple!”

“Your mother… was quite a formidable woman.”

Skadi’s mother was, to put it kindly, diligent and hardworking, or a bit less kindly, a workaholic. Naturally, Skadi, raised under such a mother, had similar traits.

Watching Skadi wander through the forest, examining mystical energies with her spiritual sight and considering sunlight and wind, the Wendigo thought:

‘She’s like a puppy.’

It wasn’t an insult at all. He genuinely felt like he was watching a puppy.

Like a dog wagging its tail at the mention of a walk, Skadi moved through the forest with a bounce in her step.

Grabbing a handful of soil to assess its quality, observing sunlight filtering through leaves, her search for the perfect burial site seemed almost cheerful.

‘The way she blindly follows after receiving help, she really is like a puppy.’

While watching her move about, the Wendigo turned his head toward a mystical resonance he sensed somewhere.

Not a strong scent, but a definitely perceptible, subtle fragrance.

The Wendigo looked at Skadi. She too seemed to have detected the mystical energy, staring blankly in the direction he had been watching.

“Skadi, I sense mystical energy from over there.”

“Yes, I can see it too. It’s quite… quite a warm mystical energy.”

Warm mystical energy sounded promising.

The Wendigo took her across the forest, following the scent. As the subtle fragrance intensified, the Wendigo marveled at the beautiful sight before him.

“Wooow…”

“It’s a beautiful place. Feels like looking at a mansion from a fairy tale.”

A clearing in the dim forest. There stood a mansion embraced by greenery.

It seemed to have been abandoned for quite some time, with vines growing over the door and weeds flourishing in the garden.

However, perhaps because it was a place where gentle sunlight and fresh breeze passed through, it didn’t feel like an abandoned house. The Wendigo approached the mansion, following the scent.

There was no sign of life. He carefully opened the door. Inside, unnamed birds and squirrels were sleeping…

“It seems it belonged to a Summoner who lived alone.”

In what appeared to be a bedroom, the deceased’s remains lay in a comfortable position. It seemed the Summoner had no acquaintances.

He carefully collected the remains. Skadi, who hadn’t expected the Wendigo to personally handle the remains, hurriedly approached him.

“Wendigo-nim! You can leave such tasks to me!”

“What does it matter? The mystical energy from the remains is fragrant, suggesting they belonged to a good Summoner. It’s only right to properly collect the remains of such a person.”

Of course, the sight of a large monster crouching to handle remains might be quite amusing… but what did it matter? She was the only one watching.

After collecting the remains in a bedsheet, the Wendigo left the mansion.

“Which is the best spot? I’d like to bury this Summoner together with your mother.”

“There, that spot seems best.”

The Wendigo headed to where she pointed. It was quite nice, with good sunlight and pretty flowers blooming around.

The Wendigo created an ice shovel and dug up the ground in one go. His speed was so impressive that in just a few minutes, a hole large enough to accommodate two people was created.

Skadi took charge of the funeral proceedings. She sang a requiem to soothe the soul’s lingering attachments and sorrows, and placed the prettiest flowers she could find on top of the coffin.

The Wendigo made a coffin for the unnamed Summoner. The remains were neatly placed in a coffin made of the clearest, purest ice, and Skadi once again offered a requiem and flowers.

In the peaceful forest, two Summoners found their rest.

* * *

After discussion with Skadi, the Wendigo decided to stay at the mansion. Apart from the vines and dust, it was quite decent.

“If we think of it as an inheritance left by the deceased, it should be fine.”

“Is that so?”

“Having helped the Summoner find eternal rest, they would forgive this much.”

Persuaded by the Wendigo, Skadi went along with it. Moreover, she too thought it would be a waste to just abandon the mansion.

A Summoner understands a Summoner’s heart best.

The mansion was equipped with tools for handling herbs, a drying room, a place for butchering, and even a room for woodworking. Honestly, Skadi was quite tempted.

Thus, they settled in the mansion. With their residence resolved, the Wendigo made his most necessary request to Skadi.

“Whether leather or cloth, I need something large enough to cover my lower body.”

“I can make it, but… do you really need it?”

“I do.”

For the Wendigo, who still had a human mind despite becoming a monster, going around with his lower parts exposed was more distressing than one might think.

Even if they were covered with leather and fur… it still wasn’t right. Seeing the Wendigo make such a strong request for the first time, Skadi put her skills to use.

Despite being busy, she prioritized fulfilling the Wendigo’s request, and after about a week, she presented him with a quite decent item.

“The size is appropriate, and the color is similar to my body.”

“I tried my best to make it a similar color. I also engraved several spells to allow it to repair damage.”

The Wendigo was quite surprised to hear about the self-repairing function. He knew Skadi was skilled, but could she really imbue such abilities?

As he stared at her, Skadi gave an awkward smile.

“My skills were insufficient, but among the items left by the previous owner of this mansion, there were troll hide and blood, which I used. Both contain mystical properties of recovery and toughness.”

“Still, not just anyone could make this even with the materials… impressive.”

With the leather wrapped around his waist, the Wendigo finally found peace of mind. Indeed, it was right to keep private parts covered.

He left the mansion with a light step, intending to go hunting.

“I’ll catch something suitable, so wait here.”

“What shall we have for dinner tonight?”

“Stew would be nice. I’ll catch a deer.”

With plenty of vegetables that had been left in the garden, there was no shortage of food. Especially with Skadi’s excellent cooking skills, meals were a delight.

However, there was one thing lacking.

Meat. No matter how delicious the food, without meat, something was missing.

‘A deer’s head but an omnivorous diet. What a strange body. No, maybe I’m carnivorous since I don’t feel full without meat?’

It was hard to know for sure. If there were other Wendigos, he could ask, but forget meeting one, it was questionable if they even existed in this world.

The Wendigo shook off these idle thoughts and wandered through the forest. Hunting had become quite enjoyable.

Heading toward the snow-covered part of the forest beyond the mansion, he spotted a herd of deer drinking from a half-frozen stream. He aimed his spear.

‘Perfect, they can’t see me from behind.’

The Wendigo threw his spear. It pierced through two deer at once, and a scream echoed through the forest.

“Aaaaargh!!?”

“……”

Not the cry of a deer, but the scream of a person.

The Wendigo fell silent at the somehow familiar situation. Looking at the spear that had pierced the deer, he thought:

‘… Maybe I should stop hunting with spears?’

Though it was coincidental, somehow it felt like throwing the spear was the mistake. He sighed and approached the spear.

Since it had come to this, he might as well check who it was.