Ch.97Chapter 97

The Wendigo’s visit was something no one had anticipated.

It hadn’t begun with good relations with the witches, and above all, why would a being with the status of Forest King need to visit personally?

If they had just sent someone from the palace, the witches would have prepared themselves mentally and gone to see him!

“E-everyone calm down and return to your seats!”

Osa was the quickest to regain her composure.

She glanced at the Wendigo while trying to calm the witches.

After all, it wouldn’t do her any good to offend the Wendigo—not for the witches or herself.

“B-but…”

However, the witches couldn’t easily calm themselves.

As time had passed, they had come to know that the Wendigo wasn’t an evil being.

They couldn’t help but know this when praises of the Djin were heard every day.

They couldn’t help but know, but…

‘It’s terrifying!!!’

Being watched by an ominous deer skull with no presence was another matter entirely.

It would be less unsettling if they could at least sense its presence, but wasn’t the Wendigo a being that existed without any trace of presence?

The witches stared at Osa with tearful eyes, but she steeled her wavering heart and shouted sternly.

“I-if you continue like this, I’ll make you have a meeting with the Djin!”

“Eeeek!!!”

Osa’s threat(?) was quite effective.

In this world, few people wanted to meet with a superior, especially one who could behead them with just a flick of a finger.

As the witches returned to their seats with shrill screams, Osa glanced at the window.

The Wendigo’s head was still there, watching them. By this point, Osa suspected that the Wendigo might be monitoring her.

Honestly, she couldn’t think of any other reason for the Wendigo to visit.

‘Could it be that he thinks I’m trying to exploit these innocent witches?’

Most Summoners were the type who would do anything for their craft.

To such people, witches were quite useful… no, extremely useful beings.

Unlike Djin, they communicated well, and even if the mystical energy stored in their bodies ran out, it would recover over time…

Moreover, each could cast primitive spells.

It wouldn’t be strange for those obsessed with spellcraft to want to study every inch of their bodies.

‘But I have no such intentions!’

Osa swallowed her indignation and convinced herself that her suspicion was true.

Of course, having spent considerable time with Skadi Brynhild as a secretary, she knew well that the Wendigo strongly trusted his people.

But the Wendigo had many followers, and if they voiced concerns, it was natural for the Wendigo to take measures.

Osa thought of this as a kind of trial(?) she had to endure and burned with determination.

She would definitely show trustworthy behavior and gain trust!

‘Hmm, it seems Osa enjoys teaching people.’

…In reality, the Wendigo wasn’t particularly suspicious, but that’s beside the point.

Why would the Wendigo, who could discern the malice in people’s hearts, bother monitoring someone?

It would be easier to just summon them, ask what he wanted to know, and make a judgment.

He was merely observing out of boredom, but unaware of this, Osa passionately conducted her class.

Naturally, the consequences fell on the witches. The witches diligently took notes while screaming internally.

‘Is he gone? Or not? The teacher keeps glancing at the window—does that mean he’s still here?!’

‘I can’t turn my head!’

Although making eye contact wouldn’t bring a curse or turn them to stone, the witches were extremely tense.

They felt they might scream if they turned their heads and made eye contact with the Wendigo.

The Wendigo watched this scene and let out a satisfied laugh.

“It’s a bit sad that they’re startled by my face, but I’m glad everyone seems to be adapting well.”

The Wendigo didn’t think much of the witches fearing him.

It was an undeniable fact that more people in the world feared him than not.

However, it was surprising that they felt fear even while listening to Osa’s lesson…

The Wendigo thought that emotion was directed not at him but at Osa.

Isn’t it an unavoidable fate that passionate educators receive complaints from students, regardless of the era?

“Hmm… I wonder if Osa is teaching the students too passionately from the first day?”

“Uh… yes. It seems so.”

One might wonder whose fault it was that her passion had intensified.

Skadi knew the answer but buried the truth. Above all, there was no opportunity to reveal it.

The Wendigo turned his head at the familiar presence felt nearby.

There was Gulmarg, an Ogre boasting a massive build, approaching with an unfamiliar woman and a child on his shoulders.

Thanks to the owl quickly finding its master, the news had been delivered swiftly.

Gulmarg approached with thundering steps and spoke to the Wendigo.

“Wendigo, I received a message from Krjotie and came…”

“Kyaaaaaaah!?”

A witch who turned her head at Gulmarg’s voice screamed in surprise.

Having the Wendigo behind was frightening enough, but with an Ogre present as well, she couldn’t suppress her scream.

The Wendigo and Gulmarg were startled by the sharp scream and turned their heads.

When their eyes met, the witch fainted on the spot.

“……”

“……”

The Wendigo and Gulmarg quietly lowered their posture and left the place.

* * *

The Wendigo headed to a suitable forest with Gulmarg.

He would have liked to enjoy refreshments and conversation with Gulmarg, but there was an issue to resolve first.

The Wendigo stared at the two figures hiding behind Gulmarg.

“Eek!”

“Wow…”

The combination of a gloomy-looking woman and a bright-eyed teenager was utterly bewildering.

The Wendigo’s gaze slowly turned to Gulmarg. Gulmarg, seemingly guessing the Wendigo’s thoughts, cleared his throat and feigned ignorance.

“Ahem! Wendigo, I didn’t mean to involve you in a troublesome matter.”

“It’s not particularly troublesome. Not troublesome, but…”

Why on earth was he walking around with a child and a witch?

The Wendigo curiously examined the witch’s body. It wasn’t a lie that she was a witch; mystical energy flowed through her body.

Then the one who wrote the message must be the little one beside her…

“You must be the witch mentioned in the message. So, your reason for coming to the forest…”

“Eek!? I-I’m sorry! I apologize!!!”

“No…”

The witch, terrified for some reason, rambled incoherently and prostrated herself on the ground, begging for forgiveness.

The Wendigo, bewildered, looked at Skadi.

Skadi, with a perplexed expression, gave an awkward smile and carefully approached the witch.

She gently held the gloomy witch’s arms with a bright smile that captivated people’s hearts.

“The Wendigo can be frightening. But could you please calm down a bit and listen?”

“Ah… that…”

Skadi was skilled at calming people.

Who wouldn’t be calmed by a beautiful woman whispering in a gentle voice with a subtle smile?

The witch blushed and stammered.

The overly kind attitude and the soothing scent that put her mind at ease blocked her thoughts.

Seeing this, Gulmarg tapped the witch’s back with his finger to calm her.

“Anna, calm down. Wendigo, good Djin.”

“Y-yes! I’ll calm down-ack!?”

‘Is she… really a witch?’

As the gloomy witch, Anna, bit her tongue while answering, the Wendigo pondered.

Not all witches he had met were overflowing with confidence, but… Anna was surprisingly timid.

At least, it was impossible to imagine that she had come with suspicious intentions. If it was all an act, the Wendigo would feel obliged to be deceived.

As Anna fidgeted after her mistake, Jermy, the little one standing beside her, held her hand tightly and smiled brightly.

“Witch. Don’t worry! The Djin is a good person!”

“J-Jermy~”

Anna seemed to rely heavily on Jermy, the boy with golden hair and green eyes. She noticeably calmed down when he showed a positive attitude.

Anna grinned and bowed her waist, then nestled against Jermy’s shoulder, and Jermy patted her back as if used to it…

The Wendigo, dumbfounded, approached Gulmarg and whispered.

“Is Jermy perhaps not human but another race? Like a dwarf…”

“Jermy, not dwarf. Dwarfs, rarely come out from underground.”

Gulmarg assured that Jermy was human. He had the ability to identify races by smell, and Jermy’s scent was definitely human.

“If I eat him, I could know more precisely, but then Jermy might die.”

“That won’t be necessary. I’m just… a bit dumbfounded.”

“Hehehehehe.”

The Wendigo was bewildered as he looked at Anna, who was grinning like a simpleton and enjoying the touch.

Gulmarg nodded in agreement. Honestly, she did look like a simpleton.

“By the way, the message sent by that kid mentioned becoming a disciple… what does that mean?”

“Djin, Gulmarg master? May I explain that?”

Jermy, who had been arranging Anna’s hair until just now, stood up abruptly and approached the two when he heard his name.

The Wendigo was quite surprised by his boldness. It wasn’t possible with ordinary courage to step between a Djin and an Ogre.

Impressed by his dignified attitude, the Wendigo nodded, and Gulmarg, showing a slightly uncomfortable expression, also nodded.

With permission granted, Jermy smiled broadly and bowed deeply in greeting.

“Hello! I am Jermy, who came to the forest to protect the witch! By chance, I met Master Gulmarg, and thanks to the master’s generous heart helping us, we came together!”

“Hmm, Gulmarg doesn’t harm others without reason… but what’s this about ‘master’?”

It was understandable that they met Gulmarg by chance and received help.

Gulmarg rarely took lives unless he was hungry, and he wasn’t the type to harm women and children.

However, it was hard to understand a human having an Ogre as a master.

Setting everything else aside… their basic physical conditions were different.

What could a human, who would be crushed by a rock, learn from an Ogre with the monstrous strength to split rocks?

… Gulmarg had thought the same until recently.

“Yes. Five days ago, the master accepted me as his disciple, and I’ve been receiving his teachings!”

“Is that true, Gulmarg?”

“… Wendigo, don’t misunderstand. It’s not something I wanted.”

When the Wendigo looked at him, Gulmarg avoided his eyes and answered.

Honestly, teaching a young human of about 15 years wasn’t without its excesses.

But he truly had no ill intentions. The boy himself wanted it… and he had more talent than expected.

“Jermy, talented. Devoured teachings.”

“What on earth…”

When the Wendigo, who had the ability to discern truth, didn’t dispel his doubts, Gulmarg felt betrayed.

Gulmarg pouted and nodded toward Jermy.

“Wendigo, spar with Jermy. Then you’ll understand my words.”

“Hieeeek!? Master Gulmarg! What kind of crazy talk is thaaaat!!!”

“I’m fine with it.”

At this radical, or rather murderous, proposal, Anna shrieked in horror at Gulmarg, while Jermy, seemingly genuinely okay with it, looked at the Wendigo with sparkling eyes.

‘Seeing Gulmarg speak like this, there must be something… though I’m not sure yet.’

Was it right to spar with a young child?

The Wendigo, pondering, slightly turned his head to look at Skadi standing beside him.

‘…Come to think of it, women aren’t necessarily weak.’

When he first met Skadi, she had just become an adult.

Even then, she was a sufficiently skilled Summoner, so why should the child before him be any different?

In places fraught with danger, it’s natural that the ones who need to be careful are not the sturdy men but the elderly, women, and children.

“Very well. Let’s exchange some light blows.”

“Hieeeek!?”

When the Wendigo accepted the spar, Anna made a dying sound and rolled her eyes.

It wasn’t just pretense; she really fainted. Jermy, as if used to it, wrapped Anna in his cloak and laid her in a sunny spot.

Watching this, the Wendigo and Skadi looked at each other and nodded.

If nothing else, the child certainly had tough nerves.

* * *

The Wendigo moved to a different location for the spar.

This was out of concern that Anna might faint again if she woke up and saw Jermy engaged in the spar.

The Wendigo sat on a suitable rock and observed Jermy preparing for the spar.

Jermy’s body, with his upper garments removed, was quite impressive. His extremely trained muscles clearly showed innate qualities like those of a beast.

“You have an impressive body for your young age. There’s some natural talent, but your arms and shoulders show signs of training…”

“Indeed! You’re amazing, just as Master Gulmarg said!”

Jermy, seemingly having no intention to hide, sincerely answered the Wendigo’s question.

Jermy, who had prided himself on his healthy body since childhood, had started working in a forge following his parents.

He began by burning charcoal and managing the furnace, but after turning ten, he naturally started wielding a hammer and striking iron.

Thus, Jermy’s trained arms and back muscles could be considered the fruits of his effort.

As he wrapped his body in leather armor, he continued.

“But I wasn’t this trained before. About six months ago, I suffered from a high fever, and when I regained consciousness, my body had changed like this.”

“Hmm… I see.”

It was strange, but not miraculous.

Wasn’t this a world where witches, who had been ignorant of spellcraft, could hold mystical energy in their bodies and cast spells overnight?

Suffering from a high fever and waking up with a changed body might be relatively common.

Jermy, holding a hammer in one hand and a poker in the other, bounced his body in preparation for the spar.

Watching this, the Wendigo asked Skadi.

“If it becomes dangerous, please protect Jermy.”

“Even I would find it difficult to block your attacks… but I’ll try my best.”

When Skadi reluctantly nodded, the Wendigo steeled his resolve.

The Wendigo created an ice spear and held it with the blade pointing downward.

Gulmarg, as the referee of this sacred spar, stood between them and raised his club.

“When the club hits the ground, the spar begins. Both warriors, take this seriously.”

The Wendigo and Jermy nodded.

Without any hesitation, Gulmarg threw the club toward the sky.

Thud!

The club lightly hit the ground.

Jermy, who had been bouncing his body until just now, launched himself toward the Wendigo like an arrow at the signal.

The Wendigo unhesitatingly threw the ice spear at Jermy.

Of course, it wasn’t an ice spear with his full strength. The Wendigo wasn’t so obsessed with combat as to use something so dangerous in a spar.

However, it remained a sufficiently dangerous attack for an ordinary warrior.

‘If Gulmarg took him as a disciple, he should be able to block this much.’

If he couldn’t block it, it would be the result of Jermy’s recklessness and Gulmarg’s favoritism.

The Wendigo watched Jermy, anticipating how he would respond.

And Jermy did not disappoint that expectation.

‘He’s accurately tracking the spear’s trajectory!’

Jermy’s green eyes shone, and his poker extended forward.

Of course, he wasn’t trying to break the ice spear with the poker. Jermy, who skillfully caught the ice spear with the poker, didn’t resist its force.

Instead, he naturally rotated his body by pulling his arm inward and observed the ice spear.

“Hup!”

With a short shout, Jermy struck the ice spear with his hammer.

From this sight, the Wendigo recalled a past battle, or rather spar, with Gulmarg.

Was it mere coincidence that the image of Gulmarg swinging his club to shatter ice flashed through his mind?

‘That can’t be.’

The Wendigo fundamentally didn’t believe in coincidences. He had been involved in too many incidents and accidents to believe in such things.

And the Wendigo’s judgment was accurate.

Clang!

The hammer, wielded with unbelievable strength for a mere 15-year-old, shattered the ice spear.

…No, it wasn’t just shattering.

It was precisely calibrated force targeting the weak point of the ice spear.

It was an achievement created by a strong physique, familiar and sturdy equipment, and excellent senses.

“I see why Gulmarg took you as his disciple.”

“Thank you!”

The Wendigo recognized the young boy before him as a warrior.

Not just an ordinary warrior, but one born with the potential to become a renowned hero.

Then he should be treated accordingly.

‘I wonder how far he can go.’

The Wendigo scraped his foot against the ground. Cold air swirled around, freezing the earth.

From the frozen ground, with the sound of air freezing, various ice weapons emerged.

Spears, swords, axes, hammers, daggers, and flails…

Holding these weapons with their ominous blades gleaming, the Wendigo laughed and glared at Jermy.

“I’m a bit curious to see how much you can destroy.”

“…Hiccup.”

Jermy maintained his smile but hiccupped.

A storm of weapons targeted him.