Chapter 109

Realizing Wendigo was serious, Freyja showed her aversion with disgust.

“No way. Why should I go meet them!”

“You just said you liked them because they’re pretty. Just help by talking to them, don’t refuse.”

“Darling, I was interested in them over 1000 years ago, okay? I’ve been settled in the north since then!”

Freyja didn’t give in easily to Wendigo’s persuasion. She didn’t want to meet the elves, with whom she had few good memories.

Freyja gritted her teeth, recalling the being the elves had fallen head over heels for.

“Do you know how weird their heads are? They’re enchanted by the World Tree, that damned tree, and won’t listen to reason.”

“The World Tree… I’ve heard about it from Skadi. It’s a spirit-like being that’s large and beautiful, worshipped by the elves, right?”

The World Tree (世界樹) was a special tree that one could predict just by hearing its name.

According to what was known on the continent, it bestowed special blessings on elves and protected them from gods and spirits…

Elves blessed by the World Tree weren’t easily enchanted even by Freyja’s outstanding beauty.

“Isn’t it natural that they’re hard to seduce if such a being has blessed them?”

Wendigo was puzzled. From his perspective, it was all too obvious.

After all, the best means for gods and spirits to seduce mortals is to entice them with mystery, so isn’t it inevitable when the most powerful means is blocked?

However, from Freyja’s perspective, it wasn’t obvious at all.

“That’s because you don’t know well. The World Tree’s blessing is different from a god’s blessing.”

If a god’s blessing is like stuffing a lump into the body, the World Tree’s blessing is a power that accumulates gradually.

They eat plants growing where the World Tree’s roots reach, dry leaves and smoke them like tobacco, and fill their bodies with sap to let the blessing seep into their bodies.

Of course, this slow accumulation method meant that the size of the blessing each elf held varied.

The problem was that even so, it wasn’t easy to conquer(?) the elves…

“Even those with just a handful of blessing, how firmly they hold their faith… I really don’t like it!”

‘Hmm, listening to the story, it seems this one was certainly on the bad side.’

Listening quietly, it was natural for elves to worship the World Tree.

Simply put, wasn’t the World Tree an upgraded version of Gikas?

It wouldn’t be strange if the blessed plants, leaves, and sap… all three had special effects.

In fact, the very fact that the accumulated blessing could resist Freyja’s seduction was a special effect.

‘… No matter how I think about it, from the elves’ perspective, isn’t the World Tree overwhelmingly superior?’

At this rate, it would be strange for anyone to fall for Freyja instead.

Unless they were unusually plain-looking for an elf, elves are basically good-looking, so there’s little reason to be obsessed with beauty.

Unless they love themselves too much or are pathologically obsessed with beauty…

“Anyway, I absolutely won’t go!”

Freyja shouted “Bah!” as if she had nothing more to say, then lay down flat on the audience hall floor.

She really hated meeting elves who had left a big scar on her pride of being able to seduce anyone with her beauty.

It was an absurd situation, but matters of pride are usually absurd.

“What the…”

Of course, Dario, who had no pride, looked at her as if dumbfounded.

Is this really a spirit that has lived for over 1000 years (actually over 4000 years)?

Seeing that the spirit he had worked hard to bring was more unruly than expected, Dario approached Geron and whispered:

“Has the king lived for about 2000 years? Otherwise, this doesn’t make sense.”

Geron shook his head with a smirk. To him, who knew enough about Wendigo, it was a ridiculous statement.

“The king is very young. Younger than not only Lady Freyja, but also me and you.”

‘Elder Geron is a sufficiently capable elder, but he’s not good at jokes.’

No matter how perceptive one is, sometimes they fail to grasp the truth.

While Dario was figuring out Geron’s new side(?), Wendigo was silently looking down at Freyja.

Freyja didn’t break her stubbornness even when faced with Wendigo’s chilling gaze.

“Sigh…”

“Have you given up?”

When Wendigo heaved a deep sigh, Freyja just moved her head to ask him.

Wendigo didn’t answer Freyja’s question and called a servant outside the audience hall to give an order.

Shortly after, the servant who received Wendigo’s order brought a person:

With a loud noise, the audience hall door opened and Syr appeared, her messy hair fluttering.

“Freyja!!!”

“… Hiccup?”

Though Syr was often irritable, this time she was especially angry.

It was natural, as she had been working sleepless nights lately dealing with the important issue of university establishment.

Then why was she angry at Freyja?

“If you’ve been playing around while others are working hard, at least earn your keep!”

Wendigo’s faithful servant relayed his master’s words to Syr without missing a single one.

The gist was that while playing around when others are suffering could be forgiven, teasing the forest maidens and not helping to solve important university issues could not.

Of course, Freyja had enough sense not to harass women.

She did bully Dario a little, but he wasn’t a maiden, let alone a woman.

… Not that it excused Freyja who had been playing around.

“My darling~ Getting too angry is bad for your skin… Ow!? Owowowowow!?!”

Syr grabbed Freyja’s head with both hands as she tried to slip away like a slippery eel, and exerted strength in her arms.

Freyja screamed at the pain as if her head was being split in half, but Syr showed not a hint of mercy.

Rather, she shook Freyja’s head as if glad to have caught her.

“Urgh. Stop, darling, calm down~”

“Ah, really!”

As the saying goes, even hateful feelings become affection; when Freyja whined, Syr pushed her away with irritation.

Freyja looked up at Syr like an ill-fated heroine, slumping to the floor, and Syr pointed at her and shouted:

“Go with the spirit right now and solve the university problem!”

“But…”

“If you don’t, don’t even think about seeing my face again!”

Syr flipped her hair irritably and left the audience hall.

Having taken Syr’s anger full on, Freyja, as befitting a spirit, didn’t move an inch…

“Uh… has she gone mad?”

“Well, you reap what you sow.”

Freyja was in a blank state, her hand stretched out emptily.

It seems Syr’s words had been more shocking than expected.

Wendigo approached Freyja and tapped her shoulder with his claw.

Fortunately, she seemed to be conscious as Freyja turned her head towards Wendigo with a broken face.

Seeing her pitiful state, Wendigo clicked his tongue lightly and encouraged her:

“That’s what you get for not listening.”

Freyja burst out cursing in deep frustration.

… At least it was undeniable that she had regained her spirit.

---

Having succeeded in persuading(?) Freyja, Wendigo led a minimal group eastward.

That group naturally included himself and Freyja, along with twenty elite wolf riders and…

“Why do I have to come along too…”

“Because you were the first to encounter the elves.”

Dario, who had been dragged along without rest, was included.

Dario grumbled out of habit, but it was a complaint that fell on deaf ears.

After all, wasn’t it natural for him to take responsibility since he had argued for building a university in the forest with the elves’ help?

“I’m the most annoyed one, you know? I got hated by my darling because of you guys!”

Above all, if we’re talking about unfairness, Freyja was the most unfair. How could she not be, having been dragged away while playing well?

Moreover, she had incurred the dislike of her beloved lover… no, contractor, so she must feel like shedding tears of blood.

“Syr always seemed to be irritated with you though.”

When Wendigo’s sharp observation flew in, Freyja glared at him and grumbled:

“Don’t talk when you don’t know my darling well! Syr’s charm lies in her kindness that can’t refuse even while being prickly. Do you understand?”

“Woof woof!”

Freyja tickled the neck of the giant wolf, Oneton, she was riding and asked for his opinion.

Oneton didn’t care much who Syr was or what Freyja was asking, but he barked brightly to enjoy the touch of a pretty woman.

Wendigo stared at Oneton in disbelief.

He used to think about raising him as a guard dog for Skadi and had given him strength, but…

‘Since when did he become so fond of women, and even put on so much weight…’

With the forest’s rapid growth removing the need for Oneton to guard Skadi, the wolf’s fate had become nothing short of a life of luxury.

He was living a life of eating whenever he wanted and following women and female wolves around.

‘The owner of his name must be crying in the afterlife.’

“Your Majesty, we have confirmed warriors surrounding the village ahead.”

The warriors who had gone scouting returned and reported their arrival to Wendigo.

Shortly after, arriving at the eastern edge of the forest, Wendigo discovered a village built in a location no different from a cliff.

The warriors had set up fortifications and were monitoring the village, and dozens of arrows were stuck between the fortifications and the village, suggesting there had already been several attacks.

The wolf rider at the front announced the king’s procession loudly towards the fortifications.

Naturally, the fortifications were in an uproar, and Wendigo waited outside for a while out of consideration for them.

Dario perked up his shoulders and enjoyed the shouts erupting from the fortifications.

“It seems they’re all flustered by our appearance.”

“Little one, it’s because of me and Wendigo, not you.”

“… Can’t you let it slide nicely? And I’m not a little one-“

As Dario and Freyja bickered, Wendigo, having confirmed preparations were complete inside, raised one claw to quiet them.

A warrior wearing a bone helmet and figures who looked like chieftains of nearby tribes emerged from the fortifications.

They knelt before Wendigo and greeted him with utmost courtesy.

“We are truly sorry for making the Forest King come to such a humble place.”

“As one who bears the helmet bestowed by the king, I am ashamed for failing to punish those who dared to trespass on the king’s land. Please take my head…”

“Enough, what fool in the world would take a head for just this?”

When the bone-helmeted warrior subtly reached for his weapon, Wendigo shouted in disgust.

Though the criteria for bestowing bone helmets were strict, they weren’t harsh enough to behead someone for just this.

The warrior and chieftains bowed their heads once more, grateful for not being punished.

“I originally instructed you to monitor the elves, so there’s no crime to speak of.”

“But… they arrogantly said they would only speak with the king!”

When the warrior burst out in indignation, the chieftains frowned and nodded.

Unless they were beings with great power, how dare such small village dwellers casually summon the king?

It was an unbearable insult to those who had offered sincere loyalty.

‘It’s a problem that it’s not entirely wrong.’

However, it was also true that meeting elves from across the sea in the Great Forest here in the forest was a golden opportunity.

Wendigo praised the efforts of the warrior and chieftains and gazed at where the elves’ village was located.

The village at the end of dozens, perhaps hundreds of arrows, was surrounded by walls made of dozens of intertwined trees.

“Were there any casualties?”

“No. We only provoked them from outside arrow range to make them waste arrows. But…”

“Whether arrows sprout from the ground or not, far from stopping, the arrow rain kept pouring. Someone familiar with the local geography said there aren’t many trees behind that wall.”

Listening to the story, Wendigo looked at Freyja. Freyja shrugged as if being asked something obvious and opened her mouth:

“How long do you think elves have been with the World Tree? They could probably make hundreds of arrows from just one small tree.”

“Endless arrows… It’s fortunate there were no casualties at least.”

If there had been, heads would have had to roll regardless of the reason.

Having confirmed there had been no proper friction at least, Wendigo stood in a place visible from the village and took a deep breath.

As his chest swelled greatly, Dario covered his ears in horror.

[ To those who dared to set foot on my land without permission, even secretly established a settlement, and threatened warriors following my orders, I declare. If you do not show your faces immediately and explain your reasons, I will turn you all into forest fertilizer. ]

A powerful roar burst from Wendigo’s mouth, and the hundreds of arrows stuck in the ground froze and shattered.

Of course, the tree wall protecting the village wasn’t spared either.

The trees forming the wall lost their vitality as if caught in extreme cold and died coldly.

Freyja watched the scene with a blank expression and muttered:

“… Looks like there was no need to bring me along?”

If there was anyone who would resist after experiencing such a thing, even Freyja wanted to see their face.

Surely that person would be the dumbest in the world.

---

Fortunately, the elves weren’t fools.

After a very brief silence, part of the tree wall guarding the village crumbled, opening a path.

Through that path, a woman in light green silk clothes and two elderly elves appeared.

However, strangely, the elves who were slowly approaching this way suddenly started whispering in horror as if they had seen something strange.

“Are they flustered because the king’s appearance is too majestic?”

“Why not just say it’s because I look scary? Dario, go find out the reason.”

“……”

Dario, who had been caught flattering unnecessarily, opened and closed his mouth while looking back and forth between Wendigo and the elves.

No matter what, does it make sense to send him alone to those who were making a fuss about putting arrow holes in anyone who approached just yesterday?

‘… Damn, come to think of it, it does make sense. If they have brains, they won’t mess with me carelessly.’

Of course, rationally thinking, that was normal, but when does the world ever run on reason?

They might take him hostage out of fear and confusion.

However, Dario wasn’t brave enough to refuse Wendigo’s order. He reluctantly rode his horse towards the elves.

Shortly after, having exchanged words with the elves, Dario returned with a disgruntled expression and relayed the message:

“Well, they say Freyja must be the evil woman the elders spoke of? So they don’t want to talk with that woman.”

“……”

Wendigo stared at Freyja in bewilderment. He wanted her to make some excuse.

However, she avoided Wendigo’s gaze and pretended not to notice.

Perhaps not denying her crime was Freyja’s last conscience.

… Or maybe she was just thick-skinned.