Chapter 15

Although he immediately accepted Ivan’s request, the wendigo couldn’t leave right away.

Regardless of its size, the wendigo was still the leader of a tribe.

Of course, he couldn’t move alone. No matter how strong he was, he needed guards at least for appearances, and he also had to choose someone to take care of the tribe while he was away.

Selecting guards wasn’t too difficult. Any warrior of the tribe wanted to perform that glorious role.

“If you choose me, I swear to protect the spirit’s honor with my life!”

“I pride myself on being the strongest in the village!”

“I’m the most confident in cooking!”

“You idiot, how is that an advantage…”

“You’ll come along.”

“!?”

The wendigo evaluated the warriors fairly and strictly to decide on the guards.

Those without injuries, who hadn’t had any recent family celebrations, and who were skilled were chosen as his guards.

Why did he choose people based on such conditions rather than ability? Shouldn’t guards be good at fighting first and foremost?

‘I’m the strongest, so there’s no need for that.’

It’s natural for important people to have guards. Guards aren’t just for personal safety.

This was especially true in the wendigo’s case. For him, guards were a kind of proof.

‘Their role is to show that I’m not a monster but a spirit, and a sufficiently safe being.’

So they didn’t need to be strong. It was enough if they had the skills to protect themselves adequately.

With the guard issue resolved, there was one problem left.

Finding someone to take care of the tribe. Honestly, the wendigo thought this was the easiest task.

Someone who had been with him the longest, had excellent abilities to protect the village from potential dangers, and was well-respected.

“Skadi. I want you to stay in the village and watch over them.”

“B-but Wendigo-nim!”

Skadi, who had excitedly run over when called, looked at the wendigo pitifully as if the sky was falling.

Normally, he would have wavered, but this time it couldn’t be helped. She was the only shaman, so what could he do? This was the best way for the village’s safety.

Skadi knew this fact too, so all she could do was plead with her eyes.

“If not you, there’s no one I can ask. I’m sorry, but please take care of the tribe.”

“Uuuu…”

Skadi couldn’t argue and was sad. Being responsible and diligent, Skadi couldn’t choose the option of throwing a tantrum.

Skadi vented her frustration at not being able to go along in a healthy way. She made talismans for the guards.

On the day the wendigo was leaving, she brought the talismans and greeted them.

Talismans engraved with patterns resembling the wendigo’s head.

The talismans contained mystery that absorbed cold energy and made the skin as hard as tree bark.

Every time she personally hung a talisman around their necks, the warriors felt their chests swell with pride.

“Oh my. For the shaman to make all these for us. Thank you so much!”

“I hope you do your best for Wendigo-nim. Don’t worry about your families. As Wendigo-nim’s shaman, I’ll take responsibility and protect them safely.”

Ivan was amazed. As expected of a shaman serving an excellent spirit, she was also a shaman with admirable character!

‘I’m envious. It would be nice if our tribe had people like this too.’

As he was looking at the guards with envy-filled eyes, Skadi approached him. He faced her, feeling very nervous.

“Ivan-ssi. Please take this too.”

“Pardon? Me?”

As Skadi hung a talisman on him, Ivan unknowingly accepted it. Was it really okay to give such a precious thing to an outsider?

Skadi grabbed Ivan’s hand with a smile as beautiful as the sun.

“Of course. Ivan-ssi is also someone recognized by Wendigo-nim. For Wendigo-nim to recognize you means you’re an excellent person too. You’re more than qualified to receive a talisman.”

“Ah….”

Ivan’s heart pounded and his eyes trembled. Although they weren’t people he had lived with, Ivan felt a sense of kinship with them, like people from his hometown.

“However, if you return to your tribe, I hope you’ll spread the word about Wendigo-nim. There are many evil and petty spirits in the world, but Wendigo-nim is different.”

“Yes. Of course! Compared to other spirits, he is truly…”

“A blessing, right?”

“Yes! That’s right!”

‘It seems Skadi is getting better at enchanting people.’

Still, doing this to Ivan, who was just an ordinary warrior and not someone extraordinary, shouldn’t be a big problem.

The wendigo casually overlooked Skadi’s actions.

---

The wendigo and the warriors left the village amidst cheers.

A forest with nothing that could be called a path.

It would have been a treacherous journey for ordinary people, but for forest people, such paths were everyday life. Although they didn’t look disciplined, their movements were excellent, with a sense of military spirit.

The wendigo led them towards the depths of the forest. It was autumn weather, but the shadows of the dense forest devoured the sunlight, making the cold in the forest more intense than usual.

Geron, who had become a guard, exhaled as he cut through the vegetation with his sword.

“Whew, no matter how I think about it, the talisman given by the shaman must be an amazing thing. Even though the trees are stiff with cold, I don’t feel cold at all.”

“Of course. Have you forgotten whose shaman she is? I’m incredibly good at judging people, and she was extraordinary from our first meeting.”

“Hahaha. It’s strange to hear Spirit-nim say such things.”

Somehow, the word ‘extraordinary’ didn’t seem to fit with spirits. Aren’t spirits one of the most wondrous beings in the world?

‘Sometimes he feels like a person. Even though his appearance is clearly that of a spirit to anyone who looks.’

Geron’s thoughts weren’t his alone.

The wendigo wasn’t just revered by people; despite being a special being called a spirit, he understood human hearts too well.

From the beginning, even if his body wasn’t, his mind was human, so it was natural. But to those who didn’t know this, the wendigo was an ideal being.

Something close to a god with a human heart.

The wendigo, who treated people humanely, was naturally loved by people.

While the warriors were chatting, the wendigo sensed something strange.

A smell he had never encountered before tormented his nose.

‘Since only I can smell it, it’s not an ordinary smell.’

The others didn’t change their expressions at all. The wendigo realized that this smell stemmed from his own abilities.

As he closed his mouth and raised his head, Geron stopped the warriors.

As if their laughter and chatter just moments ago had been a lie, the warriors’ expressions were filled with killing intent. They took out their weapons and began to guard the surroundings.

“Spirit-nim. Is it an enemy?”

“I don’t know yet. But… there’s a terrible smell.”

It wasn’t the scent of sin, but it was a dirty and gloomy smell like sewage. The wendigo moved, tracking the scent.

“Follow! Don’t lose sight of Spirit-nim!”

Although the wendigo adjusted his speed, it was still plenty fast by normal human standards. Geron and the warriors chased after him, breathing heavily.

Suddenly, the wendigo stopped.

“Kieeeeek!!!”

“Grrrr…”

Hideously ugly dwarves and decaying corpses, along with abnormally large wolves and spiders.

Numerous monsters were emitting the terrible smell. Their eyes seemed crazed as they were throwing themselves at a palisade.

On top of the palisade, a group of warriors were facing the monsters with spears and bows.

‘It seems they can’t hold them off with those numbers.’

No matter how brave the warriors were, numbers couldn’t be ignored. The palisade was creaking as if it would collapse at any moment.

“Gasp!? Spirit-nim. Is this the horde of monsters Ivan talked about?”

“I don’t know.”

Would it have taken Ivan that long to come to the village?

It didn’t seem likely. If it had been such a long distance, he would have gone to another tribe first, even if there was a spirit.

Then why were these creatures here?

“They might be the vanguard.”

“Pardon? You mean the monsters?”

“Since things that originally couldn’t unite have come together, nothing is impossible.”

As the wendigo affirmed, the warriors were shocked. No matter what, monsters as a vanguard?

The warriors couldn’t believe it but quietly held their positions. They thought that if the spirit they followed said so, there must really be a possibility.

As the wendigo stirred up mystery, a root sword sprouted from the ground. Then, as cold energy swirled around the handle, a large and beautiful ice sword revealed itself.

The size of the ice sword was even more ferocious than before. It was thanks to the roots that could serve as a framework.

“Geron. Command the warriors. Keep a suitable distance from me and deal with only those that charge at us.”

“What about the rest?”

“Leave them be if they run away. Our job is to make them retreat, not to annihilate them.”

Geron and the warriors nodded. Right, why would they risk their lives in a bloody battle with monsters for no good reason?

The wendigo was satisfied as the warriors found composure. Moderate tension is helpful, but excessive tension can cause mistakes that weren’t there before.

The rest could be left to Geron and the warriors’ abilities.

The wendigo charged towards the monsters. The monsters were tearing at the palisade, unaware that the wendigo was charging towards them.

The wendigo raised his head. He could hear the warriors on the palisade shouting at the top of their lungs.

‘They’ll realize reinforcements have come…’

“An enormous monster has appeared! Everyone, retreat from the palisade!!”

“Shit. What kind of monster is carrying a sword!!”

“……”

It was a situation where misunderstanding was quite possible. That may be so, but…

‘Still, I can’t help feeling annoyed.’

The wendigo’s muscles twitched, conveying his anger throughout his body. Soon, his anger transformed into a single sword strike.

The sword, swung as if to cut down the palisade, advanced, bisecting monsters. A terrible sound of destruction echoed through the forest.

Kwajijik!!

“… I made a mistake.”

The palisade, which was about to collapse, was shattered by the destructive power that exceeded the wendigo’s expectations.

The wendigo looked at the remains of what had been the palisade with a bitter gaze. There were several warriors trembling and staring at him.

“M-monster…”

“……”

The wendigo was at a loss for words due to embarrassment.