Chapter 43

‘… Still, I can’t give up my arm.’

After much deliberation, Isaac decided to share his knowledge with the young shaman before him.

Surely they wouldn’t really tear off an arm or leg?

“I’m not sure if there’s any shamanism I can dare teach this person with my level, but I’ll try my best.”

“Don’t feel too burdened. Surely I’m not expecting you to have forgotten ancient shamanism?”

Wendigo quickly caught the hidden meaning in Isaac’s words and soothed him. After all, it’s not easy to teach something when you’re in a position of being overwhelmed in skill.

However, Wendigo believed that Skadi would have something to learn from Isaac. After all, Skadi was just too… young.

He wasn’t particularly disparaging Skadi’s skills because of her youth. From the start, Wendigo, who was receiving significant help from her in the shamanic realm, wouldn’t do that.

However, time inherently holds a value that can never be ignored.

‘… Excluding the boar, Gikas, and Oneton. They were born as spirits, so time wouldn’t have had much influence on them.’

Barring such unusual cases, generally, the elderly are wiser than the young. It wasn’t nonsense that as one ages, they understand the principles of the world and gain a broader perspective.

It’s because the elderly have already tasted the dirty and filthy things that young people have yet to experience.

Most elderly are those who have grown by using those experiences as fertilizer rather than trash.

While Isaac wasn’t that old a shaman, it was undeniable that he was older than Skadi.

‘It would be even better if he could teach Skadi truly helpful shamanism, but at least as they talk, experiences from living as a shaman will naturally come out.’

Why is he trying so hard to extract something from Isaac?

This was a kind of consideration from Wendigo. Of course, not consideration for Isaac whom he had just met, but consideration for Skadi.

At least the Skadi that Wendigo knew was a young shaman who had lost her mother as soon as she became an adult and came under Wendigo.

Naturally, she must have had her own regrets, having lived each day busily without the chance to experience much.

‘Even like this, encountering various experiences should be helpful.’

Wendigo prided himself on having made a fairly good choice.

“Go and teach the shamanism you know well. If possible… I’d like you to share information or experiences you can get from outside the forest too.”

“!”

As Wendigo gestured as if telling him to go out while speaking, Isaac caught on to Wendigo’s intention.

As the saying goes, in such talks, the content that comes after, not before, is the main point.

‘Indeed, the talk about shamanism was just a pretext!’

Having realized Wendigo’s purpose, Isaac felt relieved. After all, the very idea of teaching shamanism to Skadi had been too embarrassing.

He had thought it would be like showing off strength in front of an ogre, but at least in terms of experience, wouldn’t he have more than that young shaman?

As Skadi bowed and retreated, Isaac quickly got up and followed her.

Wendigo watched this scene and felt satisfied.

‘I hope Skadi likes my consideration.’

---

There was no way Skadi wouldn’t notice the nuance that Isaac, who had conversed with Wendigo for the first time in his life, had picked up on.

Skadi sighed inwardly as she brought Isaac to her hut and treated him.

‘There’s no need to care for such things…’

Wendigo’s judgment wasn’t strange or eccentric. Who would think a woman who had just become an adult would have much experience?

However, just as Wendigo was no ordinary spirit, Skadi was far from an ordinary shaman.

Skadi frowned as she examined Isaac’s hands and muscles.

‘Judging by the lack of calluses on his hands, he seems to avoid hard work… and he has little muscle. Does he neglect training just because he’s a shaman?’

What Wendigo hadn’t considered was that Skadi hadn’t become a shaman by some stroke of luck, but by following her mother.

Skadi’s experience as a shaman was overwhelmingly deeper and richer than Isaac’s.

Skadi’s mother, who had foreseen that her daughter’s future would be arduous, had raised her to be a mature shaman.

While others played with friends, Skadi handled herbs and learned her mother’s shamanism.

When other girls learned sewing and weaving at home, Skadi followed her mother around, striving to become familiar with sickle and axe work.

If only she hadn’t been born with a body naturally lacking in muscle, she would have learned to handle swords and spears from her mother too…

‘To think he hasn’t trained despite having a sturdy body!’

To Skadi, for whom being a shaman was her calling, this was an utterly pathetic behavior. Skadi pulled on the bandage she was tying out of irritation(?).

“Urgh!?”

“The treatment is finished.”

Skadi’s voice was ice-cold, unlike when she dealt with Wendigo.

Of course, since Skadi didn’t usually show this side, the workers helping her whispered among themselves.

“Did that fellow commit some rudeness towards Skadi-nim?”

“Nah… Is Skadi-nim someone who would easily get angry over such things? It’s more plausible that he was rude to the spirit-nim.”

“Then he would have come out dead, wouldn’t he?”

Isaac felt a chill down his spine as he overheard the workers’ chatter.

‘I must absolutely not speak ill of the spirit…’

With the best method of befriending shamans – gossiping about spirits – blocked, Isaac felt at a loss.

There was no better means to get close to shamans than badmouthing spirits.

For shamans wanting to contract with spirits, insulting the spirit’s judgment, and for contracted shamans, badmouthing the spirit’s personality would work a hundred times out of a hundred to become close…

Who would have thought there would be a case where this method wouldn’t work?

“Everyone. I have something to discuss with this person alone, so could you please leave?”

“Will you be alright? Even if he’s a fellow shaman, to be alone with an outsider…”

“What if that man tries something terrible!”

The workers looked at Isaac as if staring at a hungry wolf. Isaac felt like he was going crazy.

‘What the hell are these lunatics saying?’

Isaac barely suppressed the curses about to burst out.

It was natural to worry if an ordinary woman was alone with a man. Where would there be a human who would be at ease with an outsider, a wanderer, coming into the house and being alone with a woman?

However, if that woman was a shaman, and moreover, contracted with a spirit, the story changed. At that level, one should think the opposite.

‘It’s more normal to worry about becoming living sacrifice for that woman’s shamanism!’

Isaac, who had been subdued with just a gesture without even a chance to try anything, felt a rage beyond indignation burning within him.

However, the workers didn’t back down. To the forest people, if Wendigo was the most worshipped and appreciated being, Skadi was the most loved and thanked existence.

Her beautiful appearance aside (though the beastkin didn’t understand this), her kindness and loving nature naturally made people bow their heads and feel warmth in their hearts.

To leave such a being alone with a wanderer, and a wandering shaman at that!

‘I heard wandering shamans bewitch women with their shamanism.’

‘If he does anything even slightly suspicious, I’ll split his head open.’

As Isaac and the workers glared at each other, Skadi sighed and stood in front of the workers.

“I appreciate your concern for me, but Wendigo-nim has personally verified this man, so there’s no need to worry too much.”

“Hmm. If the spirit-nim said so…”

“If he was a strange fellow, his head would have flown off long ago.”

“?”

As the workers discussed among themselves and came to an understanding, Isaac was perplexed. From his perspective, the spirit seemed kinder and more generous than the shaman…

Why were these guys spouting such brutal words about the spirit beheading people?

‘… This is the first time in my life I’ve seen a spirit appear kinder than humans.’

Isaac inwardly sighed at the sight of the workers leaving the hut while glancing back.

Left alone, Skadi and Isaac sat facing each other in chairs. Isaac felt the temperature in the hut had dropped compared to earlier.

Amidst the suffocating silence, Isaac was the first to speak.

“Um. As you may have noticed, shaman-nim, Wendigo-nim…”

“Wendigo… nim?”

Flinch.

Isaac panicked and shut his mouth. As Skadi uttered a single word, the surrounding air grew cold.

Frost rose from the table centered on her palm, and cold energy surged. Isaac tried to quickly recall what mistake he had made, but…

“Wa-Wait!?”

“How dare you carelessly speak Wendigo-nim’s name…”

But before he could, sharp roots shot up from the floor, poised to pierce his chin. As the tip of the root wriggled, Isaac closed his mouth.

Skadi glared at Isaac with dead eyes. Meeting her murky red eyes, Isaac felt as if he could smell blood.

Recalling Skadi’s words, Isaac realized what had angered her.

And he was terrified.

‘She’s doing this just because I said his name?!’

Isaac didn’t know, but there was an unwritten rule among the forest people.

It was not to speak Wendigo’s name.

At first, it was because of the saying that a spirit’s name shouldn’t be carelessly spoken, but as time passed, its meaning changed…

At some point, Wendigo’s name became a kind of right that only his close associates could call.

The problem was that among the only two close associates, Geron didn’t casually call Wendigo’s name.

It was an act of consideration for Skadi, who had been with him from the start… and Skadi gratefully regarded this as a source of pride.

The pride of being the only shaman who could call Wendigo’s name.

And yet, a wanderer who had just met Wendigo-nim today dared to speak his name!

“… I can’t forgive this, but considering you’re an outsider, I’ll let it slide just this once. Be grateful that you’re Wendigo-nim’s guest.”

After a rather long silence, Skadi regained her reason. Though unpleasant and detestable, the fact that he was Wendigo’s guest remained unchanged.

As she gestured, the roots returned to the ground, and Isaac finally exhaled the breath he had been holding.

Skadi looked down at Isaac with a cold gaze and spoke unilaterally.

“I’ll continue the conversation you were about to have. Wendigo-nim knows well that you’re not at a level to teach me shamanism.”

“Ye-Yes! That’s right!”

Isaac quickly answered, banging his head on the ground. He was afraid Skadi might act on a whim.

As Isaac answered, Skadi nodded and continued speaking.

“Consider that you need to tell me everything. Shamanism, knowledge, experience… don’t leave anything out.”

“Of course! How dare I do otherwise!”

Isaac was prepared to honestly tell even who his first experience was with and his most embarrassing memory if she asked.

At least if he just spoke, he wouldn’t die, right?

Skadi sighed as she stared intently at the trembling Isaac.

“Sigh. To think I’m receiving Wendigo-nim’s consideration because of someone like you…”

“I’m sorry!”

“If you’re sorry, be prepared to wring out everything in your head. Don’t worry about compensation either, as Wendigo-nim isn’t someone who would make you work without reward.”

Isaac nodded his head frantically. He didn’t even hear the word ‘compensation’.

He just wanted to escape from the crazy shaman in front of him.