Chapter 66

On the outskirts of the forest, the heirs invited by Wendigo had gathered.

Of course, it wasn’t quiet. How could hot-blooded warriors stay quiet in a place crawling with unpleasant faces?

“You Red Fox bastards of Lefrune! If you hadn’t tempted our father, none of this would have happened!”

“Hah. Blaming others when you’re not even a child! Why blame us for your father falling for his own greed!”

The red fox beastmen of the Lefrune tribe and the fourth son of the Ulfen tribe got into an argument. They glared at each other with their hands on their weapons.

They were ready to swing their weapons without hesitation if the other showed any suspicious signs.

Watching this scene, Sira inwardly sighed.

‘This is why the North…’

Although Sira was born with quite noble blood in the North and loved the North in her own way, she felt dizzy every time she saw such scenes.

She couldn’t understand these warriors whose heads were filled with alcohol, meat, and opportunistic honor.

The problem was that such rude and barbaric behavior was considered normal in the North…

“Always live on edge. If your pathetic tricks fall flat, I’ll personally come to cut off your heads!”

“Was it 30 years ago? Do you know this when you speak of our tribe being plundered by your ancestors?”

“Ha! Seems you don’t know that 50 years ago, you were driven out by us and fled to the east! When I become the chieftain, I’ll drive you back to your homeland!”

Except for a few close relationships, many of the northern tribes often had deep grudges against each other.

These descendants of raiders had the heartwarming custom of raiding indiscriminately, even among fellow northerners.

Of course, raiding involves bloodshed.

Father lost an eye to a southern tribe’s chieftain, grandfather raided a northern tribe, uncle beheaded a famous warrior from the west…

Just exchanging insults was considered polite. Otherwise, sword fights would have broken out long ago.

The fourth son of Ulfen, who had been arguing for a while, spat and returned to the Ulfen tribe group.

However, Sira didn’t expect it to quiet down at all. Unlike usual, today there was a reason for noise even without confronting other tribes.

The eldest son of Ulfen slapped the returning fourth son’s cheek.

Slap!

For a slap meant to discipline a brother, its power was strong. The fourth son’s lip was split.

The eldest son grabbed his incompetent brother’s collar and glared at him with eyes that looked ready to devour him.

“You stupid fool! Who told you it was okay to pick fights with other tribes. Are you ignoring my authority now!”

“Authority my ass… Do you still think you’re the heir to the chieftain! Once we’re out of the spirit’s sight, there’s no heir or whatever!”

The fourth son of Ulfen mocked his eldest brother. Normally, he wouldn’t have dared to defy the eldest son, who was the heir apparent, but things were different now.

Why would the spirit call for all those with succession rights, not just the heir?

The fourth son roughly shook off the eldest’s hand. There was no need to bow to an enemy now that the dice had been cast.

Of course, this scene wasn’t unique to the Ulfen tribe. The surroundings were filled with the shouts of those no different from the idiots of the Ulfen tribe.

‘To think such fellows are the future of the North… It’s both fortunate and depressing.’

Sira moved away from the midst of the warriors. The warriors glanced at Sira as she passed by.

Who would have expected to meet a famous beauty of the North in such a dreary place?

Some tried to catch her eye with exaggerated curses and violence, but Sira’s interest had completely left.

The spirit dwelling in her bloodline, Freya, whispered in her mind.

[ Look at the warriors trying so hard to catch your eye, fighting until they bleed~ Our darling is too cold-hearted~ ]

“Shut up. If they want to catch my attention, they should use their brains instead of showing off their stupid heads. More importantly, don’t you sense something?”

[ Your love? ]

“You son of a…”

Sira cursed at Freya’s nonsense. Sometimes, Sira wondered if her spirit was not one of beauty but of anger or provocation.

Otherwise, how could she be so sincere in making people angry!

[ Hmm~ I think you’re prettiest when you frown with those lovely eyes! ]

“If you’re going to keep talking nonsense, get lost.”

Just as long-lived people become eccentric, Freya was sufficiently an eccentric spirit.

After playing with submissive beauties for a long time, the scolding from a prickly (bordering on hateful) beauty was thrilling.

Freya whined and answered Sira’s question.

[ Eeng. You’re too much, really. What you said is right. I can sense quite dense mystery from the forest. It seems to be getting closer? ]

“!”

Sira took out her golden whip and calmed her mind.

Although her personality was terrible, Freya was still a spirit that had existed since ancient times.

If such a spirit said it was dense, there was reason to be tense. Perhaps the forest spirit had prepared an ambush.

Of course, it seemed unlikely that a spirit full of pride would commit such a dishonorable act, but…

[ Kyaa! How nice it would be if our darling showed such respect to me! ]

‘… No. I shouldn’t trust spirits so easily.’

Sira barely managed not to lose her tension with the spirit’s help.

A moment later.

A large wolf jumped out of the forest.

Even the warriors who had been growling at each other were startled and glared at the wolf. A single wolf wasn’t scary, but a wolf that jumped out of the forest wasn’t an ordinary wolf.

“It-It’s too big?”

“… Did a bear and a wolf mate or something?”

The large white wolf with a build reminiscent of a bear scanned the warriors with its golden eyes. The warriors noticed from its boldness that this wasn’t an ordinary wolf.

Of course, the wolf wasn’t an ordinary wolf but Oneton, the wolf blessed with mystery by Wendigo.

The reason Oneton suddenly came to the warriors, or more precisely the heirs, was simple.

While other wolves had played active roles in the attack of the northern alliance, Oneton was dissatisfied with not having shown proper activity.

Although born to be a leader, Oneton was still an animal, even if highly intelligent.

He wasn’t smart enough to consider such deep meanings.

Oneton sniffed around and then growled at the filth before him with a chilling howl, frowning.

“Why is it doing that?”

“Is it warning us not to enter the forest?”

The warriors were flustered. Who would have imagined being attacked by a wolf while waiting for a messenger from the forest?

While the warriors were assessing the situation, Sira noticed what was happening and quietly put away her whip.

[ Oh my! Look at how full of mystery that fellow is! Darling, if you capture that one, it would be a great help for shamanism… ]

‘Do you think I’m an idiot! Anyone can see it’s a beast cherished by the spirit!’

Sira firmly rejected Freya’s whisper. Unless she was a fool, Sira wasn’t stupid enough not to infer the wolf’s identity.

If it was a mysterious wolf appearing from a forest ruled by a spirit, wouldn’t it obviously be related to the spirit?

Of course, she didn’t know why it was sniffing and barking so ferociously…

Other warriors also realized that the wolf was under the spirit’s protection and put away their weapons.

They had no intention of causing trouble before even meeting the spirit.

“It seems to be a wolf sent by the spirit.”

“Everyone, put away your weapons. It doesn’t seem to be an ordinary wolf…”

“Hahaha. What cowards! Step back if you’re scared! I’ll catch that wolf!”

However, the world is wide and fools are many. Especially those who had lived like hooligans, relying on their status as the chieftain’s children within the tribe, were one such example.

The fourth son of Ulfen, Targal, stepped forward with a boastful shout. He had come up with an extraordinary idea different from the other warriors.

It was a very brave… and ignorant thought that if he offered such a fine wolf, the spirit would be moved by his sincerity and hand over the position of chieftain to him.

As Targal drew his bow, Sira was horrified and warned him.

“Put down the bow immediately! That wolf is not an ordinary wolf…”

“Oh, Sira! Most beautiful woman of the Freyr tribe! Your hair, as if spun from gold, is truly beautiful!”

Even in this situation, Targal was delighted when Sira showed concern, spouting lines as if buttered.

Her worry(?) was inflating his vanity.

Grind.

‘I want to kill him.’

Sira endured her murderous intent with superhuman patience and tried to warn Targal again.

Or rather, she was about to.

Until suddenly, a warrior jumped out boldly and threw a spear at the wolf.

She looked at the flying spear and lamented.

Who would have imagined that there would be not one but two such idiots in the world!

“The one to catch the wolf is me, Hard of the Norg tribe!”

More than ten eyes shot jealous glances at Hard.

To lose glory so easily while hesitating!

Hard’s spear flew fiercely towards Oneton. Moreover, Oneton was staring blankly at the approaching spear without moving.

Hard watched this scene and smiled.

Perhaps the wolf was sacrificing itself for his heroic first step…

Clang!

“… Huh?”

“Grrrr!!!”

Oneton deflected the incoming spear as if it were laughable and then charged at Hard with a chilling howl, sprinting across the ground.

Hard was startled and drew his sword, but it was a foolish decision. The moment he drew his sword, Oneton bit into Hard’s neck.

At the sudden tragedy, the warriors reflexively drew their weapons and rushed at Oneton.

“Damn it, just kill it!”

“What kind of hide is this tough!”

Once blood rushed to their heads, warriors wouldn’t stop until either the enemy or they themselves shed blood.

Of course, this time it was they who were shedding blood. The warriors tried their best to cut Oneton’s hide, but to little avail.

Rather, just approaching Oneton, who was wrapped in the north wind, made their breath cold and their bodies stiffen.

“Woof!”

“Let go of this! Let go… Arghhhh!”

Naturally, the stiffened warriors were nothing more than easy prey for Oneton.

Oneton’s claws tore through the warriors’ armor, and his teeth pierced through bodies like sharp daggers.

Even the warriors who had boldly rushed in began to slowly distance themselves as the situation turned strange. They looked around and called for help.

“Aren’t you ashamed while warriors are being defeated! Help us too!”

Some of the warriors seemed to fall for their request, or rather provocation, but most did not.

Why drag others into a problem they caused with their own stupidity?

“If someone heard, they might think we’re your subordinates.”

“Are you brainless, or just thoughtless? Why cause this trouble by provoking something that wasn’t attacking… tsk tsk.”

“Eek!”

Leyrik, a warrior, took out an enchanted axe when he realized the provocation wasn’t as effective as he thought.

With an axe enhanced to the extreme with killing power, he should be able to pierce even that wolf’s tough hide.

‘I was planning to offer this to the spirit!’

However, if he couldn’t kill the wolf right in front of him, he would die. Rather, killing the wolf and running away had a higher chance of survival.

Leyrik raised his axe towards the charging wolf. Oneton noticed the shamanism flowing through Leyrik’s axe but didn’t slow down.

Rather, he made his claws harder and sharper and honed his senses even more in preparation for the incoming axe.

At the moment when both were filled with the intention to kill each other.

Thwack!

“Kuhek!?”

“Woof?”

An arrow flying from the forest struck Leyrik’s chest. Moreover, the arrows didn’t stop there.

Two more arrows flew in, piercing Leyrik’s heart and neck.

Oneton looked towards the forest, leaving behind Leyrik’s falling corpse.

Shortly after, wolf riders led by Jaken burst out of the forest, panting. Oneton barked cheerfully, unbelievably different from how he had just been tearing warriors apart.

“Woof woof!”

“Onetoooon!!!”

Unfortunately, Jaken couldn’t be as cheerful as Oneton.

There were corpses rolling around that were clearly killed by Oneton, no matter how unpleasant to see!

When Jaken shouted, even Oneton seemed to realize he might have gone too far and averted his gaze. However, he didn’t feel remorseful.

He thought that these foul-smelling fellows would have been killed by the spirit-nim anyway.

“You damned rascal!”

“Grrrr!?”

Jaken stopped beside Oneton and jumped off his wolf.

Then he slapped Oneton’s back with his palm and shouted.

“You cursed fellow! You spirit-like bastard! I should have advised the spirit-nim earlier to change your name or something…”

“Um, excuse me…”

As Oneton, who had been playing with the warriors until just now, couldn’t move, a warrior cautiously approached and spoke to Jaken.

Jaken was irritated, but as soon as he saw the warrior, he felt his blood run cold.

After all, weren’t these guests invited by Wendigo!

The warrior glanced at Oneton and then asked Jaken.

“This wolf… is it a wolf raised by the spirit, no, is it a wolf?”

“… If you put it that way, it could be said so.”

“I knew it! Listen here. This isn’t right! Even if we were defeated, this is outrageous! Sending a wolf to attack us!”

“Th-That’s right! We came at the spirit’s invitation, what kind of treatment is this!”

The warriors who had swung their swords at Oneton might have lacked in manners, but they weren’t completely without them.

Using Oneton’s attack as an excuse, they acted like victims in unison, as if they had agreed beforehand, thinking they could gain an advantage in negotiations.

However… it wasn’t a very good choice. Sira, who had been watching the situation, approached Jaken and greeted him politely.

“I’m sorry to greet you in such a commotion. I’m Sira, who came as a representative of the Freyr tribe.”

“Ah, nice to meet you. You must be the one the spirit-nim mentioned.”

When Jaken recognized Sira, the warriors didn’t miss the opportunity to try to draw her in.

How convenient would it be if a smart shaman like Sira helped in this situation?

“Sira! You tell them too. The wolf…”

“Shut up.”

However, Sira had no intention of helping the fools’ nonsense at all.

Sira shot a cold look at the warrior and then smiled at Jaken as she spoke.

“Don’t listen to them. It’s all their own doing.”

“What do you mean?”

Jaken asked Sira with shining eyes. Of course, the warriors had no intention of standing by while Sira betrayed(?) them…

“Step back.”

“What do you mean step back! That woman is selling us out and you want us to just stand by and watch… Ack!”

“She must be telling them about the shameless acts you committed! Shut up and move!”

The warriors who hadn’t touched Oneton acted as shields for Sira. There was no reason not to help if they could eliminate competitors.

Sira calmly revealed the truth, and Jaken’s expression twisted grimly.

He barely held onto his reason as he organized his thoughts.

“So… you’re saying they attacked Oneton first? The wolf blessed by the spirit-nim? Even the one Skadi-nim personally raises?”

“I don’t know who Skadi-nim is… but you heard correctly.”

“Jaken! These are all fellows who should be slaughtered!”

The wolf riders drew their weapons, emitting killing intent.

From what they heard, it wasn’t Oneton who had been rude, but these fellows.

And not just ordinary rudeness, but shameless fellows who tried to hunt a beast directly blessed by the spirit!

Jaken drew the sword bestowed by Wendigo and glared at the warriors.

“How dare you try to hunt the spirit-nim’s wolf, get lost! Scum like you can’t enter the forest!”

“W-We may have made a mistake, but we clearly came at the spirit’s call!”

“Shut up!”

When a warrior resisted, Jaken shouted and kicked him.

Jaken pointed his weapon at the fallen warrior’s neck and declared:

“The spirit-nim said we could drive away suspicious ones or those causing trouble without bringing everyone!”

“Th-This can’t be!”

“Silence! If you don’t want to become wolf food, get out of the forest! If you’re still in the forest by tomorrow, I’ll kill you myself!”

At Jaken’s roar, the wolf riders also stepped forward as if in agreement. The warriors retreated when faced with the angry wolves and warriors.

Those idiots who originally tried to hunt Oneton to gain favor.

Among them, there were no brave ones bold enough to stand against the enraged wolf riders.

“A-Alright. We’ll retreat, so don’t attack.”

And so, some of those who came to the forest were driven away without even setting foot inside. Jaken glared for a long time in the direction they left before letting his guard down.

Sira couldn’t help but be surprised by his loyal demeanor.

She realized that Jaken’s loyalty wasn’t built on fear or greed.

‘He’s sincerely serving the spirit?’

Were those unbelievable things Isaac said really true?

[ Oh my. How nice it would be if our darling showed such respect! ]

‘… No. I shouldn’t trust spirits so easily.’

Sira barely managed not to lose her tension with the spirit’s help.

A little later.

Sira and the heirs began to move towards the depths of the forest under Jaken’s guidance.