Chapter 69

Wendigo sat on his throne waiting for Sira to arrive. Of course, he wasn’t just sitting there quietly waiting.

He was enjoying a more luxurious meal than usual – a whole roasted calf, stuffed and seasoned, offered by the forest people as tribute to celebrate their victory.

“It seems the cooks’ skills are improving day by day. Geron, how about you have a taste?”

Wendigo chewed on a leg and offered it to Geron.

The cooks must have developed a new sauce, as the flavor was more exquisite than usual, making it a shame to enjoy alone.

However, despite Wendigo’s offer, Geron shook his head and declined.

“Isn’t this calf offered by the people hoping for the spirit-nim to eat it? It doesn’t seem right for me to taste it.”

“If someone heard that, they might think I ended the war alone. I’m always grateful for your dedication, but sometimes I worry you’re too rigid.”

Wendigo chewed on a bone, feeling disappointed. He thought Geron, who usually worked hard on his behalf, deserved to share this.

Geron looked at Wendigo with a sour face and thought:

‘Didn’t the spirit-nim actually end it alone?’

The spirit-nim sowed discord among the enemies, and it was the spirit-nim who beheaded the enemy leader…

However, Geron had learned one thing from serving Wendigo for quite some time. That was not to interject into Wendigo’s thoughts.

Why should he object when it was said out of care for his own people?

“Even if you say so, I can’t eat it.”

“Can’t be helped. If you ever want to eat, just say so. I’ll set aside a portion for you.”

Wendigo cut off a large piece of the calf’s leg and continued eating.

Around the time he had devoured about half the calf, Skadi, who had been summoned by Wendigo, opened the door and entered.

“Oh my, if I had known you were eating, I would have come a bit later. Should I tell the guest you called as well?”

“You came earlier than expected. There’s no need to tell Sira. It’s not polite to invite a guest and make them wait. But… why did Osa come?”

Wendigo pointed at Osa standing beside Skadi and asked.

He felt bad for recently calling and troubling Osa, so he hadn’t called her separately…

Why did she come with Skadi?

At Wendigo’s question, Osa smiled awkwardly and looked at Skadi.

“Ahaha. I’ve gotten into the habit of following Skadi-ssi lately…”

Geron nodded as if he understood. Indeed, it was natural for an assistant to follow when the person they serve moves.

Skadi smiled and praised Osa.

“Others help a lot too, but lately I’ve been receiving the most help from Osa-ssi.”

“Ah, no! I’m just trying to learn shamanism while helping with work by your side.”

Osa waved her hands frantically. She didn’t want to become a clingy fly to Skadi for no reason.

Spirits were often possessive, and there were cases where they tormented others terribly for approaching a shaman they had their eye on.

Of course, the spirit-nim had never shown such a vicious side, but it didn’t hurt to be careful.

‘My head would be smashed like a rotten tomato if that palm just brushed against it.’

Wendigo had no intention whatsoever of turning Osa’s head into a rotten tomato.

Wasn’t it natural to find it admirable that she was following Skadi around and helping even though it wasn’t her job?

Wendigo spoke in a gentle voice, joking:

“It’s good to see such a humble attitude. The only thing I can give right now is myste… Alright. Don’t glare at me like that. How about this calf then? It’s quite delicious.”

When Geron grimaced and Skadi became flustered at the mention of mystery, Wendigo hurriedly pointed at the calf.

Of course, he had no intention of letting the compensation pass with just a piece of food…

“Gulp.”

“Huh?”

Osa looked at the roasted calf with trembling eyes. Although Wendigo had eaten quite a bit, the roasted calf still emitted a delicious smell.

Surely, a calf roast worthy of being offered to the spirit-nim would taste beyond imagination…

‘No! No matter what, it’s practically an offering to the spirit-nim, a shaman can’t covet such a thing! I’d be disqualified as a shaman!’

Osa closed her eyes tightly and rejected the temptation.

Although she couldn’t overcome hunger in her childhood as a vagrant, wasn’t she now a proper shaman!

‘This level of temptation!’

‘She seems to really want to eat it.’

Wendigo noticed that Osa enjoyed fine cuisine more than expected. How could he not when joy and despair, resolve and hesitation flashed across her face?

Wendigo lowered his head and whispered to Geron.

“Geron. I’m sorry, but would it be alright to give one leg to Osa? I know it’s an offering from the people, but she seems to really want to eat it.”

“… Are you doing this because of what I said? If the spirit-nim wishes, you can just give it.”

“But you might get angry.”

“……”

Geron grimaced at Wendigo’s point. He worried someone might think he was oppressing Wendigo if they heard.

He had said that earlier only considering himself, but the situation was different now!

“The reason I got angry at the spirit-nim was because you sometimes do things beyond common sense. This would rather become a touching story, why would I get angry!”

Geron realized that sometimes it was uncomfortable how Wendigo could be unlike a spirit.

For something like this, you could just do it if you wanted to!

“I’m glad it’s alright. Well… could you ring the bell for me? It’s too small for me to shake.”

Geron looked at Wendigo with a blank expression and took out a bell from his chest to ring it. Then, servants entered from outside and bowed politely.

“Take the calf and cut it. Pack one leg so it can be taken away.”

“It wouldn’t be easy for Osa to eat a whole leg alone, would it?”

“Of course, it’s for Skadi to eat too. Have a cozy meal together.”

Skadi nodded with a smile at Wendigo’s kindness.

Strong servants carefully lifted the stand holding the calf and carried it away, and one servant approached Wendigo and asked him:

“Shall we bring the calf back as soon as we finish the task you instructed?”

“No. I’ll give separate instructions later. More importantly, it seems our guest has arrived, so please prepare tea.”

The perceptive servant instructed others to clean up the surroundings and light scented candles to remove the smell.

Wendigo admired their skilled response and stared at Geron. All the servants working in the temple were personally selected by Geron.

“How did you find such a friend?”

“Haha. Aren’t half the forest people runaways? There are bound to be such friends if you look. Moreover, there was no need to look.”

Intellectuals, illegitimate children, or even fallen nobles could become runaways. There was no need to search for them.

Such people would come to the temple on their own, showing off their abilities and volunteering to become servants.

After all, where in this forest was there a better place to live than by Wendigo’s side?

All Geron had to do was weed out the wicked or sinister ones among them.

The servants finished cleaning neatly, brought warm tea, and left as politely as they had entered.

And shortly after, a woman appeared with a beautiful fairy perched on her shoulder.

The beauty with fox-like sharp eyes and long golden hair, Sira, greeted Wendigo with a haughty expression.

“This is the first time I’m greeting you formally. I am Sira of Freyr, not boasting, but I pride myself on being a fairly good shaman.”

“I thought it was strange that you smelled of a spirit… I guess you have no intention of hiding it now.”

“… Freya says she has no intention of hiding.”

Sira answered, glaring at the spirit perched on her shoulder. Despite the burning gaze of resentment that must have been quite intense, Freya endured firmly.

Freya spread her wings and flew up, approaching Wendigo.

She looked at Wendigo curiously, examining him from various angles.

[ Hmm… You’re more normal than I thought? When I just heard rumors, I thought you were a crazy spirit. Given what you do and all. ]

“Well, as expected of a spirit, you’re disgustingly rude.”

Wendigo was certain that the fairy before him was a spirit. The raw rudeness without malice was definitely that of a spirit.

Sira sighed deeply at Freya’s sudden action. Unaware that she was causing trouble, Freya returned to Sira and chattered:

[ Darling. Unlike what we worried about, he really seems to be a kind spirit! Usually, mutant spirits feel disgusted just sensing the flowing mystery, but this guy… Kyaa! ]

Sira grabbed Freya’s wings with a cold expression and stuffed her into her pocket.

Why was this ancient spirit blabbering with her mouth what should be said through telepathy!

Wendigo was greatly surprised by Sira’s boldness. It was natural, as all the shamans he had seen so far were those who couldn’t move an inch against spirits.

“You seem quite close with the spirit?”

[ Of course! We share blood… Mmph!? ]

“No. There’s no way I’m close with Freya.”

‘They really seem close though.’

Sira denied it with a serious face, but Wendigo judged that they were sufficiently close.

Otherwise, the spirit wouldn’t endure the humiliation of being stuffed into a pocket.

“Well, whether you’re close to the spirit or not isn’t the important part. The smell is quite foul, but… you seem fairly decent, so I’ll let it pass.”

Though not as fragrant as Skadi, a floral scent close to flowers emanated from Sira’s body.

It meant she wasn’t evil, at least…

‘But it doesn’t change the fact that she’s a shaman who came from outside. I mustn’t let my guard down.’

However, Wendigo didn’t let his guard down.

Even if someone has lived as a good person until now, isn’t it human nature that they could become evil from today?

Wendigo stared into Sira’s eyes and threw out the main point directly:

“Why have you come to meet me?”

It was an ordinary question, but the weight was not ordinary at all.

Sira felt tension as if a sharp sword was pointed at her neck.

She instinctively sensed that her head might fly off depending on Wendigo’s judgment.

Sira steadied her trembling heart and slowly scanned Geron, Skadi, and Osa.

‘He’s certainly different from the spirits I’ve seen so far.’

Although she didn’t have the ability to penetrate one’s essence like Wendigo, Sira prided herself on having a fairly good eye for people.

The sins accumulated on an evil person’s face usually seep into their expressions, complexion, and actions.

However, there were no such traces on the spirit’s close associates. Rather, their clear eyes sparkled like those seen in good people.

Such people wouldn’t serve under an evil spirit…

“I want to make a deal with the spirit-nim. Not a short-term deal, but a long-term one where everyone can be happy.”

Sira threw the dice.