Chapter 88

Wendigo called a servant and ordered them to summon Skadi.

“Also tell her to wear the necklace.”

“Yes.”

The servant didn’t care why Wendigo was facing off against a single sparrow.

Anyone dull enough to be curious about such things couldn’t work in the forest palace.

After the servant left, Wendigo stared at the sparrow.

[ If you have something to say, I’ll listen. Though not a witch, I can’t deny that spirits are also certainly powerful beings. ]

The sparrow spoke as if a superior addressing a subordinate.

Wendigo, dumbfounded, rested his chin on his hand on the throne and asked:

“I’m not particularly outstanding in common sense, but you all seem worse than me. Are spirits that laughable to you?”

Wendigo’s question wasn’t strange.

Living in this world, he had heard the infamy of spirits to the point of nausea, and he had experienced firsthand how cunning and conscienceless these beings were while dealing with them.

Moreover, their power was sufficiently threatening to humans…

What confidence did they have to casually look down on spirits?

[ Of course, I don’t intend to deny that spirits were the most powerful beings in the previous era. ]

“Previous era… Are you perhaps a hundreds-year-old grandmother? A grandmother with a hooked nose and mysterious power dwelling in her scalp.”

The sparrow chirped in displeasure at Wendigo’s description.

From this reaction, Wendigo could roughly guess that the other party wasn’t an old person.

[ How rude, befitting a spirit! If you weren’t the Forest Witch’s slave, I would have come to burn you right away. ]

“You speak as if the words you spout are polite and courteous. Just listening, they seem more fitting for a common thug.”

The sparrow easily became angry and hurled insults at Wendigo. He noticed metaphorical insults mixed in among the curses.

‘Those who have experienced things tend to do them better.’

The natural attitude of looking down from above.

Tiny fragments of intelligence felt among the insults.

And unlike the lower class who live day by day, if we discuss nobility…

The owner of this sparrow might well be a knight’s offspring or a fallen noble.

Slam!

“Skadi-nim has arrived.”

[ Huh, finally arrived. ]

Skadi, who entered, wore a veil to hide her expression and was adorned with jewelry she didn’t usually enjoy.

She glanced at the sparrow once and approached Wendigo with elegant steps.

“Come up.”

Wendigo naturally extended his arm down to assist Skadi in climbing up easily.

Skadi accepted his kindness and climbed onto his shoulder, asking Wendigo through the necklace:

‘What’s going on?’

Her question concealed bewilderment.

Thanks to the mention of the necklace, she had predicted it wouldn’t be an ordinary matter, but she hadn’t imagined facing a strange sparrow.

Wendigo quickly explained about the sparrow to her.

About the existence of the witch society, the personality of Isabel who called herself the grand witch, and their ideology.

After organizing the explanation in her mind, Skadi conveyed her thoughts to Wendigo with puzzlement:

‘Aren’t they just lunatics? From a shaman’s perspective, it’s a dull-witted act no matter how I think about it…’

‘Still, let’s hear what they have to say.’

---

The sparrow, no, the self-proclaimed grand witch Isabel, expounded on her ideology like a fish in water when Skadi appeared.

She was certain that Skadi, being a fellow witch who had successfully established a power base first, would surely understand her ideology.

[ People persecute witches for having incomprehensible power, but that’s foolish behavior. The power that witches have awakened is the world finally bestowing power befitting true leaders! ]

‘She’s properly mad.’

‘She’s properly mad.’

Though they didn’t show it, Skadi and Wendigo had drawn conclusions about Isabel without even listening to half of her story.

A witch in the truest sense, believing in extreme witch supremacy, with a mental world as simple and cruel as a child’s.

From the beginning, the world hadn’t chosen witches with some great meaning.

If the world truly had a will and chose those to bestow power upon, what kind of being would Wendigo be?

‘There’s no need to listen further.’

Representing Wendigo’s will, Skadi raised her hand to stop the sparrow’s mouth.

Skadi looked down at the sparrow and crossed her legs. Isabel shuddered at the sight of her slowly lowering her head.

‘That’s the true appearance of a witch!’

Skadi’s appearance, cloaked in a mysterious atmosphere, was the very ideal witch that the Red Rose Dawn Society dreamed of.

Skadi gazed into Isabel’s eyes and spoke:

“I’ve listened well to your story. It’s quite an interesting tale.”

[ I thought a wise witch like you would naturally understand. ]

Isabel smiled as Skadi, who seemed as intelligent as herself, showed a favorable attitude.

Indeed, birds of a feather flock together…

“But I don’t understand why you and I should join forces.”

[ … That’s strange. Surely you must have understood what we need after hearing my story? ]

Isabel emphasized her thoughts to Skadi in bewilderment. That witches should join forces, that is.

However, Skadi shook her head.

“Joining forces is something you do when the other party has sufficient power. The forest has united warriors, fertile land, and friendly tribes together… What about you?”

Isabel fell silent. It wasn’t easy to refute Skadi’s words.

What help could the witch society provide when she was already stably ruling the forest and its surroundings?

As Isabel’s silence continued, Wendigo could understand more about her.

‘She has strong pride. She has no intention of admitting her shortcomings and bowing her head.’

A cool-headed person would have acknowledged their shortcomings and tried to appeal their strengths that outweighed them.

Wendigo ordered Skadi to stimulate the opponent’s weakness.

“I try to treat people as generously as possible, but there’s one thing I don’t overlook.”

[ … What’s that? ]

“It’s lying. And what you’re doing to me doesn’t seem much different. Your words are smooth, but the substance…”

[ That’s going too far. Are you saying we’re beggars trying to leech off you without any power? ]

As Isabel’s voice trembled, Skadi let out a cold laugh.

[ What’s so funny? ]

“Since ancient times, those without substance tend to have grand words. Like a frightened dog barking loudly…”

Wendigo admired Skadi’s acting skills. Knowing her kind nature, this cold-hearted performance seemed even more impressive.

And this appearance came across as even more genuine to Isabel, who was seeing her for the first time.

After a long silence, Isabel decided to show her hand.

[ Perhaps not every witch in the world can become a ruler like you. ]

“You’re long-winded. What do you want to say?”

[ I’ll show you our power. We’ll let you confirm face to face how many followers our witch society has, and how powerful our hidden strength is. ]

“That sounds good. But it won’t be easy. The tribes strictly monitor those visiting the forest…”

At that moment, the sparrow burst into laughter that didn’t suit it.

Wendigo discerned from that laughter that Isabel was feeling the thrill of having scored a point.

Isabel, with a smile on her face, chattered to Skadi.

[ How do you think Damian, that pervert knight, passed through the forest? And those inadequate followers too? ]

“Are you saying you have an accomplice?”

[ A witch’s power is strong. If our witch society wishes, we can turn anyone into our slave follower. ]

‘It seems they have a witch with the power to enchant others, like Syr-san.’

Wendigo agreed with Skadi’s guess. If the reason for the suspiciously large number of followers was that the warriors managing the gates were being controlled, it wouldn’t be strange.

As Skadi and Wendigo glared silently, Isabel was delighted.

[ My, the conversation has been long. Let’s continue our talk face to face next time. ]

“Alright. How do you plan to inform us when you reach the forest?”

[ Watch the sky. The moment we reach the forest, we’ll signal by setting fire to a suitable tree. Then, until next time. ]

Whoosh!

Isabel, seemingly no longer interested in conversing, burned the sparrow.

It was to erase any possible traces, but…

“What a nasty personality.”

Wendigo blew out the flames with a cold breath before the poor sparrow could die.

The fire was extinguished before the sparrow could properly feel the heat, and it let out a cute chirp completely different from the voice it had been speaking with until now. It climbed onto Wendigo’s shoulder and walked timidly towards Skadi.

Skadi placed the sparrow on her finger and slowly climbed down from Wendigo.

She stroked the cute sparrow and asked Wendigo:

“I suppose we’ll have to kill her?”

“It seems we’ll have to. Just from listening to her talk, she doesn’t seem like a woman who can be reformed.”

Wendigo was certain that an opportunity to use the new ice sword would come sooner than expected.

---

In a mansion somewhere in the North.

In a room reeking of blood, a woman with half her face covered by a golden mask irritably threw away a woman’s head.

“Aagh!”

“You fool. Did I ask for a hawk or an eagle? You should have at least controlled a raven to meet the Forest Witch!”

“B-But…”

The witch who had awakened the power to control animals felt wronged.

Did they think she wanted to control a weak-looking bird like a sparrow, ignoring other more dignified beasts?

“The, the ravens in this land all resisted my power.”

She had controlled many beasts in her village, and the first she controlled was a raven. Naturally, she thought she could control dozens of ravens in this land too…

But when she tried to control the ravens here, she only received mental shocks, unable to control even a single one.

“Isabel, clearly the ravens in this land are under someone else’s control. We’re all being watch- Mmph!?”

“It’s not Isabel, it’s Isabel-nim!”

The woman with the golden mask, Isabel, grabbed her colleague’s… no, subordinate’s face with bulging eyes.

The witch trembled and avoided Isabel’s gaze. Her bloodshot eyes were blazing with incomprehensible anger.

As Isabel applied more force, the witch screamed and struggled, blood from her torn mouth dripping out.

“I, I’m sorry, Isabel-nim! I’ll be a useful witch! I, I’m sure I can be helpful to you, Isabel-nim!”

“Yes. You’d better be. I have no intention of keeping useless ones alive.”

Isabel felt ecstasy watching her subordinate tremble.

That sight reminded her of the time when she was most beautiful, and when she followed the perfect order of things.

Although the order was disrupted because her foolish father ruined the family, the world didn’t just stand by and watch.

As proof, hadn’t the world given her a legitimate reason to grasp power?

Isabel released the witch’s mouth, and the subordinate bowed her head, blood dripping from her mouth.

“Th-Thank you. Thank you!”

“Choose.”

“Pardon?”

At the abruptly spoken word, the witch looked up at Isabel, pale-faced.

She immediately understood what Isabel meant.

Isabel, with an evil smile on her lips, was telling her to choose her merciful punishment.

“For-Forgive me. Ne-Next time I’ll bring a raven, no, an eagle even if I have to cough up blood, so please!”

“You speak as if you should be praised for doing what you’re supposed to do. Choose quickly. Or should I choose for you?”

“Eek! I’ll, I’ll do it on the stomach. I’ll do it on the stomach!!!”

The witch shed tears and resigned herself to everything.

Isabel approached with an unsettlingly calm expression and placed her hand on the witch’s stomach and…

Whoosh!

The room filled with the witch’s desperate screams and a terrible burning smell.

After a while, Isabel smiled as she examined the palm-shaped mark engraved like a slave’s brand on the witch’s stomach.

“Remember your sin and repent every time you see that scar.”

Isabel felt the anger that had been burning her heart until just now subside as she looked at that scar.

However, there was a voice that flashed through her mind.

‘Since ancient times, those without substance tend to have grand words.’

The Forest Witch’s mockery reignited her anger hotly.

Unable to contain her anger, Isabel kicked the unconscious witch’s stomach. The witch let out a groan without even being able to scream properly.

“I thought we could work together because your ability was good… How dare you give me such an insult!”

Isabel’s anger burst out towards the wrong target. Isabel knew this to some extent but didn’t stop kicking.

After all, this was the witch society she had created, and these were people who had sworn to follow her.

So wasn’t it natural for them to risk their lives for her sake!

After tormenting the witch for a long time, Isabel took a deep breath and swore to her god.

That she would surely burn the Forest Witch.