Chapter 90

Though he couldn’t know exactly what trick they had attempted, Wendigo realized that the Red Rose Dawn Society had prepared something.

… And for some unknown reason, the perpetrator had coughed up blood and collapsed.

Wendigo quietly turned his head and looked over the Red Rose Dawn Society.

When the members of the Red Rose Dawn Society met that eerily creepy gaze, they unconsciously stepped back.

Though it might seem pathetic, it wasn’t a strange reaction.

A giant with a beast’s skull was scary enough, but the one before their eyes was even a spirit.

The followers were extremely tense in this powder keg situation, but…

‘Is immediately killing them all the right move?’

Wendigo was organizing his thoughts more moderately than expected.

It wasn’t that he wasn’t angry at the opponent’s tricks.

Had there ever been a good ending for those who antagonized him so far?

The reason Wendigo was staying still was purely because he wasn’t certain about the identity of the god Isabel served.

‘The flames Damian showed were quite intense.’

The black flames that had surprised Wendigo for a moment.

It would be foolish to bite without any information about a god powerful enough to bestow such flames.

‘If they’re believers, their faith should naturally be glimpsed through conversation. Once I grasp what kind of being the god they believe in is, I can judge whether to kill them or not.’

Having reached a conclusion, Wendigo pushed mystery into the ground, and the earth caused a small earthquake with a loud noise.

Isabel frowned and glared at Wendigo. Such an earthquake couldn’t have occurred by chance.

“Isabel-nim. I think it would be better for you to step back.”

“That spirit bastard must be preparing some strange trick.”

Dylan and Cole might be playboys who coveted women, but they weren’t incompetent knights.

They calmly drew their weapons and watched Wendigo warily. Even amid the earthquake, their sword tips were surprisingly stable.

However, Wendigo wasn’t one to be tense over just that.

He let out a hollow laugh and warned Isabel:

“If you don’t put away your weapons right now, I’ll kill you all. If that’s not what you want, calm your subordinates.”

“… Step back and calm the soldiers. If you dare draw weapons without my orders, I’ll have your heads.”

At Isabel’s order, the twin knights glared at Wendigo with faces full of discontent.

What on earth about that spirit made her give such an order?

“Has your brain melted from being bewitched by Ellen? Do as ordered immediately.”

“… Understood.”

As the twin knights left their posts to calm the followers, Wendigo continued what he had been trying to do.

Sturdy roots sprouted through the cracks opened by the earthquake.

Those roots tangled and bent to form a shape, which was a large and crude throne.

When Wendigo sat on the throne, Isabel’s eyelids trembled and she shouted at her followers:

“Bring my throne! Now!”

The followers, fearing they might incur her wrath, hurriedly brought out Isabel’s throne from her carriage.

Isabel’s throne was gilded with gold and excessively adorned with jewels and decorations, the epitome of extravagance…

‘It’s not beautiful.’

Wendigo, having received harsh(?) training from Skadi, could immediately tell how full of vanity the throne was.

A throne that used plenty of gold and jewels but showed no restraint or balance.

However, unlike Wendigo’s aesthetic sense, it was a sufficiently satisfying throne for Isabel.

She sat on the throne with an arrogant posture and glared at Wendigo.

“I couldn’t have imagined the Forest Witch would send only you as an envoy. Does she not know how important the dignity of an envoy is?”

“… Surely you’re not still thinking I’m her slave? I thought that was just nonsense you threw out to provoke me.”

Wendigo let out a hollow laugh at Isabel’s reaction, still seeing him as beneath Skadi.

If one sets their mind to it, they can certainly find out the truth behind rumors.

Especially with a witch who has the power to enchant people, it should have been quick to verify the rumors…

“Right. Maybe you didn’t submit to the Forest Witch.”

“If we’re being precise, you could say we have a relationship of mutual trust and reliance.”

Isabel raised the corners of her mouth and sneered at Wendigo’s soft expression.

A relationship of mutual trust and reliance? What an incredibly weak attitude!

“You fool. Don’t tell me that woman said such things? If so, congratulations. If we hadn’t appeared to awaken your sense of caution, you would have soon become a slave.”

“Skadi isn’t trash like you lot… By the way, judging from your reaction, it seems you didn’t think I was her subordinate.”

“Is that so important? What’s important is that if the fact that a spirit submitted to a witch spreads, witches’ status will rise. And when witches’ status rises, power naturally becomes more solid.”

Wendigo couldn’t hide his bewilderment at her overly confident attitude. He thought it might be nonsense to deceive him, but her words were too sincere.

At this point, Wendigo wondered about the god who had chosen Isabel.

What possibility did they see in this woman to choose her?

‘Is it a god of power or vanity?’

Allfather came to mind for a moment, but Wendigo shook his head.

While Allfather might like struggle or power struggles, he didn’t seem like a god who would also like fools.

What on earth did they want from Isabel?

“I really can’t understand. To pick a fight with me for such a trivial reason…”

“Spirit, I’m not foolish enough to fear your reputation. How much of those stories do you think are actually true?”

Killing a demon lurking in the forest and releasing the earth’s energy it was blocking…

Beheading a thousand-year-old wolf spirit and chewing its heart…

Single-handedly annihilating famous northern tribes…

The more rumors Isabel collected, the more certain she became that these stories were all exaggerations.

Logically, if such events had occurred one after another in just a few years, he would have had to consume mystery without time to recover…

“Spirit, only ignorant commoners believe such foolish rumors.”

As Isabel concluded with a confident expression, Wendigo looked at her with a sour gaze.

‘… Certainly, the exaggerations were a bit severe.’

The lurking demon was actually a centuries-old parasitic magical beast, and even Oneton was at most a 200-300 year old spirit, yet somehow the rumors had spread like that.

While Wendigo was marveling at people’s talent for inflating rumors among themselves, Isabel conveyed her demands to Wendigo.

“Spirit. What I want isn’t anything grand. If you just replenish sufficient supplies and soldiers, we’ll leave right away.”

“Now I see you’re not a witch but a bandit. Surely you don’t think the forest people will be loyal to you?”

“Why should I seek their loyalty? Don’t you see those puppets over there?”

Isabel pointed at the puppets waiting for Ellen’s orders as she spoke.

Wendigo looked at the puppets for a moment, then tapped the throne with his claw as he summarized her demands.

“So… You plan to replenish supplies as much as you want and rest, and even take my people with you?”

“Yes. They’ll just grow back for you over time, won’t they? Or do you not have the authority to decide on such matters?”

Isabel provoked Wendigo with a face full of confidence.

Wendigo stared at Isabel for a moment. At first, he thought he might find fragments of divinity in her if he talked with her…

But he couldn’t sense any faith in Isabel.

Moreover, the principles behind her actions were surprisingly simple and foolish.

No matter how many madmen there are in the world, who would provoke a natural disaster just to grasp power?

‘I was the fool for trying to talk with someone I can’t understand.’

Wendigo asked one last question.

“Before concluding negotiations, there’s one thing I’m curious about. What was your relationship with Damian?”

“That guy was contemptible but quite useful. Well… I don’t know why the god who spoke to me was interested in him.”

Isabel grumbled with a frown, seemingly disgusted by Damian.

Wendigo felt sorry for Damian for a moment, but his thoughts quickly changed.

For that guy who loved pain, even Isabel’s disgust would have been a form of pleasure.

Thinking that way, perhaps there was no better woman for Damian than Isabel.

With his final curiosity resolved, Wendigo stood up without hesitation.

“Didn’t you say you were concluding negotiations?”

“Why are words necessary? If you have any sense, you should know how incredibly stupid your demands are.”

Wendigo mocked and criticized Isabel.

Did she really think he would accept such an absurd proposal?

Isabel reflexively opened her mouth at the insult, but Wendigo acted first.

As he stretched his hand towards the ground, dozens of ice shards sprouted from the earth, forming the shape of a sword.

Wendigo grasped the ice sword and passed his final judgment on Isabel.

“Rather, realizing that you’re all hopeless trash makes me feel at ease.”

“It’s a shame the negotiations are concluding like this.”

“I don’t think I’m particularly smart… but I can be certain that people call this nonsense, not negotiation.”

Isabel acted nonchalant, as if she had expected this, and took out a lantern from her breast.

Unusually, the lantern contained charcoal, and a faint flame was burning in that charcoal.

Isabel revealed her power and shouted towards the lantern:

“I command the burning tree giant. Reveal yourself and fight for your master!”

Whoosh!!!

The flames that burst from the lantern flew towards the tree she had burned. The flames dug into the cracks of the burned tree, and soon after, the tree writhed and screamed.

Wendigo recognized the identity of the flames through the mystery that began to gather in the tree.

“Kieeeeeeek!!!”

“Its condition is strange, but… it’s a spirit.”

The mystery felt from the burning tree giant was similar to that of a spirit, but an unsettling impurity was also felt.

Isabel smiled cruelly and mocked Wendigo.

“Now do you understand why I disregarded spirits? You’ll soon become like that too.”

“Should I praise you? Shut up and bring out all the tricks you can. If this is the end, you’ll all die.”

“Bluffing won’t help. Did you think we wouldn’t know you came alone?”

Isabel recalled the report from the witch who had coughed up blood and judged Wendigo’s attitude as bluster.

She was certain he had come alone on a whim and was now looking for a chance to escape, realizing he couldn’t handle it.

“When did I say I came alone?”

“Playing dumb won’t help. Regardless of my subordinate’s incompetence, her clairvoyance is quite use-“

“Isabel-nim! Duck your head!”

Just as Isabel was about to shout confidently, a massive stone club came flying, crushing trees as it emerged from the forest.