I Became a Wendigo in a Fantasy World

38 – Episode 38

Inside the prison made of ice and roots.

The wendigo woke up from a long, long slumber.

“…I have no idea how much time has passed.”

Thinking back to the wild boar fellow, at least a month, maybe two, must have gone by.

The wendigo surveyed the prison. He was still wearing the root necklace, and the prison remained intact, preserving its original appearance.

However, things had changed. The wendigo looked at the charm hanging on the root necklace.

It was a charm that repelled evil spirits.

“It seems like Skadi was managing this.”

If they bothered to hang such a charm, a considerable amount of time must have passed.

As the stiffened wendigo slowly moved his body, it creaked, and he let out a scream.

Tearing off the charm hanging on the necklace, Wendigo slowly stood up from his place…

“This is where Wendygo-nim is currently resting. After confronting wicked spirits, she is now in a deep slumber…”

“aaah!!! Th-the corpse is moving!”

…”

Wendygo, who was about to express joy to Scadi, who had entered after opening the prison door, froze as she saw the woman next to her scream.

The woman, evidently shocked, rolled her eyes and fainted. Wendygo stared at the woman with a bewildered look.

“Wendygo-nim. You have finally awakened!”

“Nice to see you, Scadi. You’ve worked hard in protecting me. But more importantly, how’s the situation?”

In response to Scadi’s question, Wendygo examined her own body.

The mystical energy flowing through her body was still abundant, but its nature had changed.

‘The mystic energy is deeper, and I feel a sense of stability.’

It seemed that the mystical energy of the wild spirits and Wendygo harmonized well. It was a sensation similar to when she absorbed the essence of a wild boar, but this time it felt even more special.

A sense of fulfillment, as if the missing pieces had been filled.

“It’s quite fine. I’m not sure how much better it got, but I’m definitely stronger than before.”

“Your efforts have paid off, Wendygo-nim. I’m really glad.”

“Yeah… but is it okay not to wake her up?”

Wendygo pointed to the woman she had been deliberately ignoring.

The reason for the woman’s fainting could be easily predicted. How terrifying must it have been for a non-combatant to witness such a sight that even warriors found frightening?

Scadi glanced at the woman for a moment, then lowered her posture. Surely, with Scadi’s gentle disposition, she would help the woman up even without awakening her…

짝!

“Get up!”

“…?”

Wendigo, who didn’t expect to lift the cheek of the fainted woman, looked at Skadi blankly.

It was so subtle, but it seemed like Oneton was playing tricks at the origin, making it seem pointless.

However, when Skadi slapped her cheek again, Wendigo realized it wasn’t pointless.

‘… Did Oneton’s temper transmit to Skadi while I was unconscious?’

At least when he absorbed that wild boar, such a thing didn’t happen…

Wendigo approached her with the intention of restraining Skadi.

“Skadi. Did she do something wrong?”

“Huh? She didn’t do anything wrong.”

“… Then, is there no way to wake her up more gently?”

“Ah!”

When Skadi seemed to understand the words, Wendigo felt relieved. It seemed she hadn’t gone through puberty while he was unconscious.

However, Skadi didn’t stop slapping. While gently slapping her cheek, she explained the reason.

“I don’t like waking her up with violent methods, but I have no choice. More than one or two people want to visit this place!”

“Wait. More than one or two people want to visit. What does that mean…”

“S-stop, Skadi! Please stop hitting! I’m awake. I’m awake!”

When the woman who received the slap shouted, Skadi stopped and stepped back.

The woman touched her tingling cheek and frowned. Wendigo, confirming her scent, was puzzled.

It felt surprisingly warm and respectful for someone who had just received a blow from the fiery(?) fist.

Unless the lady had some peculiar taste, there had to be a reason for her presence.

“Scadi, why is this woman here?”

“Well… To put it simply, it might become quite a lengthy story. Are you okay with that?”

‘If it’s a long story, I’d prefer to skip it, but her gaze makes it awkward to refuse.’

Staring at me with sparkling eyes was practically cheating.

I could anticipate how disappointed she’d be if I declined. How could I refuse?

“It’s fine, go ahead. I need to know what happened while I was unconscious.”

“Yes! So, let’s see…”

Scadi opened her mouth with a wide smile.

* * *

Scadi was fundamentally sincere. The attitude toward life she learned from her mother was one thing, but her nature was far from laziness.

True to her character, when she learned that Wendigo had lost consciousness in a prison of her own making, she took action.

She gathered people and informed them about Wendigo’s condition.

“Onoton, was it? It seems Wendigo fell into a deep sleep to prevent a curse left by the spirit called Onoton.”

“Goodness… a sorcerer. Is that really true?”

“Don’t you dare doubt Wendigo!!!”

“No, never! I just find it hard to believe that a spirit would do such a thing…”

No one could challenge Scadi’s words. Those who followed Wendigo and even the warriors of the Blue Mane Tribe were the same.

Who would dare to doubt a sorcerer who served the overwhelmingly powerful Wendigo, defeating the detestable Onoton?

Naturally, the thought that “Lady Wendigo is different from other spirits!” settled in their minds.

Jaken was no exception. In fact, he had been favorably disposed towards Wendigo from the beginning.

From the start, it was clear to anyone that Wendigo was on the side of good, and she even forgave the sins of the warriors.

Recognizing that she was the true leader, Skadi made her proposal.

“Lady Wendigo, you bear no grudge against the Blue-Maned Tribe. So, if you have no intention of returning to the plains, how about joining us? Lady Wendigo will be pleased.”

“That…”

Jaken was not the official chief of the Blue-Maned Tribe, but practically speaking, he was no different from the chief.

With Rector’s death, the succession had been severed, and even those with higher status than Jaken had died. So, whether he liked it or not, becoming the chief was the natural course of events.

Jaken’s dilemma ended in just a day.

“Our Blue-Maned Tribe will follow the spirit.”

“A wise choice. There are few people as rewarding to serve as Lady Wendigo.”

Driven out of the plains, there was no way to return without increasing their strength.

In such a situation, where the warriors had died, the chief had died, and even the spirit had been lost, Jaken had few choices.

Among those limited options, choosing Wendigo was the best choice Jaken could make.

However, even with justification, the massacre of the Blue-Maned Tribe could not prevent some defections.

Skadi was somewhat disappointed by this fact, but she didn’t pay it much mind. What Wendigo gained from this war was not solely the source.

“Lady Wendigo, since you have confined yourself, rebuild the village around that place!”

“Are there any skilled artisans among the Blue-Maned Tribe? It would be great if there were someone skilled in forging or construction.”

“Shall we discuss ‘Lady Wendigo and the Oath of the Nameless Warriors’ today?”

Many tribes had chosen to follow Wendigo, and through the Blue-Maned Tribe, Skadi diligently sought new technology and knowledge.

A new village was organized around the temple and the place where Wendygo had lost consciousness.

To supplement the technical skills lacking in the Forest People, they coerced… no, persuaded the technologists from the Blue Mane Tribe.

To leave a good impression of Wendygo on the newly joined people, they shared stories.

Thanks to her tireless efforts, the forest quickly found stability.

The reason for her efforts was not that remarkable.

“This should be enough to receive praise from Wendygo-nim!”

If it was innocent, it was innocent, and if it was madness, it was madness. But since it didn’t harm others, wasn’t it a good thing?

In this way, she spared no effort while waiting for the day Wendygo would wake up.

Bringing a woman who had been slapped was also one of her efforts to demonstrate Wendygo’s greatness.

* * *

“It’s amazing that you did all that alone.”

“Ahahahaha… I didn’t do it all alone. Geron also helped, and Jaken helped persuade the technologists.”

Realizing that it could sound like self-praise, Skadi blushed and humbly replied.

Wendygo looked at her admirably. Even if others had helped, it was still an impressive feat.

If she hadn’t taken the baton, could people have built the village and come together?

Wendygo thought that was definitely not the case.

“…I should let go of scolding her about the bone helmet.”

Her dedication was too heavy to scold her for such a thing. Wendygo himself didn’t have the confidence to go that far.

With capable colleagues, a carrot was more effective than a whip.

“Skadi, if there’s something you want, tell me. If it’s something I can do, I’ll grant you at least one request.”

Tremble.

Skadi looked at Wendygo, swallowing hard. How could she not have expectations of Wendygo, being who she was?

Being a shaman, there was much she could receive from Wendygo.

“Should I make a necklace from a piece of Wendygo’s nail… No, perhaps a bracelet with a bit of fur?”

Whatever it was, she couldn’t give up on paying homage to Wendygo.

Skadi made a difficult decision and cheerfully replied, “If it’s okay, then…”

“Skadi. Skadi! Are you okay? It’s been an hour already! Please respond!”

…

Wendygo realized today that people could curse without saying a word.

Seeing Skadi’s fierce gaze, the woman who had been soothing her cheek let out a new scream and approached Wendygo.

She thought Wendygo could calm Skadi’s anger.

“Not being afraid is nice… but it’s a little sad to see Skadi being afraid.”

Wendygo patted the woman’s shoulder with her claws to calm her. Skadi, watching this, glared at the woman with eyes mixed with jealousy.

The woman trembled with injustice and fear. If she said the wrong thing here, she could be in trouble with Skadi…

“Skadi, although it’s a bit noisy outside, we can continue our conversation if you wish.”

Skadi was relieved by Wendygo’s words, but soon lowered her head. She was too sincere to just ignore the woman.

“No, it’s my fault for forgetting that people are waiting outside, no matter how happy I am. Let’s save this conversation for when Wendygo feels comfortable next time.”

‘Too much sincerity can also be a problem.’

Feeling regretful, Skadi shrugged, and Wendygo silently promised to definitely make it up to her. This was a matter that needed to be taken care of from the compensating side.

As Skadi stepped out of the prison, Wendigo followed her outside.