I Became a Wendigo in a Fantasy World

41 – Episode 41

As Geron recited the contents of the ancient scroll, Wendygo let out a sigh.

“It seems like having an unfortunate name is truly a thing.”

Of course, the issues might have arisen even if the wolf wasn’t named Oneton.

The talk of tracking the wolf had been circulating even before reaching the village, making it a point of interest.

However, whether it was because of the wolf’s dirty and sly nature, irritation welled up for no apparent reason. Hateful creatures just seemed hateful no matter what they did.

Geron, the keeper of the ancient texts, asked Wendygo for his opinion.

“What should we do?”

“…The one chasing Oneton claims to be a sorcerer?”

“Yes. However, it seems the people don’t recognize him as a sorcerer. He probably proclaimed himself as one.”

Wendygo tapped his nails on the armrest of the throne, lost in thought.

The one chasing Oneton was already a thing of the past.

Then, it was important to know what purpose the sorcerer had come for.

If it was because of personal grudges, it would have been a hassle.

“But it would be a waste to just chase them away.”

Indeed, if we ignore the reasons, this sorcerer was the third one that Wendigo had encountered.

The one who had made a contract with the wild boar had been impossible to persuade or negotiate with, but this time was different.

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At least they didn’t cause a commotion, which meant there was room for conversation.

“I don’t expect them to be under my command, but it would be nice if I could at least get something out of them.”

I pondered for a moment about what I could get out of the sorcerer, but nothing came to mind.

Indeed, in times like this, it was better to call someone who knew rather than stumble around in the dark.

“Geron. Send someone to summon Scadi.”

“Scadi would be more capable in dealing with this kind of problem, right?”

“Hmm. With my knowledge, the only way to benefit from a sorcerer is to steal their belongings, at most.”

Although Wendigo confidently mentioned robbery, Geron remained unfazed. It was unexpected, but it was quite a spirit-like response.

Moreover, as a forest dweller, Geron was quite familiar with the law of the jungle…

“But I don’t think he would say such things in front of Scadi.”

Geron ordered the warrior who was waiting outside to summon Scadi.

* * *

A moment later.

When the warriors opened the door, Scadi, who had mounted Oneton, entered. Oneton was still shaking with his usual cheerful expression.

“They say you can’t spit on a smiling face. It’s not wrong.”

Wendigo cast a suspicious gaze at Oneton with an uneasy expression. No matter how hard he thought about it, it wasn’t Oneton’s fault, yet the image of a wolf spirit persisted in his mind whenever he looked at Oneton.

Wendigo made an effort to divert his attention from Oneton and extended his hand towards Scadi. Scadi greeted Wendigo with a gentle smile.

“Wendigo! I heard you needed me, so I came… Has something troublesome happened?”

“Um… It seems a sorcerer has come to the village.”

Wendigo explained the reason the sorcerer had come and asked Scadi if there was anything they could extract from the sorcerer.

Scadi, contemplating with pursed lips, offered her personal speculation about the identity of the sorcerer.

“It’s just my thought, but the sorcerer appearing in the village might not be that impressive. The most likely scenario is that it’s a wandering sorcerer.”

“A wandering sorcerer, huh? Are we talking about those who make contracts with creatures like the wild boar guy we dealt with?”

“No. In fact, sorcerers who make contracts with spirits and roam around aren’t that common.”

For Scadi, raised under a strict mother, calling someone a sorcerer who hadn’t made a pact with a spirit was somewhat awkward…

Not everyone in the world was as strict as her mother. For ordinary people, merely dealing with mysteries was enough to be called a sorcerer.

Those born with spiritual abilities, and those born with luck, were recognized and taken in as disciples by elderly sorcerers.

Even the most successful sorcerers, living comfortably thanks to their talents, wanted to leave their mark on the world when their time to depart approached.

These fortunate individuals inherited the knowledge and wisdom from their masters, entered into contracts with spirits persuaded by their mentors, and received a portion of their power.

Of course, such opportunities were rare. Most sorcerers revered nature as their master, learning magic on their own within its embrace.

“So, the one who made a contract with the boar… Luke?”

“Spirit. It’s not Luke, it’s Leoric.”

“Close enough. Anyway, is he as impressive as they say?”

“Yes. The tree giant he faced against Wendigo was a creation that could take a lifetime for a wandering sorcerer to make.”

Wendigo was disappointed. To think that Leoric, at best, was considered an exceptional sorcerer was disheartening.

If that’s the case, the level of the sorcerer who visited the village might not be inferior.

Geron noticed Wendygo’s subtly drooping shoulders and gently urged Skadi’s words.

“Still, being a sorcerer, there must be something to gain, right?”

“There might be, right?”

“Exactly!”

Geron turned serious and looked at Wendygo. Wendygo, energized again by the prospect of gaining something, responded.

“But… to do that, we’ll have to thoroughly search the sorcerer. If they’re a wanderer, whatever they have on them might be their entire fortune.”

At Skadi’s firm words, Wendygo sighed as if expecting this kind of story. It was something he had somewhat anticipated.

“If you wish, Wendygo, we can capture the sorcerer and strip them of everything they have.”

“Skadi, even as a joke, saying something like that…!”

Geron thought Skadi was joking, but after confirming her resolute gaze, he couldn’t help but be astonished.

She was looking at Wendygo with eyes that seemed ready to speak or hinder something, as if she might carry out the words right away.

Wendygo found Skadi’s proposal somewhat tempting, but after a moment of thought, he shook his head.

“No. Even if that’s the case, it’s too early to resort to robbery without knowing if there’s malice… Geron, did you eat something weird?”

“It’s a fruit good for mental stability. I received it from Skadi not long ago.”

“Why… Well, if you want to eat it, you can. I’m sorry.”

As Geron clenched the pouch containing the fruit with a sound like a crunch, Wendygo quickly apologized.

The resentful gaze from Geron seemed to indicate that Skadi’s radical(?) idea probably originated from him…

‘In a way, she’s more radical than me.’

However, Geron, who considered Skadi as a daughter, was not going to accept any argument.

Wendigo willingly took on Geron’s misunderstanding. In fact, it wasn’t as if he had no stake in it.

“First, let’s call for the shaman. We’ll talk about Oneton… and if we don’t give up, it won’t be too late to deal with it then.”

“Yes. I will send someone to the village to bring the shaman.”

Wendigo hoped that the shaman would be in good shape. He didn’t want to shed blood for no reason.

* * *

The wandering shaman, Isaac, found his current situation quite intriguing.

“I never knew such a powerful force existed in the forest.”

Isaac was from the north, but he wasn’t directly involved with the forest or the shamans associated with it. Even if the wolf he was chasing hadn’t escaped into the forest, he wouldn’t have thought of entering it.

He had no choice but to enter because the wolf he was pursuing had escaped into the forest… But the forest looked completely different from the information Isaac had remembered.

“It’s fascinating how the forest is structured like divided villages, but what on earth is this mysterious feeling I sense from there?”

Isaac tapped his teeth and looked out the window at the forest. The inside of the forest was covered in thick darkness, so he couldn’t see inside, but he couldn’t hide the sense of mystery he felt.

There was a mysterious feeling that was both serene and slightly eerie, gently flowing out from the forest.

Just that alone aroused the shaman’s curiosity, but Isaac’s curiosity didn’t stop there.

Isaac recalled what he had seen when he came here.

“The land that exudes strong vitality is still just land, but the livestock that felt mysterious no matter how much I thought about it was definitely not normal.”

While land could be rejuvenated with human effort, imbuing livestock with mystery was not something an ordinary human could do.

“Someone must be up to something in this forest!”

Usually, if one sensed something strange, they would not be able to endure the anxiety and would try to run away, but Isaac did not do so.

In order to become a respectable shaman, there were times when he had to risk his life.

“Shaman, permission has been granted, so I will guide you to the sanctuary.”

“Hmm.”

Isaac, a warrior who covered his lower body with pants and leather while baring his upper torso, responded politely as the warrior approached. Isaac scrutinized the warrior with a dignified face.

While various skills were required for a sorcerer, Isaac’s greatest strength lay in his ability to gauge the opponent’s level.

The warrior, despite being dismissible as barbaric due to covering his body with wolf skin and exposing his upper torso, caught Isaac’s attention when he noticed the bone helmet hanging from the man’s waist.

The bone helmet had intricate enchantments, complex enough that Isaac couldn’t easily attempt at his current skill level.

‘If he possesses such an artifact, could he be a warrior of high status?’

Objects enchanted with magic were generally considered treasures, and ordinary warriors couldn’t possess them. Without the control to wield it, a treasure could be as harmful to its owner as poison.

Isaac naturally erased his dignified expression and spoke admiringly to the warrior in a friendly manner.

“It’s evident that your appearance doesn’t match an ordinary strong warrior… Are you perhaps a warrior with a significant position in the village?”

“Huh? hahahahaha, it seems the sorcerer has a sharp eye. I can’t say I have a low status, but it’s not that high either.”

“…?”

When the warrior brushed off the comment with a joke, Isaac looked at him strangely, as if sensing something odd.

No matter how you looked at it, the bone helmet the warrior possessed was an item that only someone of Huscarl’s caliber, guarding a chieftain, could have.

Feeling pleased with Isaac’s non-joking comment, the warrior tapped the bone helmet and rambled on for a few words.

“We have a sorcerer in our village who has reached the sky with his skills, and this treasure was made for us by that person. Many warriors, aside from me, possess quite a few…”

The warrior continued to boast about Skadi, the pride and idol of the village, who dispelled the cold, treated the sick, and shared dreams and hope with everyone.

‘That’s why novices are like this.’

Isaac made appropriate responses while silently scoffing inside. He thought the warrior genuinely believed he had inserted himself into the conversation properly.

Nevertheless, Isaac didn’t consider it entirely useless talk. If the warrior could create such a treasure, then maybe half of what he said might be true.

‘It’s regrettable to have lost the wolf… Perhaps there’s something even more significant.’

Isaac recalled the large white wolf he had been chasing. The magic it possessed wasn’t extraordinarily powerful, but to a wanderer like Isaac, even such a level of magic was valuable.

Initially, he had planned to hunt the wolf to harness its magic for sorcery… But now, it seemed the wolf wasn’t the issue.

‘At least the sorcerer mentioned by this warrior seems to be a key figure in the alliance.’

Isaac pondered whether he could become an apprentice to this mysterious sorcerer with an unknown identity.

Judging by the level of magic woven into the helmet, the sorcerer must be quite experienced… If things went well, Isaac might be able to become an apprentice.

“We have arrived. If you enter, the warriors guarding the temple will escort you to the sorcerer.”

“Ah, thank you.”

As they passed through the forest, the imposing temple, combined with the strong aura of magic within, made Isaac uneasy.

The entrance to the temple was guarded by warriors wearing bone helmets and wolves. When the warriors all turned to look at him, Isaac felt a chill down his spine.

‘The words of the warrior were true.’

Not only were there guards for the sorcerer, but warriors protecting the building were adorned with such treasures. Isaac gazed at the warriors with an expression of amazement.

As the wolves approached, sniffing around, Isaac cautiously reached for the dagger at his side, fearing they might attack.

Reacting to the wolves’ impolite behavior, the warriors pulled on their leashes and scolded them.

“What are these creatures doing, acting so rudely!”

“Apologies. They are fond of people, so they get excited when outsiders visit.”

“It’s, it’s okay.”

As the wolves were led away, Isaac patted his neck and waved his hand, displaying a humble attitude.

The warriors smiled at his modest gesture. Of course, due to the bone helmets, Isaac couldn’t see their expressions.

Once the warriors opened the door, Isaac entered. Inside the temple, numerous individuals moved about, busy with their tasks.

I filled the basket with vegetables and checked the prepared meat…

“… Why ingredients for a ritual?”

“Sorcerer, please follow me.”

“Ah, I apologize. I got distracted.”

Isaac momentarily puzzled but had no chance to resolve it, following the warrior’s guidance, moving inward.

Isaac eyed the massive door, swallowing dryly. He involuntarily shivered at the coldness emanating from within.

One of the large warriors guarding the door briefly spoke inwardly.

“You may enter inside.”

“…Thank you.”

Isaac tried to remain as alert as possible and stepped inside the door.

The nervously tense Isaac faced… a colossal throne and a giant seated upon it.

Isaac tried to calmly survey the surroundings as much as possible. Clearly, a person should have been there since the warrior spoke inwardly, but…

No matter how much he scanned the surroundings, he couldn’t even find the shadow of a person.

“… Nevertheless, it’s truly an eerie taste in sculpture.”

Isaac cast a critical comment on the aesthetics of the seated giant on the throne.

Feeling the immense mystical power, it was evident that the sculpture was undoubtedly crafted by a sorcerer.

Rumors spoke of sorcerers or so-called magicians from the empire creating such eerie things to establish heretical teachings…

Unintentionally, Isaac muttered softly while gazing at the sculpture.

“No matter what, even so. Adorning the head with a deer’s skull…”

“It’s not an adornment, but an actual skull.”

“… Huh?”

When a voice echoed from somewhere, Isaac looked around nervously. However, there was still no sign of anyone.

Isaac, feeling a shiver down his spine, slowly raised his head to look at the head of the statue.

“Yeah. Chasing a wolf and coming to the village…”

“aaah!!! The, the statue is talking!?”

As the statue, or rather, Wendy, opened its mouth, Isaac, startled, drew a dagger from his bosom. Wendy looked at Isaac as if finding it absurd.

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‘Even considering it’s a statue…’

…For a wizard, he’s surprisingly foolish, isn’t he?

Wendy decided to lower her evaluation a bit more.