I Became a Wendigo in a Fantasy World

42 – Episode 42

Wendy carefully examined the mystique Isaac possessed.

No matter how much one called him a wandering wizard, he was still a wizard. To wander alone in this harsh world, you needed at least one ace up your sleeve.

‘This guy. Truly a worthless one.’

If Isaac knew, it would have been an impolite evaluation enough to make him shiver, but Wendy didn’t harbor any malice.

What can you do with someone who’s truly worthless?

‘The tingling sensation from the dagger feels like poison, and the familiar feeling from the cloak seems to be related to beast-related magic.’

Although not a fundamental spirit, Wendy had been posing as a spirit for quite some time now.

While she couldn’t determine exactly what magic was cast on the items now, she could at least sense how much mystique they contained and what kind it was.

And the level of the items Isaac possessed was outstanding, to say the least.

“…Scadi definitely didn’t lie.”

It would have been better if he had lied, warning not to have too high expectations.

Wendigo stared at Isaac with regret. Even though he knew there was nothing more to come.

“Wandering sorcerer. It would be nice if you put that dagger away unless you intend to use it.”

“Yes, yes!”

Isaac, now a clueless and powerless sorcerer, hastily stowed away the dagger. He had realized that the presence in front of him was a spirit or something equivalent.

“Darn it, why on earth is the spirit materializing and sitting on the throne! Isn’t magic wasted on that?”

In truth, from Isaac’s perspective as a wandering sorcerer, this was an unjust situation. Spirits were not beings you could casually look at just because you wanted to.

For most spirits, it was common sense for sorcerers not to reveal themselves unless they had a reason to intervene in reality.

Even in normal circumstances, from the perspective of a spirit consuming magic, there was no reason to constantly maintain a physical form accompanied by the expenditure of magic.

However, the spirit in front of him was maintaining a physical form for some reason, and was even leisurely sitting on the throne…

“It can’t be that there’s remaining magic causing this, and besides, the appearance is different from the spirits I know, right?”

Isaac pushed aside the rising questions and, with an effort, politely bowed to Wendigo. Curiosity aside, he had more pressing matters to attend to.

“Humble sorcerer, Isaac, son of Molik, greets the great spirit. May the honor of meeting the esteemed spirit be passed down through generations…”

“I have a skill for gilding with the tongue, but unfortunately, I don’t appreciate such words. So, shall we get straight to the point? Is there any problem with that?”

“?!”

When Wendigo cut him off, Isaac was bewildered.

To a sorcerer who met a spirit and survived, paying silver and learning flattery didn’t seem to work.

What on earth is this spirit…?

“Yes. If the spirit wishes, you may proceed. However… about the main topic?”

Isaac, still bowing, raised only his head and asked Wendygo. Even in the midst of asking questions, he didn’t let go of his tension.

Isaac had the idea that if there was even a slight possibility of the spirit playing tricks, he would use the enchantment on his cloak, the ‘Squirrel Sprint Cloak,’ to escape.

The squirrel that served as the material for the cloak wasn’t anything extraordinary, but the talent for escaping was top-notch.

The cloak, imbued with that talent, always saved Isaac’s life when he was in danger, so it would surely do so this time too!

… Of course, Wendygo was reading Isaac’s thoughts perfectly. In fact, there was no need to read emotions.

With a rigid face showing signs of wanting to burst out at any moment, how could it not be known?

‘Courage doesn’t seem to be his strong suit. Skadi was so bold from our first meeting that she sought help from me. Well…’

Wendygo momentarily got lost in memories, recalling Skadi’s first encounter. Even while being chased, when the opportunity came, she boldly sought help…

Her face was a bit pale and trembling back then, but it wasn’t because it was cold; it must have been because she was inexperienced in controlling the cold at that time.

‘That’s why talking about Oneton-related stories might scare him off.’

Leaving was fine, but if possible, Wendygo wanted to gain something. After a moment of contemplation, Wendygo signaled Skadi with a nod toward her ice necklace.

Just in case, he had her waiting in the temple. Soon, Skadi would come…

Bang!

“Wendygo, did you call for me?”

“Creak!”

‘Waiting at the door, I suppose?’

From the opposite side of the door where Isaac entered, Skadi and Oneton rushed in with loud noises as the door was clearly slammed open. The source of the loud noise was undoubtedly Oneton slamming into the door. Otherwise, there was no reason for the sound of breaking from the door.

‘I’ll have to tell Geron to replace the door later. And that darn dog, no, Oneton needs some discipline.’

While Wendy looked helplessly at Oneton, Isaac stared at him in shock, his eyes wide open in a rude manner.

“What does that guy look like… He seems to resemble the wolf I was chasing.”

No matter how much his size and demeanor had changed, the basic form remained the same, so it wasn’t strange for Isaac to recognize him.

The problem was that the wolf he was chasing had appeared right in front of him, and it had an even stronger, no, several times more mysterious aura than before.

Isaac hoped that the large wolf was not the one he had been chasing, but when their eyes met, his breath caught in his throat.

Oneton’s golden eyes pierced through him. Isaac instinctively realized that the wolf in front of him was the one he had been chasing.

“This is bad! I thought it was just a wolf, but it’s a beast favored by a spirit!”

Spirits were arrogant and capricious, so it was not easy for them to bestow their protection. However, there were occasional exceptions.

Perhaps because many spirits took on the form of animals when they were born, there were spirits who had a particular fondness for animals.

Those spirits occasionally chose certain animals to bestow their mysteries upon…

Isaac had never even suspected that the wolf he was chasing could be one of those creatures. If he had known, he wouldn’t have paid any attention to it in the first place.

If he had caused even the slightest injury, a spirit would have appeared and inflicted a severe punishment!

“I have to run away now!”

Isaac, realizing that this was not the time to be a student of a sorcerer or anything like that, awakened the magic hidden in his cloak.

His decision to jump back at the same time was indeed a quick and agile judgment befitting a wandering sorcerer, but…

“How dare you use magic without permission in front of Lady Wendy.”

The sorcerer’s ability far surpassed Isaac’s. Skadi glared at him with a displeased look and tightened her ring.

The magic contained in the ring with the sprout-grown twig consumed the mystery conveyed by Skadi and exerted its power.

A turquoise wave burst out with a refreshing scent from the ring. The speed was so fast that Isaac had no chance to escape, relying on his cloak.

As the wave swept by, Isaac felt his body become heavy. Even the magic contained in his cloak did not respond to his will, as if its power had been sealed.

Isaac, sprawled on the ground, groaned as he struggled to move his eyes towards Skadi.

Riding a wolf was unusual enough, but a sorceress? Never would’ve thought!

‘Such magic cannot be wielded without the aid of spirits. Does that mean this young woman is a sorceress contracted with this spirit?’

Isaac shivered at the difference between Skadi’s magic and his own rudimentary spells.

“I thought it was mystical related to plants, but there’s also an element of cold. Did you weave a spell intertwining these two mysteries?”

“Yes! I centered it around the concept of the cold and the bindings in the roots. It’s the first time I’ve used it in practice… but with Wendygo’s magic, it seems decent for a trial run.”

“That kind of magic is more than just a trial… Argh!?”

As Skadi tapped Oneton’s neck, Oneton swiftly transformed from a cute pet wolf into a predator.

In an instant, Oneton, now with Isaac pinned, exposed its teeth, dripping with life essence.

“Kghhh!”

Isaac couldn’t resist the foot pressing on his back, and even with sharp claws near his throat.

Skadi coldly eyed Isaac.

“What shall we do with this rude one? If Wendygo desires, I can extract spells and information and deal with this wretched neck…”

“Wait. There was a slight misunderstanding, but this sorceress didn’t have any malicious intentions. It was just a scared mistake. Don’t make too much of it.”

“!!!”

When Wendygo spoke on his behalf, Isaac was shocked enough to forget the pain from his back.

A sorcerer convincing a spirit to save people was one thing, but a spirit persuading a sorcerer to save people? That was a story he had never heard of.

If a storyteller had told such a tale, Isaac would undoubtedly have mocked them as a fool.

Helpful spirits, really? What a far-fetched and unconvincing story it would be!

“Skadi, release the magic, and Oneton, put your foot down. Ah, hide those teeth. Even if you’re hungry, you shouldn’t eat the enemy unless absolutely necessary.”

“… From what I heard, it seems that the spirit is correct.”

Seeing that he was saying something that was no different from saying it in front of the person concerned, it was clear that the spirit was correct.

Still, Isaac was not foolish enough to not know that his life depended on the spirit in front of him.

As soon as his body moved, Isaac did not hesitate and launched an attack without a moment’s delay.

“I must have lost my mind out of fear! How dare I try to perform sorcery without the permission of the spirit, who is the owner of this land!”

Isaac slammed his head on the ground with his arms and legs already bruised. Wendygo seemed to have forgiven him a long time ago, but Skadi had noticed that she had not.

Although blood got into his eyes due to his torn skin, Isaac did not divert his gaze from Skadi.

“For some reason, that sorcerer cannot tolerate any insult to the spirit. So, it is not the spirit that needs forgiveness, but that sorcerer!”

Meeting Skadi’s cold eyes, Isaac was shocked and slammed his head on the ground again.

He was about to lose consciousness momentarily because of how hard he hit. He barely held on to his senses and continued to slam his head…

“Stop. There is a limit to seeking forgiveness. This is clearly excessive, no matter how you think about it.”

“If Wendygo says so, there’s nothing I can do…”

When Wendygo’s nails blocked Isaac’s head, Skadi took a step back with an annoyed expression.

No matter how arrogant Isaac was, Skadi’s loyalty had not been shaken enough to go against Wendygo’s intentions.

When Skadi yielded, Isaac sobbed and made a sincere bow to Wendygo.

I never thought he would make such a sincere bow to the spirit!

“The spirit’s heart is more vast than the wide sky and more compassionate than a mother to her child!”

“No. Even if it’s deep, it’s too deep.”

“What? I think this impolite person’s words are the smartest and most correct among the words he said today.”

A shudder.

Isaac felt defeated by Skadi’s audacity.

Even though he thought to himself, “Ah, this seems a bit too much,” after blurting it out, he still received praise without a hint of hesitation!

“The words of the shaman who serves the spirits are correct. This foolish boy caused trouble for the spirits without realizing it… He will pay the price.”

“You finally grasped the subject. If it were any other spirit, you wouldn’t have been tortured to death, let alone forgiven. From now on, live your life in gratitude for Lady Wendy’s grace.”

“……”

Wendigo admired Skadi’s ruthless appearance and once again admired Isaac, who was listening to the story without a trace of wavering.

Honestly, if it were him, he wouldn’t have been able to keep his teeth after hearing such a story.

“O spirit, please tell me what price I should pay. If it is something within my abilities, I will accomplish it no matter what it is.”

Wendigo couldn’t help but be surprised by Isaac’s determination. Though he could sense anxiety and worry, there was at least no scent of falsehood.

So, if he really could do anything he set his mind to…

‘Nothing particularly useful comes to mind.’

‘Surely they won’t ask me to do something impossible for someone like me.’

Of course, Isaac knew very well that he was not of much use. If it were somewhere else, who knows, but just considering the skills Skadi had shown just now, an estimate had been made.

Furthermore, the spirit in front of him was so kind that it was hard to believe he was a spirit. The flattery from earlier may have been exaggerated, but it was half sincere.

“Hmm… He wants me to do something to that extent, I guess I can’t refuse.”

If Isaac knew, he might have shed tears of blood for a moment. Meanwhile, Wendigo thought of a reward that would be okay but not burdensome for Isaac.

“As a wandering shaman, you must know a bit about magic outside of this forest, right?”

“Yes! Although my level is meager, and if I compare myself to a shaman, it’s like the difference between heaven and earth, I do know a little bit!”

Isaac tried to lower himself as much as possible, but to Wendigo, it was a shallow attempt that didn’t fool him in the slightest.

What mattered to Wendigo was that he knew magic, even if he was an enemy.

“Well, then, that’s fortunate. You have something to do for me.”

Isaac wasn’t overly worried. He didn’t think the spirit in front of him would demand anything unreasonable!

“Yes. Please tell me!”

“Teach Skadi the magic you know.”

“… What?”

Isaac blurted out a dumbfounded sound at the request that far exceeded his expectations. But Isaac hadn’t misheard.

“Is your conscience troubled by shedding blood? Teach Skadi the magic you know. It shouldn’t be too difficult.”

“Um…”

Isaac’s throat tightened. Facing Skadi, who was looking at him with a dumbfounded expression, Isaac thought to himself,

From Noble mtl dot com

“Should I just offer one arm and ask for forgiveness?”

Teach that sorceress. It felt like he would be torn apart for not knowing the subject…

Isaac seriously pondered becoming a loner.