I Became a Wendigo in a Fantasy World

44 – Episode 44

A week had already passed since Isaac was abducted, or rather, detained in the village.

Wendigo thought that if it was to that extent, Scadi and Isaac would have become quite close.

Scadi was generally kind-hearted, and while Isaac tended to be overly flattering, he wasn’t completely lacking in conversational skills.

As Wendigo enjoyed a honey-dipped apple that had been baked to perfection, they asked Geron.

“Geron, how are Scadi and Isaac getting along?”

“Well, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Hmm?”

Wendigo gave Geron a puzzled look. Normally, Geron would have replied that Scadi was doing well.

Contrary to his usual self, Geron was staring at Wendigo with a rather serious expression.

“Could it be that Isaac has done something bad to Scadi? If that were the case, he would have been beaten to death a long time ago, wouldn’t he?”

“Cough. Of course, I had those concerns at first.”

Geron let out a dry cough due to a sharp pain. Wendigo looked at Geron with a cold gaze.

From Noble mtl dot com

Even so, that’s going too far. They confirmed it themselves, yet they still doubt.

Geron understood the meaning behind Wendigo’s gaze but smoothly moved on. It was because they had a unique master whose face grew thicker naturally.

“More than that, I’m concerned about the stories I heard from the workers in Scadi’s cabin.”

“…Can you really call that a cabin? I think it’s more like a mansion, if anything.”

It had a slaughterhouse, a kitchen, a tannery, and a carpentry workshop. There was also a garden for growing herbs, and a two-story building with rooms for guests and workers. No matter how you looked at it, it wasn’t a cabin.

Geron couldn’t deny that fact, but they made an effort to represent Scadi.

“It’s probably because it’s where the shaman lives, so it’s not inappropriate to use the term ‘cabin.’ It’s like calling the place where the blacksmith works a forge.”

“Well, the metaphor might not be quite appropriate… but if Scadi wants to call it that, we should respect it.”

Wendigo didn’t have any major complaints either. If they thought of it as a cabin, then it was a cabin.

“In the fantasy novels I read in my past life, there were wizards who called hotels ‘towers of magic.’

There were also comics that depicted extravagant hotels as towers and novels that referred to places where monsters, beasts, and ancient beings lurked as academies.

Compared to such grand scales, Skadi’s claims seemed nothing more than childish antics.

“Oh dear, the story has spread because of me. What are the workers saying?”

“It’s hard to believe, but it seems that Lord Skadi is bothering the wandering sorcerer.”

“… That Skadi?”

Wendigo imagined someone tormenting Skadi.

The image of Skadi, with an expressionless or disdainful gaze, brandishing a whip, seemed quite plausible, but it was odd when she thought of her usual self.

She was more suited to applying herbs and kindly advising the weak who had been whipped.

It was hard to imagine the naturally kind Skadi being like that to anyone…

“Summon Isaac. We might need to interrogate him.”

“Yes! I’ll ensure he doesn’t escape.”

“… No. Let’s not go that far without knowing if he’s guilty.”

* * *

“You… look very tired.”

“No, I don’t.”

The moment Wendigo faced Isaac, she knew it wasn’t his fault.

What she sensed from Isaac was not wickedness, but fear and a hint of detachment.”

Even the mental strain had taken a toll, making him look a bit haggard, enough to evoke pity.

“Please, be honest. Is Skadi tormenting you?”

“Th-that…”

Isaac couldn’t easily answer Wendygo’s question.

It was indeed tough when asked honestly if he was struggling, setting aside the threat to his life on their first encounter.

Digging up the answers to her questions every day, even delving into the subconscious, wasn’t an easy task.

But… as time passed, Isaac realized something was off.

“She’s not tormenting me. It’s just that Skadi seems to be pursuing knowledge and experience as if driven by something…”

“Pursuing knowledge as if driven by something…”

Wendygo could smell the truth in Isaac’s words, but it wasn’t easy for her to accept them.

The only sorcerers she had seen until now were Skadi, Rujik, and Isaac, and she knew Skadi was quite advanced. So, why would she show anxiety while learning something from Isaac?

Isaac cautiously spoke, observing Wendygo’s reaction.

“Spirit, if you don’t mind, could you listen to my speculation?”

“Go ahead.”

“It’s just my personal opinion… but it seems like Skadi is feeling burdened for various reasons.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Wendygo questioned Isaac about the unexpected story. Isaac, fearing Wendygo might get upset, spoke even more humbly.

“At first, I thought it was because of my rudeness, but… the longer I live here, the more I feel something strange.”

“What kind of strangeness are you talking about?”

“When dealing with me, she took on the appearance of a formidable sorceress more frightening than anyone else. Yet, when interacting with the forest people, she presented herself as a compassionate sorceress, more benevolent than anyone else.

Isaac analyzed where her true nature lay between the intimidating image she had shown him and the kind demeanor towards the forest people.

After roughly three days, he realized that her original personality belonged to the latter.

No one spoke ill of her, and now that he thought about it, the herbs she used to treat him were quite rare.

“…Maybe it’s just because the injuries were severe?”

“No. It was nothing more than some cuts on the arms and legs, and although the head was slightly torn, it wasn’t at a very dangerous level.”

If it were someone else, they might not have known. But a sorceress like Scadi would have recognized that the injuries were not severe.

If her true nature was that of a venomous, malevolent sorceress, she wouldn’t have used precious herbs to heal him.

So why did she use valuable herbs to treat him?

Isaac, searching his memory, speculated it was guilt. Despite the cold gaze during the treatment, there was genuine care in her fingertips.

“Why would someone unable to control their emotions to the point of showing such a harsh demeanor… It may be an exaggeration, but I think Scadi was not afraid because I, as a sorcerer, appeared. It could be fear of something else.”

“Fear?”

“It seemed like Scadi was afraid of another sorcerer, precisely, a sorcerer more powerful than herself appearing. She is exceptionally talented, but… still quite young, isn’t she?”

“…If she thinks I accepted the contract because of talent, she might fear that a more capable sorcerer might appear and replace her.”

Surely she knew there were no sorcerers of her age with greater abilities than her. Even among those older than her, there were few sorcerers more exceptional than her.

However, humans couldn’t control emotions based on objective measures alone. Emotions were not easily controlled just because something was fulfilled.

‘If only she were a bit more mature… No, at least if she had faced and lived in the wider world, she might have felt less anxious.’

But her early years were spent almost entirely in her mother’s cabin, and since becoming an adult, she had always been with Wendigo.

The fear of possibly drifting away from Wendigo might have come quite strongly to Scadi, after all.”

No. It’s highly likely they’ve come closer.

‘…I should probably have a conversation with her.’

Wendigo organized his thoughts and looked at Isaac. Initially, she brought him along to learn more, but Isaac was exceeding those expectations.

Wendigo expressed gratitude warmly, “Thank you. Thanks to you, Skadi might reconsider whether I was indifferent.”

“Oh, no. Just think of it as a wandering sorcerer’s delusion.”

“Even if it’s a delusion, if it helped, it’s only right to express gratitude. I’ll make sure to properly reward you when I leave the forest. Now, I’ll take my leave… Can you pass on my words to Skadi?”

“What should I tell her?”

“Well… yes. Tell her I’d like to stroll through the forest together at night, so if she could make time. Please.”

“Oh my. A request, you say? I simply follow orders.”

Seeing Isaac flustered, Wendigo chuckled and gestured for him to leave.

Isaac lowered his head and withdrew. He was convinced his own face must look a mess.

‘Even aside from being a spirit, she’s not an ordinary benevolent being. Taking care of others to this extent…’

Isaac seemed to understand why the forest people worshipped Wendigo.

In a world overflowing with spirits and nobles wanting to dominate, those who genuinely cared for the common folk were rare.

Isaac sincerely hoped that through a conversation with Wendigo, Skadi would find peace.

…Then maybe he could rest easy.

The interrogation was finally over.

* * *

Late at night.

Skadi walked the night path with a sigh. The chilly night air only intensified the confusion in her heart.

“I need to apologize to Mr. Isaac… but I just can’t muster the courage.”

From their first meeting, an inexplicable hostility arose, and as she found herself in a situation that could justify the reasons, her demeanor involuntarily became rough.

Perhaps, being an outsider, she dared to touch the unwritten rules, not even going as far as making threats.

“…Mr. Isaac also went to see Lady Wendigo. Maybe he spoke of my wretched self. No… she must have mentioned it.”

Skadi sighed once again.

She was well aware of the recent turmoil within herself. Different aspects continued to surface, and she couldn’t fathom why.

But why was this happening, and how could she fix it? She had no clue.

She felt a self-loathing and melancholy as if she were floundering in an endless swamp.

Was it her fault?

Skadi realized belatedly that she had passed by the chapel. She sighed once more.

“You seem to be sighing a lot. Not a good habit, you know.”

“W-Wendigo?!”

The one waiting for the turned Skadi was Wendigo.

Skadi was surprised that Wendigo was following her, and embarrassment flooded her as she realized he had been observing her.

Despite making mistakes before, recently she didn’t want to reveal her shortcomings to Wendigo as much as she did to others.

“Skadi, you remember why I called you, don’t you?”

“Yes. According to Mr. Isaac, Lady Wendigo wants to take me to the forest!?”

Wendigo, seeing Skadi hesitate, effortlessly lifted her onto his shoulders.

Blushing, Skadi fumbled around at Wendigo’s sudden action. Wendigo observed her reaction and burst into laughter.

“Wen, Lord Wendigo. Please, let me down!”

“Well, sorry, but I can’t allow you to wander around like this from now on.”

“What!?”

Shocked by Wendigo’s audacity(?), Skadi screamed in astonishment.

Wendigo, satisfied with her reaction, carried her into the forest.

The destination was the mansion in the forest where the two had spent time together in the past.