I Became a Wendigo in a Fantasy World

45 – Episode 45

Wendigo carried Skadi on his shoulder and dashed through the forest. Naturally, Wendigo adjusted his speed, considering Skadi, but…

“Too, too fast, even if it’s fast!”

No matter how he adjusted, since he had never experienced his own speed through human senses, it was inevitably quite fast.

Skadi held onto Wendigo’s horn, fearing she might fall. It was an action she would normally find impolite and uncomfortable.

Wendigo also sensed Skadi’s state through the unfamiliar feeling on his horn.

“I didn’t know there was sensation in the horn… I’m finding out like this.”

Feeling tension from her, Wendigo gradually slowed down. Only then could Skadi relax and take in the surroundings.

The trees were surrounded by mist that sparkled in the moonlight, and the leaves coated with night dew shone brilliantly as if the stars had descended from the sky.

“Beautiful…”

Skadi, with amazed eyes, admired the enchanting scenery of the dreamlike forest. Those beautiful scenes passed by like a ray of light.

Enchanted by that ray of light, Skadi cast aside her worries and burst into a bright laughter.

Thanks to Wendigo’s consideration, he took the most aesthetically pleasing path rather than the most direct one towards the mansion.

Was it because of that?

“Wendigo, look at the moon rising over there in the valley! My mother used to say that the night’s valley bewitches women. I wonder if it was true!”

“Oh my, a white tree… Could they all be frozen for some reason?”

Skadi’s recent chatter, which had been absent for a while, burst out and tapped on Wendigo’s ears.

Wendigo silently nodded, leading her. Her reaction clearly showed a certain taste, but…

“The white tree I just saw had a strong sense of mystery… Should we take it with us when we go back?”

“No. Leave it be unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

“But it’s so rare…”

Whether it was innate sorcery or a professional habit, Skadi connected the beauty she had just witnessed with magic. Wendigo was honestly a bit disappointed.

“Just enjoy the view without overthinking…”

Even Wendigo, who had no hobby of appreciating things, found the scenes impressive enough to think, ‘Could that be useful for magic?’ Skadi was thrilled by what she showed, so Wendigo let go of the disappointment.

In the end, if she was enjoying herself, then the purpose of this stroll was being fulfilled.

By the time Skadi suggested building a cabin in the moonlit valley she had seen initially, Wendigo had decided to gradually head towards the mansion.

The mansion in the woods.

It was a space filled with memories of Wendigo and Skadi, despite not having any significant events or discoveries. Perhaps that’s why it was the most comfortable and happy place for Skadi.

‘If I go there, I can relieve the fatigue in my heart. And if I can ease Skadi’s anxiety, she can find peace of mind too…’

“Wendigo?”

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“Yes?”

Wendigo snapped to attention at Scadi’s faint, trembling voice. She covered her mouth and pointed ahead with quivering fingers.

Wendigo looked ahead and… froze.

There stood a mansion. However, it wasn’t the mansion Wendigo remembered…

A beautiful flower garden adorned the mansion splendidly.

* * *

The day Wendigo first discovered the mansion with Scadi.

In the forest, the mansion seemed beautifully adequate to Wendigo.

Surrounded by the subtle fragrance of wood and bathed in sunlight, the shaded mansion had a warmth like a drawn painting.

“I thought there couldn’t be a more beautiful mansion than this at that time… But I was wrong.”

Wendigo stared blankly at the unfolding scene before him.

Various colored flowers bloomed beautifully, reflecting moonlight, and fireflies floated around like the Milky Way. The mansion shone beautifully alone in the dark night.

Wendigo entered with Scadi. In the front yard, where he had placed a cross, fearing even a single petal might be harmed, Scadi cautiously approached the cross.

The cross was entwined with white roses. Scadi gently touched the roses adorning the cross with a wistful look.

“Mother would have liked to see this too…”

“It’s beautiful. I never thought flowers would bloom so brightly in this cold weather.”

Wendigo was honestly taken aback. While it was true that she had wanted to regain composure by witnessing something good, she never expected it to be this extraordinary.

‘Should I be happy about this… or should I feel awkward?’

Wendigo approached Scadi. Scadi looked up at Wendigo and smiled.

“Perhaps… the mystery of Wendigo’s influence on nature has caused this. The magic used when consulting the unknown sorcerer seems to have seeped into the ground and created such a spectacle…”

“It’s a pleasant coincidence.”

Wendigo and Scadi sat by the graveside, admiring the flower garden. For this moment, Scadi pushed aside her status, worries, and anxieties, and focused entirely on the beauty before her.

Wendigo caught her scent.

A clear, refreshing fragrance.

Wendigo realized that it was the scent of pure serenity.

Could he now relieve her of her worries?

“…Scadi, you seem to have some concerns lately.”

Scadi was initially surprised by Wendigo’s first words, but soon realized that she couldn’t hide anything from him, and a bitter smile formed on her face.

“You’ve caught me. I couldn’t possibly hide anything from Wendigo…”

“No. Honestly, I didn’t know either. If Isaac hadn’t told me, I might have never known.”

Was it because an unexpected name was mentioned? Scadi’s eyes trembled.

She lowered her head in apology and clasped her wrist.

“I owe him an apology. Trying to fill the void by sacrificing someone else. As a sorcerer who serves Wendigo, I…”

“Scadi.”

She flinched.

At Wendigo’s call, Scadi turned her head towards him. As his hand slowly approached, she tightly shut her eyes.

Was he trying to commune with her soul?

… Surely not.

Wendigo had no intention of making an already difficult person feel even more burdened.

Wendigo gently patted Skadi’s head.

Although he had done so before, it felt different this time.

“So warm…”

Skadi had always thought Wendigo’s touch was cold, given the chill emanating from his body, but today, his touch felt warm to her.

As a warm breeze swept through Skadi’s heart, Wendigo spoke calmly.

“You always refer to yourself as a shaman who worships Wendigo. What is the reason for that?”

“Well, I worship Wendigo because…”

“If that’s the case, then it’s fine. But if there’s another reason, I hope you wouldn’t do so.”

As Skadi’s hidden fear leaked into her heart, Wendigo closed his mouth. When tears filled her eyes, Wendigo wiped them away with his nails.

“I’m sorry. But there’s something I need to tell you, something I couldn’t help but do.”

“What… is it?”

Skadi looked at Wendigo with a worried expression. But the words that came out of Wendigo’s mouth were far from what Skadi had expected.

“Skadi, if you’re worried about me leaving your side, let me promise you this. If you wish, I will never accept another shaman.”

“What?!”

Skadi’s eyes widened in shock, surpassing the worry and anxiety she had been suppressing just moments ago.

But Wendigo just smiled as he patted her head. Skadi quickly shook her head.

“No! In the future, you will continue to rule over vast lands, so such a thing…”

“It doesn’t matter. After all, I’m not with you because you’re a shaman. Skadi, do you remember the day we first met?”

Skadi nodded. How could she forget? It was the moment she found salvation and a reason to live on.

“In the beginning, I helped you out of pity for a poor woman. And I thought it would be fortunate if I could teach something to someone as ignorant as me.”

“At that time, Wendy-nim…”

“I was foolish. I didn’t know anything about the world, nor did I know what kind of existence I was. No, to be precise, even now, I don’t know what kind of existence I am.”

Skadi rambled on with excuses, but Wendy skillfully let it go in one ear and out the other.

That wasn’t important.

“At that time… If you had wanted to, you could have deceived me. If you were good at it, there would have been endless ways for you to rule this land using my power.”

“I… I couldn’t do such despicable things. I don’t want to do things like that.”

Skadi firmly replied. Wendy was very pleased with that answer.

“Right. I liked seeing you like that, so I decided to be with you.”

Wendy chose to be with her based on her character.

Her talent was more than enough to make use of a stupid spirit she coincidentally met.

Even if she cursed the world and committed evil deeds, it wouldn’t be strange considering the years of torment she had endured.

But still, Skadi didn’t do that.

“There are surely more skilled and wiser shamans than you. But the shaman I want to be with is not them. The shaman I want by my side is Skadi, only you.”

With those words, Wendy gently withdrew her hand. Skadi stared at her blankly.

…A single tear silently rolled down her eyes.

Wendy gathered mystery in her hand.

The moonlight in the sky, flower petals, and the freshness of plants.

Wendy combined all of those things to create a single ring. She thought about making a necklace, but…

“I think a ring would be better since you already have an ice necklace.”

Wendigo held out a ring to Scadi. The ring shimmered with a dazzling light, as if infused with the beauty of flowers.

“Consider this my oath and token. If you do not discard this ring, and if you continue to maintain an upright heart, I swear to keep you by my side.”

Scadi glanced at the ring, then at Wendigo. The uneasiness that had been weighing on their mind disappeared, but accepting this ring felt too decisive…

Thunk.

“Ah.”

Scadi instinctively moved forward and grabbed Wendigo’s hand, as if being pushed. Scadi turned around with a startled expression.

There was nothing behind them. Scadi looked at the white rose pinned to the crucifix.

Was it a coincidence? Or was it something else?

The leaves of the rose rustled in the breeze. Scadi glanced at the rose for a moment before turning their head.

She blurted out her answer while holding onto the ring.

“I… I also swear to have you by my side for the rest of my life, Wendigo.”

In the end, she burst into tears.

* * *

“…there was such a thing!!!”

“Scadi. You’ve already told that story more than 10 times… No, anyway, I’m glad it worked out.”

“It’s all thanks to you, Isaac.”

It had been a few days since Wendigo and Scadi entered into a lifelong contract(?).

Isaac felt his ears bleeding from listening to Scadi’s endless praises and stories about Wendigo.

It was not an easy task to listen to a fairly long story without a single mistake, let alone ten times.

“…But I did get something out of it too.”

The anxiety that had haunted Skadi seemed to have washed away, and as a result, the hostility towards Isaac naturally disappeared. Instead, it was almost apologetic, to the extent that he was offered nutritious food and rest.

Moreover, in the comfortable atmosphere between Skadi and Isaac, they respected each other’s experiences and shared their knowledge.

Isaac’s situation had changed, but whenever he learned magic from Skadi, he couldn’t help but shiver.

How high the standards were! All the magic Isaac had learned superficially until now seemed like rubbish…

“Isaac, are you listening?”

“Oh, of course. Still such a beautiful… ring.”

“Right! It makes me smile every time I see it. hehehehe.”

Isaac, reminiscing about the magic he had learned, snapped out of it at Skadi’s voice. Skadi was once again proudly displaying the ring.

Skadi caressed the ring on her left ring finger. Every time Isaac saw that ring, he involuntarily broke into a cold sweat…

“The ring on the ring finger symbolizes marriage according to imperial tradition…”

Isaac quickly shook his head, dispelling the grotesque thought. It was because Isaac himself was the one who had taught him about the empire’s tradition.

Anyway, whether Wendygo was a spirit and Skadi was not human.

To an ordinary magician(?), Wendygo’s words were absolutely not a bold confession of love. Absolutely not. It must have been because Skadi, being a Northernlander, disregarded imperial traditions and put the ring on her preferred finger!

“hehehe…”

“……”

Isaac took out some calming fruit from his pocket and popped a few into his mouth for mental tranquility.

As his scattered thoughts settled, Isaac made a vow to himself inwardly.

“Never entertain any thoughts related to that ring.”

If he stared into the abyss and suffered, it was his own fault. Why stir up the abyss that had been quiet?

Faced with a problem he couldn’t handle, one should know how to skillfully avoid the gaze…

“Oh, right! Wendygo-nim decided to reward Isaac with gratitude.”

As Skadi delivered the news with a clear voice, Isaac stiffened as if struck by petrification magic.

He hastily checked how many fruits were in his pocket. Roughly about five…

“Skadi-nim. I’m sorry, but could I get about ten more of those good fruits for my mental well-being?”

“If Isaac wishes, I can provide a hundred!”

Isaac barely managed to swallow his words, requesting a hundred fruits that were about to pop out.