20
A few days before they arrived at Gikas’s nest.
Wendigo tried to form an alliance by convincing the village as planned, but there was a slight difference from the original plan…
“Um, spirit, wouldn’t they be startled if you brought that?”
Garon pointed to the front and asked. The warriors at the front were moving with disgusted expressions, holding their spears…
Dead bodies were hung at the end of the spears. Obviously, it wasn’t an ordinary corpse.
It was the pathetic hung bodies of the parasite and the warrior who had been the victim. For Garon, who had spent quite a lot of time with Wendigo, it was a bewildering command.
Why would they want to hang such a thing? It’s hard enough to drop their guard because of the menacing look.
The warriors pricked up their ears and listened to Garon’s question. They were also curious.
Wendigo nodded and spoke.
“You must be astounded. It is natural to be taken aback upon encountering such a grotesque corpse.”
“But why…”
“Consider this. In your opinion, would those who we need to persuade in the future not be terrified at the first meeting if that corpse were absent?”
After briefly pondering, Géron lowered his head. Thinking about it, people being frightened was some sort of constant. If someone met Wendigo for the first time, they were inevitably surprised. If they were bound to be shocked at the first meeting, it was better to hit them hard. Wouldn’t that immediately make them think ‘something, something is happening!’
“People are more easily persuaded when they are excited or flustered than when they are rational. Deep thinking can lead to doubts, but when a big problem arises, they tend to focus on the situation.”
Of course, whether this was really true was unknown. Wendigo had learned this as knowledge, but had never used it. It was just knowledge he had learned from a professor in modern times…
“Indeed, the wisdom of the spirits is truly vast. Is it like the hidden wisdom of nature?”
“What about nature? It’s merely the result of trying to understand the human mind.”
Géron and the warriors all expressed great admiration. How long and hard he must have struggled to understand humans to reach such an understanding? In reality, it was knowledge he had learned forcibly under the chain of grading, but the warriors, who didn’t know the horrifying dungeon of college, had no way of knowing this.
When the reason for displaying the corpse became clear, the warriors wiped their awkward expressions and marched with shades of pride, weapons aloft. When the warriors and monsters confidently appeared carrying the grotesque corpse, it was enough to stir chaos in the village. If they paused there, a wave of suspicion would naturally arise. Wendigo did not pause there. Whenever his commands fell, the warriors shouted in loud voices.
“A great crisis has come to the forest! If you want to protect your family, join us!”
“The devil hiding in the forest revealed himself! Those who run away will have their bodies and souls stolen and will suffer! Fight the evil together!”
What is this great crisis, and what is the devil hiding in the forest?
As Wendigo’s group only shouted without making any requests or attacks, the confused warriors naturally handed the judgement over to others. The village head.
The wooden gate opened and the village head appeared, escorted by a minimal guard.
The long-bearded village head stood upright, but his eyes were trembling with fear.
Wendigo decided to start. The village head’s complexion was so dark, it seemed he had no energy to ask questions.
“Firstly, I apologize for causing this commotion. If there was no reason, we would have visited more politely.”
“No, no, it’s okay. But this… May we know why you’ve come to us?”
The village chief mustered the courage to ask a question as Wendigo showed a softer demeanor. After all, it wasn’t normal to be wandering around with a hanging corpse.
The Wendigo sighed deeply. The weight of that sigh was so heavy that the village chief felt a pang of worry. ‘What on earth went wrong to make a spirit look like that?’
“Look at the corpse. Does it look like an ordinary corpse? Or do you feel the presence of some evil?”
Swallowing his dry saliva, the village chief stared at the corpse hanging in the window. The corpse, gnawed by insects, looked like some grotesque organism.
The village chief wasn’t actually scared by the parasite the size of an arm. There were far more horrendous monsters in the world. However…
“Is this… is this really human? This…”
“That’s why we’re here.”
The parasites puppet was different. Thanks to Wendigo’s chills, the state of the guy during his lifetime remained vividly. The sight of the parasites, revealed through the skin twitching from the insects and the slimy arms and legs, would rightfully horrify any human.
While the village chief was staring at the corpse in shock, Wendigo began telling the story.
The tale that started from meeting Ivan incrementally escalated and reached its climax in a village taken over by the parasites.
“Can you imagine? The view of a human whose body has been hijacked and soul manipulated by parasites. I received a request from this warrior there. Pleaded me to take their life. The body had been defiled, but he wants his soul to find peace.”
“Ahh…”
Though the story was exaggerated and filled with deceit, it was still captivating.
The soldiers of the village gathered around the Wendigo before they knew it, eagerly listening to his story. They came looking for the village chief when he didn’t return, and got caught up in the story.
‘It must be curious to hear a monster, no, a spirit, tell a tale.’
“So, what happened to the warrior? Was he saved?”
“Yes. It was a tough ordeal. The warrior’s body, dominated by parasites, was unbelievably strong. The fight inevitably dragged on… and ended up in this state.”
The village soldiers sighed and looked at the corpse with respect.
Those who knew the situation closed their eyes and calmed their hearts. Sometimes, it’s necessary to feign ignorance to the lies of the person you serve.
Feeling guilty, Wendigo scratched his chest and heaved a heartfelt sigh.
“In the final moment, as the parasite grotesquely begged for its life, the warrior regained his physical strength and spoke. ‘I was deeply saddened to lose my family and friends, but I’m more afraid of the demon hiding in the mountains. Great spirit, please scrutinize humanity,’ he said.
‘So, if it’s the spirit’s will!’
‘While I’m not a human, the warrior’s last wish struck a chord in me. Therefore, I pledge to honor his soul, vowing no other should suffer the same fate.’
‘Ah! Truly, what an honorable warrior! I can’t believe such a warrior exists in this world!’
As the village warriors and chief shed tears of emotion, the Wendigo coughed awkwardly. Embarrassment was clear; he had fabricated a convincing tale.
‘Spawning an exalted warrior from a mere parasite-infested one.’
While the word ‘warrior’ was the only link to the original tale, how would that matter.
The Wendigo had gauged the sentiments of the village warriors. Their tears were truly shed in strong resolve and profound emoti
Of course, it was absurd, but she did not stop it. The act of solidarity was not a bad thing in itself.
Wendigo collected warriors and supplies from the united villages and set off. She repeated this until their arrival at the nest of Gikas…
In doing so, she shattered Gikas’s narrow knowledge and led over two hundred warriors to his nest.
No matter how much knowledge one accumulates, it could never become wisdom.
* * *
The deep in the forest was a place where the air was dry and the chill hung heavy. The snow covering the mountains and frost told of the long-continued frost of this place.
‘It didn’t get found by men because it was hiding in a place like this.’
A human can survive in any climate, but that didn’t mean they lived in poor conditions forcibly.
Because they could live modestly just a little downhill from here, there was no reason for humans to come all the way here. Thanks to this, it could hide in peace.
Wendigo wrinkled her face at the bad smell flowing with the air.
“Geron, step back and get ready for battle.”
“Your Highness, is this the right place? Isn’t it further inside…”
Geron asked, examining the grim trees and snow in front of her. Neither the shape nor the presence of the enemy was felt.
Geron’s question was concerned about the mental exertion of the warriors, and Wendigo did not think her question was wrong.
However, while they could hide, they could not deceive Wendigo’s senses. Wendigo manipulated the cold to make a spear.
A spear twice as long and thick as the ones usually used.
Wendigo silently aimed the spear. Geron felt something unusual in Wendigo’s demeanor and backed off, shouting to the warriors.
“Prepare for combat! As soon as her Highness throws her spear, the enemies will appear!”
If you have a smart subordinate, life is this easy. They know what to do without needing instructions.
The cold air swirled around the spear, and Wendigo’s muscles twitched. She threw the spear with all her might.
The spear flew towards the snow-covered hill, creating a gust of wind.
Crash!
With a loud noise, the log situated under the snow exploded. Fragments of wood and snow adorned the sky, but the spear did not stop there. It continued to penetrate the log, drills through the deep and dark space, and embedded itself in something with a thud.
“Kyaaah!”
A horrific scream erupted from deep within the cave. As if it was a signal, enemies hidden in the snow emerged all at once.
“How dare you hurt my master’s body! Kill them all!”
The enemies came rushing like a tide, their eyes filled with a murderous intent.