64 – Episode 64
Wendigos have always shunned the absurdity and harm of violence, but there were times when violence was effective.
From Noble mtl dot com
Her leg was broken, her eye was bruised, and her lip was torn, but it certainly cleansed the captives’ rotten spirit.
“Hey, I’m here.”
“Hmm…”
The captive, dragging her broken leg up to her, held out her parchment and the Wendigo read it attentively.
The wendigo looked at the captive to ask a question.
When the Wendigo and her eyes met, the captive shouted in horror.
“I swear on my life that nothing written on the parchment is a lie!”
“…Okay, go back and wait.”
The Wendigo didn’t know whether the captive in front of her was afraid of her or her warriors.
Maybe it’s because they’re both scared…
As the prisoner bowed and returned, the warriors looked at him with satisfaction.
“As expected, a beating is the cure for those kind of guys.”
“From now on, how about beating outsiders who try to see the spirit first?”
“That’s quite fun, no, I think it’s a good idea.”
It was a rather tempting offer, but the Wendigo mentally dismissed it.
These guys are hostile to the forest and are rotten from the inside out, but not all outsiders are like this.
‘… If you think about it, I think most of them are like that.’
The village that persecuted Skadi, the shaman and nomads who planned human sacrifice for their ambitions, and even those who took the human body tree…
Just as the Wendigo began to seriously consider the chatter of her warriors, Geron approached him and raised her horse.
“Spirit. I’ll get a message from these guys, so how about taking a break?”
“We haven’t even finished clearing the battlefield yet. At a time like this, it’s okay for me to rest alone…”
“Is there any leader in the world who would even take such things into consideration? We would be in trouble if our superiors took charge of such matters.”
The warriors bowed their heads in respect at Geron’s words. The fact that the Wendigo even cared about something like this was a sin in itself.
Wouldn’t it just be like breaking her fingers and breaking her bones until you get an answer you like?
The Wendigo thought for a moment about the reaction of Geron and her warriors.
If we don’t have the ability to determine the truth, can we leave this to the warriors?
The Wendigo looked at her captives as she thought deeply.
Her entire body was bruised, some of her bones were shattered, and her lips and eyelids were torn apart.
‘… If you’ve been treated like that and you try to manipulate someone, you’re truly crazy. ‘If that’s the case, I can get over it at least once.’
This is to select the best person among those who have the right to inherit anyway.
If I was going to risk my life and commit suicide, there was nothing I couldn’t do.
If he was that kind of person in the first place, it was clear that he would die unexpectedly one day.
After completing her judgment, the Wendigo stood up from her throne, looked at her Geron, and nodded her head.
“I understand. If you say that, I can’t help it.”
“I will make sure not to disappoint the spirit.”
“It’s not that important, so take it in moderation.”
As Geron made a firm determination, the Wendigo left with her laughter and light encouragement.
After confirming that he had left, Geron looked at the prisoners with a straight face.
… To be precise, as soon as the Wendigo left, she looked at her warriors who were unpacking her body.
“Everyone, put down your clubs.”
“Uh, wasn’t that a beating?”
“Their eyes are as strange as those of an animal, so it’s better to draw more blood… Ah, no. I’ll put them down.”
When Geron’s eyes showed signs of becoming ugly, the warriors hesitated and lowered their clubs.
“I think I can beat it a little more…”
As one warrior muttered, the prisoners trembled in fear.
In their eyes, the forest warriors looked like something more sinister than the spirits.
* · * *
The task of tearing up, or rather receiving, the war script from the captive was stopped, but contrary to what he told Geron, the Wendigo did not rest.
Even though I wanted to rest, the surrounding area was quite messy.
War required a considerable amount of time to prepare, proceed, and even finish.
It is quite difficult to collect and burn the bodies of the enemies, clean up the bodies of the allies, and collect the loot from the enemies…
“Kung! Kwang!”
“Yes. Eat, eat. Thanks to the wolves, there will be fewer enemy corpses.”
“The nomads are quite good at gathering loot, aren’t they? It’s clear that they check everything from their fingers to their toes.”
“hahahahaha! What about you guys? The thought of tearing the leather and finding the hidden ring made me wonder.”
… It was hard work, but rewarding work. The warriors removed the corpse with laughter.
When you remove the corpse, you find not only steel armor and weapons that are difficult to obtain in the forest, but also luxury items such as rings and necklaces. How can you not smile?
‘I’m glad you feel rewarded like that.’
The Wendigo did not care that her warriors stole the loot. If you risk your life to fight, shouldn’t there be a price to pay?
The Wendigo looked at them happily and then headed towards the place where the surrendered prisoners were gathered.
There, wolf riders were watching the captives with ferocious expressions on their faces. A few wolves even roamed among the prisoners, growling.
A warrior spotted the Wendigo and saluted it.
“Spirit! How come in a place like this?”
“Geron kicked me out to tell me to stop working, so I’m just snooping around here and there.”
The Wendigo spoke honestly without a single lie, but her warriors burst into laughter. It seemed like she was joking when she said that Geron, a loyal follower of the Wendigo, had driven her Wendigo away.
She thought that way, as did the prisoners. However, they did not laugh but were shocked.
There exists a spirit in this world who jokes with people!
They whispered as they watched the warriors.
“Am I dreaming? For that matter, my knee is throbbing where the arrow hit it.”
“Damn. I wish it were a dream. Then I would run out of the forest as soon as I woke up.”
“Actually, isn’t it a shaman and not a spirit? A shaman who transformed into a monster or something.”
“Have you ever seen a shaman with a good personality? The shamans I saw were either crazy or crazy.”
The prisoners put their heads together to accept this situation in their own way, but there was no solution.
According to their common sense, it was natural for spirits and shamans to have lost their humanity.
As the prisoners continued to whisper to reveal the identity of the Wendigo, the warriors roared with anger.
“You bastards! They insult the spirits without knowing who they are alive thanks to!”
“Okay, I was wrong!”
“I’m sorry. You are a spirit!”
“Well, what is it? You are the greatest spirit!”
‘If it’s a spirit, it’s a spirit. What is the most spirit?’
Is it because there were no normal spirits among the spirits I’ve encountered so far?
The Wendigo briefly wondered if her captives might have turned on her and swore at her.
But his worries did not last long. As soon as he looked, the prisoners gasped and trembled in fear.
“No matter what, aren’t they very cowardly for someone who calls themselves a warrior?”
“Spirit. I think it’s because of the blood on your face…”
As the Wendigo looked puzzled, the Wendigo recalled her forgotten blood stain.
‘Well, it sure is scary.’
The Wendigo swallowed bitterness for a very valid reason.
It was natural for even a warrior who was not afraid of a sword to be scared when faced with a spirit with a mouth covered in blood.
“If you’re wrong, I’ll catch you with your face. Bring some water to wash off the blood. If I have time on the way, I’ll also bring water to feed the prisoners.”
“You mean the water to feed the prisoners?”
The warriors asked in puzzlement. It was a Wendigo’s order, so I had to follow it, but honestly, I couldn’t understand it.
Why do prisoners give water because it’s pretty?
“Yes. There may be some who came because they wanted to, but most of them were dragged in by ugly chieftains and shamans. They will be sent back once the negotiations are over, so there is no need to treat them harshly.”
“Is that really true?”
As soon as there was hope of returning, one prisoner reflexively asked a question.
Seeing that rude appearance, the warriors were furious and grabbed their weapons, but the Wendigo stopped them and nodded her head.
“We will not enslave you or offer you up as a sacrifice. As long as you do not cause any accidents, we will allow you to return to your family alive.”
“!”
The prisoners lowered their heads with tears in their eyes at the sight of such merciful grace. In their eyes, a halo was shining behind the Wendigo.
How dare you suspect someone like that and accuse him of being an evil sorcerer or spirit!
“We were foolish! We spit out such harsh words without knowing that, as they said, the spirit had shown mercy!”
“Do you understand now? The spirit is more kind and kind than anyone else in the world.”
“Enough. I can’t raise my face because I’m embarrassed.”
When the prisoners shed tears like chicken sh*t and apologized, and the warriors trembled, the Wendigo was pricked by his conscience and stopped them.
Her warriors and prisoners looked up to the Wendigo with awe, perhaps because even such an appearance seemed humble.
How humble and gracious he is!
‘Well, I can’t say that I’m sending it back because it doesn’t seem like there’s any good in taking it.’
The reason the Wendigo freed her captives was because they were truly useless.
Having a former warrior slave was of low use compared to the risk. What good is hundreds of slaves if you’re not going to build a plantation in the forest?
If you even consider having to pay for all food, clothing, and shelter, it was rare for it to be so useless.
‘That doesn’t mean I’ll be a human sacrifice. It would be better to put it nicely and send it back.’
If at least one of these three, if not all, speaks favorably about the forest, it will be helpful in interacting with the outside world.
“I will leave a story so that future generations will not forget the mercy shown by the Spirit!”
“If anyone insults the spirit, I will cut off their head myself!”
“…Stop it and quench your thirst.”
The Wendigo couldn’t bear the shining gazes of her captives and looked away.
… Fooling bad guys is rewarding, but fooling innocent people is unsettling.
* · * *
A week later.
Although it was still chaotic, the forest succeeded in regaining peace.
Her captives were grateful for the Wendigo’s grace and did not cause a fuss, but it was also thanks to Geron’s successful receipt of her letter.
‘There were a few people whose wounds increased, but if Geron wants it, that’s it…’
“Spirit. Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Hmm. I just did it because I was thankful that you always worked hard for me.”
Geron realized that the Wendigo was hiding something from her, but she didn’t really care.
A more important matter than that was waiting for the Wendigo.
“Emissaries came from outside the forest. Judging by the fact that they brought the minimum number of troops for protection, it appears that the spirit’s intentions were properly conveyed.”
“That’s good. Have you sent warriors to guide you here?”
“Well, I had the nimble wolf riders on standby. However, unplanned people got in between the envoys…”
“Hmm. It’s not unexpected.”
Hundreds of warriors flocked to the area, but they disintegrated without any results, so it was no wonder that other guys were interested.
As the Wendigo lifted her head and raised her hand as if telling her to continue speaking, Geron continued her words.
“It is said that a shaman named Sir from the Freyr tribe has joined the delegation.”
“I’m not sure just by hearing the name…”
“Shall we call the shamans?”
“There’s no need to call all the busy people. Just bring Skadi and Osa.”
‘I think Osa won’t like it… But it’s an order so there’s nothing we can do.’
Perhaps Osa might also like it since it meant that he had gained the trust of the spirit.
Thinking that she would have been horrified if she had known, Geron gave her orders to her warriors.
From Noble mtl dot com