I Became a Wendigo in a Fantasy World

23 – Episode 23

“…Do we really have to bury it?”

Wendygo swallowed her gloominess and questioned. The idea of burying something she had worked hard to obtain was quite shocking.

Scadi confidently replied, placing her hand on her chest,

“Yes! From my perspective, burying it in the ground is the right answer!”

“I see. It was just trash then…”

“Huh? Wendygo-nim?”

Scadi was perplexed as Wendygo, unable to overcome her despondence, mumbled bitterly.

She didn’t understand why Wendygo’s mood had soured.

Geron cautiously approached Skadi, glancing around to make sure no one was listening, then whispered, “What if I tell you why you need to ask? It seems like you already knew they asked because they thought it was useless.”

“Ah… Ahhh!?”

Skadi paused for a moment, contemplating Geron’s words, and suddenly realized her own mistake.

How mistaken she was to assume that others would understand the knowledge of a sorcerer.

Skadi, understanding her error, looked up at Wendygo with a mixture of remorse and helplessness.

Wendygo’s face was unreadable, but today his skull seemed unusually sorrowful to Skadi.

Wendygo weakly asked Skadi, “Where is the heart of Kikas right now?”

“It’s in my workshop… Wendygo?”

As Skadi reflexively responded, Wendygo muttered to himself and headed towards Skadi’s workshop.

Disappointment was one thing, but if an item was trash enough to be buried, it should be disposed of properly.

“I guess I have to bury it frozen like this. That way, the useless mystery attached to the heart won’t cause any problems.”

“No, that’s not it, Wendygo!”

Sometimes being diligent can be challenging. Without a chance to stop Skadi, Wendygo left to deal with the heart.

“Just a moment, please! Wendygo, please listen to my explanation!”

Calling out desperately as Wendygo moved further away, Skadi chased after him.

* * *

Fortunately, Wendygo didn’t end up freezing Kikas’ heart and burying it deep underground.

When the heart was about halfway frozen, Skadi sprinted over and made a gesture of apology.

“I’m sorry! I haven’t received such a question recently, so I unintentionally skipped some words too!”

“No, there’s no need to go to that extent.”

“No, really! It’s unacceptable for the shaman who serves Windigo not to explain things properly and handle matters without proper clarification! It can’t be allowed!”

How could one criticize someone blaming themselves with tears in their eyes?

Moreover, Skadi was the woman who had been a great help to Windigo in adapting to this world.

Though not without its awkward aspects, wasn’t it ultimately an action stemming from kindness?

Windigo carefully lifted Skadi, who was blaming herself with teary eyes.

“Now, get up. It worries me if others see you like this.”

“But, but…”

“Oh well. You’re not going to refuse my request now, are you?”

At the mention of a request, Skadi wiped away her tears and stood up from her place. The idea of a request was willingly accepted, given that she had been lying there like a broken stone.

Windigo carefully brushed off the dirt on Skadi’s clothes with his fingernails. Skadi blushed with embarrassment.

‘W- Windigo, you’re touching my clothes…’

‘She certainly cried because even she felt embarrassed.’

If Skadi had known, she would probably have felt embarrassed at the thought. Nevertheless, Windigo brushed off the dirt cleanly. He hesitated for a moment about wiping away the tears as well…

‘If I accidentally inflict a wound with my nails, it would be a big problem.’

It wasn’t easy with Windigo’s large hands.

As Windigo’s hand moved away, Skadi felt regretful. Nevertheless, thanks to the recent turmoil, her confused emotions seemed to have truly settled.

Skadi cleared her throat and pointed to Kikas’s heart.

“Ahem! The reason I suggested burying the heart in the ground was for magical processing, not because it’s absolutely useless, you know.”

“Is that so? I’m sorry. I misunderstood because of my lack of knowledge.”

Skadi shook her head and rejected Wendygo’s apology. She looked at her with determination and expressed her thoughts.

“No, it’s alright. As the sorceress serving Wendygo, it’s only natural for me to read Wendygo’s mind and prepare in advance…”

“Isn’t that a bit excessive?”

Wendygo thought Skadi’s loyalty was too much. Even so, how could she possibly know someone else’s thoughts?

To prevent Skadi’s loyalty from becoming self-destructive, Wendygo decided to change the subject.

“So, why did you tell me to bury this heart?”

“Yes. When you entrusted me with this heart, you said that the owner of this heart was a demon who had lived for three hundred years, right?”

Wendygo nodded. Skadi cautiously handed the heart of Gigas to her.

As Skadi chanted a spell, the coldness subsided, and the half-frozen heart returned to its original form.

The heart still emitted a strong odor. It wasn’t the natural smell of a heart, but rather the remnants of Gigas’s mystery.

“A demon is a living creature that possesses mystery in its physical body, unlike spirits. Whether it’s a curse or a blessing, the byproduct of a demon is greatly influenced by its mystery.”

Let’s assume a lightning wolf has died.

Its fangs, claws, and bones can be used to create treasures imbued with the power of lightning.

Its skin can be used to create a cloak that repels lightning.

And its heart, depending on how it is used, can recreate the power of the demon.

However… there were cases where things were ambiguous, like now.

It was fine to kill the demon, but the mystery was useless.

“To be honest… the mystery of Wendygo and the mystery of this demon don’t really go well together.”

“That’s true.”

Mysteries akin to curses that gnaw at the wonders of nature.

Whether the energy is bright or dark, to Wendygo, within the framework of nature, the mystique of Kikas was nothing short of supernatural. It was certain that consuming it would lead to indigestion.

So, what should one do in such cases?

“That’s why you have to bury it in the ground. Just like how no impurity can taint a river, wash away that mystique in the embrace of Mother Nature.”

“A quite plausible story.”

Even in modern times, there were tales of nature’s resilience. No matter how much pollutants there were, over time, they would clean up through the natural purification process…

“Similar to industrial waste, isn’t it?”

Dirty, dangerous, and seemingly useless. At least this side was fortunate that it was naturally (?) occurring contaminants?

“But if nature washes away the mystique, doesn’t that render the heart useless?”

“The heart of a masu is like a kind of vessel, so it’s fine. Of course, when it contains the mystique of nature instead of a masu’s, its power may diminish.”

Wendygo felt proud at Scadi’s explanation. Although it was uncertain for what purpose it would be used, at least it wasn’t an entirely useless item.

Still, I haven’t done something in vain!

“Where should I bury this? Is there no problem if I bury it in the village, like the land getting contaminated?”

“There shouldn’t be any issue.”

“Then it’s better to bury it right away.”

Wendygo and Scadi left the workshop and sought out a suitable location. It was essential to choose a place carefully; even though burying it wouldn’t cause problems, the course of events in the world didn’t always go as expected.

Wendygo cautiously considered the conditions.

‘Where could it be rare for people to come by, easy to handle in case of problems, and possibly prevent theft?’

The rest might be possible, but who would think of someone digging the ground to steal a heart in this world?

However, Wendigo thought it was a quite plausible idea.

“In a world where someone who wants to gain power destroys a whole village and calls themselves a shaman, anything is possible. If it means obtaining mysteries, they wouldn’t hesitate to steal a heart.”

In Wendigo’s opinion, those who were involved with mysteries in this world were fundamentally madmen. There was no need to go to great lengths to prepare for such madmen.

I will never let others see me benefiting from my own suffering!

With fervor burning inside him, Wendigo wandered around the village. Whenever he passed by with Skadi, people politely greeted them.

Wendigo nodded his head slightly and responded to the greetings before quickly moving on. He didn’t bother to pay attention to each individual greeting.

People looked at Wendigo and Skadi with curious eyes and whispered amongst themselves.

“You seem busier than usual.”

“Do you have something important to attend to?”

“Clearly, they are traveling around to solve a difficult problem that we can’t even imagine.”

It was fortunate for the people that they didn’t realize Wendigo was actually looking for a suitable place to bury the heart, soaked in freshness.

If they had known, they would have lost sleep out of fear.

* * *

“It took quite a while, perhaps because the village has expanded.”

“Is that so? I thought it was a good time!”

Skadi replied cheerfully to Wendigo’s complaint. While Wendigo had no hesitation in burying the heart, Skadi was different.

She had provided advice when it came to the land, but she had never interfered in the actual selection process.

A great shaman was no different from a great advisor, and a great advisor would never force a choice.

Skadi, as a great advisor, enjoyed throwing out just enough advice and never, ever intended to impose her own will.

She simply enjoyed the pleasure of taking a walk with her mentor!

Certainly, as Wendygo settled on the land, the joy reached its peak. Scadi caressed her staff with a hint of regret.

“It felt like taking a stroll with Wendygo… a bit regrettable.”

“Maybe we should have chosen this place from the beginning.”

“Indeed… this might be the best place after all.”

Scadi nodded. The final destination did fit the conditions Wendygo had in mind.

The land Wendygo chose… was her sanctuary.

Beyond the idea of burying a heart at home, it was a considerably reasonable location.

If there were no issues in the village, no one would come, and it was Wendygo’s refuge, suitable for dealing with problems. Those who valued their lives wouldn’t hide in a spirit’s abode unless absolutely necessary.

Wendygo tore up the floor of a suitable room in the sanctuary with an ice shovel.

“Learning to dig in the military really comes in handy.”

Carefully, Wendygo excavated the ground and placed the heart.

“Should I cover it as it is? Is there anything else to do?”

“Yes. If Wendygo’s mystique is involved, covering it separately might disrupt the flow of nature’s mystique. It’s better to bury it as it is.”

Wendygo, contemplating whether to prevent theft and make an ice box, clicked her tongue.

“What if a mole spirit digs up the ground… No, that’s probably an unnecessary worry.”

If such a spirit played tricks, they would notice before that happened.

Wendygo covered the ground cautiously, fearing any harm to the heart.

After assembling the floor she had torn apart, she thought no one would believe a heart was buried there.

“Feels like disposing of a corpse.”

“What?”

“No, go back now since you’ve suffered enough.”

When Skadi chuckled, Wendy quickly turned her words around. Although her reaction was even more suspicious, Skadi tried to hide her curiosity and politely greeted her before returning to her workshop.

Alone in the temple, Wendy felt a sense of satisfaction as she tapped the floor where her heart was buried.

“I hope I become useful soon.”

* * *

The next day.

Wendy dug up the floor to check on her heart. It had only been a day, so there probably wouldn’t be any significant changes, but still, she had hope…

“Hmm?”

Wendy was more than surprised. The ground where her heart was buried… it was stained black.

Wendy had someone send for Skadi in this unexpected situation.

Upon hearing the news, Skadi rushed over and performed a perfect bow, begging for forgiveness.

Feeling a strange déjà vu, Wendy scolded her.