I Became a Wendigo in a Fantasy World

6 – Episode 6

Wendigo marveled at his surroundings through the ice necklace.

“So amazing to observe the forest without leaving it.”

Seeing wasn’t everything though. He could also hear and smell through the necklace and even communicate with the wearer.

It was all thanks to Skadi. As soon as she signed the contract with Wendigo, she asked him to make her a charm, and then she immediately created it.

“As a Shaman’s daughter, suppose you’re not just a shaman, are you? Be honest. Didn’t you run away without requiring my help?”

“Absolutely not. Humans rarely possess the ability to wield magic without the aid of spirits. They are only able to cast minor spells through magical objects.”

Humans are inherently creatures with little magical ability.

There are a few who are born containing magic, but generally, that’s the case.

The reason why shamans are obsessed with magical objects and spirits is because one needs them to cast spells.

If Skadi, not born with magic, didn’t meet Wendigo in the forest, she wouldn’t have escaped death. It was a blessing in disguise to have met him.

“Coming across you in the forest was truly a blessing.”

“I feel the same. It appears our meeting was indeed fortunate.”

As she smiled and stroked the necklace, Wendigo agreed with a nod. To him, meeting her was indeed a stroke of luck.

He initially felt bothered with the involvement, but who could have known that she holds such an ability?

“Ah, ha ha. Your compliment makes me blush. I wonder if people will willingly hand over the possessions, though? The items in my mother’s hut are quite precious…”

Skadi changed the subject, possibly flustered by Wendigo’s compliment. Her question was quite legitimate.

Shamans’ possessions are usually quite valuable.

A branch from a lightning-struck willow, century-old snake scales, a rose that bloomed in winter…

Objects containing magic naturally wield a tempting power. Her mother was, after all, a famous shaman.

Reveal that she collected the items, and all the shamans from neighboring tribes would be eager to pay high prices for them.

The lowly villagers would naturally be covetous…

In response to her question, Wendigo answered coolly, as if it was the most natural thing for her to ask.

“They might not give them up easily. That’s humans for you, controlled by their desires even at the risk of their lives. But what difference does it make? Are you planning to leave just because they won’t give up your possessions?”

“… I absolutely cannot do that. They are my mother’s mementos, my possessions, and yours as well.”

“They are not mine, but… Anyway, those who hide the possessions are as good as disregarding the warning. They naturally have to pay for that.”

Simply put, it was a threat that if there was any deceit, heads would roll. Scadi nodded, her face lit up with a smile.

If it was for Wendigo, the deity she served, Scadi wasn’t hesitant to claim the lives of the village people, as many as a hundred times over.

***

Rollo broadcasted Scadi’s words, shouting for the village to withdraw with a sense of responsibility to save people. Despite his earnest effort, the result was less than promising.

“That damned girl has a contract with a spirit? That’s nonsense! Everyone in the village knows she tried and failed to make a deal with a spirit!”

“She must have stumbled across a dead body and used it to play tricks. I’ll give her a piece of my mind!”

To the villagers, the Scadi they remembered was a half-penny girl; regarded as a cursed child who hadn’t inherited her mother’s talents.

Despite Rollo’s warnings, the fiery tempered villagers armed themselves and sought Scadi. At her mere hand gesture, they froze to death. Scadi had the survivors haul away the bodies.

Only after witnessing the frozen bodies did the people realize the gravity of the situation. The inconsequential Scadi had actually made a contract with a spirit and had returned.

As calamity struck, the village was in a flurry.

“Quickly! Pack up whatever you can from the huts!”

“Grab anything if you can’t remember. It’s better than dying!”

Sinful actions always breed great fear.

Worried they might displease Scadi, people quickly gathered their belongings and headed for the open square. Scadi watched over them from the square.

Every accidental eye contact with Scadi led to trembles of fear, it would’ve been less terrifying if she expressed anger or laughter, but Scadi monotonously surveyed the crowd.

[Lots of stuff here.]

“Fearful, they must have grabbed everything they could. If only they never stole from the start.”

Scadi walked among the people, inspecting their items. She sifted out mystical items hidden among the ordinary, using her spiritual vision.

As she passed by, people swallowed hard, shivering. The terror was palpable; they feared she might freeze them at any moment.

One by one, two by two, three by three…

As she conscientiously checked each item, she stopped in front of a man.

Sven, a carpenter from the village, swallowed his saliva when she stopped right in front of him.

He was so greedy that on hearing the news of Scadi’s mother’s death, he was the first ones to raid her cabin.

Sven had witnessed Scadi freeze a person, but still, he couldn’t curb his greed. If he could make good money, he could even maintain the village. How can he give up then?

Above all, Sven had confidence in his ways.

“No matter how sharp he is, would he really remember every single item from the shack?”

Though the location was scant on goods, the shaman’s house was filled with assorted herbs, and a fair amount of leather and rare items.

He inwardly scoffed as Skadi began to sift through the items he had gathered. Surely, scanning with her eyes would not lead to finding hidden treasures.

However, Skadi’s gaze was not aimed at checking for hidden items but confirming an enigma. There was no need for her to do so.

[This man is underestimating you. The scent of sin is clear. He must be hiding something.]

That judgment could be accomplished by Wendigo.

Once Wendigo passed its sentence, Skadi didn’t hesitate to pierce Sven’s chest with her sword. The blade didn’t go deep due to Skadi’s weak strength, but even a small wound was sufficient.

“Ugh… choke!?”

“Wendigo says you have hidden something. How dare you try to deceive… Repay with your life.”

Despite the wound being no more than a small cut, Sven had difficulty breathing. The coldness from the blade froze his lungs.

As he succumbed to his suffering and drew his last breath, the horrifying sight made the observers scream in terror. Skadi snapped her fingers at Rollo. He quickly approached her, pale-faced.

“A-Are there any orders for me?”

“Check the houses of those that Wenidgo has judged and of this man. Bring back the items you find. If anything is missing… You understand, right?”

“Y-Yes, of course!”

At Skadi’s glacial gaze, Rollo stuttered his response. The villagers nodded their heads in agreement, following Rollo’s lead.

When they had left, Rollo and the villagers returned, haunted expressions marking their faces, carrying the discovered items.

Finding the items wasn’t necessarily hard. In small farming villages, how big could the houses possibly be? There was nothing that couldn’t be uncovered by a group of people searching.

But was discovering whether an item was hidden or not an easy task?

Hardly. It was not a job just anyone could accomplish.

Only then, did the villagers finally realize they had assistance from the spirit and began begging for forgiveness.

“I-I’m sorry! I forgot an item. Please, allow me to correct my mistake, even if it’s late!”

“I made a mistake, I’m sorry! For a moment, it seems like I was possessed by the demon!”

Wendigo was astonished, watching over them through the necklace. There were quite a few begging for forgiveness, it seemed.

No matter how greedy humans were, it was unthinkable to hide an item in a life-or-death situation.

[Using the necklace to harness my powers ended up being quite beneficial. Were it not for that, my disgust would’ve painted the entire village red.]

“If that’s what Wendigo wishes, that can also be one reputable solution.”

The villagers trembled as she softly muttered to herself, inching her fingers over the necklace. The sight of the female murderer who had just committed the act, grinning and whispering, sent chills down their spines.

To anyone, it was clear that she was a witch possessed by the spirit. Skadi, removing her fingers from the necklace, ordered the villagers with her frosty gaze.

“The merciful Wendigo had decided to give them one last chance. Fetch the items you’ve hidden. If you do, I might just let you off this time.”

“Thank you! Thank you!!”

People hurriedly got up and headed for their homes. When they returned, Skadi tried not to look taken aback, but she was certainly surprised.

‘Just how much had these crazy people hidden?!’

They had stashed away a variety of items, from small herbs to large animal skins. Skadi glared at them with a look of contempt that said she wanted to kill them all right then and there.

“Calm down. There’s no need to waste your strength on bugs like these.”

“…Huff. If Wendigo says so, I’ll obey. Fetch a big wagon and load the items. Three men will prepare to pull the wagon. Ah, bring my mother’s corpse as well. I can’t entrust even a single hair of my mother’s to you lot.”

Noticing that Skadi was planning to leave, people quickly prepared a wagon and loaded the items. Her mother was carefully placed at the top, encased in a casket.

Who would have to pull the wagon, though? Anyone could do it, but the problem was that everyone who pulled the wagon inevitably had to leave the village with Skadi.

It was too challenging for the average brave man to pull the wagon of the witch who could easily kill people like bugs. Moreover, if Skadi was in a bad mood and froze them, what would they do?

‘Would she dare make an old man pull such a dangerous load?’

‘Would she really ask a young man, full of promise, to take on such a dangerous task?’

Staring contests ensued, and in the end, Skadi decided who would pull the wagon.

The first to receive her command was Rollo, followed by the leader of the guards, Ugo, and the wagon owner and hunter, Ralof.

With a sour face, they all stepped forward. Skadi began to step out of the village, but not before turning around to take one last look.

As she reminisced… old memories…

‘The memories I have are all the times I spent with my mother.’

With a snicker, she got into the wagon.

“Let’s go. As soon as you’ve pulled me to the edge of the forest, you’re free.”

The three men nodded silently and drove the wagon.

* * *

Wealthy farmer and head of the guards, Ugo, was highly disgruntled that Skadi had enlisted him as a packhorse. He was a village elder, and the leader of the guards, whom the village men hardly dared to meet the eyes of.

Under normal circumstances, he would have begrudgingly acted as the packhorse, even if displeased, for her mother’s sake. However, Ugo was one of the men who prayed most intensely for Skadi’s death.

There was no way he would obediently follow Skadi’s words.

Wigo pushed the cart and raised his head. His eyes caught the sight of Skadi’s unprotected back.

Could he kill her not?

Fear, depending on its kind, can easily be diluted. Especially, it worked like that for the ignorant yet rich like Wigo.

He whispered to Ralrof, who was pushing the cart beside him.

“Don’t you feel shameful being controlled by that witch?”

“What sudden nonsense.”

“Why, even your younger brother Maxim was killed by her. Shouldn’t you avenge your brother?”

At the name of Maxim, Ralrof flinched. He too would desire to avenge his brother, wouldn’t he?

Yet, Ralrof couldn’t easily nod. He wished for revenge, but he was afraid of Skadi’s power.

Seeing him act as if he was scared, Wigo inwardly tsked. A hunter being terrified by a woman, even curling up in fear.

Wigo knew very well what the immediate cure for such a situation was. It was, precisely, greed.

“Think carefully. If you kill that witch now, not only your brother’s revenge, but also the chance to be rich is right there.”

“Rich…”

“Yes, becoming rich. Do you intend to struggle wandering in the forest forever? If you take the stuff in this cart, you could be a wealthy merchant like me.”

Ralrof’s gaze was attracted to the inside of the cart as if he was enchanted. Selling the herbs alone would make a fortune more than he could ever imagine.

Seeing Ralrof swallow his saliva, Wigo showed a sly smile, sensing his persuasion was effective.

Wigo stretched out a dagger that had been hidden at his waist to Ralrof.

“We’ll reach the boundary of the forest soon. When she feels relieved for having escaped the village, aim at that moment and stab her in one go.”

“What about Lolo? He doesn’t know anything about our plan.”

“He is smart enough to catch on. He will probably make a good plan if given the situation.”

“…Since Lolo isn’t part of the plan, we’ll divide the goods in half.”

These two greedy men hid their daggers in the cart with unscrupulous smiles, ready to pull out at any moment.

How long did time pass?

The cart stopped when it arrived at the boundary. The two men carefully stretched their hands towards the daggers. But….

Skadi was already aware of their plan. She turned her head and looked at them.

“You could have survived and gone back if only you hadn’t had such foolish thoughts.”

“!”

As Skadi dawdled, the two realized Skadi had noticed them. Although they had nowhere to hide, they didn’t give up.

At least by attacking from both sides, they thought they’d have a chance to kill the witch!

“Lolo, hold that woman!”

“Even if she’s a witch, she’ll die if stabbed!”

Drawing their daggers, they yelled out to Lolo, expecting him to challenge the witch if he was smart enough.

Of course, Lolo was smart. The problem was that Lolo was even smarter than they thought.

Lolo closed his eyes tightly and sank to his knees.

Just then, something flew out of the forest and pierced Ralof’s head. No, it didn’t just pierce him– it blew him to pieces.

Hot blood splattered all over, and Wigo was covered in it. Surprised, Wigo fell backwards, floundering.

“Uh, uhaaa!?”

“The stench from you swine, both the necklace-sent and up close, is absolutely repugnant.”

Amidst the chilling coldness, the warmth of the blood felt like a lie and Wigo, trembling in fear, looked upon the monster that had appeared before his eyes.

It was a giant. A giant with deer horns staring down at him.

The Wendigo made a spear of ice and drove it towards Wigo’s heart. Wigo tried to fend off the spear with his dagger, but could a human’s strength overcome the Wendigo’s monstrous force?

The Wendigo’s spear shattered the dagger, piercing Wigo’s heart. As he pulled out the spear, only a red ice was left where a wound should have been.

“Ah, aaa…”

In just a blink of an eye, two were dead and a monster appeared before his eyes, Lolo lost his speech and wet himself. The Wendigo looked at Lolo.

“You do not feel unclean. I will spare your life, take the bodies and go back.”

“Yes, yes?”

The Wendigo did not repeat himself. He pulled the cart and headed into the forest. Skadi also followed him and disappeared into the forest.

Left alone with two bodies, Lolo blankly stared at the forest.

Only after a while, he came to his senses and left the forest. As he returned to the village with the bodies, he made a promise.

That he would never enter the forest again.