Chapter 23: "...Do I Really Have to Bury It?"
"...Do I really have to bury it?"
Wendigo swallowed his gloom and asked again. The idea of burying an item he'd gone through so much trouble to obtain was quite a shock.
Skadi placed a hand on her chest and replied confidently.
"Yes! In my opinion, burying it in the ground is the right answer!"
"I see. So it was just trash after all..."
"Eh? Lord Wendigo?"
Unable to overcome his gloom, Wendigo muttered bitterly, leaving Skadi flustered. She couldn't understand why he was upset.
Geron glanced around cautiously before approaching Skadi and whispering carefully.
"Why don't you explain why it needs to be buried? He seems to think you're telling him to bury it because it's useless."
"Ah... Aaaah!?"
Skadi mulled over Geron's words for a moment before realizing her mistake. She'd assumed everyone else understood shamanic knowledge as well as she did.
Having grasped her error, Skadi fidgeted anxiously as she looked up at Wendigo's face. Though his expression was unreadable, his skull seemed especially mournful today.
Wendigo asked Skadi weakly.
"Where's Gikas's heart right now?"
"In my workshop... Lord Wendigo?"
As Skadi answered reflexively, Wendigo trudged toward her workshop. Disappointment was disappointment, but if it was trash worthless enough to bury, he needed to dispose of it properly.
"Guess I'll have to freeze it and bury it myself. That way, the useless mysticism clinging to the heart won't cause any issues."
"Th-that's not it, Lord Wendigo!"
Sometimes, being diligent could be a real problem. Wendigo set off to deal with the heart before Skadi could stop him.
"Wait just a moment, please! Lord Wendigo, hear my explanation!?"
Skadi desperately called after the receding Wendigo and chased after him.
Fortunately, Wendigo didn't freeze Gikas's heart and shove it deep underground. When it was about halfway frozen, Skadi came running up, bowed deeply, and offered her apologies.
"I'm sorry! I haven't gotten questions like this lately, so I skipped ahead without thinking!"
"No need to go that far."
"No! As the shaman serving Lord Wendigo, how can I handle things without a proper explanation? I can't allow that!"
How many people could scold someone on the verge of tears, blaming themselves? Besides, Skadi was the woman who'd helped Wendigo adapt to this world in so many ways. Sure, it could feel burdensome at times, but wasn't that ultimately born from goodwill?
Wendigo carefully helped Skadi to her feet.
"Come on, get up. People might see."
"B-but..."
"Hey now. You're not about to refuse my request, are you?"
At the word "request," Skadi wiped her tears and stood. Kneeling like a stone statue was fine, but she couldn't refuse a request from him.
Wendigo gently brushed the dirt from Skadi's clothes with his claws.
Skadi blushed in embarrassment.
'Lord Wendigo is... touching my clothes...'
'She's a grown woman, after all. Crying must be embarrassing for her too.' Wendigo thought, recalling something that would have left Skadi pouting if she'd known, as he cleaned off the dirt completely.
He briefly considered wiping her tears too, but...
'I'd injure her with my claws.'
His massive hands simply weren't suited for it.
As Wendigo's hand withdrew, Skadi felt a pang of regret. Perhaps because her confused heart had finally settled, she cleared her throat and pointed to Gikas's heart.
"Ahem! The reason I said burying the heart is best is for shamanic processing. It absolutely doesn't mean it's useless."
"I see. Sorry. I misunderstood because of my lack of knowledge."
Skadi shook her head vigorously, rejecting Wendigo's apology. Her eyes sparkled as she shared her thoughts.
"No! As the shaman serving Lord Wendigo, it's my duty to read your mind and prepare in advance..."
'That's a bit much, isn't it?'
Wendigo felt Skadi's loyalty was over the top. No matter what, how could anyone read another's mind?
To prevent her loyalty from spontaneously combusting, Wendigo changed the subject.
"So, why bury the heart?"
"Yes. When you entrusted it to me, you said its owner was a beast that had lived three hundred years, right?"
Wendigo nodded. Skadi carefully took the heart. As she chanted a spell, the chill lifted, and the half-frozen organ returned to its original state. It still reeked—the stench wasn't from the heart itself, but the lingering mysticism of Gikas.
"Beasts, unlike spirits, are living creatures that harbor mysticism in their bodies. Because of that—or thanks to it—their byproducts are heavily influenced by that mysticism."
Suppose a lightning-wielding wolf died. Its teeth, claws, and bones could craft treasures infused with lightning power. Its hide could make a cloak that repelled bolts. The heart could even recreate the beast's power, depending on use.
But... there were ambiguous cases like this one. Killing the beast was fine, but if its mysticism was useless...
"Honestly... Lord Wendigo's mysticism doesn't pair well with this beast's."
"True enough."
It was a curse-like mysticism that devoured nature's essence. Whether light or dark, it didn't fit within Wendigo's natural framework. Eating it would surely cause stomach trouble.
So, what to do in such cases?
"That's why we bury it. Just as no filth can pollute a great river forever, we let nature's embrace cleanse the mysticism."
"Sounds plausible enough."
Even in the modern world, there were tales of nature's restorative power. No matter how much pollution, time and natural purification would cleanse it...
'Kinda like industrial waste.'
They matched perfectly in being filthy, dangerous, and useless. At least this was a naturally(?) occurring pollutant.
"But if nature washes away the mysticism, won't the heart become useless?"
"A beast's heart is like a vessel, so it's fine. Of course, it'll hold nature's mysticism instead, so its power will diminish."
Wendigo felt a swell of pride at Skadi's explanation. He didn't know what it'd be used for, but at least it was useful!
So I didn't go through all that for nothing!
"Where should we bury it? No risk of contaminating the village soil?"
"No issues there."
"Then let's bury it right away."
Wendigo and Skadi left the workshop to scout a suitable spot. You couldn't just bury something like this anywhere. Even if there were no problems, the world didn't always go as planned.
Wendigo carefully weighed the conditions.
'Somewhere remote, easy to respond if issues arise, and secure against theft...'
One might think no one would dig up a heart for mysticism, but Wendigo saw it as highly likely.
'In a world where shamans destroy villages for a bit of power, why wouldn't they steal a heart for mysticism?'
To Wendigo, anyone involved with mysticism in this world was basically insane. Overpreparing against madmen was never excessive.
I'm not letting some bastard profit off my hard-earned reward!
With burning resolve, Wendigo roamed the village. People greeted him and Skadi politely as they passed. He nodded curtly in response and moved on. He had no time to dwell on greetings.
The villagers watched curiously and whispered.
"They seem busier than usual."
"Something important going on?"
"Must be solving some profound problem we couldn't even fathom."
It was fortunate they didn't realize he was just scouting a spot to bury a heart (still fresh). They'd have lost sleep from fear if they knew.
"The village has grown, so it took longer than expected."
"Really? I thought it was a nice time!"
Skadi replied brightly to Wendigo's grumble. He was fixated on burying the heart, but she felt differently.
She offered advice on soil when asked but didn't interfere with the choice. A great shaman was no different from a great advisor, and great advisors never forced decisions.
True to form, Skadi gave measured counsel and savored the unexpected leisure—walking with her lord!
Of course, that joy peaked when Wendigo chose a spot.
Skadi regretfully stroked her staff.
'It felt like a walk with Lord Wendigo... A bit disappointing.'
"Should've picked here from the start."
"True... This might be the best spot."
Skadi nodded. Their final stop perfectly matched Wendigo's criteria.
The chosen site was... his own temple.
Setting aside the sanity of burying a heart at home, it was highly logical. No one would visit if it didn't affect the village, it was his residence for quick response, and no one valuing their life would sneak into a spirit's lair.
Wendigo pried up the floorboards of a suitable room and dug with an ice shovel.
'Who knew army shovel training would come in handy.'
He placed the heart carefully in the hole.
"Just cover it like this? No special measures?"
"Yes. Your mysticism might interfere with nature's flow, so burying it as-is is best."
Wendigo, who'd considered an ice box for security, clicked his tongue.
'What if a mole spirit digs it up? Nah, overthinking it.'
He'd sense any such meddling beforehand. Carefully avoiding damage to the heart, he covered it with soil. He reassembled the floorboards neatly—no one would suspect a heart lay beneath...
"Feels like dumping a body."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing. Good work. Head back."
As Skadi tilted her head, Wendigo quickly changed tack. It only seemed more suspicious, but she suppressed her curiosity, bowed politely, and returned to her workshop.
Alone in the temple, Wendigo tapped the spot satisfyingly.
'Hope it becomes useful soon.'
The next day, Wendigo pried up the floorboards to check the heart. No big changes after just one day, but still, he had hopes...
"Hm?"
Wendigo was more than a little flustered. The soil around the buried heart... was stained black.
In this unexpected turn, he sent for Skadi. Hearing the news, she rushed over and bowed perfectly, begging forgiveness.
Wendigo felt a strange déjà vu as he comforted her.