Eat The World Tree

Chapter 265

chapter 265

a week had passed since the second trial began.

sansuyu, bao, maronnie,

taeyang, and aori.

bao seemed to have completely avoided me, possibly planning countermeasures, while sansuyu grew healthier by the day, now bright enough to occasionally crack jokes. taeyang, aori, and maronnie were obsessed with finding flower, as i had intended.

i was getting used to staying in the dormitory and deepening my relationships with the people i knew.

i, as always, attended the meeting today.

“shiheon-san!”

catching the trail of the flower was not easy.

even though maronnie was helping me, perhaps it was because the flowers had prepared thoroughly.

among the national trees i had met so far, i hadn’t found anything suspicious.

first encounter: maronnie.

second: bao.

third and fourth: academy students whose faces i didn’t know.

i couldn’t find anyone who could be suspected as a flower in the end.

‘but i can’t just start doubting people blindly.’

i still hadn’t heard from byeol.

“shiheon-san, what are you thinking about so deeply?”

“oh, sorry. i’ve just got a lot on my mind.”

“hehe. the second trial isn’t easy, right?”

saku skillfully brewed tea and handed it to me. it was now a familiar afternoon tea time.

“is the trial very difficult?”

“well, it’s not really the trial... there are just other things weighing on me.”

“something weighing on you~ oh, don’t tell me... someone you like?”

was it suddenly a romance story?

i smiled awkwardly and nodded.

at times like this, playing along and enjoying the reaction was a good way to pass the time.

saku clapped her hands, squealing with excitement.

“who? who is it, who! tell me some characteristics.”

“hmm, someone with a cute, dazed expression.”

if i gave her just the right amount of information, she’d imagine the rest and have fun with it.

saku’s eyes sparkled from behind her fox mask.

“i know who it is! the person shiheon-san likes is san-”

“and someone small, like a cat.”

“huh?”

“also, someone aggressive who throws punches whenever there’s a chance.”

this covered the recent people i had talked to.

“they’re oddly clingy too.”

“?

“and kind of a lonely fool, but cute.”

“...shiheon-san.”

“yes?”

i couldn’t say anything more.

saku, with a confused expression, covered her cheeks with her hands.

“is that person... multiple personalities?”

“oh, there are multiple personalities involved, yes.”

“what, what?!”

did she think all the characteristics i mentioned belong to one person?

it was fun to see her confusion, but i decided to clear up the misunderstanding.

“oh, oh... it’s multiple people. shiheon-san, you’re quite the capable man.”

after my correction, saku finally put her hand on her chest and sighed with relief.

“i don’t think about it that way. even if those people leave disappointed at any time, i won’t be able to hold onto them.”

“what, broken relationships? you can’t think that way about love between men and women! it has to last forever, no matter how many people are involved.”

“is that so? haha.”

now that i thought about it, quite a lot had happened.

how many people had i met in just a few months?

as responsibilities grew, so did enemies, but thanks to that, i felt like i had suddenly gained the romantic luck i never had in my life.

“i hope i can finish everything quickly... and live a peaceful life.”

“you sound like an old man, shiheon-san.”

calling me an old man was a bit much.

“if you ever have worries, tell me. we’re friends, after all, tomodachi!”

“were we that close?”

“of course!”

saku nodded confidently.

“worries, huh. about the flower?”

i casually brought it up.

since i was almost certain saku wasn’t a flower, i dared to mention it directly.

‘come to think of it... there’s no way the flower wouldn’t know about me.’

at one point, they even tried to recruit me. i was both the disciple of cheonma and the one who inherited the power of the tree spirit king.

whether they intended to kill me or make me an ally, it’s clear that i was their top priority target.

of course, i didn’t think even the national trees the flower had recruited knew about me.

the flower’s goal was always the forester selection competition.

“flower? why are you asking about them?”

“i apparently committed a big sin against the flower, so they’re targeting me.”

“...w-what?!”

seeing saku’s shocked expression made me laugh.

“flower are bad people.”

even though it’s a power that could read thoughts, it couldn’t be used openly.

not trusting others, she instinctively used her power.

that timid habit still lingered.

it was the same when she met taeyang and aori in the forest.

“if you’re trying to find someone, it’s better not to be so obvious about it.”

“obvious, you say.”

maronnie scoffed at aby’s advice.

“i’ve hidden it well enough. it’s just that your eyes are too good.”

“...you flatter me. thanks, maronnie.”

aby’s slit eyes widened. her murky gaze scanned her body.

it was enough to give her the creeps, like a snake slithering over her skin.

-clack.

as maronnie left through the door, she exhaled the breath she had been holding.

her heart pounded.

‘she’s always so suspicious.’

it only seemed like that today, but aby always had an ominous air about her.

catching her breath, maronnie headed down to the basement.

since the meeting was over, it was time to meet the tree she was assigned to again.

‘by the way....’

-click, clack.

maronnie thought as she descended the stairs.

the sound of her blue heels echoed merrily in the basement beneath her tights that hugged her thighs.

there had been no progress in finding the flower.

the trial was still as vague as ever.

the tree assigned to maronnie was, well, strangely innocent.

-creak.

when the iron door opened, the figure of the world tree appeared. it wasn’t just a tree, but a world tree.

it had no rough bark; instead, it had soft skin, almost like a human’s.

the moment it saw maronnie, it excitedly shook its branches.

[welcome!]

“i’m here.”

a pure voice. it echoed in her mind like a mature woman’s voice.

[you’re always so cute, blanche.]

“...we agreed not to say things like that.”

[but you’re so cute. and your name is so beautiful too!]

sigh.

maronnie hung her staff on the door and sat down next to the tree.

then the tree would chat with her joyfully.

[how was your day?]

“so, world tree....”

[yes?]

“...what exactly is the trial?”

[i’m always happy just to talk like this. i enjoy hearing other people’s stories.]

“i understand, but that’s not the point of the second trial.”

[wasn’t the second trial up to the world tree?]

though it was a tree and a world tree, the one in front of maronnie had only recently been recognized as a world tree.

[i’ve been confined for almost my whole life. i love hearing stories from people like you, blanche.]

“how many times are you going to say that? i’m getting tired of it.”

[oh, really? then i’ll tell you a different story... about the prince on the white horse who saved my life~]

“ah, that’s the seventh time you’ve told that story!”

[no, it’s not! today, it will be much more beautiful and sadder.]

“no thanks... just give me the trial already.”

[alright.]

the tree shook its branches as if pondering something.

it’s just too kind-hearted for its own good.

and that name, “blanche,” was practically nonexistent.

as the french national tree, she had no name. though written as maronnie blanche, once she inherited the title of national tree, she was only called “maronnie.”

[ah!]

then, the tree spoke up.

[i’ve found the perfect trial for you, blanche.]

“what is it?”

[bring the person you love. blanche, you always seem so lonely, so i think that’s what you need.]

“what nonsense.”

this was the forester selection competition. it’s a serious battle, where blood would be shed.

and the trial she was giving her was to bring someone she loved?

anyone hearing this would laugh until their sides hurt.

[i’m serious.]

the tree, the world tree of healing, declared firmly.

“...really?”

maronnie felt her chest burn with frustration.

someone she loved?

there’s no way she has someone like that.

it’s absurd.

[blanche needs to understand love. just like i do.]

“i’m not interested in your love!”

at the world tree of healing’s words, maronnie squeezed her eyes shut and shouted.

it was an unheard-of and unjust trial.