Eat The World Tree

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.” ⱤÁΝ∅ВĘṥ

“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.”

“That’s right.”

She pouted slightly.

Naturally, the topic shifted from my love life to the Flower.

“I think it’s a big social issue. There was a huge spirit stone in our family, but those bad Flower people stole it.”

“That happened?”

“Yes.”

Saku gave a bitter smile.

“But I understand.”

Her next words caught my attention.

“Understand?”

“Yeah, I guess it’s because we and others couldn’t solve the problem and just left it alone. People would naturally get frustrated. Soo-yeon said the same thing. While it’s important to subdue the Flower, it’s more important to create a world where they don’t need to keep growing.”

“I see…”

I understood what she meant.

But even if they did that, I doubt the problem would be solved, so I didn’t bother dragging out the conversation.

“Still, I can’t forgive the bad things the Flower does.”

“Of course.”

“…Well. Honestly, there are many truly bad people out there, even if they’re not Flowers.”

I realized that even among the national trees, there were those who thought like this.

At that moment, I set aside the thought that Saku might be a Flower.

If she were, she wouldn’t have brought up this topic in the first place.

And if she wanted to avoid suspicion, she would have only repeated negative things about them.

Unless…

Her every word and gesture had been calculated down to the smallest detail.

But if that were the case, I wouldn’t be able to figure it out now.

It would take at least two weeks of careful conversation to know whether she was lying or telling the truth.

Time was extremely limited.

---

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

Maronnie’s power was known to anyone who was even slightly interested in her.

The Flowers, if they were not fools, wouldn’t think about Flowers in front of Maronnie.

“Aby.”

“Hm?”

The German Spruce.

The Aby had expanded their influence across Eastern Europe, including Norway, and was a national tree whose honor and power were unmatched in Europe.

If what Lee Shiheon said was true, and someone defected to the Flowers, Aby would be one of the most dangerous national trees.

Activating the power wasn’t easy.

It required a lot of concentration.

And since it must be used secretly, it’s crucial to ensure the conversation didn’t break off.

“How’s the trial?”

When Maronnie opened her mouth, Aby shrugged.

“Well? National trees basically get a free pass. Even the trees seem to be wary of the national trees.”

Unlike trees or humans, national trees were treated with much more reverence.

Unless it’s a World Tree, there’s no reason for a national tree to feel inferior.

In fact, the trial Maronnie received wasn’t much either.

“I suppose….”

Now for one use of the power.

She peeked into Aby’s mind.

Maronnie made sure her eye color didn’t change. She activated the power when Aby took a breath.

-…….

No thoughts could be heard.

Even though her eyes were long and sharp, and she seemed like someone with many schemes, there was nothing in her mind.

Maronnie turned off her power and forced a smile.

“How’s your trial, Maronnie?”

“…My trial? Don’t even ask. It’s really, no, ridiculously strange. I don’t even know if it’s a trial or not. Feels like playing house.”

“That’s what I said. Most national tree trials are like that.”

Though, it was still extremely strange regardless.

Maronnie and Aby continued their conversation for quite some time.

Being from neighboring countries, they had a lot in common, and they had been somewhat friendly from the start, so they spoke comfortably.

She didn’t forget to use her power in between.

However, oddly enough, Aby’s thoughts remained unreadable.

It was not that she didn’t have any thoughts.

-Bee-beep, bee-beep.

“Is it over already? I should get going.”

When the timer rang, Maronnie stood up first.

She hadn’t learned anything. It had just been some casual conversation, and time flew by.

“Maronnie.”

“Yes, what?”

As she turned around nonchalantly, Aby grinned.

“You know,”

She scratched her cheek awkwardly.

“Why do you keep using your power?”

“….”

She got caught.

This guy noticed with eyes the size of knotholes.

“…I messed up.”

“What, are you curious about something? Or is it just an old habit you can’t shake?”

In the past, when Maronnie was much younger, there was a time when she was too shy to even speak to others.

She loved picking flowers and avoided running around.

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.

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