Eat The World Tree

Only two days left until Shiba’s talent show.

I hoped nothing happened, but I couldn’t relax until I thoroughly searched this area on the scheduled day.

Imagine a bomb exploding nearby and stopping Shiba’s talent show. Just the thought made my eyes bloodshot and my hands and feet tremble.

Dissenters.

In my eyes, they were all communists, dissenters, and Nazis.

The expression might be harsh, but… my vocabulary was limited, so I couldn’t help it.

It was an abominable title, yet they called themselves ‘Flower’.

It’s too kind to even call it tarnishing the flower; it was like scattering manure.

I’d rather deal with a tree like the World Tree.

“…Sigh.”

In broad daylight, I sat in an alley cooling off while wearing a mask.

As soon as I put on the mask, it absorbed into my skin like lotion.

A completely changed face.

Total Transformation. Such an expression would suit the drastic change in my appearance.

“The clothes… not quite right for now.”

I just threw on a hoodie hanging in the dorm and went out.

It’s early summer, hot but bearable.

Since I was selected for the Forester Selection Competition, I skipped the academy altogether, using my mid-term grades in place of the finals.

-Ung, Oooong!

I felt sorry for the call ringing to my mentor.

Even with CCTV, they wouldn’t find me. I moved using spatial magic without anyone in the dorm noticing.

“I’m sorry. You were passionate. Please understand.”

Thinking up an excuse that I accidentally fell asleep after training late into the night, I turned off the vibration on my phone.

“I should make a new phone too.”

I put my hand in the pocket of the hoodie and looked around the alley.

With the artifact that changed faces, there was no awkwardness like before.

-“…Why wear a mask all the time?“

When I first attended the academy, this gave me a strong ‘concept freak’ image.

It was a significant improvement compared to those days.

“Anyway.”

How to find those guys in the future.

The organization known as Flower was extensive, so they must still exist.

It’s not out of the question that a drug incident like the last one could occur again.

“…The usual methods won’t find them.”

Last time, it was a blatantly committed act of terror.

However, organized groups often have connections with corporations and can withdraw at any moment.

Last time, when we raided the factory, they immediately blew it up and destroyed all evidence.

“The real question is why they are targeting this area now.”

First, I randomly roamed around this area.

It wasn’t a baseless assertion.

The third leaf. Cistus.

If they truly were radical terrorists driven by their beliefs… they might commit acts of terror wherever their heart leads them.

“Drug trafficking.”

It brought back memories of what happened before.

I hadn’t given much thought to Flower at that time, but now it was worth reevaluating.

Drugs that caused severe addiction… but transformed the victim into an Ent.

And the Ent in the factory was an entirely different entity.

Mokgwi (Wood Ghost).

Since it’s a global terrorist organization… they might be developing bizarre weapons.

Starting with such speculative ideas was the first step.

If it matched up, then I was in luck.

As theories began to overlap… finding traces became possible.

Developing weapons with the properties of a stimulant would normally cost an astronomical amount of money, but there are always sponsors for such endeavors.

“…Wealthy families.”

Like the families of Lee Seyeong, Jin Dallae, or Sansuyu.

Jin Dallae ran her own business, so probably not, but such families could be potential funders.

Did this go against the will of the World Tree?

Regardless of the existence of gods, at the end of the day, corporations make decisions based on profit and loss.

“……”

Wandering near the alley, then walking directly onto the road.

After briskly walking for several kilometers through the area, numerous bustling factories came into view.

I paused for a moment.

-That area becomes a factory district if you go a bit farther out. The imported magical energy processing water is essential for them. Korea is a powerhouse in magic engineering, and that’s where they all flock to, you know?

I slowly raised my magical power, sensing all objects around me.

As I grew, I naturally learned this method of detecting presences.

I start moving slowly from here.

The reason for specifically choosing a factory was simple.

Byeol hinted that there were resources here that Flower desired. There’s a likelihood of secretive transactions happening here.

Moreover, because the corporations were so large, it’s relatively awkward for the Hunter Association or the government to investigate.

Thus, it’s the most dangerous place.

Even with that in mind, there was no better method than running around blindly.

I selected places based on information. The rest was up to luck.

And I was lucky.

“Recently… the principal seems tired.”

At the teacher’s worried words, Shin Hye-young was the first to tilt her head to look at the principal’s face.

Her cheeks seemed hollow, and her eyes dark and sunken.

It was hard to believe this was the same person who always urged others to drink.

“Ugh…”

“Are you okay?”

“Ah… Hye-young. I’ve been feeling quite down lately.”

Principal Min Hyun-ju rubbed her neck with eyes shadowed by dark circles, then stood up.

“…I think I’ll head home now. I’m too exhausted.”

“Take care. Oh, Principal!”

Hyun-ju, dragging her staggering legs and withered body, walked towards the door.

Shin Hye-young, noticing something by the side, saw a dropped wallet and immediately called out to Hyun-ju.

“You left your wallet behind.”

“…Oh? When did I drop it?”

Checking her pocket, Hyun-ju awkwardly smiled and extended her hand apologetically.

“I’ve been forgetting things lately.”

“Have you seen a doctor?”

“…Actually, I’ve made an appointment for this Saturday. Oh, yawn.”

A large yawn. But it didn’t seem refreshing.

Hyun-ju, after tucking her wallet into her handbag, was about to leave when something seemed to strike her. She turned back to call out to Hye-young.

“Oh right, Hye-young.”

“Yes?”

“…I bought some jelly with my own money. Make sure the kids eat it before it goes bad.”

“Why would jelly go bad? Hehe.”

“Is that so?”

The woman often bought snacks for the kindergarten children with her own money.

Shin Hye-young smiled, bid her farewell, and then took the jelly out of the refrigerator.

The jelly came in cups, small enough for adults but ample for children.

Recalling her words about wanting to feed the kids because she couldn’t enjoy snacks in her past, Hye-young laughed.

‘…The principal really loves the kids.’

It wasn’t just any snack, but jelly with real fruit pieces embedded in it.

This was a jelly thoughtfully made, considering the children’s health, not just any junk food.

“I wonder if the principal will be alright.”

As soon as Min Hyun-ju left, a fellow teacher looked at the door through which she had departed with a pained expression.

“Could she collapse on her way?”

“…She did look very tired.”

“Ah, who knows. Nowadays, it’s not just one or two strange diseases. Flower? Those crazy people. There’s a rumor they’re developing some virus again.”

“Hey, don’t swear in the kindergarten!”

“Alright~ You know I care about the kids.”

“Really now.”

Puffing her cheeks, Hye-young stood near the door, jelly in hand.

“Anyway, I’ll give the jelly to the kids.”

“Good luck.”

Entering the kitchen, Hye-young began to unwrap the jellies and started separating them.

She cut them into smaller pieces so the kids wouldn’t choke, placing a reasonable amount on each child’s plate.

Since children tend to stuff small objects into their mouths, she inserted reasonably large spoons into each plate to prevent swallowing.

“They eat fine without that much fuss.”

“What if the kids get hurt?”

A teacher, holding a coffee, laughed as if it was too much, to which Hye-young firmly responded.

“When I was little, eating a big piece of jelly was a dream. Maybe you don’t know? You might be betraying the dreams of children who want to eat a big piece of jelly in one bite.”

“Oh, what’s that? Haha,”

It was just a joke in a relaxed atmosphere.

In reality, older kids didn’t have accidents.

Usually, it’s only the very young ones that needed direct care.

Hye-young’s actions might have been overly protective.

After filling 40 plates with jelly, Hye-young carried them on a large tray to her class.

“Kids~ Let’s have a snack!”

As she raised her excited voice, all the playing children gathered around.

Like sunflowers, their pure smiles brightened as they clung to her apron and legs.

“Wow!”

“What is it?”

“What do you think the principal bought for us today?”

“I know! Choco Pie!”

“Wrong~”

Among the gathering kids, a green-haired toddler observed the others from a distance with curiosity.

Hye-young waved at Shiba, who reluctantly jumped up and walked over, swinging her arms.

“Wow, jelly!”

“What’s the name of this fruit?”

“Strawberry!”

“Correct~ Hyun-su is a genius, huh?”

“Hehehe.”

Distributing the jellies, Hye-young also handed one to Shiba.

After giving out all the jellies, she placed the tray at the edge of the table and watched Shiba eat.

“……”

Shiba looked back and forth between the jelly and Hye-young.

Did she want Hye-young to eat the jelly?

After cutting the jelly in half with a spoon, Shiba offered it to her.

“Eat this.”

Hehe. Her smile relaxed.

Hye-young patted Shiba’s shoulder, wearing a motherly smile.

She wanted to stroke her head, but lately, for some strange reason, Shiba doesn’t like her hair being touched.

“So cute~”

Fawning over the cuteness of children.

Lately, that was Shin Hye-young’s delight.

“It’s terribly hard.”

“What in the world do they plan to use all this for?”

Those clad in robes trembled as they observed the five fully packed logistic trucks.

“…How would I know?”

The low ranks of Flower.

Conscious and capable of rational complaint, their gazes were lifeless as they looked at the ground.

“So, is that rumor true?”

“What rumor?”

“All of these, they’re developing a drug. The helping family.”

“Don’t know. But there have been talks about it from time to time.”

The Corneus family.

From the Middle Ages to the present, their lineage had continued, and in this world, everyone knew the name of that family.

Neither the government nor corporations would dare step foot in the threshold of that family’s domain.

It was said that the Corneus family’s wealth ranked among the greatest in the world.

But as high as their honor seemed to reach the skies, there was no shortage of conspiracy theories surrounding them.

This was also the case within Flower.

There were ongoing discussions among them about whether a certain middle-aged man who occasionally appeared was associated with the Corneus family.

“Hey, don’t you know about that?”

Everyone’s gaze turned towards a man who had been working there for quite some time.

“Sigh.”

A bitter breath. A face obscured by smoke.

The man, whose eyes were exposed under the robe, revealing large burn scars on his cheeks, said:

“Keep hearing it. Must be some truth to it.”

“…Then wouldn’t they have already been cursed by the World Tree?”

“Pfft, nonsense.”

The man sneered harshly.

With a fierce look, he snuffed out the cigarette he was smoking.

The trace of the burnt cigarette was marked on the ground along with the smoke.

“The World Tree already cannot use its power. It’s just a shell of a god. What good would it do the World Tree to cut off the Corneus family now?”

Taking on a huge loss to remove a cancerous growth.

After a long period of treatment, normal movement became nearly impossible.

These were not growing pains.

It’s not a necessary sacrifice, and so far, it did not oppose the World Tree.

That’s why it was difficult to punish as blasphemy.

“There’s no evidence. Only suspicions.”

“I don’t know.”

“But it’s true that we don’t know when it might explode.”

The man mechanically lit a new cigarette as he pulled out his lighter.

At that moment, someone shouted in front of him:

“…Someone is watching us here.”

Thump!

At that moment, the faces of those who were having an ordinary conversation turned expressionless.

They flipped their robes’ hoods over their heads and clenched their magical powers.

After lighting the cigarette, the light of their magic became more intense and active.

“There’s one lucky guy here.”

Luckily, a rat that got its tail stepped on.

Could that be called lucky? Well, everyone said so.

The man at the center looked around impassively.

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