Eat The World Tree

Maronnie whimpered as she stood on tiptoes with a flower in hand, reaching for a book atop the shelf.

“Ugh, why can’t I reach…!”

Being short had its disadvantages—many of them. In seduction, in life, and even in mundane tasks like pulling out a book from a high shelf, height was an asset.

She wondered what it would be like if her legs were just a bit longer.

As that thought passed through her mind, a shadow fell over her head.

A massive chest rested lightly on Maronnie’s head.

“…….”

It was a chest as grand as a mountain.

When Maronnie had once faced the grandeur of the Louvre Pyramid, it had left her in awe. Now, she felt that awe again, here of all places.

Sansuyu handed her a book. Without realizing, Maronnie received it with both hands and gazed at it.

Despite being quite old, the book was in perfect condition.

Maronnie brushed off the dust on the cover and wiped her sweat, grinning slyly.

[A Mindset for Creating a Partner.] First edition.

Printed in the 1800s, it was a love and marriage guide authored by the world’s greatest seductress, the Sorbus alnifolia Alephonia.

A classic work on noble love, the book had nearly vanished from existence when the printing house burned down, leaving only a few copies. The publication was also indefinitely delayed due to Alephonia’s sudden change of heart, making it a legendary dream among French women.

-This book must not be published. Women could control men at their whims if they read it. No one shall be allowed to read this book.-

It was rumored that only two copies existed worldwide, but even so, Eden had preserved one.

“What kind of book is that?”

At Sansuyu’s question, Maronnie laughed awkwardly and stepped back.

“It’s a, uh, magic book!”

“Is that so?”

It was magic. The magic of seduction.

Sansuyu, too, held a few books in her arms, cradling them as if they were treasures, the volumes nestled against her chest.

“What about those books?”

Maronnie showed curiosity, but Sansuyu, with her usual expressionless face, said nothing.

Knowing some Korean, it wasn’t hard to read the titles.

[Like. Love. Confession.]

[Preparing for Separation.]

‘Separation?’

The concepts of the two books were worlds apart. Maronnie momentarily doubted her Korean skills. Was Sansuyu preparing for separation? From whom? Lee Shiheon? Their bond was special.

‘No way. I must have misunderstood.’

Such confusion wasn’t rare. Maronnie often mixed up word meanings. After all, words often carried multiple interpretations.

Though filled with doubts, Maronnie swallowed her curiosity and refrained from speaking about the books.

“Have a good time, then.”

Sansuyu stroked her books with a slightly softer expression than usual. Yet, paired with her faint smile, it left Maronnie with a twinge of unease.

Sansuyu’s departing figure looked weary.

‘For now…’

Maronnie had her own concerns. Returning to her lab, she opened the enormous book. Its preface welcomed her.

-First, understand love thoroughly. Do you love that person?-

Reading every letter and font in detail, Maronnie clenched her teeth.

“…Love.”

Her hand, moving unconsciously, rested over her chest.

The more she thought, the more her heart raced.

Her cheeks turned red, sweat clung to her hands, and warmth radiated around her navel.

Her mouth dried, and she worried about him, felt compelled to help him.

Skipping the mortifying phrases in the opening chapters, Maronnie flipped to the final section.

[Chapter 12. Just in Case: How to Detach from Someone You Love.]

“I don’t love him.”

Recently, she’d begun recognizing the seriousness of her situation.

Whenever she got closer to him, she found herself flirting like a cat, her coquettishness beyond her control.

If these were truly her feelings, she could accept them. But Lee Shiheon had said otherwise.

-You might want to believe you still love that person. However, sometimes it may feel like a lie.

Her emotions were undoubtedly love.

An innocent maiden, unversed in love, had come to know it painfully well.

The despair of an unattainable love secretly brought tears to her eyes.

-Does your heart still race when you see that person?-

‘Yes.’

-But if unwelcome doubts keep circling in your mind, it might be time to reconsider.

As she immersed herself in the book, Maronnie confronted her feelings.

That overwhelming sensation of losing control over her own body. The yearning to weave him into her everyday life.

But what if all these vivid reactions were lies?

-You must decide: Will you endure a lie that feels like the truth? Or…-

Understand the truth.

-Is that person worth loving?-

Maronnie’s gaze remained fixed on the book. Even as Sephirot entered the room and spoke, Maronnie didn’t hear.

At that moment, she wasn’t Maronnie but Blanche.

A naive sapling embroiled in shallow infatuation, now steeped in anguish.

‘…I.’

Her cries from the previous day echoed in her mind.

When she clung to him, teasing like a cat, shaking her head and hips as she cried. That night. On that table.

The lingering taste of bread soaked in cream, the sensation of sticky sweetness coating her thighs.

-What would you think if I stayed this way?

-What do you mean?

-If I said it’s okay to live brainwashed?

Her self-spoken words were crafted to be sweet and alluring.

Maronnie’s life was far from perfect.

Burdened by excessive expectations for her talent and character, she bore the weight of vanishing individuality, strict parents, fading friendships, and sycophantic lab members.

Contrary to her childhood dreams, her reality was rife with ugliness—politics, conflict, and the oppressive ideals of justice and freedom.

She’d become a National Tree but faced harsh truths: crumbling systems, filthy realities, and the cynicism of those around her.

Still, Lee Shiheon was her escape, a connection beyond duty, a rare moment of freedom.

-Prepare for separation.-

She had revealed her feelings, hoping for affirmation.

‘This is real. My sudden longing and affection may seem impulsive, but the comfort I felt then wasn’t a lie.’

She felt at peace when she was with him.

It was the first time she’d felt this way since she started preparing to become a National Tree.

Even when singing, she had never experienced such a comforting emotion.

Was it wrong to love someone who could give her such feelings?

It was not strange to fall for them.

• Blanche.

• Get a grip.

It was always that man who would halt her thoughts.

“Why now, of all times?”

Maronnie clenched her teeth.

“When I pushed you away, you were so persistent in chasing me.”

Since their first encounter, where he had overwhelmed her, she had tried to suppress her fluttering heart and fulfill her duties as a National Tree.

But it was that same man who had slipped into the cracks of her resolve.

“You made me fall for you, and now you’re crossing the line?”

“That’s just… unfair.”

For the first time, she could empathize with people who got swept up by cults.

When emotions were pushed into a corner like this, even a single word from someone could sway her like a reed in the wind.

At that moment, someone tugged at Maronnie’s sleeve.

“Apprentice Sage!”

It was Sephirot, who had been quietly observing Maronnie in her turmoil.

Blanche quickly corrected her expression, forcing a smile.

“Lady Se-Sephirot?”

“Are you troubled?”

Sephirot’s white hair shimmered as she asked the question.

Though she appeared young, she had lived for hundreds of years. Her accumulated knowledge surpassed that of any other being in existence.

“Tell Sephie about it.”

No one else could provide answers about one’s own feelings.

Caught in her inner storm, Maronnie unknowingly swallowed hard.

“…No, it’s nothing.”

But after a moment’s consideration, she rejected Sephirot’s offer.

This was her emotion and her problem to solve.

Blanche smiled resolutely, scratching her cheek, but did not share her worries with Sephirot.

“Is that so?”

“Yes.”

Sephirot pouted as if disappointed.

“Blanche will be fine.”

She spoke with her characteristic lisp, as though predicting Maronnie’s future.

Blanche let out a small laugh and began sorting through her emotions.

There was a slight shift between the three of us.

Maronnie became colder, and Sansuyu also stopped asking me for things as much as before.

Was it because what I said to the two of them that day struck harder than I anticipated?

Even if we had grown distant, there was still work to do.

Once this situation was resolved, it’d be time to prepare for Flower’s assault.

[Master~ Master~ I’m your loyal spirit~♪]

I watched as the tree beetle spirit flitted around me cheerfully.

“You seem carefree.”

[Carefree? No way! I’m super busy!]

Eleonore landed on my shoulder, playfully poking my cheek.

“Oh? Busy with what?”

[Thinking about Master~ Dreaming of Master petting me~]

[…Eleonore is taking lessons to become a queen one day, Master.]

[Luci, who told you to butt in?]

Unable to hold back, Luci chimed in, only to be met with Eleonore’s sharp reaction.

I clicked my tongue and kept walking.

After I sent Luci ahead to the spirit realm, Eleonore had become even more playful.

‘It’s about time to move quickly now.’

I joined the Forester Selection Competition to fulfill requests from Cheondo and Byeol.

Cheondo’s request was already accomplished.

I’d made an impression on many National Trees and built close connections with a few.

Among Koreans, there were few who didn’t know my name now.

What remained was Byeol’s request: preparing against Flower.

‘I still dislike the idea of helping the World Tree, but…’

In a broader sense, it was also beneficial to me.

For all their animosity, the World Tree hadn’t made a move to eliminate me.

On the other hand, Flower had shown signs of either wanting to kill me or recruit me.

Flower’s internal strife was becoming apparent.

This upcoming assault would undoubtedly reveal much.

Even the Sage was moving in response.

She informed Sansuyu and Maronnie about Flower’s impending attack.

Soon, she planned to gather the three of us for a serious discussion.

She said she was asking for our help in exchange for teaching us magic.

I agreed, in part, because I couldn’t ignore the deaths of civilians.

‘But there’s one thing I need to settle first.’

I stepped inside the church.

At that moment, a green spell flew toward me from a distance and struck above my head.

• Boom!

It was a lethal spell using the power of wood.

But before I could even react, the tree beetle spirit conjured a barrier.

[…]

Silent, the Hornbeam Tree gazed at us.

Cistus’s body still lay before her.

[Th-that brazen wench!]

[Princess, please stop.]

I released a small burst of magical energy, freezing the two spirits in place.

I hadn’t expected the Hornbeam Tree to submit within just a few days.

In the end, I’d have to use that method.

My hand reached toward my belt.

Deprived of water and nutrients, the Hornbeam Tree spoke in a desolate voice.

[If it weren’t for you, I could have saved more humans. Hic. Lady Cistus…]

“Still stuck on that?”

The Hornbeam Tree glared at me with hatred. I dismissed the spirits with a wave of my hand.

Now it was just the two of us.

The knots on her bark were still damp.

As I reached for them, the Hornbeam Tree flinched and pleaded.

[Please, just let me go now….]

“I will.”

It was an utterly distasteful act, but if there was no other way…

It was time to cross the line.

I pulled down my waistband.

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