Eat The World Tree

The brief moment when the subjugation broke, Maronnie expressed her final emotion.

“I love you.”

A final emotion.

In other words, words that could no longer be heard.

“……”

She began to change.

With a crisp and clear tone ringing briefly, her gaze gradually calmed.

Fleeting emotions like love drifted away like foam on the ocean’s surface.

The sweetness of a sip of wine filling my mouth faded, leaving only its characteristic bitterness behind.

Her face, now free of the emotion called love, looked relieved, as if she had shed a burden, but somewhere, it still seemed sorrowful.

From now on, this was her pure self, unburdened by any subjugation.

Naturally, there was no longer any love for me.

A teardrop perched on her chin fell to the floor. As the droplet hit the surface, it spread in ripples, painting a picture.

At the same time, her expression hardened.

“Ah.”

It was over.

“…Sorry, something must’ve happened to me. Look at my state.”

The rambling Maronnie hastily got up.

The empty wine glass sat there alone. We both remained awkwardly silent, unable to continue the conversation.

“…So it’s over now.”

Maronnie slowly murmured.

What she might be feeling at this moment, I could not know.

Her gaze dropped emptily, as if she had forgotten something. Feeling distressed, she clutched at her chest and squeezed the area over her heart.

“…It’s so suffocating.”

I lifted the wine bottle.

“Want some?”

Maronnie shook her head.

“…No. Right now, I just want to sleep.”

Suddenly, Blanche stood up. She looked at me and wiped her tears once more.

That expression—I had seen it before.

It was the face Maronnie always made when she doubted her identity. Perhaps even now, she was struggling against the chasm between her past and her present self.

But time was a healer, and with time, she’d return to how she was.

By then, her feelings for me would have long been sorted out.

“I’ll head back first.”

Leaving just those words, Maronnie departed.

Now, I was the only one left in this place.

Whether it was because of the alcohol or the emotions bubbling up, I lifted the wine bottle roughly and refilled my glass.

Some overflowed, wetting the floor, but I didn’t care. I’d have to clean it up anyway, so why bother?

Drinking alone.

It was something I didn’t do well these days.

But somehow, this turned out to be a good moment for me.

I raised the glass and took a sip.

The strong aroma made me cough, but I pushed through and drank it all.

-Thud.

I set the glass down.

I was starting to feel tipsy.

With this, things with Maronnie had been somewhat settled.

The relationship might be a bit strained now, but wasn’t this always expected?

I understood the power of subjugation.

At this point, I didn’t think I’d need to meet the Hornwood Tree, the one I had placed under subjugation.

Once subjugated, they could never oppose me. In fact, they’d move in ways that benefit me.

-Glug-glug.

I poured another glass of wine.

Without pause, I downed three more glasses in a row.

A hunter’s body wasn’t efficient with all this energy.

Even after suppressing all my mana, it took an absurdly long time to get drunk intentionally.

Did the Sage anticipate this and prepare the space for me?

“Damn, that’d be so creepy if it were true.”

The thought escaped as a drunken mutter.

Was I overthinking things about the Sage?

She was surprisingly naive in some ways.

Wasn’t it said that people who lived long lives knew much loneliness?

If Eden had begun to smell of human life again, she might find it pleasant.

Perhaps that was why she gave so much advice.

‘Come to think of it, Hwangdo didn’t seem to harbor any ill thoughts toward the Sage either.’

Most stories about my master were praises.

Amazing, so amazing, incredibly amazing—something like that. Anyway.

I decided to think of this drinking session as an act of goodwill from the Sage.

“It’s a mess, sure, but looking at the results, it’s not all bad.”

Sansuyu and I hadn’t spoken much since then, but we exchanged a few words.

And things with Maronnie were cleanly resolved.

If the Sage’s intention was this, then yes, it went exactly as she planned.

At least during the Forester Selection Competition, we could coexist somewhat reasonably.

“All right, let’s drink.”

For now, I just wanted to drink without thinking.

Lately, I’d been surrounded by too many people, so today I wanted to be alone.

Even my always-trembling hands seemed to understand my mood and stayed calm, just for today.

-Gulp.

And so, an hour passed.

Two hours.

Staring at the lightbulb, my brain emptied as if mesmerized by the flame.

No snacks were necessary.

Three hours. It was surprisingly nice.

The cluttered emotions scattered endlessly, memories splitting into fragments.

The floor seemed to rise, and the surroundings wavered like watching a 3D movie.

Just as I felt I might lose my grip on reality if I drank any more—

“Sir Shiheon?”

The Sage’s voice called out.

“Still drinking alone?”

“…You’re here.”

Without turning around, I answered while sipping my drink.

The Sage sat in front of me, tilting her head. My vision blurred, but I thought she was probably smiling.

“What about the others?”

“Done. All done. Was this your aim?”

“What do you mean, my aim?”

“Somehow, ever since coming to Eden, relationships seem to drift apart. Or, well… Forget it. Just chalk it up to karma.”

Now I was the one rambling.

The Sage gazed at me quietly. Producing a glass seemingly out of nowhere, she filled it generously with wine.

“To me, this sounds like you’re asking me to be your drinking buddy. Am I wrong?”

What is she saying?

I was puzzled but agreed.

At this moment, I didn’t care about much.

I shrugged my shoulders.

“I heard you’re not good with alcohol.”

“One glass is fine. If I sip it slowly, I can make it last two hours.”

“…What?”

“That’s just my way of enjoying wine.”

I poured myself another glass. Even the simple process of transferring wine from the bottle to the glass had become bothersome.

Honestly, I wanted to drink straight from the bottle, but it was good that someone was watching to keep me in check.

“It seems like you have a lot on your mind regarding relationships.”

The Sage’s words sounded alluring.

Unintentionally, I nodded.

“Of course, I do. Damn it.”

For now, I’d let it go, but who knew when something like this would happen again.

Not just Sansuyu—it was the same with everyone.

The Sage rested her chin in her hands and looked at me with a playful expression.

“Want to talk about it?”

For some reason, this noblewoman looked unusually charming tonight.

When drunk, all women seemed pretty.

Even a female friend who would normally drive you crazy appeared lovely after a few drinks.

That was the random thought crossing my mind.

“Strangely, it feels like everyone around me becomes unhappy because of me.”

Borrowing the courage of alcohol, I half-jokingly continued:

“I’ve even thought that maybe it’d be better if I just died.”

If I hadn’t come to this world, what would have happened?

Wouldn’t everyone have lived their lives more comfortably?

Byeol said I encouraged and supported the people around me, but had I ever really felt that?

What I got from the women around me was almost entirely one-sided.

I was not confident I could give anything back to them.

Because I didn’t have anything to give.

That’s the truth.

“I pretend to have it all together. That I can handle everything, that I have the potential to manage it all. Trust me, and I’ll take care of it.”

“You’re a good person.”

“That’s just talk. Just words. People have high expectations of me, and I can’t betray them. There are people I like… and duties I need to fulfill.”

I had to stay confident.

There’s something I felt when I looked at Jung Siwoo.

When you watched him, you could tell he’s a protagonist shaped by the era.

He was always virtuous, always knew how to care for others.

Even if people criticized others, they couldn’t criticize him.

And me?

I was a mess.

My essence was unclear, shrouded in gray. I accumulated debts that a lifetime of repentance wouldn’t cover.

Even just yesterday, I killed many priests and violated a tree.

But I had no choice if I wanted to gather the information I lacked.

In other words, people died for that reason.

Considering all this, I wondered if I was receiving excessive attention compared to my actual worth.

The thought arises unbidden.

And yet, objectively speaking, that’s not the case. I was a danger. More dangerous than anyone else. A potential monster born from the coincidences of the world.

I may have a small vessel, but it’s filled with far too much.

Even so, tomorrow, I could kill someone else without hesitation.

Still, I had no intention of stopping.

“…I see. Even someone with great power like you has a lot to think about, Shiheon-ssi.”

“Great power, my ass. So, did you give me this wine to get me drunk and dig into my thoughts?”

“Fufufu, it just sort of turned out that way, didn’t it?”

One hundred percent intentional.

The timing was perfect.

How did she know I was thirsty for a drink tonight?

I was doomed from the start.

“Be honest. You’re monitoring our every move, aren’t you?”

“I don’t. I swear on the World Tree.”

“……”

The Sage seemed to be enjoying this moment, taking gentle sips from her glass.

Just enough to wet her throat.

Apparently, her claim of being bad with alcohol was true—her delicate skin quickly flushed red.

“Someone with so much mana, yet weak to alcohol?”

Now drunk, I had no filter.

The Sage smiled at my question.

“It’s just my constitution. Some people are like that, no matter how much mana they have.”

“…I guess.”

Wasn’t Baekdo like that too?

There was someone who would topple over after just two cans of beer.

“Do you like drinking?”

“I didn’t used to, but now I love it. What about you?”

“Why do you think I have this wine?”

She must like it.

The Sage continued to speak while tracing the rim of her glass with her finger.

“I don’t like drinking alone, though. I prefer drinking with others.”

“Then why didn’t you join us earlier?”

“If I were there… the three of us wouldn’t have been able to talk properly, would we? I felt like the group was already a bit distant, so I made some space. If I joined, the purpose would’ve become muddled.”

Fair point.

“Well… now that I think about it, I’m being unfair by accusing you of ulterior motives. Maybe I should’ve just drunk with you from the start.”

It wasn’t really an accusation—I was just feeling insecure and needed someone to blame.

Deep down, I knew all of this was because of my shortcomings.

I’d try to fix it, but who knew how long that’d take.

It felt overwhelming, and for now, I just wanted a break.

“Then let’s just let loose and drink tonight.”

The Sage refilled her glass and offered it to me.

This was our third toast.

“But didn’t you say you’re bad with alcohol? Are you okay with two glasses?”

“I’ll manage somehow. Tonight, treat me as just another person.”

“What’s your name?”

“…I told you, I don’t have one.”

I was barely holding onto my composure.

A few more glasses, and I’d collapse.

Yet I didn’t hesitate to lift my glass.

At this moment, I wanted to immerse myself in this dreamy feeling.

The enchanting voice of the white-robed woman was more than enough to accompany a glass of wine.

A woman’s skin brushed against my body.

Soft skin, as if touched for the first time in my life. When my fingers sank into it, the faint sound of her sighing could be heard.

The scent of her skin covered my face, and her hands wrapped around my neck.

Her hair tangled and coiled around my body.

Her damp, teddy bear-patterned underwear clung to me like a war trophy.

As I woke up, I couldn’t help but reassess the events of last night.

“…Damn it.”

Lee Shiheon, you bastard.

You’ve gone and done it again.

Looking at the naked woman lying on the bed, fast asleep, I clasped my head in my hands.

Alcohol was the culprit.

“This is so screwed.”

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