Eat The World Tree

“Marronie.”

At the time when Lee Shiheon had left for his morning routine.

Leaving behind Sansuyu, who was deep asleep and occasionally groaning, Marronie entered the laboratory earlier than usual.

“Yes?”

The Sage, who had arrived at the lab beforehand, asked her.

“How is the research going?”

“Of-Of course! This is Eden… It’s been my lifelong dream to set foot in Eden even once.”

“If Blanche is happy, then so am I.”

“Oh, Sage, really.”

“It seems Shiheon gives very fitting nicknames.”

“Huh, huh?”

“Night Kitty.”

“Uh.”

“Ah, should I teach you transformation magic so you can turn into a cat? Shiheon might love it.”

“No thanks!”

Marronie’s face flushed bright red. Unlike Shiheon, she couldn’t find words to retort.

“…And I don’t have that kind of relationship with him.”

“Oh my, did I misunderstand?”

“…It’s not like that. It’s really not.”

“Then, about turning into a cat.”

“That… maybe tell me about it later.”

To Marronie, the Sage was an idol. She couldn’t bring herself to say no. The Sage turned and observed Marronie’s research results thus far.

The most valued talent of a magician. The works left by the genius Marronie. Even to the Sage’s eyes, they were quite remarkable. A National Tree in the profession of a magician. She had to be the best out of 65 million people in France.

“So.”

The Sage asked her again.

“Have you thought about what I mentioned before?”

“…….”

Marronie closed her mouth.

Silence descended within the laboratory, faintly scented with the aroma of medicines. The air, chilled for storing magic stones. As Marronie fidgeted with the warmth switch on her lab coat, she cautiously asked back.

“Me… inheriting your position, Sage?”

“Yes.”

“Why… offer me such an opportunity?”

“There are various reasons. Future happenings, the potential for betrayal. Whether the contract with Sephirot can be upheld. Considering all these possibilities, I thought Marronie was the most suitable.”

Marronie would become the direct disciple of the Sage. Not immediately, but at least in a few years, she would be someone who supports Sephirot and protects Eden.

“I’m still considering it.”

“Can you tell me why?”

It was not without side effects. Researching magic in Eden for a lifetime was a dream and hope for magicians. But Marronie’s dreams, in truth, were not quite like that.

“Well, though there’s a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment as a magician… The title of National Tree also feels like a heavy burden.”

“I see. Does that mean you wish for a peaceful life?”

Marronie nodded. What she had wished for had always been the same.

A normal life. A regular job. An ordinary romance. A simple marriage. A harmonious family, filled with love, with a child that resembled her and her husband. She couldn’t abandon her romantic vision of such a life.

“Even as the Sage, I wouldn’t necessarily stand in the way of that kind of life.”

“But wouldn’t I have to protect Eden?”

“It doesn’t mean you can’t marry. I simply haven’t found my soulmate yet.”

Marronie thought that perhaps there was no man in this world who would suit the Sage. Because only a being with such honor could be the Sage. The number of civilians and children she had saved was in the millions.

She even prevented several gate outbursts, once saving an entire nation. The Sage had received boundless gratitude from that government.

And inheriting such a legacy was, frankly, overwhelming for Marronie.

“Then, how about simply learning magic from me?”

“…Isn’t that too good of an offer for me alone?”

“If it pleases you, you can be the next Sage. I’ll give you about five years to decide.”

It was a moment of great intensity. Even for the Sage, it was impossible to live for centuries.

Preparing a successor was a wise choice for the future. The Sage was thinking of being fully prepared before any war might break out.

There was a clear reason why she chose Marronie, who was close to Shiheon, as her successor. She also coveted Marronie’s talents. Knowing all the incidents and people of the world. The Sage’s insight was already as good as prophecy in this world.

Even the Sage could only question herself if she always made the right choices.

There was a reason she gathered Sansuyu, Lee Shiheon, and Marronie in one place.

“I will not refuse to learn.”

After much consideration, Marronie nodded with difficulty. Her eyes focused on the magic circle on the desk.

The magic she was developing this time. With the Sage’s advice and assistance, it was bound to be the masterpiece of her life.

<There’s a tree.>

A tree?

<Yes. It’s not a World Tree, though.>

‘A tree with intelligence.’

Considering it hadn’t yet become a World Tree, it seemed similar to the case with Merri. There was no way to know why the Flowers were with the tree. Perhaps it was being exploited, much like the World Tree of Healing.

‘Can you send coordinates this way?’

<…Just a moment. It looks like I might be able to steal an artifact, actually. Ah, got it. Should I come over now?>

‘No, stop for now.’

After stopping Luci, I hid in an alley between nearby buildings. Leaning against the wall, I sat comfortably, gradually drawing out magic power to share my vision with the woodpecker Luci.

One of the perks of being a spirit magician. Sensory sharing was possible.

Given my poor talent as a spirit magician, I had no choice but to rely on the power of the treehopper. But with help from a higher spirit, this much was a piece of cake.

-Crack.

As the treehopper climbed onto my shoulder and infused magic, a bright blue pattern etched itself into my eyes. Before long, I heard voices in my ears.

“All preparations are complete.”

[This should be satisfactory for Cistus as well. Good job.]

“As many children as possible… Would about ten do?”

[That’s sufficient.]

Adults in robes, conversing with the tree. The surroundings resembled an old church. Not only the robed individuals but also many others in priestly garments stood by the tree. Thick roots, likely from the tree, hung messily from the ceiling.

Cistus. The moment that name reached my ears, my brows furrowed.

‘It’s confirmed they’re Flowers. But why are there trees with the Flowers?’

The elimination of Tree People. Was there any advantage for a tree to join the Flowers who dreamt of human superiority? I thought it possible that there might be at least one tree against the World Tree’s theocratic rule.

There were all kinds of people in the world. Just as peculiar folks existed, there might even be a colored person trying to join a white supremacy group somewhere.

“…Uh.”

In a corner of my shared vision, I saw children being dragged in. Perhaps kidnapped from different areas, about ten children were gathered. Tina was among them. She struggled to untie the ropes with her skinny arms, but they wouldn’t come loose.

Some of the children were so terrified they were crying.

“If Kanna finds out about this… we’ll be as good as dead.”

[Though this ‘zone’ is under Kanna’s jurisdiction, she won’t notice.]

‘Kanna. Wasn’t she the second leaf?’

Rumor had it that even among themselves, their opinions clashed and they fought. After listening a bit longer, I decided there was no more information to extract.

[Rest well, everyone. Tomorrow, we’ll meet Cistus face to face. Please cleanse yourselves in preparation.]

‘Send me in.’

<Understood.>

I instantly resummoned the woodpecker. As Luci appeared in my grasp, he activated the artifact he clutched in his feet.

With the robe’s hood pulled down and the spatial magic activated, my body floated and instantly moved into the church.

-Boom!

As the magic circle beneath my feet hummed and I arrived in the church, all the robed individuals’ gazes naturally turned toward me.

“Brother?”

The man questioned, slightly wary upon seeing me. The color of my robe differed slightly, but perhaps he thought I was one of them.

I casually placed the artifact back in my pocket. Who knows if I might need to revisit this place.

“…….”

In silence, I scanned my surroundings. My eyes swept over the robed men and women nearby. The two birds on my shoulders puffed out their chests and looked around just like me.

Nobody immediately understands or accepts a sudden event.

But gradually, a man who noticed the unusual situation reached into his pocket. The moment I saw the glint of a weapon, my hand moved.

“Guh! An attack….”

His words didn’t continue.

As soon as my hand grasped the man’s face, his features twisted grotesquely. I used all my strength to throw him toward the other members.

-Crash!

Unable to catch the man’s suddenly thrown body, they perished instantly. Luci’s ensuing spell tore them to pieces.

“Who, who are you?!”

“Attack!”

A booming voice echoed from the other side of the church. As soon as the commotion was confirmed, priests armed with weapons began to swarm from both sides.

Each of them was slightly stronger than those I had faced before. Stronger than the priests of Lee Seonghan who ambushed the academy.

The tree was still nowhere in sight. It must be in the innermost part.

[W-What’s all this commotion?]

At the sound of the tree’s voice from afar, I raised my hand and commanded Luci.

Dozens of yellow swords, materializing in midair, stabbed fiercely into the ground, blocking the advance of the priests.

About fifty, maybe sixty of them. This was no small force.

I tapped my bracelet, forming a staff in my grip. Simultaneously, I stirred up magic, enveloping my whole body. The feathers on Luci and Eleonore, resting on my shoulder, also turned jet black.

[M-Master, what should we do now?]

Eleonore, who had little combat experience, spoke in a worried tone.

[Princess, stay calm. Gather your magic.]

[Luci….]

The fusion with a spirit allows not only sensory sharing but also manipulation of each other’s magic. Naturally, my own magic response is heightened.

Now I could see the flow of magic, as visible as dust swirling in the air. Who was about to cast magic. How much magic each person had. I could see it all.

From there, things were easy. I waved my hand.

-Crack!

The yellow swords, which had been merely halting their movement, tore into a person for the first time. Only then did the priests finally draw their swords and charge at me.

Slow enough to make me yawn. I cast a spell to sweep away the crowd.

-Whoosh.

A gust of black demonic energy, forming a wind lotus. The wind lotus, normally an arrow formed from gathered wind magic, warped the surrounding space as it absorbed dark magic.

The magic scattered like black petals, resembling a floating lotus blossom. That’s why I named this spell “Wind Lotus.”

“…….”

As if facing death, their desperate attacks intensified. Before the tips of their swords could pierce me, I lowered my hand.

The wind lotus surged between the priests. All the magic in the church was sucked into a vortex, consuming the space like a black hole.

-Boom!

There was an explosion. Light flashed first, followed by the sound.

The priests’ bodies exploded, scattering fragments of bone and flesh across the area. It fell like hail upon the robes.

[…Oh my.]

Eleonore, though she had cast it herself, was so shocked that she couldn’t speak.

“You’ll experience this a lot.”

[M-Master… I-I….]

“You’ll have to get used to it.”

I stepped forward, treading over the twisted pieces of flesh, no longer resembling bodies. Those priests who hadn’t been caught up in the magic trembled as they stepped aside.

Or rather, they fled.

“Ah, ahhh!”

Did this Flower faction retain some semblance of reason? Compared to the fanatics I’d fought before, who feared no death, it was a strange sight.

Of course, I launched another spell without fail.

-Crack!

The sound of flesh being torn echoed behind me. There was some guilt, but not enough to matter.

Killing people was always an ugly business.

Lining them up, judging who was more virtuous or wicked, deciding who lives and who dies. That’s neither something I should do nor something I had the right to do.

Following a path slightly stained with blood, after opening and entering several doors, I finally saw the children inside. And a single tree standing before them.

‘Hornbeam.’

The name appeared in my mind the moment I saw it.

[Who are you to dare such arrogance?]

At the sound of a woman’s voice in my mind, I stopped in my tracks.

“Hunter.”

[Why are you doing this to us?]

“Because you’re Flowers.”

A straightforward answer.

First, I cast a thin slicing spell to cut the ropes binding the children. Despite their confusion, the children seemed to decide I was an ally, gradually moving toward me.

-Slash!

Roots reached out to follow them, but they were weak. Even if it tried, it couldn’t compete with magic without being a World Tree.

[…Ha.]

The tree muttered lowly, as if things had gone awry.

[What a fool, getting in the way.]

At least it wasn’t making excuses.

“Why is a tree with the Flowers?”

[You don’t need to know. You’ll die here anyway.]

The tree’s hostile tone made the treehopper on my shoulder screech.

[What? You shameless tree, dressed like a harlot, talking down to Master!]

[…A spirit? You’re a spirit magician, how foolish.]

The tree’s speech dragged on. Its branches covering the church ceiling and roots growing from the floor began to encroach upon me as if each part had its own will.

It’s a tree, and with no place to escape, fighting was the only option left.

[…Die now!]

-Slash!

Branches rushed toward me. Each one intertwined with magic, making each branch formidable.

Should I blow up the entire trunk? As I pondered.

“What’s all this commotion?”

A girl’s voice echoed from a small door nearby. The tree stopped moving instantly. At the same time, my arm, poised to cast magic, also came to a halt.

White hair. Childlike figure. A wide red mark, radiating out in a circular pattern around her nose on her face.

[C-Cistus.]

Cistus. The third leaf. A Flower executive.

“I ordered you to guard this place, yet you’ve already made a mess.”

With an emotionless voice, she looked at me. Eyes devoid of any consciousness. An avatar. Her gaze narrowed slightly.

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