Chapter 62: Purity
Du-du-du-du-du!
The helicopter carrying the fainted sisters took off into the sky with the loud noise of its propellers.
There was a lot of commotion, but... in the end, I couldn’t hear the sisters’ answer.
The reason they tried to kill me.
I overheard through a tree person once that the kidnapping was not their idea but an order from higher up.
Du-du-du-du!
Squinting in the morning sun, I watched the helicopter from a distance.
Outside the dungeon, back at the El Academy.
Due to treatments and investigations, I hadn’t seen familiar faces for quite a while. Maybe that was why.
When I arrived at the academy, I felt hostility in their eyes.
Gulp.
Someone poked my back.
“Don’t you have something to say to me?”
Turning my head, Jin Dallae, with her sharp, cat-like eyes, stood there.
“...How have you been?”
“Don’t be ridiculous.”
She chuckled. Just a few minutes ago, Jin Dallae looked full of worries, but now she seemed a bit better.
“Nothing happened, right? Please, please don’t disappear on your own. It worries me sick.”
“Why would you be sick over it? It should be me.”
“...It means don’t make me indebted and then just die. Can’t you even do that much for a friend?”
Jin Dallae always emphasized the word ‘friend’. I heard from Seyeong that Dallae worked hard in tracking me down.
How did someone who disliked me so much become this close? Beneath my mask, I couldn’t help but smile.
“Thank you. Truly.”
The fact that someone was moving for my sake felt good. Many others besides Jin Dallae were ready to help me, even though externally, I was just another human with the status of a nobody. If I were to fall, they made it seem like I was destined to be saved.
... It was not like someone like me deserved it.
My lips turned bitter.
“I think choosing to be friends with you then wasn’t a wrong choice... Why are you making that face?”
As I reflected on the past, Jin Dallae’s face turned red.
She seemed about to say something, but then she bit her lip and averted her eyes several times. She then pulled at her collar and cleared her throat.
“Ahem. I... I’ve just never been thanked before.”
She was just like an awkward person when it comes to relationships.
Or was it just with me? I genuinely wished she’d relax a bit.
Tap tap.
“Siyeon.”
And there was another woman who was awkward in relationships. I turned my head to Sansuyu, who was tugging at my clothes.
“It’s Shiheon, not Siyeon.”
“...Shiheon.”
“Why?”
Sansuyu playfully slapped my shoulder.
“You haven’t attended training since that day.”
... Right now?
“I’m sorry... I was kidnapped, so I couldn’t help with the training.”
“It’s okay if you know. And you owe me for the help.”
“Owe you?”
“Miho said that friends should help each other naturally.”
Sansuyu’s expression, which had just softened, returned to its previous emotionless state.
“And if you help, you should be compensated properly.”
“Heh heh, really? What can I do for you?”
“The spicy rose tteokbokki. It’s their new item.”
“The car’s here. Go on in, I’ll buy it for you later. Jin Dallae, you too.”
Jin Dallae, having heard me, moved forward while fanning her still-red face. Just before boarding the car, she seemed to recall something.
“Ah, right. About that child...”
Shiba.
The sudden mention sent chills down my spine.
“Shiba? Wh-why? What happened to Shiba?”
“Calm down. She’s in my room, even had a meal.”
Thump.
A wave of relief washed over me.
Thank goodness. I felt my breath return. The surprise made me break into a sweat in such a short time.
“One of those leaves is you, Lee Shiheon.”
“....”
“There’s a prophecy that they must kill you if they can’t convert you.”
“What?”
Startled, I turned to her. Lee Seyeong clarified.
“Remember when you met Lee Seonghan?”
“Ah, back then... but wasn’t that some unrelated cult?”
“Minor organizations usually act without understanding the higher-ups’ intentions. A blindly-following cult makes a good tool.”
I roughly understood.
“The problem is, not only ‘Flower’ is after you. It’s damn unbelievable, isn’t it?”
Cheondo, nodding at Lee Seyeong’s words, pulled out a long cigarette holder from her robe, loaded with tobacco.
Flick.
She lit it and opened the car window. Everyone inside was a smoker, so no one minded.
“The World Tree of Resentment.”
“Who’s that?”
“I don’t know either. Considering it’s not known yet, it must be similar to the World Tree of Healing.”
Sigh. Cheondo exhaled a thick smoke.
“World Trees, by their mere existence, can intervene in the spouse selection system. Considering the penalties you’ve received from your orders, it’s likely him exploiting it.”
“Why the hell is that bastard after me?”
“... Don’t you see any connection?”
I saw no relation. I had one unresolved issue, but it wasn’t connected to the World Tree of Resentment. My prospective spouse should be...
‘Wait a moment.’
A thought crossed my mind.
Who was the target for my spouse candidacy?
I assumed it was the World Tree of Purity.
Because it was the one who had responded to me till now.
When I mentioned my pants on the first day, and when I spoke of my disdain for the world, it was always the World Tree of Purity that responded.
The system never clarified anything.
Just the cryptic phrase about being the first spouse candidate and a word about being worthy of it.
If multiple World Trees could control the spouse orders, it meant the World Tree of Purity might not be my prospective tree.
Then what?
Which tree did I commit that act with before coming to this world? Who was the woman asking me to take responsibility, and what was with the World Tree of Purity?
Who was my daughter’s mother?
“...Wait a moment.”
“It seems something’s on your mind.”
“It’s not that...”
I felt my head heating up and took a deep breath, seeking a moment of solace. Both Lee Seyeong and Cheondo patiently waited, observing me with sympathetic looks.
World Tree of Purity.
‘What are you?’
No answer came. Maybe it never would.
Just as my knowledge was forcibly implanted when I first came to this world, a groundless certainty took over me that, perhaps, I would never be able to communicate with the World Tree again.
However, there remained a hint of its existence.
-Shiba is our daughter.
That fact was firmly in my mind. The “our” was clear, pointing to the unjust treatment I had received since coming to this world.
If the intent was to mess with me, then setting a reward for the quest would be abnormal. Also, letting me modify the status window by spending points was inconsistent.
In the end, it was simple.
When a World Tree wanted to kill me, only she stood by me. Without any complaints, she did so blindly.
“Have you sorted out your thoughts?”
If my suspicion was right, then the identity of this World Tree of Resentment would naturally fall into place.
I replied softly,
“Yes.”
I now knew for certain which World Tree brought me to this world with intentions leading to my demise, all thanks to her clues.
“Are you worried?”
I didn’t answer Cheondo’s question. Perhaps misconstruing my silence, Cheondo continued.
“Don’t worry. A master should protect their disciple. You focus on honing your abilities.”
I appreciated her words. However, I was never really worried.
In fact, it felt refreshing. Until now, I felt like blindly trudging through a thicket, but for the first time, it felt like I caught a glimpse of the sky beyond the dense brush.
Lifting my head towards the tightly packed forest canopy, I faced the world head-on. A newfound confidence surged within me that I could make my way out.
“Thank you.”
...I now had a clear goal.
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