Eat The World Tree

Chapter 283: Eden (2)

The faint scent of coffee filled the air as I took a breath.

The high ceiling’s light faintly illuminated the surroundings. Beneath it, dozens of books filled with unknown characters were piled up like mountains.

Until just before I arrived here, the Sage seemed fully absorbed in reading, as a half-open book lay on the desk.

It was an antique book written on pink parchment.

Strangely enough, in the center of the room, there was a small garden. Scattered around it were countless bear and dolphin stuffed animals, along with piles of dirt-covered books scattered haphazardly.

On one of the expensive-looking books, a tree drawn with crayons stood out.

I looked further beyond.

Two rooms were separately positioned on either side, and farther away stood a grand glass door.

Beyond the purple glass door, I caught a glimpse of a library.

It was surrounded by circular bookshelves filled with books, and a spiral staircase shot up as if it would pierce through the ceiling.

I lowered my gaze again.

“Tree King~!”

A child, who seemed less than a meter tall, was sitting on the dirt floor.

With long white hair tied around their waist, they pointed fiercely while shouting.

“Tree King?”

Maronnie was the first to question.

The Tree King.

The only being who reigned among the trees that I knew of was the Tree Spirit King.

How did this little kid know that I was the Tree Spirit King?

From the looks of her, she seemed to be the Sage’s daughter, but I couldn’t question a child. So, for now, I decided to play dumb.

I knelt down with the friendliest smile I could muster.

“What’s your name?”

I extended my hand slightly, asking the child.

The golden-glowing child smiled brightly at my words and toddled towards me.

Then, as she got closer, she stared into my face.

“…?”

She tilted her head curiously, as if something was odd, like a sprout swaying in the breeze.

However, that puzzled expression didn’t last long. Soon, she jumped into my arms with a leap that barely reached the height of her big toe.

“Uchacha.”

She was a light child. Her body and short limbs felt so delicate that even a little force might make her crumble.

I skillfully lifted her into the air.

The snow-white bundle floated gently above the ground.

“So cute….”

“Shiheon, I want to hold her too.”

The child looked at me with an emoticon-like expression.

It was like the cute text faces you often see on the internet.

Maronnie and Sansuyu were instantly captivated by the child, and it didn’t take long for the three adults to surround her.

“Is she your daughter? What’s her name?”

“…Ah. Well.”

The Sage scratched his cheek, smiling awkwardly at my question.

“She’s the World Tree of Knowledge.”

World Tree.

This little one?

At the awkward age of twenty-eight, even Merri, who had withered away in a tiny room, hadn’t become a World Tree.

At that moment, the noisy chatter between the three of us died down.

Silence fell.

The little girl, snuggled in my arms, still looked as cute as ever, but suddenly, an overwhelming sense of majesty seemed to radiate from her small shoulders.

“…I didn’t touch her.”

Sansuyu suddenly denied.

“M-Me neither.”

Maronnie also took a step back.

They acted as if associating with the World Tree of Knowledge could lead to their downfall. Even for the eldest daughter of a pureblood noble family, such behavior was not to be forgiven.

I mechanically lowered my head.

In my arms, the World Tree gazed intently into my eyes with her golden ones, maintaining eye contact.

She stared.

For a very long time.

“…Uh, uh.”

What would that make me, who suddenly hugged her upon first sight? The worst criminal?

No, the World Tree came to me first!

I pictured myself in handcuffs, babbling pathetic excuses.

As I stood there frozen, the Sage finally spoke.

“This is the first time the Sephirot has rushed to an outsider like this.”

“R-Really? Is this unusual?”

The Sage didn’t answer my question. Instead, she spread her arms wide and approached me.

I briefly considered the urge to leap into her motherly embrace, but instead, I handed the child over to her. She snuggled into her chest.

Sephirot turned her doll-like head back to look at me.

“As you know, Participant Lee Shiheon, you’re quite unique. You understand, right?”

The Tree Spirit King.

Or perhaps it was the resonance with the trees.

I still remembered how Byeol had said something similar when I first met the World Tree of Healing.

“Did you just wake up?”

“Mm….”

“Close your eyes. Press them tight. Good girl. There you go. Pat, pat.”

Watching the two of them gently removing the eye crust with thin magic made me think, if that scene were captured and hung on a city street, one hundred out of one hundred passersby would assume they were mother and daughter.

“Anyway, I’ll continue the explanation, so listen carefully. The three of you will now undergo the third trial here in Sephirot’s library for about a month.”

The Sage spoke while stroking the Sephirot in her arms.

“You will take care of all your daily needs, research, training, and studying here.”

“So we can’t leave?”

“If you have a reason to leave, you can do so anytime. However, if you need to contact anyone, this place is cut off from external magic and signals, so you’ll need to transfer back to the competition location to reach others.”

The Sage paused for a moment, looked around at the three of us, then placed the Sephirot back on the square garden.

The World Tree of Knowledge toddled over and sat atop a pile of books.

“Each of your tasks and trials will be different, but outside of that, you can look at anything in this library.”

“A-Anything?”

“Of course.”

Maronnie’s surprised voice made the Sage smile.

“Eden’s… magic… I can… I…”

Maronnie was so overjoyed she could barely finish her sentences, pausing after each breath.

Sansuyu followed up with a question.

“…Is there a book about swordsmanship?”

“Whatever you’re thinking of, Participant Sansuyu, it’s all here. Whether it’s a jester’s ridiculous love story or a common pessimistic poetry collection. As long as it holds some value as knowledge, Eden keeps everything.”

The World Tree of Knowledge.

Since this child governed the concept of knowledge, did she possess that much knowledge herself?

One thing was clear: Eden seemed to be full of knowledge I had never been able to find before.

Gulp.

At that moment, I swallowed.

If I play my cards right, I might learn information about myself.

Or perhaps, even discover everything about the current World Tree or Flower.

Maybe, even the World Tree of Purity, who had remained hidden until now.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

My fists clenched tightly.

‘Purity.’

I called out to her in my mind. But no answer came.

Feeling a strange unease, I summoned the status window internally, but it didn’t appear.

It seemed that this place even cut off the connection to the World Tree, as the familiar window showed no sign of appearing.

A completely isolated space.

Even the World Tree’s access was blocked.

The Sage walked forward with a faint smile on her face.

“The room where you’ll sleep is over here.”

Creak.

The door opened naturally without being touched.

I followed the Sage’s steps into the room.

Three beds were placed in a fairly spacious room. There were wardrobes, and the mattresses and blankets were soft enough, but there weren’t any separate individual rooms.

This was the shared lodging for the three of us. The wardrobe was filled with extra clothes, including underwear.

Personal items had been prepared in advance, knowing we would come.

There was one bathroom, one kitchen, and one shower room for all of us.

“Would we be sharing this room together?”

I glanced over at Maronnie, who looked very flustered.

Sansuyu seemed indifferent, but Maronnie appeared uncomfortable with the idea of living together.

“Are we sharing this room?”

Since she was too timid to voice her concerns, I had to ask the Sage for her.

“Yes.”

“But there’s one man and two women… I don’t mind, but the other two might feel uncomfortable.”

The Sage blinked at my question.

“Is there a problem?”

Then, as if realizing something, she covered her mouth with her hand.

“Ah… I see.”

The Tree Spirit King. She seemed to recall that word as she placed both hands on her stomach and smiled.

“If that’s the concern, there’s no need to worry about it.”

“It’s not just about worrying.”

“The bathroom and shower room are soundproof, so no sound will escape. The changing room in the middle of the bathroom too.”

“What about sleeping?”

“It’s just sleeping, right? It could be a good opportunity to build rapport.”

If she put it that way, I had nothing to say.

Maronnie seems bothered by the idea of living together, but I didn’t see any more points of contention.

Honestly, I was fine.

I was already used to living with women now.

Though the temptation of lust was present, I could control it.

Compared to spending months living with the Peach Sisters in full-body suits clinging to their skin, this was nothing.

“But if it’s too uncomfortable… you can stay with me.”

The Sage eventually offered another alternative.

“But there are only two beds, and one of them is for Sephirot.”

“Ah…”

If I went there, would I end up sleeping on the floor?

It was a sad and funny situation.

“And there’s no changing room either.”

“Why isn’t there a changing room?”

“Originally, it was meant for one person, so we didn’t worry about soundproofing. Sounds will leak from the bathroom.”

“…You might as well just tell us to live together.”

It seemed like she was subtly suggesting we keep quiet, so I sighed and replied.

“We’re already grateful. Thank you.”

“…Oh. You could still stay with me, though? Actually, now that I think about it, it might be more efficient. I have a lot to discuss with you, Participant Lee Shiheon.”

The Sage seemed sincere in her offer.

This person really didn’t seem to consider gender differences.

I waved my hands, trying to think of another solution.

“How about Maronnie and I live together? Sansuyu and I sometimes sleep together, so it’s not an issue.”

At my suggestion, Maronnie flinched in shock.

“S-Sleep together!?”

“Yeah.”

Although Sansuyu’s late-night disturbance recently put a stop to it.

But since things were already decided this way, we’d just have to endure.

Besides, I doubted she’d do anything like that again after getting scolded.

The Sage blinked her eyes, then looked at Maronnie.

“Participant Maronnie, would you prefer that?”

“W-Well, I…”

Maronnie glanced between me and Sansuyu.

After a long hesitation, she blushed deeply and lowered her head.

“I-I don’t mind doing it the way we said at first…”

It was over.

The room assignments were now final.

The Sage clapped her hands and entered the kitchen, pointing at the refrigerator and explaining the ingredients and food stored inside. Then she led us back to the first room.

“Shall we get started right away? Does anyone need to make contact with someone?”

Since it was the third trial, no one expected contact.

It should be fine if I didn’t contact Taeyang and Aori right away.

As for Bao, well, that was her problem, not mine. If she was upset, she should’ve said something before we left.

The three of us shook our heads.

“Then, except for Lee Shiheon, head into the library. I’ll come by shortly to explain how to use it.”

The Sage clapped her hands, a warm smile on her face.

Maronnie and Sansuyu walked toward the purple door with anticipation.

Both seemed eager to enter the library, captivated by the countless books—perhaps thousands or more—inside.

I wanted to go in there too.

But if she said there was something to talk about, I had no choice.

Once the two of them were gone, I stood alone with the Sage.

“…So.”

The person who knew I was the Tree Spirit King.

When Sephirot crawled out of the Sage’s room and made eye contact with me again, the Sage returned from leading the two into the library.

“You want to know why I kept you behind, right?”

Now it was one-on-one.

Or rather, two-on-one.

I looked at Sephirot, who was walking toward me step by step.

The Sage gently placed her hand on Sephirot’s shoulder and smiled maternally.

Why did she keep me behind?

I had a rough idea.

She’d probably explain some knowledge or matters I didn’t know and then pressure or persuade me to make a choice.

…Should I ask how much she knew about me first?

Crossing my arms confidently, I asked her.

“So, what’s the deal? Why’d you drag in the crazy guy who crashed into a tree?”