Chapter 389 – The Cornus Tree (6)

Two souls adrift in a tumultuous era.
Enduring the world’s resentment time and time again.

They spent considerable time infiltrating certain regions, manipulating evidence and information.
Throughout all of this, the process of using spatial magic was never revealed to anyone.

Most people likely assumed Lee Si-heon was hiding in this unremarkable Chinese city.
As a result, when Lee Si-heon traveled through various cities, he experienced numerous unexpected encounters.

-Clatter!

Their guns aimed at one another.
Covered in dust, Lee Si-heon cautiously glared at Gu-seul before him.

“Last time, I told you something.”

Gu-seul whispered to Lee Si-heon in a low voice.

“You have no choice but to join Flower.”

At that moment, instead of understanding what she was talking about, he had dismissed her words as those of a madwoman.
But now, how would things be different?

Condemned as a heretic, everyone sought to take his life. With a bounty of billions on his neck, unsuccessful hunters who dreamt of turning their luck around eagerly hoped to cross paths with him.

“…”

Lee Si-heon glared at her without responding.

“Sansuyu, shouldn’t he be saved? Phehehe.”

The laughter could be considered cute or irritating, depending on the listener. To Lee Si-heon, it always evoked the latter sentiment.

What differed from before, however, was Gu-seul’s attitude—gentler than he had anticipated.

“What audacity do you have?”

“Grasshopper? I’m more of an ant type.”

“…”

“Ah, sorry, was the joke not funny?”

Gu-seul set down the gun she had been holding first. She knelt in front of Lee Si-heon, who was trapped in the garbage dump, and met his gaze directly.

“As you must know, your value is beyond imagination.”

“…”

“As long as you join us, everyone can live. Azalea and Cornus. Professor Lee Se-young. Perhaps even your master.”

If power were to be transferred to the Flower.
It might be possible to kill the World Tree of Justice. The bodies and memories of the peaches would return as well.
The honor of the family Cheondo sought so desperately would be restored.

But that wasn’t all.

It was an offer that could instantly transform the anxious and painful daily life of Lee Si-heon.
Tempting.
Though he had considered it long ago, temptation always came with its own side effects.

“What do you want?”
“You.”

Gu-seul’s face drew closer.

“From your face to your body. Your power and honor. Everything you possess. Isn’t it a small price to pay for the lives of those around you?”
“…”
“Oh, I’m actually lying. To us, you alone are more precious than their lives.”

Gu-seul laughed.

“But that’s not the case for you.”

The things Lee Si-heon highly values are the people who have always been by his side. Gu-seul knows this. It was practically a bargain to be able to bring King Mokryeong’s heir into the Flower simply by pledging to protect someone. The fact that Lee Si-heon inherited the king’s power is information shared only among a very select few. That’s why it hasn’t come to light; if it were to become public knowledge, followers of Lee Si-heon would emerge in droves.

Of course, there would be repercussions. Gu-seul and Hong-Yeon are the ones who can help with that.

For the first time, worry appeared in Lee Si-heon’s tired eyes.

“How can I join the Flower? Should I bang my head against a wall? Or… should I offer up my body?”

“I think I answered that last time.”

“But the situation is different now.”

“Why would you go to such lengths?”

“Because it’s my duty. I was born for you.”

Lee Si-heon’s eyes narrowed at the intrusive tone.

“For me?”

“Oh. How would a tree with no associated flower language or origin be treated in this world? No matter how much it tries to prove its worth, it’s just a gutter rat. Mok Tae-yang and Aori are the same. They just have different methods.”
“……”
“Your value is much higher than you think. That’s why people are trying to kill you with such fervor.”

Gu-seul approached slowly, with a palpable intensity. Her face came closer until her crimson lips were nearly touching.

“Or… overthrowing the Flower could also be an option.”
“Overthrow the Flower?”

She said there’s power to change a corrupt world.

However, whether accepting that offer was right or not, it was still unclear.

“It’s what my boss said.”
“……”
“They’ve been waiting for you for quite some time.”

With those words, Gu-seul pulled her face back once more.

“I apologize for my forceful approach. I have my own circumstances as well. This time, I’m speaking from a deeply personal perspective.”

So, hadn’t it been personal up until now?
With a fleeting thought, she raised her head once more.

“It’ll be difficult on your own.”

Both protecting and persuading are challenging tasks.
In that case, perhaps…

“I’m not sure if dying once would be acceptable. Ending the relationship and starting anew, well…”
“…you’re insane.”
“It’s a bizarre idea, true. But anyway… please think it over carefully.”
“It doesn’t sound like someone making a request.”

At Lee Si-heon’s sarcastic words, Gu-seul laughed.

“If you’d only agree, I could show you respect, be your under-the-desk secretary, or anything else you’d like.”

Shuddering with revulsion, Gu-seul discreetly stepped back.
Likely, even such crude vulgarity wasn’t a lie.
From her conversation with Gu-seul, it was quickly evident that she lacked freedom and was acting at someone else’s behest.

“Oh right, do you know Professor Lee Se-Young? That person…”

-Bang!

At the sound of a distant explosion, Gu-seul stopped talking and moving.

“…Hmm, do you want to run away? I’ll stop you.”

That was the plan all along.

* * * * * * * *

-Flower’s Terror: The Five Great World Trees Cannot Escape the Damage.

The sensational mass-produced articles, surprisingly, contained only facts this time. Perhaps even these tabloid-like pieces were part of Flower’s manipulation.

-Norway, Germany, and more: Governments Established Centered on the Ideology of Wooden Equality. Protests Continue in the United Kingdom…

World-class events that would typically only appear in textbooks began to unfold one by one. The caste system had been shattered.

– Abolition of the National Tree System. A system based on discrimination among World Tree species cannot be sustained.
– University districts experience ongoing closures. What is the reason?

In Korea, where the influence of the World Tree is strong, there was little difference from before. However, the ever-growing atmosphere of revolution could not help but shake even the Korean people.

Ultimately, in early September, an event occurred.

– The Collapse of Washington. Despair on Capitol Hill.

It can be explained in just five words: War. Two thousand Sisyphus appeared in U.S. airspace, annihilating an entire city.

At that time, pro-World Tree politicians and members of both legislative chambers perished, which was, in effect, a declaration of war. Many neutral countries were torn in two, and the outcome was unified.

-In God We Trust

The official motto of the United States.

The symbol of the World Tree, once whole, was shattered in an instant. Soon after, a massive civil war erupted. The fall of giants. The economic indicators of each nation plummeted unusually. Many large corporations submerged beneath the surface, and the stock market froze.

The entire world was reverting to ideological conflict. Countless families, judged as heretics, began to find themselves under the influence of the Flower.

No superhuman had yet emerged to traverse the wilderness.

“…”

Hesitantly, a woman with disheveled hair and a flushed face approached Lee Si-heon, one step at a time.

Her visage was so somber it was impossible to discern who was older and who was younger.

*Sigh*

Lee Si-heon’s short sigh made Hwangdo’s shoulders tremble. She hadn’t left her body for a month, burdened by guilt. It was only after the unyielding persuasion of Cheondo and Baekdo that she finally decided to come.

“Sister.”

“…”

“Come.”

As he opened his arms wide, Hwangdo clung to him and began to cry.

“Ah, ugh… In the statue of the lost wife…”

After receiving the coordinates, he made a brief stop in Dowonhyang. As the world started to fall apart, there was no one keeping watch.

“What’s wrong? It’s okay.”

“It’s not okay… *sobs*. If it was hard, why didn’t you say it was hard!”

His mental state was completely shattered. Still, after meeting Lee Si-heon and embracing him, the darkness on his face began to peel away in an instant.

Perhaps this would make the relationship between the two even more entangled. Adversity strengthens human connections, just as Azalea had fallen for him after he nearly lost his life helping her. Even up until this moment, the women with whom he had shared intimate connections were spending nearly every day waiting.

“I’m sorry.”

These heartfelt words seemed to her as if he were only pretending to be okay.

“Frostbite… don’t leave my side… Even if you get hurt, I can heal you quickly.”
“I can heal people much better than my sister can.”
“If I shouldn’t fall, then I won’t…!”
“Ah, fine. My dear sister.”

Round and round.

He stroked her hair and back with such fervor that it seemed fitting to describe it with onomatopoeia. After comforting her for some time, she quickly calmed down and fell into a deep slumber. It appeared that she hadn’t slept for several days. When she would open her eyes and find herself vanished, she would undoubtedly be greatly alarmed. Nonetheless, there was nothing to be done.

Hwangdo’s hair turned a shade redder, transforming into Cheondo’s visage.

“……”

Even so, Lee Si-heon didn’t cease stroking her hair. On the contrary, he even leaned in with his lips.

“Um… please, step back a little.”

No response.

“Don’t even think of… trying to steal a kiss.”

-Whap!

Cheondo’s pale hand pushed Lee Si-heon’s face away.

“Ah, did you change into our teacher?”

“Feigning ignorance even when you know. Once again, I…”
“Do you have someone you like?”

Recently, as Sansuyu’s health improved, Lee Si-heon gained more vitality.
As a result, his teasing and playful nature returned, allowing Cheondo to feel somewhat more at ease than before.

“I think I might like Master more than that person does.”
“…What do you mean?”

Seeing Si-heon confidently declare his love, it was evident that he had come a long way.
Yet, instead of focusing on Si-heon’s progress, Cheondo’s curiosity was piqued by the intent behind his words, causing her face to adopt a complex expression.

The burning emotions still linger.
The person she cherished from a time long past.
She couldn’t remember, but… if they were alive, she would seek them out.

Yet, why did her heart grow more complicated when her disciple made such a joke?
No, surely not…
That couldn’t be the case.
If her father were to learn that a teacher harbored feelings for their student, he would no doubt tease her for the rest of her life.

“How is your body…?”

“It’s always the same.”

For some reason, Cheondo couldn’t tear her gaze away from the familiar smiling face she had seen so many times before.

* * * * * * *

Time flies so quickly.

The home of Lee Si-heon and Cornus was gradually transforming into a more comfortable living space as various household appliances were introduced. In the room where they once slept on a simple mat, a bed suitable for two people was now placed. Though a bit narrow, it didn’t bother Cornus, who spent most of her time in bed anyway.

“…Mmm.”

In the early morning, Cornus, who had just woken up, groped around, searching for Lee Si-heon. Her stomach had begun to ache, ever so slightly.

“Si-heon…”
“Mmm.”

Following the sound of his sleepy murmur, Cornus touched Lee Si-heon’s face with her hand.

Having roughly determined Lee Si-heon’s position, Sansuyu closed her eyes tightly, using his arm as a pillow. His chest lay atop her body.

Po-ok – The worry vanishes as they embrace.
Sansuyu slept comfortably until morning.

– Chirp, chirp.

The sound of birdsong.
Had she slept too soundly? It was already morning.

“Suyu.”
“Hmm?”

Sansuyu, awakened by Lee Si-heon’s words, rubbed her eyes and gazed at the man who had roused her. His eyes seemed somewhat troubled.

“Uh…”

Starting at his chest, the blanket was damp. Sansuyu’s head bowed as she felt the moist, uncomfortable floor mat with her hand.

“…?”

A watercolor painted with white liquid. Lee Si-heon, observing this, made a small joke.

“Suyu, would you like to borrow some salt from next door?”
“…I’m sorry.”

Inappropriately for her age, she had drawn a map.