Chapter 448 – Kidnapped Children (1)

I couldn’t see.

The man who charged towards me, accompanied by a brilliant flash.

Aside from his simple appearance, Shiba could not recall any information about the man. What she could remember was that he had black hair, possessed formidable magical power, and wielded a long sword that resembled the branches of a tree.

And another thing – the girl in the man’s arms was glaring at her.

“Wait, the World Tree is inside! There’s a World Tree!”

As the Foundation’s tunnels began to collapse, Shiba was rescued by priests at the entrance. There was no news regarding Mary’s disappearance. The World Tree faction hid everything that had transpired within the Foundation, leaving Shiba unable to inquire about Mary’s well-being.

Could it be… was there a high probability that Mary was dead? Clinging to a sliver of hope, Shiba prayed every day.

“Please, let her be alive.”

“…….”

The forest keeper selection came to an early conclusion. Based on the absence of any victims, the World Tree had pruned the flowers, and the remaining trainees were scheduled to be sent back to their home countries the following day.

During those days, Shiba had received numerous calls from her mother and aunts. Today was no different. Troubled by the incessant phone calls, she had locked herself in her room, staring blankly at the ceiling.

[Don’t worry too much; I’ll be there soon. Do you understand?]
“Uh-huh… Mom.”

At the sound of her mother’s calm and warm voice, Shiba’s body seemed to relax a little.

Shiba sat on her bed, gripping her cellphone.

-Swish.

Her hand dropped limply to the floor.

“…….”

The image of the young child, who had pushed her away with a dazed expression, kept lingering in her mind. She had acted recklessly, but that foolish little kid had thrown himself in harm’s way to protect her.

‘Idiot….’

Shiba couldn’t erase the face from that final moment from her mind.

“Beep.”

Just abandon me.
In the end, nothing could be known. Who were the two girls, and who was the man?

All that remained was guilt and a sense of wrongdoing. One infuriating fact was that, even amidst all this, I was trying to recall the man’s face.

“…Beep.”

I’m so frustrated; it’s driving me crazy.

“Beep!!”

Shiba, having risen, banged the bed. It seemed like there were a few tears in her eyes, but Shiba didn’t cry. It felt like it was just raining.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

A rather forceful gesture of frustration.

“Beep… Beep….”

Shiba, who exhaled heavily, tore at her hair. The tightness in her chest was driving her insane.

Squeak.

[Shiba, are you there?]
“…Come in.”

Thud.

The door opened, and Kim Soo-yeon cautiously entered.

Even today, the faint scent of sweat lingered, perhaps due to the busy work of handling the aftermath. It must have been physically taxing, but truly, there were few as virtuous as this individual.

“How do you feel?”
“I’m fine, so fine that it’s actually a problem…”
“Are you still concerned about the World Tree?”

Shiba nodded her head gently. Since she had previously confided her worries, it was easy to ask about the matter this time.

“Of course, I know. Doing nothing won’t solve anything.”

What had happened couldn’t be undone. Now she had to act to make amends for the mistake she had made. Although her family would likely wish otherwise.

Kim Soo-yeon reached for the teapot and spoke kindly to Shiba.

“I didn’t expect you to come this time as well… The same thing happened three years ago. Oh, would you like some tea?”
“…Yes.”

Soon, the gentle fragrance of flowers filled the room.

A cup of warm tea was prepared before her, and Shiba cautiously took a sip.

Her previously stifled insides felt somewhat relieved.

“I don’t know what to say about this situation. Haha…”
“It’s okay, sister.”

Time flowed quietly. Within the lengthening tea time, Soo-yeon observed Shiba.

Shiba gestured with her chin, indicating she had something to say.

“What do you want to say?”
“…You’re surprisingly perceptive, aren’t you?”
“I hear that quite often…”

Soo-yeon scratched the back of her head briefly before addressing Shiba with a serious expression.

“You want to find the person who attacked the cradle this time, right?”
“……”

That’s right.

“Yes.”
“Why?”
“…I think I’ll have to meet them to find out.”

Mary, the World Tree, had gone missing, but her death had not been confirmed. There was a slim chance she could still be alive. To be honest, Shiba wanted to take a gamble.

“Yes, then… If there’s a guild searching for that man… Are you considering joining?”
“A guild?”
“Right. Specifically, it’s an organization created to deal with the Flower. They say there’s a high probability of encountering it in the dungeons we’ll be subduing.”
“…Didn’t you say we were searching for a man?”
“It’s along the same lines.”

It was widely acknowledged among the leaders that the eighth leaf, King Mokryeong, had attacked this cradle.

And all the dungeons to be subdued were triggered by King Mokryeong’s appearance.

They couldn’t face the king directly at the moment.
By gradually expanding their influence through conquering dungeons, they could eventually bring the king down.

“That would likely be the case for that man as well.”
“So, if we join that guild… We might find him?”
“Yes. And… We could potentially discover Mary’s whereabouts too.”

However, it was dangerous.
Kim Soo-yeon sat down and spent a considerable amount of time calmly explaining the plans the organization had established.

It was information, not a suggestion.
It was highly perilous and not recommended.

“…When you join, which team will you belong to?”
“It’s not possible right now. But eventually, you’ll be on my team.”

Shiba didn’t hesitate at all.
She had no choice but to grasp Soo-yeon’s extended hand, for Mary’s sake and to see that man again.

“Hey, what’s your name?”

* * * * * * * * *

[So?]

The cold voice of the sage reached absolute zero.

“That task ended well, didn’t it? Wiki helped too. So, for about a day or two…? I thought it might be nice to be with Wiki.”

The forest guardian selection was utterly shattered.
It was good news for us, but not for Wiki.

With the mission completed, we had to part ways with Wiki as planned, and she had to endure that torturous training once more.

“[…Just a little longer, is that what you’re saying?]”

Exactly.

“[Sigh.]”

The sound of a wise person’s sigh filtered through the phone.

“[Wiki still has so much to learn.]”
“I know, I know. But rest is an excellent way to boost productivity.”

It felt like the sort of argument a couple might have over educational policies. In fact, that’s exactly what it was.

I gazed down at the adorable creature clinging tightly to my lap.

“…”
“Shush. Shush!”

Wiki, with her sparkling eyes, was pressed against my legs.

-Shh!

Placing a tiny index finger to her lips, she flashed her teeth, signaling she’d be quiet. Her fangs, protruding from either side of her finger, were endearing.

‘How could I simply hand her over when she’s clinging to me like this?’

Of course, I was busy and had plenty of work to do, so initially, I planned to stick to the schedule. However, Wiki, with irresistible charm that no father could resist, pleaded for a favor.

“I want to be with my dad. Can’t I?”

How could I say no? I immediately hugged her, spun her around, and called the sage. It seemed the sage knew his daughter’s personality quite well.

“…Wiki said that?”

Goosebumps. Despite being an overinterpreted statement, it was a hair-raising moment.

Wiki, who had been clinging to my leg, trembled with a fear-stricken face.

“No?”

Pretending to be nonchalant, I said that, prompting another sigh.

“Hoo… alright. You.”

Permission granted. The tone suggested that although I saw through everything, I would be forgiven just this once. But that was beside the point.

“Whoop!”

Overwhelmed with joy, Wiki tightly covered her mouth and let out a cute shriek.

Wiki waited silently until the phone call ended. I carefully hung up, and almost simultaneously, we cheered in delight.

“Hooray!”
“Kyaa~!”

This granted Wiki the opportunity to stay for a few more days. Of course, if she overstayed even by an hour, she’d be apprehended by the mother bear looking to arrest illegal residents. But it would likely be fine until then.

“Did you say 9 o’clock?”
“I did.”

I watched with satisfaction as Wiki raced away. I was too busy to spend the entire day playing with her, especially now that we had kidnapped countless plant seeds and the World Tree of Growth.

Instead, Ebony was in the room, so they would probably get along well.

“Okay.”

I dusted off my hands and relaxed before entering the storage room. In the corner of the warehouse, inside the designated meeting room, sat the still-unconscious World Tree of Growth and Mary.

“Eup, oops! Eup!”

Mary, who was yelling something, seemed cautious of my presence.

It was difficult to recognize her since her magical power and body had changed so much from three years ago. I approached her and knelt down to remove the muzzle from her mouth.

In that instant, as my hand brushed against Mary’s cheek–

*Thwack!*

Mary’s teeth clamped down precisely on my middle finger.

“What?!”

Though it didn’t hurt, I was startled and pulled my hand away, causing Mary’s body to be dragged along. It seemed as if she had bitten down hard enough for a tooth to fall out.

“Hey.”

Tears welled up in Mary’s eyes.

“Let go.”

Mary clenched her jaw even tighter, drooling as she did so.

“I said let go.”
“Ugh, ugh! Uuugh!”

Seeing that she had no intention of releasing her bite, I decided to use force. I firmly gripped Mary’s head and pressed my thumb onto her forehead.

In that moment, I pushed Mary back.

“Ugh, uuh-“

*Squish!*

“Ugh… Nyaaaagh!”

With such feeble strength, it was puzzling where the power to resist came from, making it quite challenging to withdraw.

– Pop!

As I finally removed my hand, Mary, sporting a red handprint on her forehead, growled at me and bared her teeth.

“You’ve kidnapped my mother, what do you plan to do?!”

She yelled, her magical energy swelling. I was genuinely taken aback.

“Mary, you’ve become quite bold, haven’t you?”
“What?”

No longer the foolish and conceited girl she once was, she now knew how to stand her ground and was doing everything she could to protect someone. As a matter of fact, it was Mary who had pushed Shiba to save her.

3 years.

It was a period where landscapes didn’t change, but her mindset had transformed significantly.

“Do you… recognize me?”

Mary glared at me without lowering her guard. She hesitated, and I couldn’t help but laugh at how she resembled a caterpillar.

“Don’t split hairs.”
“Don’t you know me?”
“…Ugh, stop laughing!”

There was nothing she could do.

I removed my disguise and halted the function of all artifacts concealing my identity.

– Fizzle.

In an instant, with my bare face exposed, Mary suddenly caught her breath.

“Don’t laugh-“

She cut herself off. Not blinking an eye, her body stiffened.

“Do you understand now?”
“…It’s a lie. It has to be a lie.”
“No, it’s not.”
“Lee Si-heon is dead, so….”
“Didn’t I say I’d come for you?”

Gasp.
Mary’s eyes quivered as she swallowed her breath.

“…Si-heon never said that.”
“I did.”
“No, I became the World Tree, so….”
“It’s somewhat different from the first promise, right?”

I remembered the conversation we had.

“I said I’d come for you if you didn’t become the World Tree, but you gave it your all.”
“Uh…what?”
“So, how have the past three years been? I was right, wasn’t I? If you change your attitude, the attitudes of the people around you change as well.”

A light shimmered in Mary’s eyes as she lost her words.
Her shoulders trembled, and her chin quivered.

“Heh. Maybe you should’ve bitten a little less forcefully; your jaw is loosening up.”
“Is that…?”
“Yes, it’s your brother.”
“You’re not dead…?”
“I’m not dead.”

– Drip.

Flowing tears.
Mary’s head hung low, wondering why those with short connections to her were the ones suffering.

There seemed to be a faint glimmer on the hem of her mud-stained dress.
A withered branch sprung up above her hair.

“Then, what is this…? Why my mother? What about the children?”

Why did they kidnap her and the World Tree of Growth?

Though she hasn’t let her guard down, she seemed to have realized that I was Lee Si-heon.
It’s a pity that her attitude didn’t change favorably just because I was Lee Si-heon.

‘Actually, that’s right.’

From Mary’s perspective, my current actions were no different than being on the side of evil.

“So, you… Did you enter the Flower?”

Mary muttered uneasily. It’s understandable that she might not comprehend, as nothing was explained to her.

Now, the moment has come to reveal everything.
I extended my hand and gently caressed Mary’s hair. Overwhelmed with frustration, tears streamed down her face.

“I’ll explain everything, slowly. Mary.”