Chapter 558 – Yoshino Somei (1)

[Is it really okay? Can you go by yourself?]

At the concern of Kim Soo-yeon, Korea’s national tree, Saku retorted with high spirits.

“Don’t fret, Soo-yeon. This is what everyone’s doing nowadays.”

[I get that, but this isn’t just anywhere—it’s the Spirit Mountain.]

“Sigh. Soo-yeon. Are you my mother?”

[Saku, not ‘mamani’, it’s ‘mother’.]

“Oh. Heh… Awkward.”

[…Please, stop learning strange jokes from the internet.]

Saku, scratching her head in embarrassment, blinked at her own reflection in the mirror.

Her face, usually concealed behind a mask, was a rare sight even for her. She grew up in a room without mirrors, and no one but her kin had seen her face since she started wearing the mask at the age of three.

Yoshino Saku.

Belonging to the Yoshino lineage, named after the cherry blossoms, Saku was the most lush cherry tree of her generation.

Her symbolic flower meaning was [Beautiful Spirit].

Never revealing her inner thoughts and maintaining a pristine physical form, Saku had affixed a fox mask over her face.

Her white skin and mysteriously iridescent eyes were concealed by this mask. Saku, renowned for her benevolent character and gentle demeanor, kept her face—beautiful as her personality—hidden yet again as she ventured into the dungeon.

[Anyway… it’s the family’s choice. There’s no helping it.]

“Thanks for your concern, Soo-yeon, but this is as common as breakfast. In Korean, it’s like eating a cooked rice cake!”

[It’s eating cooked porridge. Why would you eat a cooked rice cake?]

“Oh.”

A soft chuckle from Soo-yeon on the other end of the phone brought a faint smile to Saku’s face.

“Soo-yeon.”

[Yes.]

The national trees of Korea and Japan.

The friendly political relationship between the peninsula and the island nation was not unrelated to the camaraderie between these two individuals.

Historical conflicts and confrontations mattered little now. As nations in the same World Tree system, the relationship among their people was not too bad in the present day.

Saku hoped for a time when people could laugh and live together in this stifling world. Both Soo-yeon and Saku were committed to dissolving disputes between the two nations.

A political climate of mutual concessions. Perhaps it’s due to a phenomenon unseen in modern foreign politics. Globally, Soo-yeon and Saku were cited as successful cases of a positive National Tree system.

“Thank you, hehe.”

[Why suddenly… it’s ticklish.]

Beyond the rigid concept of the state,
Saku held a personal gratitude.

Starting today, Saku would focus on dungeon exploration for a week. The Cherry Blossom Mountain, managed by the Yoshino clan, was said to be the most challenging dungeon ever, where one could grasp the pinnacle of spirit techniques.

Certainly, one cannot maintain contact in the midst of an assault. Should things unravel poorly, it could have dire consequences for one’s health.
Perhaps even death.

“I shall return with increased strength at the tenth hour.”

[Yes, do take care of yourself.]

Saku closed her mobile device, standing for a considerable time within the dim confines of the altar.

Within the fox mask, Saku’s eyes glowed, a spectrum of rainbow hues. Adorned in a furisode (a type of kimono), Saku raised a cup filled with Japanese sake, offering it to the altar.

As red as her hair, her skirt was lifted, revealing a white sock with one side deeply sunken.

– Drip, drip.

The door leading from the altar to the dungeon opened. Starting now, over the course of three hours, Saku would traverse the buildings of the clan, performing rituals in accordance with tradition.

– Tinkle, tinkle.

The red lantern adorned with bells swayed. Numerous clan members held staffs, safeguarding her path. After drawing a deep breath, Saku began to slowly tread upon her journey.

“Salutations, everyone.”
“Yes!”

Not the clumsy Korean, but a crisp Japanese.

In one corner of her vision, her family watched Saku with pride swelling in their expressions. The responsibility of a national tree, now so deeply ingrained. The place that should have been her elder sister’s was long ago wholly claimed by Saku.

‘Sister.’

Yoshino Haku, who had betrayed her during the selection for forest guardian and allied with Flower. Saku brought up an image of her sister once, only to wipe the face from her mind with a soft exhale.

– Thump, thump.

Following her greetings, Saku continued her silent march.

The first altar reached.

Saku knelt before the steps, and carefully filled the prepared cup with sake.

– Swish.

The kimono slightly loosened to reveal a delicate and fair neck. A hint of her collarbone was also unveiled, yet none looked upon her with dishonourable intentions.

One of the sacred and solemn rituals. Making her way across the multiple altars, Saku would disrobe, donning the attire of a spirit mage. Respectful to the many World Trees that had thus far protected Japan, she pledged to carry on their legacy.

Equipped fully, Saku transformed into an entirely different spirit mage. She was at a crossroads, stepping into the role of a true guardian of the nation. Naturally, the path would not be without impurity.

– Thump.

At the second altar, she knelt before the tree that once reigned over the sea.

– Thump.

At the third altar, she presented food to the goddess of the mountains and rivers.

– Thump.

At the fourth altar, she offered the pure body of a virgin to the courageous World Tree.

Even in the lingering chill, without any magic to shield her, the soft down was standing erect. Saku, surrounded by women, shed her outer garment, revealing her ample breasts. A tad below the waist. Pulling the string that led to her hip bone, her underwear too came off in one swift motion.

The blush of the soft down sprouting in her nether regions seemed somewhat shy, modestly shielded by her thighs.

Having offered the liquor, crafted from personally chewed rice, to the deity, nearby priestesses came forward, clothing Saku, piece by piece.

The ritual lasted three hours and twenty minutes. It had run a touch late.
Saku withstood the cold, refraining from rubbing her frozen skin. She had crossed the final threshold.

“Saku.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Do not tarnish our lineage’s honor.”

At the last moment, awaiting her was the family head’s admonition. Saku responded with a gentle nod.

“Of course.”
“… Take care of yourself.”
“Yes.”

– An echoing drone!

Deep within the cherry blossom mountain, a cave.
From within it, a strange sound spread, resonating throughout the temple.

Saku, without a backward glance at her family, stepped into that dungeon.
This place was the sole entryway to it.
The ceremony was not yet over. The Yoshino clan had to protect this place and their bloodline until Saku emerged victorious from the dungeon.

“Raise the defenses.”

At the family head’s command, the clan members who had completed the ceremony began to summon their swords and spirits.

“The honor of Yoshino is at stake. ‘Somei Yoshino’ can not be usurped by anyone.”

The Yoshino lineage.

Cherry trees that had ruled over Japan since the Heian period (794~1185).
They had staved off foreign invasions, spreading their name far and wide, rooting themselves deeply in Japanese soil, safeguarding their territories for an extended period.

The stem, Yoshino, had always been at the heart of Japan’s activities.
In the pre-modern era, the emperor served as the intermediary of the gods. A leader.

Even in the current age, when the World Tree revealed itself, they were no longer the supreme rulers, but they still held onto the highest authority.

Like Mugung, who decades ago had taken hold of the Republic of Korea on the brink of collapse.
Yoshino was akin to the Japanese Mugunghwa.

Preserving impenetrable security. The clan, maintaining a solemn atmosphere and a prepared stance.
The family head, Yoshino Oshima, furrowed his brows. Oshima cherry blossoms. The parent species of Yoshino cherry blossoms.

‘If we locate Somei Yoshino, we can undoubtedly protect this country.’

King or Flower, it mattered not. What mattered was the safety and well-being of the nation and the clan.
Saku needed to wield greater power.

“Fa… Family head!!”

Just then, a boy came sprinting from a distance, shouting out.
The panting boy was on the brink of death, his body covered in blood, and the vicinity began to stir.

“What’s happening?”

Oshima asked calmly, and the boy fell to his knees, hacking up blood.

“It’s an attack… It’s Flower.”

Flower.

“… I see.”

Oshima clenched his fists, his eyes closed.

“What was destined to arrive has come. Haku. My daughter.”

The eldest daughter of the Yoshino clan, who should have been the one to surpass Saku and become the national tree.
Tired of the family’s traditions and rituals, Haku had joined Flower out of revenge, thereby disgracing the family name.

“Embrace the Flower.”

At the stern voice of the family head, the spirits around them stirred and trembled.

The animosity echoing from the hilltop was savage, and the sprouting flowers weren’t cherry blossoms – they were of the Flower faction. Was this an attempt to seize the fate of this dungeon?

“I will shatter it entirely to ensure it never dares to intrude again.”

Thus, the clash between the two powers began.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The world perceived wildfires as calamities far worse than earthquakes or tsunamis.

[Kyaaaaaaa!!]

Indeed, the scale of life lost was beyond comparison.

Enveloped in an inferno, sentient trees burned down to nothing in no time. Imagine if that place was the stronghold of a powerful noble family. On Mount Yoshino, not only the wooden beings but countless trees breathed life, and today they all met an ephemeral demise.

“….”

She questioned her own sight.

‘Why is it aflame?’

Preparations were complete, and the investigation of Mount Yoshino was concluded. She left for the dungeon with the intent to conquer it today, but this was unexpected. She hadn’t done anything, yet the family was in ruins.

‘If there were complications, I was prepared to exert my power.’

The secret this mountain held was no trivial matter. She began ascending the mountain through the flames. She saw the bodies of those who had been brutally killed. Decapitated bodies ablaze. The uproar would soon follow. It was wise to infiltrate the dungeon before that.

‘Do-won also fell in such a way.’

It seemed that a family residing on a mountain always faced such a downfall.

-Chang, Chang!

As she ascended further, she observed several skirmishes unfolding. She dismissed them lightly.

Looking at the characteristics of the magic, it was from the Flower faction. It was a unique magical trait that only those belonging to the Flower faction possessed. It slightly resembled the magic Ebony could conjure.

‘I would like to report this from here.’

There was activity from the Flower faction. She wished to return to her territory and request an investigation, but this place had no transmission signals and using spatial magic was difficult. Not that she couldn’t use it, but the surrounding coordinates were chaotic. Using it here would result in a significant waste of magic, and she wanted to tackle the dungeon in the most optimal condition.

‘…Proceed as it is.’

Upon reaching the top of the mountain, she saw a completely incinerated altar and several corpses. Judging by the pervasive magic in the space, it seemed that the spirit was summoned and killed repeatedly. She advanced, hiding her presence, and soon she was able to reach the front of the dungeon she aimed for.

-Chin.

In front of the cave lay a corpse of an old man, his chest brutally mutilated.

‘Is it the family head?’

Though a Flower incursion had occurred, the scale of it suggested it would soon be quelled by sheer force and numbers.

‘I dispatched only the Lord and ventured into the dungeon.’

The crux of the matter lay within the dungeon. It was logical to surmise that the elite, who had swiftly eliminated the Lord, had followed Saku into the dungeon’s depths.

With this judgement, I promptly set foot into the dungeon.