Chapter 606 – Subjugation of the Tree King (3)

Alba, hunched over, brandished her temporal pocket as though in challenge.

“Behold! Memorize swiftly. What do we call this?”
“Hmm. Might-enhancing potion?”
“And this?”
“A healing potion in capsule form. But, why are there so many different potions?”

They don’t materialize each day!
In preparation for the imminent calamity, Alba unveiled her personally crafted refining potion.

She wasn’t merely showing off.
She would insert and extract items from the temporal pocket, repeating the process until I became accustomed to each object.

“And this is?”
“That is….”

But Alba was so proficient.
Memorizing them was quite the task, especially with more than a handful of potions and dozens of artifacts.

Upon my hesitation and inability to answer regarding the grey pill Alba held forth, Wiki, who was perched on my back, whispered into my ear.

– Whisper whisper.

“Dad, that’s a mana supplement…!”
“Oh! A mana supplement!”

I responded nonchalantly, yet Alba’s gaze turned especially cloudy.
Could our perfect father-daughter subterfuge have been revealed?

“Hmm. You.”

Strange. My daughter whispered so that nobody else could hear.

A mother bear glaring intently at her cub.
The intimidated cub clung to my back, seeking refuge.

“Wiki? Did I not say we’re in a hurry?”
“But, I… want to be with Dad.”

Wiki, who had slowly descended, was fidgeting as she clung to my thigh.
I hoisted the crestfallen Wiki up and stroked her. Overjoyed, Wiki took my hand and fastened it atop her head.

“Why do you treat our daughter like this?”
“… You did mention the issue was grave. Didn’t you?”

That’s one thing, this is another.

However, it’s also true that given the urgency of the hour, I don’t have the luxury to indulge Wiki.
I set Wiki aside and made a request to my daughter.

“Wiki, I’ll be back shortly. Take a little rest with your mentor.”
“… If you promise not to get hurt, I will.”

Wiki made a reasonable demand with a tone of firm resolve.

It was a challenging promise to make, but it was not the time for confessions of conscience.
I reassured Wiki, making her a promise.

“I won’t get hurt.”
“Che. Dad, you’re foolish. A liar.”
“Is a child viewing her father as a deceiver? So, do you love me or not?”
“… I love you.”
“Okay, I love you too.”

With that, go and study!

“I’ve bought snacks, so feel free to eat all you want.”

Just as Wiki, who was just about to depart, heard my words, her ears perked up.
Cookies and banana milk, Wiki’s favorite treats.

“Really?! Yay! Dad is the best!”

She goes wild at the sight of sweets. That’s endearing.
As I watched our daughter with a warm smile, Alba jabbed her index finger into my side twice.

-Poke!

“Ah….”

“I warned you about stuffing yourself with sweets, didn’t I? It leads to bad habits.”
“Preaching about habits in front of children is the quickest path to developing bad ones.”

With a long sigh, Alba began to explain to me, once again, the purpose of the potions.

“And this one?”
“A healing potion, meant for civilians. You’re suggesting that we distribute it to the children to use?”
“Exactly. How about this one?”

On reflection, Alba had mastered not just magic, but virtually all fields of knowledge. This included alchemy and artifacts, and she likely even held command over curses and spells.

‘She is reliable.’

Thanks to her, we were able to manage situations that would have otherwise been too much for us to handle.

A prime example was rescuing and treating civilians. It wasn’t necessary for us to shoulder all of it, but providing the Association or the Knights with potions proved to be a substantial help.

‘Although, on the surface, it might seem like an act of aiding the enemy.’

The enemy being myself.

Complacency was forbidden. There could be no hesitation in providing this kind of support. To be blunt, the addition of another healing potion to my arsenal was a benefit, as it essentially increased my meat shield.

I pulled myself together and immersed myself in Alba’s teachings. As she questioned me about various things, she pulled a square, vinyl object from her pocket.

“And this is?”
“That’s—”

A condom. No matter how foolish I might be, I had no intention of mounting anyone in the midst of a battle.

At my reaction, Alba clicked her tongue, as though shocked.

“We will use this when we get back.”
“We’re not that sort of family….”
“You.”
“…”
“Do I actually…hurt you?”
“I’m sorry.”

The organization was nearly complete.

After receiving the space-time pouch from Alba, I stored it in a place where it wouldn’t fall, even with violent movement. I had no doubt that this life pouch would create many miracles, and even save my life.

The King’s power wasn’t infinite, but it was close. I also needed to find a way to continuously supply power. Although the World Tree of Healing was there, it wasn’t enough. I had a good stock of breast milk potions, but the quantity was not plentiful.

The potion I obtained this time was essentially the water of life.

As soon as I stood up from my place, Alba, who started getting ready to depart, spoke.

“Before you leave… wouldn’t it be appropriate to say goodbye? To your master.”

She seemed to have a lot to say. Following her words, I asked in return.

“I didn’t expect you to say that first.”
“What do you see me as?”
“A bear consumed by jealousy.”
“…Would you like to be torn apart by my front paws?”

The sage approached me with the intention of tearing my upper body apart with her hands. I barely escaped, fleeing to my master’s room. There, Heaven, who seemed somewhat upset, was waiting for me.

“Master.”

The cold response that came when I spoke her name.

“…Are we that comfortable with each other now?”

It seemed that the potion the sage had administered last time had caused a shift in her emotions.

I ventured into the room nervously, Heaven’s gaze descended downwards.

“Why did you come? Should we just settle in together?”
“Master, it’s just that…”
“A foolish thing.”
“But Master…”

Didn’t she already know everything?
I’m not one to speak, but when it’s time to reject, who knows when that will be.

“Enough, it’s fine.”

Still, she didn’t seem truly intent on reproaching me.

Heaven, waving her hands dismissively, feigned sleep under her blanket. Soon after, she peered out, asking,

“Are you going on a dangerous quest?”
“Yes, the one you mentioned last time.”

The final moment is being reserved for the subjugation.
With a mere flick of my hand, I could send all our warriors back to Korea.

“I may not have any strength, but I surely feel that a very dangerous entity is stirring far away. Can you truly bring it down?”
“If not me, then who will vanquish this beast?”
“……If it comes to it, living in hiding might be an option.”
“With whom, me? Just the two of us, with Master? It doesn’t sound too bad.”

Heaven remained silent.

“Our Master has become so desensitized~”
“…Tsk.”
“If you lack a conscience, you should at least remember something else, right?”
“Do as you wish. But, you know as well.”

The only thing Heaven has left is a single disciple.

If I were to act upon my first love now, I would truly be a man of flawed character.
It felt good to know that I was valued.

“Just you… don’t leave my side.”

I moved closer to Heaven and embraced her. A sincere hug devoid of any ulterior motives.
After sharing a light-hearted laugh with our foreheads touching, a sign of a student’s respect, I left a few words and exited the room.

I believe there’s no way to soothe Heaven’s anxiety.
From now on, everything will be justified by the outcome.
Thinking that once this incident concludes, the path to hardship will surely open, I fully committed myself.

-Thud.

Exiting Master’s room, Alba was waiting outside.

“You probably thought you’d at least get a kiss.”

What does this mother bear think of me?

“Would you like to know?”
“No, I think I understand.”

Ignoring her and walking away, she playfully taps my buttocks.
Alba, giggling, crossed her arms next to me, and gracefully beckoned with her hand.
A vast gate opened before us. Spatial magic was her specialty, an unique power unmatched by anyone else.

‘What emotions would a master harbor, being unable to stay by their disciple’s side.’

Heaven’s face, watching my retreating figure, briefly flashed across my mind.

I had borrowed Alba’s power.
In contrast, Heaven, who was unable to lend hers.

How wonderful it would be if these resulting emotions didn’t fester within.
But for now, subjugation is the priority.
I took a step towards the gate.

Upon the return of the king’s forces, Gu-seul, having finished her preparations, was leading her subordinates and waiting for us.

* * * * * * * * * *

It was the moment when a slice of flesh, suspended in the heavens, punctured the devout faith of a stalwart knight.

“What is… that?”

【Kee-hee, ki-hi-hi? 】

The man cried out, his terror palpable.

Much like a seagull with a hole bored into its neck.
He screamed, spewing forth a bitter stream of blood.

Simply hearing that sound was enough to rip the taut fabric of his eardrums.

The beast was resisted.
There was no moment for self-awareness. The hunters were the first to lose their voices.

The moment we believed we had been devoured by the king, it was a crimson fog that consumed the earth.
Between the tendrils of the tree, gaps widened, and from them, a fleshy protrusion bearing the likeness of a trumpet sprouted, exhaling a cloud of steam.

-Thud.

Several hunters fell to their knees. They gazed blankly, not at the sky, but at something else.
It couldn’t be the sky. The azure expanse they had once observed had long since been swallowed.
Thus, they were merely gazing at a minuscule fragment of the gargantuan King of Trees, which was neither the moon nor the darkness.

“Ah, ah, ah-h-h-h-h!”

A hunter, consumed by fear, discarded his sword and fled.

If an A-ranked hunter flees with all his might, his speed could be likened to that of a locomotive.
One man sprinted to the opposite side of the King of Trees. His vision broadened.

He could see a tree that had devoured the skies of Seoul.
He could see a tree that had swallowed the peripheral highway.
He could see trees lasciviously lapping at the buildings.

Here, there, everywhere. There was no gap through which the sky could be glimpsed.
Perhaps this was the capital region. Beyond that…
It incited the illusion that it had devoured the entire Earth.

When he had fled to that point, the man surrendered his flight.
No matter how swiftly he ran, it seemed impossible to escape from the trunks of the trees that filled the horizon.

【Kee-hee-heek?】

It was then.

Something sharp plummeted from the heavens like a bolt of lightning, and impaled itself into the heart of the city.

-Kwaaaang!

A sound akin to thunder and lightning.
The man scratched at his blood-soaked ears, staring at the spectacle with disbelief.

The trunk of the tree manipulated its elongated body as if it were a jump rope.

【Kee-ree-reek?】

It cried out in a spine-chilling voice,
Then, in one swift movement, it swiveled its massive body towards the city’s skyscrapers.

-Kwaaang!

With just that motion, the high-rise buildings crumbled to the ground.

The phrase “bamboo grove” might be apt.
Just as a scythe shaped like a tree trunk effortlessly reaps the powerless stalks of rice.

The once claustrophobic, building-riddled cityscape was…
Bare, as if there had never been buildings there to begin with.

What became of the civilians within that building?
Did they perish, leaving no trace of their existence?

“Ah…”

In the moment of awakening,
A catastrophe of scrap metal plummeted from the heavens.

– Tuquaang!

What was left after sweeping away the entire structure was a rain composed of its debris.
Chunks of cement and iron beams, some as small as a fist, others as large as mechanical apparatuses and locomotives, rained down on the vicinity.

Survival in the face of the falling shells was a matter of fortune.
Yet, the king permitted not even this slim chance.

【 Kikihihi? Krik! 】
【 Kkagagak. 】

Suddenly, something began to sprout on the surface of the colossal roots.
Spear-like projections, resembling thorns, erupted and started charging towards the living entity.

Hundreds, thousands.

What was even more terrifying was the sight of several more stems descending from the sky.

– Zhejuk.

The Hunter’s gaze split. A needle was thrust down between their brows, split as if in a diagonal line.

《 Pando 》

The most massive colony in existence.

A catastrophe of scarlet and gold engulfed the entire world.