Chapter 62 – Purity

– Doo doo doo doo doo!

The helicopter carrying the unconscious sisters ascended into the sky with the clamor of its propellers.

There had been many issues, but… in the end, I never heard the sisters’ answer.

The reason they attempted to kill me. I had overheard a conversation through the trees, learning that the assault they had planned was not their own idea but an order from someone higher up.

– Doo doo doo doo!

Shielding my eyes from the morning sunlight, I watched the helicopter recede into the distance.

Back outside the dungeon, we arrived at the academy once again.

For a long time, I hadn’t seen anyone I knew, with the pretext of medical treatment, investigations, and various other matters. Was that the reason? Once I arrived at the academy in this manner, I could feel hostile gazes upon me.

– Kwok.

Someone poked me in the back.

“Do you have anything to say to me?”

Turning my head, I saw Azalea standing there, her eyes slanted sharply like a cat’s.

“…Have you been well?”
“Unbelievable.”

She chuckled with a snort. Azalea, whose face had seemed full of worry just a few minutes ago, appeared somewhat better now.

“Nothing happened, right? Please, please don’t disappear on your own like that. It feels like my insides will drop.”
“Why should your insides drop? It’s mine that should.”
“…I mean, don’t just bestow your kindness and die. And we’re friends, aren’t we? Can’t you do that much?”

Azalea always emphasized the friendship between us. According to Se-Young, Azalea had put immense effort into tracking my coordinates.

When did I get so close to a woman who once despised me so much? Beneath the mask, I didn’t hold back my smile.

“Thank you. Truly.”

It feels pretty good to have someone act on my behalf. Many others besides Azalea had stepped up to help me.

Even though externally I was merely a lowly human, just an ‘A’ in status,
it meant that even if I were to lose, I was destined to be saved in the end.

…Such is the fate of a man as disgraceful as myself.

A bitter smile graced my lips.

“Still, it wasn’t the wrong choice to become friends with you back then, even if it involved some nonsense… Why does your face look like that?”

As I continued to speak, reminiscing about the past, the only time I believed I had done something right, Azalea’s face flushed crimson.

She seemed to want to say something, but instead clamped her mouth shut and averted her gaze several times. Then, she tugged at her collar and coughed awkwardly.

“Ahem. It’s just that… I think this is the first time I’ve ever heard a ‘thank you’ like that…”

She seemed like a woman who struggled with human relationships. Or perhaps she was just awkward around me. I sincerely wished she would ease up on her words.

– Tap, tap.

“Sieon.”

And there was one more woman who was inept at human relations.

I turned my head toward Sansuyu, who had tugged at the hem of my clothes.

“Not Si-eon, but Si-heon.”
“…Si-heon.”
“Why?”

Sansuyu gave my shoulder a playful, prickly slap.

“I haven’t attended training since that day.”

…Ah.
In this situation?

“I’m sorry… I couldn’t help with the training because I was kidnapped.”
“It’s fine as long as you know. And give me something in return for my help.”
“In return?”
“Miho said it’s only natural for friends to help each other.”

Sansuyu’s expression returned to the emotionless one from before, as if she were relieved by her own words.

“And Miho also said to make sure you get a proper reward if you help.”
“Hehe, really? What can I do for you?”
“Spicy Rosé Tteokbokki. I heard a new one came out.”
“The car is here. I’ll buy it for you later, so get in. Azalea, you too.”

Upon hearing my words, Azalea moved forward, still fanning her red face.
And just before getting into the car, she spoke as if she had suddenly remembered something.

“Ah, right. That kid…”

Shiba.
The words reached me as I was already nursing an ache in my heart, sending shivers down my spine.

“Shiba? Uh, umm. Why Shiba? What’s going on-“
“Re, relax. She’s in my room. And she’s eating.”

Whew.
The tension dissipates.

What a relief. My constricted breath returns.
I was so startled that I even broke into a sweat in that brief moment.

As I brushed my chest in relief, Azalea was gazing blankly at me from beside the car.
It seemed as if she was expecting something.

“So… did I do well?”
“Uh, yes, you did well. Thank you.”

Azalea grinned at the follow-up to “you did well” and got into the car. Cornus did the same.
Now it was just my turn to go.
I would have preferred to follow Azalea straight to where Shiba was, but regrettably, my mode of transportation was essentially predetermined.

“Hey, aren’t you coming?”

Lee Se-Young. Next to her, as she tapped the hood of her car, a woman with scarlet hair was leisurely smoking a cigarette.

Unwaveringly exuding sensuality, Heaven appeared.
Her clothes seemed to have been replaced with a material akin to tights, making her appear even more alluring today.

*Thud.*

Sitting down in the familiar passenger seat, two people entered the car after opening the door.

Inside the car that hadn’t even started yet, the heavy silence was soon broken by Lee Se-Young’s words.

“Is that all you said?”

The circumstances that led to my abduction.
I was kidnapped without knowing any reason. A few hours ago, I had explained the process from being targeted as a plaything to ultimately taking control of the place.

“That’s the answer.”
“…Alright. That’s why I’m frustrated. Some unknown bastards are messing with my life.”

*Vrrroom.*

The sound of the engine starting filled the air.
Lee Se-Young stretched her body, leaning fully against the backrest. Due to this, her armpits were refreshingly exposed.
It seemed to be a deliberate display. Se-Young smirked provocatively.

“Seeing that you still have that perverted streak, your mental health seems to be just fine.”

“I’ve never seen anyone check like that before.”
“This effect is direct. I heard it doesn’t even work when you’re really struggling.”
“Please mind your language in front of the Master.”
“Oh, right. I forgot since it’s just the two of us.”

Lee Se-Young covered her mouth and glanced behind her.
Heaven let out a sigh with a displeased expression.

“…That instructor and that trainee.”
“And that Master and her disciple. The one dressed most provocatively.”
“Keep quiet.”

Heaven scolded me and wrapped her body in a half-undressed dragon robe.
She seemed to be aware that her appearance was suggestive.

I couldn’t help but grin as I looked at Heaven.

“Hey.”

Then, Lee Se-Young, who alternately looked at Heaven and me, tilted her head and whispered in my ear.

“Did you touch her too?”
“Do you think I’m crazy enough to lay a hand on the Master?”

I made an X with both hands.
Lee Se-Young exhaled a relieved breath, as if she understood.

“I never expected that. It’s you, after all, not someone else.”
“What am I?”
“A person who gets angry with strangers.”

I couldn’t argue, as it was true.
Still, it was cute to see him mention being angry.

“Anyway, let’s move on to this story.”

Lee Se-Young coughed a few times before continuing the conversation.
She looked at Heaven behind her, signaling her. Only then did Heaven slowly open her mouth.

“Skipping the trivial details. First of all, Lee Si-heon, you are being targeted.”

In the serious atmosphere, I also adjusted my posture and sat down politely.

“I was aware of that much.”
“Yes. The problem is that there’s more than one organization targeting you.”

Heaven pinched her forehead once with her index finger and thumb.

“I heard the story from her. A candidate for the World Tree’s husband? Why didn’t you tell me that?”
“Because I don’t want to be a husband.”
“I see. Make sure not to hide anything from me next time.”
“Yes.”

Heaven crossed her legs in that position, her alabaster skin seemed to be visible through the delicate gaps in the tights that revealed her body’s contours.

“Do you know about the Flower?”

Heaven emitted melodious sounds in a clear voice and continued the conversation.

“I have a general idea. However, I might be mistaken about some aspects, so please explain.”

“Alright. The Flower… It’s convenient to think of them as a tribe who despise the current society governed by the World Tree.”

A bitter voice.

“They save humans from a world where their lives hinge on the whims of the World Tree. If that’s considered a noble cause, then it is.”

“You seem to agree?”

Heaven’s words didn’t come across as entirely negative, so the question was asked. Heaven closed her eyes in lieu of responding.

“Excluding their unsavory methods, the intent itself isn’t incorrect.”

“Is that so?”

“Anyway, the Flower is an alliance of seven organizations. And they’re gathering the Leaves of Prophecy.”

I swallowed and focused intently on the unfamiliar words that unfurled before me.

Cheondo moistened her lips as if they were parched, and slowly directed her gaze at me.

“One of those leaves is you, Lee Si-heon.”
“…”
“And there’s a prophecy making the rounds that if you can’t enlist them as allies, they must be killed.”
“What?”

I questioned with a baffled expression, and Lee Se-Young supplemented her words.

“It was back when you met Lee Seong-Han.”
“Ah, that time… But isn’t that a pseudo-religion unrelated to the Flower?”
“Originally, lower-tier organizations operate without knowing the intentions of those above them. A pseudo-belief that follows blindly makes for a useful tool.”

I roughly understood.

“But the issue is that the Flower isn’t the only one targeting you. It’s unbelievable, right?”

At Lee Se-Young’s words, Cheondo nodded and pulled out a long pipe from within her gonryongpo. It was filled with tobacco.

*Flick.*

She lit her cigarette and opened the car window.

Everyone in here was a smoker anyway, so there was nothing to be put off by.

“The World Tree of Resentment.”
“Who is that?”
“I don’t know either. It’s a World Tree that existed in this world, but since it hasn’t been revealed, it must be a similar case to the World Tree of Healing.”

With a puff, Heaven blew opaque smoke out the window.

“The World Trees, as beings themselves, can intervene in the husband candidate system. Considering the penalty of your command, it’s expected that it would be exploited by that scoundrel.”
“Why is that bastard targeting me?”
“… Is there anything bothering you?”

There was no way anything would come to light. There was one karmic debt, but it had nothing to do with the World Tree of Resentment. In the first place, the candidate for my husband was…

‘Wait a minute.’

A thought suddenly crossed my mind.

Who is the candidate for my husband? I thought it was natural that the tree to become my spouse would be the World Tree of Purity. After all, it was the World Tree of Purity that had responded to my words so far.

Even on the first day when I took off my pants and asked.

Even when I spoke pessimistically about the world.

It was always the World Tree of Purity that communicated with me through the system.
Naturally, I assumed it was her.
Yet, the system never provided any notice.

Merely a cryptic remark about being the first husband candidate. And then, a suggestion to become someone deserving of that role.

What if multiple World Trees could control the commands of their prospective husbands?
That would mean there’s a chance that the World Tree of Purity might not be the tree destined to be my wife.

So, what does that make it?
Who was the tree I violated before coming to this world?
Who is the woman demanding I take responsibility for my mother, and what is the World Tree of Purity?

Whose daughter is my daughter, to begin with?

“…Wait a moment.”
“It seems you’ve stumbled upon something.”
“No, it’s not that…”

Heat filled my head. I took a deep breath and needed time to ponder.
Lee Se-Young and Heaven gazed at me with sympathy, patiently waiting for me to gather my thoughts.

The World Tree of Purity.

“What is your true nature?”

No response came.

Perhaps a response would never come for the rest of my life.

Just like when I was first introduced to this world and had common sense instilled in me. I had this baseless conviction that I would no longer be able to engage in such conversations in the future.

Yet, in the midst of it all, was there an attempt to leave a trace of one’s existence?

-Shiba is our daughter.

Such knowledge resided in my mind.
We. The meaning was clear.
It was about the unjust treatment I had endured in this world up until now.

If the sole intention was to screw me over, it would have been normal for the quest reward to be left undetermined. Of course, leaving me to manipulate the status window by consuming points doesn’t make sense either.

In the end, that’s what it was.

When a world tree tried to kill me, only she stood up for me, without any complaints, and utterly devoted.

“Have you sorted out your thoughts?”

If my assumptions were correct, the identity of this World Tree of Resentment would naturally reveal itself.

I spoke softly.

“Yes.”

I could now discern who the World Tree was, the one that brought me to this otherworld and led me towards death. The sisters have provided me with certainty.

“Are you worried?”

I didn’t respond to Heaven’s words. Had she somehow misunderstood? Heaven spoke in a hushed tone.

“Don’t worry. It’s the duty of a master to protect their disciple. You can focus on honing your skills with peace of mind.”

Her words were comforting. But truthfully, I had never been worried from the beginning.

On the contrary, things were finally clear. Struggling helplessly through the obscured, thorny undergrowth, it felt as if I were witnessing the sky beyond the bushes for the first time.

I raised my head among the tightly entwined plants, facing the world. Confidence coursed through me, believing that I could break free from this suffocating place.

“Thank you.”

…The goal had come into view.