Chapter 634 – Turmoil in the Lover’s Market (完)

Wiki Clipport is but an unripe, youthful fig tree.

She possesses expansive knowledge, yet also harbours many desires, a testament to her immaturity. Her physical age and appearance are strikingly young.
In the arboreal society, age is so inconsequential it verges on the impossible to quantify. Nevertheless, until one reaches the age of five, one is invariably treated as a child.

Wiki is of an age that should be enveloped in parental love. Regrettably, she remains oblivious to the affection she receives.

─Have your studies concluded?

Wiki is the offspring of the sage.
Her species is of the Moraceae family.
A unique species, not preserved in the lineage of nobility or family.

She was raised under the strict tutelage of a mother, too stern for affection. Wiki has accumulated a wealth of knowledge, disproportionate to her immature psyche.

Her cognition has developed, she perceives the world’s systems, and has been endowed with a mind far superior to other arboreals.
However, no matter how accelerated the development, maturity invariably demands time.
Still unable to shed the vestiges of her youth, Wiki internally yearned for parental affection.

‘Father.’

Her mother is stern and intimidating, inhibiting indulgence in even the smallest treats.
She attempted to stifle all her desires in the face of potential danger.

─It will not do, Wiki.
─But Mother, I too… crave the taste of gummy bears.
─Have I not cautioned against being swept away by desires?

The enchanting HaXbo Jelly.
A delightful treat that, once in the mouth, releases a chewy and sweet sensation.
Regardless of how mature Wiki appeared, the sight of the gummy bears inevitably induced salivation.

─Yes….

Yet, she was denied the pleasure.
She was deemed a danger, a potential threat to the world should she succumb to her desires.

The education she received from her early years was sufficient to plunge Wiki into a chasm of anxiety and restlessness.
And, internally, her sense of rebellion against it began to burgeon.

─Wiki, hush. Would you like to try?

Contrarily, her father was different.

─Ah~
─Is it to remain a secret from your mother?

Her father was incredibly considerate and warm.
He did not withhold praise, and aimed to comprehend and fulfil all her desires.

He lauded all her endeavours, offering a thumbs up. Each time it happened, Wiki felt her head float in ecstasy from the pleasure of the rare praise.

In a sense, Wiki was mature.
Yet, in another, she was not.

In the existence of a small life named Wiki, Siheon, her father and first male figure, held a status beyond that of a savior.

─Wiki?
─Yes~!!!

It was not an ordinary sentiment.

There are many daughters who develop an affection for their father simply because they are the opposite sex with a mature sexual presence.
However, Wiki was a child who knew far too much.

Emotions that cannot exist within a family?
After prolonged separation, she couldn’t possibly feel such things.

In her lifetime, Wiki had been exposed to only one male figure. That was her father.

Her mother was a formidable entity, a provider of stern teachings.

My father offered the love I yearned for… a relationship somewhat akin to lovers. A relationship that tingles.

Wiki’s environment was more than sufficient to elicit such feelings.
After all, there was but a single person who could alleviate Wiki’s stress and pressure, which had pushed her to her very limits.

Even before the onset of physiological sexual awareness.
Wiki, already cognizant of the situation, sat in her room, ruminating philosophically and seriously on the matter.

Indeed, organisms like trees often participate in inbreeding.
Regardless, this situation called for profound pondering.

-Rustle.

“Dad, are we going to sleep…?”

The result was clear.
Wiki’s heart had settled, leaving no room for change, despite her noticing that it was Alba’s strategy all along.

“Heh, heh, heh.”

Rather, Wiki found herself grateful for her mother’s cunning.

‘It’s warm.’

She extends her pale slender arms, clasps her father’s neck, and revels in the comfort of his embrace.
Inexpressible happiness made it impossible for Wiki to suppress her smile.

“Peep…”

On the other side, nestled close to him, is her sister, a rival who shares this affection.
Quietly, Wiki climbs into her father’s arms and casts a tiny spell on Shiba, who is cocooned within his embrace.

-Bam!

“Peep?!”

Tumbling down. Shiba rolls away from Lee Si-heon’s arm.

“Peep…”

Shiba, cowering in her arms, lets out a sorrowful peep.

‘Dad is mine.’

Having monopolized both arms, Wiki uses her magic to make Lee Si-heon’s arms embrace her.
Though Shiba, flailing her limbs in search of her father, looked pitiful, it’s important to remember that this ‘market’ is naturally competitive.

“Wiki. Shiba.”

Upon hearing Lee Si-heon’s sleepy murmur, Wiki perked up her ears.

“Yes, Dad.”
“We must get along… live harmoniously…”
“I refuse. How can we divide love?”

The desire of the Qliphoth is perilously potent.

As the small fruit bloomed on Wiki’s head falls, Wiki catches it with her tiny hand and places it into Lee Si-heon’s mouth.

When one interprets the name of the fig, it signifies a ‘fruit’ without a ‘flower.’
However, strictly speaking, the fig fruit is indeed a flower, not a fruit.

The skin of the fruit is the calyx. The red element inside is the flower.
And the sweet liquid of the fig is the nectar of that flower.

-Munching.

Observing her father naturally chewing the fig, Wiki’s mouth curves into a crescent moon.

‘Dad is adorable.’

The fig is both fruit and flower.
Just by blossoming on her head, she experiences the joy of bearing both flowers and fruits simultaneously.

This is also why fig trees are susceptible to desires.

“Hehe.”

The little cub snuggles into her father’s arms, nuzzling her cheeks against his.
It was profoundly fortunate that she was pretending to be asleep.

Could it be due to having slept excessively long?
I found myself awake earlier than anticipated.

‘Why does my mouth taste so sweet?’

As if I had filled my mouth with honey, the overwhelming sweetness sent my head spinning. My mouth was parched, crying out for a glass of water.

I rose from the bed, Wiki, cradled in my arms, hanging off me loosely. No visible means of support, yet she remained cling to my chest as if held there by magic, not falling no matter how much I moved.

“Peeep.”

Shiba’s mournful cry reached my ears. Turning, I saw her clinging to the duvet, struggling not to fall from the edge of the bed.

Hadn’t I slept holding them both?

‘It must be Wiki.’

Her jealousy was notorious. There was a chance she had awoken in the middle of the night and caused such mischief. I stroked the forehead of Wiki, her eyes closed. A lovely teddy bear with long eyelashes, she bore only the beautiful features of Alba.

Now I understand the saying about not feeling pain no matter how deep you put something in your eyes.

‘She is adorable, but…’

I wish she’d be more friendly. Is that too much to ask? Wiki’s love was indeed formidable.

‘…When she gets married later, I’ll have to tease her thoroughly.’

You did say you would marry daddy when you were little. I wonder how she would react if I teased her about it. I hope for a cute reaction, her face flushing as she denies it.

“Hmm.”

I should strive to provide a better environment for our daughters to grow up in. To achieve that, it’s necessary to overthrow the Flower and the World Tree as soon as possible.

First, I laid Shiba and Wiki down in the center of the bed, spread the blanket over them, and bestowed a kiss on their cheeks.

“Peepheehee.”
“Daddy…”

Leaving their endearing responses behind, I exited the room.

“Ugh.”

As soon as I stepped out, the potent scent of alcohol assaulted my nostrils. Looking around to identify the source, the scene was nothing short of chaos.

On the sofa, Alba and Se-Young lay in slumber, facing each other. On the floor, Hong-Yeon and Aori were intertwined, a bottle of wine nestled between them.

“How much did they drink?”

Beer, soju, and whiskey were piled up on the table like a small mountain. I wondered how many crates they had managed to consume. It was quite the feat for a group who didn’t usually indulge in drinking.

“…Whoa.”

When I entered the bedroom, carefully avoiding the strewn soju bottles, the sight was equally spectacular. Suyu, Dallae, and Byul were all huddled together, asleep against the wall.

Blanche and Ebony were deeply asleep in the bed, someone must have put them there. Gu-seul was on a makeshift bed. Chi-yu was sprawled on the floor, butt sticking out.

‘Why is she…’

Why are her clothes off? It seemed like Chi-yu was the first to pass out and became the butt of the joke.

Scattered on the floor, as if carelessly discarded by an unknown hand, was a freshly baked pizza.

“What a disaster.”

This must have been why Tae-yang had hurriedly left. He must have foreseen this mess and escaped before it became his problem. His foresight was indeed something to acknowledge.

“…”

After surveying the room for a significant amount of time, I sighed and began to speak to myself.

“Perhaps I should clean this up.”

– Rustle.

Time was in abundance. Using magic would be a tad strenuous, hence the decision to resort to a more conventional method of cleaning. I began by gathering empty liquor bottles, aligning them orderly at the entrance, and then proceeded to clean up the vomit.

Just then, a raven-haired girl rose from the bed, rubbing her eyes as she gazed at me.

“Yawn… Master…?”

“Ah, Ebony. You’re awake?”

“Where… where are we…?”

“You seem to not remember.”

I wouldn’t have offered alcohol to a minor. Could she have been affected just by the smell?

“Oh.”

Upon examining her surroundings and roughly grasping the situation, Ebony’s mouth fell open in surprise.

“Master, it was… a lovers’ gathering, wasn’t it?”

“Yes. Do you have a headache?”

“I’m fine.”

Having folded the blanket aside and carefully risen to her feet, Ebony extended a hand.

“I can help… Aaah!”

In the moment she stumbled and was about to fall, I caught her.

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yes.”

She still seemed a little unsteady.

As she hadn’t consumed any alcohol, a hangover was out of the question. With plenty of work to be done, I decided to accept her help.

“Could you start by gathering the cans and general trash?”

“Do you want them in a separate bag?”

“Yes.”

The grand cleanup commenced.

The two of us, in silence, began to restore order to the room.

Half-eaten potato chips, hastily prepared snacks and the like.

Every now and then, I watched Ebony. She didn’t complain and diligently tidied up. The sight was rather endearing.

“What brought you here?”

“Well, the blond gentleman…”

“Ah, Tae-yang… So how was it? Did he ask you anything inappropriate?”

I felt somewhat uncomfortable voicing it out, but a disciple had been caught up in an exclusive gathering of lovers.

In the midst of gathering trash, Ebony paused, deeply pondering my question before shrugging, seemingly unsure.

“He asked if you had touched me.”

“And how did you respond?”

“Well, no. Master… you always teach me well. We even discussed how we met.”

The majority of their conversation had evidently revolved around first encounters or impressions.

“I see.”

“Master, are you really… involved with everyone here?”

“As surprising as it may sound, yes.”

“They implied that you were quite the womanizer.”

“…I can’t deny that.”

There was nothing more disconcerting than witnessing the face of a disciple uncovering the unsavory aspects of their master.

– Swoosh.

Under Ebony’s judgemental gaze, I subtly averted my eyes.

“But still.”

Ebony murmured, tying the trash bag tightly.

“I could tell that Master is… a genuinely good person, and that he has met equally good people.”

“If you could tell me that, I would be truly grateful.”

“Have you finished there?”
“Yes.”
“Alright, let’s prepare a meal. Can you cook?”
“…Just a little bit.”
“I’ll teach you what you don’t know. Let’s prepare a hangover soup for the children.”

At last, the time had come to wield the knife and pot once again.

I used to prepare meals quite often, but once my body and spirit had grown weary, such tasks had become invisible to my eyes.

I surmised that perhaps engaging in this kind of activity could serve as a form of rehabilitation.

– Bubbling.

There was an ample supply of ingredients in the refrigerator, enough to prepare the hangover soup.

The smell of alcohol, the appetizing aroma of side dishes. It didn’t take long for a homey fragrance to permeate the home, a house that had only been filled with the scent of alcohol and stimulating food. There was a small part of me that was apprehensive, given how long it had been since I’d cooked.

“How’s the seasoning?”

– Slurp.

Ebony, who had tasted the soup, opened her eyes wide, putting my needless worries to rest.

“Master, it’s delicious.”
“Isn’t it?”

Soon, a pure voice resonated in the room.

– What’s this, what’s this? It smells so good!

The star, who had ghosted in through the open door, inhaling the aroma, was left breathless.

“Si, Si-heon!!”

The early bird catches the worm after all.

“Kyaaa~!!! Si-heon’s home-cooked meal!!”

The star’s cries of joy woke the women, who had been lulled to sleep by the alcohol.