I Talked to Her a Hundred Times More
「You insolent brat! How dare you call this body an ajumma! Take back that blasphemous word at once!」
So recommending stamina food to a ten-year-old kid is perfectly fine, then?
If she was the World Tree, she'd lived hundreds of times longer than I had. Getting this worked up over a single word like ajumma — raising her voice over something that petty — was an ugly look on her. Completely out of character.
At that age, wouldn't "great-grandmother" be more accurate than "ajumma"?
「I cannot feel so much as a grain of respect for this body in your choice of words. And I did not recommend the eel for the sake of anything so vulgar as stamina!」
Then there was no reason to bring stamina up in the first place. She was just changing the subject because she was losing the argument, wasn't she?
As my suspicion of her deepened another notch, a frantic excuse rose up from somewhere inside me.
「Food that is good for stamina is, by its very nature, good for the body as well. That is simple common sense.」
…Okay, when you put it that way, it kind of makes sense.
「This body offered the suggestion with pure intentions. The one who first entertained lewd thoughts was the young girl standing before you, was it not? Do not pin an unjust accusation on me.」
The World Tree spoke to me as if she were genuinely aggrieved. And to be fair, there was no real contradiction in what she was saying.
"You already finished the whole thing? Was Seha actually interested in this kind of stuff?"
While I'd been bickering with the World Tree, the bowl had emptied itself without me noticing. Eel rice bowls were supposed to be a dish you ate in all sorts of different ways depending on your taste — and looking at the side dishes and broth still sitting there untouched, I felt a twinge of guilt.
No — the real problem is that Soli's already got the wrong idea about me!
At this rate I was about to get stuck with the bizarre label of "little girl who's into stamina food." I hurried to explain to Soli why I'd ordered the eel rice bowl in the first place.
"So basically, eel's packed with protein and all kinds of good nutrients, which makes it perfect for recovering from fatigue?"
"Yes, exactly."
"And the person who recommended it… is the World Tree living inside Seha's body?"
"Yes…"
In the end, I had no choice but to tell her who the World Tree really was. It wasn't that I'd been desperately trying to hide it — it was just… embarrassing.
Even when I heard the elves had been treating me like a god, I'd felt weirdly ashamed.
And now I had to say out loud, with my own mouth, that there was a World Tree living inside me. It was the kind of sentence no sane person could deliver with a straight face.
"I see… Well, if it's the World Tree, I'm sure she has her reasons."
"You don't believe me, do you?"
"Of course I believe you~ What do you take your unnie for?"
Soli flashed me a sly, foxlike smile, covering her mouth with one hand as she laughed softly.
Yeah, no. She does not believe me at all.
She probably just thought it was a kid's imaginary friend. Or maybe she was waiting for the "I took my meds and the World Tree went away" punchline.
Honestly, this is probably for the best.
Better this than having some divine image stuck to me.
"Seha, if you're done eating, should we head out?"
"Okay…"
The empty eel rice bowl still sat on the table. Normally I would have ordered dessert on top of everything else.
「A proper balance of nutrition is what makes the bones grow strong and tall. Stop chasing only sweets and eat a little of everything if you want to get taller.」
My tiny stature was a serious enough issue that it could make me swear off sweet food entirely.
If even half of everything I've ever eaten had gone into height, I'd have cleared 160 cm ages ago. Where did it all go?
I still hadn't adjusted to the lowered field of view. Having to tilt my head up just to look at people was more frustrating than I could say.
Wait — if I get taller, doesn't that mean my chest grows to match?
Stay short and I'd be stuck as a little kid for life. Grow tall and I'd have to haul around a pair of cumbersome breasts. It was a truly diabolical choice.
"Seha, is something wrong? Is it not sitting well?"
"No! It's nothing like that…"
"You ate less than usual earlier, so I was already a little worried. If anything's the matter, just tell me."
There is a problem. I just can't say it out loud.
Maybe it was because I'd been thinking about my adult self — I'd briefly pictured myself looking like Soli: tall, with a figure that filled out every curve. The thought alone gave me goosebumps.
I quickly suggested we go outside.
"Let's hurry home!"
The moment the outdoor air hit me, my mind and body finally settled. Stretching my arms out and running around washed the unsavory thoughts clean away. As I wandered the village without caring who was watching, one person in particular snagged my attention.
Who was that again?
I was sure I'd seen him before…
Then the other person seemed to recognize me as well, and spoke first.
"Good day. You are Lady Seha, correct?"
"Huh?"
He was being almost excessively polite. He bent at the waist in a full ninety-degree bow.
"You really don't have to go that far…"
Had anyone treated me this reverently since my body changed? Soli and the World Tree both treated me like a total child, and the other elves didn't even need mentioning.
"What's going on?"
Soli sensed the sudden commotion and came over. She looked from me standing there blankly to the man still bowed at the waist, her expression puzzled — then her face fell.
"Ah. I had a bad feeling, and of course it turned out like this…"
She let out a sigh, muttering to herself.
What on earth is going on?
That was when the man who had bowed to me began to introduce himself.
"I am Seo Taewon, High Priest of the Church of Seha."
"The Church of Seha?"
"Naturally, it is a faith devoted to Lady Seha."
"Excuse me?"
They worship me?
I'd heard that the elves on the second floor had made me into a god, but this was something else entirely. I was too flustered to form a coherent reply, so Soli filled in the blanks.
"Remember how Seha got deified on the second floor? Looks like the religion carried over all the way here."
"Ah…"
They'd even claimed that getting patted on the head by me raised your stats. Yeah — a religion forming around that actually tracked.
A question occurred to me, and I put it to both of them.
"Then why didn't I know the Church of Seha existed?"
"Well… we are something of an unofficial group, so…"
Seo Taewon answered with a sheepish, crumpled expression. Soli took one look at him and said,
"It's probably like making a group chat without the homeroom teacher back in school."
"Ohh~ That actually makes perfect sense."
I'd been half-expecting a "Hongcheol Team without Hongcheol" situation — a Church of Seha without Seha. Soli's analogy cleared everything up.
"So what business do you have with our Seha? You've never even crossed paths with her before."
Soli planted herself squarely between me and Seo Taewon and fired the question at him like an interrogation. Her voice had a sharper edge than usual.
"There's a survivors' assembly in the plaza tomorrow. We intend to formally announce the Church of Seha's existence, and we were hoping to ask Lady Seha for a few words of blessing."
Seo Taewon held his ground, stating his position clearly and without flinching. Soli glanced at me for a moment, checking my condition, then answered,
"You should also consider Seha's position. If you'd approached me first — as her guardian — that would be one thing."
"I am sincerely sorry on that point. Lady Seha and I happened to lock eyes by chance, and I spoke to her before thinking."
So Soli being my guardian is already treated as established fact.
I had been glued to her side constantly, so maybe it was inevitable. Soli seemed to get along with other people just fine; I barely did any outside activity at all.
One glance at the community window was enough to show how extroverted Soli's life had been.
And me?
I'd celebrated the community feature more than anyone when it rolled out — but the pressure of real-name internet posting meant I couldn't even put up a single proper post. The whole atmosphere was nothing like an anonymous imageboard. For a shut-in like me, the only thing permitted was lurking.
Those two are still going at it over there.
Soli clearly wasn't satisfied with Seo Taewon's apology, because she kept needling him.
"And if there's going to be a Church of Seha, then the High Priest seat is obviously mine! I've talked with Seha a hundred times more than any of you."
"I beg your pardon?"
Wait. Was that the real reason Soli was angry this whole time?
I'd thought she was protecting me from other people — but in the end, Soli had shown her true colors too.
「I can feel the heat of fresh, green youth all the way from here. You need not be embarrassed, my dear.」
Ugh, what now.
The World Tree's sly, amused voice rang through my head.
I definitely came in hoping for flowers in both hands.
When I'd first entered the Tower, I'd planned to build a harem kingdom with lovely heroines. The scene unfolding in front of me was… not quite what I'd imagined.
Two people fighting over me. You couldn't even call it a catfight — it was a struggle that defied easy labeling.
"Then how about the role of Honorary High Priest? As the one who serves Lady Seha most closely, we would of course afford you the dignity the position deserves."
"Oh my, I would welcome that completely. From now on, leave Seha to me."
In that short span, the two of them seemed to have reached an agreement. The atmosphere flipped to warm and friendly as if the argument had never happened.
Where exactly did my opinion go in all this?
Weren't they fighting over me? And yet the actual main character had been tossed aside in the middle of it.
The two of them were all smiles now, happily trading ideas about me.
"When Lady Seha takes the platform tomorrow, what do you think of having her come out with a flower tucked in her hair?"
"That's lovely! Or we could even put up a statue modeled after Seha — there's a mage over that way who works with stone, isn't there?"
"You mean Jeonghyeon? I'd never considered that angle — what a brilliant idea! I'll run over and ask right away."
They chatted away like a pair of perfectly matched best friends who'd finally found each other. I was already starting to dread tomorrow's survivors' assembly.