Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Past (2)
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"...Master?"
Was this a dream or reality?
"Yes?"
The girl tilted her head to the right.
"Master? What do you mean?"
I rubbed my eyes and looked again. It was unmistakably Cheondo.
Her distinct features, even her eyes that looked hand-drawn with a brush—everything matched the Cheondo I knew perfectly.
The poise emanating from her posture didn't fall short of the one I remembered, despite her young age.
She looked young enough to pass for an elementary school student. Taking her height into account, maybe second-year middle school?
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
The doll-like girl before me was speaking.
Blinking her round eyes repeatedly, filled with curiosity and bewilderment.
I lowered my gaze to meet hers, closing the distance. Up close, I could sense a substantial amount of mana settled thickly in her dantian.
I wondered if she was someone connected to Cheondo, but no.
Having checked that far, I was certain.
"Cheondo."
"...!"
The moment her name left my lips, Cheondo's face visibly stiffened.
"How do you know my name? I haven't even told my maternal relatives..."
Because I came from the future.
The thought flashed through my mind, and instantly, a sharp pain stabbed my chest.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ -Thump! Mentions of the future are prohibited. It felt like excruciating pain was warning me. As if saying that revealing the truth would cost me my life.
I hadn't even planned to say it aloud, yet here was the warning...
Now I understood why the World Tree of Time had said I couldn't mention the future.
"Hoo..."
I took a deep breath to steady my mind and organized my thoughts.
I must have gotten too excited seeing young Cheondo.
Either way, I needed to figure out what I had to do.
Since I'd appeared in front of Cheondo, the World Tree of Time must have sent me to the past for something related to her.
I looked down at Cheondo again.
Her eyes, which I thought would never waver even if her thatched hut burned down, were trembling fiercely before no one else but me.
For some reason, that sight stirred an odd sense of elation in me.
-Tap tap.
At that moment, someone roughly patted my shoulder with a threatening hand.
"...A face I've never seen before. How did you get in here?"
I turned my head to see two adult men in black martial robes frowning.
This was the private grounds of Do-won.
"Ah."
"What nonsense is that? State your name. What business do you have here? Or... you didn't enter without permission, did you?"
I came from the future—such an excuse wouldn't fly.
The martial artists sized me up and seemed to make a judgment, lowering their voices as they reached for the weapons at their waists.
Even though I'd crossed time, I was still an uninvited intruder with no status here.
Given that this was where Cheondo, disciple of the Heavenly Demon, resided, Do-won was undoubtedly heavily guarded.
'...Hmm.'
I glanced at Cheondo, then at the martial artists.
This was bad.
No choice. I rapidly gathered mana throughout my body.
So fast they couldn't even sense it.
I concentrated mana in my soles and kicked off the ground with all my might, leaping into the sky.
"What...?!"
I soared like a bird and activated levitation magic.
-Whoooosh!
Wind magic enhanced by acorn-infused true energy swirled like a tornado, lifting my body.
My vision contracted then expanded. From mid-air, I took in the vast Do-won grounds at a glance.
Do-won had claimed an entire mountain range as its estate, with elegant buildings lining from the foothills to the peak without a single gap.
'...It's too big. Can't pinpoint coordinates.'
As I fell from the sky, I scanned for a spot to use spatial magic, but nothing suitable came into view.
I might actually get caught at this rate.
I had no desire to antagonize my master's family.
'Should I pray?'
I slowed my descent as much as possible with wind control and adjusted direction to land on a building roof.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ah, can you hear me?] Only then did the World Tree's voice echo in my head.
'World Tree of Time?'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [I'm sorry. My mana was insufficient... If you wish, I can summon you back to the present anytime.] 'That's not the issue right now. What am I supposed to do here?'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [I'm sorry. I don't know either.] ...Crazy bitch.
I knew that already, but the situation made the curse rise to my lips.
'Just summon me back for now.'
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Understood.] Thunder crashed with a flash—
"Catch that guy!"
"Daring to step into Do-won without permission? If we catch him, he'll be—"
The martial artists pursuing me onto the roof vanished from sight in an instant.
My body had returned to where it was with the World Tree.
The barren wasteland I'd seen before. The place with just one lone tree.
I collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily.
The sudden mana drain had taken me by surprise.
Seeing how pissed off I looked, the World Tree spoke up as if making excuses.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [My role was simply to send you to the past.] "I know. I just called you to think things over. Can I go back to the past again?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Yes, anytime until my life ends. About five days, though.] A little short of a week.
Exactly the duration of the training conference.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Of course, it requires a steady supply of mana.] "Mana supply?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [You need to divide and share bits of your mana. I have no means to recover it on my own right now.] "Fine. I can manage that."
Since we'd agreed to cooperate anyway...
I reached out and infused mana into the rotten root protruding from the ground.
After transferring about half my mana, the World Tree rustled its leaves in gratitude.
The leaves looked more vibrant than before.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Thank you, Lee Si-heon.] "Creepy. Just speak casually."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [No, I couldn't possibly.] Now it's ultra-polite.
To this World Tree, I asked something I'd been wondering about.
"...Why is a tree killed by the Wood Spirit King helping me?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [As I said before, the one who inherits the Wood Spirit King's power can become an absolute being. The best way is to not stray from the start. It didn't work out last time... but this time, we must change from the roots. And it will benefit you too.] "No, I mean, no personal grudge or anything?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [......] A single leaf fell from the sky.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [It's unavoidable for the greater good.] "...You're the most World Tree-like World Tree I've met so far. Though by my standards, I wouldn't know what that really means."
It'd be great if the others were like this too.
They just scheme to take each other's lives day in and day out.
Most of them are like that. Except for the World Tree of Purity, none had approached me this favorably.
The World Tree of Healing... that one was just like me, a rapist.
The World Tree of Time was a fairy.
"...Speaking of World Trees, do you know who the World Tree of Purity is?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [I don't know either.] As expected.
I clicked my tongue and stood up.
By now, had Lee Se-young met Azalea? I set that thought aside for now.
I couldn't ruin a major event over immediate relationships.
This matter could very well determine my fate.
Young Cheondo's face was still vivid in my mind.
Having experienced it, it was obviously related to my master. How should I approach it?
"Is the location the same?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [No, the time and place change each time. I don't know where it'll be either...] "You have the power, yet so much you don't know."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [I'm sorry.] I had to accept it as fate.
At least it wasn't like last time, where some entity tried to forcibly harm me.
"How messed up does the future have to be for even a World Tree to step in?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [......I can't answer that yet.] "Just talking to myself."
I sat still and meditated for a few minutes.
What was I supposed to do in the past?
My actions could alter the present.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [No. The present won't change.] The World Tree's interjection pierced my thoughts.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [It's complicated to explain... Just know that.] The World Tree that sprouted to change the future asserted the present couldn't be changed.
It piqued my curiosity about the contradiction, but from my standpoint, it was convenient.
I no longer needed to hold back in my actions.
Soon, I reached a conclusion.
If there's no specific goal, do as I please.
Convey everything I want to say to young Cheondo or anyone else.
Gather all the information I can from the scene. Maybe even learn about Flower.
And since I'm at it, I figured I'd take a look at this Heavenly Demon guy too.
"Send me back to the past."
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [......Understood.] The World Tree's mana enveloped my body once more.
My vision warped again. How many times was this now?
After countless spatial jumps, my head was starting to ache.
-Thud!
I landed in a cozy, dimly lit space.
Where was this, and what time was it?
Touching the floor, I felt a heated ondol floor radiating warmth.
Click—the lantern lit up.
An old lantern on the side table illuminated the room brightly.
"...?"
It happened in an instant.
Until my eyes met Cheondo's exactly.
The time was dawn, the place her bedroom.
Cheondo had just bathed, her hair wrapped in a large towel as big as her body.
A pure white towel draped below her neck made her look like a rabbit.
She was lightly clothed, but there was no excuse—just glad I didn't die on the spot.
An unidentified intruder had brazenly entered the Little Heavenly Demon's bedroom.
"......"
"......"
Cheondo blinked only her eyes, still in her hair-drying pose, as if unable to accept the situation.
"...You."
Why was the timing always like this?
I called the World Tree of Time, but no response came.
Looked like I was screwed.
*****
Inside the hotel suite.
-Pour...
Se-young smiled brightly as she served expertly brewed flower tea to Azalea.
The table was piled mountain-high with sweet treats.
"You can eat sweets, right?"
"Yes."
Azalea swallowed bitter saliva instead of treats, observing Se-young's expression.
Azalea's politely clasped hands trembled like aspen leaves in the wind.
The reason they gathered here today was to discuss their relationship with one man.
Given the topic, Azalea couldn't shake off her tension no matter how hard she tried.
"You've read all the messages."
"......"
"What do you think?"
Lee Se-young broached the subject first.
The man in question was Lee Si-heon, absent from the room.
The contents of Lee Se-young's messages were all shocking to Azalea, who had confessed her love to him last night.
She'd heard about his complicated relationships with women and his ties to Lee Se-young.
Every word was heartbreaking in sobriety. Thus, Azalea had struggled to maintain her composure since entering the room.
"Professor Lee Se-young."
"Your speech is so stiff. I was your advisor once. Speak comfortably."
Comfortably, honestly.
Azalea parted her lips with difficulty, pouring in pure sincerity without flattery.
"...Honestly, I don't know what you're trying to say."
"What part?"
Even to Azalea, smitten with him, his relationships didn't seem healthy.
Anyone else would curse him as a womanizer.
Of course, Azalea had long heard from Lee Se-young the reasons behind it.
"Husband of a World Tree... I don't know why you didn't tell me, but I understand."
Targeted by a World Tree for tragic reasons, he embraced other women via quests.
She got that he'd continued relationships, leading to more women.
He was affectionate and hard to detach from once involved. Azalea figured that caused issues.
Polygamy... Honestly, she didn't mind.
Because she loved him. She couldn't imagine him loving only one.
From her perspective, it was good news.
A very enticing proposal.
Any woman who liked him would be tempted.
Of course, personally, she'd love to monopolize him, but that was just a minor regret. Regardless, this was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to deepen their bond.
But human hearts aren't so simple.
Because she loved him, she could consider his side. Try to empathize.
...Regardless of her own feelings, from his viewpoint once more.
-Thump.
The more Azalea thought from his perspective, the more her chest ached.
It hurt, but she had to admit: Lee Si-heon liked Se-young.
He'd confessed directly; that said it all.
The confession must have taken long agonizing and courage to voice.
Yet Lee Se-young had bluntly rejected it.
"But Professor, why reject the confession?"
That was Azalea's question to Lee Se-young.
Why reject it?
For what reason?
To have one person's love for life.
No matter the societal shifts, eternal one-on-one love was everyone's dream.
Azalea had vowed her lifetime to him, with not a shred of falsehood.
Only after confessing could she understand such feelings.
-I don't know.
That single phrase she'd heard.
She couldn't describe the pain.
Like a knife stabbing, legs trembling, excuses meaningless as unbidden tears welled up.
Yet unwilling to let go, even if the cliff loomed, she'd babble incoherently. No way those were normal words. But knowing that, she still said them. Because of love.
If someone could brush off rejection wittily...
They weren't sincere in love or had immense mental fortitude.
Thus, Azalea was angry at Lee Se-young for rejecting his confession.
"...It's not like playing around."
Emotion seeped into her voice.
"What is this?"
In Azalea's eyes, their relationship looked like that.
"Rejected the confession, then vaguely say you'll accept later. Keep meeting while leaving room for hope."
Her hands shook violently.
"Yet keep pushing him to see other women..."
The frustration from reading the messages stemmed from that.
"If you like him that much, just accept and stay together forever. You do like him, right?"
Lee Se-young listened quietly to Azalea, not even sipping her tea.
Seriously, as if absorbing bone-deep words.
"Think about how he feels... If it were me."
"If it were you?"
"...I wouldn't have let him stress like that."
Just accept from the start.
Whether her own love shattered was secondary.
To Azalea, Lee Se-young's stubbornness seemed selfish.
Like everyone, Azalea was selfish too.
But aware of it, her screw loosened regarding Lee Si-heon.
And she hated herself for not noticing until now.
Azalea's obsession was squarely fixed on Lee Si-heon.
"So that's what you've been wondering, Azalea."
Offering a soft smile to the agitated Azalea, Lee Se-young muttered bitterly.
"I have excuses. Not that I'm right, just excuses. Whether Si-heon buys it, I don't know..."
Nothing major.
"Keep it secret. If he finds out, it'll be chaos."
"......"
Se-young chuckled forcibly and continued the story.