Chapter 256
Chapter 256
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 256
Chapter Title: Bao (4)
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Baobab.
A massive tree born under the passionate sun, basking in its light.
Yet, behind the sturdy body brimming with World Tree blood, lay barren land where not even a blade of grass could grow, and scorching sands that burned like ripening fruit.
If you didn't grow strong, you'd be culled, your life snuffed out at any moment.
If you let your guard down for even a second, your food and water would be stolen.
In Africa's world, money, reason, and food were the exclusive domain of the strong.
The tribes wandering that lawless wasteland had to always watch for spears aimed at their backs.
Losing a lover was commonplace.
In that blood-soaked Dark Continent, where even a shred of affection was shared only with family to keep bonds alive.
No matter who stabbed you in the side, the only ones who would stay by your side to the end were your blood kin.
When her trusted older brother abandoned her, she couldn't help but feel a profound sense of loss.
When one family member vanished like that, Bao didn't take the ordinary path.
Baobabs were strong and strikingly beautiful.
If a Baobab tree spotted a desirable mate, it was natural to take them at will, to bring reliable husbands into the fold as one pleased.
That was the norm—sharing affection to fill the voids.
But Bao had no interest in that.
Her brother had been the greatest warrior among the Baobabs, so no other man caught her eye, and by the time her body had just begun to develop, she had already been selected as a national tree.
If there was a man she liked, force him down and mate—that was the way of their world.
But a national tree couldn't do that.
Always active as a warrior, getting pregnant would bring massive problems. She loved fighting anyway, so it didn't bother her much.
And... there was the fact that men seemed too easy.
They were all weaker than her.
A smack with her hand would break bones. Even the bigger ones crumbled with a light tap. How could that spark interest?
She was always on top.
Not haughty, but sharply beautiful. Bare feet traversing jungles and deserts, strong enough to step on others' heads without issue.
One might call it barbaric. But the cradle that nurtured her, where mere survival was a struggle, was more than enough to sharpen her temperament toward aggression.
Those yelling from behind were laughable.
If it bothered them so much, they should step up and fight themselves. Flinging feeble spells while strutting like they held office.
Those who fought ahead despite not knowing their place were just as pathetic.
If you lacked strength, stay back. She disliked the defiant ones too.
The strong ruled as king.
Who could climb onto a thorny ent's back first with bare feet?
The one who jammed a spear into its horrific skull and drank the blood spraying like a fountain—that one won.
In that sense, she was no different from a queen.
-Splurt.
It should have been that way.
With her there.
-Splurt.
Her lower abdomen ached desperately.
*****
Face buried in the bed, the prone Bao could only rasp those words over and over in her cracked voice.
"I... lost."
He pulled out his phone to check the time. Looked like day one ended here.
Bao's state, collapsed and panting, was utterly wretched.
Having decided from the start to use her purely as an outlet for lust, the intensity and method had been brutally rough.
It was practically forcing pleasure into her.
Referencing Star's account of taking Lustful Arts hits followed by sex—she'd said her brain nearly melted after multiple rounds.
"Hoo."
No fruits emerged.
Her body hadn't matured enough to squeeze out fruits like Azalea's. Or maybe she had none at all.
But if a body capable of bearing fruit failed to produce any...
'Then I win.'
Maybe Bao kept denying the pleasure.
But judging by her current state, that hardly seemed normal.
'Expecting it on the first day was unrealistic anyway.'
He cast a spell on her half-unconscious body and covered her with a blanket.
Bao lay on her side, her privates fully exposed. As he gently pulled the blanket over her, her breathing steadied into soft snores.
Spraying some sleep aid and warming the bed, he restored the messy room to pristine condition with magic. Then he stepped out and stretched.
-Crack!
His phone buzzed. A message from Sun.
---
[Coward A has invited 'Lee Si-heon']
-Coward A: Bro, you done?
---
The nickname was weird.
He tilted his head, then replied.
-Me: Why's your name like that?
-Coward A: It just happened.
-Coward B: That's how it ended up, Your Majesty.
Not a private chat—a group one.
Sun's profile pic was him stylishly dressed in a cafe. Aori's was a tree that stirred lewd demons.
Soon, Sun called.
The next room over anyway, he skipped the call, went out, and knocked.
The door opened shortly.
Aori on the sofa tearing into bread, Sun at the entrance. Empty snack containers suggested they'd been midnight munching.
"You're still eating?"
"Unlike some, my mileage sucks. Want some?"
He sat naturally on the sofa, reaching for the snacks.
After the vigorous activity, his stomach clung to his spine.
"Beer?"
"Yeah."
Premium dishes with canned beer.
Wine was there, but this suited their situation better.
The restaurant food, just warmed lightly, tasted far better than usual.
"So why'd you call?"
Slicing meat, spearing it with mushrooms, he savored it with a sip of beer.
The fizzy pop gave way to the lingering juices of beef on his tongue.
Nothing beat this for filling an empty gut.
"To ask how it went."
"Uh-huh."
Aori nodded vigorously at Sun's words.
"Why are you two so curious about my sex life?"
He grumbled, popping another piece of meat.
Aori swallowed her chew, wet her throat with wine, then spoke.
"Back in medieval times, servants watched kings have sex. To check if the king was thrusting properly~ or whatever."
"So you think you qualify to watch?"
"Yes."
"That make sense?"
Anything went back then.
Sisters showing their brother sex on his wedding night because he feared it—that happened too.
Plus, droit du seigneur.
A baseless rumor in his old world, but real here.
History books showed how depraved those rotten trees could get.
"Let's live in our era."
"Figured you'd say that. Real reason's separate."
Sun shrugged helplessly, changing topics.
He shoveled more food. Hunger kept drawing it in.
"Bro."
"Yeah."
"How's Yi-hyang?"
Yi-hyang.
Why bring her up suddenly?
Aside from that chance encounter where he helped her and traveled together briefly, no real ties.
Someone you bump into on the road or grab occasional meals with— that's how he'd see it. Suited him fine.
"Why her?"
"Why? Hook her."
His hand paused mid-sip. Beer sloshed in the can.
What did he just say?
Was he sane?
"Cherry trees aren't common. Rare ones need securing."
"Cough, hey. Aren't you friends?"
"Friends, sure. But one-nighters don't kill. Just get consent right."
"What consent."
"Get her tipsy gentle-like and seduce—"
-Smack!
He smacked Sun's forehead.
Sun toppled back, clutching it and fake-crying.
"That's what you call consent?"
"Your Majesty."
"And you—why?"
"Getting a girl drunk to seduce her ain't bad."
What miracle logic was this?
Spill it. Gesturing, Aori said gravely.
"Girls know and go along anyway."
"How would I know."
"They sip-sip, think 'this might not work,' but if they like the guy, they drink till they go. Secretly hoping."
"That's a crime."
"If you're hot, it's not. Girls are human too. You skip bar scenes much?"
Well...
Hard to argue.
He didn't get women well, true.
Star, Se-young, Azalea, Cornus—not normal girls. Handling the loose-screwed ones he could manage, but a plain country girl like Yi-hyang? No clue.
"Plus, they won't do one-on-one drinks unless they're into the guy from the start. Girls know. 'This dude's after me~'"
"......"
Somehow convinced.
Aori and Sun grinned like he was cute.
Like senior hosts hazing a bar newbie with underlying fondness.
"Basically, your type blatantly shows he likes her while buying drinks. She won't like that?"
He covered his philtrum with his hand.
If Cornus approached like that...
No, she was too pure. Unimaginable.
Star might. Imagining it was kinda cute.
"She'd like it?"
"Guys and girls think different, but not that different."
He knew.
"But Yi-hyang's more pure than average country girl, no?"
Sun and Aori clicked their tongues, caught off-guard.
These punks.
Sun slyly shifted gears.
"Anyway... Bro's gotta do it someday. Can't bed every girl you see, but maximize connections."
"Yeah."
Desperately. He had to.
No knowing when trouble hit.
His inclinations were leaning that way too.
He rattled the beer can long, then resolved.
"Guess so."
Blaming the unswaying alcohol buzz. He said it.
The day before the second trial.