Chapter 258
Chapter 258
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 258
Chapter Title: The Leaf's Choice (2)
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[Greeting.]
"Hello."
[Is that all?]
A booming voice echoed throughout the entire room.
The place where the holly tree, Mary, was planted was a space surrounded on all sides by pure white beams of light. They seemed to serve the role of sunlight.
The soil on the floor was far from ordinary, too.
It was packed full of mana, so scooping it up with a trowel would yield all sorts of useful applications.
[This is exactly why humans are no good. Who just greets when told to greet?]
Some women could pull off a childish voice perfectly, and Mary's tone was just like that.
To see it in a good light, it was cute; in a bad light, it was whiny.
Among the people I knew, Marronier had the cutest voice, but this was a touch more juvenile.
Yet while Marronier's was clear and pleasant to the ear, this one grated on me for some reason.
Maybe because it was a tree. It wasn't living up to its twenty-eight years at all.
I gave an awkward smile in response.
"Sorry. As an inferior species, I'm not great with this sort of thing. If you guide me well, Mary, I'll do my best to learn."
Bruising my pride was nothing—I could do it a hundred times if it got me through this crisis. I'd lick her roots if that's what it took.
But I knew better. When someone was dead set on tearing you down, they could nitpick anything.
I'd learned that in the military.
A true soldier could drag out a full hour from just your name and rank.
[Who said you could call me Mary? You think my name is a joke?]
"No, ma'am. It's a beautiful name."
[Beautiful? Ha, who the hell are you to judge me?]
Look at this.
She had some real experience roasting people.
She reeked of the spoiled princess type who'd grown up tormenting everyone around her.
Not a greenhouse flower, but a living, breathing tumor.
[You're just a cadet here for trials, cadet. Not even a national tree or a wood person—just an inferior species cadet. And you start off with this attitude? Are you insane? Or do you think I'm a pushover?]
"Sorry."
[Which academy? What's your name?]
"El Academy."
[Ha, even El Academy's gone to shit.]
Mary unleashed a barrage of insults.
In times like this, you don't fight back. You keep your head down, hands clasped, and wait it out.
Of course, you couldn't zone out either. She'd hit you with "Did you hear me? What did I just say?" and turn the tables.
[This is why I hate humans. No basic manners. What's your name?]
"Lee Si-heon."
[Lee Si-heon? What a trash name. Sounds like a criminal.]
-Snicker.
[Got a lover?]
"......No."
[Figured. Anyone who'd date you is an idiot.]
Humanity, me, even my love life.
Watching Mary savage everything, I thought to myself.
'...I could go for some tofu.'
Not that I really wanted any—it was just that while I could take her jabs at me, dragging my girlfriend into it stung.
I kept my head bowed and said nothing.
Whatever. This too would pass.
I had no choice but to tailor myself to this woman's tastes as best I could.
It wasn't long before Mary yelled.
[Enough.]
"Pardon?"
[Get out.]
I hadn't received any trial or anything. Stunned, I asked again.
Then Mary exploded in a voice so thunderous I had to cover my ears.
[I said get out! I'm not in the mood to give you a trial today!]
"...Understood. I'll come back tomorrow at this time."
Right before leaving, I bowed as subserviently as possible.
"Farewell."
-Click.
I closed the door as quietly as I could.
The connection to the tree lingered unexpectedly, and I faintly heard Mary's voice from inside.
[Ah~ Feels good to vent.]
'...That bitch is crazy.'
The worst kind in the world.
A human hater.
What to do about that sorry excuse for mitochondria. I seriously needed to rethink this.
Mary's personality was overly abrasive. Her temper was like wildfire. I didn't know if she was like that just with me, but her chloroplasts were probably blood-red.
'Hates humans... so she probably gave Im Jong-hyun, the wood person, a proper trial.'
Her favorability toward me was clearly in the gutter.
"Gulp."
I swallowed dryly, deep in thought. What would it take to convince that woman?
Acting tough could get me disqualified.
She was probably planning to torment me as much as possible and drop me on the very last day.
I could read scum like her like a book. Trash knows trash.
-Clunk.
At that moment, another door opened. A woman stepped out of room 512.
White tights. Slightly dark, familiar blue hair. The staff she carried glowed the same as before.
Her oversized witch-hat-like cap had a large button on it.
I stared blankly at her, and soon she turned, our eyes meeting.
"Ugh..."
Marronier. France's national tree. But for some reason, when she'd introduced herself to me, she'd claimed to be from Manhattan Academy.
Our ill-fated encounter in that awful dungeon during the first trial qualified as bad blood.
"Ronnie?"
"......I told you not to talk to me."
She made a face like she wanted nothing to do with me, then blushed faintly as if recalling that time and squeezed her eyes shut. Marronier hurried past me with quick steps.
She was clearly trying her best to ignore me.
"How was the tree you met? Did it give you a trial?"
"What if it didn't?"
"Yeah, it didn't. Kicked me out 'cause I'm human."
"......"
Marronier, who'd answered primly, stopped in her tracks at my words.
Her silence said it all—she found the situation ridiculous.
"...Tough luck. Good luck with it."
With that, she walked away, heels clicking. I watched her back intently.
Well, there was a one-on-one mixer in the afternoon, so if she wanted to rest, now was the only time.
-Second trial: The Leaf's Choice.
With the number of cadets drastically reduced after the first trial, the foundation now set up a sort of mixer to foster camaraderie and potential bonds.
If luck was on your side, you might even meet a national tree and make friends—it was a golden opportunity for cadets.
Every day from 2 to 4 p.m., extendable or endable early as desired.
Typically, you'd spend those two hours politely chatting, sharing the hardships and scars of cadet or hunter life.
'...Perfect timing to hunt for Flower.'
I'd been looking forward to it, honestly.
I wasn't a psychologist, but with good leading questions, I might ferret out anything suspicious.
Now I had one more worry, though.
I clicked my tongue bitterly at Mary's door.
Forget the mixer—I was in danger of disqualification.
I let out a wry laugh and sat on the bench.
With enough strength, problems cropped up elsewhere.
'Way too early to give up.'
As always. I just had to find a way.
*****
Every afternoon at 2 p.m.
The randomly assigned mixers.
Conversations to build rapport, and with potential future comrades.
Who knew? A connection here might blossom into an irreplaceable bond later.
In that spirit—and to fulfill Star's request to find Flower—I attended without fail.
"So."
I broke the ice.
To Marronier, whose face was flushed beet red in front of me.
"Didn't you say not to talk to you? Marronier."
We sat facing each other at a round table in a small room, sipping tea and snacks while chatting.
I waved the paper I held like a trophy in front of her.
-Marronier Blanche.
Today's mixer's partner's name was written there.
Marronier had called herself Ronnie, so she was hiding her national tree status.
Going so far as to claim Manhattan Academy. Whatever the reason, she wanted to pass as ordinary.
In the dungeon, we'd called each other by name while embracing and doing unspeakable things—but I'd been berserk, so memories were fuzzy. She thought the same.
Today was the day her secret came out.
"Nothing to say? No, really?"
"...Haa. Ugh, argh! Seriously."
Marronier—Blanche—slumped over the table, cradling her forehead.
"......I've got the worst luck."
She muttered resignedly to herself.
Face buried in her arms, she peeked up at me. Like a cat on a desk, staring wide-eyed.
"Hey."
"Yeah."
"Since it's out anyway, I'll say it. As a national tree, I order you: act like you don't know me."
"So we just sit here quietly for two hours?"
"......"
"Wait, aren't we meeting for the first time?"
We'd agreed to bury that incident. Strictly speaking, our first meeting was in the basement.
That was the excuse, anyway. Truth was, I needed Marronier's power now.
"First time... Yeah, kinda."
Marronier nodded, still red-faced as she tentatively extended a cat-like paw.
"Then let's start over with greetings."
"Lee Si-heon."
"...Marronier Blanche. Didn't know? I'm a national tree."
Our hands met. Feeling the soft grip, I shook firmly.
Resetting our relationship wasn't bad. If she was willing.
Of course, she could slap me and storm out, and I'd have no grounds to complain.
'Just how far did we go back then?'
I barely remembered after taking that magic hit. I recalled Marronier saying something to me, vaguely.
But it cut off after that.
Anyway, the choice was hers. Looking at her, she stared blankly at our clasped hands for some reason.
"Marronier?"
"......"
The moment our hands touched. Her dazed eyes fixed on mine like a girl's.
When I let go, Marronier pulled her hand back and stared at it intently.
She seemed lost in deep thought.
"Ah?"
-Rustle.
"Huh? Uh-huh?"
Her cheeks heated up. Ears red, Marronier shuddered and shot up from her chair.
"...What's wrong?"
"Shut up. Don't talk to me..."
What the hell was with the kid?
Her reaction was so intense I panicked too. I stood slowly, looking at her.
"Does it hurt?"
"...Huh? Uh. Y-yeah! It hurts. Why's this happening all of a sudden?"
Flailing her hand and babbling incoherently, Marronier backed away as I approached with my healing power.
I grabbed her hand forcibly and channeled it, feeling something snag midway.
'She's healthy?'
The power had no effect.
Her small, pale wrist in my grip. Tilting my head, I looked up.
She wouldn't fake it. But her face was like a bomb about to explode in a game.