Chapter 260
Chapter 260
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 260
Chapter Title: Charm the Tree (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Meeting with Marronier.
At first, I wondered how it would turn out, but in the end, it went exactly as planned.
"That's really true? It doesn't seem like it."
"We have to consider even the remotest possibility. You're looking for Flower too, aren't you?"
Finding the Flower hiding in this place.
That's my mission, the directive from the Hunter Association.
After explaining everything step by step for an hour, Marronier cautiously admitted she'd received a similar request.
Surprisingly, Marronier and I had the exact same task.
I'd gotten the order from the Hunter Association, while she'd heard from the World Tree Foundation. Though the organizations differed, both sides shared a sharp vigilance toward Flower.
Association's secret agent. That's how Marronier took my words.
"...So that's why you're so strong."
She wiggled her fingers, convinced by the power I'd demonstrated.
"Anyway, got it... You want me to check out the national trees?"
"Yeah."
In this situation, you're the only one I can trust.
I didn't think Flower was sloppy enough to get caught by Marronier's authority.
But I believed her mere presence could give Flower some fatigue.
"If I do it... then you'll take me somewhere else?"
"Is that the issue? If we find even a clue on Flower, I'll immediately take you on a tour of commoner eats, and I'll take responsibility for even more than that."
"...E-even more than that?"
Marronier blushed her pale cheeks and blinked. Her lips twitched, then she nodded vigorously.
Nod, nod, nod, nod.
"Okay. I'll do it. You too... let me know if you notice anything suspicious."
"Of course."
A dramatic deal sealed.
We couldn't shake hands due to Marronier's mysterious condition, but we exchanged gazes of mutual trust.
As we talked business, time flew by before we knew it—two hours gone.
We could extend if we wanted, but usually, it ends there. Two hours on a first meeting is pretty long.
I stood up and said to her,
"Time's up. Let's go."
I had things to do too. By now, that Bao bitch might be wrecking my room.
As I turned to leave, suddenly a pitiful sound came from behind.
"...Ah."
A cute noise like a stray alley cat would make.
"What's wrong?"
"...We only talked about work. We didn't talk about anything else at all, did we?"
"Nope."
Blink.
Every time she blinked, her gaze darted elsewhere.
She was fine talking business, but now what's this all of a sudden.
I bent my knees to meet Marronier's eye level. She bit her lip hard as if mustering courage, then cautiously spoke.
"Um... can we extend just once?"
"Huh?"
"I still have so many questions..."
I could practically hear her eyeballs rolling.
She put it that way, so how could I refuse.
It was fun watching her reactions. Entertaining to observe.
Cat.
The more I saw, the more cat-like she seemed.
If every household had one Marronier, world peace might be secured. A few might even nod at the joke.
"Alright."
I finally parted ways with her after getting Marronier's phone number from our first meeting.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I entered the room and took off the mask.
The longer I wore it, the more sweat built up inside, making it unusable.
I was only using it because Azalea kept insisting, but how long did I have to keep this up.
It wasn't like an infinite mask with perfect comfort. As the gem inside came loose, the mask grew even more uncomfortable.
'Bao hasn't come yet.'
I thought while changing clothes.
Bao hadn't shown up in the morning or at lunch.
She must still be reeling from the last incident, keeping her distance.
Or maybe she was racking her brains over the second trial. Either way, if Bao didn't barge in, it was good for me.
Knock, knock, knock.
A knock at that moment.
Not pounding on the door, so not Bao.
Cornus, Sun, or Aori—one of the three. I put on the clothes I was holding and headed to the entrance.
As expected, flunkies A and B were waving their hands meekly at the door.
"Perfect timing. Come in and sit."
"Huh? Bro, you seem in a good mood? No cursing the second we meet today."
"When did I ever curse right away?"
I treated these two more roughly than others, but I wasn't that much of a jerk.
"Really? Hehe."
Sun bonked his head and stuck out his tongue.
Sudden urge to curse welled up.
Sun made a throat-slitting gesture surging with murderous intent. As I pondered what to do with this punk, Aori elbowed him in the side.
"Eek!"
Her fist sank about 5cm into his gut.
Aori toddled over, took my arm, and headed to the sofa.
"King, come in. What's the story?"
"Aori, you little... "
"Sun, you should thank me. I just saved you from getting beat by the King."
"What bullshit. Aori."
I ignored the two bantering and brought cola and snacks to the table.
Most things were prepared, but I'd drunk too much tea lately and needed a change.
"So, what's up? Another counseling session?"
Sun, now composed, asked me.
Spot on. The usual counseling.
With these two always crossing lines, it was easy to talk frankly—a real advantage.
They knew a lot about me and were the closest to the Wood Spirit King. Plenty to consult on various matters.
I took a sip of cola before speaking. The fizzy carbonation tingled down my throat. Wetting it loosened me up.
Talking commoner life to Marronier had tired my throat.
"Ahem. How about you guys?"
"Cut it straight like that, how am I supposed to know? Oh—trials?"
"Yeah."
"Unfortunately, I'm a male tree."
Unfortunately...?
That wasn't what I meant to discuss.
Aori, sitting nearby, shot back at Sun.
"Why do you think you couldn't do it with a male tree, Sun?"
"No way~ Why would I? You go stick it on tree branches."
"...Tch."
Off to left field again.
"Calm down and hear me out."
Sun and Aori looked at me. Where to start. I organized my thoughts and began.
"Long story short... It seems like she has zero intention of letting me pass."
"Why?"
"She seems to hate humans big time. Grabs every word I say to nitpick and curse me out. Gives nothing on the trial... How do I handle this?"
"Aha~"
Sun clapped like he got it.
"What tree is it? Got the info sheet?"
I handed over the folded paper with info on Merry. Sun snickered reading it.
"This one's easy."
Easy?
To my questioning look, Sun made a lewd thrusting motion.
"Just fuck her. Flip the panties and go. Enslave her, done."
"......"
"Why the face?"
"No other way?"
Merry was a tree, but not a World Tree.
Raping her probably wouldn't yield much benefit for me.
Of course, I'd never grafted with a non-World Tree, so who knows...
"That enslavement thing. Does it always work?"
"Nah. When the target's sufficiently submissive, mentally weak, etc... Basically doesn't work on World Trees or strong-willed ones."
"Conditional, huh?"
"If there's a big power gap between you and your sex partner, it's basically 100%. Mental strength difference. But come on, how strong-minded can a greenhouse flower like this be?"
Looks like she'd wail at a single falling leaf.
Sun tapped the tree's ID photo on the paper with his index finger.
I agreed with what followed. Merry couldn't tolerate even the slightest unfairness against her.
"Bottom line, fuck her, cum once, and it's over. Trial passes automatically."
"......"
"Still not convinced?"
"No matter how I think, barging in and fucking her suddenly sounds like it'd screw me over."
From what I heard, no cameras in the room.
Not broadcast either, but still, wouldn't a tree have some way to protect herself.
If caught doing harm to her body?
Heresy might mean summary execution.
"You're the guy who ate a national tree in the first trial. Not the words from you."
The first trial stage was nearly impossible to monitor.
A modified existing dungeon.
They go through the hassle of deploying AI camera artifacts for a reason. No other way to monitor.
"But this is different."
"Hmm... Maybe not. I think differently."
Sun pointed at the tree again.
"Would a girl like this really allow filming in her own home?"
"If it's hidden, maybe."
"Pfft... Trees aren't that oblivious. Especially to mana—they're dozens of times more sensitive than Wood People. Thinks she won't notice one artifact?"
Makes sense.
The self-proclaimed tree expert saw it differently. Lots of useful insights listening. Absurd to use for tree-fucking.
"Artifact's unclean mana flow is like unpleasant EM waves to trees. Some tolerate it to protect themselves... but from what you say, not this one?"
Sun grinned.
"Safety complacency. Listen. Think from her perspective. She's a superior tree anyway—who'd dare touch her? Only inferior species would. Ridiculous."
Scarily similar tone.
"Exactly."
"You think I've met one or two? When I was a kid, I was their plaything."
Sun invoked his tragic past to instill confidence in me.
Go give it a thrust. I was getting dragged into Sun's logic more and more. Problem was, I started seeing it positively.
"I'll consider it as a last resort."
"Got another way?"
"It says Wood Spirit King is the ultimate husband material for trees?"
"Yeah."
That method was too extreme. Mess up, and it'd be crossing an irreversible river.
Risky. Bad for my mental health too.
Decision made, I cautiously said,
"This time, I'll try my way."
"Can I trust you?"
I returned Sun's smile with one of my own.
"It'll be fine."