Chapter 270
Chapter 270
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 270
Chapter Title: Seduce the Tree (11)
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[Then, before you go, hug me just once.]
After the meeting with the World Tree of Healing. She spread her branches wide in a small display of affection and hugged me.
That much was no big deal.
By the time Marronnier shyly covered her face with both hands, I took one step forward and opened my arms toward her.
The World Tree of Healing's wooden trunk settled right into my arms.
Her body fit entirely within my two arms.
[...When you're here, show your face from time to time.]
"Got a camera? Or a voice receiver?"
[No.]
The part of the trunk where branches split off into what served as her head.
I rested that on my shoulder, and the World Tree of Healing wrapped around my body with her abundant branches, hugging me tightly.
Anyone watching might think I was the one being devoured by this tree, the way she clung so firmly.
-Squeeze.
Her body pressing against me.
'To think the day would come when I'm doing this with a tree.'
I snorted quietly, making sure the World Tree couldn't hear, finding the whole thing ridiculous.
I closed my eyes.
-Thump.
At that moment, I heard a heartbeat.
A heartbeat...
That was strange.
Trees shouldn't have hearts. Yet here was this massive sound resonating.
Suddenly curious, I lifted my eyelids.
-Flash.
'Huh?'
In that instant, my vision turned pure white.
My view flipped upside down.
This wasn't where I had been.
A world unfolded before me like a small boat floating on a vast white expanse.
It felt warm, like being in a mother's embrace. A faint grassy scent mingled with the soft floral aroma enveloping me.
My lips curved into a smile without me realizing it.
The pleasant fragrance permeated everywhere.
'What is this-'
Skin so soft it gave me chills hugged me all over. Fingers slipped between mine.
She gently stroked my hair and back with delicate hands. Then, with a cascade of silky pale green hair, she wrapped me up like a gift in a box. Finally, she left a deep kiss on my neck, tinged with a sharp wetness.
The branches that had entered every crevice of my body were nowhere to be felt.
This world exuded a dreamlike aura.
It was ethereal, like a landscape painted on snow.
[My lord.]
The woman's face, which I couldn't make out clearly through the haze, smiled at me.
-Pop.
In that moment, my consciousness was flung out of the world like a rebound.
When I came to and opened my eyes again, the otherworldly atmosphere had vanished completely.
My vision held only the dim, flickering lights of the room prepared for the World Tree.
[My lord.]
The World Tree of Healing released me from her embrace.
[I'll wait for you.]
"Uh, yeah."
It felt just like waking from a dream.
As I pulled away, I unconsciously rubbed the spot on my neck where my lips had touched and stared at my palms.
A sticky wetness, like human saliva, coated my hands.
I turned and walked over to Marronnier.
"...Why the weird look?"
"It's nothing."
Nothing had happened.
Or at least, it felt like something had, but I couldn't put it into words.
The face of some nameless maiden flickered in my mind.
Just go.
After exchanging final goodbyes with the World Tree of Healing, we left the room.
-Click.
"Sigh."
The moment we stepped out, Marronnier made a pouty face.
"What the heck just happened."
She muttered in a weary voice, as if she couldn't believe what had gone down.
"Yeah, tell me about it."
I stood beside her, arms crossed, nodding along.
What a mess.
I'd come to help Marronnier by pretending to be her lover. But the target turned out to be the World Tree of Healing, and her over-the-top reaction had shattered our original plan.
The fresh, innocent vibe we'd had when we first walked in here was long gone.
Both Marronnier and I trudged on with exhausted faces, barely keeping our feet moving.
"You know..."
"What."
"Was it really okay to do that?"
Her question on the way back.
Even if it meant an indefinite wait, was accepting the World Tree of Healing truly the right choice?
Marronnier stared at me silently, her eyes full of doubt.
I had nothing particular to say.
Even if I'd been caught off guard, her emotions had been so intense.
"It'll be fine, don't you think?"
I adjusted my crooked mask and smiled.
"I've got a lot of responsibilities already. What's one more tree?"
"Responsibilities...?"
Marronnier looked up at me, her face brimming with suspicion.
She propped her chin on her hand, pondering my words for a long time before suddenly realizing their meaning, her cheeks flushing bright red.
"...H-How many are we talking!?"
Even if polygamy and polyandry were legal, it was usually two or three at most.
In my case, I was approaching a number I couldn't count on one hand anymore.
She was yelling like this now, but later she might regret it.
I gazed at Marronnier, who glared at me with her shy expression.
'...Wait a sec.'
A sudden question popped into my head.
How did Marronnier and I end up getting this close all of a sudden?
Baoya had a tough, straightforward personality, so we'd bantered roughly, shared our bodies, and grown close that way.
But with Marronnier, the most I'd done was spill some funny stories from my old life.
She was the first person I'd thought of when explaining the power of subjugation to Sun.
Her personality was timid and shy by nature. This was weird.
"Why are you staring like that?"
I reached out and placed my hand on top of her head.
Stroking side to side like petting a cat.
Her hair stood up on end, as if ears had perked up.
"...! Ugh."
Her scalp burned hot.
"What are you-"
She almost yelped but clamped her mouth shut, standing on the stairs and glaring at me.
This time, I slid my hand down to tickle her chin.
Blanche tilted her head up slightly, body stiff, unable to speak.
She even subtly pushed her chin forward, face beet red.
"Ughhh..."
Struggling to endure but stubbornly accepting the touch.
A cadet coming down the stairs paused midway, but Marronnier, hands cupping her cheeks and staring at the floor to hide her flushed face, was hard to describe.
'As I thought.'
Something was off.
*****
"Mr. Lee Si-heon."
"Yes?"
"Message from the second trial supervisor, Mary."
As I stood at my door about to enter, a suited man waiting nearby bowed his head in greeting.
It had been four days since I'd clocked in with Mary.
With real-time updates like this every day, it was easy for me to keep track.
"She says to come see her for your trial."
"Same as that morning last time?"
"Yes."
"...Sorry for the hassle every day."
I'll think it over.
With that, I sent the handler away.
I planned to keep Mary waiting a bit longer.
If I let her have her way unchecked, who knew when her bad habits would resurface.
But dragging it out too long wouldn't work either.
From Mary's perspective, I was just a lowly thing she'd met briefly in passing.
So far, I'd clung desperately and built some affection. Otherwise, she'd be laughing right now about some pathetic human sulking in his room.
-Click.
As I opened the door with resolve-
"Boss, you're back."
Sun, lounging on the sofa munching biscuits, waved when he saw me.
No Aori.
Just this Mok Taeyang guy had called me.
"Saw your message."
In his usual laid-back drawl, Sun chuckled, set his phone with earbuds on the table, and sat up.
"Looks like you used subjugation."
"Yeah."
I tapped Sun's leg, and he shifted to make room.
I sat beside him and popped a biscuit into my mouth.
"Who?"
"Gukmok."
"Oh... that African one?"
"Not her."
-Crunch.
The biscuit split in half. The texture that mildly clogged my throat wasn't bad.
"Feels like I used it unconsciously. Using it itself isn't hard."
I knew how to use the subjugation ability.
Or rather, I'd realized it at some point. I could sense the perfect timing.
But I couldn't be sure, because when I'd been with Marronnier, even I had lost consciousness.
I didn't remember the sensation from then.
Only bits of conversation stuck in my head.
Putting it all together, the subtle affection Marronnier was showing now still didn't make sense to me.
I explained slowly to Sun, who nodded.
"Then subjugation's the most likely. Damn, impressive though. Hitting someone with it on the first try is nearly impossible. So?"
"Can't undo it?"
Sun snorted at my words.
"I can, but should I?"
"I've observed plenty already."
In the worst case, she still had utility value, so keeping it didn't hurt me.
"Not good."
Sun shook his head as he said that.
"I can undo it, but it'll take at least another week, like you said."
I clicked my tongue.
"So what's the problem?"
"Subjugation's great and all, but some World Trees can detect the Wood Spirit King's connection lines."
"...First time hearing that."
"Yeah, 'cause you never used subjugation actively. Screw up handling a subjugated one, and if the Wood Spirit King thinks you've crossed the line, it'll come kill you."
Then implanting subjugation in Gukmok was absolutely off-limits.
"But didn't you tell me to subjugate Mary? And the others?"
Sun looked flustered.
Like he was wondering if I'd really said that.
He immediately punched his own head.
"Oops, my bad."
Crazy bastard.
Now that I thought about it, he'd been pushing subjugation steadily before, and it had nearly bitten us in the ass more than once or twice.
"That's 'cause you kept avoiding it. One or two is fine. Even a single tree. World Trees won't notice that much. Too faint."
"What if they do?"
"Play dumb like it's the cops and robbers. Duh."
Sun added one thing.
"Risky, but the gains are coming. The more you subjugate, the stronger the Wood Spirit King gets. Like filling the encyclopedia for power. Subjugation works the same."
"Does subjugation need to be maintained for EXP?"
"Nah. Once subjugated, it's banked forever. Think of it like a game."
"So hit and run's most efficient."
But to undo it, at least 2-3 weeks had to pass.
When the target's mental strength recovered and tugged against the Wood Spirit King's power evenly.
That's when you could decide to release or not.
"If their mental strength's strong, they can break it on their own."
"Then no more subjugation ever?"
"Once broken, they get immunity. Like mental magic. To make 'em yours after... gotta break 'em in for real."
Got it roughly.
One-week timer. If Marronnier's subjugation wears off, no more ever.
But if I rape her again or whatever to drop her mental strength, I can renew it.
Repeat that two or three times, and it's permanent.
"...Sneakily complicated power. Why didn't you explain this shit earlier?"
"Figured you'd toughen up eventually, so it'd be fine later."
-Smack!
Sun's head snapped back.
Need to grill him properly sometime.
Guy's like a golden goblin. Won't spill Wood Spirit King info unless I beat it out of him.
Who knows what else he's hiding.
A defeated sigh escaped my lips.