Chapter 288
Chapter 288
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 288
Chapter Title: Three Days Should Be Enough, Right?
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Under the Sage's guidance, I toured a total of nine slums.
Four were managed by the Flowers. Five were nominally under World Tree oversight. In the end, I still couldn't figure out what this woman was trying to tell me.
"Shall we head back now?"
The Sage, her clothes caked in dust, smiled at me. Her expression was unreadable.
She always wore a smile, but it was impossible to know her true feelings, which made it hard to warm up to her. It was the face of someone accustomed to hiding herself.
"Sage."
"Yes?"
"So, what is it you want?"
I asked her straight out.
What did she want from me?
The Flowers were scum, no matter how you looked at it.
Difference in perspective. The Sun could think that way. It was possible to grow up getting food under the Flowers' protection.
That's why I said nothing when she spoke of the Flowers.
To the Sun, that was the case. Bead didn't really listen much, except for a few parts.
But even the Sun didn't deny it when I called the Flowers a filthy, ugly bunch.
The Sun knew deep down.
Even if they protected the slums, she knew what went on there.
I might not know, but the Sun was one of the test subjects herself.
She tried to stay rational no matter the situation.
But knowing that, how would I feel if I started badmouthing the Flowers to her?
The Sage gazed steadily into my eyes.
Her pure white eyes, looking slightly up at me, resonated faintly.
"I want nothing."
"People like that usually want it the most. Don't hide it—spit it out."
A moment later, she spoke.
"For you to make your own choice. Sephirot only records knowledge and history, so I simply wish to observe your path."
"Then why show me all this? It's not some newfangled gaslighting."
"To open your eyes to what you've been ignoring. Truth be told, it's something we couldn't do for the previous Wood Spirit King."
The Wood Spirit King again.
I furrowed my brow behind the mask.
"Forcing me to see what I've ignored will just fill my world with misery. Do you want to make me suffer, Sage?"
"The price of power. But that's too cruel to say. It's a power you never asked for. Either way, knowing more will help you make better choices. I won't force you."
"......Fine."
Too abstract.
"What now?"
"Have you memorized the coordinates?"
"It'll take at least a week to commit them all to memory."
"Then every morning, until you do, repeat this routine with me."
"And then?"
"This time, let's talk about broken systems. You've seen the negatives—now the positives. Which countries are on the brink of collapse, Korea's foreign policy, and so on. I'll tell you what the Flowers' terrorism has wrought."
Like a textbook lesson.
She was right—I was lacking there.
History was similar, but with mana and World Trees, the figures and greats were all different.
Listing out all the things she planned to teach me one by one, the Sage looked positively thrilled.
I shot her a sidelong glance and sighed inwardly.
What exactly did this woman, the World Tree of Knowledge, want?
Sometimes it seemed like mere amusement.
Like sitting high up, watching what these fools do, then picking one that stands out and raising it up.
Even I said it—what nonsense.
A World Tree claiming strict neutrality as an observer.
Yet her actions were so out of left field.
She was aiming for something.
'Showing me the true faces of the Flowers and World Trees. To gain some advantage from it?'
Or purely to watch my actions?
The Sage was trying to give me unbiased information on both sides.
Yet from my position, it was all uncomfortable tales, ugly stories with no one in the right.
"...Overthink it, and you'll go bald."
"It's fine. Luckily, Dad's genes skipped the baldness."
"Hehe, not what I meant. Relax—like you're back in middle school. I'm just sharing what I know."
"...Sure."
I could only accept it with detachment.
At my wry tone, the Sage bowed her head slightly.
"In a normal world, you should've lived an ordinary life."
"I've come to terms with it a while ago."
"......That's a relief."
"And I've got a lot of people I like now."
Though I didn't know if I'd fixed the future where one of them dies.
I might not understand her worldview, but I could grasp her words.
"Honestly, I'd like you to be one of them, Sage. Things have been overwhelming lately."
Damn, too many enemies.
If even one more person was on my side—or at least not against me—that'd be great.
Thankfully, she didn't twist my meaning; the corner of her mouth lifted slightly.
"Rest assured—Sephirot and I will never betray you. You're a valuable person."
I hoped so.
*****
Back in Eden, the first place I headed was my room.
-Click.
The moment I opened the door, the thick scent of a Wood Person wafted out.
Someone had worked out here or something.
A strange yet sweet aroma made me pause to identify it.
It was Marronnier's scent.
Turning my head, there she was—sprawled on my bed, lost in deep sleep.
She must've washed her hair and crashed straight away; a towel lay on the bed, and the sheets were damp.
I reached out and gently gripped her shoulder.
"Cat or dog?"
There were magic lessons during the day.
Cornus wasn't particularly gifted in magic, so she'd take other classes, but Marronnier and I had walked the path of the mage.
Whether the Sage had ulterior motives or not, skipping magic would be a loss.
"Hey, wake up."
"...Mm."
"Sleep in your own bed if you're gonna crash."
She mumbled drowsily at first, then cracked her eyes open and focused on my face.
"Lee Si-heon?"
Our eyes met squarely.
"Ah."
-Thump thump.
The sound of her heartbeat. Was her devotion flaring up again? Flames shot across Blanche's face like a gas stove igniting.
"......"
"What're you doing here?"
"...D-Didn't you knock?"
"It's my room. Get up—the Sage is waiting."
"The Sage? Oh, right. We're in the midst of trials."
She sat up in a daze; her hair was a mess from falling asleep right after washing it.
Damp and sticking up in spikes.
It reminded me of a kitten's tufted fur, and I couldn't help but chuckle.
She was cute.
"Wh-Why are you laughing?!"
"Nothing. What about my sheets? Look how soaked they are."
"Oops..."
Marronnier patted my bed apologetically. Then, as if remembering something, she pursed her lips and averted her gaze.
"...Swap with mine."
"Fine. Turn around."
"Why?"
"Look at your hair."
I pointed to the wall mirror, and only then did she pitifully stroke her own head.
Not giving her a chance to speak, I moved behind her and ran my fingers through her hair.
I often did this for Se-young or Azalea after nights together and showers; whether due to talent or practice, I was skilled at it.
I dried it with magic and gently combed it out.
"What're you doing?!"
"Hold still."
No time to waste—I finished quickly.
"Whoa, seriously... I hate people touching my hair."
Black ribbon tying her hair into twin tails, just like her usual style.
Sleek lavender locks.
"Wow."
Even Marronnier, who'd been protesting, admired the result and looked at me.
"...You're used to this. Who else?"
"A few people."
"M-Multiple..."
I'd done it for Cornus sometimes too.
Lately, she slept in, so not much, but oddly, when she slept with just me, she'd wake up groggy and I'd end up handling everything.
I placed the last hair tie on the nightstand and pointed outside.
"Let's go. Magic lesson time."
"Wait... my staff."
She grabbed her staff from beside her bed and followed barefoot in white stockings.
"Took a bit longer than expected."
"S-Sorry!"
"It's fine. Sit."
The Sage smiled at Marronnier, and we took seats at two chairs that had appeared out of nowhere.
Magic training.
More like a math exam than training.
Magic was ultimately mana phenomena blooming from precise calculations; I'd struggled with it under Hwangdo's lessons.
"We'll start with the basics. Lee Si-heon, you've heard this before, I assume?"
Before diving in, the Sage glanced at me.
Had I? I tilted my head.
"Your master."
"Ah~ Sister Hwangdo? Yeah, same theory, so I've heard it."
"Hehe, Hwangdo was so cute."
"How'd you two meet anyway?"
A bit off-topic, but the Sage reminisced with a smile.
"Well... in a dungeon. I once helped a staggering little girl on the brink of death. Then a red-haired kid with slightly different hair asked me for a favor. Fun girl. Three personalities in one body."
Probably the three from their weaker childhood days.
"S-So, Sage, you take disciples? I heard you don't."
"If someone wants it, I can teach anytime. It's just that most who try don't achieve much depth."
"......The Sage's disciple."
Marronnier clenched her fists, gazing at the Sage with envy.
Her stare intense enough to burn holes in the clothes.
"Hwangdo was a genius, they say. She picked things up without instruction... If anyone's a grand mage, it's her, not me. No one could match her talent. That's why I taught her."
"I see."
"Oh right—one thing she always said... wanting to find a love worth devoting her life to. Wonder how she's doing now."
Was it my imagination, or did the Sage glance at me?
I hadn't seen Hwangdo lately.
Master was too busy. She'd mention seeing me on broadcasts occasionally, but no direct meetings.
Still, I heard updates through her.
Seemed she was fine—no real dangers yet.
Three peak experts in one body? Expected.
"Lee Si-heon!"
While listening, Sephirot arrived and patted my knee.
"Hug?"
"Meow!"
No choice—I picked her up and set her on my lap.
Marronnier looked shocked, glancing at the Sage, but it had happened plenty.
"With Sephirot here, enough chit-chat. Back to lessons. Both of you have the aptitude. Just to ask—what's your proficiency level?"
"I can use most known spells. But effects and efficiency aren't much different from others."
Marronnier answered first.
I didn't know much about magic.
Just academy level. Up to the highest difficulty in the textbooks.
Even that could hurt S-rank Hunters.
Output came from mana quality and quantity.
Just brute-force it.
My wind magic aptitude was so high it suited me.
"Lee Si-heon has quantity issues, Marronnier quality."
The Sage nodded and raised her hand.
The library shook once, and books rained from the sky.
-Rustle rustle!
Magic books accelerating, then halting just before the floor.
With a gesture, she placed them on our desks.
"Study these first."
Fifteen books. 190 pages each.
No joke.
Remembered midterms, cramming magic—Hwangdo spreading papers and arrays, yelling this was nothing.
"Whew."
Tours, training, past visits—and now more studying.
Marronnier looked pale too.
Not just reading—understand, solve, memorize by repetition. Maddening.
"Three days should be enough, right?"
There were no easy paths on the great road of the mage.