49. Sacred Tree
49. Sacred Tree
"Come on, once you're done with the side dish containers, give them to Seolhwa. Oh, do you like tangerines? Right, take these too."
"Uh, Eomeoni, slowly the amount is too much..."
"Oh, if you're such a picky eater, you won't grow tall?"
...Anyway, I'm not going to grow any taller at this height now. In my arms, which had been hit at a sensitive weak point, the various side dish containers that Seolhwa's Eomeoni had made were piling up, forming a mountain.
"That's right, Yuriel. How long are you going to keep poking your head out and looking up at me? You need to eat a lot and grow tall."
"That's right, that's right. Your boyfriend made a good point. If you two have that much of a height difference, you'll suffer later, you know?"
"......"
No, I said he's not my boyfriend. Whether because she'd been thoroughly roped in by Seolhwa's instigation and fabrication, even when I said no, Seolhwa's Eomeoni seemed to think of it as just a shy girlfriend's fussing. Meanwhile, that bastard Siwoo, backing up that remark for the sake of going along with it, was also pretty irritating. I really felt like giving him a noogie.
Then Seolhwa's Eomeoni, as if a thought had occurred to her, whispered something to the attendant accompanying her, and soon the attendant brought over a wooden box engraved with a unique pattern and handed it to me. Compared to everything else she'd given me until now, it was clearly luxurious and expensive-looking at first glance. Seolhwa's Eomeoni smiled warmly at me and Siwoo, then said,
"Open it. It's a gift."
Inside the box, six white eggs, slightly larger than chicken eggs, were carefully placed. Around the surface of the eggs, strangely, light flickered and enveloped them.
"They are eggs laid by a duck that has imbibed the Lifespring. I suppose the light enveloping the eggs is probably because of that."
"Th-thank you..."
"It's quite expensive, so you should treasure it?"
"Ah, yes."
With that, Seolhwa's Eomeoni smiled with gentle eyes, looking fondly at me and Siwoo. Honestly, I didn't know where to put myself. As far as I know, this is quite expensive—not just expensive. Since there are only a few Lifesprings on the continent, and raising them is extremely difficult, and their efficacy is so remarkable that they can even revive the dead, I know that buying just one of these eggs would cost a fortune that could buy an island. I feel like I've received something absurd.
"Come to think of it, can all of this fit in the dormitory? Maybe I can stack it in the carriage trunk?"
"Ah, that's fine. I've learned a bit of magic. Yap."
With a short sound effect, the items in my arms vanished. Spatial storage magic. Honestly, this magic wasn't made for something like this, but the more the merrier.
"Wow, Yuriel can do things like this too? Where did our Seolhwa bring such an outstanding friend from?"
"Well, a little..."
"I was a bit worried you might have trouble carrying it, but with this, I can just pack as much as I want. That's a relief."
"G-good thing. Aha, ahaha..."
To be honest, I'm quite a picky eater. Since my body doesn't necessarily need to consume nutrients anyway, unless it's food I really want to eat, I just take a bite and leave it. Considering the amount of food Seolhwa's Eomeoni is giving me, I probably won't finish it even by graduation. With the thought that I should pack it up during summer vacation and hand some over to my hometown, I forced a smile.
Scratching my head with an awkward smile and looking around, I saw traditional Korean-style houses lined up, each exuding its own beauty in an atmosphere reminiscent of a hanok village. The strange mix of Joseon era and modern vibes stirred a peculiar emotion in me. So this is where Seolhwa lives. The fact that a few lines I'd skimmed over in the original work were now described so delicately before my eyes made my heart pound a little.
Actually, I'd planned to quickly plant the Seed of Gehenna in the center of the Lifespring and leave, but Seolhwa's family members, having heard my explanations, insisted with countless expressions of gratitude and earnest requests to have dinner together, so I pretended to give in and, along with that bastard Siwoo who'd been standing there stupidly, moved to Seolhwa's main house.
After enjoying a full-course Korean meal there for the first time in ages, before planting the Seed of Gehenna, I had time to take a walk around the Seolhwa family estate. Along the way, every time we passed a vegetable garden or an orchard, Seolhwa's Eomeoni, wanting to offer something, kept piling side dish containers on me, so I ended up carrying enough side dishes to last me well through the remaining two and a half years.
While pondering ways to lighten the food burden at least a little by passing it to Siwoo, who eats relatively a lot, I was stuffing various foods into my spatial storage, unable to refuse Seolhwa's Eomeoni's consideration, when Seolhwa approached us with a bustling sound.
A refined yet elegant hanbok. Seolhwa, with her jeogori loosely fastened, was beautifully illuminated by the streetlight, making her look even more stunning. If I were a guy, my heart would definitely be pounding.
Just in case, I turned my head to look at that bastard Siwoo, but he furrowed his brow slightly, glanced at Seolhwa, then lost interest as if he didn't care. Yeah, that's what I thought. Just live and die alone, you bastard.
"You're here, our daughter. What's Seolhwa's father doing?"
"He's still crying."
"I see."
For reference, Seolhwa's father had shown signs since the carriage ride, then suddenly started sobbing, shedding tears like chicken droppings while eating. He definitely had a very dignified image, but unexpectedly showing his human side made me feel a bit of familiarity.
"Seolhwa, hi! And that Siwoo-nim, hello too..."
"Ah, yes."
What's this? They're speaking politely. Well, since they had zero interaction unlike in the original, that makes sense. I made a mental note to arrange a time for them to have an extremely awkward moment together, and with a broad smile, I continued the walk.
As I continued walking, I stuffed seven types of vegetables, including raspberries, into my spatial storage. Can I really eat all of this?
After cramming food into my spatial storage, I walked again with that bastard Siwoo, Seolhwa, and Seolhwa's Eomeoni. With each step, I could feel the concentration of mana gradually thickening. Probably a signal that we were getting closer to the Lifespring.
Soon, the trees and blades of grass around us, imbued with life force, emitted a faint green glow, welcoming the guests. The closer we got to the center of the spring, the more I felt my mind and body, which had been a bit tired from the clear and fresh air, being purified.
After walking for a while, the surrounding green trees gradually parted, and the Lifespring came into view.
At the center of the Lifespring, which was faintly glowing with blue light, a massive old tree stood, and in front of it, Seolhwa's grandfather, the head of the family, was gazing at it with distant eyes.
I looked around, exchanged a brief glance with Seolhwa, Seolhwa's Eomeoni, and Siwoo, then walked toward the center of the spring. With each step on the water, a gentle splashing sound reached my ears.
"You have come."
The head of the family said.
"Ah, yes."
"Thank you... for saving Seolhwa."
"......It was only natural. She's my friend."
Because she's my friend.
Having said that—casually yet with certainty—I took out the Seed of Gehenna and approached the old tree. The old tree still seemed vigorous, emitting life force, but it looked somehow unstable.
This was the reason the Helts family could make such an enormous demand, including the marriage of Seolhwa, the precious youngest daughter of her family, as a condition.
In the past, the life force emitted by the Lifespring and the Divine Tree at its center here was so remarkable it could be called a miracle without exaggeration. But after the great incident thirteen years ago, the Divine Tree suffered a severe wound that was hard to heal, and the life force it emitted had been gradually decreasing.
Although the ownership of the Divine Tree belonged to the Seolhwa family, the miracle it emitted was not exclusive to the Seolhwa family. It belonged to her family, to the many other families subordinate under the family's name, and to the countless people living on the family's land. The faster the Divine Tree's rapid aging accelerated, the greater the family's worries grew, and if things continued this way, they would soon face a major crisis that could leave them buried in debt.
It was the Helts family that extended a hand at that time. Under the guise of goodwill, they provided funds to the Seolhwa family and gave them opportunities to extend the Divine Tree's miracle. Even though the Seolhwa family knew this was not pure goodwill, they accepted the offer to put out the immediate fire, and the Helts family, using the pretext of caring for the Divine Tree and providing funds, started with small things and gradually tried to take more and more. But of course, by the time they realized something was wrong, the Seolhwa family's financial situation and the possibility of the Divine Tree's recovery were no longer something they could handle on their own—a predictable story.
That's why, even after breaking off the marriage between Paul Helts and Seolhwa, I had to find a way to revive the life force of the Divine Tree, which was almost beyond recovery. After much thought, I found the answer.
I carefully knelt on one knee, scooped out a bit of soil, and planted the Seed of Gehenna in it.
A seed that calls forth a miracle capable of reviving any existence, as long as even a single speck of life force remains within it. One in the Emperor's treasure vault, one in the Dragon God's labyrinth. To this seed, one of only two on the continent, I infused a great amount of mana and covered it with soil again.
In the original work, it was used for that bastard Siwoo when he was half-dead, but as long as I'm here, I won't let Siwoo end up like that. If things get tough, I'll just rob the Emperor's treasure vault, I guess.
With that thought, as I waited for a while, the old tree, which had seemed on the verge of withering, gradually took on life force, emitted a brilliant glow, and began to infuse vitality into its monochrome leaves.
Colorful petals bloomed beautifully in their own hues, and here and there, fruits with a faint crimson glow bore fruit.
A Divine Tree, in the truest sense of the word.
"Hee, heeick, heeiiick...!"
"Hey, hey, relax your ass. It doesn't go in well. There we go."
"Hue, hueueue...!"
"Why are you being such a brat? Yap."
"Ohohock!??♥"
At the sight of Yuriel, who seemed to be crying out that she'd reached her limit, clenching and unclenching her anus trying to spit out the duck eggs I'd inserted, I couldn't help it and slapped her ass. Together with a gush like a water pistol, the duck egg, emitting a faint glow from her anus along with transparent intestinal fluid, popped out with a pook sound.
"Ah, now I have to put it back in. How annoying. Relax, Yuriel."
"Haaah... haaah... haaahh...!?!!♥"
"If I just leave it, it'll probably fall out again. Ah, there was this."
"Euh...? Euheet...!? Haaaah...!?"
"Pfft, it's hilarious how you're struggling to lay an egg. Sorry, but now you can't take it out without my permission even if you want to. Fighting."
In response to the goodwill that Yuriel had offered without any ulterior motive in the Seolhwa family, as a humble gesture in comparison, I inserted the cork stopper made from the flower that bloomed on the Divine Tree into Yuriel's anus—the greatest favor they could offer—and only then did Yuriel's egg-laying come to an end.
With the entrance already blocked, Yuriel, trying to somehow spit out the duck egg, wiggled her hips left and right, her movements quite unsightly.
"There, you're wearing this for tomorrow's tournament, got it?"
"Ahhuuu...! Hruuueek...!"
When I first tried to insert all six duck eggs into her intestines, I was honestly anxious and worried, but seeing Yuriel manage to get all six duck eggs imbued with the Lifespring into her stomach made me feel quite impressed and proud. Yuriel, who had been letting out uncomfortable groans at first because something that shouldn't be inside her intestines had entered, was now letting out vulgar and lewd moans as if she'd gotten used to it.
"Right, I'll check if you're safe tomorrow when you lay the eggs. If even one of them has a crack, I won't let you off easy?"
"Hue, hueueue..."
"No answer."
"Aheut?!?♥"
Come to think of it, I recall a moment earlier when the Seolhwa family members gathered, crying tears and snot, expressing their gratitude to Yuriel. Did they say she was their hero? Sorry, but right now that hero is on my bed, sticking her ass out and wiggling, drooling love juices. How vulgar.
"Did you have fun making friends behind my back? Yuriel."
"Ohoh, hooooh..."
"Since you danced with me, I'll let today slide. Get ready, because starting tomorrow, I'm going to work you really hard?"
With her face buried in the pillow, drooling, Yuriel was still clenching her ass, seemingly still holding a lingering attachment, as I stroked her hips. Just that touch made her flinch, and the petals of the flower stopper spread open as she tried desperately to clamp them shut—it was cute.