Eat The World Tree

Two days.

Far too short a time to prepare.

Sigh…

During the relatively deserted early morning hours, wearing perfectly ordinary everyday clothes, short-sleeved, Tube Rose walked along the streets of Seoul, her hair—a white base tinged with a faint yellow—swaying.

Her pockets were full of medicines.

The method of injecting these minute amounts of medicine was simple.

Hmm… Huh? Ah, whatever. She’d buy it quickly.

A boy, looking tired as if he had been studying late into the night, walked towards her.

Tube Rose passed by the boy and swiftly inserted a syringe into the man’s neck.

She rapidly administered the medicine, completing the injection before the subject could feel any pain.

“Ah, I’m sorry.”

“…Yes.”

The boy bumped shoulders with Tube Rose and awkwardly apologized to her.

With this, the clinical trial was concluded.

Now, unaware, the boy would suddenly die in two days.

His dead body would become an Ent and wander near the city.

‘…This is terrorism, not just an immature act.’

Tube Rose watched the boy walking away, oblivious.

She then emotionlessly put the syringe back into her trouser pocket.

This immortal medicine manifested slowly and painlessly when injected in small amounts.

Of course, the lethality of the medicine was 100%.

Except for members of the Corneus family, there had never been an exception.

In other words, it’s a deadly poison of instant effect.

It infected the target, forcing them to attack their own allies—a terrifying weapon of demon arts.

The members of the Flower organization had already administered the medicine to many bodies long ago.

‘If this goes well, it’ll be complete.’

If the medicine was completed, that might herald the day of war.

The secret wish of Cistus was finally coming to fruition.

‘Now… try and stop this if you can, you monkeys.’

She turned her head and took in the breathtaking view of the city.

Ha-ha-ho-ho. It looked like a painting of a harmonious everyday scene.

Completely different from her own life, yet she felt no jealousy.

Flowers, like parasites, clawed their way out from the depths of a depraved life, clinging to ethics.

Indomitable because they had forsaken human bonds.

This was why they absolutely obeyed the orders of their superiors and did not hesitate to commit suicide.

Scholars had various conclusions, but his thoughts were different.

People in Flower had each experienced despair at the hands of the World Tree.

People who lost family or lovers due to the World Tree’s judgment.

Those who, after having their property seized and their status stripped, could not find work and resigned themselves to their fate.

Suffering injustice, unable to discern right from wrong—that’s what being a Flower meant.

‘…The World Tree is a false god.’

The King of Spirits and Cheonma.

There’s a reason they stood against the World Tree.

Did they initially oppose the World Tree?

Initially, the relationship was amicable. Over time, both great figures realized the error.

Receiving discrimination for being deemed dangerous changes people’s perception of the World Tree’s judgments.

There was a woman in Flower who lost both her beloved and her place due to the World Tree’s decisions.

She could barely keep herself together, surviving day by day on medicine.

Was the method wrong?

That’s just an idealistic notion.

Just look at the dark side of the Hunter Association; human trafficking was commonplace.

Young girls from noble families were sold into slavery for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

Was that just a minority?

What a joke. The World Tree also turned innocents into candidates for husbands, using them as its nourishment.

Tube Rose stood at the city’s edge.

One by one, figures in robes appeared behind her.

“…Is the preparation complete?”

“Yes.”

Tube Rose, her eyes filled with vengeance, muttered under her breath.

“Everything is for Lady Cistus and the Oracle.”

They knew they were garbage that couldn’t beg for mercy.

It’s fine even if they died.

There’s no thought of begging for their lives pathetically.

They wouldn’t pretend it’s about justice, unlike those hypocrites.

“……”

‘Why do you do this among yourselves, disgusting ones? You know everything about each other, don’t you?’

Hunter Association. World Tree Foundation. Religion.

And many corporations and families of high repute.

Thinking of them, Tube Rose smiled.

A dead Flower was a good Flower.

It had been two days since I realized that while killing them.

I didn’t know what they were thinking, but I couldn’t let down my guard.

‘They’ll die anyway, no matter where they come from.’

Swish.

I dressed Shiba and put a kindergarten cap on her head.

“Beep!”

Shiba’s head had branches growing from it, so her cap is relatively larger than other kids’. That made her even cuter.

“Shiba, can you do well today?”

“Yes!”

Shiba smiled brightly and nodded once, then stretched out her tiny arms.

I picked up Shiba.

“Daddy… coming?”

“Of course~ Daddy’s coming too.”

“Pe-hee-hee~!”

Our daughter laughed heartily.

Shiba’s long green eyelashes and hair tickled my cheek.

We giggled together, cheek to cheek.

‘…It’s another early leave from the Academy.’

I had been skipping the Academy too often lately, and the institution had sent a recommendation.

Messages urging me to attend classes, as many as twenty, had come from the instructor, reminding me of my duties.

But… I couldn’t help but skip the Academy this time too.

Well, it’s our daughter’s performance.

She’s going to play the drum and sing with her little hands; that had to be understood.

The instructors, if they were fathers themselves, would understand my feelings.

Just this time, it couldn’t be helped. Just this time.

Creak.

I checked that no one was around, then opened the door and left the dorm room.

Holding Shiba, I stood in front of Jin Dallae’s room.

“Shiba, we should greet Mom.”

“Dallae?”

“Yes, Dallae.”

Shiba glanced at me once, then, understanding, knocked on Jin Dallae’s room door.

Knock knock.

“Come in.”

A voice emanated from beyond the door.

I entered the passcode for Jin Dallae’s room, which I had memorized a long time ago.

“I’m here… You? Come in.”

Jin Dallae was fully dressed.

Standing at the door, she was dressed more prettily than usual today.

She wore a dress with see-through elements, the same one she had worn a long time ago when we had drinks together.

Looking at the dress, which slightly revealed the straps of her underwear, Jin Dallae hesitated before asking.

“…Perhaps this isn’t really appropriate for kindergarten?”

“It’s pretty, but yeah, it’s a bit too much.”

With kids around, it’s too provocative. Jin Dallae nodded and decided to change into another outfit before going back into her room.

I sat in the kitchen with Shiba, waiting for her. Shiba, fiddling with her hands, smiled cheerfully.

“Baa.”

“Hm?”

“Puppy!”

Shiba folded her fingers, moving them up and down, pointing at a shadow. I pretended to be surprised and stroked Shiba’s head.

“Pe-hee-hee.”

“All done.”

Soon, Jin Dallae reappeared, now dressed in a cute outfit suitable for a spring outing.

“Is this okay?”

“Yeah, it’s fine. Pretty.”

“Hee-hee.”

Hearing the word ‘pretty,’ she beamed with happiness. Jin Dallae came over and hugged both Shiba and me. The warm family embrace was brief as Jin Dallae then eagerly scooped Shiba into her arms.

“Shiba, have you been good?”

“Pe~”

“Hee-hee.”

It was hard to decipher Jin Dallae’s thoughts from her laughter. She cradled Shiba’s face against her chest, then puckered her lips like a duck towards me.

It was a desperate plea for a kiss.

“…Quickly.”

The push for affection out of Shiba’s sight. I lightly kissed her lips, which were shimmering with gloss. Her tongue darted into my mouth, tapping the roof of it.

Slurp.

A ticklish sensation followed by a quickly withdrawn tongue. Jin Dallae licked the corners of her mouth, giving a sly, foxy grin.

“…Sweet, isn’t it?”

Her question was met with a faint sweet taste rising from my lower lip. It seems it’s not just cosmetics.

“I taste it too.”

A provocatively thrown single line.

“I still can’t believe you actually like me.”

“…That’s an old story.”

“When you think about it, it’s not that long ago. Three months? Four months?”

It was just a few months ago. After several heartaches due to various incidents, I accepted her confession, and things quickly evolved to this point.

“…So, you dislike it?”

Jin Dallae puffed up her face, glaring at me as if to scold.

I didn’t dislike it. In fact, I liked it.

But… wasn’t it strange?

After becoming closer, she looked at me with much deeper eyes. A lover’s influence seemed to affect appearance too; she had become much paler and slimmer than when I first saw her. Her hips seemed slightly larger too, which was undeniably sexy.

Swish.

Jin Dallae continued to stroke Shiba’s head while gently caressing my cheek. She pressed her fingers into my cheek comfortably, and for some reason, she kept chuckling.

“Am I some kind of doll?”

“Because it’s nice to touch.”

Today, Jin Dallae was also skipping the Academy. She was mindful of the minimum required attendance, so she figured it was okay to skip just this once. Instead, we would watch Shiba’s performance together.

“Shall we go?”

A couple arranged to watch their daughter’s performance. Moreover, Shiba recognized Jin Dallae as her mother, almost as if we were a married couple.

Jin Dallae seemed to be thinking the same, as she was holding my hand tightly.

“Let’s go quickly.”

The kindergarten was already crowded with the children’s parents.

Parents who already knew each other were chatting and boasting about their children. The inside of the kindergarten was colorfully decorated, from the balloon-made entrance to the helium balloons floating at the ceiling.

Jin Dallae and I sat at a table, looking at the still-empty stage.

“Is that where the performance will take place?”

“Yes.”

“It’s wonderful. Will our child do something like this someday?”

If we have one, maybe. But that’s a story for after a lot of other things are done.

I smiled lightly at Jin Dallae.

“Ah… not that Shiba isn’t my daughter.”

“I know what you mean.”

It meant she also wanted a child of her own.

“Do you want one?”

“…”

Nod.

Her face turned red as she nodded.

“These days, a lot of people choose not to have children.”

“I don’t like that idea.”

Recalling discussions from my own world, I spoke a word, and Jin Dallae strongly opposed it. If I suggested not having children, she would seriously argue about it.

“Let’s eat some fruit then. Ah, open wide.”

Jin Dallae, indicating she wanted no further discussion, poked the fruits with a toothpick to feed me.

Apples among other fruits quickly filled my mouth.

As I obligingly ate, a familiar face walked towards us.

“Hello, Shiba’s parents~”

It was Shin Hye-yeong.

Jin Dallae’s face brightened immediately upon seeing her.

“Ah, teacher! Hello.”

“Hello~ You two seem to get along very well.”

Clap. Perhaps it’s a habit from dealing with children, she clapped her hands to catch our attention while greeting. Shin Hye-yeong was wearing a yellow apron and smiled brightly.

“Do you know how hard Shiba has been preparing?”

“Really?”

“Of course~ Oh right. After filming, it’ll be uploaded to the kindergarten’s homepage. Isn’t it going to look lovely?”

Jin Dallae, agreeing with her, took out a camera from her bag.

“…When did you bring that?”

“You have to bring one to events like this.”

Jin Dallae, familiar with the settings, smiled as she prepared the camera.

“Recording our children growing up, and watching it together at home later makes for good memories.”

“Yes, yes. I know.”

They always got along so well.

Shin Hye-yeong was a bit older, but she and we were of a similar age.

It seemed like she was involved in making the balloons. Pieces of burst balloons were stuck to her apron.

“Ah, it’s about to start, so I’ll go now.”

“Good luck.”

As Shin Hye-yeong left, I was watching her back. Jin Dallae poked my ribs as she eyed the cute kindergarten teacher uniform.

“…Do you like that kind of outfit?”

“No, it’s not that. Just noticed the balloons.”

“She seems to really like Shiba, doesn’t she?”

Our Shiba does have a lot of charm.

I leaned back in the chair, looking at the still-empty stage.

Just as the kindergarten teacher was about to climb the stage with a microphone.

Woooom!

The sound of cell phones ringing echoed from everyone’s seats.

It vibrated louder than usual from my pocket.

Beep-beep-beep.

The sound that played when a disaster message was received on a cell phone… everyone simultaneously lifted their phones.

[Emergency Disaster Message] - Terror incident occurred. Close doors and immediately refrain from going outside-

Why now… of all times.

‘These bastards.’

Inopportunely.

Seeing the message, my face hardened immediately.

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