Eat The World Tree

“You, it’s all your fault!”

Maronnie pointed a finger at me and snapped.

“…If that hadn’t happened back then. Just holding hands… feels weird.”

She stepped back from the table, breathing heavily, staring at me. Her eyes were swirling in confusion. I was also at a loss, unable to move or react, my face blank.

Sssss… Haa. Maronnie took a deep breath, her bright red face gradually cooling to a pale pink.

Her rambling continued.

“…Don’t hold hands. Let’s just talk, only talk.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Sit still.”

“Blanche, what exactly…”

“Don’t call me that name.”

“Oh, okay. Got it.”

We had about two hours left to spend together. I chose my words carefully, observing Maronnie’s condition. Did the events of that day leave her traumatized? Her breathing was rough. I could hear her pounding heart even from a distance, and her purple-tinged blue eyes were darting around the room.

The teacup. The teapot. Her gaze fixed on such things before quickly glancing at my face, only to immediately look away.

“Is it trauma?”

“…It’s more like… Ah, nothing. Maybe it is trauma.”

“Drink some water first.”

I took a cold bottle of water from the nearby mini-fridge and poured it into a glass for her.

Gulp.

Maronnie, holding the cup in both hands, drank the water and let out a sigh, her face much calmer now.

“Phew.”

“Feeling a bit better? What suddenly happened?”

“…If I knew that, would I be sitting here like this?”

She glared at me, placing her hands on her knees, looking baffled by whatever changes were happening to her body. Maronnie quickly composed herself. She wiped away the slight tears with a tissue and pulled at her collar as if she were feeling hot.

“Should we just spik t he talk and leave?”

It didn’t seem like a good time to have a conversation. After hesitating for a long time, Maronnie finally spoke in a whisper, as quiet as a mouse.

“…That would cause more problems, so let’s stay.”

“Why? You don’t seem well.”

“If the rumor spreads that the National Tree abruptly left after only five minutes of meeting with a human, it’ll just bring me more trouble.”

I understood immediately and sat back down quietly. Right, Maronnie was a living representative of her country. Everything she did could become an issue. While others might easily brush things off, she couldn’t afford to do so. She must tread carefully, even when crossing a stone bridge.

‘But with her condition, she could easily come up with an excuse.’

She must be worried about people maliciously spreading rumors. Eventually, I took on the task of setting the table. Using the methods I had learned from Seyeong and Jin Dallae before, I set the table and poured tea into the cups. The makeshift greenhouse was filled with what appeared to be freshly baked treats, which I laid out generously on the table.

“…Thanks.”

Maronnie fanned herself as she sipped the tea. I sat quietly, waiting for her to speak.

It wasn’t long before she did.

“…Tell me an interesting story.”

Out of the blue, she asked for that.

Hmm. This was tough.

Was this what it felt like to be a father with a daughter who begged for a bedtime story when she couldn’t sleep? An interesting story. What stories did Maronnie find fascinating? As I racked my brain, I recalled a snippet of our past conversations.

Everyday stories. The kind of things she never experienced but that others took for granted—Maronnie liked those. But was that the right thing to do in this situation?

To break the awkward silence, it’s the right thing. I slowly started.

“…Do you know about ‘Do’?”

“What?”

“It’s a story about a cult. It’s well-known in Korea.”

“What kind of story?”

A cult story.

The kind where someone blended in awkwardly, got pulled in, and then encountered a bit of madness. Just when things started feeling wrong and they decided to leave, they found a group of grown men following them.

I began telling the story.

It was a mix of typical events you might hear about in online communities, stitched together to sound like my own experience.

“If you zone out too much, you never know when a cult might approach you.”

In my world, these were just rumors, but in this one, it might be worse. With magic and powers at play, it wouldn’t be surprising if they started chasing people down with fireballs.

So I mixed some truth with the lies. It became clear that it was a lie, but in the end, I managed to craft a pretty gripping short story.

“They lure people in that way. If you don’t comply with their demands, they threaten to report you to the police… And if that doesn’t work, they start threatening your life.”

Maronnie had been listening intently, and when I finished, she carefully asked,

“…Is that true?”

She believed it.

“No? It’s a lie.”

“….”

Maronnie’s eyes immediately narrowed.

“Are you making a fool out of me?”

“You were so absorbed in the story. But most of it is true.”

“So, such things do happen?”

I nodded, and Maronnie sipped her tea, lost in deep thought.

“…So, Koreans always live with such dangers.”

She said it seriously, but I could see she had a bit of a Sansuyu-like tendency. Watching her made her self-conscious, and Maronnie snapped her gaze back at me, startled.

“Why, what?”

“Nothing. Is there anything else you’re curious about?”

“Something I’m curious about…”

After thinking for a while, she cautiously asked,

“What kind of food do you eat?”

“Food? It varies from house to house. Koreans eat rice. Basically, they eat it with side dishes and soup.”

I wasn’t sure how to translate side dishes or soup, but Maronnie nodded as if she found it very interesting.

“There are families that make a big pot of stir-fried pork with onions and bean sprouts… or some families prepare individual side dishes and set them all on the table.”

“What about you?”

“I’m similar. I stir-fry eggs or some meat I have at home and put it on top of rice. Lately, I’ve been eating bread or sandwiches more often.”

“Don’t you go to restaurants?”

Restaurants…

Usually, people who could afford expensive restaurants didn’t even look at them. Couples with some financial room, people who posted pictures on social media, or wealthier families were the ones who usually ate out. It’s not uncommon to find people who had never been to one, especially those who stayed home and made do with simple meals.

“Were you like that too?”

“Me?”

I went quite often. I had my fill when I was younger.

“Not anymore, but I used to live well back then.”

“I see.”

As the conversation continued, Maronnie seemed to relax, a faint smile forming on her lips.

Her gaze, much more comfortable now, was fixed on my face. We locked eyes through the mask. I put a cookie from the table into my mouth and chewed. Thankfully, she was listening to the story well.

Thanks to Maronnie, I was able to continue the conversation with ease.

“You seem really curious?”

“Of course, I am…”

“Is it tough being the National Tree? Like, do you never have experiences like these?”

Maronnie frowned as if to say, “Don’t even get me started.” A slightly somber tone escaped her lips.

“…Honestly, it’s hard.”

She forcefully popped a cookie into her mouth and chewed.

“It’s hard to endure. Ah, but this is just between us… don’t tell anyone else, okay?”

“Got it.”

“As the National Tree, I represent my country. You could say I carry its reputation on my back… If I mess up, it reflects poorly on the entire country. If the sixty million people of France make a mistake, they might get criticized for it. Do you think someone like me has any freedom?”

Probably not. From diet to training and even leisure time, she would be under constant scrutiny. For someone as introverted as Maronnie, it would be nearly impossible to endure.

“It’s like… I have no time for myself.”

“Can’t you sneak away for a bit? Maybe disguise yourself or something?”

“I’m allowed a maximum of one hour of free time a day. How can I sneak away and enjoy anything in that time?”

It would be nearly impossible. Unlike me, who squandered my life in indulgence, Maronnie grew up drinking the dregs of society, so it was understandable that she would feel such deprivation.

“If only you could teleport or something.”

“It’s possible.”

“…What?”

I responded reflexively to Maronnie’s mumbling.

“Space magic.”

“You can do that? Don’t be ridiculous. That’s something even the Sage poured his heart into creating…”

“Would you believe me if I showed you?”

I had used space magic before to comfort the young Baekdo, Hwangdo, and Cheondo.

‘Hwangdo taught me something good.’

At the time, when she made me memorize what felt like a dissertation overnight, I wondered if I could ever use it, but now it’s one of the most useful spells in my arsenal.

“Is it true?”

“It’s true.”

“…How is that even possible? No, never mind that. Are you bragging about it?”

“No, I’m just saying I could take you somewhere if you need. In an hour, you could at least have a meal somewhere, don’t you think?”

I could take Maronnie there and then get back to my work. And after an hour, I could teleport her back to France, which would earn me quite a bit of favor.

Borrowing Maronnie’s powers would benefit me as well. Since I had the pretext of looking for the Flower, it wouldn’t be a bad proposition for her either.

After organizing my thoughts, I looked back at Maronnie. Her face had turned slightly red.

“…”

“What’s with that look again?”

“…Are you suggesting something?”

Suggesting what?

Oh. A date?

As I blinked and turned my gaze, she fidgeted with her fingers. She had been reacting strongly to things like this from the beginning.

Just by her reactions, one might get the wrong idea. Could it be? No, that’s impossible. We’re not even on good terms, and she’s not Lee Seyeong.

“So… you’re saying you’ll-”

“I’ll just take you there. I’ll do my work. Or if there’s something you want to see, I could show you around.”

“…”

“I actually have a few things I want as well.”

As I added that, Maronnie snapped back to reality, cooling down as she glared at me.

“Wh-what do you want? Were you planning something from the beginning?”

“It’s nothing bad, I promise.”

It was beneficial for me, and it’s beneficial for you too.

Only Maronnie could read my thoughts. Couldn’t she give me a hint if she sensed someone with malicious intentions?

I started explaining my current situation in detail, trying to be as convincing as possible. Maronnie listened, seeming quite surprised by what she heard. Not long after, I received her answer.