Eat The World Tree

Chapter 223: Lonnie (3)

“You’re a genius.”

The words she had heard countless times since she was young still echoed in her mind.

“Am I a genius?”

Of course. Who else could be a genius if not you? Everyone said so because it had to be true. In fact, she was what people commonly referred to as a precocious genius.

Maronnie (Horse Chestnut Tree).

Her family, the Maronnie, was a symbol of France. The beginning of the revolution, the first spark. When everyone was raising their flags, lining up and screaming, soaking the revolutionary road with blood and tears, Maronnie was always there.

The embodiment of France. Always at the forefront, bearing the honor.

Every Maronnie who led the tricolor flag had the same name. The first to lead the revolutionary army was Maronnie. The one who subdued and grew the echoes of the revolution was also Maronnie.

To the French, Maronnie wasn’t just a common landscaping tree. They always felt the nostalgia of the revolution when they saw Maronnie.

They had no names. Well, they did. But it had been so long since they had been called by those names.

Maronnie Blanche (White Horse Chestnut Tree).

The reason she became Maronnie from Blanche was simple. Her sister, who was supposed to inherit the Maronnie, had gone missing.

And she was considered far more talented. She had unique abilities.

The National Tree must carry the nation on its back.

Thoroughly educated, they must sacrifice their lives to symbolize the dignity of the nation.

That was what a National Tree was. Always lonely. Always desolate.

Yet, they could not show it.

Unlike the previous Maronnies, the leaves of this Maronnie were darker and more murky.

It was an inevitable result.

“Genius.”

Maronnie considered herself a genius because everyone else did.

She could read other people’s minds well.

What was considered a coincidence became more accurate as she grew older.

Now, over twenty years old, she had grown to the point where she could visualize all the scenes imagined by others.

It was a useful achievement. But compared to other National Trees, she was lacking.

Genius (天才) and genius (淺才) were different. No matter how much she tried to cover her inadequacies with shallow wit, there were always those who surpassed her.

As the days went by, her tone became sharper. Like all National Trees, she became extremely vulnerable to matters of national dignity.

She repeated it to herself many nights.

“Why do I live?”

There was no purpose.

Symbolizing the nation was a grand task. Not just anyone could do it, but she still dreamed.

A normal academy student or an ordinary wooden figure’s life. Her life if she were born as someone else’s child.

What thoughts would they live and grow with? What processes would they go through when sprouting and blooming their dreams?

Maronnie hummed with a small hope.

“…♬”

A girl playing the flute.

Under the crescent moon. Sitting on the window sill, wearing a wide-brimmed hat, singing her wishes, memories of short summer nights.

The soft fur of the cat beside her thigh.

When children walk towards their fragrant dreams. The National Tree, guiding them. Its dark and tragic story.

Maronnie of early summer, singing while scratching her mosquito-bitten skin. Her story. My story.

The maids in the mansion wrapped her song in hope and dreams and spread it to others.

The song of Maronnie floating on the internet was revealed without her desire.

The French March.

It was a moment when another of her hobbies vanished.

“Why am I in this mess…”

Maronnie grimaced inwardly as she led the way.

Step by step with the staff in hand. But recalling her recent defeat made her feel utterly frustrated.

“If only the forest and the dungeon weren’t in such a mess…”

Though she would be scolded just for losing, there were still excuses to be made.

She hadn’t intended to use her full power from the beginning.

Intermediate magic. Even that would knock out most students.

She used it to scare or drive them away. It was even better if they got hit and dropped out.

But the opponent was stronger than expected. Faster than imagined. And she was a long-range mage focused on firepower, clumsy at close quarters.

A situation created by various factors… that’s what the internet articles would say.

Maronnie’s brain cells were saying the same.

[The opponent was bad. Maronnie. You know the difference between you and that guy, right? It’s not that you’re lacking.]

“Right?”

Thinking that way, another part of her mind came out and scolded her harshly.

[You’re showing your lack of talent. Blanche. A mage who can’t do close combat? How can that be acceptable for a National Tree? If you had talent, you should be able to do even that.]

Maronnie’s lips pouted at the cruel words of the new thought.

“…”

She stopped midway and stuck out her tongue. It made her feel a bit clearer in her chaotic mind.

“What are you doing?”

A man’s voice from behind startled her.

“Oh, nothing.”

Maronnie responded with a trembling voice and continued to navigate the dungeon.

A scary man with a mask.

Wasn’t he Lee Shiheon from El Academy? He seemed like someone who would appear in her dreams.

The staff came down with a barrier, almost crushing her.

She might have really died if she got hit by that.

Gulp.

Why did she keep swallowing her saliva?

Maronnie, with dizzy eyes, kept a close watch on her surroundings.

In front of her, the golem spread its arms as if protecting Lee Shiheon and Maronnie.

Creak.

Spiders crawling along the stone wall just in time.

Maronnie extended her hand and instantly electrocuted them.

Bzzzzt!

The spiders fell off the wall, their legs twitching wildly, spurting bodily fluids as they died instantly.

Seeing this, Maronnie thought. Yes. This was how it should have been originally.

The speed of electric magic is particularly fast. It’s hard for normal eyes to even keep up.

Assassination over power. Dodging it was impossible.

Even experts preferred to block it.

But to twist one’s body and dodge it fluidly? To narrowly avoid it? Could anyone do that?

“Absolutely not a magician.”

Wasn’t it El Academy? The academy where Jung Siwoo was.

How could such a person emerge from there?

Even the wind magic this person used was beyond imagination. Its power was comparable to intermediate magic despite being beginner level. It felt like seeing a sage in his prime.

And above all, the skillful movements.

“…Flower?”

A thought flashed through her mind.

“Yes…”

Recently, the order came to her from the church.

To read the minds of several people. And to report immediately if there were any suspicious individuals. They suspected there might be a Flower.

“Such a talent wouldn’t just sprout from barren land out of nowhere.”

Baseless suspicion is bad, but it doesn’t explain this person’s strength.

Unless it was someone well-known like Jung Siwoo.

The name Lee Shiheon was one she had never heard in her life.

Above all, he was human.

70% of the Flower organization was made up of humans. Therefore, the probability of Lee Shiheon being a Flower, given that he was human and not a tree person, was significantly higher than others.

Maronnie glanced at Lee Shiheon.

“…?”

His emotionless eyes behind the mask were directed at her. Maronnie felt her breath catch.

‘Why am I like this?’

Her heart pounded. Arrhythmia? Was she finally going to die?

It was definitely not affection or anything similar. The feeling of her legs trembling and wanting to be away from him was likely…

[Coward (C → A)]

Maronnie was unaware of Maronnie’s nature.

The clueless Maronnie could only tremble in fear.

Even as a National Tree. Even as a National Tree.

She forgot to exhale and continued to inhale. Only when her lungs were full could she finally breathe out.

“Why are you acting strange all of a sudden?”

The man’s awkward gait.

Maronnie blinked and took a step back.

Recalling her duty and the church’s request, she slowly activated her unique ability.

Mental World.

The ability to directly read and visualize the thoughts and imaginations of others.

A faint cross appeared in her eyes, and vivid scenes emerged in her mind.

The problem was—

“…Oh.”

Even her unique ability had grown two levels.

[Lustful Devil B → S]

And Lee Shiheon, aside from the unique abilities and nature of the uncontrollable Tree Spirit King, had also advanced two levels.

S-rank nature was almost indistinguishable from a human’s identity.

Maronnie’s unique ability made her experience the man’s imagination as if she were right there.

Thud!

“…Ugh, Ugh.”

Echoes resonated in Maronnie’s ears.

It felt incredibly realistic, like the sound someone makes when they bite down and endure something.

Maronnie hurriedly looked around.

In the imagination? What was this?

The sign she had seen earlier. If what it said was true, her ability had developed.

It provided an opportunity for those entering the dungeon to advance a level.

But this time, the direction seemed somewhat wrong.

The feel of the limestone brick as she stepped back. It was the first time something felt so realistic in an imagination.

“Oh… Oh.”

The voice that had been grating on her ears.

Maronnie turned her head toward the voice.

Buzzing.

As soon as she took in the sight, a massive headache, like being pricked by a needle in her ear, hit her.

Unbelievable. Maronnie’s eyes widened.

What she saw was a grotesque scene of a man and woman entwined.

The woman’s thighs were on the man’s arms, unable to struggle, bound and being violated grotesquely.

“Please stop…”

The Maronnie in front of her couldn’t have looked more vulgar.

Her blue hair tied in pigtails had long since come undone. Her damp strands stuck to her neck and the man’s skin.

The words spoken by her melted face were far from their original denying intent.

“Ah, Ah… Ah.”

The man, lifting the small Maronnie’s hips and placing her on the stone bricks, pressed her head down with his hand.

Maronnie swallowed involuntarily.

‘…Like a beast.’

“…Ah! Ah! Please stop… Ahhhh!”

The Maronnie in front of her was moaning in pleasure.

She wiggled her small hips, exposing her sexuality to the beast in front of her.

She longed for her reddened thighs to be spanked.

Drip, drip.

The dungeon floor was wet with urine. The man continued to thrust without stopping.

Her weak body wouldn’t stop despite her knees being scraped. The Maronnie in front of her focused only on pleasure, ignoring pain.

Was she really enjoying this? Why?

It’s just… sexual activity.

A National Tree had lived a life far removed from such lustful hobbies.

Yet here was Maronnie. Herself. Being brutally toyed with in front of her eyes.

Gulp.

An indescribable disgust surged up.

Hidden in that disgust was a curiosity that annoyed her even more.

Her head ached.

Thud!

Maronnie was thrown out of the Mental World.

Lee Shiheon looked at her with a strange expression.

“…Huff, huff.”

“What’s wrong? Suddenly.”

The man asked casually. Was he really human?

It felt like she had glimpsed a deeper abyss than Flower.

Maronnie’s thighs trembled in shock.

Gulp.

What if he knew she read his mind just now?

It’s just imagination in her mind, but if he knew she had those thoughts, he might try to make them real.

He had a lewd imagination about the National Tree.

There could be no greater blasphemy. In that case, he might just commit the act.

They might have to fight to the death.

‘…Pretend not to know.’

Pretend not to know.

She read his mind without permission, so it’s partly her fault. As long as it doesn’t happen in reality… imagination isn’t illegal.

Her face was burning hot.

Maronnie turned her head sharply. She walked quickly ahead.

“L-Let’s clear it quickly. Clear it.”

“Alright.”

The man’s indifferent voice echoed. Recalling her earlier thoughts, Maronnie shuddered.

She felt like a tear of cowardice was about to fall.