Master?
Was this a dream or reality?
Yes?
The girl tilted her head to the right, puzzled.
Master?
Rubbing my eyes and looking again, it was Cheondo. The distinct facial features and eyes, as if drawn by a brush, were exactly as I knew Cheondo to be. Despite her young age, the dignity in her posture was not far from that of the Cheondo I knew.
She looked like she could be a primary school student, but considering her height, maybe a second-year middle school student.
I dont quite understand what youre saying.
The doll in front of spoke, blinking her round eyes filled with curiosity and bewildernt several tis. I lowered my gaze to reduce the distance between the girl and myself. As I assessed the girls magic power up close, I could tell that a substantial amount of magic power was settled deeply within her danjeon.
I wondered if she might be related to Cheondo, but that wasnt the case. Having checked this far, I was certain.
Cheondo.
!
As I uttered the girls na, Cheondos face visibly stiffened.
How do you know my na? I havent even told the external relatives
Because I ca from the future.
The thought crossed my mind just as I felt a sharp pain in my heart.
-Thump!
-Talking about the future is forbidden.
It felt like a terrible pain was telling , revealing the truth could endanger my life.
I had no intention of ntioning it, but a warning?
Now I understood why the World Tree of Ti said we cant ntion the future.
Phew
I took a deep breath to calm my mind and body, organizing my thoughts. It seed like I got too excited about seeing young Cheondo.
Anyway, I had to find my purpose. Since I appeared in front of Cheondo, there must be a reason the World Tree of Ti sent to the past related to her.
I looked down at Cheondo again. Her eyes, which I thought would never show any disturbance even if a thatched house were to burn down, were trembling violently in front of , and no one else.
For so reason, I felt a perverse sense of elation.
-Thump thump.
At that mont, soone tapped on my shoulder with a nacing hand, embedding a threat.
Youre a face I havent seen before. How did you get in here?
Turning my head, I saw two adult n dressed in black martial uniforms frowning at .
This place was the private property of Dowon.
Ah.
What nonsense. State your na. What business do you have here? Or you didnt enter without permission, did you?
Coming from the future, how could that not work? Such an excuse wont hold.
Judging by my complexion, the warriors seed to have made their assessnt, lowering their voices and reaching for their weapons at their waists. Despite having co across ti, in this place, I was clearly an unauthorized intruder. Given that Cheondo, a disciple of Cheonma, was here, this place, Dowon, must be very strictly managed.
Hmm.
I glanced at Cheondo once and then at the warriors.
I was in trouble. Reluctantly, I gathered magic throughout my body.
Fast enough to be undetectable.
I concentrated magic on the soles of my feet and jumped upwards with all my might.
What?!
I soared like a bird, activating levitation magic.
-Whoosh!
Eating acorns and riding on the energy of the wind magic, a whirlwind lifted up. My field of view contracted then expanded. From the air, I looked down at the wide Dowon where I had just been standing.
Dowon was made up of a residence encompassing an entire mountain range, with ancient buildings lined up without exception from the foot to the summit of the mountain.
Its too vast to set a coordinate.
Falling from the sky to the ground, I searched for a place to use spatial magic but couldnt find a suitable location. I might really get caught if I was not careful. I didnt want to be hostile since this was the family ho of my master.
Should I even ask for permission?
While slowing down my fall with the wind as much as possible, I adjusted my direction and landed on the roof of a building.
[Ah, can you hear ?]
Then, the voice of the World Tree echoed in my mind.
The World Tree of Ti?
[Im sorry. I lack the magic power If you wish, I will summon you to the present whenever you want.]
Nows not the issue. What should I be doing here?
[Im sorry. I do not know.]
Crazy woman.
Though I already knew this, given the situation, I was on the verge of cursing.
Call back then.
[Understood.]
Thunder struck, and -
Take that!
How dare you step into Dowon without permission? If you get caught, youll really-
The warriors who climbed onto the roof to chase disappeared from my sight in an instant.
My body was back in the place where I was with the original World Tree.
The wasteland I had seen before. The place where only one tree starkly stood alone.
I collapsed to the ground, sighing deeply.
My body was shocked by the sudden consumption of magic power.
The World Tree, noticing my quite bad mood, spoke as if making excuses.
[My only role was to send you to the past.]
I know. I just called you to think for a bit. Can I go back to the past?
[Until the mont my life ends, its always possible. For about 5 days.]
Less than a week.
Exactly during the period of the training camp.
[Of course, that also requires a certain amount of magic power supply.]
Magic power supply?
[You need to share a bit of your magic power with . Currently, I have no ans to recover my magic power.]
Well, I can do that much.
Since weve agreed to cooperate
I reached out my hand and injected magic power into a rotten root protruding from the ground.
After transferring about 50% of my magic power, the World Tree fluttered its leaves in gratitude.
The leaves looked more vibrant than before.
[Thank you, Lee Shiheon.]
Its creepy, just speak informally.
[No, I cannot.]
Now it was using honorifics.
To such a World Tree, I asked sothing I had always been curious about.
Why is a tree killed by the Tree King helping ?
[As Ive said before, those who inherit the power of the Tree King can always beco an absolute being. Not straying from the beginning is the best thod. It wasnt so in the past but this ti, we must change from the root. And it will be beneficial for you too.]
No. I an, do you have any personal grudge or sothing?
[.]
A leaf fell from the sky.
[For the greater good, so sacrifices are unavoidable.]
Of all the World Trees Ive t, youre the most World Tree-like. Not sure what that ans by my standards.
It would be nice if other World Trees were like this.
They seed to only care about threatening my life.
The others were pretty much all testing my limits, except for the World Tree of Purity.
The World Tree of Healing That one was as stubborn as .
The World Tree of Ti was a fairy.
Ah, speaking of World Trees, do you know who the World Tree of Purity is?
[I do not know.]
As expected.
I clicked my tongue and stood up.
I wondered if Lee Seyeong had t Jin Dallae by now. I decided to put that thought aside for now.
Cant ss up big things because of current relationships.
Given the potential this situation had to influence my life,
The face of young Cheondo was still vivid in my mind. Having experienced it, it was obvious that it was related to my master. How should I approach this?
Is the place the sa?
[No, the ti and place change every ti. Where it moves to Im not sure either.]
Its your ability, yet theres so much you dont know.
[Im sorry.]
I supposed I would have to accept it as fate.
Fortunately, there didnt seem to be any being trying to harm forcibly like before.
If the future is so ssed up that even the World Trees are stepping in
[I cannot answer that now.]
Just talking to myself.
I sat quietly and ditated for a few minutes.
What should I do in the past?
My actions could potentially alter the present.
[No. The present will not change.]
A point made by the World Tree, cutting through my thoughts.
[Its a complicated issue to explain It would be good for you to know that.]
The World Tree, which erged to change the future, asserted that it could not change the present. Despite the contradiction, this was a relief for . It ant there was no need to restrain my actions. Before long, I reached a conclusion.
If theres no objective, then I would do as I pleased.
If theres sothing I want to say to young Cheondo or anyone else, Ill tell them everything before I leave. It would be good to extract all the information I can get from that place. Maybe I can learn sothing about the Flower. And since it had co to this, I thought about eting the person known as Cheonma once.
Send back to the past.
[Understood.]
The World Trees magic enveloped my body again.
The changing view. How many tis has it been?
The repeated spatial movents were enough to give a headache.
-Thud!
I landed in a cozily dark place.
Where was this, and when?
Touching the floor, I felt the warmth of an ondol heating up. With a click, a lamp turned on. An old lamp on a bedside table lit up, brightening the room warmly.
?
It was just a mont.
Just then, my eyes t Cheondos.
The ti was dawn, the location, a bedroom.
Cheondo, having just bathed, wrapped her hair with a towel as big as her body. A white towel draped below her neck made her look like a rabbit. Though she was dressed lightly, it was fortunate that I wasnt dead for being an unknown intruder who brazenly entered the bedroom of the great Cheonma.
Cheondo blinked, unable to accept the situation, and continued to dry her hair in the sa posture.
You.
Why was the timing always like this?
I called out to the World Tree of Ti, but no answer ca back.
It seems Im really in trouble.
Inside a luxury suite of a hotel.
-Zzzzzz.
Seyeong smiled gently as she skillfully served flower tea to Dallae. The table was piled high with sweet snacks.
You dont dislike sweets, do you?
Yes.
Instead of the snacks, Dallae swallowed her bitter saliva, observing Seyeongs complexion.
Dallaes hands, clasped politely, trembled like a reed in the wind.
Today, they had gathered here to talk about a relationship with a man. Given the subject matter, Dallae couldnt shake off her nervousness no matter how hard she tried.
You must have read the ssage.
What do you think?
Seyeong was the first to break the silence.
The man in question was Lee Shiheon, who was not present. The content of Seyeongs ssages was all shocking to Dallae, who had confessed her love to him the night before.
She had heard about Lee Shiheons complicated relationships with won, including his relationship with Seyeong. They were all heart-wrenching stories that were hard to hear with a clear mind. Thats why Dallae had trouble managing her expression since she entered the room.
Professor Seyeong.
Youre speaking so formally. We were once close as student and professor. Speak freely.
Freely, honestly.
Dallae finally spoke, her words filled with sincerity, without any flattery.
Honestly, Im not sure what youre trying to say.
What part?
Lee Shiheons relationships with won, even from Dallaes smitten perspective, were not exactly wholeso. Anyone else would have condemned him for toying with won.
Of course, Dallae had long known the reasons for his behavior from Seyeong.
The husband of the World Tree I dont know why he didnt tell , but I understand.
Due to unfortunate circumstances, he was targeted by the World Tree, leading him to embrace other won as part of a quest. Dallae understood that his relationships continued to grow because he naturally ford deep connections and struggled to sever them, causing problems.
Polygamy Honestly, she didnt mind.
Because of love. She couldnt imagine him favoring just one person.
From Dallaes point of view, it was a good story.
An attractive proposition. Any woman who liked him would be tempted.
Personally, Dallae wished to have him all to herself, but that was just a minor regret. This discussion was a once-in-a-lifeti opportunity to beco closer to him.
But human emotions werent so straightforward.
Because she liked him, she could consider his position and try to empathize Putting herself in his shoes, regardless of her own feelings.
-Thump.
The more Dallae thought about his position, the colder her heart felt.
It was painful to admit, but Lee Shiheon liked Seyeong. He had even confessed his feelings.
Confessing must have taken a lot of thought and courage.
However, Seyeong coldly rejected him.
Why did you reject his confession, Professor?
Dallae was curious about Seyeongs decision.
Why reject it?
For what reason?
Guaranteeing one persons love for a lifeti.
Even as societal attitudes changed, the story of a man and womans eternal love, one-on-one, was what everyone dreamt of.
Dallae had told him she would commit her life to him, and her sincerity contained no deceit. Only those who have confessed can understand such feelings.
-I dont know.
That one sentence she heard was unbearably painful.
Its difficult to express.
It feels like being prodded with a knife, legs trembling, unexpected tears springing forth. Yet, not wanting to lose the other person, even if it seems like facing a cliff, one ends up rambling. The words that co out cant be normal, but you do it anyway. Because you like them.
If soone can cleverly get over being rejected in a confession.
That person was either not sincere in love or possessed extraordinary ntal strength.
Thats why Dallae was angry at Seyeong for rejecting his confession.
Its not like youre playing with him.
Emotion leaked into her voice.
What is it, exactly?
To Dallae, their relationship seed like that.
Rejecting the confession but giving vague hopes for the future, continuing to et while leaving possibilities open.
Her hands trembled violently.
Yet encouraging him to see other won
The frustration she felt throughout the ssage reading was there.
If you like him that much, just accept his confession and stay with him for life. Do you even like him?
Seyeong didnt sip her tea but quietly listened to Dallaes words, as if hearing sothing profound.
Think about him If it were .
If it were you?
I wouldnt have let him be so stressed.
Accepting the confession from the start was the solution.
In such cases, breaking ones love was secondary.
To Dallae, Seyeongs stubbornness seed selfish.
Like everyone, Dallae was also selfish, but
Even being aware of it, everything went haywire when it ca to Lee Shiheon. And she hated herself for not realizing it until now.
Dallaes obsession was rightly directed at Lee Shiheon.
So, thats what you were curious about, Dallae.
Seyeong murmured bittersweetly, smiling softly at the agitated Dallae.
There are excuses. Not that Im right, but excuses. Whether Shiheon will accept them
It was trivial.
Keep it a secret. If he finds out, itll be chaos.
Seyeong chuckled, forcing a laugh as she continued the conversation.
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