“What is the difference between an ordinary person and a terrorist?”
A white chess piece advanced and occupied a black square.
“What defines the boundaries of a criminal?”
A white pawn, no more than a re foot soldier, kicked away the knight and reached the end of the board.
Once at the end, this humble pawn could transform into any piece except the king.
“What shifts the ego of a human being?”
In other words, a pawn could never beco a king.
Fate and a miraculous coincidence.
Though one might say the seeds of royalty were not predetermined, upon closer inspection, exceptions always existed.
A person led by destiny itself.
Thud!
The black king fell to the floor.
It rolled and tumbled, hitting the dusty corner of the wall.
A small, white hand picked up the king.
“Tree King.”
Sephirot grabbed the king tightly but accidentally dropped it.
The king, seeking freedom, rolled across the floor.
“Lady Sephirot, you’re sothing else.”
The Sage hugged Sephirot, staring straight ahead.
Reflected in their eyes was the image of a man.
Torturing a tree seed laughable, but it was a way to discern potential.
Human thoughts shifted slightly depending on circumstances and environnt.
Though a mind once set was difficult to change, humans were creatures that adapt to stimulation.
“Tree Spirit King.”
From her perspective.
“I thought he was chosen for no reason, but I guess that wasn’t the case.”
Lee Shiheon was certainly worthy of being chosen.
Even as a duplicate, he clearly distinguished friend from foe when it ca to a child.
“If he had been a virtuous person, he might have shown a gap in this situation.”
Jung Siwoo.
If he were the seed of a hero, he would not have stabbed Cistus under these circumstances.
Perhaps he would have fallen victim to a counterattack instead.
“When I first saw Lee Shiheon, he wasn’t like this.”
Then again, even the Lee Shiheon of that ti wasn’t exactly virtuous.
By indulging in lewd thoughts and emotional outbursts, he had shackled his own mind. Perhaps this outco was inevitable.
‘Considering his tendencies, his level of depravity as an F-rank pervert is mild compared to the worst offenders.’
It was visible—he was changing gradually.
‘Like the previous Tree Spirit King.’
To be wise didn’t an to know everything.
It ant being cautious enough to produce safer outcos than others.
It was true that she tested Lee Shiheon a little.
One must understand a person’s nature to predict their actions.
After all, in this world, he was the most unpredictable being.
“Lady!”
Sephirot tugged at the Sage’s skirt.
The dress stretched under Sephirot’s strength.
-Ping!
A white undergarnt strap popped up over her shoulder.
“Yes? What is it, Lady Sephirot?”
“Teddy bear!”
Sephirot ducked under the skirt and peeked inside, her eyes sparkling.
The Sage’s expression stiffened awkwardly as she forced a smile.
“Yes, it’s a teddy bear.”
“Cute!”
The contract with Sephirot was clear: under no circumstances was she to interfere in worldly events without permission.
The contract had loopholes, and the Sage could change the world if she chose to.
“Sage. Do you like teddy bears?”
“I love them. More than anything. The first gift my mother made for was a teddy bear.”
Soone must save her.
She didn’t always feel this way.
-Gulp.
The Sage’s eyes narrowed slightly as she stroked Sephirot’s head.
‘…The Observer of Knowledge.’
It had been 300 years since she inherited the title of Sage.
Over that long ti, she had watched countless calamities from afar.
‘Nations rise and fall. People die. Wars break out. Death, death, and more death.’
She made friends who shared her ideals, but in the end, she was always the one left at the century’s end.
The unfamiliar emptiness and profound loneliness eroded her.
Even the Sage couldn’t escape those feelings.
For countless years, she had guarded Eden and witnessed the deaths of children.
It wasn’t even 20 years ago that she changed her perspective, despite the disasters of the Tree Spirit King and Cheonma.
‘How did my mother endure this?’
She beca indifferent to death.
Exhausted by an unusually long lifespan.
The unchanging pocket watch seed to stop ticking at tis.
Her mother, who fulfilled her duties to the very end, seed remarkable now.
And here she was, contemplating breaking the contract.
-Flap!
Sephirot completely flipped the Sage’s skirt.
Transparent thighs and white underwear were exposed. The crack between them was now visible in the room.
“Sage! Knots!”
“…Lady Sephirot! I told you not to say things like that!”
Scolding Sephirot, the Sage wiped her sweaty brow.
A sigh escaped her lips.
“Lady Sephirot, you’re sothing else.”
Whatever the case, her task was clear.
She assigned each of the three individuals a role.
They were the three keys to changing the future.
-Clunk.
At that mont, the door opened.
“Ah.”
The Sage let out a faint, powerless sound.
Returning late after finishing his morning routine, Lee Shiheon saw the Sage’s state.
“…….”
“…….”
A brown teddy bear with a bandage.
What a rare sight this was.
“Are you in a good mood today?”
“Shut. Up.”
What happened next was already determined.
“Why is your cheek like that?”
Maronnie, who was holding an evening bread roll, blinked her eyes.
“Indeed.”
Was this what an irresistible calamity felt like?
I thought soone had left a lace-decorated parasol open in the room.
Since there was a bear ornant in the center, I figured it must be the Sage.
Poke, poke.
Sansuyu’s fingers started prodding my cheek.
“Shiheon’s cheek is puff-puff-lehu.”
“Didn’t I tell you not to say that?”
“Ugh… sorry.”
“Where did you even pick up that weird speech pattern? TreeInside? Was it that place again?”
I pinched and pulled Sansuyu’s cheek, and a nasal sound escaped her.
The soft, warm texture filled my hand.
“So, what exactly happened?”
“…It’s just sothing that happened.”
The enraged Sage displayed an emotion rarely seen.
I thought it would end with a slap, but instead, she kept pulling my cheek as if reluctant to hit outright.
She had considerable strength too, leaving my cheek red and swollen.
At this point, I was confident I could beat Sansuyu in a cheek-pulling contest.
‘Thanks to Sansuyu, I couldn’t even use the healing power.’
-“Forget it.”
-“Pardon?”
-“I said, forget it.”
Eventually, she let go of my cheek and apologized.
It didn’t affect my ability to use magic, so I could let it slide. But seriously, did it make sense to react like this just because of a teddy bear?
-Crunch.
Maronnie cut a piece of steak she had grilled herself and put it in her mouth.
My cheek throbbed painfully.
‘I did get a potion, but… they said it’s too effective, so I should take it after eating.’
A red potion sat in a jar that looked like it held snake wine on the desk.
I’d heard from Goroshi that high-grade potions are made from all sorts of dubious liquids.
The Sage gave it to with an apology, but I was debating whether to drink it.
“…Shiheon.”
As I emotionlessly chewed the at, Maronnie, seated across from , hesitantly spoke.
“How… is the at?”
“It’s delicious.”
Her hair perked up.
“Th-That’s good…”
The taste was comforting, as if a friend had gone out of their way to cook for .
I’d gotten used to overly fancy food lately, so this simpler fare wasn’t bad.
“My mother used to grill it this way a lot, so I was worried it wouldn’t suit Korean tastes. I’m glad you like it. If you want more, just say so…”
“How different could grilling thods be? at is at. Isn’t that right?”
I glanced at Sansuyu, who had been chewing her at blandly.
After a brief pause, she nodded.
“Yeah.”
“……”
The atmosphere was awkward.
There had been a strange, unexplained cold war going on for a few days now.
It was the sa during als, and we’d have to stay together for at least another week.
‘Yet, when night cos, they always end up snuggling together in my bed.’
It seed like the right ti to ask.
As I popped a tender piece of at into my mouth, pat, pat—Sansuyu tapped my shoulder.
“Shiheon.”
“Hm?”
Sansuyu called and gave a subtle look, fidgeting with her hands.
She swayed her body gently, making her chest move. Today, it seed even fuller than usual.
It was clearly ti for her to express milk.
“…At night. I’m in pain.”
“At night?”
Maronnie reacted like a startled wildcat.
Knowing about the last incident, she stared at intently.
“Got it.”
What choice did I have?
I had to do as they asked.
“…Then later.”
Sansuyu stood up first, cleared her dishes, and left them in the sink.
Today was my turn to do the dishes. Sansuyu seed to have more reading to do and left the kitchen shortly after. Before long, only the two of us were left.
-Gulp.
I heard the sound of a throat swallowing.
“Lee Shiheon.”
“Yeah?”
Maronnie put down her knife, her blue eyes flickering. Tap, tap. Her long nails drumd on the table.
After a minute of hesitant glances, she finally asked, cautiously.
“…You know, I…”
“What?”
She grew embarrassed and couldn’t finish her sentence, turning her head sharply.
“N-Never mind. Don’t you have dishes to do?”
“Do you have sothing you want to say?”
“……”
Sweating nervously, she grabbed her twin pigtails and pulled them in front of her face to hide her expression.
When would this dependency ever end?
As I rested my chin on my hand, leaning against the table, I sighed.
“By the way, you and Sansuyu seem off lately.”
“Ugh.”
Sansuyu hadn’t said a word about it.
She had acted consistently, saying it wasn’t my concern.
Maronnie, on the other hand, was similar to Sansuyu in so ways—quiet by nature—but she was too honest to lie.
“Well, uh… that is…”
“Maronnie.”
“Don’t call that na!”
If I pressured her, she might tell the truth.
True to my guess, Maronnie confessed honestly.
“…Sorry… I got caught…”
“Caught doing what?”
When I asked, Maronnie gulped and clutched her hands between her thighs, biting her lips.
“Kissing.”
I tilted my head at her absurd statent.
“What?”
“Kissing. I got caught kissing.”
“When did I kiss you in front of Sansuyu?”
The only ti was in the bathroom, and I made sure to lock the door because Maronnie had begged .
Sansuyu had been asleep back then. There was no way she could have known.
But Maronnie whispered honestly, in a crawling voice.
“In the morning, in the morning! I did it.”
My face hardened.
“…Without telling you.”
Her face flushed as she covered it with both hands.
“So, you’re saying you did it… on the day we shared a bed?”
-Nod.
“What were you thinking?”
“…You brainwashed . I couldn’t hold back.”
“And Sansuyu caught you, so now she’s sulking? Then why does she still snuggle in my bed at night?”
“We ended up stealing each other’s blanket and pillows until we got tired and stopped…”
Oh, my head.
“Do you guys think you own or sothing?”
“…No.”
I understood the situation.
Sansuyu… had created trouble in her own way.
Was there any reason for her to feel jealous of my relationship with Maronnie?
Even though we were close, it was just friendship. And Sansuyu didn’t seem to understand affection in that way.
While recent intimacy had blurred the boundaries, it didn’t seem enough to spark such feelings.
At least, not in my mind.
“But I…”
“You know, you’re fine. You can feel that way. It’s my fault.”
“It’s your fault?”
“Yes, yes.”
As I stacked the empty dishes, Maronnie revealed her blushing face again, staring at intently.
“…Then, tonight too. Don’t you have to… do it?”
Maronnie was now outright making demands.
The hand I was using to carry plates froze.
“If I keep doing what you ask, will my power fade?”
I tried to reason with her calmly.
“Well, as long as we don’t go all the way…”
“We don’t know for sure.”
“Then… will you not do it?”
Not a chance.
She looked at with those abandoned-kitten eyes again. I clenched my lips shut.
“Sansuyu’s gone, and tonight… you’re with her anyway.”
“I don’t do what you think I do.”
“You touch her chest.”
Maronnie crawled under the table.
The sensation of hands wrapping around my thighs reached .
As I trembled and nearly fell, she used magic to keep in place.
Under the table, a pair of feline eyes glared up at .
Today’s cat climbed onto the roof faster than yesterday’s.
The rough sensation of a tongue grazed my lower abdon.
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