“Looks like we’ll need a few more people.”
Blocking part of the Flower, facing the National Tree, and simultaneously moving the crowd to safe highlands—doing all this with just five people was nearly impossible.
“How?”
Maronnie askEd back.
The question was about whom to bring along.
diocre hunters had already been practically dragged into association work.
Especially soone like Byeol, who worked effectively under Mugung. It’s not a good choice to pressgang her here.
This wasn’t just an arbitrary thought.
-Byeol: Shiheon. Sothing huuuuge is happening right now!
I knew.
Cheondo, Hwangdo, Champi—all of them were like that.
Even Jin Dallae, who was a corporate figure, poured out her feelings to , perhaps because this Flower situation had increased her workload.
Those in prominent positions had already stepped up to protect their nests and interests.
I wouldn’t expect help, let alone brazenly ask for it.
Especially not from Byeol.
‘Although, if it’s that person, they might co up with so ans.’
Well.
Having operated the orchard a bit and watched that raid, I knew it was utterly impossible.
Sending hunters who could help us sufficiently without Flower noticing was not feasible in this situation.
Support equivalent to the National Tree was impossible.
‘There’s no point in adding unnecessary burdens.’
Byeol already had many lives to save.
She was practically the vice president of the association.
The lives under her hands might number in the tens of thousands.
There was no guarantee, no matter how capable she was, that she wouldn’t let personal feelings mix into public affairs.
“Hoo.”
The silence grew long.
By now, soone should have spoken up.
Coming from another world, I was not exactly in a position to talk, but geez, these guys really had no friends.
“What? We do have friends!”
Maronnie flared up, glaring daggers at .
“Ha, seriously. Hyung.”
Taeyang tapped my shoulder, sounding a bit incredulous.
Listening to what he had to say:
“We might not have friends, but we’ve got pride. Five people are more than enough. Right? Comparing Aori and is like comparing Guan Yu and Zhang Fei. Not even Cao Cao’s million-strong army scares us.” ṞＡ₦ОʙĚ𝐒
“Pfft, damn it.”
“That’s genuinely scary.”
Bao couldn’t hold back a laugh, and I shuddered.
This lunatic didn’t know when to stop.
“Your Highness. To so extent, he’s not wrong.”
“What do you an?”
“With just these five, we could probably take down a few guilds.”
Aori, speaking grimly with an expressionless face.
“Well, you’re not wrong.”
I might have underestimated these guys.
It’s partly because I hadn’t properly seen their skills in action.
For instance, I had never witnessed the wood-hardening technique that massively amplified the Tree People’s potential.
But it was also good to ground them in reality.
“Our opponent is a National Tree.”
No matter how much of a genius Maronnie was, she might not shine in chaotic skirmishes.
And Sansuyu—she was ill.
“Ha, so I’ll just wipe them all out?”
“That’s the problem with you.”
She was a blockhead.
“What?”
“You’re too emotionally driven.”
The power of the Baobab Tree. Its very essence was tied to emotions.
The more excited and damaged she got in battle, the stronger she beca.
The catch was that she must expose her emotions and ignite her will to fully utilize that talent.
“That’s why it’s better if we gather a few more people. So, is there anyone?”
Silence. Everyone suddenly fell eerily quiet.
“There’s a National Tree I know of.”
Maronnie eventually spoke up, but she seed uncertain about whether they were trustworthy.
As for Sansuyu—
“……”
She was doing her best to avoid eye contact.
I suppressed the urge to pinch her cheeks and continue speaking.
“Bao, you—never mind.”
“What?”
This girl didn’t seem to have friends either.
Taeyang and Aori might have connections, but the problem was whether they could participate in the selection competition.
“Finding people among the existing National Trees might be faster.”
“Yeah.”
It was better to directly identify reliable allies.
For now, should I try to increase the numbers?
As I tapped the table, a magic circle unfolded on its surface.
Before long, two birds with open wings scattered feathers as they chirped.
[Master! We’re here! Eleonore has arrived!]
[Was your brief rest comfortable, Master?]
“Alright. As you can see, we’re severely short-handed right now.”
The new birds drew everyone’s attention.
Sansuyu and Maronnie, who already knew about them, still blinked in fascination.
“What are these sparrows?”
“Spirits.”
“Oh-ho. They’ve got quite a few tricks. Talking spirits, no less.”
Even Bao expressed surprise at this, as spirit summoners were rare.
“Shiheon, can I touch it?”
Sansuyu hesitantly reached out, glancing at . When I nodded, her hand approached the Woodpecker.
[Grumble]
The bird wasn’t thrilled but tolerated it because I allowed it.
Maronnie couldn’t resist and also reached out her hand. With such small and fluffy birds, they were bound to be popular with won.
Bringing the conversation back to the main topic, I asked them:
We need to honestly inform the National Trees about Flower’s arrival and request help.
The standard for selection was crucial.
“The criterion to determine if soone is a traitor. Maronnie, you’re probably the key.”
“Oh, yeah.”
Still harboring so awkward feelings, Maronnie stamred.
“Your ability will be the most important.”
The ntal realm.
She could read others’ thoughts.
It’s a power traitors should be most wary of.
So might already know about it and took precautions.
If used openly, they’d naturally prepare counterasures. To be effective, her ability needed to go unnoticed.
“You’re asking to use my power?”
“Yeah. It won’t be easy, but.”
Still, there was always a way out.
I looked around at everyone.
“No one leaves until we’ve laid all our cards on the table.”
The eting proceeded smoothly, even amidst the uproar caused by the Flower.
On the surface, the Forester Selection Competition must maintain an air of peace.
Even casual exchanges between a cadet and a National Tree were captured without exception.
‘Though the audio won’t be transmitted.’
Broadcasting the conversation itself was rare.
Whether it’s a 1-on-1 duel or an interview with a National Tree during training, viewers wouldn’t know what we’re discussing, even if we were chatting at a café.
‘Although, the control room might leak audio.’
The control room, which oversaw the artifact caras.
However, after a controversy in the past, the hotel’s artifacts were older models without voice recognition capabilities.
I even checked directly by interfering with the magic circuits.
The only ones aware of this conversation were my team and .
In short, we were monitoring everything.
Normally, artifacts like these would be prohibited, but they’re allowed under a National Tree’s authority, with video transmitted live.
A pen-shaped cara. Plus, a spirit lingering in the background.
The transparent Woodpecker, observing us from above, could sense emotions and malice.
-Click.-
Our counterpart entered.
There was a system that allowed you to request a eting directly with soone.
If they were interested, they’d accept; if busy, they could decline.
‘My performance during the first trial must’ve made an impression.’
Surprisingly, my na had spread further than I expected.
Among the National Trees, there were few who didn’t know .
“Ah, hello.”
A tall, red-haired beauty greeted with a bright smile.
“Ms. Maple?”
“Hehe, that’s right. It’s an honor to be invited here today. I’ve only heard about you in rumors.”
“Rumors?”
Sugar L Maple.
The Maple of Sugar.
A rare healer mage and Canada’s National Tree.
Her voice, as sweet as lted sugar, matched her na. She brushed her hair behind her ear and chuckled softly.
“I saw your fight with Mr. Maehwa.”
“Ah… so that’s it.”
“And not just that—you’ve clashed with quite a few National Trees, haven’t you?”
An ordinary person stood against National Trees and won.
It wasn’t because they weren’t at full power, but it’s true that I managed to turn the tide in an official match.
As Sugar took her seat, she leaned in and whispered so others wouldn’t hear.
“Actually, there’s been quite a lot of talk about you among us National Trees.”
Her voice had a different charm compared to Maronnie’s.
National Trees were National Trees for a reason.
If I weren’t careful, her looks alone could win over.
“Oh, really?”
I was a married man.
I repeated that to myself several tis as I listened to her.
“So, what brings you to this eting with ?”
“Well, I’m interested, and things have been so hectic lately, haven’t they?”
She continued the conversation smoothly.
The pen wasn’t recording. As a mage, she’d notice any artifact’s movents imdiately.
Mages were more sensitive to circuit activity than anyone else.
If it activated and she noticed, convincing her would be a hassle.
‘Thankfully, she’s not a Spirit Summoner.’
The transparent Woodpecker behind , cloaked in invisibility, went unnoticed.
I discreetly tapped the table with my index finger, sending a signal.
The Woodpecker’s eyes glowed blue as it shared its view with Maronnie elsewhere.
“Flower.”
I broached the topic first.
Rather than idle chatter, it was better to get straight to the point.
ntioning the na of a terrorist group here was impolite, but we were short on ti and couldn’t afford to observe all formalities.
“Flower…? Why bring that up all of a sudden?”
Sugar blinked, tilting her head in confusion.
Soon, Maronnie’s voice echoed in my ear.
-She’s genuinely curious. She’s wondering, “Why is he suddenly bringing this up?” It’s more a question than shock.
‘So she doesn’t know yet.’
-And… she seems to like you quite a bit.
‘Huh?’
-I don’t know. Maybe it’s because your face isn’t bad.
Sohow, I ended up getting scolded, but I let it slide.
The reason Maronnie could converse with now was thanks to a chain of spells connecting us.
‘This actually works.’
I marveled internally.
Maronnie’s ntal realm.
Normally, you couldn’t use ntal abilities on soone appearing on a monitor.
But it was a different story when the shared senses of a spirit were involved.
The rookie spy Woodpecker Eleonore was having her mont.
“It’s nothing serious. I just hope things get resolved quickly~.”
“Ah, true. With all this, it feels like work keeps piling up these days.”
“Do National Trees have that much work?”
“You have no idea, Mr. Shiheon. It’s so overwhelming my legs feel like they’ll give out.”
Well, she wouldn’t share the details, though.
Breaking off there, Sugar still smiled as she expressed her disdain for Flower.
-No suspicious thoughts. She seems trustworthy.
The ntal realm ability conveys not just the words soone thinks but also their tone.
When enhanced, it could even project their imagination into reality.
Unless soone forcibly erased her mories and sent her here, it’d be impossible for her to deceive us.
The others, who likely received Maronnie’s full report, offered no objections.
They seed to agree.
In that case, there was no reason to hide.
“Ms. Maple?”
“Yes?”
“I need to discuss sothing important. Could we move to another location?”
“Hmm, is it impossible here? How important is it?”
“It’s information that could shake this world. Right now, I’m offering it cheap.”
Sugar chuckled at the unexpected joke and shrugged as if saying, “Why not?”
“You’re soone who attracts chaos, Shiheon. I think it’ll be an interesting story.”
After the third trial, she now had plenty of free ti.
Maybe she was looking for sothing entertaining.
‘Good thing I have a decent face.’
I thought to myself.
The explanation didn’t take long.
National Trees, being who they were, quickly grasped the gravity of a situation. More importantly, they understood their interests well.
Now there were six of us instead of five, continuing the conversation while facing one another.
“Ha… So there’s a traitor among the National Trees?”
The reason I sought out Canada’s National Tree first.
We brainstord to identify which National Tree might oppose Flower.
Canada frequently clashed with Flower.
This led to believe their National Tree would also harbor animosity toward Flower.
I also considered Kim Suyeon and Saku. However, Suyeon’s connection to Mugung made hesitant.
While Suyeon and Saku might be fine, the Indian National Tree accompanying them was an issue.
Frankly, my instincts strongly doubted her.
“You’re asking to believe this?”
“Yes.”
“…The Sage isn’t one to joke. If they went so far as to gather three people for this, wouldn’t it be polite to take it seriously? Alright, I understand.”
Sugar glanced at Maronnie, Bao, and in turn before nodding reluctantly.
In our current situation, we managed to gain her understanding—and even her offer of help.
“As a National Tree, it’s my duty to protect people. There are Canadian students here too. Even if there weren’t, I’d still have to step in.”
Even now, Maronnie was quietly using her power.
Her naturally skeptical nature as a mage was showing.
“…Haha. I don’t think I’ve done anything suspicious, though.”
“Ah, my apologies….”
“We t once before, didn’t we, Ms. Maronnie? How can I earn your trust?”
Reading soone’s thoughts directly in front of them is understandably unpleasant.
Sugar brushed it off with a good-natured smile, sharing a story to communicate her position to us.
“…This is a story unique to our family, but there’s speculation that a mber of the Maple family might be among Flower’s ranks.”
“Are you sure you should share that here?”
“Well, it’s practically an established fact now. It’s about to blow up, so talking about it a little won’t hurt.”
“Then why bring it up?”
Sugar nodded.
“That disgrace… How many of our family mbers fought to the death because of it? If you check the records, you’ll see how much blood the Maples have spilled against Flower.”
“If there’s a Maple in Flower, what does that an?”
“…It’s still just speculation.”
Here’s what Sugar explained:
When a Maple family girl was five years old, she disappeared during an overseas study trip after an accident.
The family used extensive resources to find her, but she vanished in a city between Korea and China.
They assud she had died at the hands of Flower during a terrorist attack.
Recently, however, rumors surfaced of a woman with Maple’s signature red hair and eyes operating as a mber of Flower.
“So you’re saying the two are the sa person?”
“That seems to be the case. If her magic produces Maple leaves, whether from a branch family or the main one.”
There were many types of Maple.
Like Lee Seyeon’s Oak family, branch families of Maple existed worldwide.
Even Goroshi, the dependable healer from Spring Peach Blossom, was part of a branch family.
However, the magic exhibited by the woman in Flower was unmistakably from the main family.
This was confird by so family mbers who participated in battles against her.
When her background, abilities, and magic were all considered, it was highly likely she belonged to the Maple family.
“Well, do you trust a bit more now?”
By the ti she finished her story, most of our suspicions had dissipated.
“But,” she added,
“The girl who disappeared back then had exceptional talent—enough for Flower to covet her.”
“This is a stain on our family, one we can’t erase. We’ll do what we can to correct it, though. As for her… I have nothing to say.”
Sugar smiled bitterly.
It seed she felt guilt over her family’s failure to protect the girl long ago.
From the girl’s perspective, joining Flower was probably a ans of survival after being abandoned by her family.
‘A Maple, huh.’
I reflected on her story.
The image of five-pointed Maple leaves, deeply etched in my mory, lingered in my mind.
Undoubtedly, the girl I once knew was a Maple too.
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