the next morning.
I was sitting in the waiting room of the archery club, which was less busy than the first day.
“Coffee, green tea and orange juice. What shall I give you?”
“It’s just water.”
“Then me too.”
She carefully brought the water in front of me and sat silently across from me.
As she moved, her pale green hair fluttered in a ponytail.
“Junior Yoo Ji-hyuk. Are you right?”
He must be much younger than the original me, but somehow he seems to be dealing with older people.
Seeing her with such a relaxed look, I answered quietly.
“You can tell me.”
“No, big. I am comfortable here.”
Yeeun Lee.
The world tree clan and the next head of the family, and also the world tree shaman.
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One of the playable characters and the person who should have been the original owner of the branch of the World Tree.
Also, like Ivan Hunt, he uses a bow as his main weapon.
Unlike Ivan, who fights with sophisticated magic control, vast magic, and attributes due to the blessing of the Spirit King, he is the type that leads the situation by making the battlefield itself to his advantage.
As a clan of the World Tree, you can use useful buffs and spells for party members.
… This can be said to be an alternative explanation for her.
‘The problem is that I’m a freshman now, and at the beginning of the semester, I have absolutely nothing to do with myself.’
It could be said that there was little contact between her and me.
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Once when trying to get the branches of the past world tree, and once in the club room a few days ago.
This is almost the same as everyone else.
In addition, Yeeun Lee, considering her personality, was even more reluctant.
She wasn’t the kind of person who wanted to make friends with someone she was never close with, like this alone.
It must have been because he wanted something or wanted to know, so he called me this way.
‘And it must be because of yesterday.’
There was nothing other than that.
The problem was how far she saw and how much she knew.
“… First of all, I would like to apologize for calling you out this early in the morning. And thank you. Even though it was a sudden appointment, you came out.”
“Senior, I’m asking you, okay? It’s the same club, and above all, it’s the student council.”
“This is my personal business and has nothing to do with the student council… … sorry. If you ever thought there was such a pressure… … .”
She was a little startled by my words, then hurriedly bowed her head politely.
It was only then that I realized that she was the type of person who didn’t understand jokes.
“It was just a joke. You don’t have to apologize like that.”
“Oh, I see.”
She nodded her head slightly.
Then he bowed his head politely to me once more.
“Today, I had to apologize, both privately and publicly, with gratitude, so I asked to meet like this.”
“Thanks and apologies?”
“yes. You once told me about the store that sold the by-products of the World Tree before. That was the beginning, and it was an opportunity to oust the shops and merchants who were illegal in the vicinity.”
She opened the bottle of water with a click.
“It has been a problem for a while. Hang on to something, I didn’t know that the car I was thinking of was doing such a thing without fear. Thanks to you, I was able to handle one annoying task.”
“… … .”
As I listened to her, the first thought that came to my mind was that it was too lame for an excuse.
And, unbeknownst to me, she smiled a little as if it had appeared on my face.
“Actually, this is just an excuse. The main point is because of what happened yesterday.”
“Oh, yes.”
“I think you have noticed to some extent. Our relationship with the Thorns Cross Society and our clan is a bit more complicated.”
“Is that something I can hear?”
I pretended not to know and asked her.
It was because I instinctively wanted to do something bothersome.
I still have a lot of work to do, but I wanted to refrain from getting caught up in it.
“Actually, it’s one of the secrets, but honestly, everyone who knows it knows it. I am not comfortable with keeping my mouth shut even from people who have been threatened by it.”
“… … .”
“As a result, the damage caused by the thorn crucifixion was, in a way, also caused by our negligence. And when I checked it, he said that yesterday, Yoo Ji-hyuk and two first-year students were also involved. We apologize for this.”
She bowed her head once more.
“I will say it outright. If it’s okay with my junior, I’d like to compensate you as it’s good to some extent as an apology for what happened yesterday.”
Actually, her words weren’t that strange.
The current head of the Thorns Cross Society is a member of the World Tree clan, and her relative is a man.
From her point of view, it must have been something she wanted to tear up and kill right away.
She was particularly proud of being a member of the World Tree clan, so maybe she hated the man even more.
This is because the man currently possesses the branch of the world tree in one hand, and at the same time has the ability to grant the power of the world tree to others.
Yeeun Lee’s hatred for the man who uses the power of the World Tree to lead a group of crazy fanatics has appeared several times in the original story… … .
‘yes?’
Wait a minute.
I stopped thinking for a moment.
Come to think of it, Yeeun Lee and the head of the Thorn Cross Society.
The two received the same branch of the World Tree in their bodies, but their ability to bloom was different.
In Lee Ye-eun’s case, the ability to make the surroundings to her advantage, the so-called erosion.
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On the other hand, in the case of the men of the Crusades, it was the ability to bestow one’s powers on others.
‘Aha… … .’
As soon as the thought came to me, I let out a sigh of relief.
Why did I have the illusion that my abilities would be the same as Yeeun Lee?
I didn’t even know that I was making such a absurd misunderstanding because the ability that first appeared was no different from Yeeun Lee’s ability.
‘Then I can understand roughly what happened yesterday.’
It looks like he has absorbed all the power of the man who was an executive of the Thorn Cross Society.
Is that my ability?
The details will be revealed only a few days later when the branch of the dormant World Tree wakes up, but… … .
“Sister?”
“ah. sorry.”
When the question was solved in an unexpected place, I felt a little refreshed in my head.
Thanks to this, I was able to take a more leisurely look at the current situation.
‘I’d rather not get involved now.’
After thinking about it for a while, I came to a conclusion.
Yeeun Lee was the next head of the world’s most influential clan called the World Tree Clan.
Ahn Do-hoon also has the title of being a descendant of a leading conglomerate, but compared to her, there is no sense of being pushed back.
And above all, unlike Ahn Do-hoon, she was a person who had consistently stood out as a successor by attending various events from an early age.
To be honest, it was better not to engage with her like this.
I don’t know if it’s when I can afford it, but even more so when I have a lot of things to worry about like now.
Using yesterday’s work as an excuse, she didn’t know if she could get some good equipment, cash, or maybe even a skill book.
However, without any preparation or coping, even without knowing what her purpose was, this kind of entanglement had to be avoided as much as possible in the current situation.
‘Besides… … .’
To be honest, I had no idea what she was doing to me.
The World Tree, or one of the Thorn Crosses.
If it was the former, maybe someone in her escort was mentioned in such a way that I could feel the power of the World Tree, or if it was the latter, the conversation with the executive I took over went on… … .
I thought it would be roughly that.
“no. Well, I’m fine with no injuries. And honestly, it’s not your fault.”
“still… … .”
The fact that the branches of the World Tree were dormant was, in a way, luck.
There, Henir’s shadow had the function of instinctively hiding the owner’s energy or presence.
However, just in case, I applied the debuff of Banshee’s Necklace to myself before meeting her.
‘Even at this level, if you feel the energy of the World Tree, you should insist that you have just drank the mineral water of the World Tree. … .’
Thanks to that, I felt like my body was more stretched than usual.
To be honest, I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.
“It’s really good. It is enough to apologize in person like this.”
Having said that, I got up from my seat.
Then he pretended to look at the clock and bowed his head to her.
“sorry. Soon it will be ordinance time. I’ll just go.”
“ah.”
Ye-eun Lee followed me from her seat and looked worried for a moment.
“Then please come back anytime later. I’ll tell my friends later… … .”
“Yes. Then I’ll see you later.”
I bowed my head once more to her, and immediately walked out of the reception room.
* * *
“… … .”
Watching the back of her hurrying out of the reception room, Ye-eun Lee stood up and tapped the table.
The expression on her face, reminiscent of the look of reluctance somewhere, was colder than before.
‘Of course, but I’m wary of this side.’
He didn’t even think he was going to unravel himself in the first place.
I had just met him today to find out what the reason for the alert was.
If you are a member of the Crusades, you have good reasons to be wary of yourself.
But if it’s for other reasons… … .
“… … .”
She was still tapping with her fingers on the table.
“Did you feel something?”
“no.”
A voice came from the air at her question.
A mature woman’s voice spoke to her in a businesslike manner.
“I didn’t feel anything. At least I don’t think I was baptized at the thorn cross.”
“is that so?”
“yes. I’ve tried to broaden the feeling a bit more… … It didn’t feel like anything to do with us.”
“A little?”
“yes. very little.”
After a moment’s hesitation, the voice answered the question firmly.
“If you want, let’s dig in the back for a while.”
Yeeun Lee pondered for a moment and then shook her head.
“no. Unless you’re a crusader, you don’t have to. There is a big event going on there soon, so it would be better not to do anything insignificant.”
“all right. then… … .”
With those words, a flower bud lying on the shelf next to him fell with a clattering sound.
Ye-eun Lee, who was staring at it, slowly sat down on a chair and thought.
‘The one I saw yesterday was definitely a world tree.’
The only people who can receive the power of the World Tree in their body in a normal way are those who inherit the same blood as themselves.
And among them, only a few were able to take root and grow the branches of the World Tree in their bodies.
In the present world, the person who has rooted the branches of the world tree in his body is the man who is now unconscious and a traitor to his father and clan.
There were only two of them.
‘So I thought he was baptized on the Cross.’
Then, of course, the only people who use the power of the World Tree are those who have been baptized on the Cross.
If it were her usual, she would have rushed in with a question-and-answer dance.
However, Yoo Ji-hyuk’s work was different from those of the baptists I had seen so far.
So, just in case, I went through the verification process, and I just got the confirmation that he had not been baptized.
It meant that it had nothing to do with the Thorns Cross Society.
‘exactly… … .’
The ability of the plant family was not the only world tree.
It was too far away, so I may have misunderstood.
However… … .
‘Nope. It was definitely a world tree.’
She could instinctively sense that he had something to do with the world tree.
Yoo Ji-hyuk.
Mumbling her name quietly, she tapped her fingers in a rhythm different from before.
Then, this time, an honest male voice was heard.
“Yes, lady.”
Unlike her, who was loyal to her hometown, this man was only her vassal who was loyal to Lee Ye-eun.
So she still gave orders in a soft voice.
“I said it was Yoo Ji-hyuk. Investigate some information about the child. as far as legal. Don’t cross the line and make troublesome things.”
“Yes.”
“and… … .”
Ye-eun paused for a moment.
And he added quietly, recalling the elegant private lives of members of his own family.
“… Also about the members of the family. Do you understand what I mean?”
Why?
Looking at Yoo Ji-hyuk, I felt an unknown emotion.
She had no way of knowing what the discomfort was.
“Yes.”
“okay. Then, good luck.”
With those words, she stood up.
It was not empty words to say that there was no time for the guild invitation ceremony to be held in a few days.
* * *
I was barely able to get to the classroom before the start of the ordinance.
I immediately headed to the empty side of Choi Hyun-woo.
“Ahh… … .”
As soon as I sat down, I was yawning, and Hyun-woo Choi, who was sitting next to me, looked at me.
“You look tired.”
“Something happened. You said you woke up a little early.”
“from morning?”
Hyunwoo Choi looked at me with a surprised expression.
And Han Soo-young, who was sitting next to him, said as if he was bruised.
“Be careful. Then, if you are late, only you will lose.”
“I know. I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”
I relaxed my aching body and answered roughly that way.
Han Soo-young was about to say something more, but with a dissatisfied expression, she shut her mouth.
Choi Hyun-woo smiled awkwardly and patted her shoulder as if comforting him.
Then, the door opened and Professor Blessing came in, waving his red hair as usual.
‘How come it seems that I only talked with that person at the ordinances and funerals every time.’
I wanted to visit the club as an excuse in the near future.
If it wasn’t for her, I was in a situation where I had to get help from Cass Lyle, so it would be easier to get help if I got to know her even a little bit.
“it is a nice day. To put it bluntly, today I have the news you have been waiting for.”
She paused for a moment and opened her mouth, satisfied that the students were paying enough attention to her.
“Remember that the last time I had an accident, practice was suspended for a while and I only had theory classes, right? There was a lot of talk about many things, but starting today, we have resumed practice.”
After that, there was a buzzing sound for a moment.
Most of them seemed to be happy, but in particular, Choi Hyun-woo, who was next to him, had an unusually excited expression.
“Right now, training will resume this afternoon. In addition, we would like to inform you that other activities, including club activities, have become possible. After the day’s class is over, there will be no restrictions on whether to train, join a club, or take a break or leisure.”
Come to think of it, did I mention that the training time is being controlled for a while?
It seemed that Choi Hyun-woo was grumbling with the words he was passing by.
“And one last thing to announce.”
As she tapped and tapped the blackboard, a list appeared in large letters on the screen.
As soon as I saw it, I knew what the list meant.
And it wasn’t just me, it was everyone in the classroom.
“A supervisor for each practice was selected.”
She clapped and clapped when she showed signs of humming.
“Remember all of them accurately and make sure to visit their respective professors during the afternoon practice session. I’ll be spending most of my training time with him.”
I checked the list.
And I couldn’t help but frown.
‘That person must be… … .’
[Yoo Ji-hyuk] ― [Abel Grossman]
‘… Fuck you.’
As soon as I saw the name, I had no choice but to swallow the profanity that was about to come out of my mouth.
Abel Grossman.
Also called a geek, she was a type of hero who could handle a lot of weapons without a main armament.
And she was also Jin Ye-seul’s advisor.