Chapter 353

Chapter 353

Eat The World Tree.

Episode 353: The Changing Times (3).

[Master, shall we start from here?]

“Yes, please.”

[Chirp~!]

Eléonore did not fly but pecked at the ground with her beak, scanning for traces of magic.

The scars of mana.

A concept detailing the characteristics of magic inherent to each individual.

Simply put, it can be considered the fingerprint of magic.

From here, you could roughly tell what kind of magic was performed and what actions were taken using magic.

[Master.]

“Eh, Luci. What’s up?”

[Even if we follow the traces, pinpointing the person and their actions exactly is beyond us. However, I’ve seen Sansuyu’s magic before, so it should be easy to find…]

“Do everything you can. I’ll do the same. I didn’t expect to get full results on the first try anyway.”

[…Understood.]

At my words, Luci nodded and flew off into the distance.

I too stayed in one spot for a long time, checking the surrounding magic.

‘The information that can be confirmed is only partial.’

Sansuyu’s location remained unknown.

We could only infer what the magic was used for and deduce the rest from that information.

For instance, like this:

-Buzz!

I brushed my finger over a faded floor tile.

As the dust was cleared, faint traces of magic remained.

‘This isn’t Sansuyu’s magic… maybe it’s household magic?’

It probably came from the leakage of magic from magic stones used for garden maintenance, or from some unknown person’s cleaning spell.

In other words, a dead end.

I would have to repeat this process hundreds of times to find the answer I want.

The process wasn’t easy.

The mental strain from searching for traces over a long period was significant, which was why investigators weren’t dispatched for minor crimes.

‘Even if investigators were dispatched, identifying the perpetrator is impossible.’

By memorizing the characteristics of magic, you could compare them with those of criminals or other offenders to identify if it’s the same person.

Otherwise, it was used to discern what means the criminal typically employed.

“Whatever, I wouldn’t bother looking for it anyway.”

Currently, the Cradle was half-destroyed.

With Flower possibly returning at any moment, saving the trees took priority.

Looking for me there?

Pure magic amidst the chaotic mix of magic from over ten National Trees, dozens of hunters, knights, agents, and Flowers?

The only slight chance would be comparing the traces from the battle with Maehwa, the affair in the hotel basement, and the combat signs within the Foundation against Flowers to see if they matched mine, which was nearly impossible.

In this situation, preserving only my magic was out of the question.

That would require, well, bringing a Spirit King.

The Cold War had broken, and we were practically in a state of war. I didn’t need to worry about that.

-Bang!

“…Hmm.”

After about two hours of searching, no traces were found within the garden.

At best, we found out that many vehicles powered by magic stones had passed through here recently.

Sansuyu likely left in one of those vehicles.

[Chirp!]

Luci, who had flown in from the sky, perched on my shoulder, panting heavily.

[Master, I followed the traces of the vehicle artifact.]

“What’s the result?”

[The trail ended at the airport runway. After that, the traces were erased, making it unidentifiable.]

“Good job. Show me your wing.”

[……Yes.]

Luci gently opened the armpit area of her right wing. I caressed the wing, slowly pouring in some magic.

[Uh… Ahh….]

As Luci absorbed the black magic, she fell off my shoulder.

Exhausted, she lay on the ground, twisting her wings.

[It’s… much better than before…]

“What? The magic?”

[Dark and rich. It’s like the magic spirits always dream of.]

“Is that so? If you want more, serve diligently.”

[Yes.]

My magic was like a drug.

I crouched down, giving a bit more magic to the upturned Luci.

“Here, an extra dose. Heave-ho!”

[Oohh!!!!!!]

Luci rolled her eyes, her legs trembling as she fell over.

[Hic, uh… hic!!!]

Luci convulsed briefly, one after another.

Where had I seen this before?

‘Ah, right.’

I remembered seeing this when I was with Hwangdo during our intimate moments.

She was supposed to be a famous female knight of a kingdom, but…

Maybe she had completely abandoned all her principles and dignity.

It bothered me that I seemed to corrupt so many.

[Master~~~~!]

Not to be outdone by Luci, this time Eléonore flapped her short wings and flew over.

Perched on my hand, she rubbed her face against my skin.

[I worked really hard~!]

“Does working hard matter? What matters is what you found.”

Eléonore, who had quickly looked around the mansion.

This small bird proudly declared with her wings wide open.

[There were signs of a fight!]

“What?”

In El Academy, where security is supposedly tight, traces of battle.

My face hardened as I commanded Eléonore.

“Show me.”

[Master… aren’t you going to give me magic?]

“I’ll give you so much later you’ll go crazy. Just guide me now.”

[Chirp…!! I’ll go, Master~! Just follow me!]

-Whoooosh!

Eléonore shot off like a jet. I followed her into the mansion, carrying the collapsed Luci.

From the second-floor hallway to the bedroom inside the mansion.

Chaotic traces of magic were left here and there like mud.

“This is… surprising.”

[Did I do well?]

The little woodpecker proudly circled around me.

I knelt down to minimize the visible area.

Even if there was too much information.

I was not used to finding traces yet, so my head was starting to hurt a bit.

I withdrew some of my magic and looked around.

‘…Certainly. This is strange.’

The state of the mansion was considerable. Everything like porcelain or dishes was broken and not cleaned up.

Even the long red carpet, if you looked closely, had blood stains.

[It seems there was a short skirmish here, not enough time to erase the traces.]

As the woodpecker said.

To follow the traces, I had to read the magic again. I clicked my tongue and slowly focused my eyes.

[Haah, haah… Master.]

Luci, having regained consciousness, got up and perched on my shoulder.

[It would be much easier for you to harmonize with magic.]

“Is that so?”

[Princess, please come quickly too.]

[Hmph, I was going to do that anyway.]

With a bird on each shoulder, my senses became even more heightened.

The vision of the spirits merged with mine.

The most superior form for handling magic: spirit harmonization.

I took a deep breath and looked around.

“……”

I began to see.

Rather than large-scale magic, they used magic specialized for assassination or hidden weapons.

Tracing the timing of the magic backward, it seemed the skirmish started from the stairs on the second floor and continued to Sansuyu’s bedroom.

I couldn’t determine the number of people involved.

One thing was for sure: Sansuyu was here at this scene.

I had felt and seen Sansuyu’s magic before, so even the faintest trace could be found.

[This is the power of that side.]

While I was struggling, Eléonore spoke with disinterest.

[Flower.]

“What? Flower? This is different from what I knew.”

[…The traces are very faint, but it’s definitely Flower, Master. It’s beyond human or wooden sense to notice.]

“Flower… I’ve always wondered, why is Flower’s magic so unique compared to others?”

“Hmm, it’s complicated to explain… Luci?”

Eléonore turned her head to look at Luci, passing the baton to her, who explained lightly.

“Strictly speaking, it’s not Flower’s power. It’s just that when magic is forcibly infused into a being without it, such characteristics of magic are created.”

“…What does that mean?”

“Most Flowers are known to be human, but unlike you, Master, humans have a very hard time harboring magic. The forces capable of infusing humans with magic… currently, only the World Tree and Flower can do so. However, the World Tree doesn’t need to do such a thing.”

The magic I sensed from many humans, whom I initially mistook for Flowers, was a unique trait caused by forcibly infusing magic.

“..Is it different from the husband candidates? They should have been humans infused with magic.”

[The method is different. I don’t know the exact process, though.]

After hearing Luci’s explanation, it made sense to me.

‘……’

I closed my eyes and continued to ponder.

According to the spirits’ judgment, this is Flower’s doing.

‘The Cornus Family and Flower were in a cooperative relationship, weren’t they?’

The World Tree was on the verge of branding the Cornus Family as heretics.

Even if the Cornus Family’s financial resources are weakened now, they would still be quite helpful. Was there really a need to cut ties?

‘If they wanted to use them as bait, there wouldn’t be a reason to attack.’

Flower targeted Sansuyu.

The Cornus Family’s ultimate goal was immortality.

Targeting Sansuyu, who was closest to that goal, meant nothing more than stealing the long research of the Cornus Family.

[In short, the Cornus Family is being targeted by both Flower and the World Tree.]

“Ah.”

Luci, reading my thoughts, explained well.

They planned to divide the Cornus Family’s assets.

To uproot a deep-seated foundation that had lasted over a millennium.

-Drip, drip.

The World Tree and Flower were implicitly exchanging chess pieces.

-Thud.

The sound of footsteps from behind.

[…Master!!!!! Behind you!]

The woodpecker screamed in shock.

I quickly turned my head back.

-Swish!

The hand holding a reverse grip dagger swung down at my neck.

Turning my back, I first identified the dagger and its wielder.

-Whoosh!

The blue dagger came right in front of my eyes.

[Master!?]

Despite Luci’s scream at my lack of response, I didn’t move my hand until the end.

Finally, the dagger aimed at me stopped.

Shorts, short sleeves, green hood.

“Hey, Shiheon-gay.”

A low, mocking voice, and then the figure pulled back the hood.

Sansuyu’s mentor, Champi, was there.

“Kid. Long time no see, huh?”

“Champi-shit… or is it you, noona?”

“Kehkeh. You know this is clearly illegal trespassing, right? You might have to suck at least one eye out under some law.”

“You must have about nine eyes to suck on, huh?”

What was Champi, who’s busy with Hunter Association work, doing here?

I tapped the birds on my shoulders, signaling it was time for them to go back.

[Master… the magic.]

“Here.”

[…Ahh!]

Eléonore and Luci returned to the spirit world with moans.

Champi looked surprised, eyes wide open at the sound of the moans.

[Eleonore… satisfied, satisfied… Ahh.]

-Whoom~!

The two female birds convulsed as they moved to the spirit world.

Champi had a dumbfounded look on her face.

“Fuck… What was that just now? It was fucking creepy. Spirits… Master? What the hell?”

“It’s just how it is.”

“Just how it is, my ass. What the fuck was that sex-like chirping just now?”

“The spirits are spirits, but they’re a bit strange.”

“To me, you who use those spirits seem even stranger.”

I rubbed my burning eyes and leaned against the wall.

My body was tired from burning magic circuits to find traces.

“Well, that’s not strange.”

“Birds moaning like they’re having sex, if there’s anything stranger than that, show me.”

Champi shivered, rubbing her arms in disgust.

I ignored her and asked.

“So.”

Why was Champi here at this early hour?

Why? It’s obvious. She must have come for a reason similar to mine.

“Why are you here?”