Chapter 389

Chapter 389

Eat The World Tree.

Episode 389: Sansuyu Tree (6)

Two people wandering in an era of upheaval.

They received the world’s resentment countless times.

They hid in some areas, spending a long time fabricating evidence and information.

Even amidst all that, they never showed anyone the process of using spatial magic.

Most people probably thought Lee Shiheon was hiding in this insignificant city in China.

Because of that, when Lee Shiheon wandered through various cities, there were many instances of unexpected encounters.

-Clang!

Their gun muzzles pointed at each other.

Dust-covered Lee Shiheon warily glared at Guseul in front of him.

“Last time. I told you something, didn’t I.”

Guseul spoke a single sentence to Lee Shiheon in a low voice.

“You have no choice but to join Flower.”

Back then, at that point in time, it was a statement that he not only didn’t understand but also considered her a crazy woman.

But what about now?

He was judged heretical, and everyone was trying to take his life.

Considering that the bounty on his head was in the billions, many foolish hunters dreaming of turning their lives around hoped to encounter him.

“…….”

Lee Shiheon glared at her without answering.

“Sansuyu, you have to save her, right? Fhihihi.”

A laugh that some might find cute, and others might find unpleasant.

For Lee Shiheon, that laughter always brought the latter feeling.

However, what was different from before was Guseul’s attitude, which was unexpectedly gentle.

“What’s your nerve?”

“Nerve? I’m more of an ant than a nerve.”

“…….”

“Ah, sorry, was my joke too boring?”

Guseul lowered the gun she was holding first.

She knelt down towards Lee Shiheon, who was stuck in the junkyard, and met his eyes directly.

“As you know, your worth is beyond imagination.”

“…….”

“If you just join, everyone can live. Jin Dallae and Sansuyu. Professor Lee Seyeong. Maybe even your teacher.”

If power shifted to Flower.

Perhaps they would be able to kill the World Tree of Justice. And the bodies and memories of the Peaches will return.

The honor of the family that Cheondo sought so desperately will surely return.

And that’s not all.

It was a proposal that could instantly change Lee Shiheon’s daily life, which was spent in anxiety and pain.

It’s tempting.

He thought so quite a while ago too, but being tempting meant there were corresponding side effects.

“What do you want?”

“You.”

Guseul’s face gradually approached.

“Your face, your body. Your power and honor. Everything you have. Isn’t it cheap for the lives of the people around you?”

“…….”

“Ah, actually, it’s a lie. To us, you alone are more precious than the lives of those people.”

Guseul smiled.

“But you’re not.”

The things Lee Shiheon valued highly were always the people by his side.

Guseul knew this.

Being able to bring the heir of the Tree Spirit King into Flower just by promising to protect someone was practically a bargain.

The fact that Lee Shiheon inherited the king’s power was information shared only among a very small number of people.

Therefore, it had not yet come to light, but if it became publicly known, Lee Shiheon’s followers would spring up like mushrooms after rain.

Of course, there would be repercussions. But Guseul and Hongyeon were the ones who can assist with that.

For the first time, worry settled in Lee Shiheon’s tired eyes.

“How do I join Flower? Should I bow my head? Or… should I offer my body?”

“I think I answered that last time.”

“Things are different now than they were then.”

“Why go to such lengths?”

“Because it’s my job. I was born for you.”

Lee Shiheon’s eyes narrowed at her irritating tone.

“For me?”

“Yeah. What kind of treatment would a tree with no flower language or origin receive in this world? No matter how much it tries to prove its worth, it’s just a sewer rat. That Mok Taeyang guy, and Aori too. Their methods are just different.”

“…….”

“Your worth is much higher than you think. That’s why people are rushing to kill you.”

Guseul approached him with a commanding air, little by little. Her bright red lips came close, almost touching his face.

“Or… you could overthrow Flower.”

“Overthrow Flower?”

There was power to change this rotten world.

That’s what Guseul’s words implied.

However, whether accepting that hand was the right thing to do seemed uncertain.

“My superior said.”

“…….”

“They’ve been waiting a long time for you to come.”

With those words, Guseul pulled back the face she had leaned in.

“Sorry for being forceful. I have my own circumstances. This time, I’m really speaking from personal feelings.”

So, until now, it wasn’t personal feelings?

One question flashed through his mind, and he raised his head again.

“It will be hard alone.”

Protecting or persuading them would be difficult.

If so, then perhaps.

“Maybe dying once wouldn’t be so bad. Severing ties and starting over, you know.”

“……Crazy bitch.”

“It’s a crazy idea, but anyway… think about it carefully.”

“You don’t sound like someone who’s asking for a favor.”

Guseul laughed at Lee Shiheon’s sarcastic remark.

“If you just join, I can do anything, whether it’s speaking formally or being your secretary under the desk?”

Guseul slowly stepped back as Lee Shiheon shuddered with disgust.

Perhaps even that crude lewd remark wasn’t a lie.

From the conversation with Guseul, it was easy to tell that she had no freedom and moved according to someone’s orders.

“Ah, right. You know Professor Lee Seyeong? That person….”

-Bang!

Guseul stopped talking and moving at the sound of an explosion from far away.

“…Hmm. Should we run? I’ll block them.”

That was what he was thinking anyway.

-Flower’s terror, even the five major World Trees are not safe.

The sensationally produced articles surprisingly contained only the truth this time.

Perhaps even these flyers were part of Flower’s propaganda.

-Norway, Germany, etc. Establishment of governments based on the ideology of Tree and Human equality. Protests continue in the UK as well….

These global events that seemed like they belonged in textbooks began to spread one by one.

The caste system was abolished.

-Abolition of the National Tree system. A system based on discrimination against the species of the World Tree cannot be maintained.

-Universities continue to be closed. What is the reason?

In South Korea, where the influence of the World Tree was strong, there was little change from before.

However, the increasingly widespread atmosphere of revolution could not help but shake the Korean people as well.

Finally, in early September. It happened.

-Washington D.C. Collapses. Despair on Capitol Hill.

Explainable with just five letters. War.

Two thousand Cistus that appeared in American airspace completely annihilated an entire city.

The pro-World Tree politicians and congressmen who were gathered at the time died, and this was virtually a declaration of war.

Numerous countries that had been neutral were divided into two factions, and the result led to one outcome.

In God We Trust

America’s official motto.

The one that symbolized the pro-World Tree faction was instantly shattered.

Immediately after, a massive civil war erupted.

The fall of a giant.

Economic indicators in various countries plummeted unprecedentedly. Many large corporations sank below the surface, and the stock market froze.

The whole world is turning towards ideological strife.

Countless families judged heretical had now begun to go under Flower.

The transcendent who would run through the wilderness had not yet appeared.

“…….”

Hesitantly. A woman with disheveled hair and a flushed face lowered her head and approached Lee Shiheon step by step.

A gloomy face that made it hard to tell who was older and who was younger.

“Haa.”

Hwangdo’s shoulders flinched greatly at Lee Shiheon’s short sigh.

She hadn’t come out of her room for a month due to guilt.

She finally came because of Cheondo and Baekdo’s endless persuasion.

“Sister.”

“…….”

“Here.”

As he opened his arms, Hwangdo collapsed and began to cry.

“Huk, huaaaang…. Little brother, I’m sorry…”

Having received the coordinates, he briefly stopped by Spring Peach Blossom.

As the world began to fall apart, there was nothing to monitor.

“What’s wrong? I told you it’s okay.”

“It’s not okay… sob sob. If it was hard, why didn’t you say it was hard!”

Her mental state had completely shattered.

Still, once she met Lee Shiheon and was held in his arms, the darkness on her face began to disappear instantly.

It seemed that this would make the two people’s relationship even stickier.

Hardship strengthened human relationships.

Just as Jin Dallae fell for him after he almost died helping her.

Even up to this moment, the women who had shared affection with him were spending almost every day waiting.

“I’m the one who should be sorry.”

Even these sincere words only seemed like he was pretending to be okay to her.

“Little Brother… don’t leave me…. So that I can heal you quickly even if you get hurt.”

“I’m much better at healing people than you, sister.”

“Don’t leave if I tell you not to leave…!”

“Aigoo. Okay, my sister.”

Pat pat.

He patted her hair and back diligently, as if that onomatopoeia suited the scene.

After comforting her for a long time, she soon fell asleep.

It seemed she hadn’t slept for days.

If she opened her eyes and found him gone, she would probably be very surprised.

Nevertheless, he couldn’t help it.

Hwangdo’s hair became a little redder, turning into Cheondo’s face.

“…….”

Even so, Lee Shiheon didn’t stop patting her head.

He even leaned in with his lips.

“Hey… move away a little.”

No answer came back.

“Don’t even try to… sneak in a kiss.”

-Thwack!

Cheondo’s white hand pushed Lee Shiheon’s face away.

“Ah, did you turn into Master?”

“Pretending not to know when you do. I’ll say it again, I….”

“Have someone you like?”

Lee Shiheon had been much more lively recently as Sansuyu’s health improved.

Because of that, his jokes and playfulness had returned, and Cheondo was also a little more relieved than before.

“I think I like Master more than that person does.”

“……What do you mean?”

Seeing him nonchalantly say he loved her, he had improved a lot.

However, Cheondo was more curious about the meaning of his previous words than Lee Shiheon’s improvement, so she simply lowered her complicated face.

Burning emotions still remained.

Back then, a long time ago, the person she liked.

She didn’t remember, but… if he was alive, she would find him.

Even so, why did her heart feel complicated when her disciple made such a joke?

No, surely….

That couldn’t be.

A master having feelings for a disciple; if her father heard that, he would surely tease her for the rest of her life.

“How is your body…?”

“It’s always the same.”

Cheondo couldn’t take her eyes off his smiling face, which she had seen for a long time, for some reason.

Time passed by too quickly.

Lee Shiheon and Sansuyu’s dwelling was gradually becoming quite livable as various home appliances were brought in.

A bed that seemed suitable for the two of them was placed in the room where they had been sleeping on a roughly laid mat.

It was a bit small, but since Sansuyu spent most of her time on the bed anyway, he thought it didn’t matter much.

“…Eueung.”

Early dawn. Sansuyu, who had woken up, groped for Lee Shiheon.

Her stomach was starting to hurt a little.

“Shieon….”

“Keueung.”

Following his mumbles, she gently touched Lee Shiheon’s face with her hand.

Having roughly confirmed Lee Shiheon’s location, Sansuyu closed her eyes tightly, using his arm as a pillow.

Her chest overlapped his body.

Poohk— worries disappeared as she snuggled in.

Sansuyu slept comfortably until morning.

-Chirp, chirp.

The sound of birds chirping.

Had she slept too comfortably? It was already morning.

“Sansuyu.”

“Eueung?”

Sansuyu, awakened by Lee Shiheon’s words, rubbed her eyes and looked at the man who had woken her up.

Lee Shiheon’s eyes looked somewhat complicated.

“Hmm….”

Starting from her chest, the damp blanket.

Sansuyu’s head turned downwards as she touched the wet and unpleasant floor mat with her hand.

“……?”

A watercolor painting drawn with white liquid. Lee Shiheon, who was watching this, made a small joke.

“Sansuyu, could you go next door and borrow some salt?”

“……Sorry.”

Inappropriately for her age, she had gone and drawn a map.