Jeliel’s question left me’s mind in a chaos. Just by asking such a question, Jeliel had essentially denied all the widespread rumors up until now.
Moreover, me understood how much resolve it must have taken for Jeliel to ask that question.
In other words, Jeliel hadn’t gotten as close to Baek Yu-Seol as people might think and clearly didn’t know much about him.
"But... What do you mean, ''what''s your rtionship''? Why are you asking me that?"
"Because you’ve been hanging out with him after school..."
That was utterly out of the blue. As far as me knew, Baek Yu-Seol always disappeared after school to go somewhere with Jeliel.
"What are you talking about? I thought you two were all lovey-dovey, going on dates or something."
"That’s... not it. After school, he always says he’s busy and disappears somewhere."
"So, he wasn’t spending time with you?"
"I thought he was hanging out with you this whole time."
"No, he wasn’t..."
In short, Baek Yu-Seol had been leaving the academy every single day after school since he arrived at Astral Flower.
‘Where is he running off to now?’
Even back when he attended Ste Academy, me had known that Baek Yu-Seol often went out after school or on weekends. He appeared busy with something.
However, Ste was the central hub of the Aether Continent, with warp halls, airship terminals, and train lines extending across the continent. There were endless incidents and idents nearby that needed assistance, so it was understandable.
But this was the World Tree. Baek Yu-Seol couldn’t go far within the short time he had after school.
Were there a lot of incidents within the World Tree itself? That didn’t seem likely either. In the original romance fantasy, the ‘Sky Flower Cradle’ storyline here had been uneventful, dull, andcked any drama.
‘No. I can’t assume anything.’
Though she didn’t know what Baek Yu-Seol was doing now, whenever he was busy, it was usually for an important reason.
The original story had already diverged so much that me couldn’t predict the future anymore. Even Jeliel approaching her hesitantly like this was something that would never have happened in the original.
"Well, he must be busy with something."
Though she had no satisfying answer for Jeliel, me felt content just figuring out that Baek Yu-Seol was running around with a purpose.
RUMBLE!
"Ah! Geez. That scared me!"
Suddenly, the ground trembled slightly, startling me. She staggered and leaned against the wall. The tremor, though faint, subsided quickly.
‘Why does this keep happeningtely?’
Such things hadn’t urred in the original story, so the unease in her heart only grew. It seemed certain that the reason Baek Yu-Seol was so busy these days was connected to this, but she had no idea what that reason was.
‘... He’ll tell me if I wait.’
And then the next day.
During roll call, one of the Ste cadets was unexpectedly marked absent.
"Baek Yu-Seol? Cadet Baek Yu-Seol? Not in his seat? Has anyone seen him?"
"Uh. He was sitting right next to me just a moment ago."
"Where did he go?"
"He checked the time and ran out in a hurry."
The professor clicked their tongue in disapproval but refrained from scolding him. There wasn’t time to dwell on it, so the ss began immediately.
After that, when Baek Yu-Seol asionally missed ss or disappeared at lightning speed after school, people began to worry. They couldn’t help but wonder if something serious was happening.
‘I’ll ask him when he gets back.’
That was what she resolved to do, but unfortunately, she wasn’t given the chance. The incident urred before Baek Yu-Seol returned.
———-
The Fairy Kingdom, ‘Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree’, wasposed of seven cities. Starting from a city built near the roots of the World Tree, the cities ascendedyer byyer to the upper levels. Among them, the ‘White Castle’, home of the Elf King Florin, was located in the capital, ‘Sky Flower Cradle’.
In the White Castle’s Aic Rune Hall, the elven version of a council chamber, significant figures gathered.
In human terms, cities were governed by lords or mayors. For the elves, however, the cities were overseen by ‘Tree Guardians’.
Since the Guardians each lived in differentyers of the World Tree, it was rare for all seven of them to gather. But due to the recent cmities affecting the World Tree, all seven Guardians were now present.
And they weren’t the only ones.
Even the High Elves'' Council of Elders had gathered, making it fair to say that the most exalted figures of the World Tree had convened.
———-
"I would like a detailed exnation regarding the cause of the recent earthquakes, Your Majesty."
Among them, the one seated at the highest position, Florin, opened her mouth with a worried expression.
"The ‘Awakening of Dusk Soil Moon’ are growing stronger."
"Didn’t the principal of Ste partially seal it?"
"Yes. But he also warned us that the seal wouldn’t hold for long. It should, however, provide enough time for the people to evacuate."
Initially, Florin had wanted to wait and observe. Abandoning the ‘Primordial World Tree’ itself would be tantamount to rejecting the ‘spiritualmunion’ between the elves and the World Tree.
But the situation had turned dire.
The ‘Awakening of Dusk Soil Moon’ were breaking the seal much faster than Elthman Elwin had predicted, and it was now attempting to awaken.
"Can’t we gather the mages again?"
"I’m curious as to why a second sealing attempt hasn’t been made."
"Tsk. The failure of the initial seal was the first mistake."
Some of the elders openly criticized Florin for her handling of the situation.
"Use the immense power of the Elf King to awaken the World Tree! For the sake of our people!"
"Your Majesty, surely the power of the World Tree will be enough to stop this!"
Some elves made remarks so absurd it was doubtful they had anything in their heads at all, while others offered impractical solutions and urged for a quick resolution. However, no one dared to propose the best course of action.
"... We need to evacuate all the citizens until the situation ispletely resolved."
The room fell silent.
Was it because the Elf King had proposed an astonishing solution no one had thought of? Not at all.
It was because the Elf King had voiced what everyone already knew but couldn’t bring themselves to say aloud.
"That is uneptable."
Breaking the silence, the eldest High Elf Elder, who was over 300 years old, raised his head and spoke.
"Your Majesty, do you know why the Fairy Kingdom is called a ''Cradle''?"
"I... Do."
"The Cradle of the Heavenly Spirit Tree is the homnd of the fairies, the cradle of their souls. When a fairy dies, their soul bes one with the World Tree, and when they are born, their soul is gifted by the World Tree. Our bodies and soulse entirely from the World Tree, and now you suggest abandoning this ce to save ourselves?"
"I''m not saying we should abandon it! Once it''s safe, we can return..."
"Do you not understand that is the same as abandoning it? Your Majesty, if we leave the Cradle and everything copses, how will you take responsibility for that?"
"I know there''s a possibility of that happening. But even so, if our people survive, won''t there still be a chance to rebuild?"
The elders shook their heads.
"The World Tree is one with us. We cannot leave it."
"We share the same opinion."
"The City of Cloud Flower Cradle opposes any evacuation."
"The City of Mist Flower Cradle feels the same."
"Abandoning the World Tree is akin to abandoning my own mother! Your Majesty, please withdraw this suggestion!"
Florin bit her lip hard and bowed her head.
No matter what orders she gave, if these elders united in opposition, there was nothing she could do.
All of the Elf King’s power stemmed from their ability tomunicate with the World Tree. Suggesting that they abandon the World Tree meant undermining her authority entirely. Who would listen to her after that?
And so, without finding any viable solution, the meeting ended, and Florin returned with a heavy heart.
"Things didn’t go well, I guess?"
"... Ah! Baek Yu-Seol."
Standing there was Baek Yu-Seol, fully prepared for action. He had a faint smile and a furrowed brow.
"Have you been waiting for me?"
"I couldn’t start without you."
"Things have gotten a bitplicated..."
"Well, those old-timers—no, Elders—didn''t seem like they were going to listen properly anyway."
Florin let out a deep sigh and asked him, "What happens next?"
"The earthquakes probably won’t get any worse for now. ording to the principal’s prediction, the seal might hold for about another month."
Her expression brightened momentarily at the reassuring news, but Baek Yu-Seol added a remark that dampened her relief.
"However, there’s another issue."
"Another issue?"
"The wraiths that have been lying dormant in the ‘Land of the Dead Giant’ will start to awaken and wander around the World Tree. We’ll need forces to stop them."
Preventing battles within the city was impossible. That’s why the initial n was to evacuate all the citizens, but as expected, it was deemed impractical. The idea of relocating an entire nation’s poption due to an earthquake was seen as absurd.
However, dealing with the wraiths wasn’t a fundamental solution either. The only way to truly resolve the situation was to identify the root cause of all these incidents and eliminate it.
"I’m ready."
"Are you nning to leave tonight?"
"I was going to wait a bit longer, but it seems I can’t dy any further."@@novelbin@@
Baek Yu-Seol had already finalized his n with Florin.
"I will head to the ‘Land of the Dead Giant’ myself and stop the ‘Awakening of Dusk Soil Moon’ from progressing further."
Florin didn’t question his decision. She had her doubts but chose not to express them. If Baek Yu-Seol said he had a n, she trusted that he truly did.
Of course, he wasn’t going alone.
Baek Yu-Seol had requested twenty magical knights of at least ss 6 strength, and Florin had readily agreed. It was a surprising gesture for Baek Yu-Seol, who thought it was a burdensome request, but for Florin, it was a trivial matter.
"The knights are waiting at the southern rampart. I instructed them to move discreetly to avoid drawing attention."
"Perfect."
With items handcrafted by Alterisha tucked into his subspace pocket and abat-ready backpack slung over his shoulder, Baek Yu-Seol prepared to leave.
RUMBLE!
Just then, the ground shook violently again.
Baek Yu-Seol nced out the window with a concerned look. The sun had already set, and a crescent moon hung brightly in the night sky.
"I’m off. Please take care of the World Tree in the meantime."
"That’s my duty, after all."
With the moonlight at his back, Baek Yu-Seol shed a mischievous smile at Florin before leaping out the window. In an instant, he vanished into the light.
Rushing to the window, Florin saw Baek Yu-Seol, who was now a distant figure, speeding off toward the horizon.
Clench!
She clenched her fist so tightly that her nails dug into her palm, drawing droplets of blood.
Yet, she felt no pain.
Instead, she felt a deep self-loathing, ashamed of how she relied on him even in the face of catastrophe. And yet, she was so grateful to him that her thoughts burned with a conflicting symphony of gratitude and guilt that only deepened.
‘This isn’t the time for this.’
Florin grabbed her staff and turned around, walking down the corridor. The moonlight streaming through the windows bathed the hallway in a pure white glow. As she walked through it, her figure was reminiscent of a goddess, but unfortunately, no one was there to witness the sight.————
Goal: 20 Bonus Chapters to Celebrate 300 Chapters of shing Genius!
I’m beyond excited to share that we’ve reached an incredible milestone: 300 chapters of shing Genius! When I first started tranting this novel, it was just me, myptop, and a passion for this story. Back then, I never imagined that this book would receive so much attention.
To celebrate, I’m setting a Kofi goal for 20 bonus chapters of shing Genius. Once we reach our target, I’ll release these bonus chapters. Every tip, pledge, or share makes a difference.