"I am also a candidate for the husband of the World Tree."
It was a story that had to be revealed at some point.
The life I had lived was cut off abruptly; from my accumulated academic records to the mother who gave birth to me, everything disappeared. It was a miserable and unfortunate life.
"…I didn't hear wrong, did I? Say it again."
"You heard correctly."
"So, you really are a candidate for being the husband of the World Tree?"
Seyeong listened to my words seriously, though her face was stern. She took her hands off the keyboard and turned off the computer.
"How did it happen? Tell me in detail."
"Will you help me?"
"Before agreeing or disagreeing to help, I'm asking because I don't know what kind of position that is? This is a matter where we need to bow our heads."
Seyeong, murmuring something under her breath and rubbing her forehead with her hand, had trembling eyes.
Firstly, I sat down and slowly explained the current situation.
Of course, I didn't mention that I was from another world. I fabricated a story, saying I was chosen, and that was how it happened.
After listening to my story, Seyeong, who pressed her index finger against her lips, seemed to be immersed in thought and demanded proof.
"Can you prove it?"
"Just a moment."
I immediately activated the system, went into the store, and did a draw.
-Zing!
Exactly 5 seconds later, a Tree Circle Pill appeared in my hand. Lucky me.
"The Tree Circle Pill I mentioned last time. I got all of them from drawing in the store."
"…The information I heard does match."
Seyeong, who saw the result with her own eyes, licked her dried lower lip and scratched the back of her neck. At her unusual reaction, I asked with a pretend smile.
"Are you surprised?"
"…No."
"You are surprised."
"I said I'm not!"
"You are surprised."
"Ah, damn it. Yes, I am! Are you happy now, scaring your teacher?"
To be honest, it was fun. She was pretty, and I could forgive her for trying to backstab and kill me because she was cute.
Seyeong, with a slightly red face, glared at me.
"So, what do you want help with?"
"Just keep the fact that I am a husband candidate to yourself."
"Then I can't properly support you? The Orc family may be big, but… it's not that big globally."
"Last time, you were boasting about being the daughter of the Orc family. Why are you suddenly so modest now?"
"When did I! It's just the truth! Honestly, protecting the husband candidate of the World Tree is not something they could deal with, just our power…"
Seyeong, who seemed demoralized, spoke with a drooping voice. She appeared slightly unsure.
Seeing a different side to the always-confident Seyeong, I suppressed a giggle.
"I have no one else to trust but you."
"…Really? Only me?"
"Yes. Even though you tried to backstab and kill me, you're the only one I can trust."
"Hey. Your words are quite sharp?"
It was true. We both committed crimes, so it was a draw.
"So, I really tried to backstab the husband candidate of the World Tree?"
"It seems so."
Seyeong, who reacted as if she couldn't believe it, shivered as she realized the reality.
"Ah, anyway. There's a limit to my power. And… honestly, you should give me something too."
"I can give you any remaining Tree Circle Pill when I draw."
"Alright then. What do you want help with?"
"Dallae's father."
At my words, Seyeong's face stiffened. The power of the Jinmok group couldn't be ignored.
"Do you know who he is?"
"I don't. Just gather some rumors or something. It would be great if you could investigate in detail, but I don't have the money or the power to do so… You know, he seems to be her stepfather."
"Stepfather…."
She seemed to know something.
Seeming to listen attentively, Seyeong, who chuckled lightly, continued speaking.
"It's a long story. The Jin family originally had stronger power of the World Tree in the women, so the family lineage followed the women."
"Yes."
"Dallae's father was a human. He was said to have raised the Jinmok group with his good prowess. I don't remember his name. The important thing is, they were a couple who got along fairly well, Jin Yeohui and her husband."
Seyeong frowned slightly as if pulling out memories.
"I don't know how things turned out that way. One day, there was a rumor that the secretary hired by her husband had an affair with Jin Yeohui."
Adultery. I paid attention to that fact-like rumor.
"The women technically had the rights. So, that secretary guy seduced Jin Yeohui and swallowed the entire company. Absurd."
"Is that even possible?"
"… It's not. That's why it's a mystery."
"Then what about Dallae's father…?"
"He committed suicide."
It was said nonchalantly, but the voice seemed somewhat pure.
I sort of understood.
The reason why Jin Dallae made a face as if she could kill someone then.
Why she harbored resentment towards that man.
"Jin Dallae and her biological father had a good relationship, right?"
Seyeong nodded her head. It seemed her nod wasn't sufficient since she added another sentence.
"He adored her very much. He was famous for being a doting father."
"So, it's natural for Jin Dallae to hold a grudge?"
"Yes. She might even be planning revenge."
Seeking revenge against someone who did such a thing to her father was natural.
There was a separate critical issue.
"Then do we think that the stepfather knows what we know? The man who swallowed an entire company?"
"He probably does."
Lee Seonghan. That man knew the truth.
Just with that, I could already tell he was scheming something sinister.
He left Jin Dallae's revenge alone.
In this case, two interpretations were possible.
Either he was confident he could control Jin Dallae at any time, or Jin Dallae's revenge might bring him benefits.
Jin Dallae might be trying to get revenge, even knowing the fact.
It was essentially a Cold War situation.
"I understand. Thank you."
Having roughly understood the situation, I hugged Seyeong from behind with thanks.
It wasn't with any ulterior motive. I just wanted to hug her warmly as I felt a bit disturbed.
Digging into unwanted family affairs just to make a friend.
It was a sad affair.
"Wha, why are you suddenly doing this? Are you crazy?"
Seyeong, her neck reddened from being hugged by me, hit my chest with the back of her head.
I, releasing her slightly, put the Tree Circle Pill on her desk.
"I'll give you what I drew this time."
"Eh? Really? No takebacks? Don't snatch it back, saying you need it later."
"Oh… yes."
Was the value of the Tree Circle Pill that high? I thought inwardly as I turned away. I had gathered enough information.
-Creeak.
Just as I was about to leave the office, Seyeong, holding the Tree Circle Pill tightly, spoke.
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"I have something I'm curious about too."
She tilted her head.
"…Why did the candidate for the husband of the World Tree do that with me?"
"What?"
I had too many guesses and made a clueless face, and Seyeong twitched her mouth corner.
"Sex… Bastard. Sex…!"
"Oh, that."
I, stepping out of the door, spoke a word.
"I dislike the World Tree. I'm definitely going to marry a human. Take care."
Ignoring the surprised-looking Seyeong, I left.
-Hey, what does that mean? Hey!
It was a truth without a single lie.
Having finished all the tasks, I checked the time; it was just a little past 6.
I wondered if it would be okay since I was past the agreed time, but, more than worrying, I hastened my steps with the desire to get there quickly.
-Thud!
When I opened the door to the training room, Sansuyu was visible, sitting on a seat.
As always, with her noble offspring-like posture, she leisurely turned her head to look at me.
"You're here?"
Her voice, just by hearing it, could make one's heart flutter. My eyes were invariably attracted to her noticeable chest. The clumsily tied bandage was visible on her white T-shirt.
"I'm sorry for being late."
I spoke to Sansuyu awkwardly.
I came here today to say that I couldn't train.
"But I think I can't exert myself today."
"Why?"
Sansuyu's eyes narrowed slightly. In the face of her probing look, I involuntarily bowed my head.
"I have someone I must see tomorrow. Can we start the day after tomorrow?"
I wanted to be fully prepared, but it seems that didn't get across well to Sansuyu.
"I wanted to do it with you today…"
She murmured, fiddling with her hair as if she was sulking.
Then, a rumor I heard in a corner of the classroom crossed my mind.
-Do you know Sansuyu? There are so many people who approached her and got taken care of without a trace.
A family with tremendous power. A family that had produced several guardians of the World Tree. If someone didn't know of her, there would be a rumor that the person was a spy.
-Shiver.
Could this be a death flag?
A chill ran down my spine.
"I'm sorry. Instead, I will comply with anything I can do."
I found myself making excuses.
Survival was the priority. Brace yourself, Lee Shiheon.
"Anything?"
With her typical expressionless face, she glanced at the eyes behind my mask.
"So-"
My heart raced.
On one hand, I felt I shouldn't have said that. On the other, I thought I was stupid.
Sansuyu, rolling her yellow eyes towards the ceiling or the mirror, asked me with a determined face as if she had a difficult request.
"…how about?"
"Yes?"
"How about being friends?"
"…?"
Caught off guard, she hurriedly added an explanation.
"Jihu."
"Yes?"
"Shihu… told me to make friends."
"Can I ask who this Jihu or Shihu is?"
"My secretary. And it's Miho, not Shihu."
Whether it was Miho, Jihu, or Shihu, it seemed certain that someone had influenced Sansuyu's thoughts.
"I see~"
I smiled wryly and thought to myself.
'Not necessarily doomed.'
Kudos to the secretary.
I should repay the kindness to the secretary who saved my life someday.
"So, are we friends starting today?"
"Formal."
"Don't be formal?"
-Nod nod.
Looking at the still emotionless Suyu, I felt relieved.
"Okay. But are you really okay with me?"
"…I have no one else to be friends with anyway."
I laughed inwardly again at Sansuyu's personality. Things were going well.
While smiling kindly, Sansuyu let out a sigh and asked me.
"Name?"
Come to think of it, we hadn't introduced ourselves properly.
"It's Lee Shiheon."
"Mishun. I'll remember."
"No, It's Lee, Shi, Heon."
"Lee Siyeon?"
Whether she was teasing or it was friendly banter, I closed my mouth for a moment and observed Sansuyu's expression.
She, seemingly convinced my name was Lee Siyeon, extended her small, pale hand towards me.
"Pleased to work with you, Lee Siyeon."
"It's not Lee Siyeon, it's Lee Shiheon-"
"That. The one that doesn't work in English?"
This girl?
"No, that's Siwon, I'm Lee Shiheon. Heon, like in old clothes."
"Lee Shiheon."
"That's it! Pleased to work with you!!!"
After several corrections, finally, my name came out of her mouth.
What was there to be happy about?
I grabbed Sansuyu's hand and shook it several times.
"Good?"
"Good."
"Okay?"
After letting go of my hand, Sansuyu inquired about my reaction and once again extended her hand to shake mine.
"Good?"
"Yeah."
"Jihu said that friends should do good things for each other…"
Seeing Sansuyu continuously mentioning her secretary, I let out a bitter laugh.
It seemed she was not even confident whether her actions were right.
She mentioned her secretary's words as a reflexive defense mechanism and repeatedly asked if she did well.
It seemed like her human relationships were also extremely fragmentary.
Was it because she was exhausted by too much formal work? Or had she been like that from the start?
Thinking about this, I felt sorry for her again. Of course, whether my imagination was a thrilling deduction or a trivial delusion was unknown.
"Siyeon?"
Seeing my face, Sansuyu tilted her head.
"Didn't you say you're leaving?"
"Huh?"
"You have work tomorrow. Go."
Ah, right. I should leave.
Since we became friends, my original objective was satisfied, so I decided to leave for today.
Becoming friends all of a sudden wasn't in the plan, after all.
"The day after tomorrow. 6 o'clock."
Having received the appointment time, I left the training room.
-Thud!
Outside, it was already getting dark, and in front of the training room was a sedan that looked obviously luxurious at a glance.
Perhaps it was the car waiting for Sansuyu; when I watched it, my eyes met with a man's inside the car.
Could this person be the secretary?
I bowed my head in thanks and headed towards the dormitory, deep in thought.
[Current friends: 2]
All that was left was Jin Dallae, just her.