Eat The World Tree

Chapter 285: Eden (4)

An awkward silence filled the room.

This enclosed space, with no windows, was dimly lit only by a faint yellow light bulb, occupying the otherwise empty room.

Even though I could turn on the light if I wanted, neither of us made any move.

I just kept fiddling with a phone that had no signal, while Maronnie seemed to be doing her best to pass the time as well.

“…….”

Maronnie clutched a pillow as big as herself and stared at me intently.

Our beds were facing each other, so it was hard not to notice her gaze.

“Hey.”

A bored voice.

“My phone.”

“I can see that.”

Unhappy with my answer, she grumbled and hugged the pillow tighter.

Maybe we should have dinner.

But if we ate without Sansuyu, there would be consequences I couldn’t manage.

I had only recently built up Sansuyu’s favor, after all.

I couldn’t afford another incident like the one at the retreat, where a lack of communication caused our relationship to drift apart.

Sansuyu. The light of my life.

Just seeing her was enough to wash away all my fatigue.

“Hey.”

“What is it?”

Maronnie’s voice interrupted my thoughts.

I put the phone down beside the pillow and looked her straight in the eye.

“Why do you keep calling me?”

Not in an aggressive tone.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

She hadn’t chosen to be enslaved willingly, after all.

I genuinely wanted to release her from it.

Maronnie buried her face in the pillow, glaring at me with a pout.

Her ten toes, peeking out from under the blanket, wiggled in and out repeatedly.

“…Tell me a fun story.”

“Do you think I’m a story machine?”

Whether we were in a dungeon or at a meeting, Maronnie always asked for commoners’ stories when we were alone together.

At this point, I wondered if it was just her way of asking for a distraction because she had nothing else to say.

“But I’m bored.”

“Read a book.”

“There are too many interesting ones. I don’t know where to start.”

“Just grab one at random.”

Her eyes narrowed, clearly dissatisfied with my answer.

She was a hard woman to read.

Maronnie tossed the pillow aside, wrapped herself in the blanket, and peeked her head out, muttering in awkward Korean instead of French.

“…Idiot.”

The emotion behind it was hard to ignore.

‘She’s learning Korean already?’

I sighed, looking at the Maronnie “kimbap” wrapped snugly in her blanket.

How was I supposed to deal with someone who’d been emotionally enslaved like her?

‘Is she even enslaved?’

Taeyang had said that someone under enslavement would act only for my benefit, following commands and using their hands solely for me.

Yet, Maronnie listened to me most of the time but was still annoyingly troublesome in other ways.

Like a cat that jumped onto your lap while you were playing a game of League of Legends.

The only way to confirm enslavement would be to give a direct command.

“Maronnie.”

“What?”

Her reply was curt.

I shifted to make space beside me on the bed.

“Come here.”

If she was under enslavement, she’d come on her own. That was the thought behind my suggestion.

“…N-No.”

She was briefly startled but refused, hiding her face back under the blanket.

I clicked my tongue and shook my head.

I knew enslavement could break at any time.

Did it already wear off?

‘Should I check the favor window?’

I tried calling up the status window in my mind, but nothing appeared.

It made sense—this place was completely disconnected, so the status window wouldn’t respond either.

I gave up on checking the favor meter and looked back at Maronnie.

She remained bundled up, curled into a ball under the blanket, not budging an inch.

“Hmm.”

As I let out a thoughtful hum, the white lump of Maronnie shook noticeably.

It seemed fine to leave her alone for now.

I lay back down and returned my attention to the phone.

‘…But why hasn’t Sansuyu come yet?’

I had heard from Maronnie that Sansuyu was engrossed in her swordsmanship studies.

It was already 9 PM.

She should have finished several books by now. Could a sage have detained her along the way?

I figured she’d stop by at least once, but there was no sign of her.

Since the sage had called me here for a reason, Maronnie and Sansuyu must have been brought here for a reason, too.

-Srrk.

Just then, I heard something move.

-Tap, tap.

In the quiet room, the sound of small footsteps approached.

Something light climbed onto my bed.

I lifted the blanket to check, and there was Maronnie.

“I thought you weren’t coming?”

At my question, Maronnie looked down, her cheeks glowing red as she avoided my gaze.

“…Why did you call me?”

Could this really be called enslavement?

Or was it just one of Maronnie’s whims?

Her actions didn’t match her earlier refusal.

After climbing onto the bed, Maronnie didn’t move or say anything, waiting for me to speak.

I hadn’t thought much beyond this point.

“Hey.”

I asked bluntly, without hesitation.

“Do you like me?”

If she was only half-enslaved, she might mistake her feelings for affection.

With so many things on my mind, I didn’t have time to dance around the issue.

So, I asked outright.

“…Huh?”

Even in the dark room, I could see her face turning bright red.

Not just her cheeks but her ears, nose, forehead, and the corners of her eyes flushed deeply.

“W-What did you say?”

“I asked if you like me.”

To make it harder for her to evade the question, I leaned closer to Maronnie.

She tried to back away, but my arm wrapped around her waist.

We hadn’t known each other long.

There had been no time to grow close.

Sure, we had shared some intimate moments, but they had been forced circumstances, hard to categorize.

-Gulp.

I heard someone swallow hard.

But it wasn’t me.

A soft fragrance reached my nose.

Not the scent of perfume, but the gentle smell of wood and skin.

Maronnie bit her lip and pushed against my chest with both hands.

Her sudden action was so weak that it didn’t even budge me.

“Why are you saying weird things all of a sudden…?”

Even as she lightly pounded my chest, her protests lacked any real force.

“A National Tree can’t like anyone else….”

It didn’t seem like she was hurt.

“So let go….”

As I gently tugged her arm, she fell into my embrace without any resistance.

“Ah….”

She was absurdly light in every sense.

Now she could barely speak, fumbling for words.

I’d gone too far.

Maronnie closed her eyes tightly, unable to look at me, perhaps because our faces were too close.

“….”

She shyly parted her lips slightly.

Did she expect something?

I felt terribly sorry.

I released her from my arms.

As her legs gave out, Maronnie plopped onto the bed.

“Sorry.”

With dreamy eyes, she stared at me as if she was still trying to grasp the situation, looking as if she were in a daze.

Then, as if coming to her senses, she quickly covered her crotch with her hands and scooted backward.

“Ugh, ah… ah! Aah!”

She backed up so far that she almost tumbled off the bed.

I reached out and caught her just in time.

“Hic.”

Her face was close again, and I heard the sound of a hiccup.

Her expression showed she was stunned by the suddenness of what had just happened.

“You okay?”

“It’s because you—you said weird things…. It’s your fault….”

She glared at me with teary eyes.

“Why did you suddenly ask if I like you? It’s because of that…. Now I keep… ugh, ugh, I don’t know.”

Her voice sounded like that of a frightened child who wanted to hide in a hole.

“I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know! You’re the worst!”

“Well, I had a reason….”

I had said something foolish.

As I stood there stunned, Maronnie covered her face with both hands.

“…I don’t even know why I’m acting like this.”

She looked lost.

If this were true enslavement, she shouldn’t be struggling with inner conflict like this.

It was now clear that she wasn’t fully enslaved.

I took a deep breath and checked on Maronnie.

Maybe if I explained things openly, it would help her overcome the situation.

Although I had stirred things up, her emotions were clearly tangled.

“Maronnie, don’t get me wrong and listen carefully.”

“…….”

“I have a unique ability.”

-Nod.

“I think it’s affecting you right now.”

I explained everything to her slowly.

“It’s not exactly brainwashing, but it’s something similar. When I was unconscious in the dungeon, I must have accidentally activated my ability without realizing it.” ŗà𐌽Ꝋ𝔟Ęś

“…What?”

Maronnie’s eyes widened in shock.

“So… that’s why?”

“Most likely. The problem is, I can’t reverse it at will. Do you understand?”

As expected of a National Tree, Maronnie grasped the situation quickly.

It didn’t take her long to regain her composure, despite her earlier panic.

She took a deep breath.

“…So what happened back then is still affecting me now?”

“Well… I’m not sure.”

“What? Explain it properly! This is serious.”

“I told you, I can’t undo it.”

Whether or not she was fully enslaved was unclear.

However, the lingering effects were evident.

With time and her mental strength, she could recover.

I explained it to her step by step.

It took Maronnie about 40 minutes to fully process everything.

“So, when you asked me that question earlier?”

“I wanted to confirm if you were under the effect.”

“And asking me to come to bed?”

“That too.”

“It wasn’t because you wanted to do anything weird?”

“Whatever you’re imagining, no.”

Maronnie lowered her head, looking somewhat disheartened.

“…So you’re saying, what I feel isn’t real?”

“Yeah.”

“Can I be honest with you, then?”

“Go ahead.”

“…I really want to hit you.”

She looked extremely disappointed.

I nodded silently.

“Go ahead.”

-Smack!

Without hesitation, she slapped my cheek.

It didn’t hurt at all.

“…Ow.”

Instead, Maronnie grabbed her own hand, blowing on it gently to soothe the pain.

Her expression no longer looked as troubled as before.

She now only seemed overwhelmed by the thought of dealing with the upcoming challenges.

Her previous torment had faded slightly.

“It won’t last much longer, so it’ll be okay.”

Maronnie responded with a fierce glare.

“It’s not okay! What am I supposed to do now? I can’t stop thinking about you! I couldn’t even read a book today, knowing we’re in the same room. Whether I’m sleeping or waking up—you’re always on my mind! How am I supposed to endure that?”

“…I see.”

Now that she knew her feelings weren’t her own, she spoke her mind freely.

Realizing what she had just said, Maronnie’s face turned red again, just like before.

“Ugh… Ugh….”

Unable to bear it, she shot up from her spot.

“I don’t know!”

-Creak.

At that moment, the door opened.

Sansuyu entered the room.

“Siheon?”

“Oh, you’re here?”

“What are you two doing over there?”

With a slightly concerned expression, Sansuyu tilted her head adorably as she looked at us.

Maronnie, still fuming, glanced at Sansuyu, then shot a glare at me before turning away.

“It’s nothing.”