The Academy's Deceased Ate It All

"So what should we start with?"

Lee Ye-Eun and I were sitting facing each other in a sunlit room.I was told that this is a reception room normally reserved for only the head of the clan and the head's guests.So it was nothing surprising that Lee Ye-Eun and I entered the room right now.

The current head of the clan was Lee Ye-Eun, and I was definitely her guest.

"Well… ."

Lee Ye-Eun, who was sitting on the chair, had a cast on her leg and her left arm was wrapped in a cloth with strange characters written on it.She told me that it was an artifact that she had wrapped around because of the overuse of her mana.And she had bandages and band-aids on her face and all over her exposed skin.But, rather than making her look sickly or pitiful, they made her look regal and ancient.

In contrast, I had only put an eye patch over my left eye and lightly bandaged my right arm.When I was thinking that miraculously there were few wounds this time, Lee Ye-Eun looked at me with a small sigh.

"First, I'll quickly summarize the current situation and tell you. Now... it's not going to be irrelevant to you either."

She put her finger on her forehead as if it were throbbing, and said in a quiet, clear voice.

"First of all, my father, who was the former head of the clan, the elders of the clan, and many other people in the clan died or were injured this time. Even if no one knew that Lee Jae-Joon, the head of the Thorns Cross Society, was colluding with the Seven Evil, it would be just an excuse."

He used Svengali's powers to plant his forces inside, and also used the bizarre method of infiltrating with his men hidden inside his body.He even obtained the power of Surt, the natural enemy of the World Tree.He was sincerely trying to destroy the World Tree clan.

"There are a lot of people who died. It's really, really a lot... .There are victims among the civilians who also participated in this festival, and now the media, association, and the government are biting us because they think this is the time. We can't overtly inform people about the Seven Evils... Still, we were fortunate to have Ahn Joo-Hyuk, Green Herb, and various guilds to advocate for us."

After saying that much, she stopped speaking for a while.And let out a small breath.Lee Ye-Eun muttered quietly.

"… Father died."

She bowed her head.Thanks to that, her green hair which even looks blue covered her face, so I couldn't see her expression.

"I have witnessed the deaths of so many people. But my father was the first. I've come to realize once again that having experience doesn't mean it's easy to accept."

I silently placed my hand on her shoulder.She murmured, gently covering my hand with hers.

"I'm sorry, I'll stay like this for a moment."

Lee Ye-Eun bowed her head as if leaning on my hand for a moment.It was, as she said, only for a moment.

"… To continue the story, there have been several changes due to this incident. First of all, the atmosphere within the clan has changed a lot."

After a while, Lee Ye-Eun, who carefully removed my hand, began to speak like that.

To sum up what she said, it was like this.The surviving elders who had been badly affected by the incident declared that they would step back from the front line and disappear upon their retirement.The power of the branch clans, which had gathered around Lee Yoon-Seong, weakened almost to the point of collapse, and most of the clan, led by Lee Ye-Eun, gathered.In a word, she had completely taken control of the clan.

"The fact that that person was not at the scene, the fact that I took the lead, the fact that there were many insiders in that force… There are many reasons, but this is the biggest reason."

She carefully untied the cloth and raised her left arm.Then a branch of the World Tree broke through her skin and gently revealed itself.

"After seeing this, no one is openly opposed to me and criticizes me. the problem is… ."

She skillfully wrapped her left arm in the cloth and looked at me.

"Aside from me, there's a person of the same age who has the branch of the World Tree. A person who is not a member of the clan."

The problem is that many people have seen it, and it can't be glossed over.

"…… ."

"And, it's… not something that can be dismissed as a secret, so I'm telling you... ."

Svengali's ability gave me a glimpse into your memories.Even though I had expected it, it was a heart-throbbing word.

"… Can you explain it to me?"

If you don't want to talk, I'll just bury it in my memory.Her words instantly filled my throat with the words, please forget it, but I managed to swallow them.

"If I say I'm not from this world."

She looked at me with a nervous expression at my words.

"Will you believe me?"

"Yes."

She nodded without hesitation.It was so decisive that I was suspicious.

"You don't think I'm going to lie?"

"I know you're not the type of person to lie about something like this."

Lee Ye-Eun asserted.Seeing that, I nodded slightly and said.

"I can't explain the details, but… You can think the fact that I can use the branches of the world tree is related to that."

In order to explain how I got the branch of the World Tree, I also had to explain that this world is a world in a game.Even if I didn't know anything else, I could never tell this story.Never.

"From another world?"

"Yes."

Lee Ye-Eun licked her lips as if troubled.

"… Honestly, it's a story with so many ripples that I feel like whatever you say, I'll be convinced. Another world... ."

"…… ."

"Am I the only one who knows about this?"

"For now, yes."

"Hmm… ."

In response to my answer, Lee Ye-Eun made a strangely excited voice and nodded.Then she hesitated for a moment and then asked me.

"Um, in the original world. So, originally, you are younger than me... right?"

"I had a younger sister who had just become an adult. And I was quite a bit older than her."

"Ah."

At that, Lee Ye-Eun made a groaning sound and looked at my face.

"Um, then should I talk to you respectfully… ?"

"No, it's okay. This is comfortable."

"Still… ."

"I think it'd be more comfortable to have senior talk to me informally."

Lee Ye-Eun made a slightly harsh expression at those words, but immediately shook her head.Then she straightened her posture as she stared at me.

"You want to go back, don't you? To the world that you lived in."

"Yes."

I answered right away.She looked as if she had expected it, but somewhat forlorn.

"… Do you know how to get back?"

"I don't know the details, but I have an idea at least."

"And Seven Evils is entangled in the process?"

"It's directly related rather than entangled."

Ariman.The Seven Evil that was simply mentioned in only a few lines in the setting and is related to space.Compared to all the other Seven Evils that appeared in the original story, as enemies, or were mentioned at the very least, it was definitely a heterogeneous existence.

And the Seven Even that certainly have done some kind of trick on me.No, even if he hadn't done any tricks on me, it was clear that he had a deep connection with me.Now, in many ways, I had to find him.

"… … ."Margot and Svengali.Even if they were called the weakest line, I succeeded in hunting two of the Seven Evils.If I go backward like this, I will surely reach Ariman.

‘And… .'

Nidhogg's fang that turned blacker than before after killing Svengali.And another authority that was created.When I thought of these things, I couldn't get rid of the thought that something kept on getting caught.

[Skill]

King of Thorns (???, ???)

The authority of Seven Evil Svengali has changed and blossomed.The power of Lee Jae-Joon dissolved in his body and the power of Svengali, who had implanted a branch of the World Tree, mingled and its power appeared in a different direction.It seems that the remnants of the Seven Evil that interfered with the inside of human beings have appeared in the form of armor, don't you think it's somewhat contradictory?

― While 'King of Thorns' lasts, most of the abilities of 'Branch of the World Tree' are sealed.― Stamina, strength, and agility are overwhelmingly increased.― Resistance to all status abnormalities is greatly increased.― Proficiency correction has been added to the spear and bow.― The moment the 'King of Thorns' is released, in proportion to the time of use, the user falls into a cursed state in which all stats temporarily decrease. This curse cannot be dealt with in any other way.― Karma value increases. (Neglected due to characteristics.)― You can use Thorn Spear.― You can use Thorn Coffin.― You can use Thorn Bird.

"…Excuse me?"

"Ah, sorry. In front of someone... ."

Seeing me in embarrassment, Lee Ye-Eun smiled as if she understood.

"No, it's all right. I'm sure your head is complicated. If it were me, I definitely wouldn't have been able to stay so calm."

She muttered something like that and suddenly offered me something.

"And this… I hope this will help you a little to achieve your goal."

I took that something and found it to be an old book.When I looked at her with eyes asking for an explanation, she replied with a look as if she had nothing to hide.

"It's a genealogy."

"Genealogy?"

"Yes."

She nodded her head.

"To go back to what I said earlier, that… So."

"Call me comfortably."

I told her in a voice that seemed to say I didn't really care.

"Whether it's Junior, Ji-Hyuk, or that one. Any word is fine."

"… Then junior."

Muttering in a small voice, she coughed a few times and continued her explanation.

"Some people have found out that Junior has a branch of the World Tree. They will definitely ask for an explanation. Maybe, like the misunderstanding I had at first, they may try to confuse the family for no reason, claiming that Junior is my father's hidden child."

And that is surely not what Junior would want.Being dragged into the center of a political dispute is not something anyone would be happy about.

"After looking through the genealogy of our clan of the past, I found that about 100 years ago, someone was both from the main clan and was disowned."

"That means… ."

"There is a word in the world called atavism, which means that sometimes the descendants of a disowned person are accepted back into the family."[Note: I don't think "atavism" fits the context, but my ret*rded brain couldn't find any word that fits, if you know lemme know in the comments.]

Lee Ye-Eun smiled a little mischievously.

"It's a forced fit in, but who would say anything? I, as a member of the main clan and the head of the clan, would allow it and say so."

Then she pointed mischievously at the genealogy and tapped.

"You have the genealogy there, don't you? Older people sometimes tend to be overly obsessed with the façades of appearance and legitimacy."

"Then what, am I going to be a member of the World Tree clan from now on?"

When I asked her again about her story which I had never expected, she nodded.

"For now, yes. Although they were nominally disowned in the past, they are still from the main clan and have the branches of the World Tree, so officially, they can be considered the rank right below me. Simply put, if something happens to me, they have the legitimacy to fight for the position of head of the clan without any problem."

"Ohh… ."

"In addition, in the current situation, there is no reason to turn down someone like Junior. In any case, another clan with a branch of the World Tree will be born."

She looked at me with a mixture of emotions as she said this.

"Junior… No, Ji-Hyuk-ssi, I know well that your journey will be arduous and difficult."

"…… ."

"It is embarrassing to say with my own mouth, but the name of the World Tree Clan has strong power. To the point that it has put a damper on the mouth of the man who blamed you for the death of Na Il-Jun and made a big fuss to make you pay the price. The name of a member of the World Tree clan, and by extension, a member of the main clan, has that much power."

I hope this name can be of help to you, even if it is only a small help.Lee Ye-Eun muttered like that.

"And if you need to, you can always sell my name. I didn't fabricate it by saying it was my family's lineage for no reason."

"Haha… ."

"Most of all, in that relation, I am your older sister."

Lee Ye-Eun muttered as if she could not give up on that.

"Isn't it natural for an older sister to help her younger brother?"

"Hey, once I was nearly 10 years older than senior."

"What does that matter? Everyone is an older sister if they are beautiful and capable anyway."

She gently lifted her face as she said this.Is it the so-called beautiful face? [Note: Best face, extremely beautiful face.]

"If you are as beautiful and capable as I am, you are an older sister."

As I stared at Lee Ye-Eun who said that, she silently straightened her lifted face.Perhaps because of her green hair, her red-tinted face stood out considerably.

"… Anyway, we won't be able to see each other for a while. Inside or outside the clan. I literally have a mountain of work to deal with and I don't think I can get out of it."

She said in a casual, calm voice.Her face was still stained red.

"Still, if you need me, I can always come to you. I'll always make time for you."

"Thank you for just saying that."

"I'm not just saying it. That's how much help I got."

After she said that, she gently looked out the window.Sitting in a seat with a clear view of the World Tree, she was looking at it with eyes that told nothing about what she was thinking.

"…I hope you achieve your goal."

"Thank you."

With those words, I got up from my seat.And when I put my hand on the doorknob to get out, her voice caught me.

"Hey, can I say something really selfish and mean?"

I turned my head and saw that Lee Ye-Eun was muttering without looking at me.

"Go ahead."

"But it's a really mean thing to say."

"It's okay."

"… You won't despise or hate me for this later?"

"I won't."

Despite my assertion, Lee Ye-Eun agonized for a long time.Then, as if she had made up her mind, she looked at me as if she was looking at my expression, and said.

"If, by any chance, you're going to give up, or if you can't return… ."

"…… ."

"Then come to me."

She added quickly.

"I'll take you in. I am capable of taking responsibility for at least one person."

I nodded at her words with a small laugh.

"Yes, I'll remember."

"I'm really not joking, I'm being serious."

She muttered as if she didn't like my reaction.Then, as I opened the door and walked out, she said to my back, as if saying, don't forget.

"We'll go over the genealogy later when I'm free. Definitely."

I didn't make you my nonexistent cousin by beating around the bush for nothing.