Eat The World Tree

Today, the sun was high in the sky, marking a month since I arrived in the past.

“No, hic, it’s not like I’m saying I won’t pay. I’ll give it to you later, okay? Don’t you know what credit is?”

“Ha, but you didn’t pay last time either.”

“That’s what I’m saying. Ugh, it’s coming up. I’m saying I’ll pay it all at once. Can’t you understand?”

From early in the day, a hiccupping drunkard was causing trouble in the tavern, his face flushed red with alcohol.

“Ah, such a freaking nuisance…”

Staggering.

The man, walking so precariously that it wouldn’t be surprising if he fell over, threatened the warriors around him as he walked towards the door.

“Um, excuse me…”

Unable to say anything for fear of being harassed by the warrior, only the waiter looked distressed. The few warriors sitting in the tavern just silently watched the scene.

After all, the heavily drunk man was from a family with significant backing.

Watching quietly, I sneakily kicked the drunkard in the back.

“Ugh, cough!”

Losing his balance, the drunkard fell in a sorry state. Fumbling, he got up from the ground.

“Ah, who is it? Do you know who I am?”

I lifted the hat I was wearing to show my face.

“Who are you? From which family?”

“-Cough.”

I stepped firmly on his back and mentioned the man’s identity.

“Malchaenamu. The third son of Seokyeon. Your name is Seokcheong. Not your first time being reported, maybe it’s about time you got arrested, huh?”

“…Uh, who are you?”

“You’re quite infamous for being a scoundrel.”

In the past, if you had some power, you might have been let off. But not anymore. The authority of Cheonma pierced the heavens now; it’s better to watch yourself and stay confined in that proud house of yours.

The corrupt ones have long been caught and punished in advance. It’s an ongoing process to see how far the power of an absolute monarch can reach.

“Could it be… Young Demon?”

His voice, suddenly sober, asked, and I gave him a bright smile.

Yep, that’s right.

“Ugh, ugh!”

His face went pale in an instant. I took out a few silver coins from my pocket and threw them to the tavern’s waiter.

“Uh… Young Demon, what is this for?”

“Pay off the bill with this. Leave this guy to me.”

“I, I can’t accept this. You’re not the party involved.”

Ignoring the waiter’s refusal, I dragged the grumbling drunkard away. His apologies started belatedly, but they didn’t seem sincere.

---

“Baekdo, did you know?”

“Hm?”

“That brother from before. They say he became the Young Demon. Following in our father’s footsteps?”

Baekdo doubted her ears at Hwangdo’s sudden revelation.

“Huh?”

-Thud.

Baekdo dropped the cloth she was holding.

“What do you mean? Then what about Cheondo?”

“I don’t know.”

Young Demon. Was his name Dowon?

Baekdo felt her heart sink. She had firmly believed that Cheondo, and no one else, was to succeed the Cheonma. As Baekdo personally admired Cheondo, this was shockingly unexpected news.

“It’s strange, isn’t it? If there’s already a successor, why decide on another?”

“I don’t know, but if Cheondo doesn’t become Cheonma, wouldn’t it be nice since we could play with her more? Baekdo liked her a lot too. Said she was really cool.”

“That’s different!”

The public duel with Hongyeon.

Baekdo was well aware of how strong Hongyeon was.

Baekdo thought the man who won against the strong Hongyeon in a desperate victory was very cool.

But Baekdo liked Cheondo more than that man.

It might be extreme, but compared to Cheondo, that person was nothing more than a cockroach.

“Wouldn’t it be better if that brother became Cheonma? Honestly, Cheondo is always overexerting herself.”

She didn’t like it.

Baekdo puffed her cheeks sulkily.

“Even the sisters liked that man, right? He was handsome. Above all, I heard he’s making Dowon a very nice place to live.”

“So, you think it would be better if he became Cheonma instead of Cheondo?”

“Cheondo is carrying a big burden; wouldn’t it be hard for her?”

Hwangdo shared her sincere feelings with a bitter expression to Baekdo.

Cheondo, Baekdo, Hwangdo.

The three sisters shared their emotions more intimately than anyone else and understood each other’s hearts the best.

Dowon hadn’t been established for long.

The war had ended, but the situation remained precarious.

There’s still a need for a leader, and someone must succeed Cheonma.

All three were talented, but Cheondo sacrificed herself to represent them.

She concealed her status, working in a tavern, enduring whispers and sneers, and repeating training all day. Cheondo is enduring a terrible daily life on behalf of Baekdo and Hwangdo.

…Simply because she was born a bit earlier.

“You know, Baekdo.”

Cheondo was afraid of blood.

When she was young, even if a wild cat scratched her hand, she would worry about the cat instead because her heart was so tender.

She always let the strong-willed Baekdo win.

And she lived her life making concessions to the youngest, Hwangdo.

Because she’s the eldest.

Hwangdo spoke out of concern for Cheondo, but Baekdo’s heart wasn’t in the same place.

“I’m annoyed.”

“Baekdo?”

“You know how hard Cheondo has worked. All that effort. Just because that person appeared, the fact that she can’t succeed our father, it annoys me.”

She wanted to ask our father directly.

If he really planned to disinherit Cheondo.

Of course, their father wouldn’t give any answer to that question.

“…The father from the past wouldn’t have done this.”

Baekdo spoke with a trembling voice filled with sorrow, clenching her fist.

The father from the past.

Just ten years ago, Cheonma showed a kind face only to his daughters.

He would smile when given flowers. If asked to be carried, he would carry them.

But now, he was like a sharp sword.

A demon who stopped at nothing for his goals.

-Suddenly!

“Baekdo? Where are you going?”

Baekdo clenched her teeth and stood up from her seat to leave the room.

“To meet that person.”

Hwangdo followed her belatedly, but Baekdo had already vanished from sight.

---

After handling a few drunkards causing a ruckus on my way back from an external assignment,

I decided to grab some dumplings nearby as a makeshift meal.

Steaming hot dumplings, filled to the brim.

As I held and tore them apart, the meat filling burst out, soaked in juice.

-Rustle.

The sound of footsteps on grass came from behind me.

I felt an unmistakable stare at the back of my head.

I popped half of the dumpling into my mouth and turned around.

“How long are you going to stay there?”

-Rustle.

A little kid, reacting to my voice like a stray cat.

Hiding one’s entire body in such a sparse underbrush seemed difficult, especially with her stark white hair sticking out like cat ears.

‘Didn’t she dislike me?’

As I stood and approached the underbrush, the girl hiding quietly inside showed her face.

It was indeed Baekdo.

The little girl who had been shadowing me these days.

Pushing the underbrush aside with my hand, Baekdo’s face came into view.

For some reason, she wore a sullen expression, her mouth clamped shut.

“What are you doing here?”

“None of your business.”

“You’re following me and it’s none of my business? Want some dumplings?”

“No.”

My hand, extended with dumplings, was swatted away.

I wondered why she had been tailing me for a while.

Her tone was haughtier than usual, not the candid tone I was used to from Baekdo.

It was amusing, considering it was Baekdo talking back to an adult.

I rubbed the hand that was hit and met Baekdo’s glare at eye level.

“Are you planning to succeed our father?”

“Hm?”

The question was unexpected.

“What are you talking about?”

“That is, are you going to become Cheonma?”

Given the circumstances, I couldn’t deny it, and in fact, it was somewhat true.

But why was she asking this?

“Shall we sit down and talk?”

“Speak here.”

“It seems like a long conversation; why not have some dumplings and a drink while we talk?”

Pointing to a nearby tavern, Baekdo strongly shook her head, but as I nonchalantly entered the tavern, she seemed to change her mind and followed me inside.

Sitting in a secluded spot and ordering food, we were served a bowl full of dumplings.

Baekdo, holding a cup of water with both hands, took a drink, sighed, and glared at me again.

The emotion in her eyes was hostility.

Maybe I should try feeding her some dumplings.

“You-”

“Eat this, then I’ll tell you.”

Cutting off Baekdo’s words, her eyes turned disdainful.

But as she started chewing on a dumpling, filling her mouth, her face softened like dumpling skin.

“Want another one?”

“Don’t treat me like a child… Ack, cough cough.”

Poor thing, she choked.

I quickly filled Baekdo’s cup with water as she frantically pounded her chest.

-Gulp, gulp.

It felt just like going out to eat.

“Phew.”

After drinking the water and catching her breath, Baekdo finally seemed to remember her original purpose and started glaring at me again.

“Get down from there. Young Demon… don’t succeed our father.”

It was an unexpected statement.

“Why?”

“Because that position is Cheondo’s.”

Aha.

She came looking for me because she was worried Cheondo wouldn’t succeed Cheonma.

I gave Baekdo a broad smile.

“Why, why are you smiling like that?”

“Oh, nothing. Just cute.”

“Don’t say annoying things! Do you know how hard Cheondo is trying to succeed our father?”

I didn’t know, but I could guess.

That person was damn diligent, trying to push through even the tasks they didn’t want to do.

“You, someone like you, can’t succeed our father.”

“Someone like me?”

Baekdo pointed a finger at me.

I thought I had been working hard in my own way. It seemed this particular young lady with such difficult tastes really disliked me.

Even here, seeing that we couldn’t mix, could it be innate? It’s like our DNA was wired to attack each other.

-Gulp.

Even as she insulted me, she seemed to have acquired a taste, skillfully picking and eating the dumplings.

The dumplings here were exactly to my taste. Matching my taste means it’s hitting Baekdo’s taste spot-on.

I put down my water glass and crossed my arms.

“So, you’re telling me to give up the succession? Is there really a need for that?”

“There is.”

Baekdo frowned at my words.

“Do you see Cheondo as someone who can’t beat someone like me?”

“She can beat you! She can, but… you’re older right now.”

“What does age have to do with it? Cheondo will do well on her own.”

The atmosphere in Dowon was as Baekdo feared.

It’s widely rumored that I was the talent to succeed Cheonma, rather than the unseen Cheondo.

Baekdo was not completely ignorant about Cheondo; hence, she was confronting me now.

“Then I’ll tell you only. Don’t tell Cheondo.”

I let the words slip to avoid complicating things.

“To me?”

“I never planned to succeed anyway.”

Baekdo’s eyes widened.

Spreading the rumor might cause major disruptions to my current tasks. Even if Baekdo found me repulsive, she wouldn’t cross certain lines.

“Why, why?”

“I just need to complete my training.”

Once my tasks were over, I planned to undergo rigorous training to death.

That’s all.

Then, I would return to the present.

“Then why did you become the Young Demon?”

“There are various reasons. But I won’t block Cheondo’s path. Anyway, my current tasks are almost finished, and I’ll only focus on training from now on.”

“Can I trust you?”

I nodded.

Still, Baekdo at this moment didn’t seem to be deeply suspicious, looking at my face and saying so.

“…Or else you’ll die.”

Baekdo seemed convinced.

Yet, it appeared necessary to have a serious conversation with Cheondo.

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