Eat The World Tree

Chapter 244: Surviving In The Forest (3)

Sansuyu’s objective appearance was beyond just beautiful; the word didn’t even do her justice.

There’s no need to mention her chest; it’s a waste of breath. The flesh on her thighs and her slender waist were enough to make time fly by just watching her. Even though she’s wearing relatively large clothes because of her chest size, she still stood out.

‘I think I understand now why some kings went mad over women and ruined their countries.’

Posts bragging about their bodies on the internet. And idols. A few nobles, blessed with the blood of the World Tree, who were also quite pretty.

But in front of Sansuyu, they were nothing but small birds trying to follow a stork. Even among those with less impressive appearances, handsome men and beautiful women were bound to be born. Sansuyu was born with an even more remarkable body among those already blessed with good looks. Why couldn’t anyone approach Sansuyu, who was so desperate to make friends?

There’s a limit to how much one could be attracted to a beautiful person.

Her face could crush the self-esteem of anyone looking at it.

If you converted her charm into a numerical value, I didn’t think I could beat her.

“Shiheon, your expression looks strange.”

As I laid in the tent, staring blankly, a bored Sansuyu came over and started touching my stomach.

She rubbed my abs with curiosity.

Lifting my shirt slightly, she felt the texture of the muscles with her fingers.

‘…Wasn’t there a cafe like this in Japan?’

A cat massage cafe.

I suddenly recalled the sight of a cat kneading with its little paws.

Sansuyu was more like a puppy than a cat, so it might be slightly different.

But there’s no doubt this was Sansuyu therapy.

-Swaaah~

Outside the tent, the sound of cool water flowing could be heard.

The thin tent canopy captured the noisy sounds of nature and turned them into something pleasant, like the leisurely song of a nightingale.

Lying spread-eagle, I felt as clear-headed as if I had washed my face with ice water in the middle of winter.

-Crunch.

If I could just slice up a watermelon here, put it in a disposable dish, and eat it with chopsticks, it would be perfect.

When I bit into it, the sweet juice of the watermelon filled my mouth and refreshed my throat!

No nagging from my mother about not eating while lying down.

This was rest, nothing else.

This was life.

-Poke, poke.

Sansuyu’s fingers poked my cheek.

“What?”

“Are all men’s bodies like this?”

Sansuyu, who had been fiddling with my stomach, blinked her innocent eyes and asked.

A shadow fell over me as she leaned slightly closer.

Her breasts, with nipples poking out, were unrestrained since she hadn’t worn a bra after draining her milk.

The large bra cups that had been holding her breasts until now were placed like a sculpture in the corner of the tent.

“Mostly, yes. Though, not always. Why?”

“It’s interesting.”

“You find the strangest things interesting.”

She was not some child who couldn’t help but touch new things.

But the cool touch of her hand reminded me of lying on my mother’s lap during childhood.

“I’m bored.”

“What’s there to be bored about?”

The leisurely idleness of this moment was something you couldn’t easily enjoy.

Especially since the first trial was ongoing.

“…Soon, things will get really busy. You should enjoy this while you can.”

Taking it easy.

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“How?”

“Well, usually you just do whatever you feel like doing.”

“I don’t feel like doing anything.”

As I sat there contemplating, I had no choice but to lift my body slightly and grab Sansuyu’s shoulders.

Swoosh. Without resistance, Sansuyu’s body was cradled in my arms and laid down on the soft earth floor of the tent.

With her head resting on my arm, Sansuyu blinked at me. As I gently withdrew my arm, her head softly touched the ground.

“Just lie down. Like this. And then….”

“And then?”

“Quietly listen to the sounds. The water flowing outside. The sound of the grains of soil rolling under the tent.”

“…Hmm?”

“Or you could feel the coolness of the ground. Just lie still and close your eyes.”

“Okay, I’ll try it,”

Sansuyu muttered as she followed my instructions.

She relaxed her entire body and closed her eyes.

Once you started enjoying this kind of relaxation, it was hard to stop.

She’s always so tense, so this relaxation was all the more necessary.

Of course, I needed rest too.

-Be friendly with her. Treat her normally.

I didn’t forget Seong Jiho’s request.

Sansuyu may not understand emotions well right now, but I need to let her experience as many new things as possible.

I continued guiding Sansuyu.

“And also smell the grass. Take a deep breath. Inhale~”

“Inhale.”

“Exhale~ How is it?”

The warmth of a person felt right beside me.

The sensation of our shoulders pressed together.

Soon, Sansuyu spoke.

“…You smell, Shiheon.”

Uh. That was unexpected.

“Well, that can’t be helped. We’re in the same tent.”

As I stammered, suddenly something soft and light was placed on my chest.

It was Sansuyu’s arm.

“I like the smell of people.”

The sharp touch of her nose on my shoulder. Her two breasts pressed against one arm.

Sansuyu’s hair, spread out on the tent floor, reached the back of my neck, tickling me.

Sansuyu, who was breathing steadily, seemed to be enjoying my scent.

‘I didn’t even use the skill I got this time.’

Did she really just like my scent?

“Smell of sweat.”

“Should I move away a bit?”

“My mom always smelled like sweat too.”

Sansuyu’s mother.

In this relaxed state, it seemed she was thinking about her mother.

“I can’t see her now, though.”

“She must have been a good person.”

“Yeah, but I don’t remember much.”

She slowly lifted her eyelids.

Sansuyu was right in front of me. With her eyes closed, she clung to my body and spoke quietly.

“My mom was human, like you, Shiheon… She always smiled. That’s all I really know.”

“I see.”

The scent of humans was different from that of the Tree People.

It might be unpleasant to some, but it seemed to remain a fond memory for Sansuyu.

“We were always together.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. She always hugged me tight.”

Once she started talking, Sansuyu, who usually didn’t say much, spoke clearly and without hesitation.

“Did you smile more back then than you do now?”

“…No. Other than my memories of my mom, I don’t remember anything else. I don’t even know what kind of child I was.”

Not even what kind of face she had back then.

Suddenly, feeling the emptiness in my left hand, I started to hug Sansuyu but stopped midway.

Maybe this distance was just right for now.

-Squeeze.

But this time, the other party wanted to get closer. Sansuyu moved her body closer, trying to rest her soft cheek on my shoulder. But her chest was so large that even stretching her neck didn’t allow her chin to reach my shoulder.

As I moved slightly to the side, Sansuyu’s chest pressed against me, and her cheek finally rested on my shoulder.

Sansuyu’s cheek, like a sticky rice cake, rose up.

It looked so tempting that I wanted to bite and chew it like a snack.

I touched her hand. Starting from the prominent bone on her wrist, I traced each joint one by one. Her neatly trimmed nails would look even better if they were decorated.

The fine veins visible through her pale skin were usually not noticeable but looked slightly eerie.

When I brushed that part with my finger, her breathing became irregular, as if she was ticklish.

Enjoying the sensation, Sansuyu suddenly interlaced her fingers with mine.

-Squeeze.

Her cheek lifted, causing one eye to close. The other eye, crescent-shaped, stared at me.

“…Rest.”

She gently lowered her eyelids.

“I get it now.”

It was comfortable.

“Is this how… friends usually act?”

This went way beyond that.

In normal friendships, people didn’t even hold hands, let alone do something like this.

But Sansuyu really did need human warmth.

She carried wounds she didn’t even realize. From a young age, she had always positively influenced others. She was more capable than anyone else.

Her secretary always said this when talking about Sansuyu.

But just because she was born into the Cornus Family, she was treated as a mere test subject.

-Squeeze.

The grip on our intertwined hands tightened.

The time it took for the warmth to transfer to Sansuyu’s cold hands wasn’t long.

Feeling the warmth grow similar, I closed my eyes.

For some reason, I felt sleepy today.

‘All the traps are set.’

Any approach to this area would send a signal to me.

After passing some of the recharged healing power to Sansuyu, I closed my eyes.

“Do you think Shiheon-ssi and Sansuyu-ssi… are okay?”

As the fourth day began, most of the National Trees started forming teams.

At Saku’s words, who was wearing a fox mask, Sooyeon sighed.

She swung her white sword, shaking off the blood.

“They’ll handle it. Neither of them seemed weak.”

“And they’re not just casual acquaintances, are they?”

“…How would I know that?”

Sansuyu and Lee Shiheon.

They were always together, even during the three daily meals. Sometimes, they even slept together.

Lee Shiheon was always the one wiping the sleepy Sansuyu’s mouth in the morning.

-Hey, wipe that eye gunk off.

-Okay.

-I told you not to eat with food stuck to your face.

To anyone watching, they would undoubtedly seem like a couple.

But that was beside the point.

“…This year feels tougher.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s an atmosphere, you know? The mood! It feels ominous. So many have been eliminated. It’s hard not to worry about those two.”

Saku puffed her cheeks as she tightened her grip on her weapons.

“I know. But what can we do?”

Kim Sooyeon sighed.

The National Trees also noticed that there were unusually many eliminations in the first trial of the Forester Selection Competition.

It was partly due to some of the National Trees from China, like Mae Hwa.

Of course, it was not like they didn’t contribute to it either.

“Banya-ssi, can we stop fighting? I’m tired.”

With an expressionless face, Banya took off her socks.

Her toes with tanned skin wiggled. A dark red pattern drawn in blood adorned the top of her feet.

“Why should we stop removing competitors?”

India, Korea, Japan. A team made up entirely of National Trees.

Banya was actively finding and eliminating as many cadets as possible.

To reduce as many competitors as possible.

Saku and Sooyeon knew it was the right thing to do, but… there was no need to go this hard without rest.

“Banya-ssi. We should maintain sportsmanship. Us teaming up like this doesn’t look good.”

“Sportsmanship… in the Forester Selection Competition?”

Banya muttered without any change in expression at Saku’s assertion.

Quite a few cameras were focused on them as they spoke.

Sooyeon, who had been silent, backed up Saku’s words.

“What if we meet another National Tree later? We’re not exactly conserving our energy.”

No matter how much weaker the cadets were compared to the National Trees, there were still some A-rank ones, and they were not easy to deal with.

If these battles continued, it’s certain they’d struggle when they eventually face the National Trees.

“I’m handling it. No problem.”

“No matter how good your spells are….”

Banya spread her magic power, detecting the positions of objects and people around her.

But her reconnaissance didn’t stop there.

She spread dozens of birds of prey in the sky, sharing their sight.

Banya was always the first to spot the enemy, giving her the advantage.

But sometimes, you needed to listen to your teammates’ requests.

“…Alright, let’s rest for today.”

At Banya’s slightly softened reply, Saku’s face brightened.

She took off her shoes and sat on a rock, fanning herself with her hand.

Saku and Sooyeon also put away their weapons and either leaned against a tree or sat on the ground, each in their own way, to relax.

The outfits they wore for the Forester Selection Competition displayed flags and emblems on their chests.

Among them, the three lion heads of the Ashoka Pillar were striking on Banya’s clothes.

Below it was India’s national motto written in Devanagari script:

सत्यमेव जयते (Truth alone triumphs.)

She ran her hand over the emblem.

With eyes that seemed to gaze into a deep abyss, Banya stared at the blue sky.