“How do you know that?”

I asked, amazed at how Lilith had discerned the state of the World Tree.

It was understandable, as Lilith, though a resident of Paradise and blessed by the gods like the dragon clan, had not been granted divine powers. It was up to the gods’ discretion to decide who could or couldn’t use certain abilities, and Lilith hadn’t been chosen.

Instead, she had developed exceptional senses beyond human capabilities from living for a long time, but that was all.

“Is it that surprising?”

Lilith smiled with her eyes and added:

“I may not have abilities like yours, but I’ve traveled and observed the world for a long time. I’ve learned and gained a lot through that. Being able to see through things is one of those abilities. That’s why I once told you that many interesting beings were drawn to you.”

Did she say that? I made a face that showed I couldn’t quite remember.

“I knew you’d make that face. You always pretend not to hear when I casually mention important things.”

Lilith sighed, pretending to cry while wiping under her eye with one hand, then crossed her arms.

“Fine. Since it’s come to this, shall we talk about the World Tree’s current predicament?”

She then looked down at me with a smile.

“As you know, the World Tree is the only being promised eternal life by the gods.”

I nodded, signaling her to continue.

“The punishment given to such a World Tree is to give its eternal life to all beings on this earth.”

Impossible. I frowned as I looked down at the World Tree’s leaf.

“In human terms, it’s been sentenced to death.”

Lilith paused briefly, perhaps thinking I was shocked, and I soon recalled memories of being with the World Tree.

‘Hey, why do you always take the form of a tree? Don’t you ever want to become human? Isn’t it uncomfortable?’

‘I like watching over everyone from this spot. Besides, if I abandon this form, there’d be no point in being born as the World Tree.’

The World Tree, which could only communicate through thought transmission, was always happy just by my daily visits.

It was as strange a being as Yongyong, always saying kind words and giving blessings when I brought humans who visited Paradise, never hating or resenting others.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course.”

Unlike Yongyong who occasionally nagged, the World Tree never scolded me and only cared for me. As I reminisced about this forgotten being, I felt strange.

It felt like my heart was tingling, my eyes trembling, but it wasn’t unpleasant, and I wasn’t angry. It seemed sad, but not quite. I couldn’t pinpoint how to explain this emotion that even felt somewhat empty.

My hand holding the World Tree’s leaf had dropped down without me realizing.

“Your Highness, are you crying again?”

“I’m not crying.”

“Oh my, how scary~”

When I glared at her with an annoyed look, Lilith pretended to be scared and continued:

“You looked gloomy, so I was just trying to cheer you up. Shouldn’t you be thanking me instead?”

“Are you crazy?”

I grumbled, crossing my arms. I knew Lilith had deliberately provoked me to snap me out of my melancholic state, but I didn’t bother to humble myself and express gratitude.

It didn’t seem right to demand thanks for doing something I never asked for in the first place.

“Ah, instead of this, let’s go see the World Tree directly. You can confirm your old friend’s condition with your own eyes.”

Just as I was about to send Lilith away, what was this? I was momentarily dazed before coming to my senses.

“Now? What about the court ladies?”

“You told them to be elsewhere, what’s there to worry about?”

Lilith let out a chuckle and gave her characteristic eye smile.

“If we go quietly and discreetly, no one will know. If we get caught, we’ll just make something up then.”

Giggling and spreading a cheerful atmosphere, Lilith whispered for me to follow her and beckoned with her hand.

Afterward, Lilith descended into an underground space through another secret passage.

It was a hidden path different from the one I had come down with Jeff and Asian, not easily noticeable, and both the ground-level and underground entrances required complex manipulation by touching various bricks here and there.

‘Since I didn’t directly participate in the design, I’ve never seen such narrow passages before.’

Indeed, I chose people well. I swelled with pride at my excellence in unearthing loyal subjects from my past life, whose faces I couldn’t even remember now.

Thud, thud−.

“Why are we here?”

I blurted out as I looked around the familiar underground space. I wondered if there was some hidden passage to secretly see the World Tree underground.

“The dragon that resided above ground created a gap in space when it left this world.”

“What? You mean Yongyong is gone?”

“That’s right.”

I quickened my pace, thinking something was wrong. And I was taken aback by the sight before me.

‘When you appeared borrowing a squirrel’s body and said you could rest in peace now, was this what you meant?’

I stood dumbfounded in front of the altar, overwhelmed with complex emotions.

In the place where Yongyong’s powerless body had been having its energy extracted while still alive, there was no trace of my old friend, only a warp emitting blue light and wind.

‘To lose even physical form and disappear.’

I had vaguely thought that someday, when dragon energy was no longer needed or alternative energy could be developed, I would set him free as a token of appreciation for his efforts.

It was a vague thought, but I had it. Thanks to Yongyong, the empire had abundant resources and could become more prosperous.

‘This guy, did he not mention that his physical body would disappear later, worried that I might care?’

I clicked my tongue openly with a tsk sound. Then Lilith, who had already climbed onto the altar, looked down at me and said:

“Your Highness, we must hurry.”

Lilith disappeared into the warp, saying we couldn’t delay any longer.

“Huh, what happened to making something up if we get caught? Why so rushed?”

I shook my head side to side as I carefully climbed onto the altar.

Thud−.

Just as I was about to enter the warp.

“Quack, quack~!”

Ah, right.

I realized upon hearing the resounding sound from behind. Lost in other thoughts, I had abandoned Poppy and entered the warp alone.

‘It’ll come on its own.’

Since there was no limit to the number of people who could use the warp, I carelessly stepped onto the white floor.

“This is……”

A moment later, feeling my feet touch the ground, I opened my eyes and looked around, turning my head this way and that. It was definitely not the imperial palace.

‘A temple?’

A large dome-shaped structure with sacred patterns engraved on white glass tubes. A massive pot rising like a mountain over World Tree leaves piled up, coming and going like waves.

At its center was none other than the World Tree, withering away with little trace of its past green vitality.

How pitiful was the sunlight pouring over its body, now just bare branches like skeletal bones. I suddenly decided to try speaking to the World Tree again through thought transmission.

The single word squeezed out painfully gave the impression of a patient writhing in agony. The World Tree, visibly weak and having lost all the glory and halo of primordial times, was barely maintaining consciousness and sense of self.

It was like a person miraculously standing for a long time, trembling, with crushed limbs.

“As you can see, this friend won’t last long. But… it’s strange.”

Lilith, who said it wasn’t this bad when she came before I was born, found it suspicious that the World Tree had weakened so dramatically, even if it had been punished by having to share its eternal life.

“Unless someone has stolen the life promised by the gods, there’s no reason for such a rapid decline. I thought it would last at least a hundred years.”

With a serious expression, Lilith looked up at the World Tree with a pitying face, her chin resting on her hand.

“Now that we’ve come to find out, there’s no way to restore the lost life, no matter how upset we are.”

Muttering to herself about how cruel it was, Lilith caught a World Tree leaf falling in a zigzag pattern from the sky and said with a serious face:

“Your Highness, it would be good to say your goodbyes in advance.”

“Before that, I want to know properly. Why was the World Tree punished in the first place?”

“I left the land created by the gods long ago, so I don’t know the details.”

Lilith let the World Tree leaf drift away in a gentle breeze that had just blown in, her lips moving slightly.

“But what’s clear is that all beings gathered around you receive the same punishment as the World Tree. It’s not exactly the same, but from what I’ve observed over the long years, that’s how it is.”

Suddenly chuckling, Lilith showed a relaxed demeanor.

“But the one who really did wrong was you alone, Your Highness. Why are they bound to a trajectory of suffering, unable to escape, just because of their connection to you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Moreover, punishment is supposed to be given for doing something wrong, but they chose it themselves. Some were semi-forced, while others accepted it willingly.”

Why is she talking in such a complicated way? I put my hands on my hips with a blank face, and Poppy, who had safely arrived through the warp, approached quacking.

“So you’re saying it’s because of me that they’re being punished.”

“That’s right. They’re beings who either liked or hated you.”

Having finished her answer, Lilith gently curved her eyes. That was it. Lilith didn’t elaborate further. She had said she could sense and see through things, and I thought if I kept listening, she might tell me who these ‘interesting beings’ she saw were, but she didn’t utter a word about their identities.

“Oh my, it seems the priests are coming. I’ll tell you the rest next time.”

How long had we maintained silence? The sound of someone walking could be heard in the distance.

“Alright.”

Since we had entered secretly through the warp, getting caught would cause a big problem, so we hurried to escape. Honestly, wouldn’t it be strange if the uninvited imperial princess of the empire was just there?

Wanting to avoid any unfortunate incidents, I quickly jumped into the warp.