How a Villain Defies Destiny Chapter 47

After another perplexed glance at the tree, this time Atharasis spoke up.

 

“It’s the one from the story, one of the mighty ones who fought against the wizards.”

 

“The holy water, the sacred tree, and then the holy grove. It’s the Divine Tree.”

 

“That’s right. The people of the Holy Realm call it the World Tree.”

 

“Oh, I see…”

 

“What is that lukewarm response?”

 

As I let out a vague exclamation, Yves, who seemed to have read my expression, pointed out sharply.

 

“No. It’s just that I’m a little surprised.”

 

“Because it’s a world tree, and you thought it was just a big tree? Or because you thought a world tree would be different, but it’s pretty ordinary?”

 

“…Both.”

 

At once, Yves saw through the lie.

 

‘You’re too accurate, like you were inside my head.’

 

It’s almost as if the strange illusion last night was actually a prank.

 

‘Maybe it wasn’t really meant as an innocent tease.’

 

He looked genuinely hurt when I misinterpreted him as grossed out.

 

Probably because the effects of the curse are too much for him to act normally.

 

“…Well, you’re not the only one who thinks so, you shouldn’t be feeling depressed.”

 

“What?”

 

Was he depressed?

 

‘I wasn’t, I was just feeling bad for Yves.’ 

 

Scratching my cheek, I realized Atharasis was looking at me with a very warm gaze.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“Oho! I thought now would be a good time.”

 

With a soft smile, she slowly approached the World Tree.

 

“Here, Miss Laura. I want you to put your hand on this side.”

 

“What happens when I put my hand up?”

 

“Nothing happens.”

 

I was expecting something special to happen, like a holy relic, but I was wrong.

 

“Don’t be disappointed, I’m sure you can make a difference, Miss Laura.”

 

Why does he have such high hopes for me?

 

‘Well, there’s always Yves.’ 

 

For now, I obeyed her instructions and simply beckoned.

 

I reached out and touched the trunk of an otherwise simple, bronze-colored tree that bore the name of the World Tree.

 

‘There’s nothing special about it.’ 

 

There were no flashes of light, no openings to other dimensions, no trees speaking to me in human form, no fantasy elements.

 

Just the sound of leaves rustling in the wind.

 

‘Well, the Pope made it sound speculative.’

 

Convinced that I could be wrong, I turned around.

 

“Nothing’s changed.”

 

But there was no sign of Yves or Atharasis.

 

‘Where did they go?’ 

 

I whirled around, but not even their shadows were visible.

 

‘Isn’t that strange? If it has something to do with the Sacred Tree, doesn’t the individual touching it usually transport?’

 

How come the people around me disappeared while I was standing still?

 

At that moment I had such a question.

 

[Welcome, child.]

 

Then I heard a voice I had never recognized before.

 

It was in my head.

 

“Who are you?”

 

[I am Huluppu, the one and only Sacred Tree of this world.]

 

“Oh my goodness…”

 

I’ve had a lot of crazy things happen to me since being in the body of Laura, but I never thought I’d hear the voice of a tree in my life.

 

Of course, possession was the most unbelievable, but if I had to pick the most fantasy-like event, it would have to be today.

 

[You’re here because you have a lot of questions about divine powers, right?]

 

“Uh, how do you know, do you read minds or something?”

 

[Unfortunately, I do not have the ability to read the thoughts of other living things].

 

A genderless voice chuckled softly and added a comment.

 

[I observe the world through my roots, and I can see anything they touch].

 

Appearances are not everything.

 

I blurted out, retracting the idea that the World Tree was just another old tree.

 

“So you can see everything even if you’re inside a building?”

 

[Yes. Even buildings built by humans start from the ground].

 

It’s omniscient. No wonder they call it the World Tree.

 

[This is going to be a long conversation, so come this way first].

 

“Where is this way?”

 

Sacred Tree Huluppu didn’t answer, but a breeze blew in from nowhere.

 

A light wind, just enough to tickle my cheeks.

 

‘Is that the direction the wind is blowing?’ 

 

And so I followed the wind as if it were beckoning me to come in this direction.

 

Soon I was in front of the lake. But the wind hadn’t stopped.

 

“Should I keep going?”

 

Then, as if to answer the question, the wind gusted even stronger.

 

‘Yeah. I’ve talked to the trees, so why can’t I walk on water?’ 

 

With that thought in mind, I took a determined step forward, but unfortunately, I fell.

 

I didn’t just fall into the water, it felt more like falling off a cliff.

 

‘Are you sure this is alright?’ 

 

The sensation of falling downward in the darkness with no end in sight was not unexpected, no, it was just terrifying.

 

‘How long am I going to fall?’ 

 

Just as I was thinking that I was stuck, or that I might suddenly hit the bottom and die, there was a burst of bright light that I could feel even with my eyes closed.

 

The next thing I knew, I realized that my body was touching the floor.

 

“Wow…”

 

As I slowly opened my eyes, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing.

 

‘It’s going to rain at any moment.’

 

The first thing I noticed was the night sky with the Milky Way. The second thing I was seeing were bookshelves that didn’t belong in the wilderness.

 

There were so many of them that I couldn’t see the end of the shelves.

 

‘This place has more bookshelves than a big library,’ I thought.

 

The bookshelves were densely packed with books.

 

Unable to suppress my curiosity, I pulled a book from the nearest shelf.

 

《Collection of Basic Common Knowledge to Help You Start a Business.》

 

Thinking it was just a long title, I opened the book, and to my surprise, it was full of useful information.

 

‘It’s true to its title.’ 

 

It was basic stuff like you need capital to start a business, and you need to sell something that people would want to purchase.

 

Once I put it aside, I picked up the next book, and it was also a small book that made me wonder, ‘Is this a real book?’ 

 

[Do you even have a favorite book?]

 

The moment I heard a voice speaking directly to my brain, I realized the purpose I had forgotten.

 

“Oh, you’re Yves, not Huluppu?” I said.

 

It was indeed Yves, sitting at the round table, waiting for me.

 

The only difference was that he was younger than I knew him.

 

[Yves?]

 

He tilted his head slightly, as if he’d heard a word he couldn’t understand.

 

‘Did he borrow a shape from my memory or something?’ I asked, inwardly convinced, as it was one of the more common setups.

 

“Didn’t Mister Huluppu just copy the appearance of Lord Yves?”

 

[Alas, you mean the prince of the Euphrates Kingdom who just came with you?]

 

“Yes. That’s right.”

 

[Surely the child did indeed resemble Astarte].

 

“The one I know, the god of love and fertility. You mean Astarte?”

 

[Yes. This form is modeled after Astarte. The child who came with you is also the most like the goddess in the royal lineage of the Euphrates].

 

Aha!

 

The fact that Yves resembled the goddess was more surprising than the fact that my prediction was completely wrong.

 

‘Somehow.’ 

 

I often felt that every time I saw Yves, he was unrealistically beautiful, which was explained by his resemblance to a goddess.

 

[Come here, I’ve prepared your favorite snack].

 

“…!”

 

Swiftly, I sat down at the table.

 

As he said, there was a special treat that could only be served in Atharasis’s office.

 

‘Wow, this guy sure knows everything.’ 

 

I’m sure that information about my favorite snacks would be useless.

 

[Which one should I tell you about?]

 

“Well, please explain at your convenience, Lord Huluppu.”

 

Divine power was a mystery to humans. Not even the Pope knew for sure.

 

So it’s tempting to want to hear the whole story.

 

It suddenly occurred to me that maybe there are parts that humans should know and parts that humans shouldn’t know, so I left it entirely to Huluppu.

 

[I’ll start with the truth that interests you the most.]

 

We haven’t even started, and I’m already intrigued.

 

Taking a large bite out of a slice of bread covered in whipped cream, I kept my eyes fixed on Huluppu, waiting for the rest of the story.

 

[Divine power is similar to magic power].

 

“What?”

 

A question mark formed in my head, ‘Isn’t magic power used by mages?’

 

But I didn’t understand what he meant by divine power.

 

“Can you break it down a bit more for me?”

 

[I was just about to, but you’re in a hurry].

 

Since I couldn’t say it was the effects of my previous life, I smiled and ate my bread.

 

[Before we get into the details, let me briefly explain the nature of magic power].

 

He said that magical power was the foundation of the world.

 

Everything on earth that exists in the world, including the sky and the earth, the mountains and the sea, the plants and animals, are composed of magic.

 

“The world itself is magic.”

 

[Well, technically, that’s a little different, but it’s hard to explain, so let’s move on].

 

“Okay. So what’s the difference between divine power and magical power?”

 

[Everything but the essence].

 

He explained that magical and divine powers were branches of the same root, but their nature was different.

 

‘Then again, in the game, both healers and mages use MP to activate their skills, so it’s similar,’ I thought.

 

While I was using my gaming common sense to understand his explanation, he didn’t wait for me to finish.

 

[Divine power and magic power were powers that existed everywhere in the world, and with effort, they could be built up even in human flesh. That’s why wizards, knights, and priests are so powerful.]

 

According to him, if a person gathered magic power in their heart, they became a wizard, if they gathered it in their entire body, they became a knight, and divine power was usually gathered in their head.

 

‘Wow, that’s new. Divine power concentrated in the head.’