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Chapter 309

“Here.”

Whoosh! Something flew through the air. Yeon-woo was startled and caught it with both hands. It was obvious without looking at the dragon’s face that it was an object entwined with tremendous mana.

“O-Oh…? What’s this…?”

“Yeah, it’s the prosthetic limb you wanted. I’m off to rest now.”

Ideally, Yeon-woo wanted to hear a detailed explanation based on master craftsmanship, but looking at her complexion, which had turned gray in just half a day, it was clear that such requests were out of the question.

“R-Rest well~…”

It seemed that processing the branches of the World Tree was quite exhausting. Just moments ago, she was bright and cheerful after a long-awaited hobby, but now she looked utterly worn out.

“What did the queen leave behind?”

The children, seeing her condition, approached. At the mention of it, Yeon-woo spun around and said to them.

“This is your dad’s new leg.”

As she peeled away the old cloth that carelessly wrapped the cylindrical object, a prosthetic limb with impressive wood-patterned rings was revealed.

“Wow….”

“What is it? Is it something amazing?”

“Quite substantial.”

Except for Tae-oh, who had a keen sense of taste rather than sight, everyone gasped at the sight. Tae-oh, completely bemused and not understanding the situation, looked puzzled, prompting Yeon-woo to ask.

“Do you want to taste it?”

“Wait, is that allowed!? Isn’t it precious!?”

“Oh, it’s fine. I haven’t even used it yet, so it’s clean. When else would you get to taste the World Tree?”

As Yeon-woo offered the prosthetic, Tae-oh hesitated about where to start. Finally, he cautiously licked the shin part. His eyes transformed into exclamation marks as he recoiled.

“W-What is this!!”

What is it, what’s happening? Is it possible the World Tree’s mana clashed with some dark attribute, causing a bad reaction? Worried, Yeon-woo approached Tae-oh, only for him to shout.

“P-Put it away quickly! I might end up eating it…!!”

“Now that would be a problem.”

It was inherently impossible to just put it away. After all, he was meant to carry it from now on…

“I’m sorry, but you’ll have to endure it, Tae-oh.”

“Guh, it’s tough, but I’ll try…!!”

Apologies were inevitable for Tae-oh, who was drooling, but there was no way around it. He had to hold on; what could be done? Shouldn’t he at least get a taste sometimes? Wouldn’t that be a kind of torture?

With such a conversation, Yeon-woo sank to the ground to replace her prosthetic limb.

She removed the prototype that had been attached and brought in the prosthetic made from the World Tree. Even the prototype fit perfectly, but this one crafted from the World Tree fit like magic.

“Is this my new leg…?”

It felt somewhat like becoming a superhero with a dumpling for a head. Did he feel this way every time? Not even limbs, but heads?

Click, click, manipulating the magical adhesive fasteners that were button-shaped and connecting the limb brought a sensation that could not be put into words surging up.

“…? What is this?”

An inexplicable warm sensation flowed down through the prosthetic limb. Yeon-woo’s right foot, which had initially become nonexistent, seemed to connect to her nerves again.

In a sense, this was closer to having a brand new leg than merely a prosthetic.

“…Does this even make sense?”

It felt like someone in my head was echoing, “Of course it makes sense!”

*

Her toes twitched. Though blood wasn’t flowing through them, the mana pathway was undeniably connected all the way to the tips of the prosthetic toes.

Despite tremendous advancements in the technology of crafting prosthetics and magical engineering, a technique to create functional limbs indistinguishable from natural limbs still did not exist.

Yet perhaps because of the excellent material, or because of Chloe’s fantastic skills, this prosthetic functioned as if it had always been a part of her body.

In truth, she had initially intended to leave right after receiving it, but now she felt that at least a thank-you was necessary. There were also some conversations to share with Claire.

So, Yeon-woo first visited Claire’s room. While Claire had been spending most of her time with Chloe lately, now that Chloe had gone to rest, Claire would be alone.

“Sister? Are you there?”

“Oh my, Yeon-woo? What’s the matter?”

Claire welcomed Yeon-woo with great joy. After all, she had returned to her hometown, one which she had left under less than proud circumstances. It wasn’t surprising she looked cheerful.

“Did your sisterly reunion conclude?”

“Hehe, of course. Chloe, though she struts confidently in front of others, is like a meek little lamb in front of me?”

“…Meek? A lamb?”

Imagining the normally poised Chloe behaving meekly was hard to grasp. Wait, was she actually meek…? She could certainly control others to her whims, but she may not be completely unassuming.

“So, what will you do now?”

“What do you mean?”

At Yeon-woo’s question, Claire tilted her head as if she didn’t understand.

“Since royal authority has been restored, you don’t have to return to Hanyang, right? Should I take care of the orphanage?”

“Yeon-woo.”

Claire’s expression hardened at Yeon-woo’s suggestion as she called her name sharply. Then she slowly shook her head.

“That’s not going to happen. Don’t even joke about it.”

“I know, I know. I just asked. You would never, of course.”

Raising her hands as a gesture of surrender, Yeon-woo smiled lightly. Indeed. Claire was not the type of person for that. Not at all.

She was someone who could reclaim her royal status on her own. The precious child of the Grand Empire who never knew hardships.

Still, Claire willingly endured hardship, withdrawing money slowly from her frozen bank accounts with the help of her sister.

She tended herbs and cultivated the mountains. Even though she had never been accustomed to handling nature’s powers due to years of wielding a sword, she learned and mastered the power of harmony.

Moreover, she could have easily earned money by wielding her sword, yet she refrained from doing so due to the risk of being discovered.

“After finally meeting your sister after so long.”

“That’s true. Well, I plan to stay a little longer. Your family can leave first.”

“Hmm, then I should go first. Could you say something nice to the queen for me?”

“Where on earth did you learn how to manage connections? Who taught you? Laguna?”

It felt as if her heart was pricked for a moment. Could it be that the answer hit too close to home?

But Yeon-woo’s skill was to not let it show. She chuckled awkwardly and rolled up her pants.

“Oh my.”

Claire, who was questioning Yeon-woo’s sudden action, grimaced at the revealed prosthetic.

“That’s made from the World Tree, right? You made a prosthetic from something rare?”

“The queen said she’d gift it to me, so I eagerly accepted.”

“Hmm, as for items that connect with the body, there’s really no material quite like the World Tree. I wonder how such a precious item became available.”

That was a question Yeon-woo also found puzzling. The queen’s authority to break a branch was limited to when it was absolutely necessary, and apart from that, she only kept naturally fallen branches.

Logically, it shouldn’t be a material that could be left behind.

“Well, receiving a good item is what matters. So, what’s your plan now, Yeon-woo?”

“Geumomun… I’m planning to go to China and then step into the martial arts dimension. I haven’t graduated, but I meet the requirements of being a C-rank Hunter. That should allow me to enter.”

“Be careful.”

“But it’s worth checking out.”

After saying that, Yeon-woo lightly waved her hand diagonally. It was intended as a prompt to lead her along. At her cool response, Mun-gi, who had shrunk back slightly, only uttered a single line.

“Still, can you at least let the kids say hi….”

“…Alright, alright. But let’s do that inside. Monsters come out here.”

Geez, our kids are just too popular!

(Continued in the next part)

 

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