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Chapter 3
At the same time.
The chief attendant stepped into the office of Aitana, the original female lead and Edryon’s older sister.
“Your Majesty the Empress, a message has arrived from Duke Akshad.”
“Speak.”
“He has departed from the south with Lady Noella, and they are expected to arrive at the outskirts of the capital in four days.”
Aitana nodded, and the attendant bowed once more before withdrawing.
She set down the document she had been reading and fell into brief thought.
‘A World Tree caretaker…’
The World Tree, Yggdrasil.
The first creation of the primordial god, a transcendent existence that connected the east, west, south, and north of the continent.
Although it took the form of a tree, its true nature was a mass of condensed mana—an ancient magical entity.
Because of that, its management was handled exclusively by the Imperial Magic Department, and finding the cause of its withering was also the responsibility of mages.
So ordinarily, there would be no need to summon a horticulturist…
‘Sister, Lilith is doing well, right? No trashy bastard is trying to get close to her, right? Actually, Lilith is so charming that if someone doesn’t notice it, it’s their eyes that are trash.’
‘Then why don’t you go and seduce her yourself?’
‘But what if Lilith hates me? What if she misunderstands me as a neglectful fiancé? Or what if I’m not her type? She might like someone small and delicate like herself. Then what do I do? What do you think, Sister?’
‘…Isn’t he just an idiot?’
No matter how she thought about it, her younger brother was an idiot with a decent appearance.
When he attended council meetings or crushed his subordinates, he seemed perfectly fine…
But the moment the topic of his fiancée came up, he turned into a fool.
‘I miss Lilith.’
‘Oh, for heaven’s sake.’
‘Should I secretly go see her? But her maid seems surprisingly sharp.’
‘Seriously.’
‘Or is there a way to bring Lilith to the capital? I can’t let her suffer alone in such a remote place forever… Right, I’ve got a great idea!’
Edryon, who had been muttering to himself in front of his sister, suddenly raised his head.
Then, speaking to Aitana—who had been responding half-heartedly—he suggested a candidate he wanted to recommend as the caretaker of the World Tree.
Of course, becoming the caretaker required a very complicated verification process, but Lilith’s background was clear, and Aitana also owed her something.
More than anything, if it meant getting rid of her damned younger brother from her sight, she felt like she could do anything.
Aitana immediately went to her husband, and the Emperor—her loyal subordinate—readily accepted.
“Four days… they’ll arrive soon.”
Lilith was not a mage, and Aitana did not expect her to save the World Tree.
Horticulture dealt with plants that belonged to the natural cycle.
But the World Tree, though shaped like a tree, was a transcendent existence outside that cycle.
‘I’m really going this far because of that idiot brother.’
Clicking her tongue, Aitana picked up her documents again—
Unaware that in a few days, she too would become that “idiot.”
The moving carriage came to a stop.
Lilith blinked blankly as she woke from a light nap, and noticing the situation, Edryon guided his horse to the side of the carriage.
“My apologies. Did I wake you? We’ve stopped briefly for inspection.”
“Yes…”
It had been exactly five days since they left the south.
They stopped at villages at night to rest, but her stamina was weak, so her limbs felt as heavy as wet cotton.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Lilith murmured,
“But where is this checkpoint? I thought we already passed the capital.”
Recently, due to a terrorist group called the Shadow faction running rampant across the continent, Lilith had to go through inspections whenever she moved between regions.
Of course, since her companion was none other than Duke Akshad, the empire’s hero, it usually ended with a few greetings.
Lilith looked out the window to check the situation—and her eyes widened.
‘Wow…’
Was there such a place in the capital?
A vast, green hill stretched before her, almost untouched by human hands.
“May I take a short walk until the inspection is over?”
“Of course.”
Edryon lightly jumped down from his saddle and opened the carriage door.
He offered his arm so Lilith could step down, then matched her small steps as she walked beside him.
“Lilith, do you know that the World Tree is not actually a tree?”
It was a sudden question.
But since Edryon was the commander of the knights who guarded the World Tree, she assumed it was just small talk to ease the silence.
Lilith answered simply with what she knew.
“I know that although it looks like a tree, its essence is magical.”
“That’s correct.”
That was why Lilith had never studied the World Tree during her academy days.
Treating such a transcendent, magical entity as part of horticulture would be considered blasphemy.
So it was studied in departments like magic or theology instead.
‘Right, let’s think positively. What I received is a gardening request, not managing the World Tree.’
In the original story, the World Tree began to wither in the middle of Part 2—about two years from now.
So she only needed to endure for a few months, then resign citing health reasons.
After that, no matter what chaos or war broke out in the capital, she could return to the south and live quietly.
‘What kind of lunatic would entrust the World Tree to a gardener?’
As if reading her thoughts, Edryon smiled brightly.
“What we wish to entrust to you is not merely a garden.”
“…What?”
“The Imperial family hopes that you will manage the World Tree.”
“…?”
Edryon briefly explained how things came to be.
For the past few years, the World Tree had been withering for unknown reasons.
There were suspected culprits, but no evidence—and no one even knew how it was being harmed.
Even the palace mages and priests from the Grand Temple had failed to restore it.
And then, someone had an idea.
‘What if we show the World Tree to someone completely different—not a mage or priest, but perhaps… a gardener?’
But the fact that the World Tree was dying was top secret.
So the new caretaker had to have a clear background, proven skill and experience, be tight-lipped, and have minimal social ties.
“Ah… so that’s why me?”
“That’s how it turned out.”
“….”
What kind of lunatic came up with that damned idea?
Grinding her teeth, Lilith barely managed to speak.
“B-but wouldn’t it be blasphemy for a horticulture doctor like me to manage the World Tree? Treating it like an ordinary tree…”
“Everything will be handled in complete secrecy.”
“How long do you think that secret will last? They say the palace walls have eyes and the floors have ears.”
“If that concerns you, don’t worry. You will enter the palace as my fiancée.”
“…?”
“I am tasked with guarding the World Tree, so if you move under the pretense of meeting me, no one will suspect you.”
What?!
Lilith steadied her dizzy mind and thought,
‘Is there no way out of this? They’re really going to entrust the World Tree to a horticulturist?’
No—maybe it was better to know in advance. There were many ways to get expelled from the palace.
She just had to commit obvious blasphemy.
Check drainage and nutrients like it was a normal tree, inspect for pests, apply fertilizer and pesticide, even water it casually.
Maybe even prune its branches for shaping.
‘Heh… perfect.’
For an ordinary gardener, that would be grounds for execution.
But she was the legitimate daughter of the Noella ducal house, one of the empire’s four great families.
At worst, she would just be expelled from the capital.
And they would never call her again.
‘Perfect…’
Satisfied, Lilith nodded—
Then suddenly stopped walking.
At the center of a low hill stood something with an overwhelming presence that could not be ignored.
A tree.
It was unimaginably ancient—its height seemed to pierce the sky, its trunk so thick that several grown men couldn’t encircle it, its branches straight, and its leaves shining with a brilliant golden light.
Even the roots protruding from the ground were massive and majestic.
A strange sense of dread welled up in her chest.
Lilith turned to Edryon, silently demanding an explanation.
“Welcome to the sanctuary, Lilith.”
“….”
