Staring at the Seed of Yggdrasil with an incredulous look on her face, Azalea slowly shifted her glance to the man who was handing it to her with a nonchalant expression as if the Seed of Yggdrasil was something trivial.
Azalea Vermillion tried to compose herself from the unexpected circumstances before speaking out of the curiosity that suddenly flooded her mind.
"W-who are you, really?"
Although it was something she had already asked him a few times before, this time around, she couldn't help but inquire again about the man's identity.
To begin with, one day, Russell Moon just snuck into her dormitory room, almost seeing her naked, and with an unrelentless expression, had told her about her other identity as the Master of Thorn of Rose. She even tried to seduce him to make him answer her curiosity, which, for the first time in her life, tremendously failed as though the man wasn't even personally interested in her at all.
In addition, Azalea experienced firsthand the power of Attribute: Nihility, which overridden the power of the Legendary Artifact, Orb of Truth, when they got interrogated after Russell and his Chaos Companions came back from the Nether Realm and raided the first Micro-Strayed Dungeon. This happened, though, because of the trust she unknowingly built due to the fact that Russell's wisdom regarding the locations of the Four Seeds of Direction was proven true, at least for the time being since the other three seeds have yet to be located.
Furthermore, with the help of the information she bought from him, Azalea herself, Aisha Whispercrest or the Secretary of the Disciplinary Committee, Lyra Mihaela or the introverted Vice President of the Disciplinary Committee who barely interacted with people, Victoria Angelica Rasputin or the former Secretary of the Student Council, the already dead yet alive Arthur Wolfson, as well as the Vice President of the Student Council, John Vernifelon, along with some others from Azalea's command that belonged to Thorn of Rose, they had successfully conquered with ease the Tower of Growth.
And at this moment, Russell Moon, the mysterious, enigmatic man, who appeared introverted in public unless it was necessary to make a move, casually handed her one of the components she needed as per her Constellation's command, which was arguably the most difficult for her to get her hands on since the Elves were a race that did not fully trust humans.
Her original plan, when the Three-Way Alliance had been established and the Fourteen Days of Founding Deep Connection was on schedule, was to gain the favor of the Elven Queen to ask for at least a branch of the World Tree, Yggdrasil. But currently, it was not just a branch of it she could acquire, but rather a sapling of it due to the seed.
"I'm just a wanderer."
Russell answered in a cryptic way as he pondered for a moment after hearing Azalea's question which was delivered in a firm manner this time. In a sense, being a reincarnator was somehow analogous to being a wanderer. After all, this world was his unpublished novel, which was yet to be completed based on the Goddess of Night's words.
"Tsk. Whatever!"
It's been a few months since Azalea's interest skyrocketed when it came to him, so she knew that when Russell did not want to answer something, there was nothing she could do, not forcefully at least.
Picking up the Seed of Yggdrasil and pocketing it inside her Dimensional Inventory, Azalea stood up from where she was sitting and approached Russell who was about to leave.
"What are you doing?"
Bam-!
"Oi… This is harassment, don't you think?"
Azalea pushed him against the wall of the Disciplinary Committee Office. Although she did not exert too much strength, it was enough for the wall to crack, but Russell remained nonchalant at Azalea's behavior.
"Why can't you tell me a thing when I'm asking nicely?"
"Well, do you expect me to tell you something when you are asking roughly, then?"
Glaring at him with her glistening ruby eyes, with her nose roughly five to six inches away from his, Azalea muttered.
"Seriously, you're boring."
Feeling her breath and hearing her whisper, Russell felt like the nigh-microscopic hairs at the back of his neck stood up.
At that moment, without warning from her, various branches of red roses came in the air, and their petals covered the crack that she caused when she pushed him. The crack in the wall was then repaired to what it used to be, as though nothing happened.
'Rose of Regeneration, huh?"
Russell Moon, who was familiar with Azalea, recognized one of the exclusive skills she possessed. Rose Regeneration, apart from its healing effects, was not limited to sentient beings, but rather also immaterial ones.
'Is she testing me on how I would react to her skill?'
"Wow! Magnificent! What skill is that?"
"Stop playing with me and get out!"
'It looks like I'm right.'
Russell inwardly lampooned, almost cackling at his sarcastic action.
"How can I get out if you don't let me go?"
"Ah…"
Azalea was jolted awake to reality as she realized that she was still pinning him against the wall. But at that moment...
Creak-!
"Azalea..? And… R-Russell..?"
"Hoh… What's this scandalous situation?"
"..."
Victoria, Aisha, and Lyra emerged from the door that wasn't locked, looking at the two of them with different expressions. Victoria seemed embarrassed, remembering the issue that the Student Council President had spread about her and Russell; Aisha's lips crept up into a mischievous smile, and Lyra just glanced at them with a nonchalant expression before proceeding to put some papers in her own office desk.
For a moment, Russell looked at the woman with the same expression that she had. Then, two to three seconds later, Azalea let go of him.
"Anyway, I'll send the payment later. Thank you."
As though nothing had happened, she casually spoke as he excused himself.
"There's no need."
He succinctly said before he nodded at the newly arrived ones, as an act of greeting, and left the Disciplinary Committee Office.
***
"Dad! I'll go to Celine! See you later!"
Samantha peeked through the door of her father's personal office in their home, which was only a few kilometers away from the headquarters of the Obelisk Organization.
Without waiting for her father's response, who was doing some office work, perhaps regarding the terror attack in Alastor's capital, with a serious expression, Samantha gently closed the door she just opened.
<What a filial daughter you are.>
The entity in her head spoke, somewhat teasing her.
<There are different ways how someone can express their filial piety towards their parents, and that's just how I am. When he started treating me better for some reason, at least.>
Samantha casually replied as she walked out of their mansion's door, Seeing the butler that was assigned to guide her in any way she wished, Samantha asked for the car's key. Vehicles in this world, if it's fueled by something, were classified into two different kinds: One, vehicles that were similar to the Old World, which was powered by fuel, and two, vehicles that were powered by Magic Stones as a product of Neo-Mechanical Engineering that born after the Emergence.
With the uncountable wealth that they possessed, Samantha owned the latter, which was pollution-free. The former, though still producing polluted air and cost-friendly, was designed for the player civilians in the middle class.
"Miss Samantha, would like me to drive you to your destination?"
The butler with grey hair and raven eyes, wearing a black formal suit, politely asked her, which she politely declined.
"I appreciate your concern, but I'll be fine. Just stay here with Dad, alright?"
"Your wish is my command, Miss. I hope for your safe journey."
The butler, although assigned to protect or accompany her, must still comply with their master's wish, which was why he did not press the matter and let Samantha do what she wanted.
Who would dare to lay a hand on her, the daughter of the number one player, after all?
Unless they were from the Black Sky Disorder, only fools would do so.
Samantha just nodded at her butler before she opened the door and went inside the luxurious magic-stone-powered car.
After that, leaving the villa, being able to drive, she went to Celine's house, just a few kilometers away from the Obelisk Academy.
***
After a few minutes of unperturbed driving on a road without heavy traffic, a dream of many, Samantha arrived at Celine's home.
This time, though, unlike when she went to the Obelisk Mercenary Guild unannounced, Samantha took out a hood from her Dimensional Inventory to don a disguise.
Knock-! Knock-
Appearing in front of an average apartment, she knocked gently.
Hearing some slow footsteps, after almost ten seconds, the door opened.
"Ah... C-Celine-! Your classmate's here!"
Celine's mother, who came to know about Samantha personally when her daughter was hospitalized due to Zebel's action, called her daughter.
After a moment, Celine appeared and glanced at her before speaking, surprised.
"Ah-! Come in."
Finding herself inside, sitting on a comfortable couch, Samantha asked.
"How are you?"
Celine's mother, who knew how her daughter felt and what had gone through, believed that the conversation between the two would turn serious as she excused herself and went inside her bedroom.
"I-I don't know. But you said I am supposed to be dead, but strangely I was ejected from that whatever world that was.
"When I think about it, every night, I can't sleep. It still haunts me how fragile of a girl I am. After all, I'm just an Alchemist, right? Useless in a frontal war."
Celine spoke, trying her best to hold back her tears due to the trauma that the terror attack had caused.
"I have no idea about what happened, but it's not just you who were ejected, but some others, too. Although, unfortunately, very few survived.
"And... Don't be too harsh on yourself. Okay?"
Samantha sympathized with her. In fact, among them, perhaps Celine was the most traumatized about what had happened.
"...I'm trying...
"Uh, I remember someone, Russell, where is he? I mean— he has a cold demeanor, but he's the one who saved me back then against the Forest Trolls inside the Tower of Growth. Is he..."
Celine's expression turned gloomy at the possibility, but Samantha reassured her.
"No, he's alive, as well as his sister. Not everyone was caught inside the attacker's world, which is believed to be a Unique Skill."
"Sigh... Thank the heavens-!"
Closing her green eyes for a moment as she sighed in relief, Samantha stiffened from where she was sitting.
It's because of the entity in her head, who was chuckling after Celine's words came out of her mouth.
"Anyways, Celine, when are you coming to the academy?"
"...About that. I'll spend the year-end with my Mom, so probably the next day since the classes resume on the second week of January, right? Because of that alliance between other races."
Samantha nodded, remembering the incoming Fourteen Days of Founding Deep Connection, which aimed to strengthen the relationship between the three races; Humans, Elves, and Dwarves.
"Sigh... I feel like I'm dying since it's been some time since I concoct potions."
She added as she puffed her cheeks.
"Potion Addict. A suitable nickname for you."
Celine faintly smiled, seemingly forgetting her trauma for a moment. After all, it was a different case when a person had someone to lean on, even for a short amount of time.
"Let's drive somewhere. I have time 'til after dinner."
With that, Celine asked her mother, who reluctantly agreed, that she'd hang out with Samantha.
***
The night of the day after the Star Blessing Winter had arrived.
"Your Majesty-! Your Majesty-!
"The food I delivered earlier to Princess Rumia's room has been left untouched!
"A-and... Princes Rumia isn't waking up!"
Waiting for her daughter in the dining room, Rosalin Flora's expression froze upon seeing the darkened expression and hearing the words of the maid.
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