Chapter 173

Everyone dreams that reality will be beautiful when they are young, but as they grow up, they realize that reality is not as beautiful as they thought. Looking around, Kisea immediately knew this place was not reality.

It’s too beautiful to be real. A place like this couldn’t exist in reality. Am I dreaming? Someone called the wolf who was looking around.

“Kisea.”

It’s a voice. Just a voice. But it’s an infinitely warm voice. The startled wolf saw a huge branch stretching out in front of it. Without anyone telling it, it knew this was its own life.

Just like a fish doesn’t need to learn how to swim, or a person doesn’t need to learn how to breathe. It just knew. The Phylogenetic Seedling doesn’t require studying how to use it.

“Please become a great swordsman. Like your father.”

Why are tears streaming down my cheeks? It’s a voice I miss. A voice I thought I’d never hear again. The Ranga King wiped away tears. The great outlaw who was the leader of the clan. A fierce wolf to enemies but warm to family, the pride of the clan.

I heard my father’s voice. It wasn’t an illusion.

“Then, Kisea. I’ll make you a sword. Better than the one I made for that guy.”

Such a hearty laugh. No matter how much time passes, I’ll never forget it.

The dog who mingled with wolves even in games. Sir Urban. The voice of the greatest craftsman I knew also brushed past her. The branch holds everything. Things she doesn’t remember, and things she does.

She couldn’t see it all. Only the most memorable parts of her long past were faintly visible. That was enough to captivate the wolf.

The branch flickering on the right. The changing future didn’t bother her.

The wolf caressed the branch. No matter how much she touched or prodded it, the branch wouldn’t change. She embraced the branch of the past, already set and unchanging. In fact, it’s more of a stem than a branch. It can’t differentiate further.

“We can meet again, again.”

Even if you touch the past, you can only reminisce, not interfere or change it. Moments already passed can never be touched. No matter how unfortunate the events, there are no exceptions. Fortunately, Kisea had hope. Hope to undo the petrification she thought could never be undone.

“Definitely.”

At the same time, the Priest pondered. The Phylogenetic Seedling, which once looked like a branch, now looked completely different. In fact, it never really resembled a tree branch. Where in the world is there a glowing tree branch like that?

But now, the flow that makes up that branch is visible. It’s a river. A river of time and space. Each drop of water in that river is a single moment of Kisea, the human.

‘It wasn’t like this before.’

What I saw then was also true, and what I see now is also true. It’s just that back then, I only saw the surface, and now I can see through to the core.

Kisea, who had been weeping while looking at the past, regained her composure. With a serious expression, she looked at the branches of the future. She had never used the Phylogenetic Seedling. That meant she had a lot of karma to pay.

But even if the same karma was invested, some branches stretched far while others didn’t. The Ranga King was puzzled. What’s the difference? She closely compared the two types of branches.

“You…!”

Whoosh. Now she realized the difference. Growling, she rushed over and grabbed Kyle by the collar.

“Are you… making fun of me now?”

“Making fun of you? This is all based on aptitude.”

The Priest just laughed. Even for him, it was an unexpected result.

Pickpocketing. Stealth. Lockpicking. Etc. Branches related to thievery advanced further with the same karma investment. That means the progress of ability is that much faster.

In other words, this person chose the wrong profession. The Phylogenetic Seedling advised her career path.

Everyone has an aptitude. At least for Queen Kisea, it was clear she wasn’t utilizing her aptitude.

Of course, the choice is Kisea’s. Whatever she chooses, it’s up to her.

*****

“A thief?! You, you’ve been looking at me like that?”

Even if you scream, this isn’t a problem of my bias. It’s just that Lady Kisea’s natural talent lies there.

Looking back now, it was her who stole Master Roka’s star candy without a second thought. That incident now looks different. She definitely had talent.

And what about the eloquence that fooled the Empress? The ability to ransack the Elf Embassy? The Phylogenetic Seedling’s diagnosis is cold, but that’s why it’s brutally accurate.

*Sniff.* “Do I look like someone who would do such shameless things, the daughter of Ranga Robo and Blanca? Is that how you’ve been seeing me?”

So please stop grabbing my collar and shaking me. The tears haven’t stopped yet.

“It’s not that I think that way, but the way this miracle works…”

Taking out a handkerchief to wipe her tears, I tried to convince Lady Kisea. I didn’t even know what I was saying, but thankfully, Lady Kisea understood.

“This miracle operates completely automatically, so there’s little I can intervene with.”

“Is that so…?”

“Of course. Looking at the Seedling, many people don’t have innate talents. But Lady Kisea, you have a… no, a splendid talent.”

I almost messed up. I almost said, ‘inherited from your parents.’

Even a simple slip of the tongue can be misunderstood, especially at times like this.

Lady Kisea is the third to use the Phylogenetic Seedling after Roka and the Princess, and I’ve never measured others’ talents with it, but that’s not important.

Anyway, Lady Kisea calmed down a bit. Soon, she fell into quiet thought. Our gazes simultaneously turned to the branch stretching into the future.

“Efficiency might not be great, but it’s fine to continue on the path of swordsmanship.”

Lady Kisea has enough karma to explore multiple directions at once.

If this were peacetime, I might have advised using karma to improve minor things like painting or singing.

At the start of anything, karma isn’t heavily consumed. But as you near the end, the amount consumed increases.

Even if Lady Kisea, already a Master, wishes to improve her realm, the accumulated karma might not be enough to raise it significantly.

Even if it seems trivial, most Masters struggle to improve at the same level. Reaching this level means even a small advancement is a huge leap.

“Other paths, at least for now, aren’t recommended.”

But in these clearly non-routine times, I can only recommend skills that will help her survive. Of course, the choice is hers. It’s her karma, her river. Deciding is Lady Kisea’s right.

“Hey, what would you do?”

But some people get flustered when asked to decide. Lady Kisea couldn’t decide and instead asked me.

“I’m the daughter of Ranga Robo. My father always said to become a swordsman worthy of taking the title of Ranga King.”

“Your father was a great swordsman, right?”

“In his youth, he was called the Ash Demon, he was that great. I learned the sword from him since I was young. That’s why I want to cry even more. After all that training, I lost to Roka.”

Slumped over, Lady Kisea looked pitifully listless. Sitting beside her, we talked.

“I wanted to become a great swordsman like my father someday. Even now as a Master, I’m nowhere near. I know. Despite being a Master, I have nothing to boast about compared to other Masters.”

“Compared to non-Masters, I might feel proud, but compared to other Masters, I’m lacking. What’s missing? Why can’t I catch up to my father? Am I lacking talent?”

From what I see, it’s effort and perseverance.

I’ve never seen her train diligently, so that’s the only answer I have. Well, effort is also a kind of talent.

But if it’s something you love, you’d train without being told.

Suddenly, a doubt arose. So, while patting Lady Kisea, I gently asked.

“Lady Kisea, you decided to become a swordsman because of your father.”

“Yeah. Since I grew up seeing that, I picked up the sword from a young age.”

“Then is your dream to become the strongest swordsman in the world?”

“Who wouldn’t? Since I’ve become a swordsman, I can’t say I don’t want to be the strongest.”

Finally, I think I understand why she lost to Roka.

“Why do you want to be the strongest?”

“Because I want to?”

“Is that what you really want? Is becoming the strongest swordsman really your dream?”

Lost in thought, no answer came.

“No, was becoming a swordsman even your dream in the first place?”

I asked if she really wanted to become a swordsman, and Lady Kisea didn’t answer. She just looked at me with confused eyes. The answer came a little later.

“I don’t know.”