Episode 25. Gilfield’s Arboretum (2)
Rubin and Tina headed toward the arboretum, passing through the dense trees.
As I walked, the vassals of the Assassin’s Sword who had been hiding in the bushes began to appear one by one.
They paid homage to the Roinen bloodline by holding the ends of their robes in their hands and bowing.
“You were hiding well. As expected from those creepy guys.”
Then he immediately asked.
“Is that the problem I have to solve? Watching the situation?”
“No. You have something else to do. You stay here and study Roinecro.”
“Research? Just hearing the word sounds like it would be a lot more fun to just crouch down in the grass and hide. Unless you’re studying sparkling jewels.”
Just then, two people appeared approaching from across from them.
A little boy about Rubin’s age.
And an old man with a stubborn impression.
Rubin recognized them.
‘It’s Gillyfield and Pyenick.’
“Is that old woman the Roinecrows’ nanny?”
“The people who will be with you from now on. Even though the old man is a bit eccentric, he’s not a bad person.”
“Eccentric… … ?”
Before his return, Rubin had met Gilfield, who had not hidden his eccentric personality even when facing the grown Rubin.
There was no way that such a person could be polite to his nine-year-old youngest son who came to visit on behalf of the head of the household.
“Damn it! I knew the owner would come.”
As expected, Gillifield did not hold back on his harsh words in front of Rubin.
Tina whispered.
“Rubin, is it okay for someone from the Assassin’s Blade to treat the Roinen bloodline like that?”
“Rather, it’s on the good side.”
700 years ago, the Gilfield family and the Assassins made a pact. It was roughly about them being equals.
The inspiration’s ancestors were ornithologists who first discovered the birthplace of the Roine Crow. Their family has long had the ambition of studying these mysterious crows.
As they studied Roinekrow, they naturally learned about the mystery of the dark smoke. This meant that they were among the few outsiders who knew of the existence of the dark smoke.
Thanks to this, they were able to raise Roinecro under the protection of the Assassin Swordsman.
“My name is Rubin Roinen.”
“Roynen? Are you the son of Siren?”
“Yes, I am the youngest son of the Roinen family. The lord sent me here to resolve the problem that the old man is facing.”
“The youngest son who hasn’t even grown up yet? At best, he’s probably around the same age as Pyunik. What on earth is the owner thinking…?”
Mr. Gilfield turned around quickly.
“How disappointing. To take the 700-year-old oath so lightly!”
Then he left Rubin behind and went back to his home.
It was always the job of the inspiration’s grandson, Pyunick, to clean up such rudeness.
“I’m sorry, Master. I’ll show you around. Please calm down. You’re always like that. You’ve spent your whole life with the Royne Crows, so you’re not normal… … .”
“It’s okay. Is the problem serious?”
“Yes. It’s a problem that happens all the time, but this time it’s a lot more serious. Grandfather kept saying that only the Seiren Roinen family head could solve it. But… … .”
Pyunick glanced at Rubin and trailed off. Then he quickly realized his mistake and was startled.
“Oh, sorry. That’s not what I meant… … .”
Pyunick’s thoughts would be the same. Even if he was the son of the main family, what could a nine-year-old boy do?
“It’s okay. Don’t worry about the problem. You’ll know when you see it.”
“Oh, yes! I believe so.”
Even though he said that, Pyunik still had doubts. But he was the eldest son of the Roinen family, so maybe… … .
‘Maybe you can solve it.’
I had always heard from my grandfather about the dignity of the Roinen bloodline.
The anecdotes about Siren Roinen were especially great. They were all like legends.
That’s why it was hard for Pyunik to believe that the little boy in front of him was the son of the legendary Roinen family.
‘Should I explain the situation first? No, since you’ve come a long way, let’s rest first… ‘
Pyunick opened his mouth, wondering where and how to begin his explanation.
“For now… … .”
“I’ll check the old tree in the fog first.”
Rubin cuts him off, knowing he was going to suggest a break. Pyunig’s face turned as if he had read his mind.
“Oh, yes. Then I will guide you right away.”
“The Foggy Tree? Rubin, what is that?”
As a member of the Assassin’s Blade, Tina only had basic knowledge of Roinecrona and the Arboretum. Since she will be staying there for a long time, it would be okay to give her a brief explanation.
“I’m going to see the Queen Raven.”
“Aha! Me too. I thought we were going to see the tree because it was old.”
Pyunick chuckled at Tina’s words, which showed she knew nothing.
An hour had passed since they had been pushing through the bushes.
“What? Why the cliff?”
Tina panicked when the road suddenly became blocked. But it wasn’t a cliff.
Rubin raised his head. A huge wooden pillar blocked his way. Even if he raised his head all the way, he couldn’t see the top.
“Could this be… a tree?”
“It was called ‘The Old Tree in the Fog’.”
“You’re a queen crow! I thought you were a huge crow that lays eggs and hatches them.”
“Half right, half wrong.”
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“Huh?”
The ‘Foggy Tree’ was a huge tree, just as it looked. It was a tree of such unrealistic size that the word ‘huge’ was not enough to describe it.
The trunk of the tree was as big as a fortress. It was big enough to build a village on its branches and station troops.
Pyunick giggled at the sight of Tina completely lost in thought.
Rubin asked.
“Pinick. There must be a quickest way to the egg habitat, right?”
“I will guide you right away, Your Majesty!”
Following Pyunik’s guidance, I walked a little further. Soon, a passageway connecting the ground and upper levels, which had been built by the family for generations, appeared. There, the automatic cart that the inspiration used was placed.
Tina shouted as she climbed onto the cart.
“It’s getting more and more exciting! I thought elevators like this only existed in the capital!”
“Maybe it’s much older than that?”
As Pfynck smiled and started the cart, it began to move up the tracks that twisted around the tree trunks like vines.
Kirik. Kirik.
It was faster than I thought, but because of the size of the tree, it still took quite some time.
Soon they arrived at the upper level. What greeted them was none other than fog. Rubin and Tina were bewildered by the thick fog that made it impossible to see even an inch ahead. This was a sight that Rubin had never seen before.
“This fog is not toxic yet, but if you go further up from here, you will encounter a fog that is toxic.”
If it’s a toxic fog, it would have similar properties to the fog surrounding the Roinen Mansion.
“It’s not fatal, so don’t worry. Well, since you guys have dark tendencies, it’ll be a lot easier for you to endure than me.”
There was envy in Pyunnick’s words.
The lack of ambush was a major limitation in the study of Roinecro, so the Gilfield family had no choice but to build their homes in foggy areas where there was no poison.
Soon, the house of Gilfield came into view.
“That’s your house. And that thing behind you is… … .”
Behind the old Gillyfield house, they could see thick branches extending from the trunk. They stepped on them and approached them.
“Hey, do you see the fog gathering?”
Fog formed spheres at the tips of the branches, as if fruit was forming.
Some of the fog looked thin, as if it had just formed, but other fog had been forming for quite some time, forming ash-white balls.
Tina didn’t understand what it was at first, but then realized it and shouted out loud.
“No! You know that one, right?”
Tina looked really surprised.
“Fog gathers on the branches, and the fog becomes crow’s eggs? Crazy! Then is it an egg or a fruit? No, is it an animal or a plant?”
Tina was genuinely curious, but Pyunick just shrugged.
“That’s exactly our research topic, haha.”
Then Rubin called Tina softly.
“Tina.”
Now it was time to focus on the purpose of coming here.
“I’ll tell you what to do.”
That’s the real problem facing the arboretum.
You could ask Pyunick for an explanation, but Tina might lose interest quickly. Tina is curious, so it would be better to let her find out for herself.
“What’s going on?”
“First, transform into a Roine Crow and go up to the upper level. Then, blend in with the other Roine Crows. Naturally, you will find out what the problem is among the crows.”
For another reason, Rubin wanted to make sure that what he was guessing was right. It probably wouldn’t be any different than before the regression, but just in case.
“Once you figure it out, come back to Gilfield’s house.”
“Tch, I don’t have time to rest.”
But Rubin’s subsequent words immediately silenced Tina’s grumbling.
“Don’t you want to know how much ore is hidden in this huge tree? What beautiful jewels it would make if it were just processed… Oh, right! I think there was a book in the library that organized the locations.”
“For such a cheap trick, I… Grrrrr, kaaaaak!”
Tina, transformed into Royne Crow, flew towards the upper part of the stem. At this point, it seems that liking shiny things is almost an instinct.
Meanwhile, Pyunick was thrilled to see the transformation of the Hwan-Hyeol tribe right before his eyes.
I had heard from my grandfather in advance that the Hwanhyeol tribe would be coming as well. But, as expected, it was on a different level from seeing it in person.
“wow!”
“Is this your first time seeing the Hwanhyeol Tribe?”
“Yes. I hardly ever go out of here.”
That’s right. And it will be that way in the future. Because they have the fate of being ‘old tree keepers’ who raise Roynecro their entire lives.
Pyunick stared blankly at Tina, who had been flying away in the meantime. Rubin gave her some advice.
“The Hwan-hyeol-jok likes shiny things. Like jewels, fireflies, and stars. It’s good to know this when you’re spending time with Tina.”
“I will keep that in mind, Young Master!”
“Well then, I would like to talk to Old Man Gilleyfield now.”
Rubin moved into the house of inspiration.
Gilfield was locked in his lab, not even showing his face. He was still dissatisfied with Siren’s decision. Rubin waited quietly without urging him.
Around evening time.
It was only at mealtime that Rubin was able to meet Mr. Gilleyfield coming up from his study. He still didn’t seem to have completely calmed down.
Around the simply laid table sat Ingwang, Pyunick, and Rubin.
“Where did the Hwanhyeol tribe guy who came with me go?”
“He will be here soon.”
“You’re completely selfish. I still don’t understand the way Gaju thinks. You said Rubin? You’ll soon understand what I mean. It’s not an ordinary problem. But since it won’t solve anything anyway, let’s fill our stomachs first and then talk.”
As we were about to start eating, Rubin looked at the front door and said.
“You’re back just in time.”
“Hmm.”
When Pyunick opened the door, a girl he had never seen before was standing there, looking exhausted.
Tina, who had transformed into Royne Crow a few hours ago, now appeared as a girl around Rubin’s age. With her original long mint-colored hair.
“You transformed again? Yeah, it’s better than having feathers fluttering in front of the dinner table.”
Fortunately, Tina didn’t seem to hear her inspiration’s grumbling.
Tina had been wandering around the upper floors of the ‘Foggy Tree’ for quite some time. As soon as she sat down next to Rubin, out of breath, she gulped down the water on the table.
“Haha! My shoulders are sore from flapping my wings all day.”
“Did you figure it out?”
“Of course. Who am I?”
Then, in a small voice, he whispered to Rubin the contents of his investigation.
“Hmm. I guess I was right.”
Rubin nodded. It was as he had guessed. The events that had occurred at Gilfield’s Arboretum during this period were exactly the same as before the return.
‘Now that we’ve confirmed it, all that’s left is to solve it.’
Gilfield and Pyenig were curious about what had been said. Rubin began to explain.
“About a month ago, there was a missing person case here. Am I right?”
“Yeah. How did you know? Did that bloodthirsty kid find out?”
Then Tina shouted.
“You’re not a kid? Do you know how old I am, you old man?”
“What, what did you say!”
No wonder, even though she looks young, no one knows Tina’s real age. She may have been older than Mr. Gilfield.
“Stop, Tina. We’re having a conversation. Mr. Gilfield, can I continue my explanation?”
“Ahem. Okay.”
“The one who went missing was Roinekrow, who was considered a strong candidate to become the next emperor.”
Gilfield and Pyunick nodded. Only Tina was confused and had no idea what he was talking about.
“Roynecro, the next emperor candidate, has gone missing?”
“Yeah. That’s right.”
To properly understand this incident, we must first understand the habits of the Roinecros.
In a herd of hundreds of Roinecrows, there is always a leader. The herd follows him as their ‘king’.
“Why did it disappear? Is it dead?”
“Didn’t you investigate it? Then why don’t you know?”
Tina snorted when Gillifield asked her about it.
“Huh. This is funny. Do you think crows are stupid? They tell everything to someone they meet for the first time? They’re shy too.”
That’s right. Even if Tina had transformed into Roinecrow and joined the group, she wouldn’t have been welcomed from the start. So I don’t know the details.
“I don’t know because no one told me properly. Anyway, everyone seemed a bit anxious. It felt like they were out of control.”
“You saw it clearly, Tina.”
Rubin continued his explanation.
“Let me explain again. Roinekrow, who was a strong candidate to become the next emperor, suddenly disappeared. In the meantime, the existing emperor, who had grown old and sick, died. Now, the throne is vacant, and everyone is in turmoil. Am I right?”
Mr. Gilfield nodded with a grunt. He hated to admit it, but Rubin’s guess was right.
“That’s right. But more precisely, there’s going to be a fight over the empty throne.”
The old emperor was dead, and the next emperor candidate was missing. All that was left were the oppressed Roinecro. It seemed as if war was about to break out at any moment.
“Then do you know how to solve this problem?”
“We must establish a new Roinecrow as the emperor.”
“You know very well. But that’s the problem. Finding a Roinecro who is worthy of being the Emperor.”
“Don’t worry about that, I’ve already prepared it.”
As Rubin spoke confidently, the inspiration’s expression brightened slightly.
“Did you bring Siren’s Roinecro?”
“no.”
Then Gilfield’s face darkened suddenly again.
“Oh, really. Do you think anyone can ascend to the throne? Even Siren’s Roinecro can’t guarantee it, so how can you do it?”
Instead of answering, Rubin looked at Tina, who was sitting next to him.
Tina, who had been absentmindedly rolling up her mint-colored hair, opened her eyes wide.
“Hey! Are you telling me to become the emperor?”
