Just as she had promised, Earning returned to the room after some time had passed. She pressed on her closed eyes and let out a very small sigh. She looked extremely tired.

“It’s the lucky draw time now. That’s when that little butterfly is giving an unwelcome welcome speech. Since she loves showing off and attention, she’ll drag it out quite a while.”

“He took advantage of when Papillion wasn’t looking at the wallet, didn’t he?”

“Right. Good thing you’re smart.”

It didn’t sound like mockery. She draped a dark coat over herself and urged me to hurry out. I remained seated on the sofa and called out to her.

“There’s a problem. That garden isn’t open to just anyone. You need authorization.”

I told her that I was able to go to the garden because I was accompanied by Winter, who belonged to the alchemy tower in this terrarium. Earning pressed her temples and sighed.

“Good grief… I need a subordinate researcher, and the only companion is you… So in the end, you’ll have to go and bring back my dryad.”

I didn’t bother replying, my mouth already tired of listing reasons why it couldn’t work. I’ve said it so many times. The black branch is blocking the way.

“Right, that black branch.”

Now the script automatically plays without even needing a click. Can it be skipped? I’m eager to see what conclusion she’ll reach after all this one-sided chatter.

But contrary to my expectations, choices popped up.

“You clearly have top-tier dryads. If you can’t break through, then another force must be at work. You’re hiding something from me, aren’t you? You can keep secrets from me, but you can’t keep them from me. If you want the help of Earning, the ‘alchemist,’ speak up right now.”

Her words immediately reminded me that I hadn’t told her the black branch was part of the World Tree. Hmm, should I test the waters?

“The dryads didn’t try to attack the black branch. It’s more like they had no intention of doing so at all.”

“There are only two cases where flowers don’t draw their weapons. When they have to attack their own precious mini World Tree, or the true World Tree. Then that black branch must be part of the World Tree.”

Eek. Loop suddenly let out a high-pitched sound like a whistle. When everyone’s eyes focused on her, she quickly covered her mouth. It seemed like an involuntary sound. Even Iris and Zephyr, who had been staring at Earning with obvious displeasure, clapped their hands lightly for her.

Wow, does he solve so simply the problem that even me, Siedling, and the druids Winter brought were struggling with? Is it a difference in intelligence stats?

“Seems I’m right. If Papillion deliberately let an outsider like you or others discover that black branch, then the orchard still has an intact branch of the World Tree for public display. He must also be confident his secret about the black branch won’t be exposed.”

The slight dislike I had for her capriciousness all washed away. She really thinks fast. That’s impressive. I almost want to ask if she’s a max-level alchemist. If her intelligence stat is that good, maybe I should reconsider taking on an alchemist side job again?

“The dryads couldn’t recognize that black branch as a branch of the World Tree. In fact, they said it was unpleasant?”

At my words, Earning shifted her gaze to the side and tapped her chin. Then she lowered her eyes and slowly opened her mouth.

“Dryads revere the World Tree and feel unconditional, boundless affection, yet unpleasantness… You made them feel the opposite emotion? No way… I see. They dared to imitate mine and fed it.”

Even if I ask what that means, she probably won’t tell me anyway, right?

“So, that great branch of the World Tree is blocking the path, and we can’t remove it. The dryads won’t cooperate with the attack, and physical force doesn’t work either. It regenerates quickly. Unless we deal with that first, we won’t be able to meet that honeysuckle dryad.”

“That’s easy enough. If I’ve done it once, why can’t I do it twice?”

“What?”

At my question, she let out a small laugh.

“I thought you were a pretty smart administrative officer who already knew that much and came looking, but I guess not? You already know what caused the 28th terrarium to collapse, don’t you? And I thought you’d already figured out the culprit too?”

Could it mean… Her confident attitude, as if she had nothing to hide, gave me certainty.

“That white worm… It’s your doing, isn’t it?”

“Of course. Who else but I could create a worm that gnaws at the World Tree? Though, the idea was provided by the promising researcher here. Thinking is easy. But realizing it—that’s not something just anyone can do, is it?”

She pointed at Loop, who had been holding her breath while listening to our conversation.

“Huh? M-me?”

Loop stammered in surprise at being suddenly singled out. Then, alternating glances between the smiling Earning and me gritting my teeth, her eyes gradually widened.

“Elder… you said the 28th terrarium was half-destroyed… So much so that we had to prepare new housing from scratch… But Master Earning just said a worm that gnaws at the World Tree…”

Loop’s face turned as white as paper.

“Could it be… Was the branch of the World Tree in the 28th terrarium… attacked by a pest infestation?”

“Yes, the only way to kill a branch of the World Tree—which is impervious to most attacks and has incredible regenerative power—without calling fire. Researcher Loop, I got the hint from your paper. Your contribution was immense. Creating a worm that overcomes the World Tree’s blessing was quite difficult, but it was a fascinating study. It slowly brought down the World Tree’s branch without much effort.”

“Because of… my paper… That I became the catalyst for creating such a horrifying worm that gnaws at the World Tree’s branch…”

Loop, seemingly greatly shocked, curled up and trembled finely. Despite her pitiful state, I wanted to comfort her, but the situation was too unfavorable.

If Mesquite, who hadn’t returned to the artifact, were here… Would even she, cautious as she was, have been able to endure without drawing her weapon after hearing Earning’s words?

“You withered the World Tree’s branches to death… and on top of that, you ruined the terrarium… and you’re calling it merely a fascinating study?”

My voice trembled with rage.

Having witnessed the horrors of the 28th terrarium with my own two eyes, I absolutely could not tolerate her nonchalant attitude.

The entire building was destroyed, burned, and nothing remained intact. The fire that must have consumed countless victims was as massive as a mountain. And even the Scarecrow, who had used its very life force to perform the final graft to keep that fire from spreading outward.

“No. It wasn’t just a study. It was a crucial mission. A mission to isolate the terrarium, make it sick, turn it into easy prey to devour, and even allow the frustrated administrative officer who felt helpless to be swallowed whole in one bite.”

Curses slipped out involuntarily. I take back the praise I gave for being sharp-minded. How can a person commit such vile acts? I wanted to ignore her and her dryad, Honeysuckle, and just walk out of the room right then.

I wanted to expose her true nature to all the countless people who respected her, using every means possible.

“Do I seem horrible to you? That’s understandable. If you’re a right-minded person, I can see why you’d be angry at my actions. But do you, who are no longer a former administrative officer, have the right to punish me? Did you have an acquaintance in the 28th terrarium? Was it your hometown? Or did you lose something precious because of my actions? Well, if so, I would apologize to you. But if not, you can’t do anything directly to me. And besides, you’re still going to need me.”

“You harmed the World Tree’s branches! Because of that, many people died!”

She no longer deserved the respect of an elder.

“Hehe, then the administrative officers of the terrariums in the back ranks would all be traitors. For failing to protect the World Tree’s branches from the invasion of fire. If not, the incompetent officers who failed to collect enough taxes to supply diamonds to the World Tree’s branches would be in the same boat. Because branches that don’t receive diamonds wither away.”

Am I the one who’s strange, not her? How can she spout such shameless sophistry?

“Or are you angry at me as a druid who protects nature? But I’m a druid too. We’re born with the World Tree’s blessing planted in our souls from the start, without any choice of our own. A destiny determined at birth to protect the World Tree from fire? No, there’s no such thing. It’s just that we’re considered the only ones who can fulfill that mission because we alone can handle the dryads that can defeat fire. Well, then, now that I’ve harmed the World Tree’s branches, what will you use to be angry at me besides ethics?”

“No, that ethics. I’ll blame you because what you did caused a lot of harm and is morally wrong. You’re truly a terrible person! Don’t you even consider the dignity of life? Don’t you have a conscience?”

If only I were a bit better at speaking… I could have countered her with an argument that would have flattened her nose just as harshly as she berated me!

As Iris tried to step in and support my words, Earning suddenly burst into hearty laughter.

“Hahaha, you really resemble Scarecrow. That uprightness of yours is so charming it makes me want to break it at least once.”

She laughed so hard that she wiped the tears forming at the corners of her eyes and looked at me with a longing gaze. What the heck, how annoying.

“Of course, deliberately harming the World Tree’s branch is already enough to warrant a named warrant from the Central Administrative Department of the 1st Terrarium for violating regulations. If I’m caught, I’ll face a severe punishment. But I have no intention of admitting out loud, outside this place, that I released pests to damage the World Tree’s branch. And besides my own words, you have no evidence to prove my actions.”

“What!”

Earning’s words were true. There was no evidence. From the start, before coming here, I had only been wavering in suspicion, doubting whether she was the culprit or not.

Just as an uncomfortable atmosphere like heated asphalt flowed between us, a knock came at the door.

“There’s no way they’d be here already, is there?”

Earning looked at the door and spoke with a voice full of doubt.

“How can the protagonist be away from the stage for so long?”

I thought it was just a staff member… but that voice belonged to an entirely unexpected person. It was Papillion, who should have been delivering a congratulatory speech at the lecture hall. Earning’s face instantly crumpled as if she had seen something truly horrible.