The dryad’s great favor suddenly reminded me of the guidance message I had received from the World Tree.

All dryads in the World Tree have begun to sense the presence of your soul.

While the privileges given to me were somewhat inferable, that message alone left me bewildered.

In fact, I wanted to ask Mesquite about it, but I never had the chance. So, I was completely unprepared for this situation. A dryad showing more affection for me than for its own master…

“Is this olive tree perhaps one that bloomed not long ago from a fruit?”

“How did you know that?”

He, the owner of the olive tree, asked with a voice full of doubt. The olive tree tightened its arms around the basket and kept smiling beautifully at me without taking its eyes off.

Somehow, I felt that if the Elder had been here, he might have found this quite disagreeable. But my dryads had all returned to their artifacts before entering the meeting room.

“I became the administrative manager of two terrariums and received a special message…”

I hid all the privileges I had received and spoke only about one. As I expected, no one in the Central Administrative Department knew of anyone who had been tied to two or more terrariums as an administrative manager, so they were astonished by the information I revealed.

What if someone else appears trying to claim two terrariums besides me? Multi-administrative manager feels like a hidden job, and I want to monopolize it.

“But we are all druids born with the World Tree’s blessing planted in our souls equally. Even if only one druid’s soul is currently recognized by the dryads within the World Tree, that is a separate matter from the safety of the 16th terrarium’s World Tree branch. Olive tree dryad, I borrowed power specifically for today to select you. Please take your responsibilities more carefully.”

Despite the request from its druid master, the olive tree merely smiled brightly and made no move to use any power.

“There’s no need to examine it very closely. The blessing of the World Tree’s branch is abundant here. Even the branches closest to the World Tree couldn’t emit such overflowing power of blessing. The newly sprouting power is energizing all living things.”

Following her words, the white dove in the basket also cooed in a low tone, as if feeling pleased.

I wondered if they were getting off easily thanks to the olive tree’s efforts. If they had even once visited the room with the orchard’s World Tree branch, there was no way it would have ended this nicely.

It seemed they had been moved directly to the conference room under the thorough management of the orchard employees. But suspicion catches people off guard. There was a person in a white robe entering the conference room late. He too was wearing a flour-colored wooden mask.

He placed several documents in front of the one confronting me and whispered softly in his ear. Somehow, I got a strong feeling that things were ruined.

“Is it true that the World Tree branch has withered and died white, as if struck by a pestilence!”

Oh my, I barely held back a startled curse. In the end, I was found out.

“That can’t be. The World Tree branch dead? This terrarium is overflowing with the branch’s blessing. That’s absolutely not a power that could come from a dead branch.”

The olive tree was startled and defended me. There was no way the dryad they had brought themselves would lie, nor would the person who just reported it tell such a falsehood.

The branch is dead, yet the power of blessing overflows.

“I was about to explain that, but the order got mixed up.”

I leaned back slightly against the chair and spoke calmly.

Until the Central Administrative Department arrived, the orchard’s branch ultimately failed to respond to my call. I hoped it would miraculously recover and rise, but that miracle never happened. And the scenario was heading toward the worst.

The ultimate mission to fulfill as an administrative manager: managing the World Tree branch intact. Just as they suspected, ironically, at the time I took over the administrative manager post through an abnormal route, bad rumors had erupted, dirty tangling things up.

But I had a card prepared for times like this. Someone knocked on the conference room door. An elderly man in a thick, antique suit was guided into the conference room. Some in this room might not know his face, while for others it would be very familiar.

It was the supreme dean of the 16th Terrarium Alchemy Tower, Creacion.

He walked in with an expectant face. He looked at the gathered crowd and wore an expression of having anticipated it, but soon sensed that the atmosphere was far from good and his face quickly stiffened.

I had told him the schedule for today in advance. And I said that this meeting would be for the administrative manager. I didn’t lie.

But it seemed he had interpreted my words differently. Aside from those at the hill that day and the orchard employees, no one knew that I had become the interim administrative manager of the 16th Terrarium.

Because it was interim, there was a penalty that the residents didn’t know about me. Creacion wanted to push Papillion aside and seize the position of administrative manager for the 16th Terrarium. He would think of me as an ally, not knowing I had gobbled up the position he was aiming for.

“You probably already know this from what you’ve heard.”

No one offered Creacion a seat. Rather, their expressions asked why he had come to such a place.

“Illegal artificial modifications have been ongoing in the alchemy tower of this Terrarium for a very long time.”

Creacion’s face grew increasingly dark. As the highest-ranking official in the alchemy tower, he must have been quick to figure things out. He must have realized that this position was not the one he had thought, the one where he would be appointed as an administrative officer.

At my words, the people dispatched from the Central Administrative Department all looked highly displeased, just as expected. Some even let out groans.

We had concluded from the start that it was impossible to completely cover up everything that happened in the 16th Terrarium as if it had never occurred. So, it would be better to just reveal it openly.

“The scale of it spanned the entire alchemy tower, and because of that, the branches of the World Tree were rotting from the inside.”

I combined the information I had heard from Papyrus appropriately and explained only a part of it. Making sure the existence of Inferno was never revealed.

“How could you have just left it alone while forbidden actions violating the World Tree were taking place inside the Terrarium?”

The arrows of anger were aimed at Papillion and Creacion. I calmly waited for my moment to step in.

“During my tenure as administrative officer…”

Papillion, quick-witted, jumped ahead.

“It was carried out so secretly that by the time we noticed, it was too late. I alone was worried about what was happening in the alchemy tower and the immediate safety of the World Tree, so I asked for help from someone I could trust. She had enough power to restore everything to its original state. The 28th Terrarium she saved is proof of that. I managed the Terrarium alone under her instructions, but it was beyond my limits… so as a subordinate, I had to ask my superior for help.”

Papillion lied smoothly without batting an eye. As if he had been working under me for a long time. And Creacion, having been betrayed by Papillion, who was once his fellow organization member, glared at him with eyes full of anger.

“Why, when the Terrarium… no, the branch of the World Tree was in danger, did you not ask for help from the earlier-numbered Terrarium?”

“Whether the things happening secretly in the alchemy tower were the work of an individual…”

Papillion said that, deliberately casting a glance toward Creacion.

“…it was because I couldn’t know if a larger faction was involved. These are people who deceived the eyes of an administrative officer like me for a very long time. It was a situation where I couldn’t trust anyone around me. For me, there was only one person I could trust, so I couldn’t request help officially. And until the matter was resolved, if I delegated my administrative officer position directly, that large faction might catch on…”

He looked at me again.

“She instructed me. Everything must proceed ‘normally’ so that it never catches the eyes of outsiders. So, I take this opportunity to officially announce to you all. As a Chief Administrator, I formally delegate the position of Administrator to Druid Jae.”

One of the conditions that forced me to take the abnormal route was resolved: officially receiving the delegation of the position.

He had given me no prior hint that he would handle it this way. To slip out himself while passing the position to me in such a manner.

Now everyone from the Central Administration Department looked at Creacion. The sudden appearance of someone unrelated. Papillion’s blatant actions. To anyone, it meant he was heavily involved in the affairs of the Alchemy Tower.

“Do you have anything to say about the forbidden acts that occurred in the Alchemy Tower? As Papillion mentioned, is some major faction involved?”

It was true that a major faction was involved, but as Iris pointed out, there might be a spy from Inferno in this gathering. Even if not present here, one of these people might be connected to such a person.

Moreover, aside from that, the moment Creacion spoke about Inferno with his own mouth, if he left the 16th Terrarium, he would have to worry about his life like Papillion. As long as he carried the wallet, the leader of Inferno would keep tracking him.

Papillion quickly decided where to attach himself like a bat.

The old man, as if resigned, loosened his stiff expression.

“It all stems from this old man’s arbitrary… greed for forbidden knowledge. As I grew old and my death drew near, I became unafraid of laws and regulations.”

He chose to take all responsibility for the artificial enhancement himself. By ultimately keeping the secret of Inferno, he showed loyalty, unlike Papillion’s situation. If he left this Terrarium, he might join the organization elsewhere. But that was beyond my domain.

“Then who exactly is Druid Jae to make such things possible? Healing the branches of the ailing World Tree should be impossible without Diamond, and how did you do it without officially receiving the position of Administrator?”

Finally, the moment I feared most had come. The moment I had to bluff about having immense power while hiding my Infinite Diamond.

At that moment, the artifact began to glow brightly. What suddenly appeared was Mesquite.