The Forest Race Clonne

Chapter 51

Through the traces left on plants, I peer into the past. The method I once believed only I could use—turns out they could use it too. That realization left me slightly bewildered, like discovering others in the world who shared the same strangeness as me. It was oddly comforting, yet disorienting at the same time.

Perhaps sensing my feelings, Serige smiled in that peculiar way of his. A moment later, a warm hand rested gently on my head.

“You’ve worked so hard, struggling in an unfamiliar world all this time. Welcome back safely to our world.”

His soft, comforting voice made me lower my gaze instinctively. Magic is said to manifest through spells, but if that’s true, then perhaps I had just heard the kindest spell in existence. That’s the only explanation for why my heart was racing so much.

* * *

While waiting for a reply, Serige explained things I needed to know. If the last explanation was about the basic concept of Clonne, this time it was about the structure and rules of the race.

First, there are several areas on each continent where the Clonne race resides. The largest population hub, the “Main Territory,” is in Dongryeong. Regardless of age, ranks are determined by innate power. He continued with information that would be useful to know in advance.

“Do you understand the gist of it?”

“Yes, but the part about ranks is a bit unclear. Power isn’t something you can see; how can you tell if someone is stronger or weaker than you? Do you duel or something?”

“When it’s not certain, we sometimes use such methods, but usually, you can just tell. A tree stronger than me has a palpable energy. Besides that, you can often tell just by sensing their characteristic tree.”

“Characteristic tree?”

“The stronger or more pleasant the scent, the stronger the tree likely is. If you meet someone and they’re a magnolia or rose tree? Just avoid them; they’re probably strong.”

Ah, that makes sense. I thought bigger trees would be stronger, but it turns out the scent is the standard. Though there are exceptions, it seems I’ll need to study more in the future.

“So, the King is the strongest tree?”

“That’s right. The King is a very special entity. While all other positions are elected, there’s only one tree that can become King. It’s unique in the world.”

His voice was filled with pride. Even his excited expression showed how much he revered the King.

“But you won’t need to worry about him. Ordinary folks like us seldom get a chance to meet the King. He’s on a long journey right now, anyway.”

“A journey?”

“Yes, it’s been over thirty years already.”

“…Is it okay for the King to be absent for so long?”

I asked, shocked. Serige answered nonchalantly, explaining that for the Clonne, the King’s mere existence was enough. Whether he was physically present or not didn’t matter.

“The King just needs to live well, wherever he is.”

“Is the King a symbolic figure then? Someone who holds the title but has no ruling power?”

“No? Of course, the King has ruling power!”

“…I don’t quite understand. It sounds like he has rights but no obligations.”

“Haha, it’s not like that. I’ll explain more about it later. Anyway, what you need to focus on now are the Knights rather than the King.”

“Knights?”

“Every time a new King ascends, he appoints five vassals. They serve by the King’s side, acting as his hands and feet.”

Like royal guards, perhaps. From his further explanation, I gathered that these positions were elected and chosen through qualification exams. The criteria varied, but typically, it involved contesting martial prowess. They prioritized combat ability above all else. Given the ranking system, they seemed a rather rough clan.

“Three of them are currently away with the King, and two remain here. Coincidentally, both of them are in this residence. When we arrive, you’ll meet them, so you must be respectful. Although, I doubt you’ll be rude.”

“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Yes, yes. The reason I’m emphasizing this is that both of them have youthful appearances. Since you’re more accustomed to judging others by their looks, you might accidentally make a mistake.”

“Youthful appearances…”

“Normally, they would grow to look more mature, but their physical growth stopped early. They will look younger than you.”

It wasn’t unusual among long-lived races. Even Bestians only start aging in their older years, and I’ve heard that Dras maintain a youthful appearance throughout their lives.

‘Come to think of it, how long do Clonnes live?’

Given how they treated my age so young, it was clear they lived longer than humans, but I had never gotten an exact figure.

“May I ask how old you are?” I inquired.

“Me? I’m forty-six,” he replied.

“…”

Despite looking like he was in his early twenties, he responded with a fresh smile. I was momentarily speechless before I managed to ask.

“Is forty considered old within the clan?”

“Hmm, it’s a bit much to say old. More like very young? Lord Kalph always scolds me for being cheeky whenever I talk back because I’m still viewed as recently born. Generally, you’re considered an adult only after three hundred years.”

“Three hundred…?”

“Did I not mention our average lifespan is a thousand years?”

“…”

You did not. A thousand years? The number far exceeded my expectations, leaving my head spinning. Aside from Dragons, the Dras were known for their longevity, living up to five hundred years. But a thousand years? Could I really live that long?

However, there wasn’t time to process the shock as a sudden mirage appeared before my eyes. The space distorted as if a rift was forming. Startled, I stepped back, but Serige welcomed it with a smile.

“Oh, they’re finally here.”

“What?”

At that moment, an arm suddenly emerged from the empty air. While I froze in shock, the trembling hand began to move busily, as if struggling.

“Tut tut, stuck again, are we?”

Though it was an astonishing sight to me, Serige seemed unaffected. Clicking his tongue, he grabbed the arm firmly and pulled it toward him. With a scream and an abrupt tumble, someone emerged.

The person who rolled out was a tall man. Was he a Clonne as well? His sharp eyes and silver-white irises gave him a generally fierce appearance.

“Rikase, you started from the midpoint, right? If you can’t even connect properly from there to here, what are you doing?” Serige chastised the panting man with a disappointed look.

Rikase, as he was called, made a sour face. “It’s not like I wanted to mess up! The problem with unfamiliar locations isn’t just distance! There are too many unstable factors involved!”

“Excuses, excuses. And yet you insisted on doing it yourself. Honestly, I always worry you’ll die or cause someone else’s death with your space travel one day.”

“Stop cursing me!”

His unique speech manner suggested he had spatial abilities. It looked different from magic, but I couldn’t quite figure out how it worked. At that moment, our gazes met. His wide eyes, initially surprised, gradually became calm as he looked at me.

“Is this the child you mentioned?”

“Yes, isn’t he good-looKing?”

“Yes, indeed. Honestly, I thought you were exaggerating again, but I’m surprised. Sir Serige actually told the truth for once.”

“What did you just say?”

“I’m joking!”

Though Serige’s eyebrows shot up, Rikase seemed completely unfazed. Despite their bickering, it was clear they had a comfortable relationship.

“Anyway, introduce yourselves. As I mentioned, this child here is an Aesang I found by chance, and his name is Sei. Sei, this guy is Rikase.”

“Ah, nice to meet you. My name is Sei.”

When I introduced myself, Rikase stared at me blankly. It was Serige who seemed taken aback by his indifferent reaction.

“What are you doing, Rikase? The kid is introducing himself. Don’t you know how to greet someone?”

“I was waiting for him to reveal his characteristic tree.”

“You idiot. Didn’t I tell you he doesn’t know who his father is? How would he know his characteristic tree?”

“Oh, is that the case? Is there no way to find out now?”

“You can tell just by looking. An Aesang wouldn’t be called an Aesang for no reason. If it were possible to know, we would have known long ago.”

“That’s going to be a problem. We can’t determine the ranking. That also makes it hard to decide how to address him.”

“…Do you want to get hit and then greet him properly, or would you rather just do it now?”

Only after receiving a smack to the back of his head did Rikase finally greet me properly.

“I am Rikase of the Willow tree. You seem younger than me, so I’ll speak informally. If you have any objections, speak now.”

“No, it’s fine.”

So, he’s of the Willow tree. Though I regarded him with newfound curiosity, I honestly couldn’t see any remarkable difference from a human. I still didn’t understand what the characteristic trees were based on. Sensing my confusion, Serige added that I’d understand once I fully awakened.

“But don’t you think Sei probably has a higher rank than you? Maybe it’s better to show respect from the start?”

“Well, that’s not something you can say for sure. Even someone like Sir Serige is stronger than me, so I can’t assume the opposite wouldn’t exist.”

“Ha-hah, what do you mean by that~ hmm?”

“Ah, ah! No to violence! Please don’t hit me!”

“I’m hitting you to make it hurt. Sei, keep your distance from this guy. He’s a classic case of being tough on the weak and submissive to the strong. He’ll be really mean if he thinks your rank is lower than his.”