Tree of Time and Space

"Yeah, that really is a ginkgo leaf," the system replied.

"Then why did you say you couldn't identify the leaf? Is your brain fried?" Benjamin was speechless. He was almost so angry at the system that he cursed aloud.

"Because that's what it was called in the previous world. I don't know what it's called in this one," the system replied seriously. "According to Benjamin's memories, he has never seen a leaf like this. That's certain."

At that, Benjamin paused.

He immediately realized how troublesome this was.

Ginkgo leaves had been common before he'd crossed over. There had been several ginkgo trees right outside the house where he used to live, and their leaves often carpeted the ground. He'd even picked up a particularly pretty one to use as a bookmark. In short, he'd never considered them anything rare.

So when he saw that the medium of the curse was a ginkgo leaf, he'd been quite pleased.

Fire magic and a ginkgo leaf? Didn't that mean it would be easy for him to remove Michelle's curse?

However, after the system's reminder, he understood the problem.

What if there were no ginkgo leaves to be found in this world? Benjamin's memories had no record of anything like them, which meant they were at least nowhere to be seen in the Royal Capital. If he stayed within the circles he'd always known, he'd have almost no chance of finding one.

And, to take an even grimmer view, what if the ginkgo tree had gone extinct here?

That made sense. Michelle wouldn't use some common leaf as a curse medium, would she? That would be like leaving it there for anyone to undo. From that perspective, ginkgo trees had to be rare in this world.

What was he supposed to do?

After turning it over in his mind, he decided he'd have to look it up.

"Wasn't there a book on Grant's desk earlier, called something like Kingdom Plant Encyclopedia?" he asked the system.

"There was," the system confirmed.

That settled it. He just had to borrow the book from Grant and look through it. The answer would soon become clear.

Right now, nothing mattered more to him than lifting the curse. He didn't hesitate. He stood up, hid Introduction to Magic, then hurried out of the room and straight to Grant's bedroom.

If he remembered correctly, Grant shouldn't be there. At this hour, he should still be at The Church, studying divine magic. It was a class he had to attend every weekday.

Benjamin could only think that the lives of geniuses and ordinary people really did take different paths. Ordinary noble children had long since finished Sunday school by this age, and spent their days eating, drinking, and having fun, doing whatever they pleased. Geniuses, meanwhile, were still studying.

And Grant, that genius, didn't just study. He was also chuunibyou, and kept a beauty hidden away.

Remembering the little incident the last time he'd "borrowed" a book from Grant, Benjamin couldn't help thinking that his little brother was incredible.

He was hiding someone under his covers. Did the bishop know?

Thinking about this and that, Benjamin soon reached Grant's bedroom door. Just to be safe, he knocked first. When no one answered, he opened the door and went in. Grant apparently really didn't have a habit of locking it.

The room was empty. Grant hadn't returned yet.

Benjamin had no reason to feel guilty. Borrowing an encyclopedia wasn't a big deal. He walked straight to the desk and searched for a while, soon finding the book he wanted.

"Kingdom Plant Encyclopedia."

He looked at the large characters on the cover and hoped he'd find some clue about ginkgo trees in the encyclopedia.

"Grant? Why are you back already? Have you finished your Church studies?" Suddenly, a voice came from behind him.

Benjamin wasn't startled. He turned around and saw his mother, Mary, standing in the doorway with her arms crossed, looking at him in confusion.

When Benjamin turned, Mary froze too.

As if she'd noticed the bruise on his face and realized she'd mistaken him for someone else, Mary smiled awkwardly and said, "Benjamin, so it's you. I thought you were Grant. From behind, you two look so much alike."

At that, Benjamin remembered the time he'd looked in the mirror. He could only nod helplessly. "I guess so."

But after those few words, Mary still seemed a little puzzled. She slowly approached and studied Benjamin's face from every angle, as if making sure he really wasn't Grant.

Benjamin couldn't help smiling. "I really am not Grant. I just came to borrow a book."

As he spoke, he held up Kingdom Plant Encyclopedia and waved it in front of Mary.

"I know." Mary seemed almost entranced as she looked at Benjamin's face. "But you two really are getting more and more alike. You used to hunch your back and act so timidly around people that it was hard to tell. Your father sent you to the military camp for training, and in just a few days you changed so much. You're becoming more and more like Grant."

Benjamin shrugged, noncommittal. "Maybe."

Mary smiled again, but she kept staring at his face until he began to feel a little strange.

"Um... I've got the book I wanted. I'll head back to my room now." He waved the book in front of Mary again, as if trying to block her view.

He wanted to start searching for ginkgo leaves as soon as possible.

"Oh... right, of course. Go back and read. It's good to read more. I'm going to have afternoon tea with Mrs. Wood, too." Mary paused, then realized she was making things awkward and looked away.

"Goodbye," Benjamin said with a nod, then left the room.

"Goodbye, my child," Mary replied with a smile.

And so, Benjamin got Kingdom Plant Encyclopedia and returned to his room.

He shut the door and eagerly began flipping through the book.

Since he didn't know what ginkgo was called in this world, looking through the index was useless. He could only turn the pages one by one, study the illustrations, and compare them until he found the one that showed a ginkgo leaf.

As an encyclopedia, Kingdom Plant Encyclopedia was naturally thick, so searching through it wasn't easy. It took Benjamin over an hour to get from the beginning to the end, and that was with him turning the pages quickly.

As he searched, he turned a page. Not a ginkgo. Then another. Still not a ginkgo. With every page, his hopes dwindled a little more. By the time he neared the end, he'd almost given up hope.

Had ginkgo trees really gone extinct in this world? Or did they simply not grow in the Hori Kingdom?

Finally, near the end, he found the familiar fan-shaped leaf in one of the illustrations.

Benjamin's heart leapt again. He looked closely and saw a small line of text beneath the illustration, labeling it:

Tree of Time and Space.