At the End of the Hidden Greenery - Chapter 130

On a date designated by Helka, the villagers gathered around the tree. They had never congregated like this around the tree since they had arrived in El Ragneil.

While they cherished and revered the tree, they also found it challenging. It felt akin to how they would behave when dealing with temples or sacred places in Caranazion. If a female manifestation were to appear here, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think that the tree’s embodiment had descended.

The temple was originally said to be a sacred place where Akarna descended. Although Jiwoo had never seen a sacred place herself, she imagined it might be similar to a tree.

The Empire had destroyed all other sacred places, leaving only one remaining around the empire, which was decorated as a temple.

‘It really is quite similar.’

Thinking back, Akarna and the female manifestation had many similarities. And now, her husbands were gathered here. They were acting like the priests and bishops who had once gathered in the temple performing rituals to summon Akarna,.

‘It’s all too extravagant.’

For days, Jiwoo had been kept from seeing what they were secretly preparing, and now her husbands were looking incredibly splendid. Every time Jiwoo’s gaze fell upon them, they would fidget with their collars or angle their bodies for a better view.

They were truly breathtakingly beautiful—more so than usual.

Seeing them dressed so specially for this day made her eyes widen even more. However, she also felt a strange emotion, though she couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was. When she reflected on it, it might be a sense of disappointment.

‘So, they were trying to impress the female manifestation.’

Even Helka, who usually dressed simply like a modest priest, had put in extra effort to look presentable. Jiwoo looked over at Helka, who was also there to welcome the female manifestation.

When their eyes met, he flinched in surprise. He was unusually tense, with his ears perked up.

‘Is there really a need to be this nervous?’

What would it be like if he thought of her as an Akarna from Caranazion? The tree was the pillar of the temple and the place where God’s guardian’s descent. In that light, it seemed there were plenty of reasons to feel anxious.

In this place, a female manifestation was, quite literally, a royal figure. No, not just a queen—she could be considered a living God. She wouldn’t be called a manifestation for no reason.

Moreover, since they were in a position where they had to be chosen, it made sense that they should impress the female manifestation.

But did this concept still apply even when they already had partners? Perhaps it did. This place operated under a different set of norms than what Jiwoo was used to, and she was still in the process of learning, unable to claim she fully understood everything.

She had experienced something similar before.

They had once mentioned that if Jiwoo had better conditions, they might consider leaving, and they even suggested that love meant letting someone go.

‘Thinking about it, this can’t just apply to me.’

And it seemed that a female manifestation living freely here would certainly have much better circumstances than Jiwoo. While she was a newcomer still struggling to adapt to the local culture…

If her husbands expressed a desire to go elsewhere, would it be right to let them? The men here acted as if being chosen by a female manifestation was a tremendous honor, and it appeared they all lived with that goal in mind.

Even now, they had dressed up so elaborately for the appearance of a new female manifestation.

‘But is it really necessary to show off that much?’

As expected. She couldn’t help but feel disappointed.

“…It’s starting.”

Helka said quietly.

In an instant, the sky darkened as if an eclipse was occurring. It had been a clear, blue sky without a cloud in sight. The sun disappeared, and everything turned dark as if night had fallen.

The sky turned pitch black, allowing the starlight that had been hidden by sunlight to be seen.

A massive rift appeared, as if the air itself had been torn apart. From within this rift, a brilliant white light poured down to the ground. It felt as though the tree called Ellandos was connected to the sky.

While she had experienced descending into this world, it was her first time witnessing the descent of another being.

It was clear why some might perceive this as a natural phenomenon and others as a sacred occurrence. In some ways, it resembled natural events like an eclipse or a rainbow, yet it also felt like some transcendent intelligence was creating a pathway of light for itself to appear.

At the end of the path of light that began in the sky, she thought she saw someone gently descending.

As the dark sky cleared, a peaceful, blue afternoon returned, just like any other day.

The female manifestation standing nearby nodded at Jiwoo with a smile. She was exactly the same height as Jiwoo, making her feel like she was looking at a friend her age.

“Hello.”

This time, Jiwoo wasn’t startled by the familiar language. Since she was representing the tree village, she stepped forward to greet her.

She felt a bit nervous, as if she was meeting someone important.

“It’s nice to meet you, Jiwoo.”

However, the female manifestation beamed at Jiwoo and pulled her into a tight hug.

“Ah, um?”

Jiwoo’s face flushed red. She had thought the reaction might be uncomfortable, but this was an overly enthusiastic response, wasn’t it? Was there a reason for that? How did she even know her name?

“I felt there was a good tree here, so I came to see, and it really is wonderful. You saved this tree.”

“Yes.”

“It’s truly lovely…”

“I’m, um, happy to see you too.”

Caught off guard, Jiwoo glanced back at her husbands. They were watching with a nervous look. After all, since it was supposed to be similar to welcoming a guest, it made sense to introduce her husbands.

“Those?”

As expected, the female manifestation hugging her showed curiosity towards Jiwoo’s husbands.

“Oh, those are my husbands.”

“Hmm.”

The female manifestation stepped back from Jiwoo and quickly scanned the husbands gathered around the tree. Her observing gaze lingered only briefly before she tilted her head and reached out her hand.

She began to gather small orbs of light that floated around Ellandos.

“This is much better.”