At the End of the Hidden Greenery - Chapter 133

When they first met, Lofrel had been extremely cautious, but Jiwoo had assumed it was simply a reaction to her being human.

“Lustful…”

….That seemed right.

In fact, upon reflection, they didn’t particularly deny that they were an arrogant and cruel race. Jiwoo just hadn’t felt it until now, as they had always been kind to her. Although it seemed they might have a bit of a higher libido.

“You’ve been worried about me, then?”

“Yes.”

Lofrel nodded. Given what she had said earlier about being glad to have come and her intent to take Jiwoo with her, it was likely that she was acting out of goodwill.

“I want to go with you. To the capital.”

“Not… including my husbands, right?”

“Of course not. Seo Jiwoo didn’t bring anyone from Caranazion, did you? Just like the humans from that continent view Akarna, it’s the same here. They see what they want to see.”

Lofrel’s words implied that, just as Jiwoo had felt pressured to conform and deteriorate to meet the expectations of the humans in Caranazion, there were similar risks here.

The humans in Caranazion treated Akarna as God’s representative, forcing her into roles that aligned with their expectations. Akarna’s own will was disregarded in favor of their objectification.

The fact that her menstruation stopped was a part of that too. Akarna had become a being that didn’t require reproduction, but that fact was twisted into something wrong, leading to feelings of guilt.

It was no different in El Ragneil. They objectified the complete being as a ‘female manifestation’, treating each other as if they were essential to one another.

Lofrel pointed out that Jiwoo’s efforts to conform to their standards were not fundamentally different from her past experiences serving as a God’s watchmen in Caranazion.

“So… what’s the reason for giving me two potentially dangerous gifts? Are you worried my husbands will act foolishly because I’m weak?”

Lofrel looked at her for a moment before speaking with a smile.

“That may be true, but I think you’d enjoy it. You can throw them.”

“I do like my husbands, but that’s because they are my husbands… Accepting strangers all of a sudden is difficult for me.”

Jiwoo sighed and continued,

“There’s no need to worry. I hope you won’t speak ill of them. They’ve accepted me as family, and they treat and respect me well.”

“I see. So it’s an emotional matter.”

Lofrel rested her chin on her hand for a moment before nodding.

“I was shortsighted. I apologize.”

Jiwoo’s expression brightened. She was relieved that things had turned out positively.

“Still, keep them around for a few days? It could be a good test.”

A test.

Was she suggesting that Jiwoo test them?

“Oh, no.”

Jiwoo waved her hands dismissively.

“I feel like they might not like it… I want to focus on my husbands right now and let them know that I cherish them.”

Moreover, a similar situation had occurred last time.

When she went to heal another tree, she noticed that their group seemed to have better conditions, which led to complications. Callan had insisted it was right to let her go, but the one who had been the most jealous was Callan himself.

Even though he claimed to be doing it for her benefit and said it was the norm on this continent, Jiwoo knew deep down that he was not entirely comfortable with the situation.

Eventually, Jiwoo would likely adapt completely to the culture here as she continued living in this place.

But now was not that time. Bringing someone new in at this moment felt like it would betray the hearts of her husbands, leaving her feeling quite uneasy.

Lofrel listened to Jiwoo’s words slowly before scoffing.

“Right. So you think they’ll want to monopolize you because they find you useful?”

That was probably true.

While the brothers got along well with each other, they showed no mercy to outsiders. Jiwoo even knew that in the past, they had gotten into physical fights with other groups eyeing her.

But was it really about possessiveness? Was it because Akarna was seen as useful? In some ways, that wasn’t incorrect, but it felt slightly different, so Jiwoo hesitated to answer.

“That’s not a good sign. They see you as a resource. Valuable.”

“For me, it seems like having more people means being treated as a shared resource.”

Since she had already played the role of a savior for all as Akarna in the temple, she preferred a slightly more closed-off approach.

“So, saying it’s okay to accept others easily might feel more disappointing.”

According to Lofrel, their virtue lay in upholding and obeying the female manifestations with whom they could have a genuine connection.

But no matter how much this culture dictated that, Jiwoo had lived in the human world for much longer, making it easier for her to think this way.

“Based on what you’re saying, if they were to accept new husbands, wouldn’t that mean they prefer ‘Akarna’ over me?”

“Really? Hmm.”

Lofrel didn’t quite understand Jiwoo’s words, but she seemed to acknowledge them nonetheless.

“You’re right.”

She learned a new fact. In fact, Jiwoo had unconsciously believed that all female manifestations would be accompanied by men. Given the extreme scarcity of female manifestations, it made sense that the men lived their lives yearning for them.

The people Jiwoo encountered in El Ragneil seemed to act as if their primary goal was to seduce women, and perhaps due to the lack of time to judge, they all appeared to be good people.

However, if that was the case, it made her think that female manifestations living in groups, as desired by the children of Ellandos, would actually be quite rare.

In fact, if they said that simply meeting a female manifestation was an honor, it implied that generally, females would not be very eager to meet them. Rather, it would mean that a woman who accepts a group would be an even rarer and more exceptional case.

“Lofrel… If you describe those people like that, it seems you have no intention of forming a group.”

“Hmm. I don’t like them. There’s no reason for me to like them.”