At the End of the Hidden Greenery - Chapter 143

“Wait, what? Already?”

Wasn’t that a bit too fast?

Five people had drawn lots at the start, and now all the winners were already decided.

Since they let those nearby pick, it seemed that the companions this time were Helka, Tevon, and the two who still didn’t have names. So, that made it four in total.

The unnamed two shyly smiled while covering their mouths, Helka had his usual serious expression, and Tevon was excitedly whistling.

“This feels off. There must be some cheating going on.”

Once again, Enci, who hadn’t picked a winning lot, crossed his arms and glared at Tevon.

“Especially you.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

Tevon feigned innocence, but Jiwoo was curious too. After all, with the way the draws had gone, it was like everyone picked winning lots.

“No, it really feels strange. How did you do it?”

When Jiwoo echoed her suspicion, Tevon shrugged his shoulders.

“Well, it can’t be helped.”

He alternated between showing the winning stick and the losing stick.

“See? They’re different, right?”

“How?”

Enci narrowed his eyes, listening intently.

“When marking it, you dye it at the end.”

“That’s true.”

“You’d be marking only here, right? Then it would slightly change the weight.”

“…What?”

Enci snatched the two sticks from Tevon’s hand to check them.

There was indeed a weight difference. It was a very subtle difference, but it was there.

This meant that among those who picked first, the more perceptive and cunning ones had realized this and chosen accordingly.

As children of Ellandos, it was rare for any of them not to discern even this slight difference in weight, which meant that the earlier you picked, the more advantageous it was.

“That’s cheating!”

“What do you mean cheating? It’s a fair contest based on ability, isn’t it?”

Tevon maintained his poker face, but Jiwoo, who had just caught on to the truth, jumped up.

“Wait, is that really what was going on?”

If that was the case, it meant that only the husbands who had drawn honestly had been at a disadvantage all this time. One of them was Enci.

In fact, Tevon had been the first to pick while pretending not to know, and even Helka had come up afterward, feigning ignorance.

“Helka!”

“….I thought you knew.”

“Did everyone know?”

“I thought you were letting the ones you like pick first…”

So they all knew but had let it slide because it seemed like Jiwoo enjoyed it.

She had thought it was a simple drawing when, in fact, it had been a first-come, first-served basis.

After leaving it to the husbands and just getting the results, Jiwoo had been wandering around with the box in hand while deep in thought, and now the truth had come to light.

“Should we do it again?”

“You already made your decision.”

As Jiwoo felt a bit guilty, everyone smiled and reassured her it was fine.

“You said you’d also give them names. I thought that’s why you chose them as companions this time.”

And it seemed that everyone was quite relaxed about it, not minding the situation at all.

Jiwoo recalled what Enci had said the night before. He had mentioned how he was glad that even though she was adapting to life here, Jiwoo still chose him. Everyone seemed to feel similarly.

They had seemed jealous, but it turned out they were happier to be embraced rather than sent away.

The effort they put into preparing was likely because Jiwoo was expected to take only them to the capital… But now that she mentioned staying together, they seemed much more relaxed.

‘I wonder when I’ll truly understand this culture…’

The husbands who weren’t picked today expressed a hint of disappointment but still gently kissed Jiwoo’s cheek before stepping back.

Each of them had their roles within the village, leading to different lifestyles and activity hours, so they quickly gathered and then dispersed due to this brief encounter.

“…”

However, Enci remained behind, looking particularly downcast.

He hadn’t been included in any of the previous outings, so comforting him might prove to be quite challenging. Maybe this time, they should bring Enci along too.

“Enci, then…”

“Leave it to me.”

Just as Jiwoo was about to suggest it, Tevon whispered for her to trust him and stepped forward.

Tevon pulled out his secret strategy to lift Enci’s spirits.

“Kim Enci, you need to be a little more generous.”

“…”

The tips of Enci’s ears perked up slightly.

While Enciertes wouldn’t be able to stand it, Kim Enci could show some generosity.

Clearing his throat, Kim Enci addressed Jiwoo with a dignified tone.

“Then, we’ll do it differently next time.”

“Okay.”

Tevon began to whistle nonchalantly, thinking about when he would earn his keep.

* * *

So, the companions this time were Helka, Tevon, and the two newly acquired people.

After giving a brief glance at the letter, Helka started leading the group to their destination without any further explanation.

They had walked over a lake before, but this time they were walking through the air together. Back then, the lake had been clear and beautiful, providing many sights, while now they were overlooking the hills blooming with flowers.

It seemed that the area, uninhabited by humans, was unrealistically beautiful without any artificial structures.

“Wow, it’s so beautiful…!”

“The flowers of summer and autumn are mixed together since it’s the changing of the seasons.”

“Can we go down for a moment?”

“If you’d like.”

They didn’t usually go out much, but when they did, the paths they took were filled with sights to see.

As they landed, a gentle breeze brought with it a flood of scents.

They had mentioned that living with them would eventually become boring, but just seeing things like this made Jiwoo feel joyful and happy.

“By the way, Helka, do you know where that is?”

“Yes.”

As soon as they landed, Tevon quickly fashioned a flower crown and placed it on Jiwoo’s head.

“Helka is a wizard, so he knows everything.”

He was the oldest here and, as a wizard, held a high status.

However, the feeling he exuded was completely different from the few wizards in the Empire. It was also slightly different from the minor magic the other brothers used.

It felt like he wasn’t just a wizard in the traditional sense, but that his entire ‘race’ was defined by magic.

“Only Helka is a wizard, right? Is it true that only one wizard is born?”

“That’s not the case.”