At the End of the Hidden Greenery - Chapter 145
“What’s this?”
“…Is this your first time seeing chestnuts?”
“Chestnuts? The kind you eat?”
“Yes.”
Wait, is this really chestnuts? Does this mean that the Ellandos tree is a chestnut tree?
“Are there different kinds of Ellandos trees?”
“I don’t understand what you mean. Are there different kinds of Akarnas?”
She always thought there was just one kind of Ellandos tree, but it seems like they call these kinds of trees by that name once they reach this level, similar to how humans become Akarnas.
“Chestnuts… Haha, if you thought it was that kind, then it must have been a gift from the tree with that purpose.”
“Is it giving this to me?”
“Yes, you’ve been so hesitant about accepting gifts, so I was wondering what I could offer, but I’m happy to be able to give you something so rare.”
“Wow…”
Jiwoo called the husbands who were waiting behind her, and they eagerly started picking up the chestnuts. Since they had fully ripened and fallen from the tree, just a light touch caused the chestnut nuts to pop right out.
The chestnuts were white and beautifully unique, just like the Ellandos tree itself.
What was even more amazing was that when she gathered them all together, it seemed like the exact right number had been picked.
“Exactly thirty-three.”
“Looks like the children you’ve gathered is thirty-two.”
“Yes!”
As she gathered the chestnuts into a basket, Jiwoo felt a surge of pride. She was happy to have something so special to give as a gift to her husbands.
* * *
After treating the tree without any trouble, Jiwoo made her way back with an excited heart.
Her chest fluttered, and it took a while for her excitement to settle down. She held the basket carefully, worried she might drop a single chestnut, and said with a bright voice,
“This is the farthest I’ve ever come. I thought I’d only walk this far when visiting the capital one day.”
She had heard about the capital before, and had been told that if she ever had the chance, they would go together. But the capital was a place only for women, and visits were allowed only occasionally. It was something she had heard about on the assumption that they would be with Jiwoo.
And honestly, it was far too distant for a casual visit. El Ragneil was much larger than Caranazion, after all.
“Will our tree eventually move and settle near the capital?”
Tevon tilted his head before replying.
“That’ll take a really long time.”
“Then we’ll just live long enough to see it.”
“…”
Tevon, who could imagine these things much more vividly than Jiwoo, shook his head, realizing that the time it would take was so long that it was almost impossible to comprehend.
Instead of such distant dreams, Tevon focused on more immediate matters.
“But, you know, it’s really annoying that they keep calling us to this place.”
“Well, we have to come here since the tree is here.”
Tevon’s complaint was understandable.
The trees Jiwoo had treated before were mostly in rural areas, closer to the edges of El Ragneil.
So they were more affected by the miasma. Most of the trees Jiwoo had treated were either dried up, as if they were about to die, or had turned as black as charcoal.
But in this case, it was the first time a tree had remained intact, with only the wounds needing treatment. It seemed a bit overly dramatic to call this a problem.
“Jiwoo, I know this might sound strange, but there must have been typhoons in Caranazion too, right? Natural disasters. You can’t save everyone caught up in them.”
She understood that. Helka had once said that she wasn’t a savior of any particular race.
But this time, there was a real reason behind it.
“Anyway, does that mean the further inside the tree goes, the safer it becomes?”
“That’s right. And that’s why those guys are so ridiculous.”
Jiwoo was aware that her husbands didn’t exactly enjoy the trips.
There were people who made trouble, and using Akarna’s power too much could cause it to disappear temporarily, which made it dangerous.
Also, just like Tevon had said earlier, Jiwoo, being from outside, couldn’t possibly take responsibility for things that would naturally disappear from this continent. If she did, it would be arrogance.
“But still, I wanted to confirm something this time.”
Despite all that, Jiwoo had decided to come, mainly because of what she had heard when Lofrel visited, and she really wanted to confirm something.
And this time, being able to verify this fact was even better than the small gift she had received after treating another tree.
“See, every time I treat a tree…”
But just as she was about to explain, a strong wind blew.
She stopped speaking for a moment and adjusted her hair as it blew around her.
“Ah.”
In that brief moment, she felt something shift within her.
Akarna’s power had temporarily disappeared.
Helka seemed to sense it immediately, as he swiftly hugged Jiwoo and descended to the ground. Walking in mid-air was romantic, but it was a bit too high for a human to manage comfortably.
“―――, ―――?”
Tevon seemed to be asking something, but Jiwoo couldn’t understand him and felt a bit awkward.
The man who had been silently following and smiling earlier suddenly spoke up.
“He’s asking if the power is gone?”
“Ah, yes!”
Jiwoo breathed a sigh of relief.
One of the unnamed companions, who was traveling with them, had translated his words.
“Thank goodness. Tell them I’m okay, huh?”
Then, without warning, Jiwoo was suddenly pulled into an embrace by something.
“…Helka?”
The culprit, Helka, began to nuzzle his face against Jiwoo’s and kissed her.
“――――, ―――――! ―――!”
Tevon gasped and yanked on Helka’s long hair.
“Old man, what are you doing? Are you crazy?”
That… was something Jiwoo didn’t need translated.
After struggling to pull Helka off for a while, Tevon muttered to the air, realizing it was pointless.
“This is a disaster.”
“…That’s what he says.”
Jiwoo couldn’t help but agree as she petted the puppy-like Helka, who was clinging to her.
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