At the End of the Hidden Greenery - Chapter 158

Jiwoo wondered how much they would be happy with her surprising them if they didn’t know anything. From the moment they mentioned the possibility of her leaving, it seemed like they were concerned about her departure.

However, based on their nature, if she said she was leaving, they likely wouldn’t try to stop her. It would probably be safer and more beneficial for Jiwoo to go along with the female manifestation.

So, hearing Helka and Tevon reassure her that they would protect her, Jiwoo felt more at ease.

‘If Akarna had a stronger power, maybe none of this would have happened.’

In a way, she still regretted that she didn’t have that power.

* * *

Although Jiwoo could have stayed longer at Helka’s residence, she decided to return to her own home for now. She had discussed her husband’s schedules earlier, and there was something about that which made her feel uneasy.

‘Callan.’

Thinking back, Callan usually appeared at night, and it was during that time that his power grew stronger. Of course, he also became more persistent at night.

After spending time with Callan and falling asleep first, Jiwoo had noticed that Callan stayed by her side, watching over her all night. If Jiwoo stirred in the early morning, he would immediately ask if she was awake.

This meant that he hadn’t done anything—just stared at her without moving.

At first, Jiwoo assumed he would wake up with her, but she realized he hadn’t slept at all and had simply been watching her the entire time.

‘If I prepare for this party, Callan would make it easier by giving better advice, but I haven’t seen him much lately…’

From her husbands’ reactions, it seemed he hadn’t gone anywhere—he was just out of Jiwoo’s sight. She only had one conclusion.

After pretending to sleep until dawn, Jiwoo felt someone sneak into the room.

The person quietly approached the bed and sat down. She could feel a heavy presence by her pillow, but they didn’t lie down next to her. Instead, as usual, they simply sat and watched Jiwoo.

Jiwoo quickly grabbed the fabric of their clothes.

“…Callan.”

She could feel him stiffen when she grabbed his clothes.

Jiwoo rubbed her eyes, speaking with a hoarse voice, even though she wasn’t really asleep—she had just been pretending.

“I wondered why I hadn’t seen you lately… Did you sneak away before I woke up?”

“….”

Callan, who was caught, didn’t answer. Instead, he tried to pull his clothes free from Jiwoo’s grasp but couldn’t bring himself to use force against her. He reluctantly spoke up.

“This, this please…”

“I’m not letting go.”

Even though he was looking uncomfortable, Callan still couldn’t shake off Jiwoo’s hand. She held onto his clothes tightly and turned on the light.

“Ack…!”

The room was suddenly flooded with light, revealing Callan’s figure, who had been hiding in the darkness.

“Night? Did I mistake someone for… no, it’s Callan, right?”

“…Yes.”

Callan averted his gaze and answered.

“What’s with this appearance?”

Looking at him, it was easy to think she was mistaken. Callan’s appearance had changed so drastically that she barely recognized him.

His once honey-like golden hair and fresh green eyes were gone, replaced with mysterious blue-tinted skin and sapphire eyes, making him almost blend into the night.

Even his skin tone had turned a bluish hue. It was almost identical to Marron and Night, who had arrived recently.

“I didn’t really….want to show you this.”

It was shocking, and there were many questions. How had he changed his appearance, and why had he been hiding his body all this time?

Jiwoo asked the question that was bothering her the most.

“Why did you change like this?”

Callan didn’t hesitate long before answering.

“I heard about what happened during this trip. It was fortunate you were able to bring them along, wasn’t it?”

“That’s true…”

Jiwoo had a feeling she knew what Callan would say next.

According to Marron and Night, this appearance was more specialized for combat. The night vision was enhanced, and the movements and reaction times were much faster. Callan had intentionally transformed himself for these abilities.

“This form will be useful in the current situation. I don’t want to lose you.”

This was something Jiwoo had briefly worried about herself. Without much strength, she had to rely on her husbands for protection.

However, it was a problem she had already considered, so there was no need to keep it a secret anymore.

“That’s all well and good, but why keep this from me? Why didn’t you want to show me?”

“…?”

Callan hesitated to explain while he had explained the other matter without hesitation.

“Isn’t this form unappealing?”

“Unappealing?”

What did he mean by unappealing? She never thought of her husbands as unappealing. They hadn’t had the appearance to make her think that way. Didn’t they know?

“You said Marron and Night, right? Didn’t you reject them as soon as you saw them?”

No, that was a misunderstanding.

“…It wasn’t because of how they looked. I just didn’t want to put them in a situation where they might get hurt.”

Could people really accept the idea of exchanging people so casually?

In the end, it was a relief that Marron and Night arrived, but it had happened without any discussion beforehand. Jiwoo had been caught off guard, and the words slipped out.

If she had known earlier, she would have handled it more thoughtfully.

“Now that I think about it, I probably shouldn’t have said that in front of Marron and Night. I’ll have to apologize later.”

It was strange to be more pleased to accept them, but if that was the norm in El Ragneil, she could accept it. The important thing was that her husbands hadn’t been hurt by it.

“And about that… Callan, you don’t need to worry. Marron and Night were more than enough for this time. I’m sorry I had to let Helka suffer, but I will focus on it more for now.”

“For now?”

“Every time I treat another tree, our tree grows. Once it gets a little closer to the center, the risks should be lower.”

Although it seemed like she’d be going on more trips, Jiwoo didn’t mind it so much. She thought of it as a form of date with her husbands, so it didn’t feel like an exhausting task.