At the End of the Hidden Greenery - Chapter 175

The first winter in El Ragneil was approaching.

Just as there are seasons where flowers bloom and flourish, there are also seasons where they ripen and fade. As the air gradually became chillier, Jiwoo’s village began preparing for the new season.

They made several warm outfits, repaired the damaged parts of the village, and reinforced their homes to make them sturdier.

In the midst of staying busy, forgetting about the business trip, someone cautiously knocked on Jiwoo’s door.

When Jiwoo opened the door with a smile, the man standing there, receiving her smile directly, seemed momentarily startled.

“Seo Jiwoo… Hello.”

“Skiass?”

It was unexpected that he came to visit.

He was a man with dark blue hair and golden eyes, looking somewhat tired. Before Helka was affected by the miasma, Skiass was said to have had the darkest hair in the village. He was slightly older than Enci.

“What brings you here?”

“…Is it not okay for me to come?”

“It’s not that, but…”

In fact, Skiass was a man who was far from being outgoing. So even when Jiwoo was being seduced by her husbands, he only glanced at her from a distance, never approaching directly. He was rarely seen at the village’s frequent parties.

Considering that Jiwoo still only socialized with familiar faces, Skiass didn’t have much of a connection with her either.

When she first heard that he was an astronomer who mostly hung out with Enci, Jiwoo thought it suited him perfectly. After all, didn’t his hair look like the night sky and his eyes like stars?

So, she had openly told him to get closer…

But somehow, after that, it became even harder to meet him.

That’s why it was so surprising that he was visiting now.

“Before it gets colder… I need to tidy up around the tree… Would you like to come with me?”

“Ah, sure. I’ll come.”

“Take your coat… and a shawl too. We’ll be outside for a while.”

Jiwoo followed his suggestion and bundled up warmly. As soon as she stepped outside, she walked alongside Skiass, who had his arms crossed. Immediately, Skiass stiffened.

Ah, right. Having gotten used to the contact with her husbands, this had become a habit. She had always kept a more distant relationship with Skiass.

But the smell of soap that always lingered around Skiass was pleasant.

On their first night together, even though her eyes had been covered, there was a particular scent that was so comforting that she once rubbed her cheek against his bare chest to take in the scent for longer.

Later, she found out that it had been Skiass’s scent.

“Hmm… Today… it’s not just the two of us going.”

Skiass, walking stiffly for a while, cleared his throat and said quietly, his voice sounded regretful.

“Really?”

“Yeah…”

Was that a fortunate thing or an unfortunate one?

As he mentioned, not long after, they met with others. Among them were the husbands who held some power in the village, including Lanceil, and there were also Callan and Solmih, who might have needed more delicate instructions.

Of course, Callan, though he didn’t show it, was particularly strong.

Anyway, they all had large bundles of things with them. It seemed that only Skiass, who wasn’t carrying anything heavy, had come to fetch Jiwoo.

It seemed like today’s work was something that required a lot of people to gather and carry out.

* * *

Since her husbands were all like flowers, the previous season had been spent with much energy and liveliness. They particularly felt better and more energetic on days when the sun was strong or the rain was heavy.

So, with the leaves beginning to fall, Jiwoo wondered if her husbands’ moods might start to settle down with the change in season. But surprisingly, they seemed especially cheerful during this time.

“I thought you might not like it since it’s the time when flowers fall.”

“That’s true, but… it’s a bit different…”

At Jiwoo’s casual muttering, Skiass, who still hadn’t relaxed his crossed arms even after reaching their destination, began to explain.

“What trees symbolize isn’t eternal life, but eternal rebirth…”

When the time comes, the leaves fall and the dry branches drop, but every year, the tree is reborn. That was how the forest operated.

“It means that everything dies, but nothing truly disappears.”

Anyway, winter was a season of preparation for rebirth. To get ready for that, the husbands had gathered around the tree. And they began working together.

Hmm… they were much more intuitive than Jiwoo had imagined.

The strong men, working together, began to wrap the tree with a thick cloth that was as warm as a cotton blanket. Before long, the tree was snugly wrapped, looking like a soft, bulky pillar covered by a cozy blanket.

Of course, this made the mystical impression of Ellandos fade quite a bit, but it definitely seemed warmer.

Callan, who had finished his part first, returned to Jiwoo’s side.

He said that in the morning, they would do this, and in the afternoon, others would come to take over.

“Ellandos is a divine beast that drives away miasma—can’t it protect itself against the cold?”

“Hm? Of course, the tree can protect itself. However, it’s not as efficient. It’s better to store that energy separately.”

“Store that energy separately?”

“Yes. Would you like to see?”

Callan approached the spot where the roots of Ellandos lay and began digging with a shovel. Perhaps because of his strength, the hardened soil that was stiff from the cold, lifted easily like pudding.

“Oh, so this is it!”

Seeing what was revealed in the hole, Jiwoo quickly understood. She didn’t know exactly what it was, but it was something familiar.

The people here didn’t typically use fire, even through magic. Since they lived with the trees in the forest, they used stones to provide heat instead. These stones resembled the white pebbles Jiwoo had seen before.

They were the same stones Jiwoo had placed in the fireplace while preparing her house. In El Ragneil, these stones replaced firewood to warm the house.

“This is the energy the tree uses to protect itself in the winter. Because we take good care of it, the tree trusts us and gives it to us.”

As if to prove his words, the husbands began managing the tree, trimming dry branches that hadn’t fallen yet.