At the End of the Hidden Greenery - Chapter 179
Helka, who had been watching quietly from a distance, raised his hand. But everyone jeered at Helka.
“Old man, take a step back!”
“Oohh!”
Helka’s expression looked sad. Jiwoo quickly waved her hands, startled.
“It’s not like that. Calm down.”
Lanceil, who had been helping Callan, leaned in and whispered carefully into Jiwoo’s ear.
“If being the youngest gives you benefits like that, everyone will want to be one.”
Wait, benefits?
The youngest usually refers to the one with the least age, not someone who should get rewards…
More people than expected showed interest. It seemed like this wasn’t going to be a decision on who the youngest was, but rather a competition for it.
Of course, some weren’t interested.
“Are Callan and Solmih not participating?”
“It’s childish.”
“By principle, the youngest should be the one with the least age, right?”
“Right… I guess so.”
It was a relief that there were still a few principled people making sense.
The atmosphere was clearly leaning toward the idea that someone had to claim the position of the youngest. Tevon, looking bewildered, scolded them.
“You guys always bully me, and now you’re changing your attitude just because of this?”
“Tevon, it’s not because you’re the youngest, it’s because you’re immature.”
“Geez.”
Thinking about it, Tevon wasn’t really dismissed for being the youngest. He was just teased a little, but there was no malice behind it. In fact, Enci, who often reacted the most, was usually the one teased the most.
Since they all came from the same Elrandos, they respected each other as siblings, and honestly, they didn’t really care about the age difference. Whether they used formal or informal speech was just a matter of personal style.
“So, it doesn’t really matter who the youngest is, right?”
“Well, that’s true…”
“But…”
The husbands all seemed somewhat disappointed. Jiwoo, sensing the reason, made a suggestion.
“Alright, how about we compete for a kiss today? Let’s play and figure it out.”
“What are we competing with?”
The party, which had started in the evening, was in full swing as the sky darkened. Jiwoo could feel the chill in the air as her breath became visible. The flowers were now nearing their end of bloom.
“Let’s go find a flower still in bloom.”
“What kind of flower?”
Someone naturally asked about the type of flower, and Jiwoo paused for a moment.
“The prettiest one?”
“That’s a bit subjective. Are you going to choose it for us?”
No, that wouldn’t work.
If that were the case, they might bring every type of flower and ask her to judge based on subjective meanings…
There definitely needed to be an absolute standard for this.
“Alright, then. The flower has to be a certain size… Wait, no. It has to be exactly this size. If no one finds one, the closest person wins.”
Jiwoo held up one hand to show the size.
The size of a flower that is about the same as her palm. This would work as an absolute standard.
“Can we do it this way?”
As soon as Jiwoo set the standard, Callan stopped adjusting her hair for a moment and raised his hand. From the thick foliage above, a vine descended, and a fairly large flower bloomed.
It was a beautiful and mystical power. However, with this, the challenge lost its meaning.
“You’re not allowed to grow it yourself. It has to be wild.”
“Right. I’m at a disadvantage.”
Tevon, who wasn’t great at growing plants, couldn’t do much.
“The time limit… let’s make it until the first person finds a flower.”
So it came down to a race. Tevon, Lancet, and Arven, along with the most active of the group, quickly jumped up.
“I wonder if there’s still a flower that resembles you.”
“I’ll find one and make sure to show you.”
They gave Jiwoo a quick look of approval before heading out.
Next, the more cautious Enci and Skiass, who were less active, approached Jiwoo.
“What’s the criterion for the flower?”
“There are some flowers so small that their leaves mimic the flowers… do we consider those, including the uniquely colored leaves?”
Jiwoo wasn’t sure about that, but when she nodded, they went ahead.
Like shadows in the night, Marron and Night had already disappeared without a trace.
“Alright, it’s done.”
Callan, who had been adjusting Jiwoo’s hair the whole time, finally stopped.
“I did it to match the accessories you’ll wear at the beach. It looks good, doesn’t it?”
Jiwoo touched her hair and was slightly surprised.
It wasn’t just about trimming her long hair—there was a sweet-smelling oil applied, and her hair now flowed smoothly like gentle waves.
“It’s beautiful. Thank you.”
“Well then, I guess we should be going too.”
Even Callan and Solmih, who had said they weren’t interested in the youngest contest, began to get up.
“…Aren’t you supposed to be following your principles?”
“Everyone’s participating, so I can’t just sit out.”
Callan shrugged.
“We’re just looking for a flower to give to you.”
It didn’t seem like it strayed too far from the principles after all.
By the end, only Helka and Lanceil remained.
Helka, who had been mocked the whole time, slowly got up.
It seemed like the strongest one was the one who could afford to take things slow.
When he drew magic circles in the air, the surrounding air would often feel heavier, like it was stirred up, and now he seemed to be preparing for something.
“Seo Jiwoo, it seems they don’t realize that we can do anything with magic.”
“Hmm. Helka?”
Jiwoo couldn’t think of a reason to stop him at first, but as she thought about how things had started, the answer came to her.
“The big brother is more special than the youngest.”
“…”
“He gets better benefits than the youngest.”
“Is that so?”
Finally, Helka smiled softly.
But that didn’t mean he stopped using magic.
“What are you doing?”
“It’s getting dark, someone could get hurt, so I’m going to light the way.”
It was a very older-brother-like thing to do, even though the siblings usually treated each other casually.
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