At the End of the Hidden Greenery - Chapter 187
“We’re not going on the trip this time, are we?”
“Does that mean we’re not needed?”
“It’s not that… the trip was randomly assigned.”
Even though it was supposed to be random, it turned out to be a pretty balanced draw.
“If another group attacks, they’re more likely to target those left behind at the tree than us. So, I was planning to ask you to stay if you and Helka got drawn together.”
She was trying to explain that it wasn’t what they were thinking, but Marron and Night still looked downcast. They were obviously worried about being abandoned.
‘If I were a female manifestation, this hesitation would probably look like the last moments before being discarded.’
She hadn’t meant to differentiate, but the hesitation seemed to have made them feel slighted. Well, if this was the way of survival, it must have felt like a threat to their lives.
They must have had a hard time without being able to express it.
“Have you been struggling all this time? Why didn’t you say anything…”
In the end, Jiwoo gave in to the tears.
It was working.
It was so easy. Marron and Night exchanged smiles, secretly glancing at each other.
* * *
As a result, before the trip, Marron and Night’s first night was arranged first.
The location was Jiwoo’s home. Since only two people were involved, it wasn’t going to last long.
They said it was probably no more than two days.
For that day, it had to be just the three of them, so the other husbands refrained from interfering and decided to prepare for the next trip or return.
Only Callan offered a bit of help.
“First husbands accept it this way, but if anyone else is added later, this is how it works.”
Callan prepared two blindfolds.
The act of blindfolding was the same, but the target was different.
The new husbands were required to wear the blindfold and serve in pleasure.
“Though… it’s a bit underprepared. But since…”
Callan observed Marron and Night as they quietly accepted the blindfolds, with his lips twitching he said,
“…you guys wanted it. I understand what you’re thinking.”
Marron and Night looked at him like there was no problem, but Callan stared at them and shook his head.
“Alright then.”
He clicked his tongue, seemed to want to say something more, then sighed and left.
“I’m going now. Jiwoo, don’t push yourself too hard.”
“Okay.”
Jiwoo watched Callan leave, and Marron and Night exchanged glances.
“…What’s going on?”
“What’s with that look? Like he’s seeing something naive…”
While Marron and Night waited patiently, Jiwoo closed the door and approached them.
“It’s a shame the rain isn’t coming.”
“It’s fine.”
They didn’t care about that. After all, it was the long-awaited day. Marron and Night were indifferent to the weather.
“Then come this way.”
Marron and Night were about to put on their blindfolds, but Jiwoo reached out to stop them.
“Not yet.”
They looked at her with curiosity, wondering why she was delaying, but Jiwoo smiled lightly.
“I’ve prepared a little something. Follow me.”
Jiwoo took each of their outstretched hands and led them inside.
When Jiwoo first accepted her husbands here, she had to rely more on the natural environment as they needed a wider space. However, now that they were inside, that wasn’t necessary. She was glad about that.
“Here it is.”
Jiwoo guided them into the inner room.
She had once brought the root of the Ellandos tree into the house and built a home around it, effectively making that area the living room.
Unlike when she had just settled in, she had now created a fountain that circled around the area.
When she was alone, Jiwoo often spent time here, dipping her hands into the clean water of the fountain or spraying the nutrients she learned to make from Enci. She had heard that the female enjoyed connecting with trees, and Jiwoo thought she understood that feeling now.
The tree clearly recognized her as well. For example, when she stroked the tree roots and looked up, a thin stream of water cascaded down from the fountain above.
“It’s beautiful, right?”
It felt as if it was raining.
“I prepared water up there. It’s nice even though it’s not real rain.”
Jiwoo had apparently prepared it this way since she was concerned that there won’t be any real rain.
With the faint glow from the roots and the sky above, which seemed as if stars were about to fall, it was even more beautiful than actual rain.
“I didn’t expect this.”
Night watched it intently, feeling a bit anxious.
“Shall we begin?”
“Wait a moment.”
Jiwoo smiled and shook her head, then sat down near the fountain. The small, natural space inside the house embraced her softly. She patted both sides and had them sit beside her.
“When I first came here, I only looked up at the sky.”
That was when she first arrived in this world, not El Ragneil.
The sky was the same as in her original world, so she endlessly gazed at it. But now, she couldn’t remember what the sky looked like back then.
The first time she truly remembered all the beautiful things clearly was after she arrived at El Ragneil, when all her anxiety disappeared.
Only now did she realize how beautiful this world was. Before, she was just enduring it, not loving it.
“It’s scary and uncertain. You’re dropped into a strange place, feeling like no one’s on your side, with no say in the matter.”
She thought it might be the same for them.
They suddenly had to follow someone after opening their eyes, and since it was tied to their lives, they would have had to cling to it in fear.
When she had carelessly refused to accept them in the beginning, she could understand how they must have felt now.
So, she had thought about it a lot.
“…If I don’t show any usefulness, I might die.”
No, she felt like they might even kill her.
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