At the End of the Hidden Greenery - Chapter 96
The female in this world had no need to seduce others with their looks, nor did they need a strong appearance, considering it was a continent that used magic. There was no need for them to camouflage themselves in protective colors to blend into nature.
The appearance of the female that Jiwoo saw in the middle of the forest was, therefore, even more foreign.
Jiwoo was greatly surprised to see the female approaching him.
“Ah, there…”
Instinctively looking around for his husbands, but they had already retreated far away.
For some reason, everyone was bowing their heads.
And when she spoke, Jiwoo almost jumped in place.
“Hi.”
She was that surprised.
For a moment, she thought Akarna’s power had returned.
But it wasn’t like when that power was present, automatically translating the unfamiliar language. What she just heard was undoubtedly the language most familiar to Jiwoo. The language she missed.
Jiwoo hesitated, then tried the same language.
“He… Hello?”
Could this person also be Akarna?
Looking closely, unlike the other men here, she didn’t have long ears.
The expressionless face of the woman softened a bit. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly.
“I can see what you’re thinking, but no. I just spoke in a language you could understand.”
“Really? Is that possible?”
Nothing is impossible.”
A gentle hand took Jiwoo’s hand and led her . Jiwoo hesitated, looking back, but no one from her group or Asilion’s group met her gaze. It was embarrassing.
After a few steps, a man who appeared to be a wizard in the group extended his hand to the woman.
“El.”
The female didn’t respond as if it was familiar. However, there was no need for her to do so.
After shaking his long ears a few times, the man seemed to understand, leading them to a suitable place.
Once again, it was shocking.
In fact, Jiwoo couldn’t understand why the children of Ellandos had such long ears.
Long ears were a symbol of prey. For example, herbivores like rabbits. Because they needed to be the first to detect approaching threats and run away.
But in Jiwoo’s eyes, the children of Ellandos were more predators than prey.
Hunting through the forest, they had the power to ruthlessly exclude strangers. Even those who lived relatively humbly in Caranazion were like that. So why did the second highest race, the children of Ellandos, apart from trees, need long ears?
But seeing it now, Jiwoo seemed to understand.
Their long ears existed for only one purpose.
To concentrate all their attention on the female who would become their spouse.
To hear the tiny heartbeat of their spouse, to hear their breath.
At this point, Jiwoo also understood. After Akarna’s power disappeared, she couldn’t express anything verbally, but there was no obstacle to communication.
Jiwoo’s husbands also used their long ears for such a purpose.
Once again, Jiwoo wanted to see them and looked at those who followed her. Even though they still bowed their heads,….somehow, they seemed so lovely.
When Jiwoo was lost in thought, she was guided to a certain place.
Freshly grown grass seemed to form chairs and tables in a makeshift setting.
El, the female addressed earlier, sat down first, and Jiwoo swallowed nervously before taking a seat in front of her.
“A formal visit from Raelan is something I’ve never experienced in my life, as far as I can recall. I hope this place becomes a pleasant time for you.”
“I, I’m Seo Jiwoo. And you’re El…?”
When Jiwoo called her El, a slight blush appeared on her previously expressionless face.
“Do you want to call me that way?”
“What?”
“….Um, it’s nothing bad. Nice to meet you, Raelan Seo Jiwoo.”
“That… What does Raelan mean?”
“Since you’re not from El Ragneil, you are called Raelan.”
At that moment, the man standing next to El whispered something in her ear.
“Ah, yes. Right. You must be familiar with Akarna. Since you’re not a resident of Caranazion, you’re an Akarna.”
“Ah… Does calling someone Raelan here mean they’ve crossed dimensions?”
“Yes.”
“…Rather than that, just call me Seo Jiwoo.”
“Sure.”
It seemed like something strange, but thanks to that, the tension was somewhat relieved.
At first, when Jiwoo saw her, she felt a sense of distance, but experiencing it made her seem somewhat sloppy.
“Yes, yes. That’s right. It was possible because it was Akarna, not Raelan.”
“What do you mean?”
“Seo Jiwoo revived our tree. Raelan couldn’t have done it.”
El grinned. It was a comfortable and friendly smile.
“Then… Are there others like me here?”
“No humans here.”
El rested her chin on a table made of living trees.
“People who cross dimensions often seek something familiar, even if it’s just a little. That’s why the human Raelans usually go to Caranazion and are called Akarna. Because El Ragneil is not the continent of humans.”
A gaze that seemed to observe this side continued for quite some time. Jiwoo also met her eyes with that gaze.
“You woke up a sleeping tree twice. I thought it was a type of death that we face within a long time. However, judging by how delighted the tree is, I should express my gratitude to you directly. What would be good?”
El suddenly raised her hand into the void.
“I guess this would be good.”
After a while, a faintly shining bird flew onto El’s palm.
It has pure white feathers, like the leaves of El Ragneil. However, it didn’t seem to have the facial features of a bird as a living being. It was more like a brightly glowing mass that took on a slightly more formed shape, similar to the energy entities floating around El Ragneil.
“Well…”
The white bird, following El’s gesture, flew up again. When the bird fluttered its wings once, a sudden gust of wind caused Jiwoo to instinctively raise her hand. In response, the bird flew over and quietly perched on Jiwoo’s hand.
Rather than feeling like a living being perching on her, it felt like a small cluster of warmth had settled on his hand.
“What, what is this?”
“A power that transcends space and time.”
“What?”
Jiwoo was bewildered, and El smirked.
“You can return to your original world. Wasn’t that what you wished for?”
“N, no.”
Jiwoo quickly shook her head.
“In fact, I didn’t come on my own… They brought me here. I don’t really understand what’s going on either.”
El smirked.
“Ah.”
As if understanding something while observing Jiwoo for a long time, El nodded.
“Do you need an explanation?”
“Please.”
“…When an Akarna of Caranazion like you comes, they usually return to their original place.
“An Akarna like me?”
“You lost the unique power of a dimensional traveler, right?”
“Yes…”
El paused for a moment. The observing gaze from her side continued for quite some time.
“If you use too much power in a short period, it will stop working. It’s an overload on the system. There haven’t been cases like that for Raelan with a weak ego, but it might have been possible for an Akarna with a strong ego.”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Raelan doesn’t push it that far. Being a creature surviving in the gaps of dimensions, its instinct to live is strong… But it might be different for a human with a strong enough ego.”
“So, did I force too much power, and that’s why the function stopped?”
El smiled brightly and nodded.
“So everyone who can’t use their power here, has to go back?”
“No… it’s because of disappointment.”
“Disappointment?”
El spoke leisurely, observing Jiwoo’s confusion.