At the End of the Hidden Greenery - Chapter 198

They were the kind of people who, instead of asking others to sacrifice their lives for the sake of saving their parents, wouldn’t push others into the flames. 

No wonder Solmih had been eyeing them so suspiciously. If they had suggested Jiwoo enter the contaminated water, it might have resulted in a big argument.

It was fascinating. The Ellandos people were selfish, but because of their selfishness, they didn’t place great expectations on others. And to Jiwoo, who had been raised with the virtue of selflessness, this selfishness had ironically become a form of consideration. 

She wondered if they would understand that.

“Then help me.” 

“Help with what?” 

Jiwoo rose from her bed and gave her conclusion.

“You know that plant that lets you breathe underwater? The one we used when we went to clean the lakes? I’ll purify the land for them, and you make that plant.”

Solmih was the best among their group at growing plants. With a wizard like Helka or skilled fighters like Marron and Knight not accompanying them, Solmih was an ideal choice for this trip. If Solmih hadn’t been here, it was likely that Helka would have come instead.

“I have an idea of what you want to use it for, but I’m not sure if I want to grow it.”

“I’ve done worse things.” 

“But…” 

“I know you’d never use me like that, so I’m fine with it. And it’ll make me feel really good, so it won’t take long.”

Eventually, after Jiwoo insisted twice, Solmih quietly got up.

Solmih was quite conservative himself, and in their culture, it was hard to refuse a spouse’s request. Refusing even once showed that he really wasn’t keen on it. 

But when Jiwoo clung to his arm in the cold night air, his ears, which had been slightly tilted backward, perked up just a little.

“Let’s go here.”

Jiwoo led Solmih a little ways away from the village and began to touch the earth. After confirming there was no miasma, she sat down near the area with him.

“Solmih.”

“Yes?”

“I thought you might ask for something in return since I asked for something you weren’t keen on.”

Solmih frowned slightly as if he hadn’t expected those words.

“I would never ask for anything in return for something like this.”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

It wasn’t anything so grand. Jiwoo was just saying that it was one of the ways to enjoy their relationship.

“So, what I’m saying is that we could playfully kiss.”

“I see.”

Solmih seemed to understand, and he took Jiwoo’s hand, gently pressing his lips to the back of her hand. His lips, softly touching her skin, felt like a butterfly landing on a flower. It felt as though that butterfly had fluttered into her heart. Jiwoo laughed at the tickling sensation.

“No, I meant I should do it to you.”

“Ah.”

Solmih seemed genuinely surprised, and Jiwoo couldn’t help but find his reaction cute. He looked so composed, but at this moment, he seemed so cute.

“Where should I kiss you?”

Solmih pondered deeply as though this were a serious dilemma. His expression shifted considerably. Solmih’s ears flipped back and forth, and he glanced at Jiwoo’s lips once, then slowly began to blush.

“Then, maybe…”

“Yes?”

“…”

But Solmih seemed to hesitate, then closed his mouth.

“Please, at the lips.” 

He blurted out, clearly trying to avoid saying something else. He squeezed his eyes shut, and his face turned even redder than his hair.

‘He must have been thinking something really intense on his own…’

Jiwoo grabbed Solmih’s face and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

“Thank you for fulfilling my request.”

As she was about to return to what she had originally intended to do, she suddenly remembered something and spoke up.

“By the way, aren’t you helping because you want to find out where I will be going for the business trip?”

When Jiwoo first arrived in El Ragneil, there had been another group that crossed the continent with them. Back then, they had immediately requested help, and she had been able to heal the tree. However, now, it was more of a quiet rumor spread by those who had been healed then.

After all the steps her husbands had taken, they had chosen this beach group.

“These people here, too. They’ve already given them resin and sent it off. Even though they speak like that, they must have expected you to come back and help, right?”

“That…”

Solmih, who rarely spoke, paused and then, after a brief hesitation, said honestly:

“That… might be because they couldn’t ignore our strength.”

“Strength?”

Now that she thought about it, Lanset and Arven had mentioned that the other group had not wanted to give this away at first

“Are you saying you just took it?”

“…”

Solmih avoided her gaze and focused on growing plants.

“Look, the reason I’m even going on this business trip is….because I want you to get along with other groups.” 

Solmih tilted his head as if he didn’t understand. 

“Originally, this place rejected outsiders. I’m worried about what might happen to you all because of me. But if you keep acting this mean…?”

That was something that happened in Jiwoo’s dream too. When a group had tried to kill her without hesitation, Lanceil had blocked them, and they had turned their arrows on him instead.

No matter how much power she had to heal the trees, to some, an outsider was simply an outsider.

“Don’t worry. They’re not ones to hold grudges. They’re not the type to nurture deep hatred.”

Perhaps it was because they didn’t have high expectations from each other, so no great grudge had built up.

Jiwoo had been constantly worried about her husbands facing hostility from others.

But, in the end, her husbands were the ones acting like gangsters…

“And it’s something worth enduring. Because, for you, it’s not just an appropriate gift but a truly good one.”

So the reason they had chosen the beach group was that they had items here that would make a good gift for Jiwoo.