At the End of the Hidden Greenery - Chapter 222
Lost in thought, Jiwoo felt Solmih gently stroke her bangs and say.
“I’m worried.”
“About what?”
“…That your all-encompassing love is eating away at you, like it did in Caranazion.”
Jiwoo laughed at Solmih’s serious tone.
“I wasn’t worried about anyone else or El Ragneil. I was worried about you.”
Despite how things turned out, Jiwoo was actually glad to know this.
“And I really like this. I thought I could only heal you if you got hurt, but now I can even prevent sudden accidents.”
“Don’t say you like it!”
Kaman, massaging her legs, jerked his head up sharply.
Lanset and Arven did the same.
“Good grief!”
“Your body’s like this!”
“But it really is good.”
Jiwoo shook off her weariness and stood up.
Just then, Skiass finished what he was doing and came over.
He immediately gave the conclusion.
“We’ve come to the past…”
“How long?”
“Between a hundred and a thousand years…”
“…”
Jiwoo was speechless, and Lanset and Arven grumbled loudly.
“Wait… it took that long to figure it out?”
“Isn’t that range too wide?”
“It’s narrowed down quite a bit…”
If it had been Enci, he would’ve snapped back sharply at them, but Skiass quietly lowered his gaze.
Before Skiass could fully shut his mouth, Jiwoo quickly asked,
“So… we can still go back, right?”
“…”
Why no answer?
Skiass hesitated before finally speaking.
“Of course… we can go back. That’s something Akarna can do. But…”
As he said that, Skiass glanced behind Jiwoo, seeming cautious.
“Ah.”
Skias seemed to struggle explaining, so Solmih behind Jiwoo quickly understood and answered.
“Of course we can return safely. But since we don’t know how, we’ll have to head to the capital like this first. It’s a bit risky… but if there’s a female there, she’ll understand your situation.”
“Me? I’ve never met anyone in the past…”
“That doesn’t matter.”
“Then shall we go to the capital like this?”
“Yes.”
Jiwoo had expected to go eventually… but not so soon.
It was late at night now, and the group started packing for the trip tomorrow.
Then—
Rustle.
“There.”
The keen-eared turned at once, reading the presence even before hearing the words.
“Strangers we haven’t seen before.”
Jiwoo was the last to spot the source of the sound.
A different group was hiding in the dark shadows of the forest.
They couldn’t get a clear look at the newcomers. Perhaps because they roamed the harsh forest, their bodies were mostly covered, and only their eyes flashed between the shadows.
Kaman quickly draped his cloak over Jiwoo to conceal her figure.
“Shh…”
He placed a finger over Jiwoo’s lips. Telling her to keep quiet. They clearly wanted to hide Jiwoo as much as possible.
Jiwoo understood.
El Ragneil was originally unwelcoming to outsiders, and in the time Jiwoo lived, her existence was known, so she hadn’t faced much threat.
But recalling a dream she had once had, Jiwoo knew she wouldn’t be treated well in an unknown past.
‘Right. I remember that dream…’
She recalled it again.
Back then, everyone except Lanceil had been hostile, ready to kill her on sight. It wouldn’t be good if her existence became known.
Jiwoo instinctively held her breath and tensely watched the situation.
Solmih stepped forward first to face them.
“We were on the way to the capital.”
“The capital? Just the two of you?”
“Yes.”
“…You really mean to go through here to the capital?”
They whispered among themselves, then seemed to reach a conclusion and showed a firmer attitude.
“That’s impossible.”
“Besides, we couldn’t find any trace you passed through. If you erased your tracks so skillfully, you must have a reason for sneaking in here.”
The newcomers were quite arrogant and hostile, clearly insulted by their territory being invaded.
Their suspicion was justified. Jiwoo’s group had been caught in a dimensional rift and suddenly dropped here. There was no way they left traces behind, and if they were erasing traces while moving, it looked very suspicious.
“It’s no lie. It’s just that…”
Solmih hesitated, then, thinking deceit wouldn’t work and spoke the truth.
“…The one we serve has business here.”
It was half true.
‘The one we serve’ referred to their spouse. Usually, it meant a female manifestation. In this case, it was neither a complete lie nor a full truth.
“Is that so?”
Since it wasn’t exactly a lie, they exchanged meaningful glances.
“If that’s the case, it’s understandable. You only need to go a little further in that direction.”
“Safe travels.”
They seemed to understand and turned away. It didn’t take long before their figures blended into the shadows of the forest.
“Phew…”
“We’d better get out quickly.”
For the moment, things seemed to be going smoothly.
But just as they thought the newcomers were gone and felt relieved,
Whisk!
Suddenly, something flew swiftly through the forest.
Jiwoo swallowed hard.
It was something flying straight at her.
Her body froze, unable to move until Kaman took the hit for her.