At the End of the Hidden Greenery - Chapter 225

Jiwoo’s senses were returning much slower than before.

“What should we do…”

“Maybe try stimulating a bit more?”

The worried Kaman asked gently.

“Not just hands and feet. Maybe… touch other places. Or kiss…”

This came from Kaman, who usually acted carefree and pursued pleasure with a mischievous grin.

Solmih responded coldly.

“You want to do that while she’s in pain?”

“Well… do you have a better idea?”

Normally, these men rarely argued in front of Jiwoo, but this situation was making the atmosphere tense.

“Where exactly do you mean to touch?”

“Obviously somewhere more sensitive than hands and feet.”

“Then go ahead. It’s okay…”

As soon as Jiwoo gave permission, Kaman’s hand reached out to her nape. Unaware of who was behind her, Jiwoo leaned into him and accepted his touch.

His fingers traced down along her neck to her chest.

“Ah… uht!”

It didn’t feel unpleasant, but her body was reacting too strongly.

“It’s, it’s strange.”

When he touched her right hand, sensations appeared in her left, and vice versa. That would have been easier to handle.

Kaman slipped his hand inside her clothes to touch her chest, and Jiwoo felt the sensation even on her back.

Living with her husbands, multiple hands exploring her body wasn’t unfamiliar, but feeling simultaneous sensations from one hand’s movement was a completely different experience.

“Huh…!”

Though her senses were still disoriented, she was much more sensitive to this kind of stimulation. Except for Kaman, who was focused purely without any selfish intent, her husbands quietly swallowed nervously.

Then Kaman’s fingers moved lower, pinching the soft peak of her chest.

“Uh!”

Jiwoo’s body jerked on its own.

With her eyes tightly shut, she heard a sound no one else could at this moment.

Smack!

Silence fell all around.

“Uh, uh…”

Feeling the hand quickly withdraw from her sensitive spot, Jiwoo peeked open her eyes.

Kaman was holding his cheek that seemed red from being hit as his ears drooped and his gaze wavered. Moisture glistened in his olive eyes.

His trembling voice was tinged with shock.

“…Did, did that hurt a lot?”

“No, it wasn’t on purpose…!”

But Jiwoo was more shocked. She had just slapped Kaman’s cheek herself.

“Sorry…”

“It’s… okay. Your body just isn’t cooperating.”

Though obviously shocked, Kaman tried to resume his actions.

This time his hand moved along her waist and gradually lowered. It seemed her senses were returning smoothly.

“Are you feeling better?”

“Uh, ung…”

Indeed, stimulating areas other than the hands and feet, which were less used but more sensitive, brought sensations back faster.

But midway through, something Jiwoo feared happened again.

Smack!

“…”

“…”

Jiwoo struck Kaman once more, leaving a bright red mark on his other cheek.

“…It’s, it’s okay, Seo Jiwoo.”

“Huh…”

Though Jiwoo had been okay with going inside rotten seawater, cold currents, falling into strange places, and losing all the gifts she’d gathered, she now began to sob quietly.

Her husbands began rambling nervously startled by her tears.

“Seo Jiwoo! Don’t cry! We can all take a few hits, no, several hits, and be fine! Right?”

“Oohh, of course!”

“I,I’m okay with it too… hit me as much as you want…”

That last one was Skiass, but Lancet and Arven gave him a sharp look, as if to say if he wanted Jiwoo to hit him?

“…”

“Solmih…!”

Even Solmih, who’d been silent, joined in the urging.

“…It’s acceptable if you consciously use corporal punishment.”

“I’m not gonna do that!”

Her words had the opposite effect…

“I, don’t want to do that… please don’t…”

“But you’re definitely getting better, right? It’s healing, so it’s okay.”

Kaman, who had been on the receiving end, suggested again, but Jiwoo, still shaken, shook her head.

“I don’t want to…”

In the end, the method was rejected by Jiwoo.

Though Kaman pleaded that it wasn’t painful and that he was fine, Jiwoo couldn’t shake the image of his shocked olive eyes from her mind.

***

Living as Akarna, Jiwoo had become numb to pain and rarely suffered besides occasional body aches.

She once felt ill like a cold after colliding with a female manifestation but recovered quickly.

So this was practically the first time her body had weakened so severely while still maintaining her Akarna powers.

At first, it was bearable, but as they stayed in the forest, it worsened.

Jiwoo complained of worsening dizziness and eventually couldn’t even drink water properly.

Having lost her sense of direction, her husbands had to carry her, and they had to stop frequently for her to rest.

Her husbands worried more about her than anyone else, but since Jiwoo insisted she was okay, there was little they could do.

The sensory confusion needed to be eased by gentle touches, but no one could force contact if Jiwoo resisted.

There was no guarantee this would bring permanent improvement, especially since the cause remained unknown.

It would have been easier to understand if her Akarna power had simply disappeared.

Ultimately, they concluded they had no choice but to quickly head for the capital.

But while focusing only on traveling, a moment came when a forced decision had to be made.

Jiwoo’s one word was the trigger.