At the End of the Hidden Greenery - Chapter 310

Their voices weren’t particularly loud. They were both simply embarrassed and blurting out whatever came to mind in an attempt to cover it up.

Silevion must have found the situation extremely uncomfortable. Of course, Jiwoo wasn’t exactly comfortable either.

‘How should I put it when it comes to Silevion…?’

This was a kind of relationship Jiwoo had never experienced before coming to El Ragneil.

Just as the children of Ellandos each had their own roles within the village, they also tended to divide the role of husband among themselves to some extent. Some treated Jiwoo primarily with love and affection, while others approached her more out of duty and reverence.

Naturally, no one fell completely to one side or the other, but Kelvar and Silevion were about as opposite as two people could be in that regard.

Kelvar leaned toward the former, while Silevion leaned toward the latter.

Ever since the first night, Silevion had been the sort of husband who rarely spoke to Jiwoo on a personal level. They exchanged a few words whenever matters concerning the management of the village needed to be discussed, but that was about it.

That was why, until Silevion received a staggering eleven votes, Jiwoo hadn’t really understood what kind of person he was. 

She had heard that his personality was somewhat twisted, but he had never shown that side of himself to her. Even his desire to learn Jiwoo’s preferences seemed less about wanting to become closer to her personally and more about maintaining the village as a pleasant, stable place for her to live.

If she compared it to human society in Caranazion, theirs was perhaps something like a political marriage between nobles.

He wasn’t particularly possessive, either. There was no concept in El Ragneil of a marital obligation that required spouses to share a bed, but even if there had been, Silevion seemed like the sort who would willingly yield his turn to the others.

Perhaps because of that temperament, Silevion was quick to search for a rational explanation.

“…Your Akarna power.”

Even if he said it while turning his face away and stumbling over his words.

They were pressed so tightly together that despite his efforts, his breath still brushed Jiwoo’s ear and cheek. They were close enough that she could even feel the movement of his throat when he swallowed.

“You said an Akarna’s power begins at the heart and spreads outward from there. Then the space shouldn’t be able to shrink any further than this.”

“Th, that’s a relief.”

As long as Jiwoo was an Akarna, even if the void could affect her to some degree, she shouldn’t suffer anything horrific enough to truly be called harm. At the very least, her body wouldn’t end up partially swallowed by the void.

But that was all.

They still had no tools, no way to escape, and nothing they could do except wait for something outside to change. They had failed to find any practical means of getting out, while their situation had only grown worse.

“…”

“…”

No one dared speak first. At this distance, even a whispered voice, the faint vibration of the air, or the warmth of an exhaled breath felt overwhelmingly noticeable.

“Jiwoo, then… your Akarna power. When did you say it gets stronger?”

“That’s…”

“When you feel good, right? Yeah?”

“Ye, yes…”

Heat rushed into Jiwoo’s face.

For a while now, Kelvar’s member had been pressing heavily against her from behind, making the already cramped space feel even tighter.

He was so hard that the pressure against her thigh was beginning to hurt.

“Kelvar, you vulgar brute.”

Silevion rarely insulted anyone so openly, so the fact that he had gone as far as calling Kelvar vulgar meant he was well and truly irritated.

“Do you even understand what kind of situation we’re in…? At a time this urgent, you’re trying to satisfy your own desires?”

Kelvar muttered a quiet string of curses.

They weren’t directed at Silevion, nor were they aimed at Jiwoo. If anything, they sounded more like self-deprecating frustration at his own body for responding to desire at a time like this.

“U, use your head, you simple-minded fool…”

“I’m already tempted to crack your skull open with mine, so shut the hell up.”

That wasn’t quite what Silevion had meant by use your head, but at least they were talking again.

“Jiwoo… are you okay?”

“Yeah…”

Their breathing had grown rough. The breaths brushing against her ear were becoming hotter and more humid by the second.

They were a species whose very sweat carried a pleasant fragrance, so even the nervous perspiration brought on by this dangerous situation smelled faintly like perfume.

Kelvar already had a particularly strong natural scent, and now that his arousal had intensified, the fragrance rolling off him was almost dizzying.

There wasn’t even a breeze in this cramped space to disperse it.

Jiwoo suddenly understood why the first night was never held indoors. The thick, hazy fragrance was intoxicating enough to make her feel almost drunk.

“Ugh…”

Silevion pressed his lips tightly together and turned his face away. If he could have stopped breathing altogether, he probably would have. Kelvar’s scent had accomplished what few things could. It had actually silenced Silevion before he could unleash another barrage of sarcasm.

Jiwoo wasn’t faring any better.

Her forehead and the bridge of her nose were pressed against Silevion’s chest, yet every breath she took seemed to fill her lungs with Kelvar’s scent.

And with Kelvar holding her from behind, breathing heavily as his body pressed close, Jiwoo felt as though she were surrounded by desire itself. Something almost tangible, closing around her from every direction.

Even if the intensity frightened her enough to make her want to escape, it was already too late. The fragrance had seeped in with every breath, sinking deep into her lungs and permeating her from within.

Usually, her other husbands began with gentle touches from the outside, slowly coaxing warmth deeper into her.

Kelvar was the opposite. He could overwhelm her senses from within first, saturating her with his scent before he even began to touch her in earnest.

“I’ll just… try a little. Okay?”

“Ah… ngh…”

Dazed as though she had been bitten by something venomous, Jiwoo yielded to Kelvar’s more deliberate touch.

The lilac fragrance had grown so rich that she could almost imagine it flowing through her veins. It felt as though, if she sighed, even her own breath would come out carrying his scent.