The Nymph Wants to be Plundered - Chapter 119

He knew there were about twenty border guards in total, including Brax, who had left the castle for training, so there should be that many arrows contained within. His expression looking at the arrow container was troubled beyond measure. If one was missing or someone had taken it…

Just as Iel was about to reach his hand toward it, an elf who had been tidying weeds nearby quickly approached and spoke cheerfully.

“Oh my, if it isn’t Sir Iel? The Aika Festival has ended, and since it’s soon time for the border guards to set out again, the arrows are scheduled to be collected within a few days. Some border guards want their own back, and we’ve also received requests to dispose of them since they’re still clumsy at making them. As far as I know, they’re still as they were.”

“Ah… I see.”

Being so lost in thought, Iel unusually failed to notice the presence nearby. While reproaching himself for his scattered concentration, his hand that had been determined to touch the arrow container was pushed back by the incoming breeze and dropped with a thud. How fleeting.

The elf who had approached shook the container and then stared intently at Iel, who seemed somehow dispirited. Her purpose, which had been doing mundane work, quickly shifted to the man before her eyes—Iel, the thousand-year knight famous in the castle for being exceptionally handsome and of good bloodline.

Opportunities to speak with him privately were notoriously rare. Not only was he the captain of the First Knight Order that protected Jupiter, but even if one made excuses to approach him, he would usually pass the conversation to the lower knights he had with him. Even that illustrious king had sat with his bottom planted for quite a while during this Aika Festival, but Iel had been nowhere to be seen.

A gentle tone of voice flew toward Iel like a belated spring breeze.

“Why, whose arrow are you trying to see? Hehe! If it’s something Sir Iel is doing, I should naturally help. Here, look here.”

The elf who readily untied even the apron around her waist turned the container upside down and poured out the arrows in a rush on top of it. Without even rummaging through the pile of arrows, Iel recognized Polyxene ‘s at a glance and let out a sigh.

“Hmm…”

The arrow shot in front of the sanctuary that day and the arrow here could be considered made by the same person, differing only slightly in the length of the shaft. The sharply honed point, the angle of the cut feathers, and even the texture of the wood seemed apparent without touching them. Though efforts had been made to create them somewhat differently, that couldn’t fool Iel, who had been handling all kinds of weapons for a thousand years.

‘My memory from that time is certain.’

Even before coming here, Iel had already been confident in his eye for detail, but seeing it with his own eyes made his mood uncomfortable again.

What should he do? The decision had been made, but there was still a chance to make amends.

To be honest, Iel had thought the culprit had stolen and shot Polyxene ‘s arrow to avoid revealing their identity.

However, this story had not been revealed during today’s trial process. The reason was that before the culprit Lya was caught, he had voluntarily turned himself in to the guard, saying it was his doing. Then did that mean it wasn’t something done to hide himself?

Iel, who had immediately assumed the arrow’s owner was Polyxene , now that things had turned out this way, became reluctant to have his younger cousin unnecessarily become the subject of gossip. If the culprit had retracted his confession in court and persistently implicated Polyxene , he had resolved to step forward then. It was something that didn’t happen since the trial ended swiftly.