The Nymph Wants to be Plundered - Chapter 138

Cassis looked at the eyes that opened endlessly wide toward him and smiled faintly. That curious gaze was precisely the momentary joy that delighted him. A light that would soon disappear once she grasped what she wanted to know, shining even brighter because it was not eternal. The early summer sunlight pouring endlessly from the sky passed through the purple leaves and warmed his shoulders.

“Do you like deer too, Evelyn?”

“Uh… well, I’ve never seen one in person, so I’m not really sure. The deer in fairy tale books were always pretty, but I wonder what real deer are like.”

「…….」

Now completely excluded from their conversation, Ruba had lost even the energy to grumble.

No, couldn’t Jupiter just explain that tree branches moving was a common occurrence in territories where natural forces worked strongly? But why was the king suddenly bringing up winding stories from his past as a knight, talking about being friendly with deer? More than that, had the king always been so talkative?

In Ruba’s judgment, Evelyn was naive if you put it kindly, or if you were being blunt, had far too little meaningful experience. She seemed to have gotten books from somewhere to read, but those couldn’t become the precious assets learned through clashing with the world. The one filling the empty bookshelf of knowledge was their king. The orange eyes that stood out particularly well even within the sanctuary swept over the man and woman standing before the curtain tree.

The woman was busy clasping her hands together and listening intently to the man’s words, and the man was… truly the typical appearance of a young man fallen in love. Empty, inefficient, a man full of failed pretenses too rotten to ripen into a fine gentleman. Those detestable eyes trying to hold everything about the woman and become the world surrounding her!

It couldn’t be. The king was considered young among elves, but as far as he knew, the king had never lacked experience with women. His appearance too, in human terms, was at least several years older than Evelyn’s, so why was he suddenly acting childish?

How black, how dark. More sinister and wicked than the leaves hanging on the curtain tree, more than the berries of the elderberry tree.

However, even if he approached now and tugged at Evelyn’s hem, whispering for her to come to her senses, it obviously wouldn’t work at all. He also lacked the confidence to handle the temperament of the sharp-witted and frightening king.

Ruba stared blankly at Evelyn’s shabby tree, then went to the entrance of the sanctuary and plopped down. When there’s nothing you can do in a grim situation, rest is the best option. And so he began to doze off with his head deeply bowed, but when Cassis’s gentle tone reached his perked-up ears, he immediately felt like vomiting.

“Hmm. You don’t seem to have any talent for handling animals, so quit going solo. Herbivores are more ferocious than they look.”

“Is that so?”

“Accidents frequently happen when people underestimate timid herbivores like deer or horses.”

He swallowed the vague promise he was about to make about taking her to the forest later to show her deer. Because a very good plan had occurred to him.

Around the time Evelyn answered in a small voice that she understood, the spring heat haze that had belatedly risen wavered at her feet like sprouts that would soon grow. Cassis realized this was the work of the sanctuary’s tree and brushed aside the leaves that were tickling his hair.

Then the branch stretched down as if competing with him and thrust purple leaves right before his eyes. It was a strong signal telling him: You are the king of Jupiter, and your elderberry tree still belongs to me. The sanctuary’s tree seemed to have much more to say, as it slowly lowered its branch and stubbornly made the bitter-tasting leaves touch his lips. Only then did he realize what it wanted and let out a hollow laugh. To think it would go to such lengths to mimic the World Tree and convey its message this way.

“Really…”

“Yes?”

“Nothing. We can’t stay cooped up in the sanctuary when we’ve made the effort to come to the festival, so shall we head out?”

Snap!

The tree, whose roots were firmly planted and could not leave this place, forcibly thrust something upon the king who had issued an eviction order against it. It was a branch with still-fresh leaves attached.

“……”

Having no choice, he plucked off one intact purple leaf and handed it to her.

“It’s a gift that the sanctuary’s tree especially wants to give you. It would like to give you flowers if it could, but since they rarely bloom, it says to take this instead. When you return to your bedroom, wrap it carefully in an unused handkerchief and make it into a bookmark or something.”

In truth, there was nothing else Evelyn could receive from the sanctuary’s tree. Since she wouldn’t be training with a sword to become a knight, any promises would be meaningless. Having received the gift, Evelyn stared at the large leaf intently and asked seriously.

“Is it really okay for me to receive such a precious leaf? If I take this, the tree won’t become weakened and cause trouble for the other knights, will it? You said so earlier.”

Cassis laughed with incredulity.

“If its power would disappear just from dropping a single leaf, the sanctuary’s tree wouldn’t have been able to receive protection in the sanctuary. Come on, let’s go.”

“Ah…! That’s right. Lord Ruba, you must have been bored, right? I’m sorry for leaving you alone.”

“Pull the carriage.”

Before Evelyn could hurry over to him, Ruba felt a surge of anger at Cassis’s curtly thrown command, but he held it in.