The Nymph Wants to be Plundered - Chapter 160

Whether his mental urging was effective, Evelyn’s head dropped deeply into his embrace. Before she could fall toward his thighs with a thud, Cassis gently caught her and rose slowly, very slowly. So tantalizingly slow that if the impatient Laocon had seen this scene, he would have clicked his tongue.

Whoooosh…

Though the rain sound that had awakened her remained the same, Evelyn, who had fallen asleep again in the living room, didn’t wake up. Even when the blanket wrapped tightly around her dropped to the floor with a thud, and his hands removed the flowing robe, her limp body remained as it was.

After laying the adorable sleepyhead on the sheet where she had originally been sleeping, he started to get up but hesitated. Should he not? It would be pointless. But… hadn’t he already done a lot? It would be a shame to just leave without doing anything.

Her gaunt cheeks from when she first came to the castle in spring had somehow ripened quite nicely like summer peaches. Now you’ve come alive. The frail vitality that had prevented him from confidently saying such words was now blooming warmly and filling her completely.

Cassis looked around the bedroom with an alternative perspective. Among her traces, he could see the corner of a shabby, small bundle of belongings. Would there be slips that had wrapped this small body inside there? If he approached to touch them, it seemed like Evelyn would sense danger and bolt upright.

He smiled briefly, then quietly got up and left her behind. As time passed, the rain would stop and the ground would become muddy, but they would be able to leave easily enough. If she had special wings like Nike’s, the story would be different.

‘There’s no need to think about what-ifs.’

Because such days won’t come.

Having lightly dismissed the thought, he leaned back on the sofa where he had sat with her and closed his eyes. The energetic patter of rain didn’t disturb his extremely brief sleep any more than it had hers. The heat that had nearly stirred hotly when he held Evelyn also fortunately cooled gradually. It was thanks to the rain endlessly drumming on the roof above his head.

***

“Y-Your Majesty the King! You’ve finally come!”

The first sight Cassis saw upon arriving at Jupiter Castle’s ceremonial room was Laocon’s tearful face, with his patchy beard that he had given up trying to trim. He was so severely disheveled, as if he had rolled down some cliff for days, that Cassis couldn’t bring himself to sharply tell him to get lost.

Unable to bear watching, Cassis gently admonished him.

“Is that the kind of expression a knight should make?”

“Haah, it’s my oversight. Even though I examined all the astronomy, I failed to predict that torrential rain would suddenly pour down in the region Your Majesty had departed to. Please demote me!”

Cleanly ignoring Laocon’s almost tearful words, he reported on the recent events.

“I’ve completed all necessary duties. That area has no problems, and though the rain poured down quite heavily, there’s no need to worry about recovery. The nearby stream can easily absorb the overflowing water and more, so just leave it be.”

“Yes.”

“What about Iel?”

According to his calculations, it should be about time for Iel to return. The rear guard of border guard trainees he had taken with him should have already joined up with the advance team, and no matter how dangerous the northern thorn forest was, with knights accompanying them, they should be more than fine.

But when those words came up, Laocon flinched excessively as if there were some inside story.

“H-he hasn’t returned yet, Your Majesty. I’ve placed the related report in your office, so please take a look.”

“I understand.”

Bow.

When he passed by, she, who was holding a small bundle tightly behind him, quickly bowed her head toward Laocon. It seemed the two were about to have an urgent conversation, so she didn’t want to bother them by speaking up. Cassis walking ahead found it rather strange. Though Iel’s return wasn’t exactly urgent, judging by Laocon’s uncomfortable reaction, there seemed to be something else going on.

“…What is this?”

After putting Evelyn, who must be tired from being trapped by the rain, in her bedroom and coming to his office, he made a dumbfounded expression. Along with that, words the World Tree had said before came to mind.

-Even I cannot predict every single thing that will happen in the future. The disasters and blessings I reveal to you do not fill the entire world.

-I understand.

-Cassis, even as you say such things to me, you still look upon me as if I were a goddess, don’t you? There’s no need for that. The one you revere is not a god, but merely a single tree. That heart of yours that elevates me as a noble and unique existence, then blindly believes and entrusts everything to me… it will cloud your true sight.

-Pardon?

-If events unfold in your life that you thought could never possibly happen, remember my words. Those surprising events also deserve respect as fate bound by some thread of destiny. If you ignore this and dismiss them, you too will pay an appropriate price.

The contents of the report crumpled in his hands were truly absurd. However, he couldn’t take out his frustration on a report that had been submitted with such effort. Cassis quietly loosened his grip and stared intently at the handwriting that Brax would have written, lost in thought.