The Nymph Wants to be Plundered - Chapter 162

Polyxene had taken down a terrifying ghost tree, and all by herself at that!

Until they left the castle, no—even just an hour before this incident—if you had asked anyone, they would have naturally dismissed it as impossible. Though Polyxene was beautiful, she was only busy with her own grooming and had never shown any enthusiasm for training.

Whenever she had the chance, she would test her comrades’ patience by chattering about picking up pretty pebbles while flirting with Lya (who had now been expelled), researching recipes to make their supplies taste better, or needing a cozy spot for sweet afternoon naps. But…

“Ugh, it looks so scary.”

“A tree can emit such sinister energy too. Be careful! Strange black powder is coming out from underneath there.”

“Eek!”

While Iel and Brax were letting Polyxene, whose legs had given out, rest in the barracks and discussing something, the guardian trainees couldn’t overcome their curiosity and were surrounding the fallen monster. A senior knight approached them and kicked the dead thing with his foot.

“This is a ghost tree. Unlike other monsters, it’s unsuitable for adapting and living in the thorn forest—it’s a troublesome existence that always tries to break out the moment it’s born.”

A trainee who still didn’t know much about monsters suddenly asked a question.

“Even if it’s a monster, if it’s trying to live as a tree, couldn’t we just leave it alone?”

“Unfortunately, that’s impossible. If they quietly settled and lived in our forest as you say, that might be different, but they don’t do that. Did you hear that rustling sound earlier? That’s the popping sound made when the tips of leaves on tree branches burn. It’s a phenomenon that occurs because they persistently chase after and try to kill any target they find harmful. This one has too much aggression.”

“Ah…”

The trainees all shuddered with chills.

Had Polyxene continuously shot arrows and dealt with such a terrifying monster even while being chased by it? They clicked their tongues at the sight of the numerous gleaming silver arrows embedded in the dead ghost tree.

Without all these arrows, even Polyxene wouldn’t have been able to avoid a hard fight… but still, her achievement was undeniably impressive. Even if they had possessed silver arrows, fighting while running around dodging in a one-on-one situation with a ghost tree—especially in a forest where it was difficult to secure visibility and firing distance—seemed difficult. No matter how they thought about it, they felt too scared to even dare attempt such a challenge.

When Polyxene, who had come as part of the second group, had piled up the heap of silver arrows that Lord Iel had generously gifted her and complained that they were too heavy, that they sparkled and would easily give her away to enemies so why did she have to use such things, and that if she hadn’t come to the thorn forest in the first place she wouldn’t need to use these arrows—everyone had laughed at her then. They thought she should have just come alone instead of pestering Lord Iel. That mockery was directed not just at Polyxene, but also at the rigid Lord Iel who valued theory and principles.

But in the end, this led to something amazing…!

“Understood. I’ll gladly do so.”

When Brax’s enthusiastic voice could be heard, everyone whipped around to look, and Lord Iel had the brightest expression they had ever seen in their lives.

“Hmm, indeed. I’ll take Polyxene back to the castle within a few days and confer upon her the official status of guardian. Are you going to write the recommendation letter?”

Though Brax’s complexion wasn’t particularly bright, he agreed for now.

“Yes. For the achievement of taking down a ghost tree that threatened the forest, I think it’s sufficient to appoint her as an official guardian. There’s hardly any room for objection, and it’s something that should rightfully be done. Congratulations, Lord Iel.”

“The congratulations should go to Polyxene, not me. Hmm, Polyxene will be delighted to hear this news.”

“She might be so happy that her feet get tangled and she falls over, so please tell her while she’s sitting down. For now, we should return to the castle to decide on her path forward, and plan for additional training for the remainder of this year.”

“Understood.”

“Congratulations once again. You must have had quite a worry lifted from your shoulders.”

“……”

“Uh oh…”

As Lord Iel, with a thoroughly elated expression, hurried into the barracks where Polyxene was resting, the trainees looked at each other’s faces with expressions of amazement.

Their dream, their shared goal!

The meaning of becoming an official guardian was not simple. In short terms, it was a grand source of pride for both family and individual, but because of the benefits it brought, it was a position worth risking one’s life to obtain. Only guardians could reside in Jupiter Castle, frequently visit the capital that had cultivated a splendid and refined culture, and develop the pride of becoming one of the pillars supporting Jupiter.

Though they couldn’t openly voice their resentment, the trophy that Polyxene had seized overnight felt both natural and bitter to them. As they swallowed their burning saliva several times and thought about it, there were some suspicious points. There was quite a difference between the beginning when Polyxene had screamed from far away and the final moment when the ghost tree fell. And the only one who had rushed to Polyxene’s side at that time was…

“You know. That… by any chance, did Lord Iel…?”