The Nymph Wants to be Plundered - Chapter 164

The residents who had thought that way were soon shocked. She had become an official Guardian in recognition of her feat of defeating the Ghost Tree!

“Po, Polyxene , you mean? The Polyxene we know? Not some other Polyxene from another region, but that child who lived in the castle?”

“I thought she was just pretty, but her abilities are incredible.”

“I guess you really do see all sorts of things if you live long enough….”

“Well, she is Lord Iel’s blood relative, so it’s not that strange.”

When this surprising news spread widely, attention turned to Mel, who had been particularly close to Polyxene , though they’d grown distant recently. Moreover, since Mel was the younger sister of Brax, the leader of the Guardian trainees, it was all the more inevitable. People figured she would know much more about this news than other residents.

“I, I don’t know much either. I’m not even aspiring to be a Guardian, so I didn’t go with them. How would I know?”

“You know what. First of all, it’s true that Polyxene had a long unrequited love for His Majesty the King, right?”

Mel wore a bewildered expression before nodding her head.

“Y, yeah. That’s pretty common too…. But why do you ask?”

“The Ghost Tree is a monster famous for being terrifying even in the Thorn Forest, isn’t it? Wow, Polyxene must have had incredible potential. Getting qualified so quickly after starting training for only a few years isn’t easy. That’s why I’m more curious.”

Well, of course. Mel nodded halfheartedly while glancing at Phivi approaching her, explaining the situation with her eyes. No, I’m absolutely not saying anything strange. Ever since that nymph came, she hardly even enters past the midpoint of the Hall of Glory anymore.

As Phivi gradually drew closer, Mel cautiously expressed her opinion, feeling justified in doing so.

“Um…. What would I know in detail? It’s also a bit awkward to talk carelessly about other people’s business. But Polyxene ‘s admiration for His Majesty the King, like during the last Aika Festival and such, hmm, hmm. Various rumors were circulating quite a bit, weren’t they?”

Among them, an elf who particularly loved to chatter and was too weak to apply for either knighthood or Guardian training suddenly blurted out:

“I, I remembered something.”

“Yeah?”

“Polyxene defeated the Ghost Tree not as a novice Guardian but as a trainee. Uh…. Isn’t there something like that in the regulations? Granting wish rights or something when you achieve great merit.”

“Wi, wish rights?”

Everyone’s eyes focused on her lips. Excited by the long-awaited attention, the elf raised her voice even higher.

“Since Polyxene had a long unrequited love for His Majesty the King, she deserves something like a date or such. It’s not just any other monster, but the Ghost Tree after all.”

As always, other people’s love affairs were the perfect type of topic to chatter about freely without responsibility. One resident even said that if Polyxene had grown this much at such a young age, His Majesty might be able to see her as at least a brief lover. That comment soon moved elsewhere and became even more exaggerated, spreading into the premature prediction that if things went well, Polyxene might even become the King’s fiancée.

“Hmm….”

Several days later. Having unexpectedly become an official Guardian, Polyxene lightly slapped both her cheeks.

It hurts. This isn’t a dream. It’s real! She truly hadn’t known such a day would come, having suffered so much at the outpost where she couldn’t sleep well and had to stay constantly tense.

That day, she had received orders to soon choose and learn other weapons besides the bow, making her think she absolutely couldn’t live like this anymore. Ordinary Guardians learned both bow and dagger, but Polyxene was so clumsy with daggers that she couldn’t even touch them. She’d only cut her fingers and get hurt. Alright, she should at least insist on returning to where her cousin Iel was and receiving training there. That was the solution she had come up with.

Having made up her mind firmly, Polyxene shouldered the entire pile of heavy silver arrows and tried to slip out of the patrol area, pretending to be lost so she could escape downward…. when she suddenly encountered it, the Ghost Tree. And then….

Polyxene shook her head vigorously, trying to shake off the chilling memory.

“Phew, what’s the point of thinking about it more? Everything worked out well. Now I can live in Jupiter Castle for the rest of my life.”

She pinned the Guardian insignia given to her near the shoulder of her coat and smiled brightly.

“It’s such a crude thing that it probably won’t suit a dress. Well, I’ll have to make do. Since this little thing saved me, I should keep it safe.”

Though I won’t kiss it.

She flopped down on the bed and mumbled with her precious lips before suddenly having this thought.

But what do I do from now on? It’s good that I became a Guardian for now, but this isn’t my life goal. When orders come down for me to take on Guardian duties, I’ll have no choice but to go…. If they force me to receive additional training, that’ll be hard to refuse too. Ah, I hate it. I hate it. How is there no end to this?

Polyxene was completely independent from her parents, and while Iel, who lived with her in the castle, looked after her, it was difficult to continue living while receiving help. Although she had some small inheritance left to her, allowing her to maintain a modest lifestyle, it didn’t meet her standards.