The Nymph Wants to be Plundered - Chapter 169

「Fool! Do you think I’m some creature that flips over and can’t breathe without carrots? I’m a unicorn, a unicorn. I can take care of not only myself but someone like you even empty-handed. Trust me and follow me, quickly.」

However, it was difficult to readily believe Ruba’s words. The behavior Ruba had shown whenever she had the chance consisted mainly of getting angry impatiently, threatening and tormenting her with her horn and snout, or sometimes forcing difficult choices by asking childish things like whether she liked Nike or her better. Evelyn could only hold onto the rather useless hope that not all unicorns would be like Ruba.

“Um…. Still. I’m not in a position where I can just leave here whenever I feel like it.”

When she cautiously raised an objection, Ruba finally calmed her anger.

「I’m not saying let’s leave here forever. Anyway, you can’t go far since your tree is in the castle. I know the appropriate boundary line, so I was suggesting we test how long it takes for the King to notice and follow.」

“Someone so busy…. How can you do that? To deliberately go out and make him chase after me, that’s not proper etiquette.”

Instead of responding to Evelyn’s pathetic words, Ruba showed her through action. As if proving that the force with which she had been biting her clothes up until now had been restrained, she pulled firmly and made Evelyn come along with her.

“Ah!”

As Ruba felt Evelyn instinctively wrap her arms around her neck, she tilted her horned forehead to the side and whispered.

「Hmph, the only thing we need to prepare is you. Now! Hurry and get on my back. If you don’t, I’ll forcibly bite you with my mouth and charge toward that castle gate. What will it be?」

“We have to go slowly, right?”

「I’ll adjust the speed based on how you’re doing. So get on quickly.」

The timid Evelyn had no choice but to carefully straddle the white, smooth back with her legs. But once she was actually mounted, there was nothing to hold onto. The lustrous, abundant mane?! She was suddenly worried that if she grabbed it, Ruba would get angry and throw her to the ground. The proud unicorn, who had completely abandoned all her pride and dignity, stomped her feet violently and frowned.

「You need to straighten your back. If you stay hunched over like that, you’ll fall off as soon as we start moving, won’t you?」

“Yes. Is this position okay?”

「Sigh, you’re not good at this because the King always carries you when you ride horses. Well, it can’t be helped. I can’t possibly wear something like reins or a saddle, so you’ll have to adapt on your own. Even if you’re scared, don’t close your eyes and grab my mane as if you’re tearing it out. It doesn’t come out easily anyway, so it’s fine to hold tight.」

Taking Evelyn along essentially blocked any path for a quick escape outside the castle. If she were alone, she could easily reach the boundary within a day, but then there would be no point in leaving in the first place. Ruba eventually arrived confidently on foot at the open castle gate. Then she snorted excitedly as if to say “look here.”

Snort, snooort!

The guard looked back and forth with curiosity between Evelyn, who had an awkward expression, and the white unicorn. Even without the unicorn speaking, it was obvious what she wanted.

“Wait, is Ruba taking the nymph out? That hasn’t happened recently.”

Snooooort!

At the intense sound as if something might burst out from within, the guard looked at Evelyn’s face. It was obvious that if this nymph went far from the castle, only she would face great trouble, so he figured she would return on her own. That was the fate of a nymph bound by her tree.

“Well, you won’t go far, will you? That wouldn’t even be possible, so please return quickly before sunset. If it gets too late, we’ll close the castle gates.”

“Yes. Yes.”

“You may go.”

The guard spoke while looking at the unicorn until the end, not at Evelyn who had answered. This was natural, given the unicorn’s exceptionally high status.

「Hmph, we won’t be returning easily. He doesn’t know anything, does he?」

“Gasp!”

Evelyn found herself on the verge of choking due to the words Ruba had timely conveyed to her mind. Fortunately, she was barely able to endure it because they started moving as soon as the guard’s permission was granted. Ruba, who had come out of the castle gate and picked up the pace slightly, swept Evelyn’s back with the tip of her tail as soon as they climbed up to slightly higher terrain.

“Oww!”

「Get down. Originally, unicorns aren’t a species made to carry someone on their backs.」

As she got down unsteadily, she finally felt the refreshing coolness of the gently blowing breeze. She even felt as if the thirst that had tormented her throat like fire had disappeared all at once.

Evelyn looked around with eyes full of wonder. This place, which looked like the entrance to low hills, had only sparse white, short flowers blooming here and there, but it seemed so peaceful that she felt she could just lie down. Like that time before. Though the time was different so she couldn’t see the stars in the night sky, and he wasn’t by her side….

‘I’m really such a fool. I keep thinking of Lord Cassis moment by moment, and I shouldn’t do that. I should think of Ruba’s generous heart for making the effort to bring me out here.’

Crack!

Suddenly, a loud noise was heard nearby. Ruba was vigorously pulling up tender tree roots that looked good for her to eat. Eventually, the unicorn chewed and swallowed them while scolding.