The Nymph Wants to be Plundered - Chapter 76

Snort, chuckle!

Ruba pushed her with his hot, humid breath from his nostrils, then actually let out a chuckling laugh. Usually, conversations with this unicorn came as a voice in her mind, so this was a rare experience. The sound she heard with her actual ears was a rumbling “kruk-kruk” that even made his nostrils vibrate.

Evelyn was truly bewildered.

“…Why are you laughing?”

「You country bumpkin fool, the Aika Festival isn’t like that. You know that delphinium flower garden next to the watchtower…. Have you been there in the evening, or not?」

Recalling what Nike had told her, she frantically shook her head.

“I-I don’t know!”

However, that response was, in other words, a self-incriminating confession. Ruba, making snorting sounds through his nose, mischievously rubbed his silky mane from the back of his head against her arm.

「Oh? Seems like you’ve overheard something somewhere when I wasn’t around. Evelyn? It’s not too late, the flowers haven’t fully fallen yet, so you could go even this evening. Hehe… And let me tell you. Simply put, the Aika Festival can be seen as a massive extension of what happens behind the delphinium garden. It’s a festival where everyone loosens their skirts and pants and enjoys themselves stickily.」

“Wh…what…?”

「Ah, I’m being generous. The public library might be burdensome for you, so I’ll lead the way to the palace library! I’ll specially read you a book. Then you’ll understand.」

No sooner had he finished speaking than Ruba wedged his head into her arms and stood up on his legs. Evelyn, truly having no choice, was pushed by him and found herself standing up together in a flurry.

The change of seasons seemed to shift dramatically in a single day, even in an instant. The tree she had passed by mindlessly on her way out had already deepened its leaf colors, becoming more noticeable. As Evelyn’s head, which had been facing forward, tried to turn slightly, Ruba’s head pushed against her from behind with a thud. The contact was more intense than expected, causing a burning friction heat on her back.

“Ah!”

「Let’s go, hurry. No distractions allowed.」

Suddenly, a thought crossed her mind. Not just anyone’s touch would evoke such sensual feelings…. Currently, it seemed like only he was capable of that.

Cassis. He was both the source and the key to the desire she was trying to firmly lock away. Though she might not easily whisper it even with her lips buried in her pillow before sleep, that’s how it was anyway. Evelyn’s steps were about to continue in the direction she had come from the bedroom, but Ruba bit her dress from behind and pulled it as if to tear it.

“Why are you doing this?”

「Over there, over there. We need to go up.」

“But I’ve never… been there before.”

The upper part of the staircase, made of distinctive pale yellow molding, appeared dark from below due to the lack of lighting. Evelyn disliked anything eerie, and since Cassis had neither taken her there personally nor explained it to her, she had never ventured to the second floor.

Whether she hesitated or not, Ruba pressed his blunt nose firmly against her back as if saying “no more talk, just go.” He even slightly lowered his head, threatening to poke her with his horn instead of his nose if she didn’t listen. His mane, excitedly disheveled in the process, looked soft on the outside.

“Ah, that hurts… I’ve been poked enough today.”

However, when the frail Evelyn complained as if she had been impaled by a spear, the previously domineering unicorn couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt. The back of her otherwise pristine dress now showed visible signs of dampness and wrinkles from his constant urging.

「…Sorry. There’s another library up here where the book I’m looking for is located. Let’s hurry and see.」

“Is that so?”

Evelyn didn’t feel any particular curiosity at his words, as she was accustomed to staying within designated areas of the Hall of Glory, regardless of how many floors it had. The safe zones with boundaries drawn by Cassis. Places where she could rest comfortably, knowing he would return if she waited.

As soon as they climbed the stairs to the second floor, a small library came into view right in front of them. Though it was dark, the horn on Ruba’s head emitted a slight golden glow, and all the lamps placed throughout the room simultaneously brightened.

「Hmm, hmm, where is it… Ah, here it is! Take out this book and open it.」

“Okay.”

And some time later. Evelyn wanted to run away from the book resting on her knees.

Is this for real? This?

The Aika Festival. It was said to have been established about a thousand years ago by a great guardian elf named Aika, who was concerned about the declining elf population while desperately yearning for unrestricted free love.

「Shall I read it to you again? When the Aika Festival is held, bid farewell to lonely days. Anyone who wishes to satisfy their s****l desires with an excellent guardian or wants to have a child should wait at the designated place wearing a lace blindfold. Then, a noble person willing to bestow the blessing of their lower body shall appear…」

“S-stop. Enough…”

How could the Aika Festival be something like that!

Fortunately for her, she hadn’t blurted out premature remarks in front of Cassis about looking forward to the upcoming Aika Festival. Had she done so, her face would have been burning by now, ripened to the color of a tomato suitable for making purée.

Save me, nymph!

“Ah… So that’s why they waited for the guardians to return from outside the castle…”

Her clear, vibrant voice carried an undeniable hint of disappointment. She wanted to mock her past self for naively wondering what the Aika Festival might be, getting excited over what she thought was just a festival. She should have asked Ruba or Nike about it earlier.

「That’s right. Sometimes elves living far away deliberately visit the castle to enjoy it. But this year’s Aika Festival will be smaller than last year’s because the guardians are returning early.」

“……”

Noticing her sudden silence, the unicorn’s head poked through her armpit and his mischievous mouth started blabbering.