The Nymph Wants to be Plundered - Chapter 81

Shaking his head, Iel realized that the surroundings had become eerily quiet. While he was distracted, Cassis had taken the unconscious nymph away, and all that remained was the arrow stuck in the ground, faint traces of something spat out, bloodstains, and a couple of crushed and crumbled leaves.

She would die soon anyway, even without experiencing such brutality… It is pitiful.

“Tsk.”

Iel bent down and pulled out the arrow from the ground. Along with it, some of his hatred for the pitiful nymph dissipated.

At that same moment, the elf who had fled in a hurry was earnestly complaining in front of someone.

“Your words were right!”

“…Really?”

Lya, with her impressively round and pointed nose, nodded hastily.

“Yes. That arrogant nymph dared to try to trespass on sacred ground. If I hadn’t shot an arrow to stop her, she would have obviously left dirty footprints on the holy site without even cleaning them, right? Ha, just think about it. Our precious World Tree could have fallen ill!”

“Oh my. Just hearing about it makes my bones shiver.”

Polyxene, listening to Lya’s words, nodded her head in the same way as if in agreement. Then Lya poured out her concerns about failing to handle the aftermath.

“Sigh, but what should I do? I should have reported in detail what she did right there, but I ran away without even realizing it. Of all people, why did Sir Iel have to come running? I thought only the patrolling guards would come. Do… do you think they might have figured out who I am?”

“…….”

Polyxene’s face, which had suddenly hardened at the mention of her cousin’s name, half turned away. Lya’s anxious expression brightened with a glimmer of hope.

“R-right. Polyxene! Please put in a good word for me. Okay? Sir Iel is your…”

Polyxene’s face and tone, which had grown cold as ice, remained equally rigid.

“I haven’t even had the chance to privately greet my brother since my return. Too busy. Having my first greeting in a while be a request to cover up someone’s crime, that would be a bit difficult.”

Lya’s eyes widened at the unbelievably cold words. The way she was trying to back out after excitedly chatting together just moments ago felt somehow unsettling.

“Po…Polyxene?”

“If you caused that commotion right in front of the sacred site, not just anywhere else, there’s no avoiding an investigation. Hmm, Lya. Think about if there’s anything else that concerns you. If you get caught and can’t match your stories, you might face an even greater charge.”

“Uh…well….”

Flustered, Lya stammered. She had confessed everything honestly, so what more could Polyxene want? She couldn’t understand why Polyxene, who had helped complete her conviction, was acting this way. Her nose, which looked uniquely cute compared to others, kept twitching as if it had caught pollen. Seeing this, Polyxene spoke in a slightly softer tone than before.

“Well, for now, since they’re not chasing after you right away, it seems they didn’t catch sight of your face.”

“Polyxene…”

“I just gained independence before leaving the castle, and my goal is to grow excellently as a guard.”

For someone who had been frantically attacking and fixating on a single nymph, this sudden change in conversation seemed extremely suspicious. Moreover, Polyxene had completely changed her attitude after hearing all the information she wanted, but Lya, rather than questioning why, was squirming as if caught in a weakness.

“I, I’m the same….”

“Sigh. I’m tired. I’m going to rest a bit.”

“Polyxene?”

Bang.

She was gone. As Polyxene’s back disappeared into the inner chamber, Lya, the instigator of today’s significant incident, heaved a deep sigh. Her heart was still heavy, but she felt relief that she hadn’t been caught or pursued by anyone.

‘I… Yes, this is right. Everyone just dislikes that weak and useless nymph but can’t drive her out or end it—that’s what’s wrong. I can’t let a mere nymph cling to His gracious Majesty the King and waste his energy, that can’t be considered Jupiter’s order!’

Lya’s conclusion was to try to think positively. The words and intimate feelings she had shared with Polyxene, who had just left, over a long period of time. By the dying campfire, beneath the bushes they had bravely cut through together with knives, the shared purpose they had united under while tightly wrapping themselves in blankets and holding their breath—she believed it remained unchanged even now.

‘I love him too, just like you. W-we have so much in common. We’re also close friends. So eventually, you’ll change your mind and help me, right?’

Lya didn’t think she had done wrong in targeting and attacking that nymph, Evelyn.

The origin was her passionate love—that is, her blind feelings toward His Majesty the King. For young female elves without partners, Cassis often became the most accessible yet lofty object of unrequited love. Since he was an ascetic with no one by his side, it was also convenient for fantasizing.