This Heroine's Friend Has the Power of Botany

Chapter 109

Pressure

"I heard you signed up for 8 competitions?" The soft voice of her professor inquired as soon as he saw Ellie walk into the Botanical Building.

Even though he didn’t go outside often, the annual competitions were still a topic of great interest to many, including himself. In previous years, despite being the most knowledgeable potion-concocting professor, he had been unable to secure a victory for the institute in the support category. It was no surprise that Medik felt a bit embarrassed.

However, which students in the institute actually liked potion concocting? Even the institute’s policy only introduced potion concocting in the third year, clearly showing that they didn’t value it much. Because of this, no matter how much Medik wanted to teach and take on disciples in this field, it was difficult. No one saw its value. That’s why the work continued to fall solely on him.

It was surprising to see his only student suddenly sign up for all 8 competitions. The girl wasn’t someone who liked to volunteer for things. Most days, he saw her only when she came to tend her own planting plot. Sometimes she stayed longer, accompanied by piles of books. If it weren’t for occasional visits from members of the Setter family, there was the first-year boy named Wint came checking on her well-being, seeing if she was alive or dead.

Even though she was only a first-year student, she was too studious. Her demeanor made him think of himself when he was a student. Back then, he believed that simply studying hard was enough, and once he graduated, he could live a life using the knowledge he had gained. But who could have known...before he could even spread his wings, he had to study even harder.

Even so...he himself hadn’t signed up for any useful competitions during his school years. He only grouped with peers for battles, which always ended in defeat. It seemed like he had just signed up for the sake of it. However, his student was different.

She came back with a list of 8 competitions she had registered for, whether it was Quality of Potion Concocting, Herb Sorting, Timed Potion Concocting, Herbal Knowledge, Potion Concocting Quiz, Potion Concocting Guidance, Medication Dispensing, and Identifying Potion’s Defects. She had signed up for every available event.

If one were to say they were related, there was some truth to that. But if one were to say they were entirely different fields, that was also accurate. Not everyone who was good at concocting potions could identify defects in them. Similarly, those who could concoct potions well were not always able to dispense them correctly. Each discipline required its own learning, and mastering each was not an easy task.

"Yes, Professor."

"Why did you do that? Don’t you realize how difficult it is?" Medik frowned. He didn’t want to see his student humiliated. Even though he had heard that she had studied with Celey before, it wasn’t as if Ellie could learn everything in just over a month. Potion concocting was no simple matter; it was a tedious and never-ending learning process!

"I just want to try and prepare myself. I heard that our institute has never ranked 1st. So, if we don’t win this year, I’ll keep trying year after year."

"But you’ll have to bear the reputation of being my student. The pressure you will face is no small thing. For me, whether you win or lose, it’s all valuable experience. But for others..."

"I understand, Professor. That’s why I am prepared to study hard."

"You...Are you confident you can endure the pain of failure?" Medik’s eyes wavered slightly.

He had seen many self-assured students fail. In his fourth year, just before graduation, Medik discovered his own talent and became an award-winning apothecary. However...the memory of his competitors from other institutes remained a lifelong regret.

When he won, Medik was overjoyed. He was practically floating because it was his first victory. But then he saw his rival about to take their own life. Medik tried to help, but in the end, he had to watch the person leave this world.

"You don’t understand! Everything in my life has fallen apart. Everyone knows my professor is the top apothecary, but he ended up with a lousy student like me. In past years, I was blinded by the joy of victory, but in reality, I knew nothing. I didn’t really have talent and only succeeded because my professor was outstanding! And now, I’ve disgraced him again,"

"Your professor may not think that way, but why do you..."

"My professor may not think that way, but do others!? Everyone blames my professor because of me! Do you understand!? It’s all because of my weakness. Even now, my father is disappointed in me. All the professors look at me as if I’m the one who harmed my professor. Even my friends don’t understand why I failed despite having such a talented professor!"

"You don’t know that none of my professor’s students had ever lost a competition before. But I did! I was the first! So, should I still go on living!? Do I even deserve to live?"

His voice was filled with such intense pain that it made Medik feel scared. When he competed, no one had confidence in him. So when he won, his joy was greater than everyone else’s. And even if he lost, it wouldn’t have mattered much. They had lost in previous years anyway... Medik realized that he had competed without pressure, unlike his fellow student from another institute.

And that made him afraid...Ellie was his student, and she had even studied with a 4-star level apothecary. Perhaps the girl was so confident that she signed up for 8 competitions. But what if she failed? How would people talk about Ellie then? Would she still have the confidence to continue with her life...?

Medik’s eyes were filled with concern. His slender, well-shaped hand wanted to reach out, to pat Ellie’s hair and tell her to withdraw. However, he couldn’t bring himself to say it.

It was clear that deep down, Medik also wanted to see Ellie, his only student, achieve victory! It was a selfish desire that he couldn’t hold back.

"For the Quality of Potion Concocting competition, I’m not entirely confident, but I can handle most low-level potions. If the challenge involves potions I’ve studied, I might do well. As for the Herb Sorting competition, I’m very confident. Lady Celey taught me this in great detail, so my skills should be sufficient for the competition."

"The Timed Potion Concocting competition is similar to the Quality of Potion Concocting one, but I’ve heard that they’ll provide the name of potion’s ingredients. As long as I concoct the potion according to the given recipe and control my speed, there shouldn’t be any issues. I have a good instinct for potion-concocting, and I’ll practice more in the meantime."

"I’m certain I can do well in the Herbal Knowledge competition. Ever since I joined, I’ve been reading herbology books constantly. It’s crucial for the users of botanic elements. However, the real challenge will be the Potion Concocting Quiz because it will likely involve detailed questions about the potion-concocting process. Then there’s the Potion Concocting Guidance competition. This chaotic event requires clear and precise instructions. The apothecaries acting as judges will follow our guidance. Any overlooked details or incorrect guidance will lead them to make mistakes and cost us points."

"There are also the Medication Dispensing and Identifying Potion’s Defects competitions that I need to study more for. However, there’s still a little time left. I’ll try my best to learn on my own first. You see, my memory isn’t bad at all, Professor."

Ellie said with a smile. She knew her professor was worried. Since he hadn’t personally taught her potion-concocting techniques, he probably felt somewhat guilty. But Ellie hadn’t signed up for all these competitions expecting to win every single one. She did it to thwart Nara’s plans. It was a small lesson for Nara to learn if she intended to cause trouble for her.

After hearing that Ellie would compete in all the potion-concocting events, Nara had signed up for other competitions instead, effectively avoiding a direct confrontation with Ellie. So, Ellie had nothing to worry about now. For the rest part, she would simply do her best. However, when it was announced that she would represent the institute because no other students had signed up for all the competitions, Ellie felt a major headache coming on.

Who would have thought that the potion-concocting category would attract so little interest? Ellie became the representative without having to prove herself!

While the institute might not care much about potion concocting, other institutes did. Even now, nobles and wealthy merchants flocked to the institute to meet Medik’s only student. They said that they wanted to know the student that Medik had trained. It turned out that everyone assumed Medik had sent his student to win this time, and Ellie felt immense pressure from all directions!

"Didn’t you say you didn’t want to stand out? Now it seems you’re attracting everyone’s attention," Aman said irritably. He had been away training for a few days, and when he returned, Ellie had become the center of attention. Even some members of the royal family were now interested in her.

Aman looked at Ellie, who had bought a lounge chair for her planting plot. The atmosphere there was indeed pleasant, but it couldn’t calm his agitation in the least!

The girl remained composed, reading a book without even glancing at Aman, let alone giving him the answers he wanted. The young man felt so frustrated that he wanted to snatch the book from her hands. He wanted to warn Ellie about how much danger and fearful things she was attracting.

Above all else...he was afraid that Ellie might end up being claimed by another family. The girl wasn’t just slightly valuable; the Setter family knew exactly how much she was worth! If the royal family took Ellie, they would expand their power even further, suppressing the major families under their control. The same would go for any other family, except for the Setter family, which was the only scenario that would put Aman at ease.

"Won’t you say anything? All eyes are on you now. They believe you are the student that Professor Medik has nurtured. Do you want to become a tool for hard work just like your professor? Is that what you desire?"

"Ellie! How can you continue to ignore this? The competition is just a few days away. What are you going to do when the time comes? What exactly is your plan!?"

Aman continued speaking. Ellie felt that his tone was anything but normal. Would the usual Aman waste time talking like this? He would likely have already come up with some plan. Especially if he didn’t want Ellie to compete, the Demon of the Setter family would have found a way to stop her. But instead, he chose to talk to her and persuade her to give up...

Ellie didn’t want to pay attention to him, but she couldn’t help folding her book and staring at him directly.

"Why do you want to know my plan?"

"That...I’m just worried that other families might want you after seeing how talented you are." Aman frowned. Did Ellie really need to ask why he wanted to know her plan!? It was obvious that he feared losing his benefits.

"In that case, I can publicly declare that I belong to the Setter family. Betraying the Setter family is not part of my plan at all."

"But that’s..." Aman faltered, unsure of what to say next. Ellie had made her stance clear, yet he still felt a lingering dissatisfaction.

"You still seem unhappy with me."

"It’s just that I..."

"I never planned to win everything. My status as Professor Medik’s student has already drawn interest for a long time. They were simply waiting for the right moment, for the professor to cultivate my skills. So, whether I make my debut now or later, it doesn’t really matter."

"But does it have to be now? You know you’re only a first-year student."

"Yes! I want everyone to see that besides basic herbs and potion concocting, I have no other skills. I’m just like my professor, someone they think of as merely a laborer. As long as I declare myself a member of the Setter family, they’ll just see it as losing 1 worker."

"..................."

"Don’t forget that I’m not the only student with talent in potion concocting and herb identification. There are plenty of such students at other institutes as well. I can do this because Professor Medik taught me. Does that mean they have to fight tooth and nail to compete for this? Even Professor Medik, who chose to be a professor here, hasn’t been approached by anyone to recruit him elsewhere. That’s why he’s stuck working here. So, my goal is to be like him, but choosing to stay with the Setter family."

Ellie stated her purpose and leaned back again. This time, Aman didn’t say anything further, letting Ellie proceed with her plans. Meanwhile...a satisfied smile appeared at the corner of his mouth. With Ellie’s explanation, she might seem interesting to everyone, but not worth the intense competition to recruit.

It turned out that he hadn’t anticipated far enough ahead. This time, he had to admit that he was completely outmaneuvered by Ellie!

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