Chapter 155
The Trap
"Is that...is that Ellie’s new house?"
"This is incredible. How can Ellie’s house be this big? It looks just like an expensive inn in the city."
"What kind of equipment can do something like this? It’s amazing!!" The villagers exclaimed excitedly when they saw Ellie’s new house. Such a large house was unheard of in the village. Even the village chief, who lived better than everyone else, only had a modest house.
A middle-aged woman, standing closest to Nara and who was Nara’s mother, almost bit her lip until it bled, barely able to contain her jealousy. She pulled her daughter closer and whispered in a low voice.
"Nara, why did you give something so valuable to someone else? Don’t you know how precious this magical equipment is!? Just think, if our old house used this equipment and turned into a big house, would we still need people to come repair it all the time?" Hearing her mother’s words, Nara felt irritated as well.
If there really was magical equipment that could build such a house, did she think she would have given it to Ellie? But because it wasn’t magical equipment at all! That’s why...she stood there, envying Ellie like everyone else.
"Mother...even if our house needs frequent repairs, Ellie’s house is unlivable. Nara had to give it to my friend first," Nara forced a smile. Even in front of her own mother, she couldn’t show her true self. As a well-mannered and lovely daughter, Nara needed to act the same way with her mother as she did with everyone else.
"Sigh! I shouldn’t have taught you to be so good," the middle-aged woman sighed, feeling a mix of frustration and pride when talking to Nara didn’t get through. Despite the situation, she couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of pride. As a mother who had raised such a well-behaved daughter, how could she not feel happy about it...right?
Everyone was looking for the petite girl who owned the house. Now that there was a large fence surrounding it, they couldn’t walk in and out as they pleased. No matter how hard they tried to peer inside, they couldn’t see anyone in the house.
Ellie’s new house was well-built, not just beautiful but also tightly secured. Jay-ar, who had visited Ellie earlier, looked for her on the porch but couldn’t find her petite figure. He was about to call out when he heard the girl’s small voice from behind.
"Everyone...why are so many people at my house? Is there something you need?" Ellie’s clear voice drew everyone’s attention.
Appearing was a petite girl in practical clothing, holding a large, expensive animal trap from the city market. Many huntsmen widened their eyes in amazement at such a remarkable trap. They had long admired these valuable traps but, due to the difficulty in earning money and the unsuitability for their use, they had never bought them.
However, those who were not huntsmen didn’t know their true value. They only saw that it was a good trap but didn’t understand why the girl was carrying it around.
"Ellie, is that an animal trap? Are you going to set it?" a village woman asked. Ellie took the opportunity to hold up the trap.
"Yes, this is an animal trap that I plan to set around the house. It’s good that everyone is here, so I can warn you all at once. After this, please be careful when walking around. I don’t want any animals invading the house, so I intend to place traps around. If someone isn’t careful, they might get caught in these traps."
"But don’t worry, I won’t place traps outside, I only place them in my property. If you look closely, you’ll see the old fence around the house and the new one recently built. Inside the old fence, there will be traps all around. As long as you don’t enter my property, there’s no danger."
"Uncle Jay-ar, after this, I’ll need your help to check on any animals caught in these traps. Since they’re on my property, I don’t want them to die and start smelling bad."
"Also, please keep an eye on the traps, Uncle Jay-ar. If any go missing, note the details for me. I have magical tracking equipment, so I’ll come back to check where it’s gone, tracking it down and taking action against the thief later."
Ellie told everyone, enlisting Jay-ar’s help in front of the villagers. Her main purpose was to warn everyone not to mess with her belongings.
While these traps weren’t very expensive in Ellie’s eyes, she didn’t want the headache of having things constantly stolen. So, she fabricated the story about having "magical tracking equipment" to let them know that if they tried to steal, they would face consequences.
Of course, Ellie could genuinely determine who stole something using her spores’ vision. If there was any wrongdoing, Ellie could even command the spores to deal with the culprits. Since the villagers were ordinary people without magic powers, just a large number of level 1 spores could easily decompose their bodies.
Ellie didn’t want to resort to such extreme measures, so she warned them first. But if they remained greedy and didn’t stop, they would have to face the consequences of "losing a finger" or "missing a hand"!
"Ellie, are you really going to set traps all around your house? That’s dangerous for people."
"Dangerous? But this is my property. If someone gets caught in a trap on my land without permission, even if the matter reaches the soldiers in Set City, the fault won’t be mine."
"I understand, but it still seems a bit too dangerous," said one village woman. She had heard that her husband had once sneaked into Ellie’s property to hunt.
It wasn’t just her husband; others did the same. If they walked past Ellie’s house frequently to shoo away animals causing trouble, it was just a matter of waving them away.
However, Ellie’s house acted like a small fortress, protecting them from the eyes of small wild animals. So, they set traps in her house and hid, waiting for small animals to come for food. After all, Ellie’s house was closest to the forest edge, right? That’s why many small animals came looking for food there. If left alone, it would be a waste. Eventually, the house would deteriorate over time, so they thought they were just borrowing the place.
Hearing that their small hunting ground was turning into a fortress, with Ellie planning to set her own traps around the house, they realized they would lose their chance to use the area for hunting. Only Ellie would benefit, but what about them?
Of course, Ellie knew from the first day she arrived. She had seen the many footprints around the house. Some of the broken parts weren’t caused by wild animals but by the villagers, who broke them to create openings for animals to enter. Their actions were cruel, though not everyone agreed with them from the beginning.
"Why would it be dangerous? Ellie already said she would only set traps around her own house. If no one intends to meddle with someone else’s property, what is there to be afraid of?"
"I think it’s a good idea. Ellie setting traps like this aligns with her parents’ intentions. I remember hearing Ellie’s father say that living on the edge of the forest might be risky, but it also makes hunting easier."
"The old fence clearly marks the boundary. Since Ellie said she would only set traps inside it, why would anyone go in there and risk getting hurt?"
"Ellie is doing the right thing. Otherwise, letting “animals” invade her home would only cause damage. She only comes back once a year. If she has to repair her house every time, it would be time-consuming and exhausting."
Hearing several villagers speak like this, those who had secretly used Ellie’s house for their own benefit started looking up at the sky or at birds, avoiding eye contact. No one wanted to admit they had been trespassing and causing trouble in the girl’s home. Such admissions would be hard to make unless caught red-handed.
"Alright, regarding Ellie setting traps around her house, there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s her house, so let her manage it as she sees fit. Our responsibility is not to interfere with how others manage their homes,"
The village chief noticed that the discussion was veering off-topic, so he decided to end the pointless conversation immediately. Many people agreed with this, except for a few small families who felt unhappy about losing their benefits. However, they couldn’t say anything.
"Let’s get back to the main reason we’re all gathered here. It seems that Ellie helped heal Jay-ar, right? This morning, everyone saw how much stronger Jay-ar has become. So now, everyone wants to hear from Ellie about what really happened."
Upon hearing the village chief bring up this topic, many people immediately forgot about the traps. Even the huntsmen who had meddled with Ellie’s house before were waiting for the girl to answer. Ellie glanced at Nara briefly before smiling.
"It’s true that I helped Uncle Jay-ar by concocting potions for him, but it was just low-level potions. At the institute...anyone can make it. Soon, Nara will learn how to make it too. However, since I can’t use other magic powers like everyone else, I could only learn potion-concocting ahead of my friends," Ellie said, echoing Nara’s earlier explanation.
Hearing this, Nara felt slightly relieved. Ellie’s words matched hers perfectly. If Ellie had said something contradictory, Nara would have needed to intervene and try to explain further.
As everyone heard Ellie’s response, they became even more excited. They knew that Nara would eventually be able to make these miraculous potions too, but for now, it was Ellie who could do it.
"So, Ellie, you’re saying that Jay-ar’s recovery is truly because of the potion you made?"
"That’s amazing, Ellie! The potion you call low-level is actually incredibly valuable."
"Yes, its effects are so great that it can restore someone on the brink of death to full health. You don’t need to be modest anymore. This isn’t a low-level potion; it’s a top-tier potion." Many villagers praised Ellie, but some could no longer contain themselves.
"Ellie dear! Then you must help my husband. He was also injured by a wild animal. You have to make a potion for him too."
"My son as well. Ellie, you can’t just make a potion for Jay-ar. There are many others who need your help."
"That’s right. We’re from the same village, just like Jay-ar. Ellie, you should help others too."
"Ellie dear, please help my child. He’s been sick since he was little. If he gets this miraculous potion, he will surely get better."
Each person rushed towards Ellie, some nearly kneeling to beg her, while others tried to grab her arm, as if afraid she might run away. If it weren’t for Jay-ar holding them back and Ellie being quicker than the average villager, she might have been overwhelmed by the crowd of desperate people.
"Everyone, stop!" The village chief, seeing the chaos, quickly shouted to calm his villagers. If the situation remained chaotic, there would be no way to have a proper conversation.
Several elderly women sat on the ground, unable to get up easily, but they also heeded the village chief’s words and sat quietly crying. This made Ellie feel the most sympathy for them. The others stepped back, realizing their behavior had been inappropriate.
"Village chief, you must help us. Ellie is our only hope." Before stepping back, a middle-aged woman wiped her tears. Her son had been in pain since he was young, poisoned by a venomous creature while playing with other kids in the village. Even now, he remained untreated. When she asked the village healers, they simply said it was a severe poison and would need a miraculous potion to cure.
The casual words of the healers had crushed all hope of the people. If the healers said their potions were ineffective, it was as good as a death sentence!
"The life and death of everyone here is the village chief’s responsibility, and it’s also the duty of all villagers to help each other. I believe Ellie feels the same way, don’t you?" The village chief waved at the middle-aged woman, acting like he was talking to her, but his words were directed at Ellie, urging her to help everyone.
The young girl smiled, understanding that the village chief was not only concerned for the others but also needed a cure himself. It was no surprise that he was trying to make her feel it was her responsibility too.
"Yes, if there’s anything I can do, I’ll help," Ellie said. Hearing this, everyone felt relieved. They had feared that Ellie wouldn’t want to help, given the miraculous nature of the potion. Who would be willing to concoct such a valuable potion so easily!?
No one expected that Ellie would not only agree without hesitation but would also respond almost immediately, as if it were her natural inclination to help. However...no one realized that Ellie’s answer had been prepared from the start. So, when asked, she simply gave the response.
"That’s great. Then, can I get a potion for my husband? And my son has a wound on his arm, too. If it’s not treated now, it might become serious."
"I need a potion too. My son has been suffering from poison for a long time."
"My son has struggled a lot. He’s the head of the family, just like Jay-ar. If he recovers, it will greatly improve our family’s situation."
Hearing everyone speak like that, Ellie kept smiling, which put everyone at ease, albeit briefly.
"As for concocting the potions, I can certainly do it. However, I’ll need everyone to provide the ingredients. After leaving the institute and spending money on these traps, I don’t have any funds left to buy more ingredients. But...I’ll make a list of the herbs needed so that everyone can purchase the right ones." Ellie’s smile was so bright, making it seem like she was genuinely willing to help everyone!
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