This Heroine's Friend Has the Power of Botany

Chapter 180

Two Sisters

The priest explained his points in detail. It seemed he had heard many rumors from the nobility. Even the Setter family had never shown faith towards the priests and the church. Nevertheless, they never interfered with the church’s work. After all, it was just a means of livelihood.

While the Setter family used their power to hunt for resources, the church used their own power to acquire resources legitimately. Occasionally, the Setter family would contribute to the church as well. Although it wasn’t much for them, the church still saw the Setter family as the fattest fish.

"Are you implying that I or the Setter family should donate to the Church?"

"Of course, it doesn’t have to be much. Just some of the newly acquired resources would suffice. The Church will make good use of any donations."

"Is that so? In that case, I’ll discuss it with the head of the family later," Ellie responded eagerly, immediately promising to speak with the head of the family. However, her words didn’t exactly match the priest’s expectations.

The old man stroked his beard again, falling silent as he pondered... He had heard that this auction would feature a special treasure that the Setter family had acquired, which was causing quite a stir. Even the church couldn’t remain indifferent.

Although he didn’t know what the treasure was, if the Setter family considered it valuable, it must be extraordinarily precious—perhaps so much so that the Setter family might think it too dangerous to keep it for themselves.

"My lady, I know you’re not naive, so I’ll speak frankly with you."

"Yes?"

"Let’s set aside the donation matter for another time. What’s more important...is that the Church needs to prepare for what’s to come."

"What do you mean?"

"We’ve heard that the Setter family will auction something incredibly valuable, so much so that it could change the very culture of living."

"As a high-ranking priest of the kingdom, I cannot let that happen unchecked. Changes in people’s way of life can have both positive and negative impacts. If used correctly, it will be positive, but if not, have you considered what might happen?" Father Licharl spoke calmly, but his gaze was unmistakably threatening.

"Surely you don’t want to see villagers left defenseless against sudden changes and becoming victims, do you? After all, you were once a commoner, and your relatives are still just ordinary villagers. You wouldn’t want people to think you’ve forgotten your roots now that you’re well-off, right?"

"If you want to help them, you should inform us, who are close to the villagers, as soon as possible so we can prepare to deal with the upcoming issues in time. Don’t you agree?" Licharl easily laid a trap for the young girl.

For a woman from a lower class who married into a major family, the first concern would be her reputation. They feared that a tarnished reputation might lead to neglect by their husband’s family. Their standing in the family wasn’t strong to begin with, and if it’s further weakened, their situation could become precarious.

Even with the Setter family, he didn’t believe that such a large family would be without selfish individuals! So, in the old man’s mind, he was already 1 step ahead of this country girl...thanks to his vast experience.

However, before Ellie could respond, a voice rudely interrupted.

"I heard that such a distinguished high priest like Father Licharl honored us with a visit to the Setter family without prior notice. We apologize for the slight delay in meeting you. However, everyone else is busy right now, so only we, the two sisters, are available to welcome you. Please forgive any perceived rudeness."

Two young girls stepped out from behind. This drawing room was quite spacious, initially accommodating only Ellie, who was acting as the host, and the guest, High Priest Licharl, along with his 3 attendants. So, the addition of just 2 more people didn’t make the room feel crowded. The servants waited outside, and Selin entered to arrange tea and sweets for the master and guests.

"How could you leave our sister-in-law to converse with the guest alone for so long? Why didn’t you send for us sooner? Don’t you know the social etiquette? Sister-in-law is just a woman, and receiving male guests alone might be seen as improper," one of the girls pretended to scold Selin, who could only accept the reprimand and then leave.

"Aya, you’ve just learned about social etiquette. Don’t apply your incomplete understanding. This person is a high priest and shouldn’t be considered an ordinary man like the rest of us."

"Eh, is that true, Sister Athena? The instructor never mentioned this," Aya puffed out her cheeks in a petulant manner, but the actions of the two girls were utterly adorable.

Ellie watched their interaction calmly. Although she wanted to shake them and ask if they were the same people who usually ate quietly, she held back...These two girls were part of the Setter family, younger sisters of the demonic Aman and also siblings to the demonic king, Young Lord Owen. So, how could they act normal like everyone else?

The difference was like night and day—No! Like heaven and hell!

"The instructor told you to read more in the books. It seems you’ve been playing instead."

“Ah...caught red-handed,” the two girls continued to playfully banter, acting like mischievous children. However, their arrival interrupted the conversation between Ellie and High Priest Licharl.

“Ahem, young ladies, please mind your manners. You are in the presence of a guest who is the high priest, my lady,” a familiar voice of the family butler appeared as the children bickered.

It seemed Ellie now understood how these two had dared to come here. Normally, they would smile and run away, smile and hide, avoiding her like they would not get close to her in this life. So she said that their behavior today was quite out of the ordinary.

“Ah! We apologize, Reverend. Please don’t mind me and my sister.”

“Reverend, please don’t be angry with me and Sister Athena.” The two girls continued their cute antics, making it hard for the priest to express his anger.

Despite their rude interruption of the important conversation among adults, they had mentioned they were learning noble etiquette. If he criticized them harshly, it would reflect poorly on his reputation.

“Haha, there’s no need to be afraid, young ladies. I won’t reprimand you.”

“Since you’re here, come and have some tea with us,” Ellie invited them to join, having seen the butler winked as a signal.

High Priest Licharl paused for a moment, realizing that the two girls and the butler were genuinely there to support this country girl. It seemed that even if he tried, he wouldn’t be able to extract any secrets about the auction.

“Thank you, Sister. But what were you discussing with the priest earlier, sister-in-law? Was it about the auction? Father told us not to reveal anything, Sister, so don’t tell the priest,” Aya said hurriedly like an innocent child who knew nothing, but her words gave Ellie an escape route. It appeared the girl was using her father’s authority to complicate matters for the priest. With such a directive...the priest wouldn’t be able to extract information from anyone else either.

"Aya, don’t be rude! How can you ask about others’ conversations?"

"Ah...I’m sorry, Sister." The young girl was reprimanded by her sister again, but now it seemed more like an unconvincing act. It was clear that they both intended to signal Ellie not to discuss the matter. High Priest Licharl sensed this as well.

"I wasn’t aware that the head of the Setter family wanted to keep this a secret, especially since it’s such a significant issue. I heard there’s an item that could cause chaos in the kingdom, yet you’re keeping it under wraps and plan to unveil it in front of the public, including representatives from other kingdoms. So, I want to know what exactly are you trying to do to the Ares Kingdom."

Realizing that compromise was no longer an option, High Priest Licharl spoke bluntly. His words weren’t just directed at the three children but were aimed more at the meddling butler.

"Hmm? What exactly is the priest worried about? We’re merely following the auction rules. According to those rules, we can choose whether to disclose information or not. There have been many times when auctions were held without prior disclosure because if we revealed it...someone with ill intentions might try to steal the valuable items before the auction day."

"Is the Setter family worried about theft? In this kingdom, no...aside from the 7 associations whose true abilities are unknown, you are the strongest."

"You place too much faith in our abilities, Reverend. You might not know this, but on the day of our eldest young lord’s debut, there was a successful intrusion by criminals. To say they are strong is a compliment, but anything can happen. If it weren’t for the previous intrusion, we wouldn’t be taking such extensive precautions," the butler retorted, showing no sign of backing down and presenting his reasons confidently.

Although he didn’t know what Young Lord Aman’s auction item was, he was aware of the significant item Young Lord Owen would unveil. Given the high stakes and value of such an item, revealing it beforehand would undoubtedly lead powerful individuals to exert their influence to ensure the Setter family wouldn’t profit from it.

Both he and the other leaders agreed that...it would either be the church or the palace that would not allow items like the "slave collars" to be sold on the open market, insisting that they be sold exclusively to them.

There were numerous ways to justify this—whether for the peace and order of the populace or for the glory of the kingdom. Regardless of the reasons, it would ultimately result in a loss of profit for the Setter family.

Therefore...the Setter family needed to auction these items first. Once a winning bid was established, whatever the price, the church and the palace would have to purchase them at around that price. They couldn’t drive the price down too much without appearing to bully the Setter family.

And yes! They knew that in the future, there was a possibility that the church and the palace would buy them out entirely. They wouldn’t let such valuable items fall into the hands of outsiders. Hence...they needed to auction the slave collars to achieve the highest price possible.

If they didn’t auction them, any low price offered couldn’t be contested, as the market value was unknown. However, by auctioning them...even if they wanted to undercut the price, they couldn’t do it significantly. They would have to respect the Setter family and recognize the risk of driving them to rebellion.

If the Setter family suddenly declared that they were moving Set City to another kingdom, they would be seen as villains. But if they had legitimate grievances by being bullied in various ways, such as being undercut even in their sales, who could blame them...?

Therefore...they must not disclose the "slave collars" before the auction!

"Heh, heh, it seems your reasoning is quite sound. Was it a coincidence or a deliberate plan by the Setter family? Very well...I won’t trouble you any further."

"As long as Lady Ellie remembers to donate resources to the Church to help the villagers, that’s enough." The high priest realized that prolonging the conversation wouldn’t be beneficial. He thus planned to end the discussion here, hoping to use the pretext of donations for another meeting with Ellie in the future...

However, his intentions were too easily seen through.

"My lady, we have already prepared a donation. Since you intend to donate, why not present this gift to the high priest now?" The cunning butler suggested. He had returned to his friendly, smiling demeanor after the heated exchange with the priest. It was clear that he had planned everything meticulously.

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