This Heroine's Friend Has the Power of Botany

Chapter 232

What Did I Say?

Ellie was assigned a mission to deal with the surrounding beasts without adhering to any specific battle plans. In other words, she didn’t have to follow anyone’s orders; she just needed to manage the area within a 5-kilometer radius around the camp. This task could be seen as both difficult and easy. Being assigned to fight independently allowed Ellie to fully display her skills, unlike having to follow orders from other people. If the one giving orders gave the wrong task to her, that could potentially complicate things.

Ellie had never hunted in the 2nd floor before, but the beasts she encountered weren’t strong enough to be noteworthy. A simple arrow could deal with them. Compared to the Three-Colored Monkey beasts in the 1st floor, they were nothing.

Observing their strength, after a few battles, she let the spores handle killing them and had the little Apple clean up the corpses by eating them. In fact, this felt more like a stroll around the area. However, during her rapid rounds, she stumbled upon something she shouldn’t have seen...

"Remember, dissolve this into the food everyone is likely to eat. This poison powder will render everyone unconscious for 6 hours, enough time for our men to capture them. But if anyone is still awake...we will kill them. Understand?"

"Y-yes, I understand."

"Good. Then, don’t mess up if you don’t want the hunters to die. Remember, the Rhea Kingdom does not despise hunters. It’s better if they all become assets for Rhea in the future. Once this war ends, you’ll be a hero to everyone." The owner of the poison powder spoke confidently, but his eyes briefly betrayed his intentions, a look he hid from the hunter.

The large young man, a hunter from the Ares Kingdom with a blue crystal around his neck like Ellie, hesitated. But in the end, he had no choice. If he didn’t use the anesthetic powder on everyone, the Rhea Kingdom would switch to using deadly poison powder, killing everyone. He just wanted to prevent such a tragedy. Even if the Ares Kingdom fell, what did it matter!?

Ultimately, whoever ruled the kingdom or even if the kingdom changed names ten times, their lives wouldn’t change. They would still be a hunter working hard to feed their family. So, instead of throwing his life away, it was better to keep it and work a bit more to earn money for food for his family.

Even if he was accused of not loving his homeland, he accepted it willingly because he had chosen between his beloved family and the word, “kingdom.”

"This is just an anesthetic, right?"

"Hmm? Why? Don’t you trust us? If you want, you can have someone check the powder first, but I’m not sure how long our Seven Night Poison group can wait."

"I-I understand, sir. Please give me some time. After tonight’s dinner, everyone will surely be asleep."

"Good! That’s excellent. Everyone will be unconscious for just a few hours. After we’ve captured them, we’ll release them once the war is over. So, you have nothing to worry about."

"Understood! I will do this well. Thank you for giving us hunters this opportunity," the large man said as he took the poison powder. He no longer hesitated in his decision. The other man’s words were correct—better to keep the hunters alive for future use after the war ended than to kill so many. At least they could continue to be of use to the Rhea Kingdom.

However, he did not realize that the thoughts of the Seven Night Poison group were not like those of ordinary people. They didn’t care about manpower, as they weren’t kingdom leaders. The Seven Night Poison group was only interested in developing poisons. The more people they had, the more test subjects they could use. This was why they offered to spare the people of Ares—simply to satisfy their own needs.

After the two parted ways, Ellie carefully examined the poison powder in the Ares hunter’s hand. She found that it had properties similar to the sleeping pills, rendering those who ingested it unable to resist capture. However, it wasn’t a sleeping pill in the traditional sense; it didn’t make the person unconscious. Instead, it left them fully aware but unable to move. All sensations and perceptions would be normal; they could still hear and feel everything, including pain.

It made sense for them to use this on test subjects, as they wanted to know the extent of the victims’ suffering. If they were unconscious, they wouldn’t experience the desired level of torment!

"Huh, huh, after this war, our Seven Night Poison group will become the “Eighth Association, the Seven Night Poison Association,” at last."

"Congratulations, Fourth Night Unit Leader!!" The subordinates cheered, flattering their leader, making it impossible for the man who was called Fourth Night Unit Leader to suppress his smile.

"Don’t get too complacent yet. We still need to see if the other associations will accept us."

"But Unit Leader, if they don’t accept us, we can show them just like we did with the Rhea Kingdom. We can show the Ares Kingdom, proving that we, the potential Eighth Association, are no weaker than they are."

"Exactly, Unit Leader. And...with so many foolish hunters, our Fourth Unit will gain many poison test subjects. Perhaps... oon, you might not just be the Fourth Night Unit Leader, but the First Night Unit Leader."

"Haha. Soon, our Fourth Unit might become the First Unit, thanks to our leader’s brilliant plans!!"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. What are you talking about? Why would our Unit Leader want to be the First Unit Leader when he’s strong enough to contend for the position of “Association” Leader!!"

"Haha, indeed!! The new Association Leader!"

"Association Leader!!" The members of the Seven Night Poison group cheered joyfully. They had been assigned by their group leader to manage the people of the Ares Kingdom on the second floor. In times of war, their leader expected accomplishments from everyone.

Their goal was to become the eighth association in this world. Thus, this war was their declaration to everyone about their strength. Other units were also preparing to crush the enemy, aiming to make it impossible for them to even set up a camp, which was ideal.

But the Fourth Unit’s plan was more cunning. Their leader was more ruthless than anyone. His devious nature allowed him to devise a plan that didn’t require him to lift a finger. Let the enemies deal with each other, and they would just wait to reap the rewards. This was the perfect plan for a true villain!!

As the sunlight faded from the sky, the hunters gathered. Since they weren’t soldiers, discipline wasn’t strictly enforced. Some formed groups to cook, and some groups even had alcohol. The association leader knew their habits, so he assigned shifts, dividing who would patrol and who would rest in each day. Otherwise, if an enemy attacked while everyone was having fun, they wouldn’t be able to handle it in time.

He allowed this because he understood it was the early stage of the conflict. The Rhea Kingdom also needed time to prepare. Therefore, there wouldn’t be any intense fighting right away. Moreover, their surveillance units had not detected any major troop movements, so he allowed some leniency.

"You’re not joining them?" The leader asked, seeing the small young man sitting in a corner of the camp. Ellie shook her head, holding a bowl of the food the hunters had made and distributed. Its aroma was truly appetizing.

The leader also had a bowl of the same food. Everyone in the camp had come to get some of this soup because it was a hot food, which was fitting for a cold night.

Seeing Ellie drink the soup, the leader followed suit. After a moment of silence, Ellie began to speak.

"This camp is a gathering of hunters from various places and backgrounds. Why do you trust them with such important tasks?"

"Hmm? What are you asking? If you can’t trust people from your own kingdom, who can you trust?"

"Don’t you think that someone from our kingdom might betray us to save themselves?"

"Haha, you’re overthinking it. I guess this might be your first time joining a war. But you know...regardless of who we are, with the blood of the Ares Kingdom, we will first unite to deal with the enemy. After that, if we have to fight each other...we can do that later. Haha."

"I’m not saying we love each other, but the penalty for betraying a fellow citizen is so severe that no one would dare!"

The leader’s laughter drew attention, with some people raising their glasses, inviting him to drink with them. He responded by holding up his glass. The overall atmosphere in the camp was very good. Ellie felt that being a hunter brought a lot of freedom, unlike being under the control of a family. However, with too much freedom, they had to bear the consequences as well.

As a leader, it wasn’t surprising for him to have confidence in his people. However...the one who haven’t experienced true betrayal would be that party...

Despite the severe penalties for betrayal during wartime and the fact that veterans wouldn’t dare test these consequences...it wasn’t just Ellie who hadn’t faced such a grand-scale war. Many others still dared to think of challenging the punishment for betraying their own kingdom!

Only 2 hours had passed when things started to go wrong. The guards at the camp entrance began to lose their strength. No matter how much they tried to stay upright, it was futile. Some, realizing what was happening, quickly tried to drink antidotes, but unfortunately, there was no antidote suitable for this particular poison.

Remember who their enemy was!

These people called themselves the "Seven Night Poison" because their most potent poisons were those that caused unconsciousness! Although the poison used this time wasn’t their strongest, it was far from weak. It had been newly developed to resist antidotes. Those who created cures were unaware of this poison, so they couldn’t keep up with its development. It was no wonder that, in the end, not a single person in the camp remained standing.

"Knock, knock, knock. Is anyone there? The enemy is attacking," a taunting voice from the Seven Night Poison group member echoed from the entrance, where 5 hunters lay helpless. They knew what was happening but couldn’t get up to fight back.

Thud!

"Oh, pardon me. I didn’t see you comfortably resting there, haha."

"Spit!! Is this all the Ares Kingdom has to offer? People say the Rhea Kingdom is terrified of them, but in reality, they are just this weak!"

"The Rhea Kingdom is pathetic. They can’t even handle the fools from the Ares Kingdom. If it weren’t for our decisive leader, they would be begging for a compromise by now."

"Alright, alright, don’t bully them too much. Now, let’s call out the person responsible for this great deed. It’s time to reward him,"

The Fourth Night Unit Leader said with a sinister expression. His subordinates dragged the man who acted from the back and threw him forward. He was terrified, knowing that he had already taken action and there was no turning back.

"Y-You, uh, I..."

"What’s the matter? Why are you trembling? Hmm? You did a great job today. Not a single person left standing. Truly a commendable act. I must applaud you." With that, he clapped his hands, resounding “clap, clap, clap,” three times. The seemingly deranged act made the hunter even more fearful.

"But there’s one unfortunate thing. Do you know what it is?"

"I-I...don’t know, sir."

"You don’t? Didn’t I make myself clear? I despise having to repeat myself, but...for you, I’ll say it again."

"T-thank you, sir...Ugh!!" The foolish hunter didn’t get to finish his sentence as the Fourth Night Unit Leader grabbed his collar and lifted him off the ground. If he wasn’t in this terrifying situation, the hunter wouldn’t be dealt with so easily like this. He had already submitted once and was forced to submit again, but unfortunately, he had made a very foolish decision.

"Huh, huh, huh, haha. This guy is truly stupid. I told you before, if you want anyone to survive, make them unconscious. If I see anyone who can still move, I’ll kill them...Didn’t you hear?"

"But, ugh..."

"Yes, but...but why are you still conscious?!!" Upon hearing this, the hunter’s eyes widened in shock. The Fourth Night Unit Leader forced a pill into his mouth and threw him aside.

"Wh-why? You bastards, you’re all scum!!" By the time he realized, it was too late. The poison had entered his body. His large frame writhed in agony amidst the laughter of the Seven Night Poison group members, and he died with his eyes wide open...

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