This Heroine's Friend Has the Power of Botany

Chapter 234

Sir Luke

"Damn it! Damn it!! Damn it!!!"

"F-Fourth Unit Leader..."

Crash!!!

The sound of violent outbursts echoed throughout the city. The Rhea Kingdom soldiers guarding outside secretly swallowed hard. Though they resented these poison users for seizing power from the Emperor, there was nothing they could do...These people were incredibly dangerous. Perhaps the Emperor’s decision was the right one after all.

What the soldiers didn’t know was why this group, who had left with smug expressions, returned in such a state! Furthermore, more than half of those who went out didn’t return. It seemed that the Ares Kingdom could even handle these poison users...

"Find out who leaked information about us!"

"Yes, sir."

"They will pay for betraying me! If I find out who dared to do this...I won’t let them live happily!" The Fourth Unit Leader was furious. However, he had some suspicions about who might be behind it. Someone who would lose out if he performed well, someone with many poisonous beasts...he was convinced it had to be one of their own. Otherwise, how could that Ares Kingdom’s hunter have a beast that used poison!?

While the Fourth Unit was in chaos, the hunter camp’s atmosphere was equally tense. The association leader had regained consciousness but hadn’t yet set things right, leaving everyone eyeing Luke atop the demon frog with suspicion. He had to report to the kingdom and capture those who survived from the demon frog’s consumption.

It turned out this demon frog was the real demon, possessing poison potent enough to easily kill poison users. If such a creature turned against them...who knew if they could defend against it in time?

After managing the chaos, the leader approached the young man to clarify everyone’s doubts.

"Luke, I need to speak with you. Let someone else take over the watch duties," the leader said as usual. Despite Luke’s suspicious statements, he felt the boy had no ill intentions towards the kingdom. If he wanted to destroy Ares, taking out the hunters first would have been the logical step. But he hadn’t done that; instead, he saved them. Therefore...to clear the situation, he wanted to help Luke explain his innocence.

"Yes, sir," Ellie responded promptly. She had been waiting for the opportunity to explain everything, and it turned out exactly as she had anticipated. As she entered, many hunters eyed her with suspicion, but still tried to give her a friendly smile. It could be said that right now, they were very hesitant, unsure whether to thank her or see her as an enemy.

The association leader’s first question was about her relationship with the Seven Night Poison group. Ellie clearly stated that she had no connection with them whatsoever.

"In that case...did you really buy information about them?" The leader furrowed his brows. He couldn’t believe anyone would reveal the abilities of the Seven Night Poison group so freely. If that were the case...others besides Luke would know, wouldn’t they? Why was Luke the only one who could purchase such information?

Ellie laughed softly, her deep voice sounding rather cunning.

"You’re right to be suspicious, but...I didn’t buy any such information."

"Then how..."

"I happened to overhear their plans, sir."

"Hmm?"

"While I was out hunting beasts alone, I came across them by chance. I saw a hunter suspiciously separate from the group and decided to eavesdrop on their conversation. I actually heard that the hunter had been threatened. To protect his family from danger, he had to accept the poison."

"The poison users’ plan was to put everyone to sleep and release them after the war. That’s why the hunter believed them. Also...do you remember me asking about the betrayal among hunters? I agree with you—I don’t think any hunter in Ares would betray their own, given the severe punishment and the impact on their families."

"And...I also made an incorrect assumption. I thought you had sent a spy to the poison users. That’s why I pretended not to know. If I had known it wasn’t your plan, I would have warned you. But I tried asking you, and you assured me that no true betrayal would occur, so..."

Luke feigned a slight look of guilt, but his words had been carefully prepared from the start. By asking the association leader earlier about the loyalty of hunters, Ellie had gauged his confidence in their integrity—he didn’t expect of any betrayal. Now, she was using that to her advantage.

Ellie also believed that the leader was suspicious of her previous questions. Rather than leaving him to speculate, she decided to use this to her advantage.

"But why did you mention buying information?" The leader, feeling a bit embarrassed, still refused to corner easily.

"After I realized this was probably not part of your plan and saw them kill that hunter without you intervening, I thought betrayal was indeed happening. So, I felt I needed to deal with them. However...I knew I couldn’t handle them all alone. Even though I trusted my little beast, they were poison users too. I figured poison alone wouldn’t be enough to handle them all. So...to benefit the kingdom even a little, I decided to create distrust among them."

"Distrust?"

"Yes, sir. Since they didn’t know I had been observing them and I overheard their power grab, there must be enemies within their group. I’m not sure what the long-term effects will be, but...that’s all I could do."

"Oh, so you made them think someone in their group leaked the information?"

"Yes, sir. If they suspect this, they’ll be more cautious in their actions after this, or they might even turn on each other," Luke chuckled in his throat. His demeanor was quite intimidating, but the leader couldn’t help but smile at his words.

It seemed Luke’s story was believable. If he were truly an enemy, why would he mention buying information instead of keeping quiet or making up another story? No...from the moment Luke helped them defeat the enemies, there shouldn’t have been any doubt!

"Well done. You performed excellently. I’ll make sure you receive extra points after the war. However, your words have caused suspicion and distrust. It’s now up to you to restore confidence."

"That’s fine, sir."

"Hmm?"

"Since the first betrayal, I don’t want anyone to trust me completely. We’ll do our jobs well, but we should remain cautious in every steps. Besides...I’m not someone who works well under trust. I’m rather impatient."

"Oh, I heard you usually take on missions alone. But with your skills, working solo is probably best."

"Yes, sir."

"Very well. Our camp must be more vigilant as well. You’ll continue to handle the beasts until the Rhea Kingdom makes a move. You’re free to operate as you see fit."

"Understood," Ellie, as Luke, agreed and left the leader’s tent. The leader slumped into his chair, realizing he had a lot of work ahead. The betrayal among the hunters was partly his fault. If he reported this but didn’t handle it well...the kingdom would punish him.

But that was not her concern. Ellie stepped out of the tent, feigning mild surprise upon seeing 3 or 4 people eavesdropping. When they saw her emerging, they pretended to patrol the area, but their actions were far from convincing. Moreover...the leader had known all along that someone was eavesdropping but chose to act oblivious. He intentionally called Luke in for a private discussion but also gave him the opportunity to clear his name.

Once Ellie left, the eavesdroppers regrouped.

"What do you think?"

"Think about what?"

"Hey! Don’t you find the Demon Frog Warrior’s explanation absurd? If anyone knew someone was planning to ambush our camp, they would have reported it to the leader immediately. Why keep it a secret? Doesn’t he realize we almost died because he acted this way!?"

"I understand your point, but you mustn’t forget that it was the Demon Frog Warrior, Luke, who saved your life."

"True, but I still don’t trust him."

"Hah, if you don’t trust the one who saved your life, who can you trust? Do you think others are trustworthy? Even you...I’m not sure I can trust you right now. But I know one thing—Sir Luke didn’t want us to die and had no intention of helping the Seven Night Poison group. That’s the undeniable fact."

Hearing this, many of the listeners nodded in agreement. Based on these facts, the hunters finally put their trust in Luke. Even though his actions seemed mysterious, they realized that in this life-and-death war, Sir Luke, dubbed as the Demon Frog Warrior, was their best chance of survival!

The tumultuous night passed quickly. No one dared to sleep, still shaken from the recent life-and-death events. The hunters’ camp remained brightly lit all night. Only Ellie managed to rest, leaving the little Apple to stand guard while her little spores reliably monitored the surroundings. Thus, she was the only one who woke up refreshed and ready for a new day.

The rest of the hunters moved about as if they were drained of energy. Many of them were hunters without formal training from the institution. Some had been trained but hadn’t kept up with their rigorous training. Their families didn’t care about them, which was why they ended up taking on missions with outsiders. All this pointed to the fact that they were relatively weak.

If you looked for those with magic power levels of 4 or higher, there wouldn’t be more than half, even if they had worked for so long.

Seeing their exhausted bodies after just 1 sleepless night, Ellie felt disheartened. She often trained for days without rest and never ended up in such a state. It wasn’t because she was particularly strong but because of her power of botany, which everyone else deemed useless, allowed her to absorb life force.

“Sir Luke, are you going hunting alone again this morning?” A young woman asked.

She was also a hunter, with a family that didn’t pay much attention to her circumstances. Therefore, she wasn’t called to be part of her family’s forces and instead joined the other hunters. Though she could fight a bit, she excelled in skills necessary for group survival: cooking, inspecting clothes, and preparing bedding. Some days, she hunted small beasts for food. Given these skills, her level wasn’t too low.

“Mmm.”

“In, in that case...could you please take this food with you? This...I wanted to thank you for saving us, Sir Luke.” She lowered her head to hide her embarrassment.

Although she came from a high-ranking family, her status within it was that of an ordinary member. Her family wasn’t concerned about finding her a suitable partner. She had hoped to fall in love with a skilled hunter, marry, and lead a simple, happy life. However, none of the hunters had caught her interest until she met Sir Luke.

The small woman extended a bowl of food toward Ellie. Ellie glanced at it but before she could accept it, something suddenly happened at the front of the camp!

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