This Heroine's Friend Has the Power of Botany

Chapter 265

A Disgrace

"A-Actually...our Hunter’s Association was already prepared to face poison users because of everyone’s past experiences. Additionally, we once caught criminals from the Rhea Kingdom, so we knew they were highly skilled in using poisons. However, this time it wasn’t just about poison; they employed strategies far more sinister!"

"After some initial fighting, our 4-star rank hunters and Hunter Luke here managed to defeat many enemies. It seemed the enemy was demoralized, so their commander ordered the release of a level 4 beast!"

"Hmm? Are you saying you fought against a level 4 beast?" Prince Joseph was very surprised.

He hadn’t kept up with the news regarding this. However, Prince Jason and some others were not as surprised by this revelation. High-level beast parts had been sent for inspection since last night, confirming the events. Yet, there were many like Prince Joseph who were unaware.

"Yes, Your Highness. Normally, just a level 4 beast alone could destroy a large army. However, this battle didn’t end with just the level 4 beast,"

Even though they had just gone through a terrifying event, the association leader said with pride when recalling the success of the recent fight...

"For the battle against the level 4 beast, it was Hunter Luke who lured it away from the main fight. He led it into the forest, planning to finish it off alone. Shortly after, we heard a loud “boom,” and the fight against the Rhea soldiers ended with them panicking and fleeing for their lives."

"The Rhea soldiers fled?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Their commander signaled a full retreat, and they immediately fled back to their city upon hearing the explosion. At that time, we didn’t know the reason for their retreat but were concerned for Hunter Luke’s safety. The 4-star rank hunters reached him first, followed by the rest of us. However, what we saw made us want to give up."

"Because there were about 100 beasts, both levels 2 and 3. The sight of them emerging continuously made us initially feel that, from now on...not only would we fail to hold the camp, but the city itself might be overrun and turned into a bloodbath by these high-level beasts."

"Fortunately, Hunter Luke knew how to destroy that magical device. He limited the beast’s emergence to just over 100. Had he been slower, it might have been 1,000 beasts. We had no idea when it would have ended!"

After the association leader finished speaking, silence enveloped the room. Everyone knew there had been a fierce battle and that they had managed to hunt a level 4 beast. That achievement alone was significant for the Hunter’s Association. If it had been another noble family facing such a fight, who knew how many lives would have been lost, and they probably would have been defeated...

However, the story seemed so unbelievable that it was no wonder that after listening to the end, Prince Joseph, who was silent for a brief moment, laughed as if it were a mere joke.

“Haha. Are you saying that aside from the level 4 beast, just a few thousand hunters managed to take down over 100 level 2-3 beasts as well?”

“Uh, yes, Your Highness.”

“Haha. If you’re trying to claim credit, keep it believable. I’m not undermining your efforts, but even a whole army couldn’t achieve that. So, I think you should recount the actual events instead of randomly attributing accolades to the person behind you.”

“Is he your illegitimate son? Are you trying to promote him to a high-ranking military position under these war conditions? Otherwise, why are you constantly praising him for his bravery? I believe the rank 4 hunters could handle hundreds of Rhea soldiers, but you keep including this hunter in every scenario.”

“Moreover, you say he was able to destroy the magical device effectively...so how do you know there would have been over 1,000 beasts? I think it was just the 100 beasts. Even that number...I find excessive.”

The prince shook his head lightly, clearly dissatisfied. The association leader’s face darkened slightly, and even the rank 4 hunters showed their displeasure. Prince Joseph’s words belittled them greatly, and not only that...he especially targeted the one who deserved the most praise. Those who had fought side by side knew that it was Luke who had made the sacrifice. They couldn’t help but feel indignant.

Before, each hunter may have lived their own life without much interaction. But after fighting together, they had started to become more like a family. Helping each other selflessly on the battlefield had revealed each other’s true characters. It was no wonder they felt so strongly about this.

However, no one in the room was as furious as Eldest Young Lord Owen, who cared for the girl like she was a precious gem!

Just hearing that contemptuous laughter made him almost unleash his lightning power to silence it. But when Prince Joseph dared to mention his beloved, saying it was unbelievable that she had such skills, though she had trained harder than anyone else, he changed his mind from killing him in one go to torture him, slowly cutting off his flesh piece by piece for mocking his beloved Ellie!

Unfortunately, his beloved didn’t want to reveal the close relationship between Owen and herself, while disguised as Luke. Otherwise, he would have stepped in decisively to settle the matter. Perhaps...after Prince Joseph found out, he might want to kneel and beg for forgiveness from Ellie or the young hunter he scorned. At least Ellie’s wishes kept Owen in check for now. Otherwise, Joseph would have faced true hell.

Even though Owen claimed he didn’t want to make a fuss, he wasn’t about to let this matter slide either.

“It seems that someone in our kingdom possessing such skills has greatly displeased the mighty Prince Joseph,” Owen said, a sneer spreading across his face.

Prince Jason caught the implication behind Owen’s words and laughed loudly, seizing the chance to strike at his vile brother who dared to use traitors for his tasks.

“Haha. Brother, you’ve made the Eldest Young Lord suspicious. Before you continue, I think you should check the butcher shop first. Last night, it received a level 4 beast’s meat from the Hunter’s Association. I saw it myself; it was a terrifying creature. The middle part is being examined, and it appears to contain the magical device mentioned by the association leader.”

Jason shrugged as he spoke. If it weren’t for the fact that he was a familiar prince, Ellie might have thought this guy was Owen’s younger brother, Aman. She couldn’t believe how this usually blunt prince had become so opportunistic!

Normally, Owen disliked people using him for their gain. However, Prince Jason’s words made him refrain from any criticism. At least, helping to speak up for Ellie indirectly earned some favor, changing his opinion from strongly negative to slightly less negative...

“Hmm? And what about the level 2 and 3 beasts? If there really were that many, it would’ve been big news by now. It’s not often that Ares gets such valuable resources, right?”

“Your Highness, the level 2 and 3 beasts are part of the compensation for the association. If it weren’t for the level 4 beast containing the magical device, we would’ve kept the parts to sell for the association’s funds. Currently, those high-level beasts are in our association’s village, which specializes in butchering and processing such materials.”

The association leader spoke up. It seemed that the prince refused to believe him. He found it odd, considering they had never had issues before.

Prince Joseph narrowed his eyes slightly, feeling as if he were being ganged up on. It seemed his younger brother was trying to ally with the hunters. Or was it the Jarlon family who had trained him in this?...

However, Joseph didn’t see the hunters as important. To him and every soldier, hunters would do anything for money, lacking any real honor. History was full of instances where kingdoms lost wars because hunters betrayed them for the enemy’s money.

Since the royal family had been taught this way, he assumed Jason would know it too. However...it might be because of the eldest young lord of the Setter family’s interest in the association. His dear younger brother seemed to be keen on forming an alliance with the Setter family.

“I see. Thank you for reporting this to me. I’ve been so busy with my duties that I haven’t had time to stroll around the palace myself. If anything like this happens again, feel free to inform me. I won’t mind.”

Joseph seized this opportunity to showcase his superiority, making Jason grit his teeth in anger. With just one sentence, it seemed he was acknowledging his inferior status, making all his previous statements seem like mere reports from a subordinate.

While Jason fumed over his mistake, he realized his decision to follow his allies had proven correct. When Steven, who supported all actions of his eldest son, laughed softly, it drew everyone’s attention.

“Oh, pardon me. I was merely admiring Prince Joseph’s survival skills...”

Everyone fell silent, unsure of the meaning behind Steven’s words. The father and son duo had never been close to the royal family but had never openly opposed them either. Just moments ago, the son almost accused Prince Joseph of treason by suggesting he wasn’t happy about strong individuals in the kingdom. Thus, no one knew whether to laugh along with Steven’s jest or how to react. Steven continued speaking.

“You mentioned working hard, so you must be working harder than all the nobles here. Oh...and that must include the Emperor, who inspected the situation last night, right?” Steven’s calm and steady words struck Joseph like a slap in the face.

The Emperor, who had the heaviest workload, had personally gone to check the situation. Yet Prince Joseph claimed he was too busy with his duties to do so, opting instead to hear about it from others...How humiliating could this get?!!

“U-Uh, well...”

“Should I report this to you too?” Unexpectedly, the Emperor joined in, his expression dark. It was clear the previous statement had genuinely embarrassed him.

His foolish son had failed to keep up with important news, instead waiting for others to report it in a meeting and then praising them for doing so. This behavior was shameless!

“Father, I wouldn’t dare!!” Prince Joseph suddenly felt faint, biting his lip as he knelt with a thud.

“Wouldn’t dare? Isn’t it that I should expect your thanks after informing you of this?”

“F-Father!!”

"Get out!! Don’t let me see your face again! And...to open your eyes to the world, go to the tower and bring me 10 level 3 beasts! If you can’t do it, don’t bother coming back!"

As the Emperor’s furious command ended, soldiers rushed in to drag Prince Joseph out under everyone’s watchful eyes.

Who would have thought the beloved prince would be punished so severely? The entire meeting room fell silent, no one daring to speak.

"Your Majesty, please do not be angry. The war is still of utmost importance. Please take care of your health," Steven spoke up again, reminding the Emperor to refocus on the meeting.

"Alright, then. I want you to propose ways to handle this matter. I believe the enemy will use this dirty tactic again," the Emperor said, passing the task to the nobles. They exchanged glances.Perhaps...the Emperor’s earlier anger was a setup to continue the mood. Instead of offering suggestions first, he asked them for solutions, presenting an open-ended question with no input from himself. Yet...no one dared to question or respond to him directly, knowing that approaching the Emperor in his current state could only lead to danger...

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