This Heroine's Friend Has the Power of Botany

Chapter 63

Pawn

"Lord Wint," a gentle voice called out. Nara called Wint after he entered the tent, looking frustrated.

It was as if Wint suddenly remembered that there was a girl in his tent. He acknowledged her presence with a disinterested grunt, then went to grab his training gear. He intended to train harder tonight. The image of Aman flicking his sword out of his hand with just one finger still lingered in his mind. It felt like a harsh slap in the face, and he vowed it would be the last time he allowed such a thing to happen. Next time, if they clashed, he wouldn’t lose!

"Are you going to train again?" Nara called out to him. If she let him leave again, they would never have time to talk, then how could she make Wint fall head over heels for her?

"Mmm."

"But...you’ve already worked so hard today. Why don’t you rest a bit?" Nara’s words immediately irritated Wint.

"I will not stop training. If I keep resting, how will I ever surpass the label of “illegitimate son”!?" Hearing his tone, Nara realized she had made a mistake. She knew Wint was obsessed with training, all to become someone important and gain acceptance from others. What he hated most was people pitying him haphazardly. He appreciated those who valued his efforts.

It was like how excited he was when he saw Ellie fighting alongside Professor Regan without fear. If Nara had known that hiding behind a bush would ultimately lead to this trouble, she would have stepped out and played the hero instead. Her cowardice made Wint overlook all her words and chase after Ellie instead.

Nara knew she had made a mistake that caused her to lose a loyal "dog" to Ellie. Nevertheless, she had to try to win him back. Without this loyal dog, her endeavors would undoubtedly become more difficult.

At this moment, no one wanted to accept her into their group for point-gathering missions. However, Nara had a goal to graduate from here and become a priest. With her power of light, she had no confidence in defeating beasts on her own.

Teaming up with Wint was her only available option. Since she met him, Nara understood Wint’s weakness... A man like him just needed a woman who wanted to rely on him, and he would certainly come to the forefront. Unfortunately, Nara misjudged one aspect: Wint didn’t just want to display his gentlemanly nature; he also had a psychological trait where he admired those similar to himself, as if he wanted to see his own reflection in others.

The personality of someone insecure and seeking acceptance often manifests this way. By the time Nara realized this, Wint had already become infatuated with Ellie’s demeanor...

"I know you strive harder than anyone else. Soon, you will surely be recognized. I am one of those who acknowledge you," Nara said with a smile she thought was the warmest and most sincere. Under normal circumstances, Wint might have been swayed by these words. However...he had just had his sword easily flicked out of his hand by Aman, who didn’t even exert any effort. With just this much ability...Nara still claim to acknowledge him?

What part of her words showed sincerity!? Compared to Ellie, who directly told him she didn’t want him, it made Wint feel even better. At least he knew he wasn’t strong enough, and Ellie had a valid reason to choose Aman over him.

Nara didn’t realize that Aman’s display of superior strength had left a significant scar on Wint’s psyche...

"Get some rest. I’m going out to train," Wint cut her off, as if not wanting to talk to Nara who didn’t understand him at all. With Wint abruptly leaving, Nara couldn’t do anything either. She sat in the tent with a sullen expression, despite her efforts to remain calm with this thoughtless man.

"Do you think I want to cater to you that much!? If it weren’t so hard to approach others...I wouldn’t bother with such a fool!" She grumbled irritably to herself. Of course, it was just a complaint. In the end, who could she rely on besides Wint? So, Nara had no choice but to continue planning.

While Nara and Wint’s relationship was tense, things were not much better between Ellie and Aman.

"Didn’t I warn you to keep your distance from that fool of the Femon family? Why are there still rumors like this?" Aman said, clearly displeased, while Ellie was in no better mood.

"It’s not that I don’t want to stay away from him, but that man always waits in front of the tent where I work. Lately, I’ve been trying to leave work later than usual, but he still waits there. If it weren’t for Lady Celey chasing me out, I’d probably stay inside all the time," Ellie muttered. She couldn’t believe that the hero of the story like Wint could be so stubborn. The knight beloved by many readers turned out to be quite abnormal when she encountered him by herself!

"That means you haven’t been firm enough."

"Do you want me to kill him? What do you mean by firm? It’s not like I haven’t told him to stop bothering me."

"Hmph! How could that be enough? It’s clear he wants to force you to become his woman. If a few words were enough to make him back off, he wouldn’t be standing in front of your tent to make his presence felt every day."

"Huh? What do you mean by making me his woman..." Ellie tilted her head slightly. Seeing Ellie’s innocent expression, Aman wanted to laugh.

The girl in front of him seemed quite smart, yet she couldn’t see through that illegitimate son’s scheme?

It was clear what Wint wanted. From his public declarations, it was evident he wanted Ellie to become his partner. If this reached the Femon family’s ears, they would likely make Ellie Wint’s new fiancée. After all, Wint’s current fiancée wouldn’t want to remain in such a ridiculous position. Rather than leaving the position vacant, it would be better to tie it to an important woman from the Setter family.

To Aman, Wint wasn’t entirely foolish. He was still smart enough to navigate this situation. If he didn’t act now, his fiancée would inevitably be the woman he brought into his tent.

"Even you can’t keep up with his moves?" Aman sneered; his triumphant expression annoying Ellie. But...this was exactly how Aman should be towards her. Unlike his previous demeanor, when in front of others, Aman showed only his strict side. Only with Ellie...did he reveal his cunning nature.

"That illegitimate son must know his fate. He knows that once he returns to the institute, his fiancée will be replaced. The most likely candidate to become his new fiancée is Nara, that Light Element scholarship student. It seems he isn’t too pleased with that. I don’t understand why Wint doesn’t want Nara as his fiancée, even though he brought her into his tent."

"But what I am most certain of is that Wint wants you as his fiancée. His actions these past few days, including his declaration to protect you for life, make it clear even to a fool that he is proposing to you."

"Although compared to his original fiancée, you seem to be in a weaker position, his original fiancée never cared about the engagement in the first place. Wint, who presents himself as a gentleman, has wanted to change his engagement target from the beginning."

"Aren’t you curious why someone who acts so good would disrespect his own fiancée like that? Isn’t it improper for a man to do such a thing? And yes! He has been planning to break the engagement from the start!" Hearing Aman say this, Ellie found it hard to believe, but she couldn’t deny it. If Wint were truly straightforward and decent as she had understood, would he bring Nara into his tent and ignore his fiancée’s feelings?

"Is there anyone in the Femon family who can truly be trusted? That’s something the Setter family has always questioned. Especially with this illegitimate son, I feel he deliberately approaches women of lower status to boost his own ego," Aman continued, speaking negatively about Wint. This time, Ellie listened silently. The more Aman spoke, the more it made sense to her.

"Comparing the two, between Nara, who has a future as a priest and won’t be under his control anymore, and you, a poor scholarship student, the person he can control the most is you. More importantly...you will be beneficial to him in the future."

"You mean because of my relationship with the Setter family?"

"Yes...if he wants to be accepted by the Femon family, he needs the help of our Setter family," Aman reinforced Ellie’s thought.

However, the image of the foolish hero in Ellie’s eyes couldn’t be easily erased. Despite her experience with the deceitful heroine, Ellie still couldn’t believe that Wint was treating her as a pawn!

"You might not believe me much now, but be careful from now on. I’ve already stated that you belong to us, so he might try to approach you more or inquire about your relationship with the Setter family. If you want him to back off, you need to say that you are the fiancée of my brother. No...you need to say you are the fiancée of the young lord of the Setter family. If he merely wants connections with the Setter family, after this, he’ll try to befriend you and won’t cause trouble like before."

"But if...if you say that you are just a user of botanic elemental power who works for the Setter family, after this, that illegitimate son will try to get close to you aggressively. He will understand that you are valuable to the Setter family, and regardless of whether he becomes your fiancé or not, your relationship with the Setter family will remain."

"These are the paths you can choose, and I’m willing to let you use the rumors about being part of the Setter family." Aman’s smile widened. Ellie felt that part of Aman wanted to help her, but another part...seemed to want to truly bind her to the Setter family.

This man remained as cunning as ever. He kept saying she was suitable to become his brother’s fiancée because her abilities were necessary. She had always refused and avoided this. In the end, Aman used this situation to force her to make a choice.

It turned out that Wint was just a pawn for Aman as well. Otherwise...Aman wouldn’t have let Wint go so far as to fight Lady Aria. He could have appeared from the beginning and brought her along as a companion or discussed future mission plans.

Seeing Ellie’s gaze, Aman gave a wicked smile. He didn’t hide his expression as he did with others, as if he wanted to mock the girl in front of him and make her feel angry.

"Now I don’t know whether to trust you or let Wint do as he pleases," Ellie threatened, to which Aman could only shrug.

"That’s up to your decision. Since you failed to see through Wint from the start, the result of your foolishness has led you to this difficult path. And if next time, you still contract the stupidity from that fool, perhaps...the options you have might be even fewer," Aman laughed. His demeanor was so malicious that Ellie wanted to slap that mouth.

After Aman left, Ellie could only reflect on his words. She began to see the possibility that Wint might really be plotting this. He was trying so hard to be accepted, and many times...he seemed interested in her actions even before she fought the demonic beast.

As Ellie was deep in thought, she noticed unusual movements from the number one girl, represented by a golden dot, indicating Nara. Nara’s dot was moving unusually.

Ellie had used her powers on Wint as well to know his whereabouts for avoidance, but now...it seemed that her abilities would be fully utilized...

Well...Originally, Ellie thought the storyline would change in many ways due to her actions. Yet, in the end, the demonic toxin still entered the heroine’s body as before. Thus, Wint having to take responsibility for seeing the heroine’s body might still happen.

But this time, Ellie wouldn’t be careless. She no longer trusted the original plot. Just like when Nara had to fail in order to kill the demonic beast herself, Ellie felt that...this time, there might need to be some intervention. Otherwise, the situation might change unpredictably...

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