This Heroine's Friend Has the Power of Botany

Chapter 74

Proof

“Y-You people. That white hair...you must be from the Setter family! How dare you injure me like this! There are laws in this land! You’re being too audacious!!”

The soldier clutched his arm while speaking rapidly, sweating profusely. Meanwhile, other soldiers quickly brought him emergency healing potions, lest he bleed to death.

“Oh, so you know the laws of the land? Ah...my mistake, I forgot you’re a soldier. I thought you were just a ‘dog’ serving your master,” Aman shot a merciless glare at the man. Although his words were like a quibble, his eyes showed he wasn’t joking.

“Y-You! You’re from the Setter family, yet you treat us soldiers who serve the people like this! Your actions will only increase suspicion towards the Setter family!” The soldier saw that Aman was serious. If he said anything else displeasing, his life might be forfeit.

He didn’t know or care about the larger conflict. He just wanted to take the 100 gold coins back to his family. He didn’t mind losing his life, but if he died now, how could he collect the money!? Thus, he had to stay alive; he had to survive this!

“Is that so? Then isn’t accusing my people also making others suspicious of the Setter family?” Aman raised his eyebrows, looking at the soldier with disdain.

“That’s because she really did it! I’m not slandering you at all.”

"She did, did she? Have you heard what she supposedly did? From what I see...you’re the only one desperately anxious to silence my people. So, cutting off one arm isn’t enough for someone trying to frame my family!.. Just like my people said, if it’s proven she didn’t do anything wrong, I won’t let you live,"

Aman threatened. The soldier, terrified, couldn’t rush at Aman, hoping to kill him, like he had at Ellie. Aman’s strength wasn’t entirely clear, but the swift, wind-like movements of the white-haired man beside him, who had already severed his arm, were evident. If it came to a real fight, he wouldn’t be able to keep up! This highlighted the stark difference between the Setter family and ordinary people.

"I-I, I just..."

"Enough. You don’t need to say any more. You must have been prepared for this after agreeing to the 100 gold coins."

Upon hearing what Aman said, someone started to show visible signs of panic. And yes! Apart from the soldier and the 1-star level apothecary, there was a fourth-year student who couldn’t hide his fearful eyes well.

The 100 gold coins deal should have been a secret between him and the soldier, shouldn’t it? How did Aman of the Setter family know about it!?

If the other side didn’t know about this deal and tried to investigate, he could have claimed he was framed by the soldier or the greedy 1-star level apothecary. But as soon as Aman mentioned the 100 gold coins hiring price, he felt fear...fear that the other side knew more and had evidence!

"M-Money? What money? I didn’t..."

"Actually, I must say the person behind this was a bit too foolish. Didn’t you know that Ellie has the power to track people? After you used this clumsy apothecary to frame her, did you think Ellie wouldn’t notice?" Aman laughed coldly, his gaze fixed on one particular student, as if speaking directly to him.

Several students felt extremely frightened, each of them edging away to avoid Aman’s gaze. One by one, they moved aside until only a single young man from the Hart family stood frozen.

“W-What are you talking about, Lord Aman? I don’t know anything...” the fourth-year student, who was older than Aman, stammered. Everyone had already guessed who Aman’s gaze was directed at, but they didn’t expect the student to actually speak up and confirm it.

If Aman’s gaze had caused suspicion, the student’s words confirmed it—this young man from the Hart family was indeed involved in the incident.

The Hart family and the Setter family weren’t exactly enemies. The Hart family was a small one, incomparable to the Setter family.

However, this small family was under the protection of the Fernal family, known for their frequent conflicts with the Setter family. So, it could be said that the Hart family and the Setter family were at odds. Often, small families like these were used as tools for maneuvering. Seeing that a member of the Hart family had the opportunity to frame the Setter family made the whole situation even more intriguing.

“I didn’t expect you to admit to knowing anything. It’s alright...don’t worry too much. I won’t pursue you right now. Even if I catch the culprit, it’s no fun. Everyone knows me—if my prey doesn’t struggle beautifully, I won’t let them die easily.” Aman waved his hand dismissively. He stopped paying attention to the young man, who could barely stand, and turned his warm gaze back to Ellie.

“Alright...I’ll let you speak from now on,” Aman gave Ellie great respect. He could have revealed the truth himself, but since Ellie was the first to know about the situation, it was right for her to disclose everything. If it weren’t for Ellie, they wouldn’t have caught the culprit red-handed. Thus, the credit should go to her.

Ellie, having listened to the demon’s threats for so long, was suddenly handed the responsibility. She secretly pursed her lips slightly, but everyone noticed it. If Aman had been alone with her, he might have pinched her lips out of irritation. However, everyone else saw the close bond between the two, and they were assured that the position of the lady of the Setter family would undoubtedly not be transferred to anyone else.

Well...has anyone ever survived after showing disdain towards Lord Aman? And now Ellie had done just that...

"Lady Celey," Ellie addressed the person who was like a mentor to her, who was also waiting for her explanation. Celey nodded, signaling Ellie to speak.

Seeing that the 4-star level apothecary wasn’t suspicious of Ellie, as if she had never doubted the other party, everyone immediately turned their attention to her words. It seemed that, as an apothecary, Ellie had earned Lady Celey’s respect.

"Earlier, I noticed that all 1-star level apothecaries, after concocting and distributing their potions to the sick, always leave a portion of the potion behind. At the time, I asked why this was necessary, and you explained it to me."

"As apothecaries, we should avoid mistakes as much as possible. There are times when the potion has issues. Therefore, to be able to review it later if something goes wrong, all apothecaries are taught to leave a small portion of the potion at the bottom of the cauldron. I believe you should have received the leftover potion by now, correct?"

"Yes, I have, and it is indeed poisoned," Celey confirmed, causing many to widen their eyes. Did this not mean Ellie was the one who poisoned the potion?

"Yes, I thought it would be poisoned. However, I concocted the last cauldron of potion before you told me I could rest, correct? So, I didn’t have time to collect a sample after giving it to the soldiers. Therefore, I decided to keep a sample first, and then asked this apothecary to distribute the potion to the soldiers."

"Even so, you could have taken a sample before adding the poison, couldn’t you?" Celey raised her eyebrows. Although she trusted Ellie, others might not. If Ellie couldn’t clear herself, further investigation would be necessary.

However, Ellie smiled confidently, which eased Celey’s concerns a bit. At least Celey didn’t want to see Medik’s disciple turn out to be a villain. She also admired Ellie quite a bit as it was rare to find someone who was obedient and highly talented like her. If Ellie suddenly turned out to be malicious, Celey would be greatly disappointed.

“Yes, I also thought that some might understand it that way. However, good potion concocting requires careful attention, doesn’t it? When I concocted the potion, I took exactly 47 minutes per 1 cauldron to ensure the best properties. Everyone saw me take the cauldron out, and although they might not know if it was exactly 47 minutes, the properties of both cauldrons should be the same, right? That’s because I concocted 2 pots at the same time,” Ellie explained, and her statement was confirmed by several other apothecaries.

“Mmm, someone bring me a sample from the other cauldron,” Celey ordered. She smiled appreciatively at Ellie’s cleverness. By comparing the potions, it would be evident that she hadn’t tampered with them.

“Lady Celey, we’re not apothecaries, so we don’t understand. Even if there’s another sample, couldn’t she have added poison later?” one soldier, who had been listening attentively, asked on behalf of everyone.

“Yes, but the properties of the potion would change. Also...you can’t just throw anything into a boiling cauldron of potion. If any ingredient is off by even a little, the healing properties could change entirely.”

“So... if the potion had poison added during the 47-minute boiling process, the healing properties wouldn’t match the other cauldron’s potion. But if they’re the same, it means she didn’t add anything during the boiling process. While poison powder might dissolve, it would only be mixed with the perfectly concocted potion,”

Celey smiled when she said to this point, looking at Ellie with admiration.

“If someone else had concocted this low-level wound healing potion, they wouldn’t have been able to use this method to prove their innocence, except for Ellie...”

“What do you mean by that, Lady Celey?” the soldier asked, still not fully understanding. Celey wasn’t annoyed and explained further.

“It means...the skill to concoct a potion to its highest potential, even for a low-level potion, is something only Ellie and I can achieve!”

"If someone else concocted the potion, the likelihood of the poison compromising the potion is much higher. This is because there would still be imbalances in the potion’s composition. As you know, if a potion reaches the highest potential of its grade, the only way to surpass it is by using higher-grade herbs.”

"Ellie has surpassed the level of all 1-star level apothecaries. That’s why...I chose to trust and work with her, as you have seen."

“The skill to concoct a potion to its most complete state means that if poison is added later, it would separate into two parts: the healing potion and the poison. It’s impossible for Ellie to have added poison after concocting because the one who handed out the potion was...another 1-star level apothecary.”

Upon hearing Celey’s explanation, many students were left speechless, and the apothecaries were even more stunned!

They were professional apothecaries, confident 1-star level apothecaries who trained daily to hone their skills. Their ultimate goal was to concoct potions to their highest potential or achieve the perfect pill.

To advance from a 1-star to a 2-star level apothecary, they must first concoct low-level potions to their highest potential. And what did this mean? It meant that if Ellie took an exam at the apothecary institution, she would instantly qualify as a 2-star level apothecary or higher!

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