Chapter 79
The Warning
days after the incident, Ellie continued her daily task of concocting 10 cauldrons of potions. After completing the concocting, she had to bring samples to Lady Celey for daily poison checks. This was not only required of Ellie but also of the other apothecaries. This added a considerable burden on Celey, but to prevent any further disasters, it was necessary...
Meanwhile, the 2 major families—Cherine and Fernal—and Hart family had learned about the incident. They contacted and stated that they would send representatives here. If it weren’t for the fact that all the professors knew about this and the priests had thoroughly investigated and confirmed the father of the child in the Cherine family’s young lady’s womb, they might have found another way out.
Unfortunately for them, the priests acted swiftly. They gained immense respect for preventing a tragedy and became revered saviors for preserving the life of the child. With such an opportunity to build their reputation, no priest wanted to miss out.
Even if they wanted to turn a blind eye, they couldn’t avoid the consequences. Priests, who serve the gods, pretending not to see such vile acts, would surely face public condemnation. Thus...when faced with two choices—praise or censure—what else could they choose?
The child in Cherine family’s young lady’s womb was clearly Carter Hart’s. The delicate young girl was devastated when she found out that her lover had planned to kill both her and the child. As a result, she confessed all her wrongdoings.
It turned out that she and Carter had secretly met before the engagement. The young girl had fallen deeply in love with Carter, but she couldn’t refuse the arranged engagement either. Duty to her family had to come first. Even so, she couldn’t stop herself from loving him. Many times, she had secretly been with Carter, and she hadn’t wanted this child either.
Nevertheless, a woman’s heart was more delicate than a man’s. Instead of quietly killing the child, she wanted to keep it and brought this matter to Carter. Who would have thought that the man she believed to be so kind could treat her like this? Her greatest mistake might have been falling in love with him!
Carter was arrested as the mastermind behind the poisoning plot. However, under the advice of the Hart family, the young man denied poisoning his lover. At the very least, it was better not to be openly hostile to the Cherine family. After all, the Fernal family would no longer keep them by their side. If they were to break ties and become enemies with the Cherine family as well, the small Hart family would soon be reduced to worthless ruins. Not to mention the Setter family, whose wrath they had also provoked...
"Have you finished concocting the potion today?" A one-star level apothecary greeted Ellie after seeing that the young girl had already ordered them to bring down the 10th cauldron for potion-concocting.
Ellie’s speed in concocting potions was different from that of the 1-star level apothecaries. She would simply grab herbs and toss them into the cauldron, yet the potions she produced had the highest possible properties for their level. Other apothecaries had to meticulously check and recheck to avoid failures. The most significant advantage for Ellie to work so fast was her 100% success rate in potion concocting.
Sometimes, there would be failures in potion concocting. Even though 1-star level apothecaries rarely failed at making lower-level potions, out of 5 cauldrons, there would be one or two failures. This was an approximately 25 out of 100 failure rates, which wasn’t too high. However, concocting potions without any errors significantly saved time.
Ellie nodded at the apothecary with a smile. The situation remained the same; the barrier still hadn’t been repaired, so there were frequent disturbances from the surrounding beasts. Professor Regan didn’t call the students for basic lessons as usual, leaving them to help the injured and patrol instead.
Ellie’s duties were only in the morning. In the afternoons, she dedicated her time to training. Throughout the day, she only interacted with the apothecaries. She barely saw Aman and Koross, and even Wint, who used to follow her around, didn’t have the chance to bother her anymore. It was as if Ellie had become closer to the apothecaries than anyone else.
Of course, they were friends with a significant age gap of several decades...
"Yes, thank you for your help," Ellie replied politely to the 1-star level apothecary with her usual courteous smile.
"Oh, Lady Ellie, there’s no need to be so polite with us. You have such a talent for potion-concocting; you’ll surely become a high-ranking apothecary in the future. Besides, you’re on good terms with the Setter family. Since they honor you so highly, how could we possibly accept such deference from you?" The 1-star level apothecary waved her hand dismissively. The fact that Ellie used polite language with her made her feel like her head might fall off multiple times.
The fact that a girl who was the Setter family’s people was showing them respect implied that she was elevating their status to that of the Setter family. It was no wonder everyone felt a mix of anxiety and awe.
"You are all 1-star level apothecaries, while I haven’t even taken the exam yet. Therefore, it is only right for me to address you politely. Besides, I am merely a girl from the countryside. The future is uncertain, but the present is as it is."
"Even so, once you take the apothecary exam, you are bound to pass. You should become at least a 2-star level apothecary."
"Though you say that, I’m still not a certified apothecary. Besides, my smooth work is due to your help," Ellie replied with a smile.
Maintaining the other person’s dignity was something she had always done, even in her previous job. Even if they said she could speak normally, encountering a polite and respectful girl like her only reinforced their pride in having earned the 1-star level apothecary certification. How could they not like such a well-mannered girl?
Ellie watched their somewhat exasperated faces but eventually turning into happy smiles, while she packed her small tools to return to her tent. However, the result of building good relationships with these women led them to call out to her before she could leave.
"Lady Ellie..."
"Yes?"
"We heard that lately, you’ve been heading back to your tent right after finishing your potions, is that right?" They glanced at each other before asking to which Ellie nodded.
"Yes."
"Oh...in that case, you might not know about this," the 1-star level apothecaries who had been assisting Ellie exchanged glances, looking slightly hesitant. Judging from the prelude, Ellie sensed that despite their reluctance, they actually wanted to tell her about this matter.
"Is there something wrong?" Ellie asked, opening the way for them to speak.
"Well...we didn’t really want to bring this up because it might upset you, Lady Ellie. However, this is an important matter, and I think you should be aware of it."
"Actually, ever since the incident where you were falsely accused, many people have been talking about it. The students at the institution have been buzzing about it. It seems they believe that your help to the young lady from the Cherine family was a ploy to turn the Cherine and Fernal families against each other. By destroying the Hart family’s trust in the Fernal family, it ultimately benefits the Setter family, which they think was your intention from the start."
"As they discussed about this, some even say that if you hadn’t saved Young Lady Cherine from danger, it might have been better for all three families."
"Many from the Cherine family deeply resent that young lady. I’ve heard that some young men and young lady from the Cherine family want to destroy the tent where she’s staying. They say she not only brought disgrace but also seeks to drag the Cherine family down with her."
The 1-star level apothecary recounted what they had heard. On the surface, it might not seem like a big deal since Ellie wasn’t the main character. However, if you think deeply about it, it wouldn’t be surprising if the young nobles from the three families blamed her.
It’s human nature to avoid blaming oneself first. Even though Ellie saved the mother and child, if it became a problem for them in the future, her actions would still be considered wrong.
"Even though they haven’t taken any action yet, I think you should be careful, Lady Ellie. Given your powers, I believe you should keep a close watch on people from the Cherine or Fernal families. I’m worried they might cause trouble for you."
Hearing this warning, Ellie couldn’t help but feel grateful. These 1-star level apothecaries truly seemed like good people, going so far as to warn her about potential dangers.
Ellie thanked them sincerely. Even though some might have spoken out of curiosity or found it amusing, all of this wasn’t a bad thing for her.
"Thank you very much for the advice. For this...I will be extra cautious," Ellie said, not dwelling on it further. After all, the things they wanted to tell her were already known to her.
Throughout the free afternoons, Ellie constantly monitored the situation using the power of the little purple mushrooms. She could hear everything people talked about. However, their conversations were far less interesting than the movements of Nara and the Camp Leader.
Ellie noticed that Nara had been disappearing with the Camp Leader frequently. The young girl was sticking closely to him, ignoring Wint entirely. Ellie felt that the heroine of the story was falling for this distinguished man with exceptional leadership qualities. Nonetheless, the Camp Leader’s odd behavior had been showing up more and more often.
She wasn’t sure if she was overthinking it, but the Camp Leader seemed to be trying to converse with Nara in a friendly manner, only to eventually circle back to asking about her. Questions like...what kind of powers she had, which plants she was bonded with, what abilities those plants had, and what they could do. Some days, he even inquired about her family history, asking if she had strong parents or any powerful ancestors.
Nara answered as much as she knew. Ellie’s family had always been poor farmers, relying solely on diligence to save money to buy land. Because her family had only one child and wasn’t a large family, they didn’t have many people to support, which perhaps allowed them to save more money.
He wasn’t just asking about her; he also asked about other talented students. These students were all individuals without any notable reputation or connections to prominent families.
Ellie tried to observe whether he would ask about Aman, Koross, Wint, or the girls like Vida, Aria, and others. As a result, he asked nothing about the individuals from noble families. He seemed to focus only on regular students who weren’t particularly outstanding, as if he was gathering additional information for some reason.
This Camp Leader met with Nara for just 1 hour a day. During this time, he had no followers and refused to let others see him. The meeting place was known only to the two of them. He told Nara that he didn’t want to cause her any trouble, as others might think she was trying to get close to him, especially after the affair rumors. However, Ellie sensed no genuine concern from him.
"Hmm?" While Ellie was focusing on her training and keeping an eye on the people around her, she suddenly noticed an unusual movement from the Camp Leader, whom she had been particularly interested in.
Ellie used her spores on the surrounding grass to see what was happening. The unusual movement she noticed was the Camp Leader setting himself on fire, which destroyed all the spores on him.
She already knew that fire could destroy her spores, but it was strange for someone to suddenly set themselves on fire and then find new clothes. Perhaps...he was being cautious about her abilities and realized that mushrooms might have a weakness to fire.
As soon as the Camp Leader destroyed Ellie’s spores, he had her full attention. While he thought he had eradicated her ability to monitor him with fire, he didn’t know that the spores in the air were gradually attaching to him once again.
"Alright...this should be enough. As long as I don’t encounter that student directly, she won’t be able to use her powers on me."A mysterious smile appeared at the corner of the Camp Leader’s mouth. Simultaneously...a similar mysterious smile appeared at the corner of Ellie’s mouth.
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