Chapter 289: Feeling Unwell

Chapter 289

Feeling Unwell

“Ow!! It hurts so much,” the beauty’s murmured complaint annoyed the person who stayed with her. She had brought this upon herself, yet here she was, lying down and whining incessantly. It wasn’t just her own suffering she caused but also dragged others into the inconvenience.

The woman complaining endlessly was none other than the story’s heroine. Her hands, which had always been soft and had never done hard labor, felt numb after the first day. Initially, she didn’t think much of it; she just wanted to show everyone that Nara’s ideas and actions were right, hoping they would start believing in her after this.

Back then, even though none of them had experience in farming, they consulted among themselves, ignoring her. It wasn’t like the other group, which constantly sought Ellie’s advice as if she were the center of their world. Nara wanted to be like that too, but no one heeded her words.

In the end, Nara declared a challenge, not knowing it would leave her aching so much. Her once soft, well-maintained hands were now on the verge of blistering. The other students weren’t affected as much. They returned and immediately took potions to heal, and the next day they were back in good health. Some even used gloves meant for handling weapons to reduce friction. Did you think Nara had such things...?

“Ow...my hands hurt so much, they ache so much,” Nara continued to complain. Her fellow student from the same branch, trying to ignore her annoying voice and fall asleep, couldn’t take it any longer. She sat up, facing Nara directly, and spoke with irritation.

“If it’s that exhausting, can’t you just give up? What are you trying to achieve? Even if someone wins, so what? In the end, we use magic powers for everything anyway. No one thinks your way is correct. The way you’re doing things is just how non-magic users would do it.” Hearing this scorn, Nara raised her eyebrows in displeasure.

“You’re the ones not thinking enough. This is a farming method for villagers, isn’t it? So, we should do it the same way they do. Otherwise, the results might be different.”

“Different how? Just by the way we till the soil? And don’t you know that villagers have all the time they need, but we have limited time? The institute hasn’t reduced our training hours. That’s mean the later we return, the fewer days we have for training. If it comes to that...in 1 day, we might have to train from dawn till dusk. How can our bodies handle that?”

“Well...I believe it won’t come to that. Even if we have to train hard, I’m willing to sacrifice for the villagers.”

“Huh? Do you really think that, Nara? I hate to say this, but from what I’ve been observing, it seems to me like you just want people to pay attention to you. Do you enjoy being the center of attention that much? Mmm...now that I think about it, you’ve actually succeeded. Everyone knows you and has strong feelings towards you, but it’s mostly dislike and hatred.”

“You!!”

“Nara, I know you’re aware that what I’m saying is true, right?”

“............” Nara was slightly taken aback and bit her lip in frustration. Even now, she still blamed everything on Ellie. Nara never blamed herself. The more she thought about who was causing her family’s current hardships, the more she hated Ellie to the core!

“If it weren’t for that damn Ellie, my life wouldn’t be like this!!”

“Nara!!”

“What? It’s the truth!”

“Whether it’s true or not, it doesn’t matter. But when you say that, aren’t you afraid of dying? You’re speaking like a rebel! Duchess Ellie...that’s how you should address her. In the future, you might even have to call her Princess. Even if you become a priestess, you’ll still have to show respect to Duchess Ellie.”

“N-No!! Never. I will become a high priestess, and then...”

“Then you’ll have to show respect to Duchess Ellie as a princess.”

“Y-You!!”

“I’m telling you the truth, Nara. I hope you change your behavior. Go apologize to Duchess Ellie now and ask for her forgiveness for everything you’ve done. After that, just stay out of each other’s way. Otherwise, you’ll have to make amends for all your mistakes by becoming her dog to please her. Only then will you find any happiness.”

“No, never.”

“I know you’re very stubborn, but let me tell you this...as a priestess, even if you don’t want to, you’ll still need to rely on the major families. If you go against them, your path to becoming a priestess will be even harder.”

“.............”

“Don’t you see that recently they’ve been laying low, not daring to show their power? That’s because once, a high-ranking priest caused trouble for the head of the Setter family. To avoid angering the eldest young lord, though they didn’t directly apologize, they’ve kept quiet, waiting for a chance to make amends. It’s clear which power is greater. Honestly...I don’t even know if the church will still accept you as a priestess after finding out you’ve become an enemy of the future lady of the Setter family!!”

“Y-You misunderstand. Priests are chosen by God, so...”

“Do you really think so? Do you think priests are chosen by God? Then why did you go begging them for a chance to become a priestess? You weren’t chosen by God, were you? You went to them yourself, didn’t you?...Nara, don’t be so complacent. If you truly want to be a priestess, having a good relationship with the lady of the Setter family is essential. That’s all I’m saying.”

“..............”

“And it’s not just the duchess of the Setter family. Tomorrow, you should apologize to all the students. Admit that you made a mistake. I believe they’ll forgive you,” Nara’s classmate said at length. She wasn’t sure if Nara would heed her advice, but this was a rare chance to say what needed to be said.

Unfortunately, the woman’s words could not make Nara give up on the matter. Just a night after their conversation, Nara fell ill and couldn’t get out of bed the next morning. As a result, the competition between the students with differing opinions from Nara had to be halted.

But it seemed that no one was disappointed, including the male villagers who sided with Nara. Finally, the students decided to use magic powers to complete the tasks quickly, avoiding wasting time on a pointless competition...

Although her classmate was very displeased that Nara didn’t take her advice into consideration at all, and pretended to be sick to avoid the problem, she still had to help her. If she revealed that Nara was faking it, who knew what Nara would tell their mentor? So, she had to cover for Nara all day.

Ellie had no other duties, so she helped with the groundwork to speed things up. Within a day, they had finished turning the soil, which was initially expected to take another 2-3 days. They could start planting right away, making everyone very happy. After sowing the seeds, their work was considered complete.

When the students returned to their lodgings, they were surprised to see Nara, with her pale face and wrapped in a blanket, boiling a large pot of water. Seeing them arrive, she gave them a friendly and generous smile.

“Cough, cough. You’re all back? Sorry, cough, cough, I’m not feeling well. Once I, cough, cough, get better, I’ll help out,” Nara said sincerely.

“Miss Nara, you’re unwell, aren’t you? Why are you up?” one of the male villagers, charmed by her beauty and humble demeanor, asked with concern. He rushed to take the stirring stick from her hand.

“Cough, cough, it’s okay. I didn’t, cough, cough, help you today, so let me do this simple task.”

“It’s really okay, Miss Nara. We’ve finished everything. Besides, you didn’t intend to fall ill. It’s beyond your control. No one will blame you,” the villagers felt grateful after seeing that she was still concerned about them. The students, however, rolled their eyes at Nara’s display. Having decided to ignore her, they walked away in different directions.

The campfire and cooking pot they normally used was in Nara’s hands. Seeing her using them, the students decided not to interfere. Some even started their own fires in other corners. Watching the large group of students leave, Nara pursed her lips in frustration.

Even though she had taken a step back, they still ignored her kindness!!

Nara handed the stirring stick to one of the male villagers. Her hands hurt so much that she didn’t want to touch anything anymore. If she continued, her hands might never return to their soft state. So, Nara decided she wouldn’t do any more hard work.

“I-I’m feeling cold. I’ll go rest now.”

“That’s good. You should rest more. Let others handle this,” the villagers agreed. Nara slowly walked away, feigning illness. Of course, since she wasn’t really ill, after entering her tent, she almost threw off her blanket and screamed but managed to stop herself.

Ellie watched the pitiful situation of the heroine and sighed deeply. She wasn’t worried whether Nara would become a true priestess or not. It seemed that even if Nara did, the ones who would suffer wouldn’t be her who had the Setter family as her backing.

The strength of the Church came from the villagers, those who believed in their teachings, and those who had faith in their goodness. However, when comparing the faith in a priestess who had not made any achievements to the renowned Setter family, it was clear the Setter family would be a more reliable support. Instead of fighting the Setter family for one woman, it would be better for them to expel a low-ranking priestess and support the Setter family.

As others understood this, they weren’t too concerned about being enemies with Nara. Moreover, before Nara could become a true priestess, she still had many trials to face.

“Duchess Ellie, you should rest today. Let us handle the cooking. You’ve worked hard all day, no! You’ve finished your part and even helped with other tasks. So, today, let us, the 2nd group, take over.” The students from the 2nd group really appreciated Ellie’s contributions. The work progressed quickly thanks to Ellie’s assistance.

Initially, everyone thought that Duchess Ellie, having elevated her status, might not want to work hard anymore. Surprisingly, Ellie volunteered herself. Her work suggestions were excellent, making her not just the favorite among noble ladies but also admired by the middle class, merchants, and other families.

Outwardly, she seemed unapproachable, spoke little, and had few people around her—the duchess with such impression would often be seen as aloof and arrogance. But meeting her in person proved them wrong.

“Thank you very much,” Ellie didn’t refuse. Since she was suddenly told to rest, she didn’t want to reject their good intentions.

Unfortunately, Professor Medik didn’t allow Ellie to leave just like that. He called her to follow him for additional training immediately, as it was almost time to return to the institute. Ellie would likely have to immerse herself in the Stratagem Branch, so Professor Medik wanted to be strict with her potion-concocting lessons before he lost the chance to teach her.

Next to him, Professor Lucien watched silently. It was unclear whether he was helping Professor Medik oversee her training or just observing Professor Medik teaching her. He didn’t say anything while Ellie was concocting the potion, merely chatting with Professor Medik about various topics.

Ellie felt somewhat isolated, but after a while, there was a scream that drew everyone’s attention...

“Help!! Professor Medik! Professor Lucien! Help Nara!!” The students’ cries echoed.

Professor Medik, who was overseeing Ellie’s training, nearly dropped an unrelated ingredient into the cauldron out of shock. Fortunately, Professor Lucien intervened in time. The former hero grabbed the remaining herbs for Ellie to keep. The girl wanted to check on the situation but it was a shame to leave the cauldron as it was already in the process. However, she could use her spores to investigate instead.

Ellie checked on Nara, who had initially pretended to be sick but somehow became genuinely ill. Professor Medik rushed over quickly. However, before he could enter the student’s tent, Professor Lucien held him back.

“Huh?”

“Don’t go in yet. It’s dangerous.”

“Dangerous?” Professor Medik was taken aback. Normally, Professor Lucien wasn’t like this. A student was unwell and needed help, yet he didn’t go in.

But before Professor Medik could get an answer, the response from the botanic element made him feel as if he had been severely hit by a hammer.

“D-Demonic toxin...” the beauty’s small voice muttered, confirming Professor Lucien’s thoughts.

Having spent so much time with Professor Medik, all the secrets Professor Medik tried to keep hidden were easily uncovered by someone as sharp as Professor Lucien. Even the plant power in his bond could detect demonic toxin, Professor Lucien also knew. He was sensitive to his surroundings, but don’t forget he was also a user of light element, whose weakness was darkness. At night, his power decreased by almost half. Even so...he still sensed the danger from the tent.

And that was why he didn’t let Medik enter in the first place.

“It seems the demonic toxin has erupted from that student. Get the other students and villagers to retreat.”

“Lucien, what about you...”

“Don’t worry. I’ll try to control it first. If not...” The young professor’s eyes showed a hint of sadness. There was only one safe way to deal with demonic toxin: making the poisoned person commit suicide, after which the demonic toxin wouldn’t have anywhere to reside and would dissipate naturally. However...most people affected by demonic toxin couldn’t do this, eventually requiring more sacrifices.

Professor Medik found this hard to accept, but in the end, it was their duty...

“Try to control it first. If you can’t, I’ll come to help.” The two men exchanged glances before separating to rescue the villagers from the demonic toxin!