Chapter 117: The Viper

Chapter 117

The Viper

“Lady Warfil?” Hearing Ellie call her that, the young woman with a delicate, aristocratic face gave a faint smile. It seemed her health had not yet fully recovered. Moreover, the pressure she faced after bearing a child with someone who was not her fiancé had taken a severe toll on her mental state.

Fortunately, the institute and the Church did not remain indifferent. The news about the young lady of the Cherine family, who was almost killed along with her unborn child by her de facto husband, had spread widely in the outside world. This meant that if the Cherine family continued to bully her, it would only further incite public outrage.

Although this young lady’s act of infidelity—having a relationship with someone other than her fiancé—was indeed wrong and led to her punishment of being stripped of her status as a lady of the Cherine family, living as a servant in the household, and having her head shaved as a mark of shame for her actions, a punishment was a punishment. Having already paid for her sins, she still had to struggle to care for her child. Thus, society offered her chances in another aspects.

A woman who would love her child more than herself, even to the point of letting this situation become public, had gained immense respect as a mother. It could be said that having her child was what allowed her to survive. At least her punishment was not like that of the vile Carter.

Ellie didn’t know whether it was fortunate or unfortunate that this young lady was still alive. Her punishment was quite severe, but it served as reasonable compensation to the Fernal family. Maybe if it were her...she would think that death might be better than living. However, that’s the thought of someone without a child.

How great must a mother’s heart be to keep living and to strive to continue her education? It was heard that Lady Warfil only wanted to graduate from the institute and become a hunter. After that, she planned to take her child to live in the Tower of Eternity, which everyone saw as a hellhole. But for this young lady, it might become heaven.

Escaping from people, vanishing from reality, living only with herself and her child...who knew how much this image brought happiness and hope to her?

“You don’t have to call me Lady Warfil anymore. I am not a lady of anything now. Just call me Warfil,” the woman, who wore a hood, said. Her pale, thin lips moved, revealing her poor health.

“Did you come to see me specifically? Is there something I can help you with?” Ellie didn’t respond to the other’s comment about her status, avoiding bringing up any shameful memories.

“Actually...before I decided to come here, I still thought like what others were saying. That when you helped me back then, it might not have been out of a genuine desire to help but as a strategic move to deal with the three families. But...” The woman paused for a moment, revealing a sincere smile.

“Right now, I don’t think you would decide to do such things just for yourself. I can sense that you care about many things, and perhaps this is why the Demon Lord of the Setter family is interested in you,” the former beauty adjusted her hood slightly as a cold wind passed by. Without her hair for warmth, she felt the cold more intensely than others. She gazed into Ellie’s eyes, as if seeking the truth within them, but eventually, she could only sigh.

“The words of a woman like me may not mean much to you. I know your time is incredibly valuable, whether it’s for preparing for competitions or training for strength. So, I won’t take up much more of your time.”

“I came here just to warn you...” Warfil voiced a crucial statement. Ellie raised her eyebrows slightly in surprise. A woman who had faced so many hardships was still kind enough to warn her?

“I don’t know if you truly did all of this, but I heard members of the Cherine family talking. Someone mentioned seeing you deal with Professor Maxim, the villain who plotted to kill Lady Vivian and release beasts into the arena, leading to the deaths of many students.”

“The elders of the Cherine family seem skeptical, but they can’t ignore it completely. During this time, they’ll likely send many people to watch you closely. So, I came to warn you to be more careful, not to be complacent. And remember, walls have ears, doors have eyes. It’s very difficult to keep some things a secret.”

“I myself find it hard to believe that you could deal with Professor Maxim. But if you really did, many people would immediately target you. They’ve been suspicious from the start about why you’ve become so important to the Setter family. And now, many are likely connecting you to the Setter family’s conquest of the 6th-floor city because you were present during that event, weren’t you? Initially, they might not have cared, but if they hear that a first-year student managed to handle an institute professor, your status would become mysterious and you’d instantly be seen as a threat.”

“You might not believe my words much because I haven’t managed my own life well. But I’m telling you this as someone who no longer blindly believes in love as I once did. Now, my eyes are open.”

“To repay your kindness for saving my life, warning you in advance is all I can do to repay you,” the young woman spoke each word clearly and straightforwardly.

Ellie smiled, accepting her goodwill, but she shook her head while looking at Warfil’s face.

“Thank you for your concern, but those who think I managed to deal with Professor Maxim must be quite unusual. And the idea that I helped the Setter family take over the 6th-floor city is even more laughable. I don’t know who spread these rumors, but they must be really desperate.”

“To think that a botanical student like me, who can only use powers to track targets, is some kind of prodigy doing what even the Setter family couldn’t do. I think...if this were talked about, your Cherine family would become a laughingstock.”

“Moreover, if I were that capable, would I still be cultivating herbs like this? I’d be using my abilities to slay monsters and take on more missions. If I could even handle Professor Maxim, dealing with small monsters would be nothing, right?”

Ellie laughed, as if what Warfil said was just a joke. Warfil’s expression changed slightly before quickly returning to normal, and she nodded as if agreeing with Ellie.

“I think the same. How could you possibly handle Professor Maxim, right? Whoever saw that must have been mistaken. But you use thread as a weapon now, don’t you? I heard them talking about it. So, you shouldn’t use thread in battles anymore.”

“You understand correctly. My weapon now is thread. I’ve trained hard, but I’m still not good enough. At that time, when I was taken hostage by Professor Maxim, I almost died. I couldn’t even manage to draw out the thread in time. Professor Maxim noticed before I could act. If it weren’t for Professor Lucien and Professor Medik coming to my aid, I would have died right there.”

“Hmm? Are you saying your weapon couldn’t harm Professor Maxim?”

“Haha. You must know how excellent Professor Maxim’s defenses are. Do you think I could break through her defenses with the simple thread of a novice? I think...the person who told this to the Cherine family must really have bad eyesight. Or perhaps...”

“Or perhaps what?”

“Or perhaps they just wanted to create a story for their own gain, taking advantage of the fact that the Setter family was already interested in me. So, they exaggerated, saying I could handle Professor Maxim and linking it to the conqueror of the 6th-floor city. It’s truly laughable. If the Cherine elders are foolish enough to believe this lie, then they don’t deserve to be a great family. I’m sure the elders won’t believe this. They will investigate and realize it’s all nonsense.”

Ellie laughed brightly as if she didn’t take the words seriously at all. Her cheerful demeanor, combined with her sharp words, left the woman under the hood feeling shocked and worried. Meanwhile, someone eavesdropping felt a surge of anger—not at Ellie’s words, but the words made him angry at others!

“You are too harsh. Even though I’ve been punished by the Cherine family, the family elders are not foolish. The person who reported this might have been mistaken.”

“No, I don’t think the one who reported it had any good intentions. They probably wanted a reward, some form of compensation. As long as they could deceive the elders, once the decision was made to eliminate me, the informant wouldn’t have to face any consequences. It would only be the Cherine family bearing the wrath of the Setter family.”

“You’re going too far. Who would lie like that? Don’t they know the punishment for lying to the elders?” Warfil laughed awkwardly, but she couldn’t hide the worry in her eyes.

“And how would the elders know it’s a lie? Just a little bit of planning to make me fall into a trap, making it seem like I really have something to hide. That would be enough to succeed. No one would suspect it’s a lie.”

“Uh, but your situation is quite suspicious. It is strange that the Setter family values you so much, considering you’re just an ordinary person, aren’t you?” Warfil realized it was not wise to continue this topic, as it would only cause trouble for herself, so she changed the subject immediately.

Ellie narrowed her eyes slightly, watching the woman who had come with a well-thought-out plan. What Warfil didn’t know was that from the moment she appeared, Ellie was aware of her intentions.

When it came to movements within the institution, Ellie’s spores had already spread everywhere. During her confrontation with Professor Maxim, she knew someone was watching from not far away, and who else could it be but this fallen lady?

Initially, Ellie didn’t think this would be a problem. If it were her, she would choose to stay quiet and plan her escape to the tower as intended. So, she let this little snake go, not realizing that a viper’s nature remains the same.

Warfil likely already harbored anger and hatred towards her. If her pregnancy hadn’t been exposed, she might have handled it quietly within her family. But because Ellie revealed it, even though it saved the child, what about her life now? Originally, she thought she would be content just to keep her child, no matter the hardships. But facing those hardships in reality, she found she couldn’t endure it anymore.

It was her luck to witness Ellie’s unique abilities during the battle. She remembered that the Cherine and Fernal families had mentioned a mysterious figure like this before. So, she shared this truth with the elders, hoping that proving why the Setter family valued Ellie so highly would earn her a substantial reward—perhaps 1,000 gold coins. That would be enough for her to buy a small house outside, avoiding the punishment-induced poverty and hunger she currently faced.

Warfil decided to tell the elders about this and volunteered to prove it herself. However, both her movements and the elder who was eavesdropping were all within Ellie’s sight.

This young woman approached Ellie to destroy her, unaware that Ellie had already set a counterplan in motion...

Even if she couldn’t see the hidden elder, Warfil’s words from the start were highly suspicious. Suddenly, this woman, who had been punished and reduced to a servant in her family, overheard the elders discussing how Ellie fought and defeated Professor Maxim? If she was merely eavesdropping, could she grasp such detailed content? And the elders, when discussing something important, wouldn’t they think to create a barrier? Would they allow a third-year student, who hadn’t even reached level 3, to overhear?

The chances of such a mistake were extremely low, unless Warfil was present at the scene from the beginning to the end...