Chapter 124: The Accomplice

Chapter 124

The Accomplice

While the spectators of the competition were ablaze with excitement, the situation outside grew equally intense. News that the student from the number 1 institute had won the herb competition left many other institutes, previously uninterested in such contests, stunned.

It wasn’t just the beast-fighting competition; they also won the prize for being the last survivor, securing 1st place. This meant that the number 1 institute had now won several competitions. They were already favorites for top ranks in combat-related events, but no one expected them to dominate academic competitions too, which were considered boring by some institutes but the strong points for others. Yet, the number 1 institute had stormed through and claimed 1st place!

It seemed certain that they would maintain their position as the number 1 institute for another year!

"Our student won the Herb Sorting competition? Then it must be Lady Ellie, right? She’s the only one competing in those boring potion-related events."

"That’s right! So, besides Professor Medik, our institute can also win against others?"

"She’s a disciple of Professor Medik and has been recognized by a 4-star level apothecary. It’s no wonder she can defeat others."

"Amazing! This means no one will dare challenge our number 1 institute’s position now! I heard that last year, the vote was very close—we almost became the 2nd-ranked institute."

"It’s good that everyone let Lady Ellie compete. Otherwise, we might have lost miserably. Just look at how poor our potion-concocting skills are. None of us ever wanted to live as apothecaries because true hunters are supposed to excel in combat."

"Initially, someone was loudly declaring that the competition entry process was unfair. Heh, heh. If Lady Ellie had let others enter and collect points easily, our institute would be disgraced by now."

"I agree. Wasn’t there a first-year student who wanted the chance to compete and even accused Ellie of cheating? How ridiculous."

"Keep your voice down. Can’t you see she’s still around here?" The students from the institute chatted animatedly. The first-year student being talked about sat not far away, hearing every word.

Nara clenched her fists tightly. Who would have thought that Ellie could achieve so much, even becoming the winner? What were the students from the other institutes doing? How could they be so foolish as to lose to a first-year student like this!?

In Nara’s heart, she had hoped for Ellie to suffer a crushing defeat. She had already laid the groundwork for this expectation upon seeing that Ellie was the only one who signed up for all the competitions, sweeping the points as the first-year representative and the institute’s representative. All those points went to that wretched friend! Nara felt intense bitterness. If Ellie hadn’t interfered, she would have been the one scoring those points. The more she thought about it, the more it pained her.

She had planned to tarnish Ellie’s reputation before entering the competition. No matter what...Nara believed that Ellie would certainly face defeat. This competition was different from the ones within their institute. Competing against other institutes, which had strengths in potion concocting, herb work, and other areas, but their weak point was combat, it was different from Ares Institute, which excelled in combat but disliked academic pursuits.

However, she never expected her plan to fail so easily. The other institutes boasting about their expertise in potion concocting turned out to be false, didn’t they? Even sending a first-year student to compete resulted in a victory! How foolish they were!!!

"Don’t speak too harshly. Someone here might feel so upset that they cough up blood, teehee," a sharp voice from a girl who had disliked Nara from the start rang out. The beautiful girl clenched her teeth, not wanting to engage right now, but the owner of the voice persisted.

"Oh, look at that, your nails are digging into your palm until it’s bruised. You must be very upset. I really pity you. Next time...I’ll recommend a place for you to become a monk. At least if you can’t be a priestess, you can be a Taoist monk, living peacefully without bothering others. Becoming a nun might help you learn to suppress your envy. The Femon family knows some good monasteries. Are you interested?"

Lady Aria, who despised Nara, mocked her. Initially, she disliked Nara for being too arrogant and not knowing her place, which annoyed Lady Vida. However, Aria’s hatred had increased significantly, especially after seeing Nara try to chase after Wint, even though he clearly didn’t want to play along. Nara’s actions were no different from those low-class women who tried to seduce her father. Therefore, Nara’s shamelessness was the main reason Aria continued to torment her.

"Lady Aria! Your words are too much. Who are you accusing of being envious? I have never been jealous of anyone, and there’s no one worth being jealous of!"

"Really? But what I see and what you say don’t quite match. Hmm, why is that? Maybe...besides being envious, you also can’t see yourself clearly. You don’t know that you’re jealous of others? Tsk tsk tsk, how pitiful."

"Lady Aria!!"

"What? Are you angry because I’m speaking the truth? You really...can’t handle the truth at all. But I understand; you’re so consumed by jealousy that there’s no turning back! You need to understand this: everything you’ve done, even though Ellie doesn’t mind, we owe that girl a great debt. So even if Ellie doesn’t care about your actions, we won’t let you off."

"You’ve slandered Ellie behind her back, created unfair conditions for her entry, and let many students harbor doubts about her. I will report this to the director. At the very least, those with such thoughts must be punished because this has hindered Ellie’s training. If not for Ellie’s focus and determination, she might have withdrawn, and the institute wouldn’t have the victories it does now."

"But the reason I’m lowering myself to speak with you isn’t just about this. It’s about something else...The Jarlon family is cooperating with the Fernal family to track down the culprit behind the previous attempted assassination of Lady Vivian and the subsequent release of a beast that injured Lady Vida. The results are starting to take shape."

"After capturing Professor Maxim, who was the main perpetrator, she started implicating other accomplices. So, I wanted to warn you. During the competition, it seemed you prepared very well, sacrificing yourself to be in the trap, allowing the enemy to fall into it. But wasn’t it also to protect you from a level 1 beast?"

"Right now, it’s just our suspicion, but soon the truth will come out. So, I want you to be careful. Having a backup plan might be wise...because if the investigation reveals your involvement, our family will not let you off easily!"

Aria spoke in a low voice, especially the last part, which was directed solely at Nara. Lady Vida still hadn’t recovered from the previous attack, and Aria wouldn’t forgive anyone responsible for hurting her esteemed lady!

"W-What are you talking about? I know nothing of this. Don’t accuse me unfairly. I’m already exhausted from trying to gather points," Nara feigned ignorance, though her hands were trembling violently.

Aria looked up from Nara’s trembling hands with a smirk. While she didn’t have solid evidence against Nara yet, she trusted the investigations conducted by the Jarlon and Fernal families. The two major families wouldn’t let the culprit go unpunished. So, someday...they would uncover whether Nara was involved or not.

"I hope so too. You’d better spend your time collecting points. If you truly do that, then no one will notice your secret meetings with Professor Maxim before this. I hope it was just a senior’s imagination." Aria said this and then left, leaving Nara trembling with fear.

What Aria meant was that someone saw her contacting Professor Maxim? What should she do if they investigated, and it led to her? Would she have to die to atone for it!?

Nara felt terrified. At that time, she didn’t have many choices. Being a representative of the institute was a huge ambition for her. Without it, she wouldn’t have finished her first year. This desperation...opened the door for Professor Maxim to offer her an easy deal.

Professor Maxim promised to make her 1 of the representatives, but she had to follow her plan. The plan was simple: she had to bring a 1-fist-size cubic box inside and place it somewhere. Once done, her task was complete.

Nara didn’t even ask what was inside the box, but she had enough instinct to know it was dangerous. So, when her senior wanted to stay close to where she placed the box, she asked him to stay further away. She also requested that he set traps and create a barrier wall for her safety since she was to be the bait.

The senior didn’t notice anything unusual, and no one else did either. So why...why did someone still know about her actions?!!

"Could it be Ellie again? Is she using her powers to track me again?"

Thinking it over, Nara couldn’t think of anyone else. The only person who aware of most of her actions was Ellie. From the time she searched Ellie’s room to now...Could it mean Ellie was using that disgusting power on her again?

Nara, frantic, stood up and began inspecting her body for any attached purple mushrooms under the watchful eyes of others. She didn’t realize that Aria hadn’t gone far and was observing her. After deciding to reveal this to Nara, Aria’s aim was clear: if Nara was truly involved with the culprits, she would show signs of guilt.

And indeed, Nara did just that...

"It’s clear now, isn’t it? She was indeed working with Professor Maxim."

"Hmph! So...you knew from the beginning, and yet you didn’t warn us. You’re still to blame for Lady Vida getting hurt."

"I know I’m at fault too. But at that time, I didn’t think it would lead to this. I only saw Nara and Professor Maxim together. Out of guilt, I wanted to provide this information to you."

“........” Aria looked at the young man beside her with distrust. The merchant’s son was like this—never sincere with anyone. He would betray those who offered him less benefit for those who offered more. She had seen him follow Nara closely before and never expected him to expose Nara’s secrets to her today.

"Lady Aria, don’t forget our agreement. You promised to allow the Tates family to trade on Femon territory."

"Prove this first. Allowing trade on Femon territory is not a big issue."

"Thank you very much. I hope you can prove this soon."

The young man smiled happily before leaving. His innocent-looking face gave the impression that he was clueless, but in truth, he had inherited his merchant lineage to the fullest.

To gain the right to set up shops in Femon territory, he was willing to betray his own friend. Aria found men like him truly frightening. Compared to Wint, who was intimidating...this man’s wickedness was far greater.

"The Tates family, huh? I should inform Father that they have an interesting member,"

Aria thought to herself before ordering her people to follow Nara. She needed solid evidence to prosecute her; otherwise, they would only have their words as proof.

As for Professor Maxim, who would have thought she would commit suicide before giving any testimony or implicating others? Additionally, she used a poison bomb to kill the captured culprits. At that time, no one was prepared for her hidden card, resulting in no further arrests.

However, everyone refused to give up. They did not reveal that Professor Maxim had committed suicide and taken the culprits with her. This could provoke the remaining conspirators to make a move, as they would want to silence Professor Maxim. This wasn’t an ordinary operation; getting Professor Maxim to act wasn’t a typical robbery or vandalism scenario.

More importantly, this matter became a problem for Prince Joseph as well. He was present during the incident but was with another woman, leaving Lady Vivian to face danger alone. Thus, the Fernal family filed a complaint to control Prince Joseph’s behavior. Just as the troubles with the Fernal, Cherine, and Hart families were unresolved, news about Prince Joseph’s actions emerged.

It all seemed too coincidental!

But regardless of who wanted to deal with whom, anyone who dared to put Lady Vida in danger would not be spared by the Jarlon family!!