Chapter 229: The Lazy Duchess

Chapter 229

The Lazy Duchess

Ellie and Koross had worked together more than anyone else. So, after Koross initiated the plan, he left the next steps to Ellie while he kept a watchful eye for any unusual movements.

The route Ellie chose to lead them back to the camp was winding and complex. Zoey, having been reprimanded earlier, didn’t dare to question further. Wint wasn’t foolish either; sensing the change in Ellie and Koross’s mood, he maintained his serious facade but stayed ready for sudden combat. It could be said that Zoey was the only one who still had much to learn.

"Alright, let’s rest here for a while. I’m tired." Ellie led them on a roundabout path for over 2 hours. Including the time spent traveling and completing tasks in the city, it was now noon.

Zoey had prepared some food, which included leftover roasted meat from the previous night. After everyone learned that Ellie, Koross, Wint, and Zoey would be traveling, they were given enough roasted meat for lunch. Ellie also brought out some fruit from her dimension, making this not a bad meal at all.

"Duchess Ellie, what kind of fruit is this? I’ve never seen or tasted anything like it." Zoey felt a bit brighter after eating. The larger than a palm roasted meat, though not well-seasoned, was a high-class meal for a girl from a poor village.

Additionally, Duchess Ellie offered her a juicy pink fruit to finish. The sweet and sour taste made her feel like she had died and gone to another world, as she had never tasted anything so delicious before.

"Of course you wouldn’t have eaten this before. This isn’t an ordinary fruit."

"Eh? What do you mean by that, Mentor? You say it isn’t an ordinary fruit..." Zoey asked with surprise, holding up the half-eaten fruit with her small bite marks. Wint sighed lightly before explaining.

"This fruit is called “Night Java Apple.” It’s a delicacy typically served by noble families to their guests. Even during normal times, they don’t bring it out, let alone for someone like you. If sold, it might fetch more than what your entire family earns in a year. Moreover...Night Java Apples aren’t available year-round. During times like these, when they’re scarce...their price is even higher than a full meal set at the institute."

"D-Do you mean...it’s worth several gold coins?" Zoey was stunned. If she could, she would have turned back time to spit out the Night Java Apple. Eating something so valuable without knowing felt incredibly foolish!!

Seeing Zoey on the verge of tears, Wint couldn’t help but laugh contentedly. He himself had tasted such expensive fruit only when he had served as a carriage attendant for the Fermon family. At the debut party for Eldest Young Lord Owen, the Setter family had presented these exquisite fruits for welcoming. Wint had heard that the other attendants had saved these fruits to take home, opting to sell them instead of eating them. So, Wint, who had thought of waiting quietly, had secretly tasted the fruit himself and was deeply impressed by its deliciousness. No wonder he remembered it so well.

At that moment, when Wint knew that such delicious fruit existed, he had vowed to himself that he would become strong enough to buy and eat these fruits whenever he wanted. Well...he had fallen hopelessly in love with their flavor. However...he never expected Ellie to give them away so casually, as if she had an endless supply of Night Java Apples.

And then there was Koross, eating the fruit in front of him as if he had no idea of its value, behaving as if he knew Ellie had an abundance of them.

Indeed, it was as Wint thought, Koross was aware of Ellie’s extraordinary ability to cultivate plants, surpassing other users of botanic power. Otherwise, the Setter family wouldn’t have doted on her so much. If others found out that even the rare level 6 Tezetrons herbs were cultivated by her before she joined Ares Institute, they might try to snatch her away from the Setter family.

The selfish royals would probably argue that Duchess Ellie was a treasure of the kingdom and shouldn’t benefit the Setter family alone.

Well...as long as she was under the protection of Young Lord Owen, the Setter family would remain her best safeguard against any future dangers.

Koross pondered her exceptional talent as he continued to enjoy his Night Java Apple, leaving the two aspiring knightess and knight to discuss the greatness of the Setter family.

"If you’re done eating, you should rest and regain your strength. As for me, once I’m full, my eyelids get heavy. So, give me a moment to take a nap." Ellie reclined lazily. Koross paused for a moment, not expecting Ellie to play the role of the lazy duchess so convincingly.

Before, he had heard rumors that the "future lady of the house" was someone who loved peace and comfort, spending her days hosting tea parties with the young ladies, resting, and eating snacks. It was said that she showed no interest in training her powers. Of course, no one dared to speak directly to Ellie about this because she was protected by Young Lord Owen. Besides...even if Ellie didn’t train and remained physically weak, what difference would it make? As long as she maintained her status as the lover of the eldest young lord, she wouldn’t need to exert herself at all.

Because of this, the talk remained just talk. No one seriously criticized the girl’s demeanor. Or perhaps...they even liked having a lady of the house who was different like this.

While the rest of the Setter family members were obsessed with training, if there was one person who was different from others, the servants could feel more at ease. If they had to prepare training equipment for the duchess every day, the atmosphere in the mansion wouldn’t be as peaceful.

Koross sighed before leaping up into the trees, shouting down,

"Rest well, my lady. I’ll keep watch." With that, Wint and Zoey, who didn’t understand the situation, exchanged puzzled glances. If Ellie hadn’t instructed them earlier not to ask questions...Zoey might have voiced her confusion already.

Instead of hastening their return to the camp as quickly as possible, they were wasting time here. If a beast or some danger approached, wouldn’t they be putting themselves at risk? Moreover, she had never seen Duchess Ellie behave like this before. During their previous journey to set up camp, the duchess hadn’t shown any habit of eating and then resting. But now...Zoey was truly perplexed.

"We are guards, so we should ensure the safety as well," Wint sighed. He was skilled at portraying a loyal gentleman, a dutiful dog. Although he sensed something was amiss, Wint was really good at pretending to be a fool.

"Hurry up! You must do your duty too. If there’s any unusual movement, report it immediately." Seeing her mentor act this way, Zoey quickly stood up and took her position.

The atmosphere was awkward as Ellie closed her eyes, appearing serene. What no one realized was that those who had been trailing them from a distance were even more uncomfortable.

They exchanged glances, not daring to make a sound. They didn’t even dare to breathe loudly. The 4 people they were following had stopped moving, with one of them comfortably asleep and the other 3 on high alert. The followers, hiding in the bushes, initially thinking their targets would soon head back to camp, were caught off guard by the unexpected halt and ensuing silence.

Any unusual movement from them now would instantly reveal their presence. However...their hiding spot hadn’t been chosen for long-term concealment. So, all they could do was endure, biting their lips, keeping their heads down, and not daring to make any movement that would rustle the leaves and give away their position.

If Ellie’s group continued traveling, the sound of their movement would cover the noises made by their followers. But what was this? Suddenly, they were lying down quietly? And they left 3 people on guard? Those on the ground were not a big problem, but the person who jumped onto the tree branches was. The higher you were, the wider your field of view. Because of this...

"Hiss!"

As they hid, after about 30 minutes, one of the soldiers made a noise, causing the others to turn and look at him in shock. What they saw was...

- Formicidae, Level 0: Attributes - Small ants with venom. Their bites cause pain that can reach the brain. If bitten many times, the venom can cause significant torment.

Action Panel

Option One: Use the rooting of the purple mushroom spores to mark the location.

Option Two: Use the rooting of the purple mushroom spores to decompose internal organs.

Option Three: Use the rooting of purple mushrooms for decomposition. -

The thumb-sized Formicidae ant was biting the young soldier’s leg. The pain made him cry out. However, in this situation, he shouldn’t be making any noise. Even though his comrades saw what was happening, they ordered him to keep quiet as much as possible. Unfortunately, they still hadn’t realized.

Wint frowned. How could he not hear the "hiss" sound? However, seeing the corners of Ellie’s mouth twitch and Koross pretending not to notice the anomaly, he could only bite his lip and look around as if nothing was happening. Zoey, on the other hand, was different. The girl didn’t hear clearly and wasn’t sure what the sound was. She ran over to her mentor with a panicked expression.

"Mentor, I heard a cry just now."

Her voice wasn’t quiet at all. The hidden followers were now sweating bullets. They had not yet completed their mission to follow the group back to the camp, and now they were about to be discovered because of a small ant bite? Consequently, they held their breath, unsure how Wint would respond to the girl. If their cover was blown...They would have no choice but to eliminate the 4 kids!

It would be strange to be caught hiding and then claim they were just checking on safety or something. Clearly, their intent was suspicious as they had hidden themselves while following. Thus, instead of letting the group expose their intentions, wouldn’t it be better to kill them first?

However, even though Wint didn’t understand what was happening, he knew for sure that someone was hiding nearby. He also realized that both Ellie and Koross had been aware of this from the start. The two of them probably had their own plans. After glancing at them again, he spoke to Zoey in a serious tone.

“How could it be a human cry? You must have misheard. Besides...in this forest, there are many sounds from small creatures and various insects. Some of them don’t harm humans. There’s no need to worry too much.” When Wint said this, the soldiers who had been ready to attack lowered their weapons once more. Zoey frowned in confusion but trusted her mentor.

After all, Wint had entered the tower many times, whereas she had never had any experience. So, it was correct to trust her mentor.

“Hiss!”

“Ah!!” As Zoey was beginning to believe, the same cry sounded again. But this time, it was clearly a human voice. Zoey prepared to protest, but Wint was quicker. He flicked her forehead and moved his feet to create noise to cover the continuous sound.

From the corner of his eye, he saw movement in the bushes where the sound was coming from. However, he had to pretend not to notice, using the noise to obscure it. Seeing this, the ones hiding felt somewhat relieved. But...whether this was good luck or bad luck, they would have to decide later...

The Formicidae that had appeared initially as a single entity suddenly appeared in larger numbers. Their nest was far away, yet they swarmed out as if fleeing from something. Upon seeing their enemies, the Formicidaes immediately charged, intending to overwhelm them. And the enemies were none other than the soldiers!

“Ouch!!!”

“There are hundreds of them. I’m burning all over!!”

“What the hell is happening? Weren’t the Formicidaes supposed to stay in their nest? Why are they suddenly here?!!”

“Ah, they only go berserk like this if their queen is dead. But who could have killed their queen? Are we really this unlucky?”

Finally, the soldiers couldn’t bear it anymore. 4 of them revealed their positions and stood up from their hiding spots. The agony from the Formicidae bites and venom made them abandon their mission. Otherwise...they might die from the torment before completing their task!

“Oh dear, I thought soldiers trained so well would have more endurance than this.”

As they were trying to fend off the Formicidaes, the clear bell-like voice of the girl they thought was sleeping spoke up right next to them.

“Y-You!!”