Chapter 144: Returning to the Village

Chapter 144

Returning to the Village

"I’ll give 1 gold coin. That should be enough for all the cabbage, right?" The Setter family head said this, causing the thugs’ faces to turn pale while the faces of the merchants and vendors lit up with excitement.

"My lord, you’ll give 1 gold coin? But earlier, someone wanted to buy everything for just 1 silver coin," Ellie remarked directly, not letting the matter slide, posing a question that no one else dared to ask the family head.

"Hmm? 1 silver coin? For all of this? Is that what you call trade? That sounds more like robbery." Steven, although unaware of the specifics, was perceptive enough to understand the situation just from Ellie’s interest. He knew it was related to the current problem. Thus...if the girl wanted to support the vendors, he would too.

In truth, Steven had no idea about the small costs involved. Otherwise, why would he offer 1 gold coin for cabbages worth just 10 silver coins? Besides, if he ever had a chance to stroll through the market, it would be the inner market with high-quality goods, where prices far exceeded 10 silver coins. He would never have the opportunity to see the real prices in the market.

Regarding the matter of feigning rage by saying that offering 1 silver coin was akin to robbery, it was merely a calculated move, and it was also a correct statement!

"Lord Steven, that means someone actually wants to rob the store. These big men said they would buy all the cabbages for 1 silver coin, even though the cost is already 10 silver coins. This way, the merchants would suffer a significant loss of several silver coins. When troubles arise, the city won’t prosper. People won’t have money to buy food, medicine, or even invest further. This would essentially be destroying Set City.”

The more Ellie spoke, the more she enjoyed herself. The more she saw the dismayed expressions on the villains’ faces, the bigger she made the situation. The head of the family responded enthusiastically, as if he had been thoroughly trained for this moment.

"Hmm? Someone dares to think of destroying Set City!!! Who is it!? I will catch them and punish them as severely as possible!!" The head of the family acted even more dramatically than the young girl, shouting loudly as if he were extremely angry.

The people around them began to feel confused and bewildered. They didn’t understand how threatening to seize goods was related to the destruction of Set City. Why were both this young girl and the head of the Setter family acting so enraged?

Those who were most terrified were indeed the thugs. They were just targeting the weaker ones; they never intended to destroy Set City. Even a fool would know that thugs without any magic powers, like them, couldn’t do anything more than bully those weaker than themselves! Fight against the Setter family, the rulers of Set City? They didn’t even dare look them in the eye!

"M-My lord, we didn’t mean to do that. You’ve misunderstood."

"Misunderstood? After all that Ellie has said, you still claim I’ve misunderstood? Oh, I see...You must be the culprits intending to destroy my city!!" Steven waved his hand dismissively, refusing to listen to their excuses. If Ellie said they were wrong, then they must be wrong.

“N-No, my lord, we didn’t intend to destroy the city. Moreover...Lady Ellie must have misunderstood as well, ha-ha. Actually, we meant that we wanted to use 1 silver coin for just 1 cabbage head.” Big Brother couldn’t let things continued like this, otherwise, they would face nothing but the death penalty.

“1 silver coin for 1 cabbage? But that’s not what I heard at all. Besides..... Didn’t you previously attempt to swarm in and kill me?!!” The head of the Setter family’s face darkened once more, and the thugs nearly wet themselves in fear.

“How could that be, my lady? We only approached to explain ourselves. Our intimidating appearance must have scared Lady Ellie. We apologize for that, my lady.”

“Oh really? Then...what are those weapons for?” Ellie pointed to the weapons scattered on the ground. The thugs’ faces turned pale, and Big Brother tried to make a feeble excuse.

“T-That’s just our vegetable-cutting tools. Nothing more...”

“You still dare to lie!! Right in front of me, you dare spout such nonsense!! Kneel!! Kneel right now!!” The head of the Setter family felt deeply insulted. How could it not be the Setter family’s fault for allowing such armed criminals to approach Ellie?

Before punishing all the soldiers, he needed to deal with the scoundrels who dared to think of harming the young lady important to the Setter family. It wasn’t just about appeasing Ellie this time but also sending a warning to others who might dare to cause trouble.

As long as they were in Set City—No! As long as the Setter family existed—no one should lay a finger on her!

Bang!!!

"M-My lord, my lady, we were wrong! Please, have mercy!" The thugs didn’t need to be told twice. They knew they couldn’t escape his wrath this time. They all knelt simultaneously, crying and begging for mercy. Some even lost control of their bowels, making for a disgusting sight.

"Soldiers! Take them to prison and report the entire situation. Summon the owners of these dogs to the prison as well. I will ask how they manage their dogs to allow such a thing to happen! And in the future...if anyone’s dog barks at the wrong time or place...I will use this punishment as a standard. The owners will be held responsible for their subordinates’ actions! The crime of not being able to control their own people properly!"

The head of the Setter family declared firmly. The soldiers dared not ignore the orders. The thugs’ fate was already grim enough. In the Setter family, rewards for good deeds were given generously, but any wrongdoing was met with equally deserved punishment.

"Please have mercy on us."

"We were wrong. Help me. I don’t want to die."

"My lady, it was Big Brother who gave the orders. We did nothing wrong."

"We haven’t done anything yet. Please let us go. The ones who acted are the ones injured."

Knowing their fate, the thugs scrambled to save themselves. Many blamed the group’s leader, some claimed innocence, while others cried and pleaded for mercy, even sharing tales of their impoverished families.

But in the end, the soldiers didn’t let anyone escape. All the thugs were arrested, including their master...The outcome of this incident left one wondering just how much regret the master would feel.

He had once been satisfied with the work of his subordinates, using just a few coins to buy supplies for the mansion every day, cutting expenses and saving 5-10 silver coins daily. However, he ultimately faced severe punishment. His entire family’s assets were confiscated, and he was thrown into slavery under the Setter family, which did not promise any decent living conditions.

Their duty was to clean the market from morning until evening, serving the very merchants they had once bullied. This was considered a rather harsh punishment. It wasn’t physically demanding but inflicted deep psychological wounds and humiliation.

Back to the current situation, after the incident, Ellie could no longer wander around freely. She thus excused herself to return to her room, wishing to train and absorb magic power. Naturally, after this lesson, the Setter family assigned guards specifically to protect Ellie. She didn’t want them intruding into her room, but the area around it was bustling with Setter family soldiers keeping a vigilant watch.

This small inn became the safest place, even surpassing the security of inns owned by wealthy nobles. The inn’s business improved significantly, with many people choosing to stay there due to Ellie’s presence. As a token of appreciation, the innkeeper provided Ellie with large meals for free every day, ensuring her comfort for the next 2-3 days.

Naturally, while Ellie was secluded, rumors about the "beloved of the Setter family" spread widely. Previously, only the students and major families knew that Ellie was the member of the Setter family. Few people from her hometown knew, especially the common folk. However, within a few days...Ellie became quite famous.

days later, according to her goal, Ellie finally confirmed that Nara had also reached the village. Nara had to make a final effort to earn points, assisted by Professor Lily and her fellow beast training students. These students helped Nara continuously gather points until she finally reached 10,000. It was fortunate that she received points from participating in the competition as a representative. Even though she was eliminated in the first round, the points she got was still considerable. Otherwise, she might have faced more trouble.

Ellie went to wait for Nara at the village entrance. Who would have thought that when Nara saw Ellie with her backpack, she didn’t show any disgust but rather a relieved expression?

"I thought you had already entered the village."

"................" Nara started the conversation, but Ellie didn’t respond, which didn’t bother Nara.

It was a relief for her that Ellie hadn’t returned to the village first. She feared that Ellie might say something ridiculous and cause the villagers to lose interest in her. On her way back, Nara kept worrying that Ellie might tell everyone in the village that she tried to steal money or that she was disowned by her newly acquired mentor due to her mistakes. Ellie might even talk about Nara being accused of stealing other people’s men. Ellie could also mention that Nara returned late because she didn’t collect enough points, while Ellie had already completed her points.

If Ellie really said all that, everyone in the village would look at Nara differently. Ellie would get all the attention instead of her. Therefore...Nara could never accept that!

"Did you sneak off to play with the Setter family? Yes! Of course, that’s what happened, right? The Setter family is very famous now. They have a new Eldest Young Lord who has appeared. It’s no surprise you didn’t know about him before; they must have been hiding it from you.

"Now that the Eldest Young Lord has appeared, does that make the Second Young Lord Aman become insignificant? The Eldest Young Lord’s power is so powerful that he even took over a city on the 6th floor. What’s your status in the Setter family...the future lady of the Setter family? What a pity.

"I almost had a friend who would become the lady of the Setter family, but life isn’t fair. Now, instead of becoming the lady of the Setter family, you’ll only be the lady of a branch family, right? Haha, there’s a big difference between the main family and a branch family. You might think they’re the same, but...they’re on different levels.

"When I graduate and become a priestess, you’ll have to kneel and talk to me, got it? I’ll show mercy to the branch Setter family. I’ll come bless you often," Nara laughed joyfully, relishing in the thought of Ellie’s sudden downfall.

Although she was initially quite shocked by the news of the eldest young lord, she realized that this news might just be what she needed to bring Ellie down a notch. A girl who had lofty dreams ended up just like her!

Fate was like this... Nothing was certain; Nara knew this well.

However, no matter how much she talked, Ellie remained unfazed, as if everything Nara said was about someone else and not herself.

This indifferent attitude of Ellie’s had been there since the beginning of school, and it was the one thing Nara hated the most!

"Acting all high and mighty. Don’t let me catch you crying, okay? Hehe." Nara laughed brightly before leading the way into the village.

When everyone saw the two girls approaching, they greeted them happily.

"You’re back?"

"Nara, Ellie, how are you? You finally returned safely."

"Come on, you only return once a year. We must celebrate!"

"The village chief has prepared some meat too. Tonight, we’ll have a grand feast!!"

"Welcome back, both of you. You must be tired. Go rest and get ready for tonight."

Everyone stopped their work to welcome the two girls. Seeing such a warm reception, the small girl paused at the entrance of the village.

This must be the first time Ellie smiled so sincerely...

It’s truly wonderful to have people waiting for you to come home...