Chapter 157: An Invitation from the Eldest Young Lord

Chapter 157

An Invitation from the Eldest Young Lord

The events of that day ended with everyone in the village having to part ways. They had no other choice. Nara offered to treat those who couldn’t afford it, but they would have to wait for another 2 years. So, everyone went home with a sense of hope. Additionally, Ellie’s status among them rose as well. Even though she hadn’t directly helped them, her position as a skilled apothecary was genuine. If she were to return to the village and start selling her potions, she would earn a substantial amount of money. It’s no surprise that after this, people passing by Ellie’s house would try their best not to disturb her.

About 2 to 3 days later, the number of visitors to Ellie’s house began to increase slightly. Despite being told that she wouldn’t concoct any potions, some people just couldn’t wait. They had enough money to buy the herbs, so they came to Ellie’s house hoping for some secret help.

Ellie did not refuse. After all, it was just potion concocting. So, she told them to prepare the necessary ingredients, which truly cost around 4 silver coins. However, with these 4 silver coins, the materials weren’t just for concocting a single bottle. Ellie instructed them to bring enough for 3 bottles of potion. She would concoct 1 bottle for them, and the other 2 could be sold for profit.

This situation could be called a win-win for both sides, but these actions remained a secret in the eyes of many. Nevertheless, they did not escape the notice of the village chief and his daughter!

“Father! Did you have Ellie concoct the potion for you?” Nara asked in shock after seeing the list of herbs Ellie had written down.

The list contained many herbs she didn’t recognize. In fact, Nara wanted to learn potion concocting herself, but trying to study on her own from the library had left her completely confused. So, she gave up on becoming an apothecary.

As for the potion formulas taught at the institute, those wouldn’t be covered until the third year. Ellie had learned her potion-concocting techniques from Apothecary Celey, not from the institute. Therefore, it wasn’t surprising that her formulas differed from those taught at the institute. And yes! That was solely Nara’s thought...

“Mmm. If I get treated now, I won’t have to endure bone pain this coming winter.”

“What kind of potion is it? Did Ellie tell you what she would concoct?”

“Hmm? She mentioned it was just a basic restorative potion. For a complete cure, other potions might be needed, but Ellie said she hasn’t learned those formulas yet.”

“Oh, I see. So, this is just a restorative potion.” A smile appeared on Nara’s face, which surprised her father a little.

“Is there something on your mind?”

“Yes, Father. Can I be the one to go buy the herbs for you? It’s been a long time since I’ve visited the town.” Seeing his daughter plead like that, her father could only nod. He didn’t think too much about it, not realizing that Nara had plans to copy Ellie’s potion formula to learn it herself.

Before long, the potions for the village chief was successfully completed. After drinking the restorative potion, he felt significantly better. Although his bones still felt out of place, the surrounding muscles were no longer as bruised as before, allowing him to move much more freely. Even his previously hunched back started to straighten again.

Meanwhile, his daughter, who had returned from the city, diligently boiled herbs every day. 2 days had passed, and she had not given up. She had copied Ellie’s formula but needed to learn the method. Since Nara was determined to succeed, her father couldn’t bring himself to ask her to stop. Beside her, her mother encouraged her and hoped she would soon succeed in concocting the potion. If she did, they could sell it for a good profit.

While they were hopeful, a young girl sitting on the porch eating fruit found the whole situation amusing.

“All this cost 84 silver coins. The 21st pot is going to be food for little spores again,” Ellie muttered happily. The one who was happier than her had to be none other than her little spores, eagerly waiting to absorb the nutrients from the level 1 herbs over the past 2 days.

Who would have thought that Nara would be so determined? She didn’t think to master the basics of potion concocting first and instead chose to throw money at it, hoping it would work out. Just because she saw Ellie succeed, did she think she could do it too? This desire to win can be quite destructive.

But it was also good in a way, because all the herbs in the formula Nara got, provided a lot of life forces. She didn’t choose herbs with properties suitable for making a restorative potion. Instead, they were perfect for little spores. Getting such good food for free suddenly made it even more delicious.

However, while Ellie was having fun with the heroine, a shadowy figure hiding nearby appeared politely. He was still dressed in his usual concealing cloak. Ellie had sensed his presence before he even made a sound. In fact...she had sensed him and the group earlier as well. It seemed that someone from the Setter family had come to meet the shadowy figure to give something.

"Lady Ellie," the man in the cloak addressed her politely. At that moment, Ellie was on the porch, so he had to hide in the corner of the house to avoid being seen with her by passersby. Otherwise, she might be subjected to unpleasant gossip, especially in a rural area where people were not used to having servants in the house. If someone saw another person in the house, it would be assumed they were doing something inappropriate together.

"Mmm," Ellie responded with a hum, not particularly interested in his arrival. What caught her attention more was the item in his hand.

"I have brought something for you...This is a gift from the Eldest Young Lord. He requests that you wear this in honor of the event tomorrow, my lady."

The cloaked man handed over a luxurious white box. The top was sealed with a lightning magic symbol, the eldest young lord’s personal emblem. If anyone else tried to open it, they could be injured to the point of disability, as the box was enchanted to be accessible only by Ellie.

The mechanism was simple. As soon as Ellie opened the box, it would send the detection to Owen. If the opener was not Ellie, the eternal lightning would deal with the intruder. But if it was Ellie, the electric charge would dissipate, allowing her to open it effortlessly.

Ellie was already aware of the grand party being organized to welcome the eldest young lord of the Setter family, an event significant at the regional level. She had learned about it from Aman and the Setter family’s people who were here to protect her. Originally, she had planned to go to the city early the next day to find a suitable outfit for the event.

In any case, she couldn’t attend the event in her old clothes. Otherwise, she might be seen as disrespectful to the host. Even if the host didn’t mind, other guests would surely notice. While Ellie didn’t care much about others’ opinions, wearing the attire of a village girl would make her stand out too much at the party. Everyone else would be dressed to the nines, and she would be the only one looking different. Wouldn’t that make her follow the heroine’s path?

A village girl and a noble prince, it would be a village girl and a formidable young lord instead...If that really happened, it would be quite amusing. According to the story, the heroine, Nara, attended the palace banquet in her village girl’s dress as well. Back then, as a fan of the heroine, Ellie sided with her. Showing one’s true self was supposed to be a point of pride. Thus, she refused the prince’s gift and wore her old, torn favorite outfit. However, upon entering the event, her brilliance from her light elemental power combined with her village dress made her the true Goddess of Light, shining elegantly without the need for any accessories.

Ah, well...let’s leave the grand theatrics to the heroine. Ellie decided she would wear an appropriate outfit for the occasion as the host intended. After all, this event was organized for him. If the guest didn’t wear his clothe, wouldn’t that be an insult?

The line between genuine pride in one’s origins and selfish rudeness was very thin. It’s crucial to choose carefully what kind of person one wanted to be...

After Ellie accepted the precious box, the shadow disappeared back to his position, hiding where no one could see him. His movements were so swift and agile that he barely left a trace. That level of speed...showed just how skilled he truly was.

Ellie touched the seal, and in just 1 second, the lightning power that enveloped it disappeared. She slowly opened the lid of the box. Initially, she thought the outfit sent by Eldest Young Lord Owen would be black or some dark color, matching his grim and fierce image. Who would have thought he would send such an outfit instead?

The first color Ellie saw was a pale green, almost white, which suited someone her age very well. While she knew that her spirit was at an age where she didn’t like such bright colors, it wasn’t appropriate to wear dark colors, like those she preferred for work. Now that she had the chance to be a child again, these colors were quite fitting.

A small smile appeared at the corner of her lips. She didn’t think a man like Owen would have such good taste in choosing something for a young lady. Not only did he choose a bright color, but the outfit and accessories matched perfectly. Moreover...his attention to detail showed respect and consideration; this small action impressed her quite a bit.

The light green outfit was elegant and not too flashy. The jewelry pieces were small to avoid making Ellie look too mature and unnecessary grand. However, each piece was full of power, meaning they were incredibly valuable—worth more than even large, ornate jewelry pieces.

Nonetheless, her outfit and accessories clearly indicated her identity as a bearer of botanic elemental powers. While everyone else looked down on botanic powers, Lord Owen chose to present his companion at his significant event as a user of botanic element...

Her small hands turned over the matching outfit and accessories, revealing a small hidden piece of paper. The message made Ellie smile.

"I hope you like the outfit and will agree to open the dance with me, since you already agreed to be my companion for the event."

The statement on the letter conveyed Owen’s authority and willfulness perfectly. He sent a note along with the outfit, informing her of the event and telling her to join him in the opening dance, without asking if she was ready. And if she wanted to decline the invitation, would she have to call back the "shadow" who had quickly hidden to deliver her response? And did you really think he would accept a refusal?

“It seems his cunning is no less than his younger brother’s.” She shook her head as this thought crossed her mind. The Setter family, with these two brothers, was increasingly terrifying.

Ellie stored these precious items in her dimensional ring. She decided to change her plan from leaving home early in the morning to traveling later in the day, as she had no other pressing matters to attend to. Meanwhile, the talk of the Setter family’s party in the city of Set was already spreading in the village, and soon enough, someone would hear about it.

“I went to the market today and heard that no one will be allowed into the city tomorrow. They’re hosting a big event and welcoming many important guests. Apparently, there will be a lot of royals and people from other kingdoms attending.”

“Really? What is this big event? Why is our Set City suddenly hosting something like this? It’s not the annual post-harvest festival.”

“Hmm? Don’t you know? This is a celebratory event.”

“Celebration?”

“Yes!! I asked the vendors in the city, and they said it’s a celebration for Set City because the eldest young lord of the Setter family has finally been cured. It means that from now on, many resources will belong to the Setter family, our city’s governor.”

“What!?! The genius eldest young lord? How did he recover? Wasn’t it supposed to be a fatal illness?”

“That’s what they say. The merchants also mentioned that this year the Setter family might not collect protection fees for an entire year as a celebration for the people of Set City.”

“Wow!! That’s incredible. Long live the eldest young lord!”

“If the eldest young lord becomes the head of the Setter family, our Set City will be even more prosperous.”

“Let’s hope so. But tomorrow’s party with so many important guests—I’d really like to see it.”

With the villagers knowing this much, how could the village chief not know? Even though he hadn’t been to the city market, he had heard people talking about it throughout the day. By dinner time, he brought up the topic while eating, though he didn’t think much of it himself. However, his daughter had a different reaction.

When Nara heard that the city of Set was hosting an event to celebrate the eldest young lord of the Setter family, her eyes sparkled. Her first thought was how she could meet this eldest young lord.

If he saw her just once, perhaps he would fall in love with her. If that happened and she married into the Setter family as the eldest daughter-in-law, Ellie would be nothing more than her subordinate. However, meeting the eldest young lord was not going to be easy. So, she needed to do something!!