Chapter 179: The Important Guest

Chapter 179

The Important Guest

Phinx’s discoveries piqued Ellie’s interest slightly. She hadn’t anticipated that someone would target her for control because, in truth, she was the intended recipient of the poison. Nara was merely a victim she had dragged into this. Ellie wondered how much the beautiful heroine would despise her once she learned of this plan.

Even so, Ellie didn’t dwell too much on Nara’s situation. After all, they were already enemies and would never reconcile. If Ellie didn’t take down Nara today, Nara would come after her tomorrow anyway.

After knowing the information about the communication today, it was clear enough what the Pink Poison was capable of. As for the identity of the perpetrator, they were still very cautious, hiding quietly within the Tower of Eternity and not even contacting their employers. It was as if they anticipated from the start that the Setter family was tracking them. Regarding that...Ellie wasn’t in a hurry to deal with them. After all, they were just chicks in her hand. When to bring them to the mother hen was just a matter of time.

Phinx promised to study how to eliminate the Pink Poison next. They were worried that the Pink Poison might be used again in the future because the communication between the primary and subsidiary Pink Poison had been disrupted. The perpetrators would surely think their plan had failed.

If Nara had been the one poisoned, the Setter family wouldn’t be so concerned about finding an antidote. However, they were worried that their enemies would try again, and the next target might truly be someone important to them. Therefore...with a test subject at hand, the Setter family had to make the most of her.

Ellie left Phinx’s laboratory shortly after. She appeared to have nothing to do, but she was still interested in the upcoming auction. Because of this, she had spent her time pretending to eat and sleep all day, while in reality, she was always using her powers.

She had known from the start what Aman intended to do and which items would be interesting at the auction. The Max family’s unveiling wouldn’t be a big deal compared to the products that Young Lord Owen would reveal.

She knew that once the "slave collars" were brought out for sale, there would be both opposition and acceptance in various ways. However, the Setter family was bound to face many problems.

"Are you worried about something, my lady?" Selin, who was following her, asked. Ellie shook her head in response.

This maid was smart. She knew what to ask and what to avoid. When Ellie didn’t say anything more, she simply stepped back and continued to follow, fulfilling her duties as a good maid.

The day of the auction was approaching, and many powerful figures were gathering around the Setter family. Some wanted to inquire about the items to be auctioned, while others were competitors who didn’t want the event to proceed smoothly. Regardless of their reasons, all of this made the city of Set increasingly bustling.

The morning before the auction 1 day, Ellie received a sudden message from someone she never expected.

"Father Licharl, may I ask what brings you here?"

Ellie greeted him with the respect befitting a high-ranking noble, as she herself was still considered a commoner. Despite the Setter family’s generous care, her status hadn’t changed. In contrast, a priest’s status was elevated the moment they were appointed by the God. Moreover...the priest before her wasn’t just any ordinary priest; he was the one who had previously stormed into the acting director’s office. Therefore, Ellie couldn’t afford any mistakes.

The old man stroked his beard and laughed heartily upon seeing that Ellie still knew her status.

"Lady Ellie, there’s no need for such formalities. Today, I’m here simply as a guest."

"Then please, take a seat in the drawing room. What kind of tea do you prefer? I’ll have Selin prepare it." Ellie gestured for him to sit. Since he had come to see her, it wouldn’t be proper to stand and talk.

The old man waved his hand dismissively but accepted the invitation, walking over to sit as the young girl directed. Despite his casual demeanor, there was still an underlying power. Ellie’s eyes briefly glinted before she resumed her calm demeanor.

"Any tea will do. If it’s from the Setter family, it must be exceptional."

"Selin, please see to it."

"Understood, my lady," Selin replied and then left. She knew to let the masters talk privately, as some matters were best kept secret.

Once Selin and the other servants had left, the old man smiled warmly at Ellie. His gaze was one of deep affection. Anyone else seeing this might have been fooled into thinking the church favored them. However, Ellie, who was aware of the crucial events, wasn’t deceived.

Ever since the priests had started acting strangely, Ellie had been keeping an eye on them. She even knew they had investigated her and Nara, discovering that she wasn’t Aman’s lover as the rumors initially suggested, but someone who had caught the interest of Eldest Young Lord Owen. Meanwhile, Nara had ended up being introduced as Aman’s date at the Young Lord Owen’s debut. These significant details made the priests eager to form connections with both her and Nara.

They had investigated her and Nara extensively, learning everything about their parents and even lingering in the village for a long time. They believed the girls would soon return after the party and hadn’t anticipated of the significant events that followed, such as Eldest Young Lord Owen’s continued conquests of cities to present to the beloved woman, Ellie.

Since it seemed unlikely that they would return to the village soon, especially with the auction approaching, the church couldn’t just sit idly by. They couldn’t wait until the day of the event, fearing they might miss other good opportunities, so they had to come.

Originally, a visit from the priests required notifying the head of the family or sending a request first. However, they knew that submitting a request to meet the head of the Setter family now would immediately be pointless. The kingdom’s rules prohibited interference with auction prices before the event, and even without this rule, the Setter family was too busy to receive guests.

Thus, they claimed they were visiting Ellie and Nara. Nara was the girl destined to become a future priestess. Although they had initially agreed to this out of annoyance at her persistent pleas, Nara had since become important to the Setter family, allowing them to exploit this connection.

Oddly, the Setter family did not permit them to meet Nara; only Lady Ellie could receive them. This matter...they were already planning to investigate further. They heard that Nara had been attacked during the debut event, causing it to fail, but there had been no news about her. And because there was no news since then...that made it all the more intriguing.

Naturally, for the church, making contact with the important young lady of the Setter family was an opportunity they couldn’t pass up. They had always wanted to get closer to this interesting girl. They had had a verbal sparring match once before, and it was said that she possessed powerful abilities in using the power of botany, which hadn’t interested them much at the time. Seeing her today...it seemed the young lady’s power had grown significantly.

"My lady, it seems that living with the Setter family has been good for you. Your skin and overall health have improved remarkably," the priest began, offering his praise. Before becoming a high-ranking priest, he had worked with ordinary people, especially villagers, to gather their faith. Therefore, it was no surprise that he knew how to approach a young girl.

Unfortunately, such compliments had little effect on Ellie. She wasn’t one to take pleasure in being praised for her appearance. She had often heard colleagues compliment others at work out of mere politeness. She once overheard a coworker compliment another on her makeup, even though her blue eyeshadow and orange blush made her look like a parrot.

"Father Licharl, you seem to have grown stronger yourself," Ellie replied unexpectedly in kind. Licharl paused for a moment before laughing.

After all, she was an important figure in the detested Setter family; she wouldn’t be swayed by mere flattery...

"Indeed, time has passed, and things have improved greatly, including your situation, Lady Ellie. You have gone through a lot of hardships before, but now you’re receiving great care. While many people must strive and sacrifice to conquer even a small city, you have received everything without lifting a finger."

"Ah...I didn’t mean that negatively. It’s just the destiny that God has laid out. Perhaps you are one of those who suffer in youth but find comfort in the future. God has granted you luck in matters of the partner, and you will likely be happy forever after."

"As a servant of God, I also bless you, hoping that you will have a long-lasting love, happiness, and safety." Father Licharl still maintained the demeanor of a kind old man who had renounced all worldly desires to serve God.

This noble and pure act had undoubtedly deceived many, as it was far more convincing than anything Nara could muster.

"Thank you for the blessing, Reverend," Ellie replied with a polite smile, not particularly concerned. She didn’t have much time to entertain such flattery and was mainly interested in hearing their request.

“There’s no need to thank me; this is merely God’s will. However, as you have received such great fortune, Lady Ellie, you should also give back to the people. If you only keep receiving, God might see you as selfish and may not bless you in the future.”

“This is a truth of life: when you receive much, you should also give much. So, my visit today isn’t just to bless you, but also to remind you of this.”

Having played the kind person long enough, the priest’s expression turned serious. His eyes became solemn and devout, and every word he spoke carried a deep resonance. It was an impressive performance.

If this priest were in her world, Ellie was confident he would be a great actor who won Best Actor award...

“A reminder?” Ellie pretended not to understand, going along with the flow the priest was creating.

“Yes, indeed. The Setter family has gained too much power recently. With great power often comes great misfortune. Therefore, I think it’s time for the Setter family, including yourself, to make a significant act of charity.”

“Oh, is that so? And what kind of act would be considered significant enough?” Ellie asked with interest. The priest sighed resignedly, as if he didn’t want anything from the Setter family but was merely conveying God’s will.

“It’s not difficult. Other families have done it regularly. Whenever they have a bountiful harvest, they often donate some of their important resources to the Church. Of course, the Church never uses these for personal gain.”

“Many people mistakenly believe that priests use these resources to indulge themselves, but that’s not the case.”

“In truth, they use these resources to help others. For example...if we priests gain more power, we could go from helping 100 people to helping 1,000. Or, if we receive essential resources, we can use them to aid villagers during times of disaster.”

"The results of our work can be seen in the continuously increasing faith points of the people. You wouldn’t think that this faith point grows on its own without us doing anything, right? In truth, this faith point is the result of our hard work and efforts to help the villagers and do good deeds. Do you understand?"