Chapter 206: You Are Mistaken

Chapter 206

You Are Mistaken

"What business does Lord Ryker have with me?" Ellie replied politely, though in truth, she wished to turn and walk away from him as far as possible.

Encountering him meant inviting trouble. Getting close to him meant having to get close to that prince as well, which implied her "Luke" persona was at risk.

"I went to look for you at the Botanical Building, but Professor Lucien said you were here. I heard you have significant skills in potion concocting, so I wanted to ask if you could accompany me on a mission."

"This village is a remote one, far from the kingdom’s reach. That’s why they sent a request to the institute for urgent help. I am capable of combat, can examine and handle the beasts, but dealing with the beasts is only part of the mission. Healing the villagers is another critical aspect."

"With Duchess Ellie‘s abilities, I believe you can greatly assist in this mission," Ryker Recres said earnestly. In response, he received only a cold smile from her.

"I’m sorry, but I have many tasks to attend to and cannot assist you. As for the healing potions, I think you could purchase them before you depart. There is no need for someone like me to slow you down," Ellie smiled as she spoke. Her words were a definitive end to the conversation. She didn’t just decline; she offered a solution. If he had any decency, her suggestion to "purchase potions beforehand" should make him feel embarrassed.

Asking her to concoct potions when he could simply buy them was exploiting her, wasn’t it? Others used money to solve problems on their missions, but this young master came to seek help instead...Heh, heh, heh. Let the heroine help if she wanted to, but Ellie was different...She wasn’t interested in creating any mutually beneficial relationships with them...

And yes! Ellie knew that Ryker wasn’t just asking her to join the mission to save money. He knew well what kind of missions to take on, and who to associate with to build suitable relationships, laying the groundwork for his prince’s future.

Recently, Prince Joseph had just graduated and would be eager to make a name for himself. So, while they couldn’t do much, they needed to gather as many important allies as possible during this time.

In the novel, Nara’s character was special because her strength wasn’t weak and was approached by the young lord of the Setter family first. Plus, she had Professor Lucien backing her. So, bringing her into their fold wasn’t inappropriate. Hearing that Professor Lucien was looking for a mission for his disciple, Ryker immediately volunteered.

It was a mutually beneficial situation. But...did Ellie need more connections? Was she short on points? No matter the case, she didn’t want any of it.

So, apologies to young Ryker, but he would have to be disappointed...

"Duchess Ellie won’t help with this mission? Despite being the only one with healing abilities? It’s true I could buy potions with a significant amount of money, but there’s no guarantee they’ll be enough."

"Additionally, I’ve heard you struggle with missions as well, haven’t you? Many botanic elemental students have to rely solely on growing herbs to earn points. Even if you’re interested in Stratagem Creation Branch for points, without a foundation from your family, it won’t be easy to create many stratagems and earn enough points. So...collaborating with me should be beneficial for you, shouldn’t it?"

The hero’s guard proposed, and his thought was actually correct. Botanic elemental student from rural area, even she was valued by the Setter family, wasn’t guaranteed to earn points from missions. Points...were awarded based on contribution. If Ellie, a botanic elemental student, joined other missions, she might be able to use only her tracking ability, earning minimal points.

Thus, in Ryker’s mind, Ellie shouldn’t be able to refuse him. Actually..he was surprised when she declined the first time. He thought Duchess Ellie would jump at his offer.

"Oh! What’s this? I hear my classmate trying to lure a junior from my branch?" Ellie hadn’t had a chance to respond when a deep voice spoke from behind.

Ryker frowned slightly but bowed in polite greeting when he saw who it was.

"Senior Tor."

"Mmm, you remember me, Ryker. It seems we haven’t met in about 5 years, since the last time you attended my birthday party. You were just a kid then. Today, you look much stronger. I’ve heard you’ve been training hard to be worthy of the position you have been given, right? Being the prince’s guard... that was your dream since childhood, wasn’t it?"

The senior from the Stratagem Branch spoke with a smile. Ellie remembered this senior. He had spoken well of her, though not too overtly. Still, she remembered those who were kind to her.

"Yes, I’ve been doing my best, but I doubt I’ll achieve as much as you, Senior Tor. You’ve become a direct disciple of Professor Nico. In the future, you’ll likely be a powerful and wealthy stratagem creator. I heard your family recently auctioned off some of your work, right? A level 2 stratagem you created. That should help you reach your goals soon, not to mention your improved relations with the Setter family."

"The Setter family has allowed you to do business within their territory. Both you and your family should benefit greatly. In the future...I might seek your help to purchase valuable items at a friend’s price."

Ryker spoke in a half-joking manner, but Ellie felt he could really do what he said. He did everything as a loyal guard. If something benefited his master, he would do it without hesitation, even if it meant embarrassing himself.

Ah...Prince Jason was truly lucky to have such a loyal dog...

"Haha, so you would sell me items at a friend’s price as well? You know, we stratagem creators have a lot of expenses as we need a lot of resources."

"But senior, you make it worth the cost. It’s a good thing."

"Mmm, alright, enough of the flattery. What brings you to bother Duchess Ellie?" Senior Tor waved his hand, ending their friendly exchange. Ryker nodded and explained.

"I wanted to invite Duchess Ellie on a mission. I heard she’s skilled in potion concocting, which would greatly benefit the villagers. But it seems she doesn’t want to join."

"Haha, inviting her on a potion-concocting mission? You’re thinking too little. It seems the Ryker I know hasn’t been practicing enough. As a guard, the one thing you must never lack is information. You know this, don’t you?"

"................." Ryker raised his eyebrows in surprise. Suddenly, he found himself receiving advice. Senior Tor shook his head and continued to explain.

"She is already a direct disciple of Professor Nico. Don’t you think she has missions that will allow her to pass the second year easily?"

"I know she has such missions, but...I’ve also heard that many of Professor Nico’s disciples struggle to get enough points. Last year, some had to leave the institution because they couldn’t gather enough points in time. Besides, Duchess Ellie doesn’t have a strong background in stratagem creation. It might not be bad for next year, but for this year..."

"That’s why I told you to find the information about this first." Tor waved his hand to stop Ryker from continuing. He also felt sorry for his classmates who didn’t make it, but this wasn’t an issue for this junior girl.

"What exactly do you mean, Senior Tor?"

"I mean, you should verify first if this junior has the capability to pass the year easily. I understand you want to build a relationship with her, and your offer to help is kind. However...my junior here doesn’t need to endure hardships with you. Simply spending more time in the stratagem branch will ensure she accumulates enough points to graduate this year."

"......................"

"Alright, go and do your research first. Then you’ll see how embarrassing your offer really is." Senior Tor smiled faintly. To him...if Junior Ellie couldn’t pass the year, then no one else could either. Just by spending time honing Rattus A rods for points, it would be enough. The quality of those rods was no joke. Plus, it would also help her practice.

Instead of wasting time traveling, mingling with many people, and tiring herself out concocting potions for the needy, wasn’t it better to focus on honing her skills?

Ryker listened to Tor’s advice and felt it was genuinely well-intentioned, not an attempt to ruin his plans. He nodded and looked at the small girl who seemed better off than the rumors suggested. She must have been well taken care of by the Setter family, as she didn’t look emaciated like people said. Moreover...her thoughts and actions were far from those of a typical villager. He thought Ellie would easily fall into his trap, but he didn’t expect her to be so difficult.

"Well then, I’ll take my leave now, Senior Tor. Duchess Ellie, I’ll excuse myself." Ryker bowed and left, leaving Ellie alone with Senior Tor.

"Thank you for your help."

"Mmm, don’t mention it. Actually, Ryker isn’t a bad person. Besides...as the future lady of the Setter family, having a good relationship with him isn’t a bad idea. If Prince Jason becomes the next emperor, the status of an acquaintance of the prince will make your life in the Setter family easier."

Senior Tor suggested. He had heard rumors that Ellie was the daughter of someone who had helped the eldest young lord, and her engagement was from this very reason. However...in his opinion, the girl couldn’t live comfortably in such a large family. The more powerful the family, the more intense the hidden competition would be. Even if they pretended to love each other in public, who knew what went on behind the scenes?

In his own family, he wasn’t the heir, but his mother always pushed him into competition. Even if he didn’t want to fight, trouble would still come his way. Eventually, he and the eldest brother of the family got into a lot of conflicts. To avoid fully engaging in this battlefield, he let his older brother train and become a strong hunter, while he turned to mastering stratagem creation. At the very least, if he was kicked out of the main family, he could establish a strong branch family with the money from selling stratagems. If his older brother saw him as no threat and kept him in the main family, he could use his learned skills to further develop the main family’s strength.

Even with his smaller family, he faced such turmoil. The Setter family, being much larger, must be even more headache-induced behind the scenes.

It was clear that Eldest Young Lord Owen was also working hard to secure his partner’s position by elevating her to the status of a duchess. The struggle must be quite fierce.

However...other people’s thoughts were other people’s. The real difficulty of Ellie’s life in the Setter family was known only to her and the Setter family.

Daily struggles included choosing which food to eat or which desserts to prioritize, in case her small stomach couldn’t handle them all. These were the hardships Ellie faced.

As for Young Lord Owen seizing so many cities for Ellie, it wasn’t just to make her a duchess. The true reason lay in...Owen’s deep understanding. He knew about Ellie’s hidden "Luke" persona and refused to let her risk danger outside.

Conquering numerous cities was to give Ellie a place to train as "Luke." If others knew the frivolous reasons behind these actions, they might just cough up blood!