Chapter 51: Regan

Chapter 51

Regan

Hearing Ellie’s response, Wint found himself agreeing slightly. What Ellie had said was true; the truth was eternal, and someday, someone would discover this truth. Moreover, there hadn’t been any priests who faced significant complaints before. Weren’t most people generally respectful and supportive of priests? Thus, instead of fearing the improbable, it would be better to relax and bless everyone as other priests do.

"Reverend Lady, I think this scholarship student’s words are correct. Most priests are loved and supported. Once you become a priest, there’s no need to fear," Wint expressed his thoughts.

When the beautiful-faced lady heard Wint’s words, she really wanted to roll her eyes. If it weren’t for the fact that Nara saw the benefit of Wint’s support...she would have scolded him.

"You don’t understand...Sob, you don’t understand how many people are jealous of me and want to destroy me," Nara said despairingly, feigning tears.

Clearly, Wint was very gullible. But then again, Aria was from the Femon family, and wasn’t Wint also a man of the Femon family? If she could successfully sway him to her side and then pull other important people along, when a request was made to the family, how could they ignore it?

Nara’s eyes, initially confused, seemed to have a sudden realization. A fleeting spark passed through her gaze before it vanished. The petite figure of Nara slowly leaned into Wint’s chest as if about to faint, no longer caring about the quarrel with Ellie. She knew that venting her emotions was futile; what she needed to do now was to draw as many people to her side as possible.

There was always something that light elemental magicians had an advantage in; they always appeared kind and pure!

It couldn’t be denied that the power of light was immensely important, just like in this sanctuary zone, where the status of a priest was strong due to their ability to heal with the element of light—and Nara could do it too!

Just by owing a debt of gratitude to many people in major families, Nara believed these individuals would certainly try to repay her.

Who would have thought that after her priesthood was exposed and she was at risk of being stripped of her status before even being officially appointed, Nara would find an important goal, which was the same idea when she created a harem in the novel world...

Since her female friends weren’t helping, and with people eyeing to bully her, she would manipulate men to follow her and directly confront the women. Just see who would win in the end!

Seeing Nara’s determined eyes, Ellie sensed an ominous feeling. Of course, she had no right to stop others’ thoughts but could only be cautious herself.

The clueless Wint still didn’t realize that he had already become Nara’s number 1 target. Seeing the seemingly fragile Nara cry once more, he quickly supported her and led her to rest. Meanwhile, as the two were preoccupied, the petite, freckles-faced Ellie walked away on her own.

Regardless...she wasn’t the heroine who could turn left or right and find men to rely upon. Even with the heroine’s tainted reputation, there were still people coming forward to protect her. Therefore, Ellie didn’t just stand idly by; she had to strive to take care of herself.

Fortunately, Ellie had become an important ally of the Setter family. With their help, she came into possession of magic equipment, which was a magic tent that would protect her from all harm. However, it had one limitation: it couldn’t prevent theft when unoccupied, so Ellie couldn’t leave valuables inside it.

Even so, there was no other tent that could prevent theft either. But stealing wasn’t something easily done; if caught, the perpetrator could face severe military punishment, or even institution’s sanctions if they were a student.

The tent provided by the Setter family was the size of her backpack, but once expanded, it was about 4x3x2 meters — deceptively compact if judged from the outside, which only showed as 1x1 meter. It was indeed a space-efficient tent setup.

Well...It was an expensive item that the Setter family had procured for their important individual. How could it be anything but extraordinary!?

The tent was incredibly sturdy, providing protection from the sun and rain, not just from beasts or villains, similar to other students’ tents.

After Ellie set it up in a spot near other students, she entered to find it surprisingly spacious, fitting 3-4 people comfortably. However, she wasn’t generous enough to invite others to sleep there with her.

“Scholarship student?” Once Ellie had her tent fully set up, she stepped outside to check her surroundings. She wanted to see which students had set up tents near hers, but she was surprised to find that her neighbor was a key figure of the institution.

“Duchess Vida?” From the outside, this tent seemed to be similar to her own, about 1x1 meters or perhaps slightly larger. Initially, Ellie thought it might belong to a merchant’s offspring because it was set apart from the cluster of people. Who would have thought it actually belonged to Duchess of Jarlon?

Behind Vida was likely Aria; the two girls appeared to be settling down to rest together. When Aria saw Ellie, she was as surprised as Vida, but fortunately, their attitude towards Ellie wasn’t bad, especially after Ellie had helped them expose Nara, their friendliness turned out to be increased even more.

“This tent, did you get it from the Setter family?” Seeing that Ellie had a tent similar to her own, Aria asked curiously.

Previously, she had heard that the Setter family was very favorable to her, but she hadn’t imagined they would be so generous as to give Ellie a nearly million-gold-coin tent so readily. It seems the Setter family regarded Ellie as more than just an ordinary ally...

"Yes, Lady Aria." Seeing Ellie acted with proper demeanor, also using high-class terms, Aria felt much better. Unlike Nara, who, after declaring herself a priestess, held her head so high that it was almost impossible to see her face, and even demanded that others address her respectfully. In contrast, Ellie, despite the interest from the prestigious Setter family, still behaved like a normal scholarship student. For those from the upper class, it was clear who they would prefer.

"It seems the Setter family treats you very well, doesn’t it? Or could the rumors that you are engaged to Second Young Lord Aman be true?" Aria asked in a straightforward manner. This question nearly made Ellie choke on her own saliva. Who would have thought such a bizarre rumor could exist!?

"Certainly not, miss. That rumor is nothing but a fabrication."

"Mmm, I thought so too. Second Young Lord Aman is unlikely to be engaged. I’ve heard he isn’t even fond of women," Aria nodded to herself, while Vida made a coughing sound when she heard her best friend speak about the important second young lord in such a way.

"Don’t talk nonsense," Vida responded coolly, prompting a smile from Ellie.

While Nara had built her own power base by charming the men around her, Ellie wondered...might it not be better if she aligned herself with these key villains?

"Second Young Lord Aman is really scary, but he is also very intelligent. It would be better if Lady Vida and Lady Aria could be close to him."

"Sigh, you think it’s easy to get close to Second Young Lord Aman? Many people want to be close to the Setter family and approach Second Young Lord Aman, but he catches on every time...Often, he even threatens those who try to ingratiate themselves to stay away because not only does he not like them, but he might also destroy them out of irritation. Brr...just talking about it gives me the chills," Aria said jokingly, causing Ellie to give a dry laugh.

She remembered too well how terrifying Aman’s gaze could be, and when he said he might "destroy" someone casually, Ellie didn’t think he was just making threats or joking. If it was Aman...that man could definitely do it.

"Aria...let’s go," Vida, however, wasn’t someone who opened up easily. Growing up in the Jarlon family, she knew too well how many people wanted to approach her for their gain, and Vida wasn’t someone who would easily offer benefits to others.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have only one best friend like Aria. In the story of the novel, many times, Vida hadn’t done anything terribly wrong, yet friends who didn’t know better believed the heroine Nara and badmouthed Vida behind her back, with no one to defend her... All this was because of her hard-to-reach personality.

Aria nodded in agreement with Vida. She knew well that her friend wasn’t keen on mingling with others, even if it was a scholarship student like Ellie, who had Nara as a common enemy as them. Vida probably wouldn’t cooperate anyway.

Ellie watched the two leave without much concern. At the moment, she had more pressing tasks to handle—spreading spores around the area. The more she covered, the more aware she would be of the movements around her. Thus, in the evening, while many students went for their dinner, Ellie was not among them. Instead, she had separated herself and was exploring the area.

The base could be said to be safe, but also not safe at all. It was safe because it was constantly patrolled by soldiers who rotated watching the area. As long as someone needed help, they would be found within seconds. However, what Ellie deemed unsafe was the fact that this place bordered a wild forest, meaning that various wild animals could enter and cause trouble. If only easy-to-manage animals came, it would be fine, but if difficult ones appeared...significant damage was certain.

Another concern was...there were likely the demonic beasts hidden around here, which even these soldiers couldn’t detect that a problem was already brewing.

Ellie wasn’t sure if the priests were aware or if they knew but were hesitant to speak because they hadn’t located it yet. Otherwise, how would they provide preventive medications to students and soldiers not initially stationed in the area?

“Is that...a student?” A familiar voice sounded. Ellie initially saw the vague shadow but hesitated to approach. However, when she heard the voice, she was reassured.

“Professor Regan,” who would have thought that it wasn’t just her who wanted to scout around? There was also Professor Regan, a freshman year instructor.

“Aren’t you going for your meal? What are you doing walking around here?” Regan frowned. He was stern, but that was all in his role as a professor. Like now, he seemed to be reprimanding Ellie for not going to eat, concerned that it might cause her to lack strength for tomorrow’s activities.

Seeing his expression, Ellie managed a weak smile.

“It’s a habit of mine, sir. Back in my village, I also lived on the edge of a forest, my parents always told me to be vigilant. If there were signs of wild animals in the morning, we could plan accordingly. So, before I do anything...I usually check the surrounding area first.”

The girl lied with a clear gaze, but Regan didn’t know, and he let it slide.

“That’s a good precaution.”

“And you, Professor...”

“As a professor, I have my own duties too,” hearing him say that, Ellie’s prejudice against Regan lessened considerably. If it weren’t for his tendency to be easily irritable...this person would indeed be a good acquaintance.