Flora sensed malice.
A very subtle kind of malice that required careful handling.
Unlike Moliya’s oppressive aura or Elka’s hypocrisy, Tatatsimi always made her feel bitterness, calculation, and cold indifference.
And now, this scholar—who had long threatened to replace her as the healer and treated her with disdain—suddenly softened some of her coldness and aversion, choosing instead to sit face-to-face and talk with her.
It was too strange.
【With that deadpan expression of hers, I even feel like she’s being unusually civil. Unbelievable.】
This thought flashed through Flora’s mind, but her expression remained largely unchanged.
This sudden approach was enough to make Flora wary, and Tatatsimi’s behavior was rather odd.
If she could be rattled by this, then the whole struggle would be pointless.
So Tatatsimi earned from Flora nothing but a completely unbothered, almost amused, “Are you serious?” look.
“What do you mean ‘what to do’? I’m a useless idiot who can’t even make special medicine. If I really had that kind of ability, would you still be screaming every day about replacing me?”
“……”
Tatatsimi’s face didn’t change.
She simply took a packet of medicinal powder from her pocket and placed it on the table.
Flora recognized it immediately—it was the packaging she used for the special medicine she supplied to the Rusted Gold Trading Company.
She didn’t rush to speak and instead watched the scholar, waiting for her to continue.
“I believe you’re quite familiar with these. I can’t tell the exact recipe, but when we were hunting the Icefield Monsters, you distributed similar medicine to the locals affected by the cold disaster, which had almost the same ingredients.”
“Anyone can get their hands on the locals’ folk remedies. If someone tried to smear me just based on that, a smart person like you would have dealt with it directly, right? Or has Moliya reached the point where she eagerly grabs any little thing connected to me just to use it against me?”
Flora frowned in displeasure but felt an overwhelming unease inside.
As she said herself, Tatatsimi was clever; if she came to confront her like this, she must have enough “evidence” on hand.
Yet, Tatatsimi’s attitude didn’t push her to present more proof; instead, it earned the scholar an angry glare from Flora and even more baffling words.
“You seem to think everyone is out to get you?”
Flora stared at her in disbelief, as if she had just heard the world’s biggest joke.
She looked left and right, then pinched her own face and finally asked:
“Isn’t that true?”
She admitted she almost lost control.
If she had ever believed the world was a good place, these few women had been ruthlessly telling her to wake up.
“You’re not saying you’re here to help me instead of threatening me, are you?”
Please don’t make me laugh.
If Moliya said she was helping her, Flora knew that meant the arrogant noble lady was scheming under the guise of goodwill.
If Elka said she was helping her, by now she understood it was just the green tea-coated elf working with Moliya.
But whatever the case, their behavior was consistent.
But Tatatsimi?
If you’re doing the same, what does Moliya think you are?
An idiot?
【You’re the type who coldly uses numbers to measure team dynamics, only caring about how to improve team efficiency, while Moliya thinks that one trick is enough to dominate all—so she wants you to try your hand too?】
Flora’s mind was filled with just one thought—Sis, you’re so out of character.
Seeing the mocking smile on Flora’s face, Tatatsimi realized her words were somewhat inappropriate, but she didn’t change her tone.
Instead, she looked at Flora with sincere eyes.
“I want to make one thing clear.”
“What?”
“I hate you, you useless piece of trash.”
“?”
Flora’s face filled with question marks.
She didn’t understand why this person would say something so non-threatening and then laughed.
“So you’re here just to insult me and laugh at my expense? It’s not like this useless idiot still serves a purpose being kept around, right?”
“Trash is trash, hate is hate. I like to be straightforward. If you’re wrong, I’ll apologize.”
Tatatsimi said this, then stood up and bowed to Flora.
In Flora’s puzzled gaze, she sat back down, poured herself a cup of tea, and said calmly.
“In the past, I just thought you were the most expendable in the team, putting on a false effort, only doing servant-level work with nothing else to show. I couldn’t understand why Moliya was so attached to you, insisting on keeping you in the team.”
“……”
Flora was speechless, curious to hear what kind of “but” this woman would add.
“But now, I’ve realized you actually have quite a few surprises, Flora.”
Tatatsimi held the packet of medicine in her hand, lowering her gaze as her voice softened.
“Moliya has her ideals and ambitions. I’m willing to follow her goals. So the interests of Jade Heart and hers come before everything to me. Therefore, anything beneficial to Jade Heart, I’m happy to accept—like you.”
“I thought you’d think my healing abilities were too important to give to anyone else.”
Flora’s eyes fell on the packet as well, but her unease remained.
She couldn’t grasp Tatatsimi’s true intention.
“That mediocre ability only truly comes into play with your current body. This special medicine stuff showed me your talent beyond just healing.”
Tatatsimi seemed lost in some memory, speaking with some emotion.
“I don’t know if you remember, but after every adventure mission and monster hunt, you always brought out exquisite and delicious desserts or strange but fascinating little gadgets—like the mechanical watch on my wrist. The craftsmanship is absolutely top-tier, even the best artisans couldn’t do better.”
【So you think my manual skills make it reasonable for me to produce that special medicine?】
Flora stared at the watch on Tatatsimi’s wrist, feeling complicated.
She valued rituals and anniversaries because she once cared deeply about Jade Heart and would do everything to maintain a good team atmosphere, but in her impression, Tatatsimi never liked that sort of thing.
“I thought you had already sold it. Didn’t you say back then you thought my goodwill was suspicious?”
“Yeah, I did say that because I thought you had the time to spend your salary on gifts instead of improving yourself. That made me think you were worthless.”
Tatatsimi said this angrily, and her words reminded Flora of Moliya’s evaluation of this scholar.
That she shouldn’t treat her like a strict mother?
Could it be that these three women were acting together, and Tatatsimi’s role was to pressure her?
If they had time to scheme against her, why couldn’t they spend more effort improving themselves?
Flora wanted to ask the scholar this directly, but Tatatsimi went on.
“If you only gave such carefully prepared gifts to one of us, maybe it would be fine. But you, a grown man, said it was out of team friendship and gave the other three women fairly expensive gifts. Don’t you see a problem with that?”
“?”
Flora blinked in confusion.
Was there some taboo about team-building activities she didn’t know?
Tatatsimi looked at her with a touch of resentment.
“I think you do have some manners. Your family probably told you that when everyone knows your living standard and financial situation, giving gifts far beyond your means to members of the opposite sex is basically expressing romantic interest, right?What? One person giving three women gifts so expensive even a noble like Moliya finds it unbelievable, and all on anniversaries? Don’t you know she canceled a marriage alliance because of your actions? In the end… tsk…”
Is that even a way to interpret this?
Flora was sure her eyes were as wide as saucers.
She had become a scumbag who toyed with women’s hearts?
No, sister, the question you need to ask isn’t about the special medicine!