In truth, Tatashimi originally had no intention of seeking out Flora for any face-to-face interaction.
She had always been the one in the team with the most grievances against Flora, and lately, she had been very busy.
There were quite a few monsters in this world called “Behemoths.”
Every time one stirred, it brought terrible disasters.
Dealing with them was usually incredibly difficult.
The nation would delegate the task to the Adventurer’s Guild, which in turn handed it over to various adventure parties for conquest, awarding successful teams with honors and even noble titles.
Over time, defeating a Behemoth became a grueling challenge that, if conquered, would bring immense fame and sponsorship from many organizations.
Not long ago, Emerald Heart achieved the feat of a single team defeating the Behemoth Bessimos, cementing their status as an undisputed top-tier adventure squad.
However, this success brought with it serious financial chain problems.
Groups that originally sponsored them wanted to increase their funding, while new organizations were eager to invest.
As the team’s scholar, Tatashimi was responsible for all external affairs related to the team.
Because of this, she was irritable.
So when Moliyaer insisted that she must participate in nurturing and interrogating Flora, she refused.
But this morning, Moliyaer handed her a report.
“Our Miss Flora still hasn’t woken up, but she left behind some small tricks that have come to haunt us first—specifically, the owner of the Rust-Colored Golden Trading Company, with whom we’ve never gotten along. It seems she has a rather close relationship with Flora. Look, as soon as Flora was labeled a defector, the company sent over evidence distancing themselves.”
“Tatashimi, you should know what to do, right? Someone’s secretly making side profits, and quite happily at that. I’m leaving this matter to you. There seems to be some stirrings in the capital; I don’t know who His Majesty will send to attend our banquet. I need to prepare properly.”
…
Frostbite Antidote.
A highly effective restorative medicine developed specifically for the unique magical effect “Frostbite” found in the Icefield biome.
When news of the Icefield Behemoth Skula’s activity spread a few years ago, this antidote instantly became a highly coveted hard currency among adventurers.
It directly repairs frostbitten human tissue, forming a special protective coating over the important organs of the user to resist cold, and also alleviates the magic regeneration slowdown caused by frigid environments.
Most importantly, it has almost no side effects.
The moment Tatashimi came into contact with this medicine, she made it a priority to find its maker.
In her view, anyone capable of creating such a thing was undoubtedly a healer hundreds of times stronger than any member of their team, fully meeting her standards for team members.
As a strength-driven person, recruiting powerful individuals to enhance Emerald Heart’s overall strength aligned perfectly with her role as Moliyaer’s agent.
However, the Rust-Colored Golden Trading Company refused to assist in locating the pharmacist.
No matter how Tatashimi investigated, every lead turned into a dead end.
Reluctantly, she set the matter aside—only to find now that the very person she couldn’t locate was Flora from the team.
What a dramatic twist, indeed.
Yet, even knowing this, Tatashimi felt no regret or guilt for having pressured and mistreated Flora in the past.
This was a case of someone bringing it on themselves, clearly showing no consideration for the team’s interests and a lack of genuine trust in their teammates.
[If you had just told me, I would have taken care of you, but you insisted on hiding it. Who can you blame for that?]
Even now, standing face-to-face with Flora, this was her mindset.
Tatashimi knew Flora was a genius, blessed by the gods with abilities ordinary people didn’t possess.
But she had no ambition, suffered from low self-esteem, and was inconsistent in her efforts.
She had always seemed like Moliyaer’s pet boy—someone Moliyaer could only feel a bitter frustration toward, a talent wasted by her lack of drive.
Seeing the girl stunned by her words, Tatashimi chuckled inwardly.
Having graduated from a military academy, she knew better than anyone how to achieve the desired effect by steering a conversation from a sharp, unusual angle and then striking unexpectedly.
Since Moliyaer wanted her involved in “interrogating” Flora, she naturally intended to carry out the task thoroughly.
If someone refused to let their abilities shine, then they deserved to be forced into proving their value.
A ruthless gleam flashed in Tatashimi’s eyes, but her face wore a tired expression.
“Let’s not talk about that anymore. What I want to apologize for is some misunderstandings about you. You know, as long as the goal is achieved, I believe that any means are justified.”
Flora, sensing the change in topic, snapped out of her earlier shock and watched as Tatashimi pulled out a report.
“The facts are right here.”
She handed it over, and Flora opened it, softly reading aloud.
“A formal complaint from the Rust-Colored Golden Trading Company against Mr. Fros Camille, accusing him of causing the disability of sixty adventurers due to the quality issues of the Frostbite Antidote. The company’s reputation has been damaged. They are now demanding compensation of 1,200 gold coins and a formal apology from the Emerald Heart team…”
The signatures were those of the company’s owner, Old Frand, and his daughter, Meiphi Frand?
The handwriting was unmistakable, with Meiphi’s signature marked by a small dot at the lower right corner—a habit of hers when signing her name.
Flora’s composure vanished instantly upon seeing the report, her lips turning pale.
“This is complete slander and defamation!”
A flash of Rinko’s words echoed in her mind: “Don’t trust me.” Was the maid’s warning about Meiphi’s unreliability coming true?
“This is the largest supplier in Doren City making formal accusations. Their connections with the Adventurer’s Guild mean that, even if Moliyaer is the daughter of a duke, in matters of pure profit, she would never let Emerald Heart off the hook easily.”
Tatashimi’s lips twitched faintly, clearly pleased with Flora’s reaction.
Then, sighing earnestly, she continued:
“To be honest, I only realized where you got the money to prepare those gifts for us after seeing this report. To both undermine competing teams by selling fake medicine and pocket a hefty profit—such ruthlessness, abandoning personal reputation to contribute to Emerald Heart, I like that.”
“Your methods were just too crude, which got you caught. But I have to admit, my opinion of you has changed.”
This was the apology she meant.
“No one’s buying that Frostbite Antidote on the market anymore. You made such a good fake drug, after all.”
She smiled and added this line casually.
“You… I…”
Flora understood.
Hearing those words, she grasped Tatashimi’s meaning.
“You sold fake medicine under my name to harm other adventurers? Such a despicable thing… hmm?”
Before she could finish, Tatashimi sprang up, pinned her down, and covered her mouth, smiling gently.
“What are you saying? This was all Fros’s doing. Our Miss Flora would never do such a thing. Those scoundrels want to ruin Emerald Heart’s reputation. We will catch him and make him give everyone a proper explanation, won’t we?”
Flora couldn’t bear to hear such words.
She struggled, pushing away the smiling viper, and stood on the bed, glaring down at Tatashimi, who had fallen to the floor, sharply demanding:
“How many more things like this have you done? I didn’t make that medicine to make money, much less to let you profit by harming others!”
Even without seeing the condition of those who took the fake medicine, Flora could imagine how terrible the consequences were.
Reputation wasn’t all that important to her—but if people harmed others in her name, and if such acts were used as a form of torture against her, she could never accept it.
Yet Tatashimi’s satisfied smile told her she had just fallen into the woman’s trap.
“It seems I really misunderstood you. You are indeed a good girl. From beginning to end, you never truly denied being the pharmacist. Now you’ve finally admitted it? I think I understand why Moliyaer values you so much.”
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