The Harvest Mouse Exits the Fairytale Together with Cinderella-Chapter 79

Elodie spotted the girl standing there, clutching a book and rolled-up notes, and without a moment's hesitation, she dashed toward her.

Then, she threw herself into her arms.

So that's what had been missing lately—of course, it was Sera!

Elodie rubbed her cheek vigorously against Sera’s chest before she suddenly came to her senses.

“Sera, you didn’t come here because you were sick too, did you?”

“No, I came to see you.”

“Hehe.”

As Sera gently stroked her hair, she suddenly glanced at Edmund with a sharp look.

“You have arrived, Lady Bluewood.”

Sera eyed him warily, as if shielding Elodie in her embrace.

“I never thought the young lord would stoop to such methods.”

“What methods? It’s true that I have trouble sleeping.”

“Well, considering that you previously demanded Elodie give up her time for your note-taking and were refused, and now you’ve come back again, it’s hard not to see this as another scheme.”

At that, Edmund let out a dry cough as if he had been falsely accused.

“I merely asked for a single day in exchange for purchasing a peanut farm that she would surely like.”

A peanut farm? That was kind of interesting.

Elodie’s expression momentarily betrayed her curiosity, and Sera’s gaze turned sharp.

“Trying to win her over with a peanut farm—isn’t that a bit underhanded? I don’t even have any wealth of my own yet. Though, I will soon.”

“Are you really one to talk, Lady Bluewood? You monopolize Elodie all the time, so I have no choice but to resort to such efforts.”

“Well, Elodie says she doesn’t mind staying with me all the time, so there’s nothing you can do about it. We’re going to be together forever.”

“Judging by her reaction, I’d say she’s not entirely opposed to the peanut farm either.”

Elodie looked up at the boy and girl quarreling over her with an incredulous expression.

Still, weren’t you two once engaged? Even if it was only for appearances.

She wondered what would have happened if Sera had actually accepted that engagement proposal.

If they had gone through with it, even as a façade, it would have been a disaster.

And Elodie would have been the poor, sinful little harvest mouse stuck between a couple who completely ignored each other...

“I heard that Elodie has some kind of scented candle that prevents nightmares. If that’s the case, why not just borrow that and be done with it?”

“The physician personally came, examined me, and prescribed this treatment. Are you saying you doubt his expertise?”

“Kh... Of course not. Elodie is an absolute genius doctor, the likes of which the world has never seen...”

Well, in the end, it seemed that Edmund had gotten what he wanted.

Elodie silently patted Sera, who had lost this round of their battle.

‘I know you want to keep me all to yourself.’

But Sera, you could just call me whenever you wanted, and I’d come running.

No, actually, I’ve been the one waiting!

Lately, you’ve been busier than I am!

With that thought in mind, Elodie decided to make a statement entirely for her own benefit.

“And once your sleep treatment is over, I’m going to sleep in your room, Sera.”

As soon as she saw Sera’s face light up, Elodie felt happy too.

This was the perfect solution—everyone was satisfied.

Of course, the fact that she had once asked Karon to knock down the wall between their rooms so she could share a space with Sera would remain a secret forever.

***

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Karon’s ability to suppress his poison was, naturally, growing weaker with each passing year.

As his venom continued to mutate, it only became more potent.

When he was just a newborn, it had been far milder—he had managed to endure for an entire year back then.

Then it was six months, one month, fifteen days, ten days... The period kept shrinking.

And now...

"Just three days, huh?"

Karon rummaged through his coat and pulled out a vial filled with a deep red liquid.

It was from the Basilisk family.

A product of their laboratory, this potion extended the time he could suppress his poison.

As a child, Karon had swallowed it without a second thought.

Whenever he was on a mission or confined in shared spaces with other test subjects, failing to control his poison could lead to a disaster.

The potion consumed his lifespan in exchange for its effects, steadily weakening his body the more he drank it.

He had taken it so many times that it felt no different from drinking water.

But ever since coming to Valkyrisen, he had no reason to drink it anymore—it had simply been sitting in his possession, untouched.

"Not like it matters. I’ll die anyway."

He knew better than anyone that, one day, the very poison within him would consume him whole.

So there was no reason to be afraid.

"If I drink it... I should be able to last a week."

Just as he uncapped the vial and prepared to down its contents, something caught his eye in the dead, withered royal garden.

Elodie.

The child was bounding through the grayish, faded grass, her short, wheat-colored hair bouncing with each step. She was holding a withered plant—one that had long since succumbed to poison—and mumbling to herself.

"That idiot..."

She had acted like she’d come running if he called, yet here she was, wandering around as she pleased.

Even though he had run away like a ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ coward, even though he had never agreed to let her stay by his side when he was unwell...

What was she doing?

She was supposed to be a child who would grow up adored and cherished by beastfolk in Valkyrisen, not... whatever this was.

Why was she doing this to him?

Karon let out a quiet sigh and closed the potion’s cap, tucking it back into his coat.

"You..."

"Hi."

The moment Elodie sensed his presence, she spoke as if she had expected him all along—without even turning to look at him.

"What are you doing?"

"Practicing."

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

Elodie gazed at the flower—well, what used to be a flower—that crumbled into dust the moment her fingers touched it.

"I don’t think I can save this one."

Karon’s brows furrowed.

So that’s what she was doing.

Did she seriously think she could bring back a plant that had already completely withered?

There was no way he could just stand there and watch this nonsense.

"Don’t waste your time."

Did she think poisoned land was something she could just treat like an infestation?

Any plant that had died from his poison was dead down to its very roots.

Even if she cut the stems and replanted them, even if she poured every nutrient she had into the soil, they would never come back to life.

"I’ll plant a pretty flower here instead."

And even if she did plant a fresh, healthy flower, the moment it took root in this soil, it would wither all the same.

"Karon, if you only ever look at things like this, of course you’ll dry up inside too."

Karon felt a sharp pang at the words that almost spilled from his throat—Then what the hell am I supposed to do to stop seeing this?

But he swallowed them down.

Instead of arguing with a stubborn child over something so pointless, he decided to just deal with what was in front of him.

"Do whatever you want. Just be gone by the time I get back."

"Where are you going?"

"None of your business."

"Fair enough."

Elodie didn’t pry. She just dropped the question, letting it go as easily as she had asked it.

Karon considered simply dragging the child out of the royal garden himself, but in the end, he decided not to bother.

She’ll give up soon enough anyway.

What she was trying to do was no different from trying to feed poison to a plant and expecting it to grow.

She would realize soon enough just how absurd her idea was.

***

So, poisonous plants exist in this world too, huh?

In fact, quite a few ornamental flowers—beautiful, elegant ones—happened to be toxic.

Which meant... Could poisonous plants survive in this soil?

Most of them would probably die instantly, but...

This poison wasn’t just any poison.

Still, there had to be something out there that could withstand it.

Of course, Elodie had no intention of backing down.

She scooped up some of the crumbling plants and poisoned soil and then struck the wall of the royal palace with the Holy Hammer, creating a tiny mouse hole.

The Sanctuary of Healing was convenient—she could enter it from anywhere, at any time.

The moment she stepped inside, the Fire Spirit looked up at her.

[Baby, have you calmed down now?]

"Yeah, sorry about last time."

[As long as you know.]

"You’re back at the fireplace again. You can move around, so doesn’t it get uncomfortable just sitting there?"

[This is my base camp. Wandering around drains my strength.]

"But isn’t it bad to sit all day? You should move around more, or you’ll get weak."

Elodie nagged the little flame for being too much of a homebody as she placed a pot of soil on the desk.

[What’s this?]

"Poisoned soil."

[Oh, that’s interesting. I want to try eating it.]

Elodie, without hesitation, poured a handful of the tainted dirt into the spirit’s flames.

Now, time to figure out what kind of plant could actually grow in this place.