It's Overwhelmingly Convenient That the Female Lead Has Darkened - Chapter 32

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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A darkened heroine is overwhelmingly convenient.
#32
“Daisy, you’ve worked so hard! This is a gift from me!”
Having picked up on the herbology professor’s tendencies, Anemone would use a Clean Artifact on Daisy—now perpetually soiled from practicum—every time the session ended.
That Anemone would spend such an expensive artifact on me.
Daisy felt grateful to Anemone, but also burdened by a debt of conscience.
To repay that debt, she dug up herbs all the more eagerly, and felt grateful toward her friend who kept using artifacts to wipe away the grime.
She had no idea this was all Anemone’s scheme.
“How can I let that idiot monopolize the professor’s attention like this?”
Beside the now-spotless Daisy, Anemone had strategically smudged her own clothes with dirt and earned the professor’s praise.
So what did the original Daisy do when she saw that display?
She applauded from the sidelines.
“……”
Ugh, what a headache.
Daisy rubbed the back of her neck and shot Anemone a sidelong glance.
Anemone Miller didn’t seem to know much about the professor’s preferences yet.
Which made sense.
Anemone’s scheming didn’t begin until third year, after all.
In the original story, the first-year “Daisy” had never met Anemone at all.
Back then, since the badge on her chest wasn’t branded as worthless, she’d had no trouble finding another group.
At first, she’d even considered expelling Anemone from the academy entirely.
After all, it was Anemone who had completely destroyed Daisy’s path to becoming an herbologist.
But……
‘We’ll make a sworn oath before witnesses, each staking our honor. If you break it, terrible suffering will visit you every night.’
‘Terrible suffering? What kind?’
‘…Terrible suffering.’
Seeing Helga still wavering at the edge of the thornbrakes, terrified of her oath, all of Daisy’s momentum had suddenly drained away.
She had realized, finally, that this entire crisis could have been resolved if Daisy had simply said, “No, I don’t want to.”
But it was Daisy who hadn’t done that, and had ended up harvesting poison herbs instead.
‘Of course, I can’t blame Daisy for it.’
Given the circumstances surrounding her, Daisy’s nature was an inevitable result.
How could a child who craves love and affection, who hates loneliness, refuse another’s request?
In other words, the combination of Anemone—proud and burdened by inferiority—and Daisy—a noble who never grew up as one—was catastrophic gears grinding toward ruin.
Walking steadily toward destruction.
So Daisy had decided to sever her ill-fated connection with Anemone Miller from the start.
‘I’ll help you this one time. If you have any conscience, we’ll each go our own way.’
If they didn’t, she truly wouldn’t hold back.
Daisy’s small fist clenched tight.
Sensing something, Anemone’s shoulders trembled slightly.
It was then.
The professor’s dark eyes gleamed as she opened her mouth.
“But we should at least hear explanations about the herbs you’ve collected, yes? Looking at just the baskets… ah, magnificent. Magnificent! Not a single weed among them! Now then, let’s start with Miss Daisy!”
* * *
Daisy, naturally, identified every herb correctly.
It was only natural—she’d found most of them anyway.
Jessica stumbled through the names and got them right, while Boris impressed the professor by explaining the herbs’ efficacy clearly.
And this one, too……
Daisy’s gaze shifted to the side.
“……”
Felix Arderon, quiet-mouthed as he was, knew quite a lot about herbs.
‘He doesn’t look like he’d know anything about herbs at all….’
Though he does love mountains, so maybe that’s why?
And the surprising thing was that Anemone Miller also identified every herb the professor presented correctly.
It seemed she hadn’t been lying about having entered the academy on herbology alone.
She’d frantically checked the book to confirm each answer was right, and she did remember the contents, bit by bit.
Clap-clap-clap-clap!
“Truly magnificent, magnificent! I haven’t encountered such an excellent group in years! Good heavens!”
The herbology professor clapped enthusiastically and shouted.
Now the expressions of the watching students held only envy.
“Well then, let’s conclude the herbology practicum! Please submit your reports by next week!”
“Y-yes…”
“Now, each of you should draw a detailed sketch of the herb or weed you collected, write its name and the location where you found it beneath the drawing. For weeds, you must also explain why you confused it with another herb. For herbs, describe their properties and what medicines can be made from them, and also…”
“…”
I really do envy them.
Even as the professor finished speaking, the other students’ gazes remained fixed on the five who had been exempted from the report.
* * *
“…”
Anemone bit her lip hard.
This time it wasn’t irritation or anger.
Something felt strange.
There was a strange sense of accomplishment, and a curious eagerness about herbalism welling up inside her.
The basket overflowing with herbs came into view.
The plants that had grown in harsh terrain and broken her nails somehow looked endearing to her now.
‘I think I could do better next time.’
Anemone thought this with flushed cheeks.
It was the first thought of its kind since she’d entered the academy.
Her pride, worn down by the disdain of the noble-born children, had found itself restored by the professor’s pouring praise.
And the one who had earned her that praise was…
“…”
“What are you staring at?”
Anemone jumped at Daisy’s blunt question.
“No, I was just…”
“Oh, right. You want this?”
Daisy nodded as if she’d suddenly realized something, then held out an object.
It was a bead hung with a Clean artifact.
Anemone stared at the bead for a moment before speaking.
“Take it.”
“What?”
“I’m saying you should have it.”
Daisy looked at Anemone with a bewildered expression.
What? Why is she suddenly acting like this?
Is this bead actually cursed with some strange magic, not Clean magic?
As Daisy gazed seriously at the gleaming bead, Anemone continued.
“And since a promise is a promise, I’ll harvest all the herbs you find from now on.”
Ah.
Daisy let out a soft laugh as if she finally understood why Anemone was doing this.
“So you figured out that’s how you get good grades from the professor?”
“Well, that’s… part of it.”
It would be a lie to say no—the professor’s Aesthetic magic had felt far too good.
But that wasn’t the only reason.
“It’s just… kind of fun.”
“Huh?”
“I hated it while I was harvesting, but after it was done, I felt a little proud. Is that weird?”
“…”
Daisy’s face showed surprise.
Catching herself at that expression, Anemone furrowed her brow and cried out.
“D-don’t get the wrong idea! I like herbalism, not you!”
What are people saying…?
“I hate you! You always find herbs in difficult places! I’ve seen all the ones that are spread everywhere on the ground!”
This girl isn’t completely stupid after all.
“Herbalism is really important to me… so that’s why I’m giving you the bead! There’s no other reason!”
Huffing indignantly, Anemone linked arms with Jessica, who was still busy watching Felix, and walked away briskly.
Then she paused for a moment and spoke curtly.
“S-so, come or don’t come to Eldvain’s gift presentation next week…”
Anemone and Jessica disappeared toward Raven’s Hall.
And Daisy, who should have muttered ‘what kind of weird goodbye was that?’…
“…!”
…stood with her mouth hanging open, a shocked expression frozen on her face.
It couldn’t be helped.
‘Damn it, that’s next week…?!’
Because there was a once-in-a-lifetime summon gacha event right around the corner!
* * *
Obtaining a summon was an extraordinarily difficult thing to accomplish.
Setting aside the fiendishly complex summoning circles themselves, even when one expended magical power to the point of near-death, what materialized was usually nothing more than a single field mouse.
But here, in Eldvain, it was different.
Freshmen admitted to Eldvain took their place in the intricate summoning circle drawn upon one of the five founder monuments in the central garden.
And there, where all the magical power and will of the founders had been compressed, they poured forth a portion of their own strength.
Then they could summon a creature without risking their lives.
True, there was still a chance of failure, and the form of the summoned creature was random.
But once you summoned even once, the creature would dwell in your heart until death itself, and could be summoned each time without any magical cost—nothing could be more suited to being called a ‘gift’ than this.
To obtain this opportunity, countless parents bore enormous tuition fees and went to every length to enroll their children in Eldvain.
This was none other than ‘the Eldvain Gift Bestowal Ceremony’.
“Hey, squeeze my hand for luck.”
“Wow, you’re ice cold. You’re definitely going to pull a polar bear today.”
And at last, the day of ‘the Eldvain Gift Bestowal Ceremony’ had arrived.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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