Chapter 876: Matters of Respect
Seina would tolerate many things; however, threatening her disciples, who she treated and raised as her own daughters, was the same as touching a dragon's reversal scale!
That being said, even though Seina saw right through Yuveil's actions, it was still enough to make her momentarily hesitate.
If the pill truly did not heal her, then after she was gone, who would protect her disciples from those vying for power within the order?
The guardians? After her constantly declining health, the few that were on her side had switched over to Yuveil.
Yuveil's influence was already at the top among the guardians, and none of them would speak out against her. This was even more so if Seina was not around.
"After all these years... Master, why did you choose me that day?" Seina thought to herself as she closed her eyes to contemplate.
The Holy Maiden had several disciples; however, only one of them would ultimately become the Holy Maiden and stand at the top of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms.
Back then, the previous Holy Maiden, who was also Seina and Yuveil's master, had chosen her over her senior sister.
Ever since that day, her relationship with Yuveil had never been the same. She could not help but think that if, on that day, her master had instead chosen Yuveil instead of her, perhaps the current state of the Order would be better off.
As these thoughts crossed Seina's mind, a familiar voice snapped her out of her most inner thoughts.
"Master, do not worry about your disciple! I believe in the pill Izroth has crafted!" Sychia abruptly declared.
"Insolent! How dare you interrupt when your elders are speaking?! Have you been taught no respect?!" Yuveil scowled.
"First Guardian Yuveil! Although you are my elder, I am the Thousand Blossoms Maiden. As next in line for becoming the Holy Maiden, in terms of authority, the only one who ranks above me is my master. I ask that you take my position into account when speaking about matters of respect." Sychia stated with a resolute look in her eyes.
Even though she was still inexperienced in several aspects, she was not mindless. That's why, in order not to further burden her ill master, Sychia stood by silently and endured many years for her sake. But, the thought of losing her master as she remained idle and continued to endure silently awakened a side of Sychia that even she herself had no idea existed.
Yuveil's expression turned extremely ugly when she heard Sychia's words. Her junior sister was one thing. But, now, even some naive girl dared to speak to her so brazenly?! How could she not be absolutely livid?!
"Sy..." Seina uttered with an indication of shock.
Seina was taken aback by Sychia's sudden outburst. That child, who was usually well reserved and polite, was now speaking up for herself. And, that look in her eyes—there was not the slightest hint of backing down or retreating in the resolve those eyes contained.
A feeling of pride swelled within Seina as a charming and warm smile had unknowingly found its way onto her face.
"You have grown up right before my eyes, Sy... You are no longer that little frightened and abandoned child I found on that day. You have grown into a lovely young woman." Seina thought to herself as she was overcome with an indescribable feeling of happiness.
Yet, there was also a bit of sadness and emptiness mixed within when she saw the child she raised become a young woman.
"I see... This immense feeling of joy with a hint of emptiness... Is this how a mother feels when her child has blossomed this beautifully?" Seina internalized.
The following moment, Jade stepped forward and stated firmly, "While I do not know much about this Izroth, I know my junior sister. Master, I trust in the judgment of my junior sister. Please do not worry about us. No matter what happens to you, the three of us sisters will never allow the other to suffer. If senior sister Sylvia were here with us, I'm sure she would feel the same as us, master."
Seina stayed silent for a while. Then, a few moments later, she released a small sigh.
"You two... Very well. Since they are so adamant, for the sake of my precious disciples, I shall proceed with consuming the pill crafted by Apothecary Izroth." Seina said as she announced her decision.
"Think about what you're doing! Do you really want to go against the will of the guardians in this matter?! If something happens to you, then-!" Yuveil exclaimed.
But, the First Guardian was swiftly interrupted by Seina.
"First Guardian Yuveil, since you seem to enjoy lecturing my disciple so much on respect, need I remind you that I am still the Holy Maiden of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms? If you wish to formally protest, you may go to the other guardians and do so. However, I have made my choice. Now, leave this place—while I am still asking politely." Seina stated coldly.
Yuveil's face flushed bright red as she tightly clenched her fists in an attempt to contain her anger.
"Hmph, I will take this matter to the guardians at once! Even if you are the Holy Maiden, there are certain rules you must follow! I will be making a formal protest!" Yuveil scoffed as she stormed out of the crafting room.
But, just before leaving the crafting room, she glared one last time at Izroth.
...
After Yuveil left the crafting room, the atmosphere immediately became more relaxed.
Sychia and Jade released a long sigh of relief. It was not easy for them to speak up against the First Guardian Yuveil. And, by doing so, they knew that, in the future, Yuveil would try her best to find faults with them.
Nevertheless, they meant every word they said and would say it again without hesitation for their master's sake.
"My apologies, Apothecary Izroth. We have shown you quite the disgraceful display." Seina said as she faced Izroth.
She then continued, "As for the second pill you crafted and the leftover ingredients my disciples gathered; naturally, we will not ask you to turn it over. In fact, please think of it as a small gift for allowing me to witness a Pill Rebirth with my own eyes after so long. And, as a small apology on behalf of the Order of a Thousand Blossoms for the inhospitable actions of its First Guardian towards our Honorary Saint."
The two-hundred batches of ingredients that Sylvia and Jade gathered were easily worth several thousands of gold coins.
For someone like Seina, who was a grade-seven Apothecary, what were a few thousand gold coins? It was not even enough to be considered pocket change in her eyes!
It's why the Holy Maiden referred to it as a "small gift" rather than a form of compensation. After all, if her illness was really healed, how could her life compare to a measly few thousands of gold coins?
"Since you wish to gift it to me, then I will not refuse. As for the other matters at hand, it is not worthy enough for me to take them to heart. Against those who doubt me, I will allow the results to speak for themselves." Izroth responded nonchalantly.
Izroth had nothing to prove to someone like Yuveil; therefore, he took her words as senseless ramblings. In the end, he did not have time to waste entertaining whatever petty schemes she wanted to set in motion.
Izroth was willing to overlook Yuveil's actions this once. It could be considered his version of a "small gift" to Sychia and her master for bringing back some old fond memories of his own master.
But, if Yuveil ignored his moment of kindness and still planned to drag him into the middle of their internal affairs, then she would have to bear the consequences.
Seina gave a small nod of approval to Izroth's response.
The next moment, the Holy Maiden looked down at the pill in her hand and then at her two disciples, who could not contain their nervous and anxious expressions.
A light smile appeared on Seina's face. Then, without wasting another moment, she consumed the Hundred Death Poisoning Pill.
Tsssssst!
The instant Seina consumed the pill, a burst of icy wind was forcibly expelled from her body.
This icy wind was cold enough to instantly freeze the floor around Seina as several layers of frost could be seen on multiple areas of her body.
'I knew the poison was not normal, but to have this kind of reaction to the Hundred Death Poisoning Pill... It's even more vicious than I anticipated.'
Izroth looked down at his feet, where a layer of ice had begun to build up.
Fortunately, his Heavenly Golden Body made it so that he could endure the cold without much issue.
As for Sychia and Jade, the two channeled their mana and remained close to one another to fend off the cold energy.
The two had no intention of leaving their master's side; therefore, to them, tolerating this level of frost was nothing.