Chapter 1090: 17.17 Fourth Violet Star - Forbidden Greenhouse Garden

At the Second Prince's Palace...

Christopher Klein von Imperlian wanted to meet Yara von Chrysalis. Unfortunately, he is heavily guarded by the Grand Duke's people even in school, especially since Dean Frey von Gregory is also one of his people. Even though the second attempted to stage a scene in which he would accidentally run into Yara von Chrysalis, everything was blocked by the other side.

"Reporting. Your Highness, it was said that lately, Yara von Chrysalis has been training with the youngest prince in the Forbidden Garden of the First Military Imperial School. Though it wasn't forbidden to enter that place, that garden is filled with mutated plants and trees and they attacked anyone that dared to trespa.s.s that place."

"If no one can enter there, how can they stay there to train? Are they not attacked inside?" The Second Prince, Christopher Klein von Imperlian asked.

"We peeked once from the outside and saw the Youngest Prince and his subordinates being attacked but... That student, Yara von Chrysalis, is unharmed. Maybe the Grand Marshal had given him some treasure to avoid being detected by those things inside."

"If that is so then he shouldn't be able to stay for long inside and, weirdly, my younger brother and his people can stay alive there and come out while still breathing if that place is truly dangerous. I want to know what is inside. Send someone inside to investigate!" The Second Prince commanded.

"As you wish, Your Highness!"

---

The Second Prince's subordinates sneak into the Forbidden Greenhouse after the sun has set on the same day. There were no locks on this place, so anyone could enter. It wasn't because the dean was worried about someone stealing something inside, but because Yara von Chrysalis requested that this door be unlocked because some plants enjoy bathing in moonlight at night. As a result, they'd crawl out of the greenhouse to enjoy the evening.

Unfortunately, some uninvited guests did not value their lives tonight. Despite their surprise that the door to this greenhouse was left open even when the School was closed, they went inside. There are some posted notes on the door as well, as if there are some rules that must be followed. Only the leader had glanced at these papers and noticed that cutting or burning anything inside the greenhouse was prohibited. They will bear the consequences at their own risk. When the leader read the rules, he frowned. He was perplexed as to why a greenhouse like this had such strict rules.

"What is this? Greenhouse's Rules?"

"It seems to be written by a student. Well, this place is considered school property after all~"

"Yara von Chrysalis. He made this?" The leader mumbled.

These were warriors serving under the command of the second prince. They are Elite in comparison to the other soldiers, if not to his Imperial Uncle's troops. Though these people are powerful, the second prince's true strength remains unknown. They are the second best team on Christopher Klein von Imperlian's side. There are only three intruders, with strengths ranging from B+ to A. The leader is an A-level Adjudicator.

The Greenhouse's interior is strangely quiet and dark. The swaying trees' shadows make the place even creepier, as if the shadows are forming some kind of ent.i.ty they wouldn't expect.

"Boss, what are we going to do here? There are only trees and plants in this place, nothing to see at all!"

"Shut your mouth! This place is a forbidden place and mutated plants are living in this place!"

"Are you for real, boss!? Why would this school allow mutated plants to exist in where students stay? They should worry about the children's safety first!"

"I heard that the Dean made a deal with these mutated plants. In exchange for giving them this land, they are to protect the First Military Imperial School when the place is in danger."

"Do you believe that? Is there even a plant or tree that can speak!? Let's just destroy it!"

"Watch your mouth! I heard this place is under the name of the Grand Duke. He made it for his pair who love to plant and take care of greens."

Their quiet leader had finally spoken and his cold and stern voice was heard in the area, "Enough. Spread and investigate. Don't touch anything and don't destroy any plants or trees! Do you understand?"

"Yes, Boss!"

"Move out! Return in half an hour!"

While his subordinates investigate the greenhouse, the leader guards the entrance and exit door. The Second Prince a.s.signed them the task of determining whether or not there was anything unusual in this greenhouse. He had a feeling of unease ever since he walked into this greenhouse. He couldn't find anything strange in this place, no matter how hard he looked. But the strange feeling of someone watching him didn't go away, and it became even stronger when he entered the greenhouse.

He also looked around and noticed a ma.s.sive Old Pine Tree, which he approached slowly. As he approached the ma.s.sive tree, the feeling of being watched grew stronger. He senses a strong qi emanating from this Pine Tree.

The leader mumbles, "How come there is a huge source of energy coming from this tree? No matter where I look at it, it seems ordinary." He continues to investigate the Old Pine Tree in search of the source of energy he sensed emanating from it, but he does not dare to destroy it. This afternoon, he noticed Yara von Chrysalis tending to this tree.

This man comes by to see if the people inside have left. Jace Green and the others had just finished their training for the day and the Old Pine Tree and had returned to normalcy, while Yara von Chrysalis was double checking to see if there were any insects that had infiltrated the trunk or roots. This was the scene that this man witnessed, and he had no idea that the Old Pine Tree was a mutated tree and one of the strongest sentient trees in the greenhouse.

Meanwhile, this man's other subordinates spread out to check the area. They had no idea what was strange about this place and were perplexed as to what they should look like in such a place filled only with plants and trees.

As he walked, he grumbled to himself, "What can be seen in a Greenhouse? There is nothing unique here. Only plants, trees, gra.s.s, and flowers! What is there to see in this place? I might as well just look for a mutated plant. If I can steal one away, it can be sold for quite a price." This man is one of three intruders in the area.

As he walks around, he notices a strange-looking plant. A bulb-like root can be found in a strangely shaped plant that resembles an open mouth. The inside is red, like flesh, while the outside is still green. It's a mutated Venus Flytrap. It was a hundred times larger than normal, and even insects that landed on it looked like candies rather than food. Yara von Chrysalis planted this carnivorous plant. However, this intruder appears to have no idea what this plant is and appears to be very interested in it.

"What is this plant? It looks weird. Is this a mutated plant? If it is this big then I can't bring it away."

He looked down and saw a small version of the Venus fly trap lily. His greed flashes within those eyes as he immediately crouches down to dig this small plant up.

"Lucky~ there is a small one here. Even if it wasn't a mutated plant, just looking at its shape it can be sold for quite a some. Hehe~"

The man is unaware that as soon as he squats down and begins digging, the largest flytrap lily moves and looks down on him. It had been watching him for a long time and was about to ignore him as usual. However, this human became enraged and began digging his child. The large Venus flytrap slowly approaches the man and opens its mouth wide. Its movement is so quiet that the intruder doesn't even notice the approaching plant until he is chomped alive and his screams reverberate in the quiet Greenhouse.

AAAAHHH!!!

CRUNCHED! MUNCHES~

AGH! S-SAVE ME!!!

The entire greenhouse is surrounded by sound-isolating walls. Outside, no one would be able to hear anything. Those inside the greenhouse, however, can clearly hear the scream. The other two men in the greenhouse were startled by the scream and ran towards the source of it. When they arrived, they discovered that their comrade had been eaten by the plant and had already lost half of its body. The mutated Venus flytrap was merciless, slowly devouring the man, allowing him to feel every pain of being eaten alive.

The leader mumbled at such a scene, "What the h.e.l.l is this?!"

"Let him go!!"

"STOP!!!"

The other man took out a knife with the intention of killing the plant. As he remembered the posted rules on the door on the way here, the leader tried to stop him. But it was too late; his other subordinate had already slashed the Venus fly trap to save the other person. The Venus flytrap retaliated by biting the intruder and chopping off one of its heads.

WHOOSH~

The man wanted to slash this monster plant for a second time but a huge tree branch suddenly flew and struck from the back piercing the man's heart.

Urgh! "What the h.e.l.l...!?"

The man was stunned to see a thick tree branch pa.s.sing through his body and his beating heart right in front of him. Unfortunately, his life was fading so quickly that the last time he was was that beating heart, which was pierced out by this unknown tree branch that attacked him.

"f.u.c.k!"

The leader cursed as he witnessed the deaths of two of his two subordinates. One was eaten alive, and the other had a tree branch pierce his heart. When he looked in the direction of the tree branch, he was surprised to see that it came from where he was before. He remembered the ma.s.sive pine tree he was just touching. Now that the plants and trees have begun to move, his terminal has detected the energy emanating from those creatures and determined what it is.

[Ding! Huge energy was detected. Mutated Old Pine Tree. Cla.s.s: S. Mutated Venus Flytrap. Cla.s.s: A+.]

[Ding! Huge energy was detected. Mutated Willow Tree. Cla.s.s: S.]

[Ding! Detected...]

[Ding!...]

His terminal was constantly ringing, detecting all creatures in the area. He was astounded to discover so many mutated plants and trees in this Greenhouse. Mutated plants are extremely rare in the wild. They usually only hunt when they are out of food, and most of them disguise themselves as ordinary trees or plants unless they are bothered.

's.h.i.+t! Just how many mutated plants are in here!!!?'

When he noticed that a small flytrap lily beneath the larger one had been dug, he realized that his subordinate might have wanted to steal one of the plants, which enraged the mutated Venus Flytrap. His other subordinate was killed because he violated the greenhouse's rules. The leader was spared because he followed the rules and did not break anything inside the Greenhouse.

But the thought of being surrounded by countless mutated plants and trees horrified him. When that tree branch pierced his subordinate's heart, he couldn't even react. He freezes in place as he notices the Venus Flytrap approaching. He couldn't stop his body from shaking from fear.

Suddenly, an old voice can be heard in the Greenhouse,

{Venus, yond thing didn't hath broken the rules of the greenhouse. Thou art not allowed to harmeth that gent. These art the w'rds of the king.}

Translation: [Venus, that thing didn't break the rules of the Greenhouse. You are not allowed to harm him. These are the words of the king.]

The ma.s.sive Venus Flytrap moves away from the human and a.s.sists his child in being securely surrounded by soil once more. Another ma.s.sive Venus Flytrap s.h.i.+fts its roots to conceal the small one in between them, as if protecting its child from greedy humans such as his subordinates.

{Human, thee've did cause enow ruckus f'r the night. These two shall beest did punish f'r breaking the rules of this lodging. Thee can't bringeth those folk hence. These art the rules. Thee've readeth t, right? leaveth! anon!}

Translation: [Human, you've caused enough ruckus for the night. These two will be punished for breaking the rules of this place. You can't bring them away. These are the rules. You've read it, right? Leave! Now!]

The leader fled as if he had discovered the only way to live. He didn't even choose to save his two idiotic subordinates who had enraged these mutated plants. Everything must be reported to the second prince.