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Chapter – 14
Time passed quickly. The day of the healer entrance examination had arrived.
“Hmph.”
Zekiel deliberately glared at Eleanor before leaving, but she paid him no mind.
He said he would depart for a subjugation mission in the area beside the examination grounds today. The difficulty of the mission was ordinary, so unless something unusual happened, he would return safely.
But… was there any reason for him to return safely?
A faint, crooked smile touched Eleanor’s lips. At that moment, Jennifer approached with an elegant smile.
“Eleanor.”
“Yes.”
Jennifer looked unusually youthful today. She wore a pale ivory-pearl ornament in her hair, and a green dress that gracefully revealed the line of her neck, along with a diamond necklace that sparkled in the light.
Eleanor, dressed in a white silk gown, appeared pure and delicate — yet beside Jennifer’s adornment, her presence faded.
Laura glared resentfully at Jennifer but quickly hid her gaze.
“You seem very nervous.”
“Not really.”
“That’s why I decided to go with you, so don’t tremble too much.”
As if she hadn’t heard Eleanor’s reply, Jennifer kindly took her hand.
Eleanor found her ridiculous.
Ten years ago, Jennifer had captured Jules Hildette using her beauty and youth as weapons.
But after entering the Hildette family, she rarely appeared publicly, and Jules Hildette never acknowledged her as the true mistress of the house.
So under the pretense of escorting a nervous Eleanor to the exam, she was merely trying to make herself stand out — a rather undignified act.
“Father says this is the last test, but even if the result isn’t very good, he’ll surely give you another chance.”
“Yes.”
Emphasizing the words last test was clearly meant to burden Eleanor.
Eleanor herself knew well that if she missed this opportunity, Jules would never look at her again.
But she found it tiresome to humor Jennifer, so she only nodded vaguely.
Jennifer’s beautiful face twisted slightly.
“Oh, I almost forgot. This is a honey wine I specially made.”
Suppressing her emotions with a light bite of her lip, Jennifer held out a glass.
A sweet fragrance rose from the golden drink, yet Eleanor showed no temptation.
“Eleanor?”
Jennifer called her when she simply stared without taking the glass.
The honey wine contained a mild bee venom. The paralysis effect wasn’t strong, but Jennifer had a reason for offering it.
Eleanor has changed.
She noticed it in Eleanor’s recent conversation with Zekiel, in how she treated Anne and herself.
Even when meeting Jules Hildette alone, she had apparently handled it well enough that Jules warned Jennifer not to talk nonsense.
If it were merely late adolescence, fine — but if Eleanor had noticed something strange, the entire plan would need revision.
In that sense, the drink was a test.
“Are you refusing my sincerity?”
Had she noticed the threat?
Just as Jennifer considered changing plans, Eleanor suddenly snatched the glass from her hand.
“It’s been a while since Mother gave me a gift, so I hesitated.”
After answering, Eleanor leisurely held the honey wine in her mouth.
Jennifer finally relaxed.
If Eleanor hadn’t drunk it, she planned, in the worst case, to contact Trisha and cancel the healer exam entirely — something she wanted to avoid because it might leave traces.
“…It’s sweet.”
Jennifer smiled lightly as Eleanor returned the empty glass.
So she had only intended a small act of rebellion out of dissatisfaction with her situation.
Seeing she suspected nothing, Eleanor was still the gentle, foolish girl Jennifer believed her to be.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
Everything would proceed according to plan. Jennifer smiled elegantly.
Riding the carriage together, Eleanor remained silent. Occasionally she frowned as if uncomfortable — the bee venom seemed to be taking effect.
“Are you alright, Eleanor?”
“Yes. I think I’m just nervous.”
She answered while looking out the window. Jennifer, busy hiding her delight, didn’t properly check her expression.
Eleanor lifted the corner of her shadowed lips in mockery.
If you were going to scheme, you should have done it properly.
The brief paralysis only caused a twitch in her cheek. It might make her look foolish entering the exam hall, but it wouldn’t affect her plan.
If it had been real paralytic poison, she wouldn’t have drunk it so easily.
You tried a shallow trick to avoid suspicion — useless.
Jennifer was certainly more meticulous than Zekiel.
She judged Eleanor’s change might be dangerous and tested her in a way that wouldn’t connect back to her — even if bribed guards later knocked Eleanor unconscious.
But that very caution would become her downfall.
Unless Eleanor were bound and force-fed deadly poison, she had the ability to overturn Jennifer’s plan entirely.
“I’m looking forward to it.”
Eleanor whispered.
Jennifer smiled.
“I hope you achieve good results too, Eleanor.”
As she accepted the hypocritical voice with a smile, the carriage arrived at the healer examination grounds.
When Eleanor stepped down from the green carriage bearing the Hildette family crest, all eyes gathered.
Most attendees were commoners, with a few low-ranking nobles. Many examinees were children, making Eleanor’s appearance especially conspicuous.
“Isn’t that the Hildette family’s failure?”
“Shh, she’ll hear you.”
“The madam looks more elegant. Are you sure she’s the legitimate daughter?”
“I wouldn’t acknowledge someone who couldn’t pass the entrance exam by seventeen either.”
Whispers that once stabbed at her echoed everywhere.
Eleanor raised her black eyes and scanned the surroundings.
People of all ages mocked her.
“Eleanor. You’re last.”
Jennifer handed her the number tag, acting like a kind mother.
“If you achieve the best result at the end, they’ll know they were wrong.”
Jennifer always arranged Eleanor to go last — a burden for her weak heart. And people remembered first and last most strongly.
Knowing Sabenn grass and Silvena grass suppressed Eleanor’s healing power, Jennifer constantly tried to humiliate her.
Eleanor accepted the tag and smiled.
“Yes. Of course.”
To destroy the world, she needed preparation. During that time, she refused to be sacrificed to the demon realm again.
To buy time, she had to reclaim her lost honor.
Jennifer tried to chat warmly, but Eleanor remained cold the entire waiting period.
Eventually, all turns ended — and Eleanor’s turn came.
“Have a good trip.”
Jennifer kept up the act until the end.
Eleanor nodded and walked toward the entrance of the Yellow-Horn Goblin Dungeon.
As she entered the goblin cave, humid air rushed in, mixed with familiar demonic energy.
“…Well then.”
Once the dungeon sealed, Eleanor raised her head.
“Shall we start the hunt?”
Tak!
Her body moved like a flying shadow.
She dashed forward as if stepping on air and grabbed the guard hiding in the shadows before he could even cry out.
“Uh—!”
“Black Blade.”
At her murmur, a blade formed at her fingertips. Before he reacted, Eleanor smiled coldly.
Slash.
Her hand moved smoothly across his neck. The unpleasant sensation of flesh splitting traveled to her fingers.
She kicked his shoulder; the headless body fell without a scream.
Thud!
“Nobs!”
Seeing the first guard collapse, the second abandoned stealth and rushed out — a mistake.
Tap!
Her footsteps sounded like stepping stones. Beyond her swift movement flashed a black dagger.
The blade pierced the exposed chest.
“Guh…!”
He tried to defend — but too late.
He never imagined the frail young lady from the mansion would stab a vital point without hesitation.
He reached out belatedly, but she twisted and withdrew the blade cleanly.
A precise, flawless kill.
Yet her expression didn’t change at all.
Eleanor was accustomed to death — more than anyone here.
“N-no…”
The last hidden guard, Kal, couldn’t believe what he saw. The weak Eleanor Hildette had just killed two guards and was walking toward him.
Could he ambush her?
Her gaze was unmistakably fixed on him.
“Damn it!”
Jennifer told him to knock her out with drugs. Instead, he drew his sword. She had killed his comrades — now the blade pointed at him.
“Haaah!”
He charged, hoping a first strike might work.
Clang!
Steel rang violently. The ambush failed.
He pushed with strength, thinking he could overpower a frail lady. Eleanor angled her sword, deflecting the force, meeting his eyes.
“Hello, Kal.”
“…Miss…”
“I remembered you.”
How could she forget the rudeness carried over from her past life?
Whoosh!
She twisted away; his balance collapsed. He tried to follow but was already a step late.
She leapt off the cave wall — a small shadow enlarging as it descended vertically.
Above his head.
“Goodbye.”
Her quiet farewell.
Realizing he couldn’t block it, Kal’s face turned pale.
“S-spare me—”
Her blade cut straight through him.
