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Chapter 60
“Ahhhhh!”
Prillien screamed in agony, coughing up blood.
‘W-what the hell?!’
Eligia was so shocked that she couldn’t even move.
Wasn’t she supposed to be immune to poison? A saintess?
She’s the protagonist! She was full of confidence! What happens if the saintess collapses?!
But there was no time to think. At this rate, Prillien really was going to die. Eligia frantically reached out her hand.
∥ “Effect Extortion!” ∥
Skill, ‘Effect Extortion,’ has been used.
You steal another’s effect and transfer it to yourself.
Current state of Prillien: ‘Poison Curse.’
Do you wish to transfer the curse to yourself?
∥ “Yes!” ∥
Executing…
Ding!
Once again, Eligia’s vision turned red, and a new window popped up before her eyes.
Skill, ‘Effect Extortion,’ in use.
Current status: Poison Curse (EX) X2
Based on the player’s poison resistance, health, and mana, this condition can be lifted at any time. Lift now?
(Yes/No)
‘Did it work…?’
Eligia felt a sharper, stabbing pain in her stomach and glanced at Prillien. The girl who had just been vomiting blood suddenly stopped screaming. A flush of color returned to her pale face.
“Ugh, cough, cough…? …Huh? I feel better now?”
Prillien straightened up with a few small coughs. She looked around apologetically.
“Ha ha… I must have scared everyone. I’m sorry.”
Wiping the blood from her lips, she forced a cheerful smile.
“But I think I’m okay now! Really, you don’t have to worry. I do have detox abilities, after all…!”
‘No!! You almost died just now!’
Stop trusting your ability so much! Why are you so confident?!
Eligia panicked at her bright smile, while Prillien—completely oblivious—continued chattering away with self-satisfaction.
“Still, I can’t figure out what kind of poison this is from just one bite. Maybe if I try one more…”
‘No, don’t you dare!’
Eligia screamed inside as Prillien reached for the scone again. Thankfully, someone interrupted her.
“Please wait. You must be cautious with a second attempt. If you eat too much, there won’t be enough samples left for analysis.”
It was the elderly court physician standing by the door. He glanced between the tray and Prillien with concern.
“The imperial family, the duke’s house, and the Mage Tower will all be taking portions for investigation. The saintess can only take the share allocated to the temple. After what you just ate, there isn’t much left…”
“Oh, I see.”
Prillien widened her eyes in realization and nodded. The physician continued.
“And besides… though you detoxified, you did display symptoms of poisoning briefly. I believe it’s best if you don’t consume any more, Saintess.”
“….”
Prillien’s cheeks flushed red at being hit squarely with the truth. She quickly placed her hand on her chest.
Fwoooosh!
A healing skill.
‘Ah, so she’s putting my self-heal advice to good use.’
Eligia nodded, satisfied. Thanks to the physician’s intervention, it looked like Prillien wouldn’t recklessly eat poison again—at least not here. After finishing her heal, Prillien admitted:
“Now that I think about it, you’re right. It’s better to discuss with the high priest and the others so we can analyze this properly. Honestly, something felt strange just now. This is the first time I couldn’t identify a poison right away.”
Her expression grew grave.
“What’s worse… even if I tried a second time, I’m not confident I could identify it. At this point, proper investigation should be the priority.”
“What about Eligia then? Does she have to just keep waiting?”
Howell interjected irritably.
“What if her condition worsens while waiting? Isn’t there some kind of detox ability you can use aside from healing?”
“Ah, that….”
Prillien began to reply—
“Cough—!”
A sudden, violent cough echoed in the room.
“Elly!”
“My lady?!”
“Young miss!”
Drip—
Eligia wiped her damp lips and froze. The metallic stench of blood. Fresh red streaked across her palm.
“Ah….”
She winced.
Taking on Prillien’s share had worsened the symptoms.
The effect of Poison Curse X2 was overwhelming!
She hadn’t expected to also inherit the blood-vomiting symptoms Prillien had shown. This was seriously nasty. With a weary face, Eligia gestured toward the saintess.
“Saintess, please detox me…”
“Ah! Y-yes, right away!”
Prillien rushed to place her hand over Eligia.
Fwoosh! Fwoosh! Fwoooosh! Fwap!
The holy energy flared desperately, flooding the room in blinding light. The maids gasped softly.
“Wow… that’s the saintess’s power…”
“So bright….”
It was so dazzling that no one could see properly. Eligia calmly watched Prillien’s skill through the glare.
‘Top-tier healing and detox skills, huh.’
Even for a saintess, this would drain her divine power and mental strength quickly. Maybe it was because she was a novice who couldn’t control her output, or maybe she was just working desperately out of guilt for misdiagnosing earlier. Either way, she was giving it her all. Eligia discreetly tapped her status window.
‘This should be a good time to pretend I’m recovering.’
Skill, ‘Effect Extortion,’ in use.
Current status: Poison Curse (EX) X2
Condition can be lifted at any time. Lift now?
(Yes/No)
∥ “Yes! Lift it now!” ∥
Ding!
Poison Curse has been lifted!
With the cheerful alert, all the burning heat and pain weighing down her body vanished. Eligia breathed deeply, satisfied.
Ah, so much easier to breathe, to lie down. She could probably go monster hunting or spar right now. Not bad at all.
“My lady, how do you feel?”
Prillien, still glowing from exertion, anxiously checked her. Everyone in the room held their breath.
Even before Eligia answered, Prillien took her hand and exclaimed in a trembling voice:
“It worked! The symptoms are gone!”
Her diagnosis made the physician and servants sigh in relief.
“Oh, thank the Goddess of Light!”
“What a relief, my lady!”
“Thank you, Saintess!”
Amid the cheers, Prillien turned to Eligia with a triumphant look.
“I’m so glad, my lady. My divine power worked!”
No… actually, the detox had zero effect.
Still, her effort was appreciated. She’d nearly died herself, without realizing it. Eligia smiled and squeezed her hand. Softly, she said:
“Thank you so much for treating me, Saintess.”
“…!!”
Prillien’s face lit up. Shaking her head, she replied warmly:
“No, no! If it weren’t for you, my lady, I’d have perished before even seeing the light of this world. I still haven’t come close to repaying that grace.”
Her smile was softer and warmer than anything. Everyone in the room was entranced—until Howell interrupted.
“Still, there were times when your diagnosis wasn’t accurate. I think we should also have the physician or Sir Ende check her again. I’ve asked the imperial physician to return, so Eligia, you’ll continue undergoing tests.”
‘Hey, don’t say that in front of the saintess!’
She came all the way here to heal, and now you’re dismissing her like that? That could be offensive!
But Prillien didn’t seem offended at all. She nodded brightly.
“He’s right! Last time I didn’t notice immediately that my lady had ingested poison, so it’s better to have multiple diagnoses.”
“I agree.”
Pin quietly nodded, and the physician added fervently:
“Yes, my lady! Please grant me a chance to atone for the grave sin I committed!”
‘Why are you kneeling again?!’
It wasn’t even a crime to begin with!
Eligia sighed and gave a reluctant nod.
Meanwhile, while Eligia was being treated, rumors spread among the nobles of the empire.
“Have you heard?”
“You mean the rumors that the saintess has descended?”
“They say she’s so beautiful it’s as if God himself sculpted her….”
“I can’t wait for the next banquet. I wonder how everyone will react to her appearance….”
One noblewoman, speaking with intrigue, suddenly lowered her voice.
“But did you know?”
“What is it?”
Everyone fell silent, waiting for her next words. After a deliberate pause, she whispered gravely:
“They say that upon hearing of the saintess’s descent, Lady Sempereon was so consumed by jealousy that she collapsed in rage!”
“…What?”
