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Chapter – 17
Meanwhile, Mount Etemen, located near the Healer Entrance Examination site, was filled with chaos.
Black Golems had appeared even among Jekiel and his party, who were nearby hunting low- and mid-level monsters.
“Emergency! Emergency! Requesting reinforcements!”
“Damn it! Where did these Black Golems come from?!”
The habitat sealed by Martelle’s Horn extended past the healer exam site into the low- and mid-grade monster territory.
Black Golems were basically known to be comparable to high-grade monsters — or only slightly weaker.
Even considering they had weakened somewhat due to the recently broken seal, they were still at least mid-high-tier monsters.
Jekiel’s subjugation squad, prepared lightly because they expected only low- and mid-grade monsters, was thrown into confusion by the sudden encounter.
“Damn it!”
The most shaken person among them was Jekiel.
Since Alex had recently begun distancing himself, Jekiel had become obsessed with proving himself.
In fact, people had begun saying that Jekiel’s recent performance didn’t live up to expectations from his childhood.
Naturally so — the one who originally possessed top-class healing power had been Eleanor, and Jekiel had merely stolen the evaluation result.
Because of that, every hunt mattered even more to him.
“Jekiel! What should we do?!”
A mid-rank swordsman shouted — Jekiel was the leader of the squad.
“Reform formation! We engage!”
“Not retreating?”
“Are you crazy? If we run, the mission fails! Take positions now!”
But the problem wasn’t mission failure — it was the risk of heavy casualties.
“Sorry, Jekiel, but the aura on our swords can’t pierce a Black Golem’s hide!”
“Our magic won’t work well either!”
The reason was simple: the squad he brought was too weak.
Veteran mages and swordsmen objected, but Jekiel refused to accept it.
“So you’re telling me to fail this mission? Why aren’t you taking positions?!”
“Do you want a meaningless death?”
“Who’s dying? You don’t trust my healing?”
“But—!”
Before a martial artist could protest, a massive roar came from the right.
“KRAAAAAA!”
“Damn… two? No — three?”
It was common knowledge that the more monsters there were, the harder the fight became exponentially.
Faces pale, the squad exchanged glances — then, without agreement, they all ran.
“Are you insane? That’s disobeying orders!”
“Orders that risk our lives without consent are invalid!”
“You lowborn trash…!”
Jekiel ground his teeth and cursed their backs.
But he couldn’t continue.
“Damn you— Ugh!”
A Black Golem’s fist smashed into his unguarded waist.
* * *
The situation was settled long afterward.
“Are you alright?!”
The emergency subjugation unit, dispatched late, finally discovered Eleanor and Rezet in a corner of the exam site.
Then, as they approached —
They realized something shocking.
“…Th-this is?”
Dead Black Golems were piled like a small mountain. At least five, probably more.
“Who… did this…?”
“Lady Eleanor and I were surrounded, so we had no choice but to fight together.”
It was Rezet Rotger who answered.
Leading the emergency squad was Gilliam Heinz, a senior martial artist who had hunted alongside Rezet several times.
After greeting respectfully, he examined Rezet’s clothes.
They were covered in dirt — clothes that normally couldn’t even be brushed by attacks.
“What brings you here?”
“My close friend Eleanor Hildette was taking the entrance exam, so I came to support her.”
Rezet sighed.
“And suddenly eight Black Golems attacked me at once.”
“Pardon?!”
Gilliam looked at him again.
Even for a genius swordsman, fighting eight golems at once would be difficult — especially while protecting Eleanor Hildette, the so-called incompetent girl taking the exam at seventeen.
Now his ruined clothes made sense.
“Still… only your clothes were damaged. You weren’t injured.”
“Ah, that’s because Miss Eleanor used her power.”
“…Excuse me?”
Gilliam looked utterly confused.
Rezet swallowed a bitter smile.
If someone had told him a week ago that Eleanor Hildette was a powerful healer, he would have reacted exactly the same.
Wasn’t that what the world believed?
“It seems the public evaluation of Eleanor Hildette has been wrong.”
“But… she already went through multiple tests!”
Gilliam stared at Eleanor behind him.
The girl in a white dress with long black hair sat on a rock, gazing at the golems without the slightest interest in them.
Her pale ankle swayed slowly in the wind.
“Ahem.”
Gilliam snapped out of staring.
“Then… to what level of injuries was she able to heal?”
“Sir Gilliam, just look at my clothes.”
Indeed, they were torn everywhere — and the white shirt was stained with blood as if from internal bleeding.
“You mean even internal injuries…?”
Rezet nodded calmly.
“We underestimated her.”
“In your opinion, her ability is certain?”
“Yes. Without a healer, I wouldn’t be standing fine after facing that many golems.”
His logic was flawless — assuming the healer was Eleanor.
But since Rezet insisted, Gilliam couldn’t argue after arriving late.
“I will report immediately. Lady Eleanor Hildette deserves a new evaluation.”
“In my personal opinion, she’s talent worthy of the Sky Knights.”
The name made Gilliam tremble.
The Hildette family’s ‘failure’… worthy of the Sky Knights?
And the one confirming it was Rezet Rotger — a genius of the order itself.
Perhaps the Empire’s long-standing test had serious flaws.
“I will report with you.”
“Thank you.”
“And Lady Eleanor—”
“She’s shaken from her first battle. Tell me instead.”
Rezet blocked him.
Gilliam glanced at Eleanor — she was calmly touching the golems.
Shaken…?
But he nodded anyway.
“Just convey my regards.”
After saluting, the emergency squad left to report.
Their discussion continued behind them.
“Their condition is better than Jekiel’s squad.”
“That team was weak from the start. This side has Rezet.”
“But two people fought eight golems. The other side had six people against three.”
“Well… Eleanor Hildette wasn’t a strong healer.”
“Wasn’t. Until now.”
They all knew what they witnessed wasn’t normal.
* * *
“…They talk too much.”
Eleanor muttered while watching them leave.
“You heard?”
“I did.”
“They weren’t that close.”
“My hearing’s good.”
After consuming demonic energy, her senses had sharpened.
Rezet didn’t ask further.
“So — satisfied with my effort?”
Eleanor stared at him.
The torn clothes and blood stains were staged by Rezet:
He ripped them with claws, rolled on the field, and smeared potion to look like blood.
It perfectly supported the claim she healed him.
“Yes. I’m satisfied.”
A faint clear smile appeared on her lips.
Rezet stared blankly.
It was different from the desperate, self-destructive Eleanor he knew.
But before he could understand it, the smile vanished like morning dew.
“Thanks to you, I can start as a healer acknowledged by Rezet Rotger.”
“That’s good.”
“If I fail to use healing in the exam, your reputation drops.”
“My choice.”
She looked at him.
She couldn’t understand why he was kind to her — nor why in her previous life he never came to stop her.
She hid her expression first and nodded.
“I won’t forget this debt. I’ll repay it someday.”
“Did I earn points?”
“You interpret as you wish.”
Still an incomprehensible man.
Eleanor turned her head.
