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Chapter – 18
“Please go back! The subjugation unit is currently scouting this area!”
“My lady is still in there! I absolutely cannot go back alone!”
“Now, now… that’s not how this works…!”
A small commotion broke out in front of the examination site gates, where guards stood blocking the entrance.
A petite woman claiming to be Eleanor Hildette’s maid was insisting that she be allowed inside to rescue her mistress.
“Then you go in and save her! Or let me go in! One of those two things has to happen!”
“Ah, I told you it doesn’t work like that!”
“If you don’t have the guts, then move! If you’re scared, then just drop dead!”
“Hey, your lady is probably already dead anyway—”
“Hey!”
One guard, who had been arguing with Laura, blurted that out, and the guard beside him hurriedly clamped a hand over his mouth in shock.
Just as Laura rolled up her sleeves, ready to hurl curses—
“It’s rather noisy. May I come out?”
“M-My lady!”
From behind the guards stepped a graceful young woman with long black hair.
It was Eleanor Hildette.
Laura’s eyes widened as she stared at her.
“My lady, you’re alive?”
“Yes.”
“Thank goodness! I heard you hadn’t come out yet, so I was waiting!”
Laura beamed.
The guard who had been fighting with her moments ago stared at her as if she were insane.
But he was no longer of any concern to Laura.
“Oh my, my lady. Your clothes are dirty. Let’s change you into something prettier.”
“A good idea.”
“Is there anything you’d like to eat once we return home?”
“I’d like roasted venison haunch.”
“Wonderful. I’ll put my skills to use.”
“Excuse me.”
The person who interrupted their calm exchange was a familiar man.
“Alec Merey.”
A handsome man with dark green hair and a monocle smiled faintly.
“I greet Lady Hildette.”
“What is it?”
“I received a rather unusual report earlier.”
Despite Eleanor’s cold expression, Alec continued smiling without the slightest agitation.
“Is it true that the Hildette family’s underachiever defeated eight black golems?”
“Underachiever of Hildette”—that was one of Eleanor’s more elegant nicknames.
Eleanor stared at him.
His sharp jawline and gleaming eyes gave off an intellectual charm, but in truth, his face was unreadable.
“Yes.”
“Rezet Rotger handled them all, and you merely watched—was that not the case?”
A violet gleam flickered in Alec’s eyes. He seemed quite intrigued by the debate.
His words described the scene Eleanor had witnessed earlier with remarkable accuracy, yet she knew he had failed to grasp the full picture.
He simply doesn’t believe in my ability.
Eleanor let out a faint scoff. After all, that was the impression she had built over seven years—hardly surprising.
She lifted her dark eyes and fixed him with a glare.
“You speak quite rudely. Surely you do not intend to anger me.”
“Ah, have I angered you?”
“If you have no intention of tarnishing the Merey family name, then you cannot claim ignorance of what your words implied.”
At her cold reply, Alec let out a light sigh.
“Rezet Rotger himself claims he received your assistance. Forgive me, but that is difficult to believe.”
“And so?”
“…Pardon?”
“If Lord Rezet has confirmed it, yet you come to me saying you cannot believe it, then you must be seeking proof. There is no need to circle around it. Please state your point plainly.”
It was yet another remark that completely disregarded her.
But Eleanor did not react to each and every slight.
Alec fell silent at her composed demeanor.
When he had secretly visited the Hildette estate before, he had thought her weak—too feeble to properly oppose Jekiel, a simpleton at best.
He had even postponed a deal with Jekiel out of irritation at how he dismissed the legitimate daughter, but that hadn’t particularly improved his image of Eleanor.
Yet the woman standing before him now seemed far greater than he had imagined.
“My… apologies.”
Alec quickly bowed his head.
“My jest may have gone too far. It must have been a fierce battle. I was merely concerned your healing power might have been severely depleted…”
“It’s fine.”
Eleanor cut him off.
In her previous life, when she had descended upon the Empire, Alec Merey had been one of the men who charged at her.
He looked younger now than in her memories, but she could easily recognize the hostility he once held toward her.
“If there is nothing further, I will take my leave.”
Without waiting for a response, Eleanor turned away.
She could feel Alec’s gaze following her.
But he would not call her back.
Alec was not the type to act rashly before confirming what he knew.
“My lady. He’s still staring at you.”
“I know. Leave him.”
“Won’t he try to pick a fight?”
Laura asked nervously as she glanced behind them.
“Even if he does, he’ll send a formal letter. And he’s certainly not the type to send one to vent personal feelings.”
“What kind of complaint comes in a formal letter?”
“Well… perhaps a request to verify my healing power once more.”
“That’s not good, is it?”
Eleanor glanced down at Laura.
Despite swearing loyalty in anticipation of Eleanor’s future, Laura still didn’t know the extent of her strength.
Everything that happened today had been staged to show people like Laura that Eleanor was truly Hildette’s daughter.
Jennifer and Jekiel both want to prove that they are the rightful heirs of Hildette.
If she was to take revenge, shouldn’t she first correct that falsehood?
Before Eleanor could explain any of this, Laura hurriedly backtracked.
“N-No, of course not. Seeing you return alive on your own proves your healing ability must be exceptional. Then there won’t be a problem even if a formal letter arrives.”
“Do you truly think so?”
“I didn’t, but as your servant, I will from now on.”
Brazen—but not unlikeable.
Eleanor chuckled softly.
“By the way, the mistress returned home first.”
“I expected as much.”
“Isn’t that too much? I asked what would happen to you, and she didn’t say a word—just ordered the carriage to depart. How could she be so cold?”
Eleanor nodded.
Unlike the temporarily frenzied yellow-horn goblins, black golems could not be easily stopped in ordinary numbers.
She had never expected parental duty from Jennifer anyway.
“That’s not important, Laura.”
“But…”
“More importantly, the Hildette family is about to become rather noisy.”
“Pardon?”
Laura looked up at her in surprise.
Eleanor narrowed her eyes pleasantly and gazed at the sky.
The stone she had thrown today would soon roll swiftly and strike Jekiel, the eldest son of the Hildette family.
“Watch carefully.”
She had no intention of wasting even a single fragment of her returned chance at revenge.
The conference hall of the Celestial Knights became noisy in an instant.
“Rezet Rotger said that himself?”
“Wasn’t Eleanor Hildette’s talent previously graded as failing?”
“But even if Rezet Rotger was present, without a proper healer, it would have been impossible to defeat a group of black golems without injury.”
“It was confirmed that he had no external wounds, correct?”
“Yes.”
The topic under discussion was none other than Eleanor Hildette’s qualification as a healer.
Eleanor, who had long been considered talentless, had defeated eight black golems.
This stood in stark contrast to Jekiel, who had been injured in the back by just three black golems.
“Even considering Rezet Rotger’s presence, if just two people eliminated eight black golems without injury, then we must assume Eleanor Hildette possesses healing ability.”
“There is certainly a difference compared to what Jekiel Hildette showed.”
“Could Rezet Rotger have lied? What if they hunted them one by one? With his skill, he could defeat them alone without injury under those conditions.”
Someone pointed out the precise truth—but another shook his head.
“Unlikely. Why would Rezet Rotger lie?”
“True enough.”
Rezet Rotger’s credibility was sufficient to obscure the truth.
“In any case, we must reassess Eleanor Hildette’s healing ability.”
“Yes. Even a small talent would justify testing her, if only to prevent loss of healer manpower.”
“Indeed. Especially since Jekiel Hildette has been injured…”
Someone clicked his tongue regretfully, and others nodded solemnly.
“It is unfortunate about Lord Jekiel.”
“At least he did not lose his life. He will recover.”
“But is this not a crucial period for him?”
Now twenty years old, Jekiel had been gradually expanding his influence, and his admission into the Celestial Knights was under consideration.
At this rate, it had been a natural step for him to become the next representative of the healers.
However, if he could not lead subjugation forces due to a back injury just as he was meant to publicly establish himself, doubts about his qualifications would inevitably arise.
“There are already those displeased with Lord Jekiel’s background. He needed to show results.”
“Ahem, we agreed not to discuss such matters here.”
As the mood grew tense, one of Jekiel’s supporters hastily intervened.
“And realistically speaking, there is no healer who has demonstrated greater ability than Lord Jekiel. His injury is minor; he will return to duty within a few months.”
“That is true.”
“If no healer surpasses him before then, Lord Jekiel will naturally assume the representative role. There is no need for excessive concern.”
The room gradually settled.
“For now, it is sufficient to confirm that Eleanor Hildette can use healing arts to some degree, contrary to previous evaluations. We will form a special assessment panel.”
“Lord Rezet said her level was quite high.”
“Modesty, surely. Let us not forget that just last year, Lady Eleanor failed even the entrance examination.”
“That is true. Then let us conduct the examination at an appropriate level.”
The members of the council nodded in agreement.
They had no idea that this decision would soon tighten around Jekiel’s neck.
