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Chapter – 21
“What?”
“Take this.”
Kautcher threw something to Eleanor as she turned her head. She caught it reflexively and looked down at what was in her hand.
It looked like a small lump of stone, but Eleanor knew exactly what it was.
“You’re giving me the baby golem?”
“Parents, dead. Needs someone… to care.”
“And you’re fine entrusting it to me?”
“I trust… meaning.”
His rough voice echoed.
Trust.
Eleanor had never heard that word from anyone in her family. To hear it from a golem instead—she let out a bitter smile.
“Fine.”
She gazed at the essence of the baby golem resting in her palm.
When the time came, the baby golem would open its eyes and recognize the first being it saw as its mother.
If she could control a golem, it would be a considerable help in an emergency.
“You might regret trusting me, Kautcher.”
“Hope… that doesn’t happen.”
There was a faint trace of regret in his voice. This time, Eleanor snorted softly through her nose and, without hesitation, left Kautcher’s cave.
Would Kautcher come to regret entrusting her with the baby golem?
Yes. No. It wasn’t something she could say for certain.
She glanced once more between the skull in her possession and the golem’s essence in her hand before stepping out of the cave.
“Eleanor. Where have you been?”
Waiting for her upon her return was Jennifer. With her brown hair elegantly pinned up, Jennifer walked gracefully toward her, though the sharpness around her eyes could not be concealed.
“I went out for a short walk.”
“I heard you’ve become an intermediate healer. Congratulations.”
“Thank you, Mother.”
Jennifer’s brows drew together. Eleanor’s gratitude carried not a single trace of emotion—it was utterly flat.
The old Eleanor would have been overjoyed at Jennifer’s praise. Now it was as though she were a completely different person.
“You may not be as good as Zekiel, but an intermediate healer is still something your father will be quite proud of.”
“I still have a long way to go. But thank you for your words.”
Not as good as Zekiel.
Eleanor swallowed a laugh.
Yes, she had a long way to go—she would restore every path they had ruined.
Jennifer clenched her palm with her nails, displeased by Eleanor’s calm reaction.
“Still, don’t get too full of yourself just because you’ve become an intermediate healer.”
The intent behind her words was transparent: So listen to me well.
Eleanor almost laughed. How desperate she must have once been for Jennifer’s approval not to see through such a simple manipulation.
She dipped her head lightly and answered with practiced elegance.
“I will be careful not to give you any cause for concern, Mother.”
“Good.”
Jennifer cleared her throat, unable to hide her discomfort. She wasn’t used to this version of Eleanor, one who did not reveal her emotions.
Biting down on her red-painted lips, Jennifer changed the subject.
“By the way, Eleanor, there’s good news.”
She held out an envelope—one Eleanor had seen before.
Even the wax seal told her exactly where it had come from.
“It’s a mission.”
“Your brother is unwell and confined to bed. What a wonderful opportunity for you to contribute to the honor of House Hildet in his stead.”
“Yes. You’re right, Mother.”
Despite the obvious scheme, Eleanor nodded pleasantly.
If she succeeded, the glory would be counted toward House Hildet. If she failed, they would immediately sever her from the family name.
But such trivial matters no longer concerned her.
She would succeed—and House Hildet’s honor would be dragged through the mud.
Careful not to reveal her thoughts, Eleanor lazily lifted her long lashes.
“May I see what kind of mission it is?”
“…Yes. Go ahead.”
“Have a pleasant day, Mother.”
While you still can keep your seat.
Eleanor passed Jennifer—who could not conceal her displeasure—and headed to her room.
Laura, who had been watching nervously from the side, hurried after her.
A cold wind of change began to stir through the Hildet estate.
Once in her room, Eleanor leisurely broke the seal of the letter.
“As expected.”
『Retrieve the corrupted Holy Grail from the Forest of Virtna.』
The mission team consisted of Eleanor alone.
While it wasn’t unheard of for healers to carry out missions solo, it was far less common compared to other roles.
Assigning a newly appointed intermediate healer to a solo mission was rarer still.
Under normal circumstances, Eleanor would have been classified as a probationary extermination knight and started with training.
“The Forest of Virtna isn’t exactly free of monsters, either.”
As she muttered, the forest was known for the occasional appearance of mid-level monsters.
A fighter or swordsman might manage alone. Even mages, despite their frailty, were rarely sent there solo.
And yet they intended to send a healer alone.
It was obvious whose influence lay behind the decision, but Eleanor smiled without the slightest hint of tension.
“This will make absorbing demonic energy much easier.”
She had to absorb demonic energy anyway—how convenient that she’d been provided with a fitting environment for slaughter.
Through this mission, Eleanor intended to shake off public scrutiny and prove she possessed the qualifications of an intermediate—or even higher—extermination knight.
If she succeeded, Zekiel’s position would grow increasingly unstable, and the honor he had enjoyed would slowly return to her.
Even the objective—retrieving the corrupted Holy Grail—was perfect.
“Jennifer must have arranged it well. A mission I could never possibly succeed at.”
For years, no one had succeeded in retrieving the corrupted Holy Grail. It was the extermination order’s persistent headache.
Zekiel himself had gone in search of it. He returned—but failed.
The scheme behind assigning it to Eleanor was obvious. Even if she survived, they had no intention of granting her any honor.
Knowing that made her cold anger burn all the more fiercely.
“I won’t let this end comfortably.”
Eleanor ground her teeth.
The resentment carved into her heart over the years was far too deep and heavy for her to topple House Hildet in a single blow.
She would make them struggle, fight desperately—only to sink slowly into a suffocating mire.
“…By the time I return, they’ll be choosing the God’s Proxy.”
Her lips curled upward.
The mission’s timing was exquisitely calculated. If she used the full allotted period to succeed, the selection of the God’s Proxy would already be complete upon her return.
Though she was qualified to be a candidate, she would be excluded without even being allowed to take the test.
“In my past life, they always made excuses to keep me from going. I should’ve known something was off.”
The voice of God she had heard just before her regression. The transparent schemes in both her past and present lives.
It seemed Jennifer was determined to make Trisha the God’s Proxy at any cost.
A dark shadow crossed Eleanor’s smile.
“At least in this, Mother and I share the same intention.”
Even if God chose her, Eleanor had no intention of becoming the Proxy.
The God who had abandoned her was also a target of her vengeance. She had no desire whatsoever to serve as anyone’s representative.
She drew in a slow breath and smiled.
“That said, I can’t stand the sight of Trisha being worshiped as the God’s Proxy.”
If anyone had caused her the deepest psychological torment, it was Trisha.
Always smiling sweetly. Always wearing the kindest face. And always making Eleanor miserable.
They hadn’t clashed yet in this life, but Eleanor knew better than anyone that such peace would never last.
Trisha Hildet.
In her past life, the life Eleanor should have rightfully enjoyed had been split in half and placed in the hands of Zekiel and Trisha.
She would never watch that happen again.
But before she could even leave in search of the corrupted Holy Grail, an uninvited guest arrived.
“I heard you received a mission.”
It was Lezet Rotger.
