I Have the Sacred Sword?

Leo was looking at the black sword Eleonora had given him with great curiosity. 

At first glance, it seemed like an ordinary weapon, with slight imperfections due to the time it had spent buried in the snow, but when he held it, he noticed how its weight was perfectly balanced. 

The blade was a matte black that absorbed light, giving it an ominous air, as if the sword had waited centuries to be used again. 

Without wasting time, Leo began to move, making small slashes in the air to familiarize himself with the weapon. 

His body followed the natural flow of the movements, but he still needed to adjust to its balance. 

Eleonora watched him calmly; her expression seemed relaxed, but inside, she felt a mix of impatience and excitement. 

When Leo finally found the right balance, she couldn’t help but smile.

"Are you going to attack now, or just keep practicing?" Eleonora asked with a hint of sarcasm. 

Leo nodded, now standing much more firmly than before. 

He understood that he was facing an experienced opponent and couldn’t afford to make the same mistakes. 

This time, he advanced with renewed strength, his sword cutting through the air with a whistle. 

Eleonora blocked the attack, but as she did, she felt a vibration run through the entire body she controlled. 

Her candidate’s muscles, although trained, were beginning to buckle under Leo's brute force. 

However, her technique remained flawless. 

Despite the physical difference, Eleonora blocked and deflected each attack with precision, her gaze never leaving Leo's sword.

But Eleonora knew the body she controlled wouldn’t last much longer. Her candidate’s arms were trembling slightly with each blow they blocked, and the numbness was beginning to make more precise movements difficult. 

But Eleonora wasn’t one to give up. 

Spotting a small opening in Leo’s offensive, she launched a quick jab aimed at his chest. 

In an instinctive move, Leo dropped to the ground, narrowly dodging Eleonora’s sword, and with a low kick, he struck the hilt of her sword, forcing her candidate’s weakened hand to release the weapon. 

The sword flew through the air, landing in the snow a few meters away. 

For a moment, it looked like Leo was going to win. 

From the ground, he launched an upward strike, ready to end the fight. But Eleonora, quick as a snake, threw herself against him with the full weight of her candidate’s body, crashing directly into his stomach. 

Leo let out a strangled grunt at the unexpected impact, and his attack came to a sudden halt. 

Before he could react, Eleonora began punching him in the face with her candidate’s fists—not very strong punches, but with a relentless brutality.

Each punch was accompanied by a smile on Eleonora’s face, a smile that showed just how much she was enjoying the fight. 

Though the punches weren’t devastating, the situation was humiliating for Leo, who, from his inferior position, could barely defend himself. 

Just as Eleonora prepared to throw another punch, a voice stopped her.

"Stop!" Isuke approached with concern. 

Even though the punches weren’t strong, the scene was unsettling, especially given the expression of pleasure on Eleonora’s face. 

Leo, feeling the humiliation of the moment, surrendered with a heavy sigh. 

"I admit defeat," he muttered, his voice subdued by shame. 

Satisfied, Eleonora got off him, brushing the snow off her candidate’s clothes with a sigh of relief.

"And you, Isuke? Want to give it a try?" Eleonora asked with a challenging look. 

Isuke quickly shook his head. 

"No, thanks," he replied, his nervous gaze shifting to the others. 

None of them dared to meet her eyes, looking at the ground or anywhere else instead. 

The atmosphere was tense, and Eleonora knew it. 

She frowned, annoyed by the lack of courage in those she had saved. 

Couldn’t they see she wasn’t going to kill them?

Leo, as he slowly stood up, still recovering from the punches, held the black sword Eleonora had given him earlier. 

"Can I keep this?" Leo asked, showing the weapon with a hint of admiration. 

"Sure," Eleonora replied dismissively. "I was thinking of tossing it out anyway." 

The comment surprised everyone present. 

The sword, despite its age, was a masterpiece. 

Even Thorne, who usually used an axe, considered asking for a similar sword—not to use it, but to sell it at an outrageous price. 

However, he stayed silent, feeling that asking for such a thing would be inappropriate.

At that moment, Marta finally began to stand, though she was breathing heavily. 

Her face showed signs of confusion as she observed the scene. 

"What happened here?" she asked, still dazed. 

Before Alexia could answer, Aiden approached Marta, offering to carry her. 

"If you’re too weak, I’ll carry you," he said, while Darius watched in silence, still processing what had happened. 

Eleonora, still controlling her candidate, approached Darius. 

Without saying a word, she broke her candidate’s thumb, just like before. 

Darius looked at her in astonishment and confusion.

"Open your mouth," Eleonora ordered coldly. 

"What?" Darius blinked, bewildered. 

Despite the small stature of the body Eleonora controlled, she acted with unquestionable authority. 

Without giving him time to react, Eleonora shoved her broken finger into Darius’s mouth. 

"Swallow," she commanded, and Darius, though reluctantly, obeyed, remembering what had happened to Marta. 

Thorne watched the scene with a mix of disgust and fascination, recalling that this was how Eleonora had helped Marta before. 

After Darius swallowed the blood, Eleonora withdrew her finger and wiped it on her candidate’s clothes, as if it were a routine act.

"Who is she?" Alexia asked, pointing to the girl Eleonora had arrived with, now wrapped in the garment Isuke had given her to keep warm. 

Eleonora, indifferent to everyone’s surprise, answered nonchalantly. 

"I don’t care. If you want her, you can keep her."

Silence fell over the group. 

Everyone stared at the young girl with white hair that Eleonora had brought, who, despite looking human, had been treated like an object, a possession to be discarded.