Chapter 256: Blood Essence
Leonard paused for a second. He was stunned by Eleanor's statement.
Help him compress and condense mana properly?
Why would she assist him?
No, it was more correct to ask how she knew about his condition.
His condition was strictly confidential, and only a few individuals around him knew about this.
'How far have her hands stretched to my circle?' Leonard's expression remained stoic on the surface. But silently, he was starting to feel scared of this seemingly fragile woman who could easily kill others with a single breath.
Although he didn't display any signs, Eleanor was perceptive enough to notice some changes.
She was blind and learned to hone her other four senses.
'Did I scare him?' She pursed her lips. As much as she didn't want to overwhelm him too much, it appeared that she had underestimated his intelligence.
"I've heard about your condition from Mr. Spencer." She explained.
Leonard's face remained the same. Heard from Spencer?
'Does she really think I'm just a 15-year-old child?' After thinking of this, Leonard admitted his outer shell was indeed that of a 15-year-old.
If it wasn't for this outer shell, he couldn't possibly imagine the means that his original host's political enemies would use.
Spencer wouldn't blabber about his condition to anyone. If anything, he would have been the type to silence those who discovered his condition without qualm.
Of course, there would be some exceptions, such as Mirelle and some others.
But they were all compelled to sign a very strict magic contract.
As long as that kind of strict magic contract was broken, their life would be forfeited, followed by many more consequences listed in the clauses.
'Forget it, I'll just play along and see what she's up to.' Leonard thought to himself and began his acting.
He clicked his tongue and hissed. "Tsk, that old man is really spilling out all my secrets. Watch me rip some of his beard out and see if he still dares to be a loudmouth."
…
Near the Palace Library.
"ACHOO!" Spencer suddenly sneezed so loudly that the nearby guards trembled visibly.
They all lowered their heads, and the higher-ranking guard approached Spencer cautiously.
"Are you alright, Mr. Reed?" The guard asked nervously.
"I'm fine," Spencer waved his hand dismissively.
As the guard promptly returned to their position, they turned around and glanced at the direction of Leonard's room.
'Why do I have a feeling that a woman is using me as a scapegoat?' As an eighth circle magic, this kind of premonition was hardly ever wrong.
Added to the fact of the sneeze, he was certain that he had been used.
Otherwise, there was no way someone with his power could possibly sneeze or get sick. With his profound mana as security, no illnesses or other diseases could invade his body.
'Ugh, I'm going to get an earful from the Crown Prince soon.' Spencer sighed softly.
His soft sigh was very low.
But to the guards, it felt like an immeasurable pressure imposed upon them.
It was only when Spencer entered the library that the guards heaved a sigh of relief.
"What was that?" One of the guards breathed heavily and asked.
"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask." The higher-ranking guard lightly chided and told the rest to stay focused.
The others quickly nodded in agreement and returned to their post.
While this small episode occurred, back in Leonard's room, Eleanor faintly smiled and instructed. "Please remove your clothes. And by that, I mean everything, unless you're feeling shy, then you can leave your boxers on."
"..."
Leonard might have believed her seriousness if her mouth hadn't drooling in saliva.
He had seen perverted men before, but never a perverted woman to such a degree.
"Don't be shy. I'm blind and can't see. I just want to help cleanse the curses dwelling within you." Eleanor lightly licked some of her saliva at the corner of her mouth. The action was very subtle and seductive—one that could easily charm and entice a person over.
Despite his high resistance, Leonard found himself nearly out of breath at such temptation.
'This woman is too dangerous.' He swallowed a mouthful of saliva and thought to himself.
…
A few moments later, Leonard was stripped nearly bare, with only a boxer on.
"Sit in the bed," Eleanor instructed, her tone devoid of any teasing. As much as she enjoyed teasing him, she had no intention of delaying the treatment any longer.
All her flirtatious remarks previously were to ease the supposedly tense atmosphere and gloomy setting.
"This is going to be painful. Do scream like a chicken if you can't endure it." She controlled her mana to maneuver her wheelchair closer to the bed.
"What sort of pain I had not endured—" Before Leonard could complete his words, his pupils quickly constricted. His body jolted slightly upon sensing the injection from Eleanor's mana.
No, it wasn't just mana alone!
Through the difficulty of the burning sensation, Leonard spotted Eleanor biting her fingertips, causing a few droplets of blood to leak out.
But rather than dropping to the ground, the blood was hovering in the air menacingly.
"You…" He wanted to say something because he noticed her facial complexion had rapidly turned pale.
"Don't distract me, Leon." Eleanor smiled faintly and warned him gently. What she was offering wasn't just regular blood. Instead, it was her blood essence, a very important aspect for a person to cultivate their mana.
'Why is she going this far?' Needless to say, Leonard recognized the blood essence. It was part of the document in the textbook he had read.
Blood essence was closely tied to a Mage's life. Not only would it hinder their progress, but it could also potentially create side effects that affect their abilities.
He didn't know what Eleanor was up to by going this far. This kind of action had long surpassed the limit of a teasing state.
'Just what was the original host's history with her?' Leonard was certain that parts of the memories that he couldn't recall had bits of them related to Eleanor.