diff --git a/tests/roots/test-root/conf.py b/tests/roots/test-root/conf.py
index b3cc12ae0c8..c3a890045d7 100644
--- a/tests/roots/test-root/conf.py
+++ b/tests/roots/test-root/conf.py
@@ -32,8 +32,6 @@
 show_authors = True
 numfig = True
 
-rst_epilog = '.. |subst| replace:: global substitution'
-
 html_sidebars = {'**': ['localtoc.html', 'relations.html', 'sourcelink.html',
                         'customsb.html', 'searchbox.html'],
                  'index': ['contentssb.html', 'localtoc.html', 'globaltoc.html']}
diff --git a/tests/roots/test-root/markup.txt b/tests/roots/test-root/markup.txt
index e6adef55e9a..7cd3e95ea85 100644
--- a/tests/roots/test-root/markup.txt
+++ b/tests/roots/test-root/markup.txt
@@ -22,7 +22,9 @@ Meta markup
 Generic reST
 ------------
 
-A |subst| (the definition is in rst_epilog).
+A |subst|!
+
+.. |subst| replace:: global substitution
 
 .. highlight:: none
 
diff --git a/tests/test_build_html.py b/tests/test_build_html.py
index 8cd54148147..1f9f8eac7dc 100644
--- a/tests/test_build_html.py
+++ b/tests/test_build_html.py
@@ -258,7 +258,7 @@ def test_html4_output(app, status, warning):
         (".//pre/strong", 'try_stmt'),
         (".//pre/a[@href='#grammar-token-try1_stmt']/code/span", 'try1_stmt'),
         # tests for ``only`` directive
-        (".//p", 'A global substitution.'),
+        (".//p", 'A global substitution!'),
         (".//p", 'In HTML.'),
         (".//p", 'In both.'),
         (".//p", 'Always present'),