The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 10

Each section has been assigned a new responsible Knight.

Last time, my influence with Kael in pointing out the laziness of the management knights has had an impact.

The Knight assigned to Section 5 is Thomas.

Coincidentally, it is the same name as the previous responsible Knight.

But since we rarely meet face-to-face, there’s nothing special to expect.

Most of the complaints are usually conveyed through Dylan.

Therefore, I don’t particularly have any expectations.

He did recognize me and seemed quite pleased.

“So, you’re that Judas?”

It was a statement with a lot of implications.

The candidate who caught Eliza’s attention.

The one who overturned more than half of the training camp instructors.

“Ah, thanks to you, I, who was stuck living in the remote corner, have come to a place like this.”

This place is also like the remote corner.

Eliza’s mansion is not in a particularly good location geographically.

Anyway, nothing special happened after that.

Until the weekend, that is.

“What’s the fuss about on a weekend morning?”

Richard grumbled.

Normally, on weekends, we just have a simple morning roll call and then free time.

But today, according to Gawain’s orders, all the candidates gathered on the field.

“There’s something to be instructed.”

Dylan said.

He didn’t seem to know exactly why they had gathered.

‘We have to go to The Forest of the Moon Deer…’

As someone who had planned a separate schedule for the day, this was not a welcome situation.

Candidates lined up without much order.

Shortly afterward, a maid laid out a long red carpet ahead.

As Gawain knelt on one knee, someone appeared.

It was Eliza.

Today, as always, she walks proudly below the parasol carried by a maid.

Her gaze, as if looking down, and her doll-like cold expression remain unchanged.

The daffodil-like yellow dress stood out particularly in this bleak training ground.

Eliza glanced over the kneeling candidates with a bored look.

‘…I think I just made eye contact.’

How many people are here right now?

Eliza sat on the chair brought by the maid.

Gawain explained the reason for their gathering today.

“To commemorate Lady Eliza’s upcoming birthday, she has graciously bestowed upon you candidates a glorious opportunity.”

Eliza’s birthday.

I knew it was in late winter, so it must be around this time.

I felt uneasy for no reason.

Because adult Eliza used to go crazy on her birthdays.

She would celebrate her birthday by massacring dozens of people.

The sight of her burning bodies as fuel is still vivid in my memory.

“We will hold a simple hunting contest, and the pray brought by the winner will be used for the lady’s birthday banquet. Naturally, it will be known who the owner of that pray is to both the participants in the banquet and the mansion staff.”

Everyone was stirred by his words.

It was an opportunity to make a name for oneself even among the aristocrats.

There was more value in impressing Eliza than meets the eye.

“I don’t like it.”

It’s not about the money, I just don’t care about making a name for myself.

I want to stay out of Eliza’s sight.

But it seems like it’s already too late to turn back. Anyway.

“Time is from noon today to noon tomorrow. Participation is voluntary. We will pay a participation fee of 5 florins to all participating candidates.”

5 florins.

If converted to Korean won, it was around 20,000 won, right?

It’s ridiculously cheap for a day’s work.

But considering the cheap labor of the lower-class workers here, it’s not bad.

“If 5 florins is enough?”

“If you get it just for participating….”

Actually, people around me said it was a good value.

“Thank goodness it’s voluntary. You have to go out because it is The Forest of the Moon Deer….”

“The hunting ground is restricted to The Forest of the Moon Deer. And an additional prize of 100 florins will be given to the winner.”

“Those who do not wish to participate are free to act as they please from now on. I will not force anyone.”

Only a few people left.

I stood still.

“For now, let’s just participate….”

***

The south entrance of The Forest of the Moon Deer

I stood with Richard and Dylan.

There were many other candidates around.

“I’m counting on you. Judas.”

Richard tapped my shoulder.

“Yes? Isn’t this an individual competition?”

“That’s right. So, I’m going to steal your prey. There was no rule against it, right?”

Come to think of it, that’s true?

“I’ve never learned to hunt.”

“But still, I will. There’s something called instinct. Whether it’s ability or luck, considering what you’ve done so far, it seems like a good idea to follow along.”

Dylan nodded beside him.

So, both of them are thinking of taking advantage of me.

“They seem to have good instincts……”

Actually, if they follow me, they might find a huge beast.

I’m not sure if these two can hunt, but it’s worth a try.

“…Wait. Should I just let one of these two win?”

My goal is the 5-florin participation fee.

And I’m like a mushroom in The Forest of the Moon Deer.

I decided to let them win.

It’s a pity. It’s 100 florins.

But I can’t afford to attract Eliza’s attention.

It’s harmful in the long run.

“I can make money in other ways, anyway.”

I need 100 florins, but it’s not urgent.

I can postpone it.

However, it won’t be easy to make Richard and Dylan win.

Would these two follow me just because I was sold at the slave market and know how to hunt?

“Well, let’s just go with them for now.”

Just by accompanying them, there are advantages.

As Richard said, in this competition, you can steal from others.

Someone could get hurt in the process.

On the contrary, you could also justify it as an accident that occurred while trying to steal prey after hurting someone.

“There are already a lot of enemies. I have to be careful.”

Dylan said solemnly,

“That’s just the way the world works.”

He spoke nonsense with seriousness.

“If either of you wins by following me, I’ll be okay.”

“Hey… If you say that, we look like losers! I just wanted us to stick together!”

“…It’s already too late. We are indeed losers.”

While Richard and Dylan wallowed in self-pity, the hunt began. They entered the edge of the moon deer forest. The winter forest was desolate, full of brown grass that had died off thickly, and trees devoid of leaves.

I immediately activated [Hunter’s Sense] and looked around slowly.

The footprints of the leading candidates were imprinted on the ground, appearing remarkably clear. I turned my head and looked at the forest.

The spot where a bird had perched, branches gnawed by insects, the path and traces left by animals—all these special things stood out distinctly from the meaningless scenery.

“Detection range is approximately 100m.”

I couldn’t see traces further than that. It was enough since I knew well the characteristics left by the target I should pursue. With the two still blaming themselves, I entered the forest.

A lone figure watched as Judas and the two fools inched away from the group. Only the man at the center looked elsewhere. He had a larger build than those around him, with a straight face and a thick jaw as firm as his resolve.

“What should we do, boss? Are we going to leave that guy like this?”

The man, named Gulliat, who looked like a dried mouse on a drying rack, cunningly replied,

“Then what?”

“You have to show your true colors!”

Others chimed in,

“That’s right! He’s exceeded his bounds as a newcomer!”

“Wasn’t Gulliat the most outstanding in our territory?”

“…Does that mean the newcomer is better than me?”

“N-no…! That’s not what I meant! I meant that no one should stand out more than Gulliat!”

Gulliat remained silent. He wasn’t as noticeable as Judas, even before Judas arrived. More precisely, he wasn’t as noticeable among the candidates.

Gulliat, 10th generation, 16 years old, had already undergone knight training once in his family and quickly showed his potential.

He had already passed the 6th test, and recently reached the stage of practicing magic. There are predecessors who have passed more tests than him, but there is no one who has passed them faster.

Everyone noticed him as a promising youth.

Perhaps it’s because he was ahead of his senior colleagues and even passed the final exam.

The fact that Eliza didn’t pay any attention to him was a secret known only to his close aides.

“That’s enough.”

Gulliat waved his hand.

“Just because he catches your eye, does that mean he can become a Escort knight? Leave it. He’ll manage on his own.”

It was a remark that felt indifferent.

“Sir, you’re right!”

“That kind of guy should be dealt with beforehand…. Thanks to you, sir, I’m alive.”

It was a transparent flattery, but it was pleasant to hear.

But Gulliat didn’t show any reaction.

He remained expressionless, listening without showing interest.

As soon as he arrived, Gulliat became the center of Room 15.

It was a result proven by his skills.

It felt somewhat gratifying.

“Indeed, to become a Escort Knight, one must also have a broad mind.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Except for Gulliat himself.

He was twisted inside to the point of suffocation.

As a promising youth, it was his role to be the talk of the town.

Being noticed by Eliza and having his own position were essential.

But just a week after his arrival, Judas took on that role.

It felt like it was stolen from him.

In reality, Judas was nothing more than a novice who couldn’t even pass the first test.

Objectively, among himself, Judas, and Eliza, he was the one who suited to be Eliza’s Escort Knight.

Yet, he was pushed aside, and these days he can’t even sleep because of the sense of inferiority.

If there were no spectators, he would have run up and made a fuss.

But, he endured it for his dignity.

That’s how nobles were supposed to behave.

Even though he promised to serve under someone else’s command, he was still a noble.

“Still, this hunting competition is Gulliat’s stage!”

It was true.

Gulliat had learned hunting and enjoyed it since he was young.

There might be nobles of similar skill level, but he was overflowing with confidence that he would be the first.

‘If I hunt the Moon Deer and offer it, I will definitely win first place.’

The Moon Deer, the owner and lord of this forest.

A clever and mysterious creature, praised as a sacred beast in some religions, believed to be a divine and holy creature.

If he hunts the Moon Deer and offers it, he can only win.

And Gulliat knows how to track the Moon Deer.

***

For quite some time, they didn’t find any prey.

Richard and Dylan couldn’t stand the anxiety and went hunting separately.

I didn’t bother to stop them.

It didn’t matter who won, and it felt awkward to catch them when I knew how to win.

Before Dylan left, he gave me a flint.

“Be careful, the forest will darken soon,” he said.

From Richard, I received a small stone knife.

“Use this when catching prey or making fire,” he said.

Anyway, I’m about to lose my temper with the insults.

“It tastes horribly bad…”

I’m chewing the ninth raw mushroom.

The name of this yellow mushroom, which I’m holding a lot of, is ‘Egg Yolk Mushroom.’

If you eat 10 of them, it permanently increases your stamina stat by 1, and if you eat 1, it recovers your current stamina condition.

The problem is that right now, it doesn’t provide me with any stamina condition, that is, HP.

To verify if it really has the same effect as in the game, I had no choice but to eat 10.

After roughly washing off the dirt in the river, I’m eating the ninth one.

It’s tough, crumbly, and tastes like dirt.

‘I feel like I won’t be able to hold my anger if my stamina doesn’t go up.’

I didn’t realize it when I played the game.

When you right-clicked, it just disappeared with a chewing sound.

They made me eat something this tasteless.

‘Maybe I should cook it.’

Thinking that, I swallowed the tenth one.

[Your stamina stat will increase by 1 over 24 hours.]

“Phew….”

It does go up, though only by 1.

The maximum stamina you can increase with this mushroom is just 3.

But I’m not in a position to be picky.

Stats are like money.

No matter how much you have, it’s never enough.

‘If it goes up by 3 just by eating mushrooms, that’s incredibly fast. Let’s grab a few more.’

I activated [Hunter’s Sense].

Soon, I see footprints along the river.

A split hoof.

Around the tracks, sugar-like powder sparkles.

This is characteristic of traces left by a moon deer.

This Egg Yolk Mushroom grows near ‘Yellow Umbrella Mushrooms,’ which are the main food source of moon deer.

They look so similar that it’s easy to get confused without knowing the exact distinction.

Moreover, the Yellow Umbrella Mushroom is poisonous.

‘It’s not deadly, but eating it in the wild would be a disaster.’

When my character ate it, they couldn’t move for a minute because it was laughing uncontrollably.

It’s poisonous to humans, but it gives a unique flavor to moon deer.

“…Huh?”

I discovered a moon deer.

A quadrupedal animal, but it’s taller than me.

Tan skin with black eyes.

Its antlers are a subtle gray.

They look like they would shine under the moonlight.

It’s drinking water on the opposite side of the river.

‘It’s hard to encounter one before the moon rises.’

The moon deer, having spotted me, ran away.

Just in case, I memorized the direction.

While I continued to gather mushrooms, I heard the noisy approach of a group of people.

“Who is it?”

I hid myself in the nearby bushes.

To avoid being detected, I even used

[Sneaky Steps.]

A fairly large group appeared, crossing the forest.

“About ten people. What’s with this large group?”

They are candidates from the same division.

I know their faces, but not their names.

There’s no reason for me to get caught.

I waited, hidden, for them to pass by.

Naturally, I overheard their conversation.

“This way. The tracks of the moon deer continue.”

Was there someone who could track that?

That’s quite a skill.

Let them win if they can.

“Wow, Gulliat, can you really see that? To me, it just looks like big deer tracks.”

“You think I am the same as you blind folks?”

From their conversation, it seemed the man called Gulliat was the leader of the group.

The rest appeared to be his loyal subordinates.

“But it seems quite big. How will you catch it?”

“The moon deer mainly appears at night. We just need to rush it together then and catch it.”

Unfortunately, they don’t know how to hunt it.

It’s not an unreasonable method.

But, facing the moon deer head-on at our current level is practically a suicide mission.

Though it doesn’t kill people, it would crush all our bones.

“With so many of them, they might be able to escape.”

I was about to let them pass quietly…

“Then we can put that newbie in his place!”

…Newbie? Is that me?

“We can show that idiot Judas who the real leader of this division is.”

“As a senior, giving indirect advice is fine.”

Gulliat spoke with a voice full of pride and satisfaction.

Their trivial conversation gradually faded into the depths of the forest.

I looked down at the mushrooms in my hand.

The egg yolk mushroom I was going to eat.

And the yellow umbrella mushroom, one of the moon deer’s favorite delicacies.

I took them in case anyone recognized them during the identification process.

I know how to safely hunt the moon deer using these.

“Whew…”

I sighed and scratched my head.

It would be better to openly mess around like Lindel.

At least that’s cute in a naive way.

These guys gossiping in a group, but lacking the courage to say it to my face.

I dealt with plenty of those types in my previous life.

If I confronted them, they would deny it.

Without proof, I couldn’t pursue it further.

They are the most annoying type of people.

“…I can’t let this go.”

I can’t stand the thought of those guys winning.