The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 100

It took several days to travel to the imperial capital.

Eliza grumbled, finding it annoying.

“If we teleported, it would only take a blink of an eye.”

However, teleportation was not an option.

During the founding festival, a massive anti-magic interference field is installed around the imperial capital.

This is to prevent magical terrorism during the crowds.

Similarly, a mage of Eliza’s caliber using group teleportation to lead her private soldiers is not something the empire would welcome.

After passing through numerous checkpoints, we finally arrived at the imperial capital of the Helios Empire.

Yggdrasil.

It’s likely the most splendid and peaceful city on the continent.

The scenery lives up to its reputation.

Meticulously maintained roads and neatly divided districts reveal it to be a meticulously planned city.

Every building is pristine.

It was the day before the founding festival began.

Already, the streets were brimming with liveliness.

And far off, down the straight road, a structure towering above all others came into view.

The colosseum, Judeca, overlooked the city.

‘That’s the place…’

The place where I once stayed before meeting Eliza.

Seeing it in person, it was indescribably majestic.

‘How did people even build something like that?’

As we approached Judeca, the crowd grew larger.

The atmosphere was nearly feverish.

Armed individuals were also visible.

Royal knights were stationed to maintain order during the festival.

There were also people who seemed to belong to forces from other regions—mercenaries, knights, or soldiers, among others.

During the founding festival, nonstop events take place at Judeca.

It commemorates the day humanity drove out monsters and established the first nation on this land.

To honor that day, battles with monsters are reenacted.

Sometimes, they pit condemned criminals against each other or have skilled knights slaughter the criminals.

They even release monsters captured from the Demon Realm to fight the knights.

Even nobles bring their private soldiers to showcase their strength at Judeca.

It’s a way of communicating indirectly by demonstrating power—showing what they have to discourage conflict.

‘I can’t fight since I have to stay by Eliza’s side, but our troops should handle it well.’

Well-dressed women waved handkerchiefs or tied them to warriors, who seemed to be participants in the battles.

This, too, was part of the events at Judeca.

There’s a superstition that if a warrior goes into battle carrying a woman’s handkerchief, they’ll return safely and might even develop a close relationship with that woman.

Of course, not everyone truly believes this; it’s more of a playful tradition.

Because it’s a festival.

‘More importantly, what about the monsters released at Judeca…’

I wanted to stop them if possible.

Not for any grand cause.

Just the thought of leaving innocent people to die didn’t sit well with me.

‘But I can’t leave Eliza’s side…’

The event wasn’t happening today.

I’d follow Eliza and look for an opportunity.

If I couldn’t do it myself, I could warn someone in advance.

The carriage came to a stop in front of a large gate.

The ornate patterns on the gate resembled intricate embroidery.

Beyond it was a garden.

A grand fountain sprayed water, and the trimmed grass and trees looked lush.

Behind the garden stood a massive mansion reminiscent of a palace.

It’s where the nobles stayed during the founding festival.

I got out first, followed by Ria.

Finally, Eliza took my hand and stepped down.

A butler came out to greet us at the gate.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Eliza. Allow me to guide you so you may rest from your journey.”

With a polite bow, the gate opened.

A quick glance behind revealed our comrades standing rigidly as part of the honor guard.

‘Wow… they look pretty impressive as a group.’

Still, it seemed they couldn’t help but be curious about the imperial capital, sneaking glances to the sides now and then.

With Eliza leading, we entered the mansion.

The soldiers would stay elsewhere, not in the main building, so we parted from them temporarily.

The mansion was much larger than Eliza’s home.

Past the fountain and through the main door was a vast hall.

Eliza asked.

“Who has arrived here so far?”

“I’m not entirely sure since I haven’t personally escorted all the distinguished guests, but…”

The butler proceeded to list the names of various noble families.

Some were famiLia r to me, others were not.

And finally—

“His Majesty the Emperor has also arrived early and is currently welcoming the guests.”

Emperor Yohan.

“The Grand Duke Barak and his children arrived two days ago as well.”

Barak di Bevel and his family.

Those who aim to kill Eliza .

She said nothing in response.

Her expression remained calm, as usual.

Eliza ‘s room was luxurious, lacking nothing.

In contrast, my room, situated across from hers, was modest and simple.

Not that it mattered much to me.

As long as there was a bed, it was enough.

After a brief tour of the mansion, Eliza  spoke.

“I’m going to meet the Emperor. I have something to discuss with him. Wait for me outside.”

“Understood. …But, will you be all right?”

If what Eliza  said was true, the Emperor intended to kill her.

Was it really fine to send her off to such a man?

Eliza  looked up at me intently and asked,

“Do you think the Emperor could outright kill me in a direct confrontation?”

…Ah.

That was a needless worry.

Indeed.

If that were possible, he wouldn’t have bothered to rally multiple factions and resort to such convoluted methods.

“I’ll be back soon.”

Eliza  had a private audience with the Emperor.

No one else was in the room.

There was something she needed to confirm.

Did the Emperor also realize that she had uncovered their schemes?

“It is an honor to stand before the Light of the Empire.”

“I, too, am deeply honored to meet the one hailed as the reincarnation of the Mythical Age.”

The Emperor, Yohan, smiled generously as he spoke.

A lighthearted jest to ease any awkwardness in the atmosphere.

“How grateful I am that you’ve graced the Founding Festival with your presence.”

It wasn’t a sarcastic remark.

Just a pleasantry devoid of much substance.

Eliza  played along for now.

She responded with equally meaningless words, devoid of intention.

“I, too, am immensely grateful that Your Majesty spared the time for this audience.”

“An audience, you say? There’s no need to phrase it so formally.”

Contrary to his usual solemn and reserved demeanor, Yohan was surprisingly affable in private.

For an Emperor of a vast empire, he displayed an unexpected lightness.

However, that did not mean he could be underestimated.

The air of ease that surrounded him was both light and heavy at once.

The two exchanged small talk.

Mostly about the Founding Festival.

Her first impressions.

How long she planned to stay.

Which events she was most looking forward to.

Topics designed to reveal absolutely nothing about either party.

Even when the conversation shifted, the outcome remained the same.

The balance between the Demon Realm and the Human Realm.

The humility and encouragement expected of leaders ruling their respective regions.

It was the kind of discussion any noble could have conducted, not necessarily between the Emperor and Eliza .

“Will your personal Knight also participate in the Judeca Tournament this time?”

“Yes. Since it’s their first time, we intend to enjoy every aspect of it.”

“I hope it turns out to be an enjoyable festival for you.”

With smiles, their conversation came to an end.

Eliza  gracefully bid farewell, her gaze lingering briefly on Yohan’s right hand.

She caught sight of a silver ring.

It was such a fleeting glance that Yohan didn’t notice.

Eliza  left without probing further.

Black magic. The Moon God Church. Barak. Eliza ’s assassination. The Temple of the Sun.

She avoided every topic she would have needed to broach to gauge his intentions.

She didn’t ask anything, and thus, gained no information.

Therefore, she understood everything.

‘…So that’s how it is.’

***

The moment Eliza  left, Yohan’s expression hardened.

A rigid, unreadable mask.

Rather than putting on a serious face, it was simply taking off the mask.

“Haah…”

A sigh mixed with a hollow laugh.

Yohan swept his hair back.

It was a habit that surfaced whenever he felt stifled.

“So, she noticed all of that…”

The words escaped his lips as he muttered to himself.

That was how unbelievable and astonishing it was.

He knew she was extraordinary.

But for her to catch him off guard like this…

The emperor was convinced by their recent conversation.

Eliza  had almost grasped their plans.

But not entirely.

If she had figured it all out at this stage, she wouldn’t be an exceptional human but a god.

And she wouldn’t be able to maintain such composure.

After all, this was a plan to completely reform the world.

‘Dark magic, the Moon Church… She must be confident about that much. But how much does she know about Bevel’s assassination…?’

She was not someone he could provoke recklessly.

And Eliza  was the same.

‘She’s probably gathering evidence and organizing data to make this public. She’ll also need forces that will side with her.’

There was no need to act hastily.

The plan was nearly complete.

If he waited patiently and played his cards right, the opportunity would come.

However, Yohan was curious about one thing.

‘If she’s realized this much, she should’ve uncovered his identity too. Then why is she keeping him by her side…?’

Eliza  hadn’t uncovered anything.

Nor did she try to.

Neither did the emperor.

The entire exchange between them had been meaningless.

Transient small talk.

From the fact that neither asked anything of the other, Eliza  was certain.

‘He knows that I’ve caught on.’

Even a single connection to dark magic was enough to shake the empire’s prestige.

From the emperor’s perspective, Eliza ’s information had to be of great interest.

How much had she figured out?

And yet, the emperor hadn’t tried to pry into anything.

In other words, there was no need for him to.

‘Just as I don’t know everything about him, the emperor doesn’t know everything about me. Still, the fact that he hasn’t even made an effort to probe means all the critical matters he can speculate on fall within the range of his knowledge.’

Attempting to probe her could risk leaking information.

The emperor avoided that risk because he didn’t need to take it.

‘Dark magic, the Moon Church, his passive stance on war… All of it is clear now. What remains is the connection to the Bevel family…’

A tiresome battle of justification.

Eliza  pressed her temples and steeled her resolve.

For a decisive victory, the road ahead was still long.

Even if everyone else perished, she alone had to survive to witness the outcome.

To see the enemy’s downfall with her own eyes and stand tall before her mother’s grave.

War had to be won before it began.

Reaffirming that truth, she returned to Judas, only to find—

“Oh my, how gallant you are. Are you perhaps participating in this Judeca duel?”

“If you haven’t received one yet, please take my handkerchief…”

“Excuse me! I was here first, you know?”

A flock of noblewomen had gathered around Judas.

‘…….’

She had planned to leave him outside until the Founding Festival ended.

After all, they hadn’t even chosen a mountain yet.

‘…Should I just settle for a nearby mountain?’

Eliza  clutched her throbbing forehead and approached them.