The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 102

Eliza, having returned with Judas, unexpectedly encountered Levi and was presented with an unusual proposal.

“During the upcoming Founding Festival, I want to pit my guards against yours. In Judeca.”

Eliza spoke bluntly.

“Why?”

“It’s a festival. Can’t have it without some excitement, right?”

Levi replied, grinning lightly.

Eliza stared at him intently.

‘What is this man’s real objective?’

Like all of Bevel’s inhabitants, Levi was particularly inscrutable, with countless secrets hidden within him.

Eliza quickly formed a hypothesis.

‘A test.’

Recently, subtle tensions had emerged between Eliza, the Bavel family, and the Empire.

Levi wouldn’t be ignorant of this.

In other words, he likely wanted to prepare for any potential conflict.

To see what would happen if a battle broke out.

To confirm whether Judeca could survive such an event. To gauge what actions might be required.

Eliza swiftly calculated the possibilities.

“Do as you wish.”

Though it meant exposing part of her strength, she accepted readily.

She also needed information about her opponent.

She wasn’t completely ignorant of their capabilities.

However, assuming her current information was comprehensive or entirely accurate would be foolish.

Ultimately, to learn about the other side, she had to reveal some of her own hand.

Eliza didn’t consider it a loss.

No one could easily measure her greatest strength: herself.

Even she struggled to fully grasp her own limits.

Thus, exposing her guards wasn’t much of a risk.

Levi was momentarily surprised by her straightforward response but didn’t show it.

“Neither of us wants to lose precious guards, so let’s ban killing.”

She gleaned another clue.

Levi wasn’t the type to bat an eye at losing a few guards.

But for him to propose a no-kill rule first?

It meant he didn’t want to lose the guards he currently had.

It was evidence that assembling them had required significant effort and resources.

Though Levi betrayed no outward signs, Eliza had already seen through him.

She replied indifferently.

“Do as you like.”

Having said her piece, Eliza turned to leave, showing no intention of lingering. Levi didn’t stop her.

As she departed, Judas quietly followed behind.

Only when Levi was out of sight did Eliza come to a halt.

She turned back to look up at Judas.

Though she hadn’t shown it, he weighed on her mind.

Judas, once a slave in Judeca.

He likely didn’t have pleasant memories of the place.

Moreover, their opponent wouldn’t be easy to handle.

Even if a no-kill rule was proposed, injuries were still a risk.

The image of the bolts that had once pierced Judas’s back still lingered in her memory.

Eliza had made the decision for him to fight on her own.

It was odd.

It was within her rights to make such decisions.

Their relationship was built on such dynamics.

Yet, despite knowing this, her own decision unsettled her.

“Hmm… Is something the matter?”

Judas asked, noticing Eliza had suddenly stopped and was looking up at him.

Unlike her tangled emotions, Judas seemed entirely unbothered.

‘Will there be a lot of people watching the fight in Judeca?’

She wondered.

If his master told him to fight, he would fight. If not, he wouldn’t. It was that simple.

As for why Levi wanted this fight? That was for Eliza to figure out.

“……”

Eliza looked at him for a moment, then let out a small laugh.

All the complicated thoughts and worries that had consumed her vanished in an instant.

Carefully, she leaned against him.

She knew she shouldn’t.

She knew it would ultimately eat away at her.

No matter how many times she resolved herself, standing in front of him always clouded her judgment.

All she wanted, instinctively, was to feel his warmth.

Hugging his waist, she spoke softly.

“Don’t get hurt.”

Judas, as if indulging an unnecessary worry, replied calmly.

“Of course.”

***

On the first day of the Founding Festival, I ended up fighting in Judeca.

We were on our way to Judeca.

The streets were packed with people.

The festival was officially in full swing.

People, drunk and brimming with excitement even in broad daylight, wandered around.

A few people recognized us heading toward Judeca and shouted something.

The noise around us was so loud that it was hard to make out what they were saying.

Judging by their expressions, it didn’t seem like they were cursing.

For them, a fight was an excellent source of entertainment, so it looked like they were cheering us on.

A few young women approached and handed us handkerchiefs.

Most of the guards turned red-faced or gave awkward smiles as they accepted the handkerchiefs.

There’s a superstition that wearing a handkerchief during a match brings good luck.

And after the match, they’re supposed to find the woman who gave them the same handkerchief… Well, something like that.

Among us, three didn’t accept any handkerchiefs.

Richard.

“I should’ve asked Benny for one…”

It was a bit embarrassing to watch.

And then Dylan.

He politely declined the offer.

Lastly, me.

No women approached me because of Eliza standing nearby.

‘Well, even if they had, I wouldn’t have taken it.’

What concerned me was something else entirely.

Eliza was being excessively cautious of her surroundings.

She even glared at any women who showed the slightest inclination to approach me.

‘Could it be…? Nah, that can’t be it.’

Eliza had originally planned to move separately from us, but she ended up following me of her own accord.

She clung to my side and muttered to herself.

“We should lock him up quickly…”

I couldn’t hear her clearly due to the surrounding noise.

“Pardon?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”

She smiled brightly and asked,

“Do you like mountains?”

“Mountains? Why ask about mountains all of a sudden?”

“Just curious.”

“Sure, I like them. Nature, scenery, that kind of stuff.”

“Any specific mountain?”

“Not really. I guess the closer, the better?”

At that, Eliza smiled brightly, as if delighted.

“Me too.”

I learned today that Eliza likes mountains.

And that she prefers nearby ones.

It’s quite unexpected.

‘Well, I suppose it makes sense. She can teleport to enjoy breathtaking views without the hard climb… Why not?’

Anyway, once we entered Judeca, Eliza and I parted ways.

She decided to watch from the spectator stands.

We headed to the waiting room.

‘It feels familiar, but also strange.’

Probably because of the mixed memories.

Judas, who was here in the past.

And me, who experienced it through a game.

The scenery matched what I remembered fairly well.

We were guided to a waiting room that was spacious and well-furnished.

It was the kind of room reserved for fighters brought by nobles.

Slaves were kept in shabby, poorly maintained spaces.

Judas must have been in one of those back in his time.

Now, I, who inherited Judas’s body, was being treated in a VIP room.

How strange.

I sat in the room, recalling the rules.

‘No killing. In case of unexpected incidents, group battles switch to one-on-one.’

One member from each guard team fights, then exits.

Next up.

Regardless of winning or losing, everyone fights only once, and then it’s the next person’s turn.

‘My final opponent is the opposing guard captain, Gora.’

I have no idea who that is.

I only know they use a spear.

It doesn’t matter.

I’ll win anyway.

‘I just need to be careful not to kill since that’s forbidden.’

Despite the focus on entertainment, they use real weapons, wear no armor, and yet prohibit killing.

How strict can they get?

The waiting room was quite noisy.

For many, it was their first time fighting in front of such a large crowd and also their first time receiving attention from women.

Some were fidgeting with handkerchiefs tied to their sword hilts, wrists, or belts.

All their expressions were a bit… odd.

Some smiled awkwardly, others looked sly, and some seemed, well… off.

At that moment, Dylan clapped his hands sharply.

“Pull yourselves together.”

His voice was unusually serious.

“This may be a festival, but we’re not here to have fun. We’re here on official duty as the Royal Guard.”

A few of them, who had been fiddling with their handkerchiefs, laughed sheepishly or avoided eye contact.

Beside him, Richard chimed in.

“Yeah, guys. Save your excitement for after we win.”

Fortunately, everyone seemed to come to their senses quickly and accepted Dylan’s words.

“Everyone, prepare to enter!”

The guide from Judeca opened the door with a shout.

Beyond the dark passageway was a spot where light poured in.

The sound of a lever being turned was followed by the clinking of chains, and the massive door began to rise slowly.

The roar of the audience flooded into the room.

It felt as if the entire room was trembling.

Once they stepped outside, it would be even louder.

A wave of tension settled over them.

Not just me—everyone’s faces stiffened.

As we were about to step forward, something blocked my path.

“…Huh? Miss?”

Eliza suddenly appeared.

“Your hand.”

“Sorry?”

“Give me your hand.”

She suddenly showed up and demanded my hand.

When I held it out, she placed a handkerchief on it.

A red handkerchief embroidered with golden thread.

“This is…”

Without a word, Eliza pulled me into an embrace.

She wrapped her arms tightly around my waist and took a deep breath.

“Don’t get hurt.”

I should have responded with something obvious, but for some reason, I couldn’t form the words as easily as usual.

It felt like something was lodged in my throat.

My heart was pounding so fast it hurt.

After moistening my dry lips, I barely managed to reply.

“Of course.”

***

Eliza was seated in the audience.

In the VIP section, distinct from the regular seats.

Levi sat beside her.

Though ‘beside’ was a loose term—there was enough space between them for five Judases to lie in a row.

‘…Five Judases?’

For a moment, Eliza imagined five Judases side by side.

‘Not appealing.’

One was more than enough.

And to her, there was only one Judas.

“Who do you think will win?”

Levi asked from the side.

Eliza ignored him.

She wasn’t here to chat.

Of course, she understood Levi’s intentions.

He wanted to gauge her evaluation of the Royal Guard.

Naturally, she had no intention of giving him any information.

When Eliza shrugged once, Levi didn’t press further.

Soon, the massive doors on either side of the circular arena began to open.

The audience’s cheers grew even louder.

Eliza had the perfect view of both doors.

On the left, Levi’s Royal Guard.

And on the right, Eliza’s Escort Knight.

Dylan led the way.

Since Judas was essentially a personal escort knight, Dylan held the position of Escort Knight captain.

Following closely behind were Richard, Lindel, Argon, and the other guards.

Judas brought up the rear.

The moment she saw him, a smile spread across her face.

The handkerchief she had given him earlier was tied to his sword sheath.

Bright red.

Even from this distance, it stood out clearly.

Judas looked around and soon spotted her.

Their eyes met directly.

He raised his hand and waved.

The handkerchief she had given him fluttered from his sword sheath.

‘……’

Eliza felt an indescribable emotion as she looked at him.

Thousands of people.

Cheers and commotion that seemed as though they might bring the stadium down.

Amidst it all, only two people remained.

Judas and Eliza herself.

It felt like just the two of them were left.

Even if it was just for a fleeting moment.

When Judas turned his gaze forward again, her rationality returned.

She casually scanned the audience seats.

If there was a woman among them who coveted Judas… just the thought of it was infuriating.

Conflicting emotions surged—wanting to show Judas to the world yet not wanting to share him at all.

If she were to weigh these feelings, the latter would win out.

‘They say the nearest mountain is the best…’

Eliza began recalling a list of mountains near the mansion.

Around that time, the match between the two royal guards began in earnest.