The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 103

A fight broke out within the ranks of the Bevel family’s guard.

The official reason for the competition held in the arena was to liven up the festival.

From the VIP seats overlooking the arena, Levi touched the tip of his nose.

It was a habit that surfaced when things didn’t go as expected.

‘What in the world…?’

He already knew that Eliza’s forces were unusual.

Especially that escort knight named Judas.

He had utterly overwhelmed Achan.

Even Cain, who lived drunk on his own strength, grudgingly acknowledged him at that moment.

Levi focused solely on Judas.

The rest did not interest him much.

Perhaps Richard, to some extent.

But the results of the matches that unfolded in just a few minutes revealed his arrogance.

6:5.

It was a narrow margin, but what mattered was who was winning.

Levi’s guards had lost six times.

They had won only five.

In other words, his guards were slightly behind.

It was a result completely contrary to his expectations.

He thought they would win.

Maybe not overwhelmingly, but at least with a decisive margin.

It wasn’t so much that he overestimated his knights; rather, Eliza’s knights exceeded his expectations.

‘Just who are these people…?’

Perhaps setting it up as one-on-one duels had been a mistake.

Eliza’s knights employed peculiar techniques.

Levi had never seen such things here before.

They grabbed, threw, tangled, and then knocked people down.

He glanced at Eliza, who sat far away.

Even though her side was winning, she appeared indifferent.

‘Did she anticipate this outcome…?’

It was bewildering.

He hadn’t completely ruled out the possibility of losing.

But there was a vast difference between imagining it and facing it in reality.

In truth, victory or defeat in this match wasn’t particularly significant.

No one could kill anyone or diminish the other’s forces.

It was merely a strategic game to gauge each other’s abilities.

Even so, losing always managed to sting one’s pride.

As a bloodline inheritor of Bevel Castle, Levi’s pride had taken a hit.

While Levi stewed in his private frustrations, Eliza seemed utterly unbothered.

‘When will Judas come out?’

Resting her chin on her hand, she simply waited for his turn.

Of course, it had to be the last.

It suited him, though….

In the center of the arena, Richard, who had just secured a victory, was mocking his opponent.

“You sure act high and mighty just because you’re from the main family. Turns out, you’re nothing special.”

“……”

“What, not even gonna lower your gaze?”

As Richard raised his hand as if to strike again, the crowd erupted in cheers.

The distance was too far for words to carry.

But the sight of a winner reveling in their triumph and mocking the loser was enough to entertain the spectators.

Richard, satisfied, grinned at the audience and returned to his original spot.

Just beside the door leading from the waiting room to the arena.

His teammates were waiting there.

“Good work.”

Judas approached and greeted him.

It was his turn next.

Gripping Judas’s hand firmly, Richard grinned broadly.

“Don’t lose.”

“No need to worry.”

Like changing places, Judas and Richard crossed paths.

Judas stepped toward the center of the arena.

The blazing sunlight was dazzling.

The heat of the arena was stifling.

It wasn’t just because this region’s climate was warmer than that of the Bevel Principality, but also due to the cheers of the massive crowd that packed the stands.

Judas walked forward leisurely, scanning the spectators.

‘Not bad.’

Then his eyes met Eliza’s.

The moment Judas stepped forward, a smile spread across Eliza’s face.

Even she didn’t realize it.

Her lips had curled up reflexively.

Watching this, Levi scowled.

‘…Could he even make an expression like that?’

An innocent, pure smile.

It felt so bizarre that it wasn’t just unfamiliar—it was terrifying.

It was like facing an incomprehensible, unknown fear.

A shiver actually ran down his spine.

Levi followed Eliza’s gaze.

Judas had just stepped out.

Her escort knight.

Rumors, like something straight out of a cheap romance novel, came to mind.

‘…No way.’

As absurd as it was.

Eliza?

He brushed off the thought, deeming it impossible.

Judas stood face-to-face with his opponent.

Far away, the referee shouted something, but the distance and the noisy arena drowned out the words.

It was meant only for the nearby VIP seats anyway.

No need to listen.

He knew the rules.

All he had to do was watch for the signal to begin.

In the meantime, he observed his opponent.

‘His name’s Gora. That guy who was with Levi last time.’

Their builds were nearly identical, with Gora being just slightly smaller.

The weapon in his hand was a long spear.

‘This’ll be tricky.’

The difference in reach was absolute—a truth that couldn’t be ignored.

No matter how quickly Judas closed the distance, Gora’s reaction time was more than enough to counter.

But that didn’t mean Judas planned to lose.

‘We’ll see the outcome soon enough.’

He recalled the enemy’s weapon from when he switched with Richard earlier.

Since the rule was to only use weapons provided by Judeca, he had a chance to assess it beforehand.

‘A pike with a large blade. The tip was shaped a bit like an arrow, and the lower part of the blade was especially wide.’

At last, the referee finished the introductions and explanations. He placed the horn to his lips.

And then—

Bwoooo!

The sound of the horn signaling the start of the match rang loud and clear even amidst the noise.

As if waiting for it, Gora advanced and thrust his spear forward.

Judas instinctively raised his shield.

Clang!

The spear’s blade struck the steel shield issued by Judeca.

A tingling, light pain spread through his arm.

Gora swiftly withdrew the spear.

Judas clicked his tongue inwardly.

‘This is why I hate spears.’

If it were a weapon that swung, he might’ve had a chance to counter after blocking, but spears had minimal recoil and were retrieved too quickly.

“Hm.”

Taking a step back, Gora nodded.

“Not a bad reaction.”

That initial strike had been a test to gauge Judas’s level.

It seemed that public opinion about Judas wasn’t entirely baseless.

For various reasons, Judas was quite famous, but there were still doubts about his skills as a knight.

Was he truly someone Eliza would single out as her sole escort knight?

Was it true he had overwhelmed Achan in battle?

Gora wasn’t particularly interested in the second question.

Defeating someone like Achan, raised delicately in a noble household, wasn’t all that impressive.

The weapon Achan had used was slightly annoying, that was all.

Even Judas had severed the Firesteel Sword using a peculiar blade called the Moon Pupil.

Gora attributed Judas’s victory to the weapon rather than his skill.

And so, he believed that with a simple weapon issued by Judeca, Judas wouldn’t stand a chance against him.

Still, he didn’t unnecessarily provoke Judas by saying so.

Victory and defeat could be decided at any moment in any way.

Being weaker didn’t always mean losing.

He couldn’t let his guard down.

His judgment was mostly objective.

In truth, Judas hadn’t displayed much skill when facing Achan.

He had cut the Firesteel Sword with the unexpectedly strong Moon Pupil, and after that, he had subdued Achan purely with brute force.

Moreover, Judas had only fought publicly that one time.

As the knight guarding Eliza, someone hailed as the reincarnation of the mythical age, it was only natural for countless rumors to spread after a single battle.

While Gora reminded himself to stay vigilant, there was already one aspect where he was letting his guard down.

He had never actually faced Judas in combat before.

Without experience, decisions made with insufficient understanding are bound to have errors.

Overlooking that point, Gora boldly thrust his spear once more.

Screeeech!

It scraped against the shield.

Judas deflected the spear to the side and attempted to close in, but Gora noticed and swiftly withdrew.

A spear’s thrust is tricky to defend against and even harder to counter.

The advantage of maintaining distance.

Gora made full use of it.

Neither hastily nor sluggishly.

Calm yet precise.

A single-minded focus on thrusting was more than enough.

Judas had no choice but to concentrate on defense.

Even amidst this, he was searching for an opportunity to counterattack.

Seeing those cold, steady golden eyes, Gora kept his guard even tighter.

‘He’s far better than the rumors suggested.’

One thrusts, the other defends.

That was all there was to the scene.

No one fell, no blood spilled, and no hint of a winner was in sight.

The audience, growing bored, began to jeer.

Although only a few seconds had passed, it was enough for the impatient spectators to voice their discontent.

Eliza casually scanned the crowd.

Jeering at Judas, of all people?

Just as irritation began to bubble up within him—

“Whoa—!”

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Eliza turned his gaze back to the arena.

The sleeve of Judas’s right arm was slightly torn.

His eyes burned like wild flames, yet he did not intervene in the situation.

Meanwhile, Gora felt confident.

‘His weakness lies on the right.’

A shield in the left hand.

A sword in the right.

Naturally, defending the right side is trickier than the left.

Judas wasn’t much different from this standard.

Probing with thrusts here and there, Gora analyzed Judas’s reactions. The right side, particularly the shoulder, showed a slower response.

His attack succeeded.

The fabric of Judas’s right arm was lightly torn.

‘Analysis complete.’

Now, the only task left was to secure victory.

He advanced quickly, aiming the spear low.

Judas stepped back.

The shield dipped slightly downward.

Exposed above it, his face—a perfect target for another thrust.

But it was a feint.

By the time the shield rose, Gora’s spear would already pierce Judas’s right arm.

Gora executed his plan flawlessly.

Feigning a strike at the face, he swiftly retracted and targeted the right arm.

And at that very moment—

Screeeech!

The spear scraped against the shield.

As if waiting for this, Judas deflected it with the shield and swiftly closed the distance.

‘Impossible…!’

Gora hurriedly tried to retrieve his spear.

But it wouldn’t budge.

It jolted as if caught on something.

Confused, he looked.

Judas hadn’t grabbed the spear.

‘…!’

It dawned on him.

Judas had extended his sword backward, hooking it beneath the spearhead.

Preventing its retrieval.

By the time Gora realized it, it was already too late.

Golden eyes closing in with incredible speed.

Judas struck with his shield.

Thud!

Gora staggered.

Blood spurted from his mouth.

“Whoooaaa—!”

The audience’s cheers intensified.

Stumbling back, Gora quickly regained his stance.

But something was wrong with his spear.

The tip was missing.

Only a cleanly severed stump remained.

“This is….”

A bewildered voice escaped his lips.

Judas, who had already closed in, swung his sword downward.

“Urk-!”

Instinctively, Gora raised the spear shaft upward to block it.

However, the sword passed straight through the shaft.

The sharp blade grazed past Gora’s face.

Immediately afterward, the spear shaft was severed.

There was no time to process the situation.

With Gora disarmed, Judas charged forward and struck upward with a shield.

-Thud!

Once again, blood spurted out.

Since killing the opponent was forbidden, Judas discarded his sword.

He grabbed the staggering Gora by the nape.

With the other hand gripping the end of his sleeve, he pulled him in close.

Pressing their bodies together, Judas twisted backward to execute a technique.

‘I’ve won.’

In that moment, thousands of spectators witnessed a miraculous sight.

Gora’s body seemed to lift off the ground, drawn into a vortex, before whirling and slamming into the ground.

The royal guard had shown similar techniques in the past.

But this one was on an entirely different level in terms of quality.

The flawless and precise martial arts displayed were, in a sense, an art form.

Movements flowed smoothly like a gentle stream, only to surge like a violent whirlpool.

‘Spiral Throw.’

A brief silence overtook the crowd of thousands.

-Thud!

The dull sound broke the stillness.

Dust in the arena billowed momentarily before settling like a calm fog.

At the center, Judas stood, gazing down at the unconscious Gora.

‘Predictable.’

He had baited Gora into attacking his relatively vulnerable right side, only to counter and draw him in.

It wasn’t Gora who had read the situation, but Judas.

As for the spear shaft, it had been severed by Judas’s sword energy.

They said not to kill, but there was no rule against using sword energy.

“Waaahhh-!”

“Whoaahhhh-!”

Cheers erupted from all directions in that instant.

The noise was deafening, but Judas found it pleasant to hear.

He stood up and glanced around.

The crowd, raising their hands or pouring out drinks, looked more like a riot than a celebration.

Still, the sight of people cheering for him was exhilarating.

When he casually waved his hand, the cheers grew louder.

Eliza looked down at the scene with discontent.

Smiling brightly at someone other than her and shamelessly showing off like that…

Then her eyes met Judas’s.

His smile grew even more dazzling, and he waved a handkerchief pulled from his sword’s hilt.

“Woohooo-!”

The crowd’s cheers turned a bit more mischievous.

Eliza pulled her scarf up to cover her face and muttered.

“…Idiot. I told you not to get hurt.”

Her flushed face was, of course, due to the scarf being pulled up. Definitely.

Having composed her expression, Eliza stood up.

She glanced down indifferently at the dazed Levi and spoke.

“It’s over. Let’s go.”

“……”

She didn’t know how Levi would assess her power after this.

He wouldn’t underestimate her, but he probably wouldn’t feel intimidated either.

Levi wasn’t her only opponent.

Above her were Cain and Balak.

Below were Jezebel, Achan, and Sarah.

All of them combined mattered.

The results of one agreed-upon match couldn’t determine the full picture.

Not that it mattered either way.

Eliza’s strongest and most unpredictable weapon was none other than herself.

“I hope we don’t meet again.”

With those final words, Eliza teleported away.

***

“I told you not to get hurt.”

Eliza muttered in irritation as she touched my torn arm.

“I’m sorry.”

I scratched my head awkwardly.

If simply being told not to get hurt could actually prevent it, life would be so much easier.

“At least you weren’t seriously injured.”

She’s been worrying about me more often since I became a Escort Knight. It’s nice, but sometimes… it’s complicated. Hmm.

There were other injured Escort Knight, but Eliza healed them all.

It was obvious she was doing it partly because she was already healing me, but still, the help was appreciated.

“What was Levi’s reaction?”

“He seemed surprised.”

“Did they underestimate us more than we thought? By the way, did you really propose this fight for the festival?”

“Hmm… that is…”

Just as Eliza was about to say something, someone knocked on the waiting room door.

After receiving permission, the Judeca staff who had guided us opened the door.

The visitor was someone completely unexpected.

A woman with bright platinum-blonde hair flowing down, strikingly resembling Emperor Yohan.

“Lady Eliza. It’s been a while.”

“…Your Highness, the Princess.”

Hagal Helios.

Yohan’s fifth child and youngest daughter.

Smiling benevolently, she approached us with grace.

“I watched the match. It was very impressive. I’ve heard rumors about the excellent soldiers at your side, but seeing them in person was surprising.”

“Thank you,”

Eliza replied in a rather businesslike tone.

“So, about that. I have some business with the impressive knight by your side.”

“…”

I looked around and then spoke up.

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

“What business?”

Eliza quickly interjected.

Her words were curt.

Hagal didn’t point it out and simply said,

“It’s a little… sensitive to say in front of others.”

“…”

“I’d like to speak with you alone.”

“No.”

“Hmm? And why does Lady Eliza get to decide that?”

“Because he’s mine.”

Hagal twirled a strand of her hair and stared intently at Eliza.

Her rapid blinking suggested she was contemplating something.

Eliza didn’t avoid her gaze.

“Fine. In that case, why don’t you stay with us?”

Eliza glanced at me briefly before nodding.

***

Things started moving forward without regard for my opinion.

Since we no longer had any business in Judeca, we decided to move to another location.

It was agreed that the conversation would continue at a noble estate prepared for the Foundation Festival.

On the way, Eliza dismissed a few members of the royal guard, allowing them to move freely.

Thus, our group heading to the estate was small.

The remaining members of the guard were Dylan and Richard.

Along with me, Eliza, the princess, and her escort soldiers.

In one of the estate’s rooms, only three people entered.

Me, Eliza, and Hagal.

Facing us, Hagal suddenly made a proposal.

I was sipping water as I listened, and I ended up choking.

“Will you marry me?”

“Ka-cough-!”

“…”