The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 106

Levi de Bevel.

The second son of Barak.

The one who abused Eliza.

I didn’t hear the testimony directly.

But I have enough grounds to be certain.

From time to time, Eliza would mention the name of her family.

For very public reasons.

Each time she did, cracks appeared in her doll-like, expressionless face.

Annoyance, anger, disgust, contempt—emotions rare for her.

Even the way she referred to Barak’s direct descendants was unusual.

‘Infant,’ ‘beast,’ “biological waste,’ ‘lowly creature speaking human language.’

Quite colorful.

Eliza’s childhood spent in her family home.

I suspect the abuse she suffered there had an impact.

Of course, Levi, standing in front of me, likely contributed to it too.

“So, what is it that you want to talk about?”

“I have a proposal. For you.”

“Let’s hear it.”

Though I won’t accept it.

“Are you satisfied with your life as a knight?”

“Just about.”

If I had to say, yes, I’m satisfied.

I have a place to sleep, food to eat, money to spare.

I don’t know about the future, but so far, I haven’t faced anything too difficult.

No reason not to be satisfied.

‘And Eliza… no, that’s not it.’

“It’s good to see you’re happy with your job.”

“Why do you ask?”

“I thought I might increase that satisfaction.”

“…?”

“Come work for me.”

“…Could you be more precise? I’m getting uncomfortable.”

I didn’t mean to snap, but my words came out harsh.

Still, Levi only smiled as if he didn’t mind.

Seems he’s getting used to my personality now.

“Join me. I’ll guarantee a better life than you have now.”

“Ha. Are you telling me to break the code of chivalry?”

“Chivalry? You mean the one where loyalty changes depending on the money the person offers?”

“……”

“That’s quite a romantic attitude, rare to see nowadays.”

Levi smiled broadly.

He seemed to think my silence was a sign of hesitation.

I just didn’t have anything to say, so I ignored him.

“I’ll admit, Eliza’s power is impressive. In just a few years, she’s grown to a level that can’t be ignored. But how long will that last? She has too many enemies. Do you really think Eliza can handle all of them on her own?”

I didn’t bother answering that it was possible.

If someone didn’t understand how incredible Eliza’s magical abilities were, they might confidently spout such nonsense.

And the truth is, very little is known about Eliza’s talent and power.

She’s never had the opportunity to fully unleash them.

“Moreover, you know as well as I do, her Mad fire isn’t normal power.”

“……”

“If you stay close, you’ll get caught up in it. That’s why I’m offering you a chance. No reason to refuse, right? Whether it’s chivalry or whatever, in the end, it’s just a contract.”

Levi spoke with a confident look in his eyes.

Among Barak’s children, excluding Eliza, there were two with the most influence.

Cain and Levi.

He promised wealth and women, listing things off, but…

It wasn’t really that tempting.

I had quite a bit of wealth accumulated through the information guild already.

Of course, it doesn’t compare to the great nobles like Eliza or Levi.

But at least I don’t have to worry about money.

“So, what do you think?”

Thinking my silence meant I was wavering and considering his offer, Levi asked brightly.

‘I was debating whether to hit him or not.’

But I probably shouldn’t.

I’ll hold back, as I always do.

“Nice speech. If you’re done, please leave now.”

“…What?”

“I’m not interested in your proposal. Please leave.”

“Wait. There’s more…”

The moment Levi was about to say something, a signal came through the necklace.

It was from Eliza, calling me.

“She’s calling, so excuse me. There’s nothing here that a fine young man like you would want to steal, so don’t go rummaging around and leave on your own.”

I didn’t wait for a response.

When I received the return signal through my magic, my surroundings shifted in an instant.

Eliza’s room.

She had just finished washing, and her hair was still wet.

Lia, who had been drying her hair, was startled when she saw me.

I quickly turned my gaze away from Eliza, who was wearing only her pajamas.

“Did you call for me?”

“Who was it?”

“Pardon?”

“The person who was in the room. The princess?”

“No, it was Levi.”

“…Levi? Why would that second reptilian shed its skin come to you?”

He did resemble a reptile, in a way.

I spoke honestly.

There was no reason to hide it.

“He told me to join his side. I think he’s trying to weaken your position, my lady.”

“Hm. I see. And your answer?”

“I refused.”

That was obvious.

However, Eliza didn’t respond immediately.

She remained silent, leaving her head in Lia’s care.

It was as if she was deeply considering something.

Then, after a moment, she spoke.

“…Is that so?”

That was an unexpected reaction.

I was a little taken aback.

Why is she reacting like this?

Eliza voiced a similar question.

“Why did you refuse?”

“…Pardon?”

“Why did you turn him down?”

Eliza walked toward me.

Her white, slender hand gripped my chin.

She made me look at her.

Her black hair still had traces of moisture.

Her always expressionless face met my gaze.

I met her red eyes.

“Levi is someone who thoroughly investigates information. I don’t know how much he knew or how he approached you, but he must have been confident and had a reason to believe he could offer something superior to how you’re being treated now.”

“…”

“I didn’t hear it directly, but I’m sure his offer was objectively better than what you’re getting now.”

Eliza looked at me.

Her piercing gaze was so direct it felt as though it could see into my soul.

“The princess’s proposal, too. You didn’t have to refuse it that way. In fact…”

She paused, as if trying to say something more, but then closed her mouth.

Her brow twitched slightly, as though she found it uncomfortable.

Soon, her expression returned to its usual neutral state as she spoke again.

Her red lips parted.

“Why did you refuse, when the objectively better option was right in front of you?”

“Well, of course…”

I briefly lowered my gaze.

I wanted to ask her, too.

Why are you so curious about the reason?

If I told you, what would happen to us?

But I couldn’t bring myself to say it.

Eliza, who must have lost the ability to feel emotions or desire after what happened with Sardis.

I shouldn’t cross the line.

I raised my head again.

Carefully, I met her gaze.

Eliza was there.

As if she would always be in front of me.

“I made an oath as your escort knight.”

“…I see.”

She smiled lightly.

It was a strange smile, one that gave the illusion of being somewhat sorrowful.

Eliza slowly leaned forward.

Her head rested on my chest.

She remained there, silently, for a long time.

I stood there, unable to either push her away or embrace her.

One corner of my chest, where she had touched, tingled.

It was strange.

She slowly lifted her head, looking up at me with a smile.

A pure smile, she greeted me.

“Good night.”

“…I hope you have a good night too, Miss.”

I returned to my room and lay down on the bed.

It was time to sleep now.

My mind was a mess.

There were many reasons for the confusion, but first, one.

[Mana Power: 19.0]

I couldn’t stop my magical power from decreasing.

Despite receiving it regularly from Yuel, it wasn’t enough.

The rate at which it decreased was accelerating as time passed.

‘I’ve been eating food good for magical power… but it’s still not recovering.’

I was having my magical power absorbed by Eliza.

The sun and moon mentioned in the original scriptures. The union of the two.

It probably originated from that.

‘…But what if it keeps decreasing like this?’

What if my magical power reaches zero or stops at some level?

‘Even if Eliza’s power wishes for the union after I can no longer absorb it… What will happen then?’

I couldn’t figure it out, no matter how much I thought.

Suddenly, a tragedy came to mind.

Eliza, choking me.

Eliza, casting fire at me.

‘I hope that doesn’t happen just because my magical power is dropping…’

I wasn’t sure.

Honestly, it was hard to even imagine.

The idea of Eliza choking me or casting fire seemed impossible.

‘…The current Eliza, though.’

Eliza, who had been extremely wary when I was almost recruited by Levi.

Eliza, who had seemed upset after being proposed to by the princess.

Her obsessive questioning about those two events.

What did she think of me?

Since then, there had been something strange in my chest.

Painful, stinging, strangely sore.

‘…Huh?’

It wasn’t just a feeling.

When I looked down to check, a black mark had appeared.

Right in the middle of my prominent chest muscles.

Where Eliza’s forehead had touched.

“…What is this?”

I rubbed it with my hand.

It didn’t disappear.

It was a spot like a burn.

When I looked closely in the mirror, it was soot.

It resembled a burn mark.

“Why is this suddenly appearing…?”

***

The next day, Eliza visited Levi.

It was an unexpected visit, but Levi calmly greeted her.

Eliza got straight to the point.

“Don’t touch my things.”

Her face was cold, hardened.

The emotion written on it was twisted possessiveness, a desire for control.

It was like the tantrum of a child whose territory had been invaded.

But it couldn’t be ignored as just childish behavior.

The power she held was far from ordinary.

If things went wrong, she looked like she might set Levi on fire right there, with madness flickering in her eyes.

Levi, though surprised, was secretly satisfied.

Judas was proving to be her weakness, Eliza herself was confirming it.

“Well, I didn’t exactly touch it…”

“I’m not here for any silly wordplay. Don’t make me say it twice.”

“……”

“If you try to touch my things one more time, you’ll see something interesting.”

Levi said with a wry smile.

“Eliza. Do you even realize what kind of behavior this is?”

“I’m not here to play word games.”

“…My God. You really don’t get it, do you? Can you explain what kind of relationship you two have?”

“This is the last warning.”

Their conversation diverged onto different tracks.

Eliza deliberately ignored Levi’s words.

She was someone who lived by her words.

The best option to avoid getting caught up was to ignore them.

But, Levi could clearly read Eliza’s heart.

There was no way it was so transparent and still unclear.

Eliza, the person directly involved, seemed to be unaware of it.

Regardless of their reasons and circumstances, this was a significant weakness.

There was no need to inform Eliza about it.

Levi raised his hands, as if conceding defeat.

“Alright, alright. I won’t do it. I won’t even approach. Happy now?”

Eliza glanced down at him coldly before walking away.

Watching her retreat, Levi smiled inwardly.

‘This is starting to get interesting. I may have deceived Lia, but this is a new opportunity.’

Eliza’s weakness was so obvious.

But could he use it?

For a weakness, she was certainly not an easy target.

If physical threats were difficult, he’d dig into other areas.

Information warfare.

That was Levi’s specialty.

If he dug into Judas’s past, he might uncover something useful.

There’s no one in this world without some skeleton in their closet.

There would be something, in some way, that he could turn to his advantage.

‘That guy, now that I think about it, his eyes were golden. Golden eyes… It’s unlikely, but during that incident, Cain…’

For now, dealing with Lia was on hold.

First, he had to find Cain, the one who actually carried out ‘that job,’ and ask him some questions.

***

Eliza seemed strange today.

She went out early in the morning.

Since then, she’s been in a bad mood.

I tried to be discreet and fed her some meat.

She had been eating alone recently, but today, for the first time in a long while, she asked me to feed her.

The weird thing that happened between us yesterday seems to have been forgotten.

I’m getting used to it by now.

She’s like a capricious cat, I’ve decided.

With a slightly grumpy expression, she stuffed her cheeks full of food and chewed diligently.

She looked like an angry cat with puffy cheeks.

‘She’s so cute this morning, it’s ridiculous.’

Lia, who initially seemed completely repulsed by it, had adjusted.

Or rather, she had resigned herself to it.

Every time I act like this with Eliza, I can hear her sighing alone in the corner.

While Eliza chewed, I also ate a piece of meat.

‘This thing on my chest… I really don’t know what it is.’

Even after thinking it over all night, I couldn’t figure it out.

I thought it might be some kind of skin disease, but it didn’t seem to be that.

There’s only one possibility that comes to mind.

‘…Eliza.’

The place where Eliza’s body had touched.

The scorched mark.

‘Is this a sign that Eliza took my power?’

That seemed to be the most plausible theory.

But even if I knew the truth, there wasn’t much I could do about it.

‘Isn’t there?… Maybe I could ask Eliza not to make physical contact with me.’

…That’s a pretty strange request.

Asking my master to avoid physical contact?

It just feels… odd. Hmm.

‘I’ll think about that later.’

There was one more thing on my mind.

Today was the day when monsters would break out of Judeca.

How should I stop that?

‘The Imperial Guard went off to watch the festival today. Should I go find Dylan and casually mention it… But the soldiers brought by the other nobles are at least training hard for show. Can my guys just have fun like this? It’s allowed by Eliza, but…’

Tap Tap.

At that moment, someone tapped my shoulder.

It was Eliza.

She stared at me, her eyes empty.

As if asking why I wasn’t feeding her.

“Ah, sorry. I was just thinking for a second.”

I twirled the cream pasta around my fork.

Before putting it in her mouth, Eliza glared at me and asked.

“Who were you thinking about?”

“Huh? I wasn’t really thinking about anyone.”

“Mm. Ah.”

Satisfied, she opened her mouth like a baby bird.

I put the pasta inside.

‘Who else could I be thinking about…?’

…Well, maybe there is someone. Hmm.

After the meal, Lia cleaned up.

I really wanted to help, but my hands were itching.

It’s been years, but I still feel uncomfortable when someone else handles my post-meal cleanup.

‘It’s strangely different from a restaurant…’

Eliza suddenly asked.

“Do you want to see the festival?”

The Founding Day Festival started yesterday, but today, people will start pouring in.

It would be much livelier and more bustling than yesterday.

She had been watching the guards excitedly rush out through the window.

‘A festival…’

I’m curious about the festival, but I’m more worried about the monster attacks.

“Just a little?”

“…Really?”

Eliza subtly looked out the window.

She fiddled with the ends of her hair.

Her other hand was propped up on her chin.

It was a posture that seemed like she was distracted.

Still keeping her gaze on the window, she spoke in a tone that seemed somewhat indifferent.

“…Then, do you want to go see it?”