The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 114

Eliza broke free from her thoughts.

“Let’s just get this done first.”

It was too early to give up.

She resolved to focus on what could be done now.

A list of items from Epona—materials beneficial for mana, ingredients, herbs, and fragrances—was in her hands.

Eliza roamed the streets of the tower city.

Merchants were startled every time she appeared via teleportation, but their surprise quickly turned into smiles when they saw her placing orders worth nearly half their daily revenue.

Using teleportation, Eliza zipped around efficiently, moving the large number of items she purchased straight to her home.

The constant appearing and disappearing left the mansion’s chef utterly bewildered. Only when Eliza finally stopped and gestured toward the mountain of goods did the chef dare to speak.

“Miss…? What is all this food for…?”

“From now on, make sure these are included in every meal in precise amounts. Especially brew tea with this and that every morning without fail. It’s for Judas. Some of these are medicinal, so overuse might cause issues, but Judas’s healthy, so it should be fine. Just in case, consult with May and Gale, and adjust the portions accordingly. Also, some of these change properties when processed, so handle them carefully.”

“Y-yes, of course…!”

The chef scrambled to write down everything Eliza said. In five years of employment, this was the first time she had spoken to him so extensively.

“Did you get all that?”

“Yes, absolutely…!”

Satisfied, Eliza immediately teleported to her next destination.

The two physicians of the mansion, May and Gale. Gale, once an instructor at the training academy, had joined the mansion after the academy was dismantled. Eliza informed them about the medicinal items as well.

“Will this be enough…?”

Even after relaying all her instructions, Eliza couldn’t help but feel uneasy.

Epona’s advice not to get her hopes up was brutal but realistic.

Eliza understood—no one in the world grasped this power as she did.

The power of a god.

It wasn’t mere mana or divine energy but something beyond both.

Judas’s power was similar in some ways, yet it was different—like fragments of a shattered moon, while her power, though distorted, was the sun itself.

She hadn’t considered that her power might harm Judas.

“…It’ll be fine.”

Eliza decided to believe that.

With her resolve strengthened, she turned to the last task at hand.

Now that Judas was temporarily away, she had to deal with unfinished business.

Her original plan had been interrupted when Epona told her of Judas’s death. She was supposed to retrieve restored black magic, which she needed for a specific purpose.

Two prisoners remained locked in the underground cells.

One was a member of the Imperial Mage Corps, whose magic circuits she had burned out to prevent him from casting spells. The other was Anggra.

Eliza had to peer into their memories.

Believing everything would work out, she descended to the underground prison.

***

“P-please…!”

The Imperial Mage Corps member gasped in terror the moment he saw Eliza.

To him, she was an incomprehensible calamity.

Burning out the magic circuits in someone’s body?

And doing so without endangering their life?

It was an impossible feat.

It defied both magic and miracles, akin to a natural disaster—a phenomenon beyond human imagination.

Yet, the mage hailed as the reincarnation of the Mythic Era had done it with ease.

“S-spare me… I was wrong, I was so wrong… H-hic…”

The mage groveled on the ground, begging and weeping.

Eliza found his groveling irritating every time she visited.

‘Still, with his mind weakened, questioning him should be easy.’

Eliza cast the spell she had prepared.

Carefully adjusting the intensity to avoid a complete mental collapse.

First, she planted a suggestion.

Breaking down his mental resistance, rendering him compliant.

Then, through memory interference, she peered into his thoughts.

Memories and emotions poured into Eliza’s mind at a rapid pace.

She sifted through them, extracting only what she needed.

It wasn’t easy.

Magic that interferes with another’s mind inevitably takes a toll on her own.

It was like reliving someone else’s life within her brain.

Even a fragmentary memory meant becoming the protagonist of that scene.

Eliza’s brow twitched as she delved into his memories.

Painful though it was, she had to endure.

And after what felt like an eternity—

“Phew…”

Eliza confirmed the crucial memories.

The only regret was that some key pieces weren’t the mage’s firsthand experience.

Many were things he had learned secondhand.

Still, the information was invaluable.

She quickly transcribed her findings before they could fade.

[Key Notes:]

• [The Imperial Mage Corps is indeed a group of dark mages. They studied black magic to gain greater and more diverse power.]
• [The Emperor appears to be pursuing something through dark magic. His ultimate goal remains unclear, but the leader of the Mage Corps seems to know it. Could it be related to their pursuit of the Sun Icon?]
• [Confirmed alliance between the Empire and the Moon God Church. Imperial mages often assisted the Church with magical aid upon request.]
• [The mage Judas killed, Taboo, had long aided the Moon God Church. Essentially their liaison within the Imperial Mage Corps, specializing in mental magic. He was also close to Anggra.]
• [Primary contact between the Empire and the Moon God Church was Bishop Anggra. After Anggra left on a pilgrimage, Pope Nadab took over this role.]

Anggra’s crucial role was evident.

However, one perplexing omission—

There was no mention of Barak in the mage’s memories.

‘Did they conceal it meticulously? Or was the information passed through intermediaries?’

Eliza harbored no doubts that Barak had colluded with the Empire and the Church to kill her.

He despised her, the illegitimate child.

‘This is all I can extract from the mage.’

The mage collapsed, foaming at the mouth from the aftereffects.

He would live, as he might serve as a witness to expose the Empire’s secrets if needed.

“Make sure he’s well-fed and allowed to rest.”

“Yes, my lady.”

After entrusting him to the guards, she headed toward Anggra.

Bound in chains, he looked up at her with an expression of wounded indignation.

“Why are you doing this? What have I done to deserve this? Have you no fear of the heavens?”

“…”

Eliza stared down at him, her face twisted with irritation.

Her eyes blazed with a frenzied light.

The taxing mental magic only fanned the flames of her fury.

Being provoked like this, she felt an almost overwhelming urge to kill him.

‘…Hold back. Don’t kill him. I still need his memories. He might be useful later.’

Thinking of Judas, she managed to calm herself.

When she reopened her eyes, the fire still burned, though dimmed by composure.

“You’ll soon find out why.”

As she had done with the mage, she began rifling through his memories.

Despite his longer life, it was easier than with the mage.

It made sense.

His memories had clearly been tampered with.

Everything from about ten years ago until his pilgrimage was entirely erased.

Even earlier memories were fragmented.

The deliberate nature of the erasure was unmistakable.

‘They’ve erased far too much.’

The Anggra of today was defined only by his identity as a devout follower and a pilgrim.

All other aspects—childhood memories, education, emotional experiences—were gone.

This Anggra was, in essence, a completely different person.

She couldn’t know what kind of man he had once been.

‘What on earth was he hiding that required such extreme measures?’

The inability to restore erased memories was frustrating.

Eliza hurriedly documented what she learned:

[Key Notes:]

• [A devout follower of the Moon God Church for many years, but with clear evidence of extensive memory erasure.]
• [Anggra searched for the ‘Child of Prophecy,’ supposedly found in a village destroyed in a raid. Circumstantial evidence exists, but there’s no trace of it in his memories. Who is the Child of Prophecy? Why were they sought? Where was the village?]

The concept of the ‘Child of Prophecy’ was clear to her.

The Moon God Church’s scripture described them as a future savior.

According to the prophecy in the Moksha Chronicle of Wolsinism, one day, a beast imitating gold, the Sun Beast, will set the world ablaze.

A being descended to slay that beast.

A savior forged from gold, radiating an ivory glow—the Child of Prophecy.

“What do they intend to achieve by seeking that entity? Is it mere religious faith?”

In the end, no significant information was obtained from Anggra.

Not about Barak.

Nor about Judas.

One thing puzzled Eliza.

“Why erase memories related to Judas?”

It wasn’t a matter worth much attention.

In his memories, there were no traces of the children he had freed from slavery.

The same went for Tradito Hayes, who had come to kill her.

Thus, the absence of memories about Judas seemed natural.

“Still… a few traces remained for others. Judas is completely gone. Just a coincidence, perhaps…”

Contemplating various possibilities, Eliza exited the underground prison.

Lia, who had been waiting by the entrance, approached her gently.

“Miss, you don’t look well. Are you alright?”

Unintentionally, Eliza shot her a sharp glance.

Startled, Lia flinched and lowered her gaze.

Only then did Eliza recognize her own state.

Her nerves were frayed from a relentless fire within.

She hadn’t been this sensitive in years.

“…I must’ve focused too long. I should rest.”

“Yes, miss.”

Lia smiled as if to reassure her, lifting her head again.

Distracted by her own thoughts, Eliza failed to notice the familiarity in that smile.

Eliza ascended to her bedroom.

Heat surged within her.

The aftermath of using powerful magic, and for an extended time.

It had been a long time since she felt such warmth.

“Judas…”

She yearned for Judas.

She knew where he was.

In truth, it didn’t matter if she didn’t.

The connected ring and necklace.

If she wished, she could summon him or go to him at any time.

But Eliza didn’t.

She stepped back from the situation.

“If I touch Judas, then Judas…”

She tried not to think.

Merely recalling him disrupted everything else, so she sought to avoid it.

But inevitably.

The moment she had space to think, her mind was consumed by him.

“What do I do…”

If it were merely a relationship of use, it wouldn’t matter if he died for her sake.

But she couldn’t.

Now, she understood why.

Why she felt this way. She had realized.

That’s why she hadn’t wanted to know.

Because now, she had a weakness.

Eliza suddenly stopped.

One step to her bedroom.

The line between the hallway and the room.

One step would take her inside.

Not stepping kept her in the hallway.

But in reality, there was no such line.

It was merely the perception of a threshold where the door had once been.

Judas and herself.

She thought she hadn’t crossed the line.

She had stepped back to avoid dependence.

To avoid gaining a weakness.

But now.

Looking back.

The line had never existed.

And even if it had… she had already—

***

That night.

Eliza gazed down at the soundly sleeping Judas.

Pale moonlight streamed through the window.

Illuminating a potted plant.

A pot she had bought five years ago.

It had bloomed four times and this year had only sprouted buds—anemones.

With lifeless eyes, Eliza stared at it before turning her gaze back to Judas.

Slowly.

Still in her nightgown, she climbed onto his bed.

Soft, thin fabric brushed against her.

However, their bodies do not touch.

If they did, she would steal his power.

It would kill him.

That must not happen.

He smells good.

The sweet and slightly cool scent is almost enticing enough to eat.

She suppresses the urge to touch him.

Cold frost.

At the same time, a warm and comforting embrace.

A desperate longing so intense it feels sticky.

But she cannot.

She feels it only in her imagination.

First, his solid body.

Broad and sturdy, as if her arms would barely wrap around him.

The chest, perfect for leaning against.

The strong arms and large hands that hold her.

The heart pounding loudly in her ears if she presses close.

Breaths descending gently over her head.

The deep voice that tickles her when he speaks softly.

The more she imagines, the greater her thirst grows.

Like water placed before a parched castaway, forbidden to drink.

Thump, thump.

Her heart pounds violently.

The wild fire within her, untamed throughout the day, rampages inside.

She longs to escape the torment of searing pain.

The urge to writhe stirs a violent impulse or destructive instinct.

Despite the chaos within, Eliza’s expression remains calm.

Only her eyes, burning like a mad, blazing sun, betray her turmoil.

She looks at Judas.

His face. His body.

And his thick neck.

“……”

In the dark, unlit room, Eliza, her body flushed with heat, obsessively stared down at the defenselessly sleeping Judas.