The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 116

The weather is nice.

The sky is blue.

The sunlight is blazing.

It’s warm but with a touch of coolness.

Is this what spring feels like creeping in?

I was sitting absentmindedly in the mansion’s garden.

A garden soon to be filled with crimson anemones.

Right in front of the fountain.

Things have been strange with Eliza lately.

Literally, strange.

There aren’t better words to describe it.

This oddness started after we attended the Founding Festival.

A distance formed that shouldn’t have existed.

Subtle and awkward, yet somehow we managed to get along like before.

At least, until they strangled me.

Magic was even used.

The tragedy from five years ago played out again.

Since then, we haven’t crossed paths.

Except during the foot-washing ceremony yesterday.

“To be precise, it’s Eliza who’s been avoiding me….”

Why did Eliza strangle me?

And why has she been avoiding me since, not even saying a word?

If she truly intended to kill me, what was the reason?

Why hasn’t she tried again?

If it’s a misunderstanding, then what other explanation could there be?

I just wish she’d clearly tell me something.

Without realizing, a bitter laugh escaped me.

The situation felt absurd.

There was a time I wanted to run from the tragedy, but now, even after experiencing it, I’m still here.

What exactly am I expecting?

What do I even want to hear?

Judging by how blatantly she’s avoiding me, there must be some reason….

“Speaking of which, the diet has changed lately… Did she notice my condition?”

Tea that’s good for magic now comes before meals.

Even the main dishes are filled with ingredients known to enhance magic.

Of course, none of it works.

I already consumed everything I could from the Tower of Magic.

My current magic level is 1.

Thanks to the magic I received from Yuel, it was 11 yesterday, but the foot-washing ceremony drained it back down.

“What on earth is Eliza thinking…?”

Lost in frustration.

“Hey.”

“Ahh—!”

Something cold touched the back of my neck.

Startled, I jumped to my feet.

“Whoa, calm down… Richard, senior?”

What touched my neck was a water bottle.

He chuckled, drinking cold water.

“What were you so deep in thought about? I called out to you, and you didn’t even answer.”

“Oh, it’s nothing….”

“Trouble with the lady?”

“How did you— What? No, that’s not it!”

“Yeah, sure. If you say so.”

Richard laughed knowingly and sat down on the bench.

The spot where I had been sitting.

I plopped down next to him.

“Man, I’ve known you for how many years now?”

“Five years.”

“Right. Your face gives away everything when something’s bothering you. And it’s not like there are that many things that get to you.”

“Like what?”

“When you’re not satisfied with training.”

“…Oh. That’s spot on.”

“And when there’s trouble with the lady.”

“…….”

“In most cases, though, it’s just you worrying on your own. Like getting flustered when she hugs you, or worrying about her….”

“Anyone listening would think it’s a one-sided crush.”

“It’s not, though. It’s mutual, isn’t it?”

“…….”

I wonder.

Is that really true?

Most people don’t strangle the person they like, after all.

While I was deliberating without a reply, someone suddenly interrupted.

“Oh my, what are you two guys doing, looking so clingy?”

Shylock sauntered over like a local loafer.

“Hmph. We were having a rather heated discussion.”

When Richard spoke, Shylock clicked his tongue.

“Doesn’t seem like a topic for two men to share.”

Even so, he sat down next to me.

I suddenly found myself sandwiched between Shylock and Richard.

“It’s cramped here.”

“You’re the one taking up the most space.”

“So, what’s going on between our knight and the lady?”

Shylock said it as if it were obvious.

I glared at him, but he just shrugged.

“Impossible not to notice. The lady’s good at hiding her feelings, but you’re not.”

“Exactly what I was thinking.”

“Oh, come on….”

I let out a heavy sigh, as if to release pent-up frustration.

I couldn’t say everything.

“I honestly don’t know what to do.”

“Wow, hearing you say ‘I don’t know’ is something.”

“Love sure is scary.”

“Honestly, I’m curious. Are you two always like this? I’m scared someone might overhear.”

At my question, the two chuckled dryly.

“Everyone but you and the lady already knows.”

“Exactly. It’s so obvious it’s painful to watch—what’s there to worry about?”

“….”

Embarrassed, I had no choice but to shut my mouth.

Seeing this, Richard patted my shoulder and said,

“Why think so deeply? You’ve never lived that way before. If you don’t know, ask. If you ask, you’ll figure it out.”

Just say it.

Whatever it is.

It’s the simplest way.

Not that hard, and the most effective.

‘But…’

Eliza avoids me.

When I seek her out, she’s either gone, ignores me, or curtly tells me to leave.

Her tone has changed drastically.

Once, I tried to stop her to talk, but she recoiled as if swatting away a fly, then teleported away in a panic.

Since then, even approaching her feels awkward.

‘Could it be…?’

A possibility crossed my mind.

Sardis.

The man who nearly wronged her gravely when she was just 13.

If, by growing closer to me, she’s started feeling anything remotely romantic, and that’s triggered her trauma, making her avoid me instead?

‘It makes sense, but… I’m no expert, nor am I her, so I can’t be certain.’

Moreover, since she’s avoiding me, there’s even less I can figure out.

I let out a deep sigh and looked up at the sky.

The weather is annoyingly perfect.

“I’ll handle it so you don’t have to worry.”

“Hm, should I expect good news?” Shylock teased.

I elbowed him in reply.

Instead, I turned to Richard.

“How’s things with Benny?”

“Hmm, not bad. No big issues. But you know, the atmosphere these days is… tense.”

The subtle tension between Eliza and the Empire.

Anyone paying attention knows enough now.

Rumors of impending war are spreading quietly.

Because of this, the soldiers and knights at Eliza’s estate live each day on edge.

The Bevel family’s direct descendants are likely facing some turmoil too.

“I told her to evacuate to a safe place far away.”

“Good call.”

“…Is war really going to break out?”

“Hm… Highly likely.”

“Yeah…”

After pondering for a moment, Richard grinned broadly.

“Against the Empire, huh? That’s more like it. Sounds like a challenge worth taking.”

Richard.

The Lion’s Knight.

Before I knew it, he had returned to the man I once knew.

A battle-hungry warrior.

The only difference now is that he’s my rElizable ally.

I smiled weakly.

It was a serious situation, but having a trustworthy comrade offered some solace.

“Crazy bastard…”

Shylock shook his head as if disgusted.

After concluding the conversation, I left the garden.

Richard added one final remark:

The other guards were worried as well.

‘Honestly, they’re such busybodies… but I appreciate it.’

Eliza and I.

At the very least, shouldn’t we face each other before the war begins?

“Lord Judas!”

When someone called out, I turned to see Hermes.

“Sir Hermes. It’s been a while.”

“It has. It’s hard to catch you these days.”

“I’ve been busy following the lady around. But what brings you here?”

“Oh, it’s nothing much. Do you remember when you mentioned wanting a house in Jericho?”

“…Oh, right.”

I recalled asking for it when planning to escape from Eliza.

“It’s finally completed. It even has the minimum necessary furnishings, so you can move in anytime.”

A house in Jericho.

A place I intended to stay if I ever had to flee from Eliza later.

I’d forgotten about it.

Because I thought I wouldn’t need it.

But now…

I can’t say it’s entirely unnecessary.

“This is roughly how it looks.”

Hermes opened a page in his notebook to show me.

It was a lightly sketched image of the house.

It wasn’t as big as Eliza’s mansion, but it was more than enough for me to live alone.

“Oh… You draw well.”

“Haha. It’s just a hobby, but I’m glad you like it. Do you think it’s suitable?”

“I haven’t seen it in person, but it looks fine.”

“By the way, why did you say you needed a separate house?”

“Well… just in case.”

Because I was planning to run away.

At some point, the need to flee disappeared.

But now, the situation has changed again.

I just smiled weakly and dodged the question.

“It might come in handy someday.”

***

“…Deployment?”

Judas received an order from Miguel.

After reading it, he asked again in disbelief.

Miguel responded in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“It was the lady’s decision.”

“So why?”

“All reasons and purposes are stated in the directive. She said there’s nothing more to add.”

“……”

Judas pressed his temples and rechecked the directive.

It was an order directly from Eliza.

He had no authority to refuse.

The content was simple.

An indefinite deployment with no return date.

The destination was the far northeastern frontlines, where the war was most intense.

Bethany.

Even elite knights risked dying there—a place of utmost danger.

Known colloquially as the “Grave of Knights.”

If an order to go there came from one’s master, it meant only one thing:

Go and die.

Don’t come back alive.

This wasn’t a deployment but an exile, or perhaps banishment.

The official reason for Judas’s deployment was reconnaissance of the demon realm.

It was beyond simple—borderline careless.

Judas crumpled the directive in his hand.

“……”

Eliza, who had once held a tight grip on his life, waited patiently, even when he avoided conversations.

And this was the result.

Such a unilateral notification was unacceptable to him.

He sent a signal through his necklace.

A request for summoning.

But there was no response.

“Where is the young lady now?”

“She instructed me not to tell.”

“…Fine. I’ll go find her myself.”

“You must depart for the dispatch immediately….”

“Miguel.”

Judas called his name.

It was the first time he had spoken the name in five years.

The low resonance in Judas’s voice instinctively made Miguel tense.

“You know as well as I do that this isn’t something that can be stopped just because we want to. Either way, I’ll search the estate and find her myself.”

“…….”

“Judging by your reaction, at least she hasn’t left the estate.”

Judas unconsciously mimicked Eliza’s technique—speaking as if certain, then gaining confidence from the other’s response.

It wasn’t deliberate mimicry.

“Let’s not waste time making this more exhausting for both of us. I’d like to hear her reasons directly before I go.”

“…She’s in the study.”

“Thank you.”

Judas strode past him.

By now, just hearing the name of a room was enough to know its exact location in the familiar estate.

He climbed the stairs and arrived straightaway.

Thud, thud. He knocked on the door.

A voice answered from within.

“Come in.”

As if he had been waiting, Judas opened the door and entered.

There sat Eliza, as always, in her study.

But her face, unlike usual, was cold as ice as she looked up at him.

It wasn’t just her expression that was different.

The ring she usually wore on her right-hand ring finger was gone.

The red scarf she always wrapped around herself, even in summer, was absent.

The stuffed cat she carried, childish for her age, was nowhere to be seen.

“What is it?”

Her voice, asking his purpose, was frigid.

Why are you here?

It wasn’t a question—it was more of a command for him to leave.

Judas ignored it.

“My lady.”

With a loud thud, he placed the dispatch order on her desk and looked at her directly.

“Let’s talk.”

Her crimson eyes, meeting his for the first time in days, were chillingly dry.