The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 126

Some died.

Some ran away.

Some were paralyzed with fear and collapsed.

Just now, another soldier died.

He was crushed under the enormous foot of the Gigantic Drake.

When the foot lifted, the mangled remains stuck to its sole, oozing as they clung.

Seeing that, someone else froze in terror again.

I wasn’t among them.

“Watch the tail in the rear! Don’t go near its hind legs!”

In their fear, people instinctively target the Drake’s rear.

They can’t bring themselves to face that overwhelming monster head-on.

But the rear is just as dangerous as the front.

The Gigantic Drake’s tail is flexible and incredibly strong.

The wind pressure from its swings alone can stagger a person.

And if you stagger, you get stomped or swept to death.

“If you can’t handle close combat, throw your spear at its knees or mouth and get out! Don’t block the movement path!”

In urgency, I bark orders in informal language.

A few soldiers hurled their spears and retreated.

Although they weren’t proper throwing spears, they put all their strength into it, sending the weapons flying with impressive force.

The Drake swiped the spears away with a flick of its head.

During that brief moment, I slipped between its forelegs.

I struck its leg with all my might.

It was so sturdy that slashing was ineffective—I had to strike it as if chopping wood.

-Crack!

The blade dug slightly into the tough scales, splitting them just a bit.

That was the best I could do.

Even with my sword imbued with energy, I couldn’t slice through.

‘If I had the Moon’s Pupil, I might be able to cut it…’

I pulled out the sword and darted out from under its body.

One of its forelegs narrowly missed my head.

Rolling to evade, I jabbed my blade into another gap in the scales.

It was just as futile.

‘At this rate, we can’t win. We’re all going to die.’

Its absurdly large body came with equally unmatched durability.

Even with reinforced strikes, the steel blade couldn’t penetrate its armor-like scales.

‘Then…’

I made a swift decision.

The risk was enormous, but there was no other way.

I needed the cooperation of the remaining fighters.

Dodging out from underneath, I shouted at the top of my lungs.

“Everyone, draw its attention from the front!”

“You got some genius plan?!”

“It’s not genius, but I’ve got an idea!”

“Fine, let’s do it!”

I then yelled toward the wall with all my strength.

“Mage—! One big spell—! I’ll signal when, so wait until then—!”

I just needed the Drake to hesitate for a moment, nothing more.

The mage understood and circled their hand in the air above their head.

The allies positioned at the Drake’s front moved into action.

I immediately sprinted toward its rear.

‘The forelegs have more freedom of movement, but the hind legs do not.’

The hind legs are slightly shorter than the forelegs.

That makes them lower to the ground.

‘The tail compensates for this weakness. But between the tail and the hind legs, there’s a very small space it can’t cover—a blind spot.’

From that blind spot, I leapt toward its hind leg with all my strength.

I reached the bent knee, my body rising to the thigh.

“Hup…!”

Gripping my sword with both hands, I jammed it into a gap in the scales.

It wasn’t so much stabbing into flesh as wedging the blade between the scales.

I held onto the sword for support.

With my free hand, I drew a dagger from my belt.

It was a spike-like dagger designed for piercing armored foes.

Now it found its purpose.

-Stab!

I plunged the dagger into the gap between the scales.

It didn’t go deep, and it likely didn’t hurt the Drake much, but for me, it was enough.

Using the dagger for support, I retrieved the longsword and slung it onto my back.

That’s how I began climbing the Drake.

I lodged the dagger to secure my position, gripping and stepping on the scales to make my way upward, steadily and carefully.

I was shaken constantly as my body moved back and forth.

Given its weight, even a slight movement made it feel like I could bounce off at any moment.

On top of that, its scales were incredibly hard and sharp.

Each time I swayed, my palms tore, even through my gloves.

Blood trickled out.

“Hang on…!”

Gritting my teeth, I pressed on.

Step by step, I climbed up its legs and finally reached its back.

The path ahead was relatively flat.

It seemed possible to run.

I spotted the drake’s flat head up ahead.

“Mage! Now!”

On the fortress wall, small rocks gathered and quickly merged into one.

A massive boulder formed and struck the drake square in the face.

Boom!

But the drake didn’t even flinch.

It simply stopped, shook its head as if annoyed, and moved on.

That was enough.

“This is it!”

I quickly straightened my crouched body and ran forward.

My target was between its eyes—where its forehead would be.

I tightened my grip on the sword, dashing across the thorny scales.

“Inhale…!”

A short leap.

I landed on the drake’s forehead and drove the sword into one of its eyes.

Squish!

Unlike its hard scales, the blade sank in smoothly.

Scarlet blood splattered as the drake let out an ear-splitting scream.

A chilling, shrill cry pierced the air.

The beast thrashed its head violently in resistance.

“Urgh…!”

But I held onto the sword with both hands, refusing to let go.

My arms felt like they were about to rip apart.

The 4-meter-tall monster’s thrashing sent my organs reeling, back and forth.

Even my brain was shaken, making me dizzy.

“Endure…!”

I clenched my teeth and refused to release the sword.

Its massive size meant its stamina was low.

It would exhaust itself and collapse eventually.

Then I could end it more comfortably…

At that moment, my body suddenly plunged downward.

The drake had slammed its head into the ground.

“Gah—!”

The sword was dislodged.

The only solace was that I still gripped it tightly.

But my body was now airborne.

The rebound sent me soaring high into the sky.

The drake’s fierce eyes glared up at me.

Black eyes with ivory vertical pupils.

It opened its jaws wide.

Hundreds of jagged teeth lined like saw blades.

Its throat, visible deep within, was pitch black.

Maybe because I was so high up, time seemed to slow.

“Ah.”

Suspended in the vast, low view of the empty air, one thought crossed my mind.

This might be the end.

“Still, I’ll do everything I can.”

I had no intention of calmly entering its throat.

I pulled another dagger from my side.

A subtle, dark crimson blade.

A dagger that induces a state of suspended animation when it pierces the heart.

The target would awaken after a set period of time.

The suspended animation caused by this dagger was unique.

During that time, one couldn’t die—essentially a state of invincibility.

But the moment of awakening left the person defenseless, typically exploited to ensure death.

Or sometimes used to fake it.

“If I use this, the odds of dying are still higher. If I can’t escape its body before waking up, I’ll either be digested or suffocate.”

Still, I was the type to exhaust every possibility.

The situation was so dire that there wasn’t even time for my life to flash before my eyes.

Even so, one face surfaced in my mind—the face of a woman.

I remember every detail of how they grew, from a child to an adult.

My body is falling.

‘If I had to die fighting, it might have been better to stay by your side.’

A wry smile escaped me for a moment.

I didn’t realize I could be this foolish.

Well, I guess so.

Running away without even changing my name was already a mistake.

Right before I was swallowed by Drake’s maw.

I thought I saw two glimmers of gold shining from the direction of the city.

‘Now I’m even seeing illusions. This is getting ridiculous.’

Darkness closed in.

I thrust my sword into the gaping black throat.

The moment hot blood gushed up, the maw snapped shut.

Everything went dark, and I was sucked inward by an unseen force.

I had been swallowed.

Just before that, I plunged a dagger into my heart.

And lost consciousness.

***

Eliza stepped into Jericho.

She teleported past the wall.

There seemed to be no enemy forces.

Unlike the war-torn battlefield he was used to, this place was oddly peaceful.

She had planned to take a quick look and leave, but a name rooted her in place.

“Judas has arrived!”

That name, heard from the southern gate.

Instinctively, she turned her head.

What she saw was a sharp silhouette.

In a world where everything seemed to blur into ink-like shadows and dissolve into a single image.

One man stood, complete and defined.

Eliza couldn’t look away.

It was as though she alone had color in this world.

Brilliant golden eyes.

And a voice.

“Did everyone hear the word and come out?”

A clear voice, as though it carried the only meaning in the world, etched itself into Eliza’s mind.

She stared at him, mesmerized.

The man left with a solemn expression.

In the distance, a massive lizard could be seen.

A gigantic Drake.

A dangerous monster.

It seemed Judas intended to fight that creature.

He can’t win.

Why am I watching that man?

At that moment, the man’s sword glowed an ivory hue.

Eliza took in every moment that followed.

The man climbing the Drake.

Even on the brink of death, struggling with relentless determination.

‘…Ah.’

The moon hung in the sky.

Those vivid golden eyes still gleamed brightly, even as he was about to be swallowed.

A man who burned like fire yet soothed with a cold, calming aura.

My Anemone.

“Judas…”

The name slipped from her lips, hot and searing.

It felt like her tongue would burn away.

The pupil of the moon in her hand.

The red blanket she clung to obsessively.

The cat doll she always sought out of habit.

The master of his nightmares.

The other self she once killed in the cage.

The blood that had flowed to Anemone now returned to him.

-Thump!

Her heart pounded fiercely.

Forgotten emotions and memories resurfaced.

With realization, the Drake swallowed Judas whole.

What followed was instinct.

The scenery shifted in an instant.

She teleported right before the Drake’s face.

She hurled the moon’s pupil.

She didn’t need to aim.

A golden flame gripped his sword and sent it flying precisely.

Infused with his magic, the moon’s pupil shone with a mix of ivory and gold.

The blade pierced through the Drake’s forehead and penetrated its brain.

Another teleport.

Underneath the Drake’s massive body.

She raised four pillars from the ground to prevent it from collapsing, then split it from neck to tail with flames.

Stronger than steel, the scales split as easily as paper, spilling blood and organs.

And from within them.

“…Ah.”

Eliza saw a man.

He fell with a soft thud, alongside the blood.

“Ju… das…”

She staggered toward him.

The fallen Judas had his eyes closed.

Could he be dead?

She rested her head on his chest.

Slowly, carefully.

For a moment, she forgot she wasn’t supposed to touch him.

A fleeting wait stretched into eternity.

No sound could be heard.

The silence was as vast as the void of the universe.

His heart wasn’t beating.

“Judas…?”

She called his name in a trembling voice.

There was no response.

“Ju, Judas… Judas?”

Eliza’s chin quivered.

She stroked his face and shook him gently.

But he didn’t open his eyes, nor did he breathe.

He was like a corpse.

No, he wasn’t ‘like’ a corpse.

If he wasn’t breathing and his heart wasn’t beating, he was a corpse.

Eliza didn’t want to believe it.

“Judas, Judas… I… I’m here… I… I came…”

Suddenly, a thought struck her.

Did her arrival mean he should awaken?

What was she to him, that her presence alone should bring him back?

Paradoxically, because it was her, Judas must not awaken.

After all, she had come to kill him….

“Gasp—!”

She inhaled sharply and hurriedly pulled away from him.

Her blurred reasoning had led her to touch him.

But she was someone who should never touch him.

Then came a strange sensation.

Even as his body had been blackened and charred, there had been a faint coolness that flowed into hers.

But just now, there was no such feeling.

Her confused consciousness caught something odd about Judas’s body.

The dagger lodged in his chest.

It was an object she hadn’t noticed in her dazed state.

She hadn’t seen it before Judas was swallowed by the drake.

Which meant the dagger must have been driven in after he was consumed.

‘This… how could this….’

A dagger that had struck the heart with precision in such a brief moment.

Judging by the angle, Judas had stabbed himself.

‘…….’

Reaching the conclusion wasn’t difficult.

She had told him to die, and so he did.

But there was one contradiction.

If this was the end, why leave a decoy corpse in Bethany?

Eliza’s rationality was too shattered to grasp that detail.

Consumed by guilt, she arrived at a painfully simple conclusion.

Judas had died because of her.

The reason she had driven him away with harsh words was equally simple.

She had judged that the truth alone wouldn’t persuade him.

If the feelings Eliza realized were genuine, Judas’s were just as deep—perhaps deeper. And given his nature, he would surely stay by her side, even at the cost of his life.

But Eliza couldn’t trust herself, so she had cruelly torn his heart apart and exiled him.

It was careless.

She should have thought more carefully.

If her assumptions about his feelings were correct, his mind couldn’t have remained intact after hearing those words.

She should have considered that he would suffer as much as she had—no, even more.

In the end, he died.

Confronting the immense enemy, the Gigantic Drake, had been his goal from the beginning.

“Ju, Judas… No… Please, get up, please… I’m sorry, I… I… ah…”

Her chest ached.

A foreign pulse, as if her heart had forgotten how to beat, struck her chest painfully.

If her words had caused his suicide, then wasn’t it akin to murder?

She had killed Judas.

“Please get up… Please… Ah, what do I do, what do I do….”

If she had chosen a different approach, would the outcome have changed?

At the very least, would his death have been prevented?

She didn’t know.