The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 132

Eliza’s scouting troops detected unusual movements.

To summarize,

Cain and Levi of the Bevel family were leading their army straight toward Eliza’s mansion.

Their advance showed no intent to hide or maneuver around—a straightforward, reckless march.

No concern for supplies or maintenance, as if they were prepared for an all-out war of attrition.

This was all because of Eliza.

A user of long-distance teleportation capable of traversing several days’ journey in an instant.

And not alone. If desired, she could transport dozens of people and their supplies in one move.

No mage on the continent could do this. Not even Barak.

Even he could only teleport long distances alone, or the distance would drastically decrease with others.

This asymmetrical power of Eliza rendered typical strategies and tactics useless.

Their only hope was the accumulation of Eliza’s fatigue.

And over the past few days, Eliza had been away for an extended time because of me.

They likely assumed Eliza was resting due to exhaustion and acted in haste.

“Barak the Grand Duke is following behind Cain and Levi along with the Black Spot forces. It appears Barak is slightly delayed, suggesting this was a unilateral move by those two,” the report stated.

“What about the Imperial Army?”

“They’re trailing even further behind Barak, barely keeping up.”

“Looks like those fledglings are angry. Rushing in without internal coordination.”

The living room of the mansion had been converted into a makeshift conference room.

Eliza tapped the table lightly.

A habit she had when thinking.

“So, the Imperial Army isn’t in play yet… Miguel?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Send a peace treaty envoy to the Imperial court.”

Eliza continued explaining.

“No matter how they’ve treated me, our goals align for now—exterminating Bevel. I don’t care if they monopolize the continent’s power afterward. They can’t touch me anyway. So, propose a ceasefire agreement for after Bevel’s extermination.”

Miguel swiftly jotted down her words.

“There might be backlash from the anti-Imperial faction under me, but toss them a few incentives, and they’ll keep quiet. They didn’t join this war out of a pure desire for humanity’s equality. They’ll calculate their gains and comply.”

Eliza glanced at me briefly.

Her cold expression softened with a faint smile.

But when addressing the others, her face reverted to its usual stoic demeanor.

“By now, external forces should understand what happens when they provoke me. There’s no need to drag this war on further.”

Before this meeting, Eliza and I had spoken.

She promised to end the war quickly, as much for my sake as hers.

She wanted to erase the Bevel family and live peacefully with me afterward.

To achieve this, she decided to overlook the Imperial Court’s attempts to kill her in the past.

The Empire had conspired with Bevel and the Moon Church to eliminate Eliza, fearing her growing power.

But Eliza chose to annihilate Bevel and consolidate power with the Empire instead.

She intended to maintain her land and authority with moderate independence.

She didn’t want to waste time on further conflict, as it would take away from her time with me.

“I’ll deliver the message,” Miguel said.

“This might be the last battle,” Eliza murmured.

Further discussions ensued, though nothing I found worth focusing on. I selectively retained the necessary details while reviewing my abilities.

The Full Moon.

This time, it wasn’t just a change of name.

[The Full Moon]

• The fused moon has completed its transformation into a sun.
• The moon shines only with the presence of the sun, and it is the moon alone that reflects the sun’s light to perfection.
• The owner can draw mana directly from the sun’s power.
• The user is entirely immune to all forms of fire.

‘A lot has been added.’

To summarize, I was now completely safe from Eliza.

No more burns.

Interestingly, I had gained complete immunity to fire.

‘Is it because the trait has been perfected as part of the sun?’

Whatever the reason, it would soon prove valuable in the coming war.

Immunity to fire is always a welcome advantage.

Suddenly, a thought surfaced.

The Second Tragedy.

Eliza, who hurled flames at me with a tearful face.

Eliza’s comedy.

I lay collapsed, wrapped in bandages as if gravely injured.

‘…No way. That can’t be it.’

The reason I allowed myself to think optimistically was because of the next memory that surfaced.

Me lying down.

Eliza, climbing on top of me, closing her eyes, and leaning in as if to kiss me.

The scent, the warmth, the sound of her breathing at that moment…

‘Stop it!’

I had to force myself to shake off the unpleasant imagination while looking at Eliza’s profile during the meeting.

“Judas!”

“Hey! Judas’s here!”

“Judas—!”

As soon as I stepped out of the mansion, several members of the royal guard rushed toward me in a frenzy.

Only Dylan, the captain of the royal guard, was in the conference room.

“Hey, you punk—!”

“Urk—!”

Richard ran over and practically tackled me in a bear hug.

“You bastard…! You really, oh…!”

“Yes, yes. It’s nice to see you after a long time, too.”

“You little… seriously, you…!”

“Are you crying, by any chance?”

“Crying, my ass….”

Richard quickly turned his back to me.

Seeing him cry in my lifetime…

It somehow made me feel guilty.

“Judas.”

Lindel smiled weakly as he looked at me.

“I thought you were dead.”

“Well…”

“The lady insisted you weren’t, but I thought she was just deluding herself out of grief…”

As if he had more to say, he extended his hand to me.

It was a handshake request.

“It’s good to see you again like this.”

I hesitated briefly before gripping his hand firmly.

I knew it was shameless, but I couldn’t let the mood sink.

Everyone was smiling and welcoming me; I had to smile, too.

Just then, Dylan patted me lightly on the shoulder.

“Welcome back.”

“Thank you for the warm welcome.”

“That guy is such a jerk, seriously!”

Still with his back turned, Richard yelled loudly.

“His problem is he’s never honest.”

“He’ll probably be like that for the rest of his life,” Gauss and Esmo teased from the side.

Jerry chimed in.

“But with his wife…”

“Shut up!”

Richard shouted back and strode over to me.

He grabbed me roughly in another hug and patted my back.

“…Welcome back, you punk.”

I smirked and patted his back in return.

“Yes. I’m back.”

Any words of apology for worrying them—I decided to leave them unsaid.

Eliza placed a necklace around my neck.

An artifact that allowed me to teleport to her or for her to find me at any time.

It was something I had left behind.

‘Her face is so close….’

Turning my head slightly, I glanced at her expression.

Her face was filled with worry.

I could guess what was troubling her.

“I’ll fight, too.”

“No. It’s too dangerous. You stay in the cage.”

“The cage?”

“…Ah. No, I mean, rest safely at the mansion.”

It felt unsettling for some reason, but I let it slide.

“Cain and Levi are at the front, and Barak is following them, isn’t he? I can’t let you face this alone.”

“It’s dangerous. I’m too worried, so no.”

“Likewise, I’m too worried about you to rest peacefully.”

“Who’s worried about who…?”

Though she grumbled, the corners of her lips twitched as if she wasn’t entirely displeased.

“Also, didn’t you say you wanted to quickly end the war and spend time with me? I don’t entirely disagree with that… so….”

As I spoke, I became embarrassed.

I trailed off and avoided her gaze without realizing it.

Eliza, too, lowered her head deeply, her face flushed.

“And, and! If it gets dangerous, I’ll signal with the necklace. Definitely.”

“Sigh… This stubbornness, really….”

Finally, Eliza sighed as if she had given up.

“If it’s dangerous, you must call for me. Promise me.”

Eliza grabbed the necklace she had put on me, pulling me close and pressing her face near mine.

Her determined eyes looked straight into mine, as if to extract the promise.

“I promise.”

“…Alright.”

I wasn’t doing this recklessly.

I didn’t know exactly how strong the opponent was.

However, being near Eliza continuously heightened my magic power.

[Magic Power: 101.0]

At this level, I could even hold my own against the captain of the royal guard.

After fastening the necklace, Eliza slowly leaned her body against mine.

The weight felt just right.

I carefully wrapped my arms around Eliza’s small shoulders.

Warm.

“Let me ask you one last time. Are you really going to fight?”

“Yes, my lady.”

“Can you promise me you won’t get hurt?”

“Hmm… That’s hard to guarantee….”

“You hesitated. No, that won’t do.”

“I’ll be as careful and cautious as I possibly can.”

At my resolute response, Eliza spoke as if she had resigned herself.

“How could I ever win against you…? It’s a promise. You absolutely mustn’t get hurt. If you do, I’ll scold you.”

“…Understood, for now.”

“Good. The plan I just came up with is simple. Before Balak joins the other two, we’ll take them out first. Since they’re moving separately in case I wipe them out in one swoop, we’ll have to split up and fight too.”

“Who should I handle?”

“Cain. I have to be the one to kill Levi.”

Despite her words, her gentle smile was refreshing.

“You were ambushed by Lamech, weren’t you?”

“Once, when I was in Bethany.”

“After looking into it, it was a job Levi took on. So, I’m going to return the favor myself.”

“…….”

“I’ll try to take care of it as quickly as possible and join you, but I can’t guarantee it. Because of me, they’ve thoroughly prepared grand mage equipment and strategies.”

Eliza looked up at me with a worried gaze.

“Cain is an objectively skilled swordsman. It could be dangerous. So… be careful.”

“You must remain safe as well, my lady.”

Eliza chuckled softly.

“I’ll never lose. I won’t die, either.”

She had devoted her life to destroying the Bevel family.

She couldn’t die before that.

My prediction wasn’t wrong.

“Because you’re here.”

“…….”

“Be my place to return to. If you’re here, I can defeat anyone.”

“…I will remember.”

Eliza slowly stepped back.

Her fingertips lingered on mine, grazing them almost regretfully.

“About what I couldn’t say last time… I’ll tell you when I return, so don’t get hurt.”

“…Understood.”

Even without holding her, I still felt as though I were embracing her.

The lingering warmth stayed in my heart.

“And as for the specifics of the ambush…”

***

Cain rode at the forefront.

He was marching with all his forces in tow.

Though she was hailed as a figure of mythical times reborn, Eliza was still human.

She had to tire eventually.

And now was the time.

It was an opportunity not to be missed.

He frequently checked with the hired mages.

“Is the magic disruption field operational?”

“Yes. It’s working perfectly.”

Eliza’s most terrifying magic was teleportation.

She would appear in the blink of an eye, unleash a magical bombardment, and vanish.

It was an almost unfair tactic, impossible to counter.

To block it, Cain and Levi had hired numerous mages.

Mages capable of deploying a magic disruption field.

If even the most skilled Mage couldn’t teleport in, then this approach would suffice.

Although Cain’s side couldn’t use magic either, it was a price worth paying.

If it meant countering Eliza’s magic, it was worth any cost.

‘We’ll move forward and seize the mansion. No matter how exceptional one might be, an individual can’t last without a base or stronghold.’

As they pressed forward, something sparkled in the distant sky.

‘…What was that?’

And then it flickered again, only to vanish.

The Mage flinched in surprise.

“Te-Teleportation detected!”

“From that height?”

A teleportation that occurred outside the magic interference field.

But it was far too high.

If someone fell from that height, they would surely die.

‘Why would anyone…?’

A strange sense of foreboding crept in.

A chill slowly spread down their spine.

A baseless unease urged them to flee immediately.

“Something is falling!”

A panicked shout broke out.

From the spot where the light had flickered, an object was free-falling.

It was heading straight for Cain’s procession.

Massive rocks and a large tree were plummeting from the sky.

This wasn’t magic.

Someone had simply teleported with large, heavy objects to the sky.

And amidst the chaos, there was something distinctly out of place.

Something glowing like an ivory comet.

A light that resembled a fragment of the moon, falling like a meteor.

It was a person, poised with a raised sword as if to strike.

“A-A person?!”

“Everyone, move! Impact incoming!”

The rocks and tree struck the ground like hail, wreaking havoc.

-Thunk, boom! Boom!-

The procession descended into chaos, scattering in disarray.

Several were crushed beneath the falling objects, losing their lives.

At the center of it all—

-Boom!-

A person landed.

Dust billowed in all directions as a figure emerged from the crater.

A knight stood tall, their ivory-glowing sword unmistakably aimed.

Cain immediately recognized them from their armament alone.

After teleporting into the sky and safely descending with the help of wind magic, the individual stood before them.

Judas gazed ahead.

And there, right in front of him, stood his target.

Golden hair and crimson eyes.

A commanding presence that was anything but ordinary.

The eldest son of the Bevel family, Cain de Bevel.

‘…?’

Seeing him, Judas felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his chest.

Black armor.

Engraved on its chest was a blazing sun.

It was the armor design of the Bevel family’s covert unit, the Black Sun.

Once a member of the Black Sun, Cain wore the armor with pride, even to this day.

This was Judas’s first time seeing the Black Sun’s armor.

Yet, for some reason, it felt eerily familiar.

In an uncomfortably unpleasant way….

-Clang!-

He deflected an incoming bolt with his shield.

Despite knowing there was no time to dwell on such feelings, his unease wouldn’t subside.

Cain, still atop his horse, drew his sword.

The blade gleamed under the moonlight.

And then came a surge of phantom blood.

Though no blood was actually spilled, Judas saw a vision of it.

Cain pointed his sword at Judas.

“Surround him. Encircle and kill.”

Judas was quickly surrounded by the enemy.

Many had perished from the falling objects, but plenty still remained alive.

Even amidst the enemy encirclement, Judas’s gaze never wavered from Cain.