The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 160

“…My lady? Are you okay?”

The first thing Eliza saw when she opened her eyes was a pair of violet irises.

Eurydice had approached her before she knew it and was calling out to her with concern.

“Why all of a sudden? Are you feeling unwell?”

“…How much time has passed?”

“Huh? Time?”

Eliza blinked and looked around.

The scenery was not much different from before she had glimpsed Judas’s memories.

‘Hasn’t much time passed?’

Eurydice spoke.

“I don’t know what time you’re referring to, but suddenly, your eyes turned golden, and you just froze. I was calling out to you, wondering what was wrong….”

That meant only a few seconds had passed.

Eliza clenched and unclenched her hands, trying to regain her sense of reality.

Even though she had only seen fragments, she had just witnessed decades of someone else’s memories.

Her head spun.

‘Good thing I came back quickly….’

But then, a strange sense of discord.

An uncontrollable fear born from the certainty that she could not understand this world.

‘This place… is fake….’

Even she, born and raised in this world, was not a real existence.

She was a fabricated, virtual being.

And yet, her senses felt so vivid.

The time she shared with him, the emotions of that era.

The guilt, the overwhelming regret—clear as cold ice and burning fire.

She didn’t know how to accept it.

She was simply, inexplicably afraid.

If life itself and this entire world held no meaning, then what was the point of it all…?

“Are you in pain? Why all of a sudden…?”

Just as Eurydice spoke.

Twitch.

Judas’s fingertips moved.

“…!”

All three people in the room turned to look at him at once.

Hermes quickly shouted.

“It seems his consciousness is returning! I’ll call the physician!”

With a clatter, he rushed out, leaving the room behind.

Eurydice calmly observed Judas.

Meanwhile, Eliza reached out to hold his hand—then hesitated.

‘Do I even have the right to be by his side…?’

She had done such terrible things to him.

She felt like she should leave this place.

She was a sinner.

A sinner had no right to be beside him.

Besides, she wasn’t even a real person.

She was a fictional character.

Not just her, but Eurydice before her, and this entire world.

Judas had interacted with her as if she were real.

She was terrified to face him.

Just as she was about to flee—

Smack!

Judas’s hand grabbed Eliza’s wrist.

Still with his eyes closed, he spoke in a hoarse voice.

“You’ve seen all of my memories, and now you’re trying to run away…?”

“…!”

While Eliza had been looking into Judas’s past, he had been watching her, too.

As a result, she now knew everything about the past of the body he had possessed.

He scoffed internally.

Why did he have to be reincarnated into this kind of character and suffer like this?

At the same time, something about this moment felt familiar.

Then, he remembered.

The future he had seen on the day of the appointment ceremony.

His own collapsed figure.

Eliza’s “comedy,” that scene.

Now he understood why it was called a comedy.

Because of this very moment.

Hesitantly, Eliza clasped his hand in return.

As if handling cracked glass, she was careful.

With an even more fragile voice, she asked,

“Judas… do you… not hate me?”

Judas slowly opened his eyes.

Golden irises looked up at her.

A face slightly different from the man known as Kang Jaewon.

But he was undoubtedly the Judas she knew.

Judas gave a weak smile.

“If you’ve seen it all, then you must know….”

“…….”

She was right.

There was no way not to know.

Until the very end, just how much he had cherished her.

“Why, why did you care for me so much…? I did such terrible things to you….”

“It’s no one’s fault.”

“…….”

“I have no idea how things turned out this way, but it’s not your fault, and it’s not mine either.”

It was all her fault.

That Judas ended up like this.

That her mother, who had been alive and well, was now as good as dead.

Everything—Eliza blamed herself for it all.

That was the only way she could find peace.

If it wasn’t anyone’s fault, then she had no idea where to direct her resentment.

So, Eliza chose self-hatred.

But Judas refuted that.

He said it wasn’t anyone’s fault.

That there was no one to blame.

“This is just an unlucky fate, a tragedy….”

She needed someone to blame, so she blamed herself. But Judas stripped away that responsibility.

Even so—

Fear still lingered in Eliza’s heart.

“Judas. What… am I to you? Am I real, or…?”

She couldn’t forget the scene she had seen in his memories.

What did Judas think of her?

Half of her already knew the answer.

But she still wanted to hear it.

Judas looked up at her through half-lidded eyes.

He gazed at her, unmoving, as if time had stopped, before he finally spoke.

“I can see you.”

He pulled on the hand he was holding.

Eliza was drawn in.

As she fell into his chest, Judas took a deep breath against her hair.

“I can smell you.”

Eliza stifled a sob.

Her breathing grew rough.

Judas paused for a moment before continuing.

“I can hear your breathing.”

He held her even tighter.

“I can feel your warmth when I touch you.”

“…….”

“If you’re not real, then what are you?”

She already knew.

She had glimpsed Judas’s memories, so of course, she couldn’t help but know.

He saw her as a real person.

If it had been before she possessed this body, maybe things would be different.

But ever since she had entered this world, not once had he dismissed her existence as fiction.

Not even once.

She had known, but she still needed confirmation.

And now, she had been acknowledged.

Those words were salvation.

Who am I?

What makes up the existence of Eliza?

How do you define the real me?

She decided to set aside the complicated questions.

Judas had called her the real Eliza.

Then she could be the real Eliza.

That was enough.

More than enough.

He felt her warmth, saw her face, heard her voice, and inhaled her scent.

Her entire being was alive, breathing.

The one receiving his love—was the real Eliza.

Eliza was certain.

She entrusted her existence to him. Decided to rely on him.

“And to you, what am I?”

Judas asked.

He knew she had seen his memories, but not her thoughts or feelings.

That, too, he wanted to know.

Kang Jaewon. Judas.

A person who had first encountered this world as a game.

What did Eliza think of someone like him?

“You are….”

Eliza lifted her head.

With a tearful smile, she answered.

“The person I know and have experienced.”

Color. Weakness. World. Universe.

Judas. Kang Jaewon.

There are countless words to describe him, yet no words can truly confine him.

To her, he was not someone who could simply be defined by language.

His essence didn’t matter.

Whether he was Kang Jaewon or Judas.

Experience preceded essence.

He was the one who protected her.

The one who cherished her, and the one she cherished in return.

A name was merely a means of calling someone.

Yet, at the same time, a name defined a person in some way.

“You are my Judas.”

It was a single sentence that condensed all the years they had shared.

Even if this world was fake, the experiences and emotions they shared were real.

And he, too, acknowledged her as real.

If so, then this world became real.

Judas sighed in relief and embraced her shoulders.

That was enough.

If Eliza saw him that way, then he had no reason to hesitate.

It was a deeply dependent and fragile way of thinking.

He was allowing his existence to be defined by another’s judgment.

But if they both wished for it—

If they found satisfaction in it—there was no reason to blame it.

If they acknowledged each other, then essence no longer mattered.

“…I’m sorry for not telling you sooner.”

When he realized he was Eliza’s assassin,

Had he spoken up immediately, perhaps things wouldn’t have turned out this way.

Judas had been dwelling on that thought all along.

“Hic…!”

Eliza drew in a breath and bit her lip tightly.

It was her fault—so why was he apologizing?

Even now, his kindness overwhelmed her with gratitude and love, and at the same time, tore her heart apart with guilt.

“Huuuh…!”

As Eliza sobbed, Judas gently patted her back and held her close.

He simply held her like that when—

“Ahem, ahem! Hm-hmm!”

Eurydice cleared her throat to announce her presence.

“Ack?!”

Judas flinched in surprise, flailing slightly.

“Ah, ah—oh, goodness… Eu-Eurydice? A-ah, you were here…? Since when—uh, sorry….”

Half-rising, he looked flustered, while Eliza remained comfortably nestled against his chest like a cicada clinging to a tree.

She felt perfectly at ease.

“Uh… for a while now… Well, uh, no need to apologize. Ahem. You two are quite, um, passionate—certainly not like most young folks these days. Haha….”

Eurydice fanned her reddened face.

She had no idea what exactly they had been talking about, but whatever it was, it had been an intense and fervent confession.

And she had witnessed it firsthand.

It was embarrassing, awkward—just overall complicated.

“I came to help clear up any misunderstandings between you two, but, well… seems like you’ve sorted things out on your own….”

“Yes, well… ahem….”

Just then, the door burst open with a loud bang!

“Lord Judas! Are you all righ—”

Hermes, who had rushed in, froze on the spot.

He took in the sight of Judas sitting up, with Eliza clinging to him.

“…I see.”

“Perhaps not as bad as you thought….”

Feeling awkward, Judas scratched the back of his neck.

Still, the healers, May and Gale, proceeded with their work.

They examined his wounds to ensure there were no lingering injuries.

While being examined, Judas looked ahead.

There, against the wall opposite the bed, stood a large crystal.

Inside the translucent, sky-blue ice, a figure was trapped.

Maria.

A dagger was embedded in her chest—his own dagger.

Judas swallowed a silent sigh.

‘She can be saved… She must be.’

The two healers finished their examination.

Eliza, who was still clinging tightly to him, was starting to be a bit distracting, but it wasn’t the right moment to ask her to move.

Fortunately, his condition was fairly stable.

“There are no noticeable abnormalities. But your injuries were quite deep, and you’ve only just woken up, so you must not overexert yourself….”

As May explained, Eliza lowered her gaze to her own hand.

‘This is…?’

The radiant gold that had once only tinged the surface of her skin was now spreading even further.

At that moment, it was also the hand that had clasped with Judas’s.

“Young Lady? What’s wrong?”

As Judas spoke and tried to see, Eliza hastily hid her hand.

“Uh, uh, it’s nothing.”

She didn’t want to worry someone who had just woken up.

It really was nothing.

It didn’t even hurt.

Then, Judas carefully asked,

“By any chance… is Yuel okay?”

At this, Eliza looked at Hermes.

After Hermes nodded, he explained on her behalf.

“You can rest assured. The wounds have completely healed. However….”

“Could it be… a disability…?”

“No. But the fur on the injured area of the hip won’t grow back. It looks like a pink patch of exposed skin, almost like a tiny hole.”

“That’s….”

Judas did feel sorry, but somehow, he thought it was an oddly cute scar.

“So, in short, Yuel is fine.”

“Yes, perfectly fine. There’s no issue with movement at all.”

“That’s a huge relief….”

“It was thanks to Yuel that we found you, Judas.”

Hermes, Shylock, Richard, Lindel, and Dyke.

The five knights had been drawing attention elsewhere to aid Judas.

During that time, the limping Yuel had come to find them.

“We followed Yuel and found you collapsed and injured.”

Thanks to Yuel, they were able to rush Judas back to the mansion.

“What a clever one… And I should also express my gratitude to the five of you.”

“It was nothing.”

“Then, what happened to the Imperial Army?”

This time, Eliza answered.

“They took the Sun Statue and retreated. After that… I’ve been by your side, so I’m not sure….”

Just then, Eurydice interrupted.

“I know a little about the Imperial Army’s movements. Recently, thousands of residents of the Imperial Capital, Yggdrasil, have suddenly disappeared.”

“Thousands…?”

“Yes. Because they’ve tightened control over passage, I couldn’t investigate further, but….”

As she continued speaking—

Someone knocked on the door roughly.

Hermes opened it, revealing Dylan.

He nodded slightly in greeting to Judas before speaking to Eliza.

“There is a guest here to see the Duke.”

“Me?”

“Yes. They introduced themselves as the Tower Lord.”

“…Epona?”

Eliza instructed them to bring her in.

Epona appeared shortly after.

She must have been in a hurry—her green hair was in complete disarray.

“Eliza! This is bad!”

“…?”

“The Emperor is…!”