The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 161

“Finally…!”

The Tower Lord Epona covered her mouth.

Her widened eyes were filled with joy.

The room of the Tower Master, 32nd floor.

The door to the 33rd floor, leading to the top, had never been opened once since the tower was built.

But the door to that floor had just opened.

‘I can’t believe this!’

She didn’t fully understand the reason.

However, she knew that there had been a change in the magic of Eliza and Judas, which was likely the cause.

Golden magic that had been swirling like an explosive flame.

That magic belonged to Eliza.

But recently, that magic had suddenly become stable.

It no longer left any scorch marks on Judas’s magic.

Also, Judas’s ivory-colored magic had become more stable than before.

The cracks and the shining light that used to appear had disappeared, and everything settled calmly.

It was as if the light from both magics had become complete.

By combining them in various ways at the door to the 33rd floor, she succeeded in opening it.

The door, which appeared to be ordinary at first glance, slowly opened.

Epona clutched her chest and stepped through it.

Dust flew everywhere as she entered, the place having not been touched by human hands for a long time.

With her mouth covered, she climbed the circular staircase.

And finally, she arrived at the 33rd floor.

Sunlight poured in through the long, narrow windows.

The light shining from all directions illuminated the center of the round room.

At the center, a small altar rose in a circle.

On it was a golden goblet.

‘The sealing Holy Grail.’

A holy grail made of gold that had been lying here ever since the primordial being sealed the evil god.

Though the details differed across religions, most prophesized a future world-ending catastrophe.

They also foretold the arrival of a savior to prevent that destruction.

The Holy Grail was often mentioned in prophecies as the object that the future savior would use.

Epona carefully picked up the goblet.

There were no special sensations or energies to be felt.

In fact, she didn’t even know what could be done with this Holy Grail.

The 33rd floor had only just opened today.

What could be done here, and what the use of the Holy Grail might be, would need to be researched from now on.

‘First, I’ll just take the Holy Grail down.’

Epona carefully wiped the dust off the goblet and returned to the 32nd floor.

As she was about to examine the goblet with a trembling heart…

A sharp sound of something breaking rang out.

In reality, nothing had broken nearby, and no such sound had occurred.

It was the reaction of a notification magic.

‘This….’

There was only one place set to send such a strong warning.

The place where the shards of stars and the taboo against gold were sealed.

‘The Catacombs?! Why?’

Epona quickly used teleportation.

In the past, she had to move three times, but now, after interacting with Eliza, she could arrive in a single teleportation.

A worn and shabby ruin.

The entire ruin was ablaze.

At the center of the ruin was an entrance leading underground.

All the mages and soldiers guarding the entrance had been mercilessly killed.

Epona immediately recognized the culprit.

‘The Imperial Knights and the Royal Guard? And that in the middle… that’s Emperor Johan! What is he doing?’

Being indifferent to matters outside the tower, she was a little late in hearing the news.

‘What’s that in Johan’s hand… The Sun Statue?!’

The object Eliza had possessed was now in the emperor’s hand.

The emperor had attacked the Catacombs.

The Catacombs contained the taboo against mental interference and the shards of stars.

If the shards of stars were in possession, the Star Fragment’s powers could be activated.

‘Could it be….’

A sacred relic that could make any miracle happen.

What is the emperor planning to do with that?

“Ugh.”

At that moment, a male voice came from behind.

“To think the esteemed Tower Master would come to watch.”

“…!”

Epona turned around and stumbled, landing on her backside.

A mage dressed in tattered robes.

It was Geist, a member of the Imperial Mage Corps.

“Ah, when did you…?”

“You’re slow, just like a bookworm absorbed in studies. What a pity. I highly admire your knowledge and talents, but…”

Geist glanced briefly at Epona’s hand.

The old golden goblet.

The Holy Grail that sealed the evil god.

“Now that you’ve seen all of this and even brought that item, I can’t let you go alive.”

Geist quickly trapped Epona with a magical interference field.

He couldn’t afford to give any opening to a teleportation user.

He prepared to kill Epona, genuinely regretting it.

However, at that moment…

A crack sounded as the translucent field shattered.

“…Hm?”

The field collapsed with a crash, and Epona’s figure disappeared.

“……”

Geist stood there in a daze.

“A magic that breaks a magic interference field…?”

He interpreted the phenomenon.

It was unbelievable.

A magic that nullifies other magic by breaking it, in turn nullifying the magic that stops magic.

But Epona had done it.

“This can’t possibly be real… Hah, could it be… the influence of Eliza?”

The magician known as the reincarnation of the mythical age.

A talent with the ability to cause natural disasters, the genius that even Geist finds hard to comprehend.

Eliza di Bevel.

The one who grew up influenced by that genius was not only himself.

“Such…,” Geist smiled bitterly.

Where they moved to was unknown.

This is why it had to be dealt with before leaving.

“I need to hurry and inform His Majesty about the plan.”

“Ugh!”

The place Epona arrived at was the front gate of Eliza’s mansion.

The elite guards stationed at the entrance blocked her, on high alert.

It was understandable, as she appeared suddenly through teleportation.

Moreover, Epona, a hermit living in the magic tower, wasn’t well known in terms of appearance despite the fame of being the tower’s master.

“Who are you?”

“Reveal your identity!”

“I-I’m Epona! The Master of the Magic Tower! I’ve come to find Eliza!”

“Master of the Magic Tower…?”

The guards, Jerry and Argon, didn’t believe her words.

“Is someone claiming to be the Magic Tower’s master really going to show up like this? Do you even know what the Magic Tower’s master looks like?”

“I don’t, do you?”

However, Epona insisted strongly.

“Please, call Eliza! Quickly! It’s urgent!”

Her face was pale with fear.

The elite guards decided to relay her urgency.

Whether she would meet Eliza or not was up to him.

Jerry informed Dylan, and after receiving permission, Dylan led Epona inside.

Epona didn’t even greet anyone and immediately got to the point.

“Eliza! Something terrible has happened!”

“…?”

“The Emperor has attacked the catacombs!”

“Catacombs?”

The place where the pieces of stars and the sealed wine are kept?

Eliza tilted her head, confirming if she heard correctly, and Epona nodded.

“Yes! And now, he has the Star Fragments!”

“……”

“What is the Emperor planning…?”

“…Wait a minute. Epona, what’s that cup?”

“Ugh, hmm? Oh, this? Ah, this is….”

It was the sealed Holy Grail found on the 33rd floor of the Magic Tower.

Eliza stared at the golden cup in a daze.

Epona was about to explain but stopped herself.

“I-I’ll explain later!”

That wasn’t the important issue right now.

Eliza shook her head.

She couldn’t even understand why she was focused on that cup just now.

“I don’t know what he plans to do with the Sun Statue, but it won’t be anything good.”

Whatever his specific goal was, the Emperor had to be stopped.

Eliza agreed with that view.

Someone who broke into the catacombs and attempted to activate the Star Fragments would not have good intentions.

Eliza gave Dylan an order.

“Gather the elite guards.”

“Yes.”

Hermes decided to take charge of securing the mansion in case of an emergency.

In the meantime, Judas had finished preparing to leave as well.

He wore his armor and carried the Moon’s puple.

Eliza looked at him with concern.

She wished she could leave him behind.

If he came along and got hurt again, what would she do then?

Receiving her gaze, Judas smiled.

“Don’t worry about me.”

The Emperor had moved personally.

Not knowing his intentions, they needed to bring as many elite guards as possible.

It didn’t seem like Judas would stay behind even if asked.

In the end, Eliza decided to go with him.

“…Be careful.”

“Of course.”

Outside, 11 elite guards had already gathered.

Eliza cut to the chase.

“We’re going to kill the Emperor.”

Her statement was as light as if she were simply going for a walk in the mountains.

Johan’s goal certainly wasn’t world peace or equitable happiness and freedom.

Whatever his goal, he wouldn’t listen if they simply asked him to stay put.

Beyond that, they couldn’t afford to leave alive anyone who might threaten her peace or Judas’s.

Without waiting for a response, she used teleportation.

The 11 elite guards. Epona.

And Judas and herself.

It was a group teleport, but they arrived cleanly and precisely.

Epona was stunned.

To bring such a large group and arrive without hesitation, perfectly on target—no matter how much she understood it in her head, it was awe-inspiring each time.

A hill overlooking the catacombs.

Eliza spoke.

“It seems he already recovered the star fragments and fled.”

The small, village-like ruins were burning lonely in the distance.

All that remained were corpses.

“Where did he go…?”

Epona muttered anxiously.

The elite guards began to search the area for traces or survivors.

In the meantime…

Eliza stood alone, gazing into the distance in one direction.

“I think it’s over there,” she said.

“…Huh? How do you know that?”

“It’s a feeling.”

“…….”

Epona couldn’t ask any more questions.

When it came to matters related to magic, Eliza had never been wrong.

Hastily, she gathered her guard and cast a large-scale teleportation spell.

The scenery changed in an instant.

The surroundings were desolate land.

A rugged desert.

In front of them stood a hill, taller than its surroundings.

It looked like a small mound.

Eliza knew exactly where this place was.

After the end of the mythic era.

The land where the sinners who followed the evil gods were all executed.

Cursed by the blood of the sinners, it became a region where no life could survive afterward.

‘Golgotha….’

On that hill in Golgotha, Emperor Johan stood.

He was holding a sun-shaped emblem high above, as though supporting the sun itself.

Around him were a small number of imperial guards, the royal knights, and Geist.

And there were also soldiers, their faces and muscles grotesquely distorted.

They were the soldiers Eliza and Judas had seen in Judecca, enhanced by dark magic.

All of them glared at Eliza and his group.

“…Duke Eliza.”

The Emperor slowly turned his body.

A kind smile filled his face.

“Your rise is something to be celebrated. But, you’re a bit late.”

“…What are you trying to do with that thing?”

“I will open a new era.”

Before long, the enemy forces surrounded Eliza and his group.

The guards instinctively drew their weapons.

Judas also stood by Eliza, holding the moon-shaped dagger.

“This world has been neglected for too long.”

The Emperor spoke, looking up at the sky.

His green eyes shone like he was dreaming.

“It has been neglected, stagnant, and decaying, to the point that it can never be reversed. It is impossible for humans alone to end this long war. It is not just the demon races that are a problem. Humans do not attempt to cleanse themselves. They sin without hesitation, and under the name of the gods, they are forgiven. We must live under the gods, not use them. But the gods give us no answers.”

He grabbed the spear he had been holding in his hand.

It was the holy relic that had dealt a fatal blow to the side of the evil god when it was sealed.

“There is no need for such gods in this world. Therefore, I will rule this world in a new order, on behalf of the gods.”

Eliza quietly stared into the Emperor’s eyes.

Shining pupils.

A face full of rapture.

‘He’s gone mad.’

He had turned his solitary belief into faith, worshipping himself.

‘He’s obsessed with his own deification.’

And the Emperor was a ruler with the power to impose this self-deification on others.

‘There’s no more frightening leader than a madman.’

The Emperor laughed and continued speaking.

“I will resurrect the evil god and become its apostle, ruling this world. The old gods are dead.”

“The Emperor’s wish is more petty than I expected.”

“Did you think you could become a god? By giving up these human sensations? That’s a pointless endeavor. A human cannot become a god.”

“A great hedonist, then.”

“All remaining humans will live under a single order, in unquestioning happiness. Wouldn’t that be a good thing for you as well?”

“Well….”

Eliza glanced at Judas.

The boy was calmly scanning their surroundings.

A small laugh escaped Eliza.

Always willing to throw himself into danger for the sake of his freedom.

The reason they wanted to stop this mad Emperor was simple.

There should never be a world where this boy isn’t free.

“I can’t agree.”

No sooner had Eliza spoken those words, a bolt of lightning struck from the clear blue sky.

-Bang!

The sound of the air splitting.

The golden lightning struck the Emperor directly.

But the Emperor neither died nor was injured.

A black light surged from his body.

Under the black light, a platinum-colored light, similar to divine power, rippled.

The two contrasting colors mixed together to shield Johann.

“Is this the reason you meddled with dark magic…?”

Just like how he brainwashed and enhanced the Empire’s soldiers.

The Emperor had used dark magic to strengthen his body.

Unlike the twisted soldiers, the Emperor’s body remained unscathed.

It seemed he had safely completed his dark magic enhancement.

While the Emperor was unharmed, Eliza had fortunately succeeded in knocking the sun-shaped emblem from him.

The circular sun emblem was embedded in the ground.

“Your ability is quite bothersome.”

The Emperor pointed with his finger at several soldiers.

The soldiers began to flee, carrying the sun emblem and star fragments.

They were brainwashed, so they would carry out the Emperor’s wishes.

Once they were sent far enough away to avoid interference with Eliza, the wish would be granted.

Eliza tried to block their way but hesitated.

The head of the Imperial Mage, Geist.

He was staring at Eliza persistently.

It seemed like he was waiting for a chance to move.

‘…Something has changed.’

“The atmosphere she gives off now is much more dangerous and filthy than when we last met.”

‘I shouldn’t move recklessly.’

Instead, Eliza gave instructions to the Tower Master and the Imperial Guard.

“Chase that. As fast as you can.”

“Okay…!”

Epona nodded.

Dyke and Argon followed her.

Although several soldiers blocked their path, they disappeared at Eliza’s gesture.

‘It’s a race against time.’

Whether the solar phenomenon activates,

Or whether we catch it before it activates,

Or perhaps, before that, a resolution happens here.

The Emperor spoke while aiming his spear.

“We have no choice but to block it.”

By now, there was no trace of red in Eliza’s eyes.

They shone distinctly gold.

“If I can, I will do it, no matter how much.”

Right after she spoke, a hot heat and light struck the ground.

Everyone squinted and looked up.

The sun that had appeared in the air was falling.