The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 178

Judas made a decision.

He decided to sit Eliza on his lap as usual.

However, he sat her sideways, carefully avoiding any sensitive or inappropriate contact.

While keeping Eliza on his lap, he cautiously fed her a sandwich.

It had been a long time since he had seen her eating with her mouth open like a baby bird.

Just watching her made his heart warm.

He felt ashamed of how his mind had been filled with bad thoughts just moments before.

Eliza, with her round cheeks puffed out, offered him a sandwich.

Judas hesitated at first, but then tried to eat it himself.

However, Eliza shook her head firmly.

“No. I’ll feed you.”

Reluctantly, Judas ate as she fed him.

‘…Well, it’s actually pretty tasty.’

His face grew warm, thanks to Eliza, who was smiling happily as she watched him.

After swallowing a bite, Eliza asked,

“How much do you know?”

The Empress, the Pope, and the Saint.

And the master of the great human unification.

Even if he didn’t want to know, it was impossible not to hear news about her.

Her achievements were so monumental that they were spreading across the entire continent.

Naturally, Judas had heard bits and pieces of it.

“I know as much as most people do.”

“Among those things, what do you want to hear from my own mouth?”

At the mention of her lips, Judas instinctively looked at them.

Her lips were shiny from the bacon grease in the sandwich…

He quickly averted his gaze and answered.

“There are many things…”

Eliza smiled sweetly at his words, implying that there were many things he wanted to hear.

Judas smiled back before continuing.

“Was there no opposition from the royal family?”

He knew how extraordinary she was.

She had perished with the evil god and resurrected.

That day, all of humanity had seen Eliza’s vision.

It was nothing short of a miracle.

She was considered the reincarnation of an ancient being, beyond the return of the mythical era.

In reality, she was almost like a living god to the current human race.

Still, she was fundamentally a person.

And it was hard to believe that there was no opposition to her taking the throne from the royal family.

Eliza recalled that time and spoke.

“There was some.”

On the second day after awakening, Eliza immediately stormed the royal palace.

She didn’t even notify them in advance to avoid giving them time to prepare.

Instead, she went alone so they wouldn’t be shocked.

“But it wasn’t that intense.”

A few tried to block her way.

It was pointless.

With just a single glance from Eliza, they lowered their heads and retreated.

“The supporters I had were stronger than the opposition.”

The former emperor, who had resurrected the evil god, would go down in history as the worst emperor.

And Eliza was the one who sacrificed herself to destroy that evil god.

She had surpassed the mere greatness of a moral figure.

Politically, her achievements had transcended human limitations.

Therefore, most members of the royal family sided with Eliza.

Many even personally escorted her to the throne.

“Oh, especially Hagal, she helped me a lot.”

The youngest daughter of Johann Helios.

Hagal Helios had quickly run out to support Eliza.

It was no surprise.

She had once proposed to the new emperor-to-be.

She had no choice but to act quickly.

At least there were no personal feelings involved, which was a relief.

“That girl… I mean, Hagal didn’t particularly like her family. She used the weaknesses of the opposing forces to shake them and help me. Even without Hagal, I would have still ended up on the throne, though.”

In the end, whether it was sooner or later, she would have become the empress.

It was just a matter of how much sooner or later.

“So that’s how it happened…”

“Do you want to hear more?”

She wanted to share so much more with him in her own voice.

Judas smiled, sensing her intent, and thought she was cute.

“Then… how did you manage to gain the support of the Sun God temple and the Moon God Church?”

“The Moon God Church was surprisingly easy. You know Father Aquines, right?”

He was the priest he met when he visited the Moon God Church during his candidate days.

He remembered immediately.

“It seems he had noticed the corruption in the leadership of the Moon God Church. He had gathered a lot of materials about it.”

Most of the leaders, including Bishop Anggra and Pope Nadab, cooperated with Johan.

To enjoy wealth and glory in the new era.

Moreover, it was the bishop of the Moon God Church who summoned the evil god at the last moment.

“Just when I was about to wrap things up, that priest made it easier. As a result, I decided to leave only a few of the faithful, including that priest. They denied any connection to the corrupt Moon God Church and supported me.”

“I thought it was strange when the Moon God Church declared support, but now I understand why.”

“Yeah. And the Sun God temple is simple. Do you know Bishop Cobain?”

“I’ve never heard of him.”

“You’ll probably recognize him if you see his face. He’s the cardinal who treated you back then.”

It was the assassin who came to see Eliza five years ago.

Judas stopped him and almost died in his place.

At that time, a priest came and treated Judas’s wound.

“…Ah! That priest?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Back then, I couldn’t call Cardinal Cobain.”

Young Eliza was weak.

She only had potential.

A cardinal like Cobain could have refused Eliza’s request at that time, but he accepted it readily and checked on Judas’s condition.

“We made a kind of deal then. If he had a request later, I would fulfill it.”

Then, when she sat on the throne, Cobain came.

He bowed his head to the floor and begged.

“He asked me to become pope.”

She could never forget the look in his eyes at that moment.

It was the look of someone who had witnessed a real god or an apostle of a descended god, full of awe and emotion.

On the other hand, Eliza was indifferent.

“I was going to do that anyway, so I just did.”

Afterward, the process was fast and simple.

Cobain had already cleaned up the Sun God Temple from the inside, and he handed it all over to Eliza.

Thus, Eliza practically inherited both the Sun God Temple and the Moon God Church.

She continued to tell Judas various stories.

Even while munching on a sandwich, she would share what she had done whenever there was a moment.

Among them was the cleanup of the assassin guild, which had not been made public.

Eliza had ambushed them and threatened them.

She told them to become the secret sword of the new empire.

She subdued them with force, and they obeyed.

The location was based on Judas’s memory.

Judas’s memory had been very helpful in many ways.

She had referred to it to connect all the roads, design facilities for naval and aerial combat, and more.

She had seen huge ships and flying objects in a completely different world.

She judged that those were necessary to conquer the demon world with ease.

Even after finishing her sandwich, the stories didn’t end.

Judas felt that it was like Eliza wanted to brag.

She wanted to talk about how much she had suffered and worked hard while he wasn’t around, as if seeking praise.

It was half true.

Eliza did want praise.

She had worked hard to prepare everything so that when Judas arrived, things would be ready.

It was also a form of complaint.

She wanted Judas to know how hard and lonely it had been without him.

Of course, she hadn’t mentioned the most important and surprising thing she had prepared for him.

That would be revealed much later.

When the time came for it to happen, she would tell him.

Judas patted Eliza’s back.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Yeah. I worked a lot. And I wanted to see you even more than that.”

“I missed you a lot too.”

Suddenly, Eliza pulled his face to her chest.

She just wanted to hug him tightly.

“Thank you for remembering me.”

Judas froze for a moment.

The boldness of the action made his mind dizzy.

His face was buried in her chest.

Her warm body heat surrounded him.

A pleasant fragrance filled the air.

It was an unfamiliar feeling, but not an unpleasant one.

Carefully, he wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face in her chest, taking a deep breath.

The soft sensation embraced his face.

Eliza, seeming happy, hugged him tighter.

At this point, such actions felt natural for both of them.

“I’m sorry for being a bit late.”

“It’s okay. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be who I am today.”

When he carefully pulled away, Judas’s face was warm for many reasons.

Eliza reflected on her actions just moments ago.

And then…

“…I-if you’re done, should we clean up now?”

She decided to pretend she didn’t notice.

Overcome by emotion, she unintentionally pulled him into an embrace.

There was absolutely no such intent.

It wasn’t like there was no such intent in her heart, but still, not right now.

Later. After everything was done.

Judas quickly gathered himself.

“Y-yes, yes. I-I’ll clean… No, I’ll sit for a little longer…”

She scolded herself inwardly for her instinctive sense of regret.

‘Control yourself, hold back…!’

***

Maria was wandering through a hazy fog.

She couldn’t see a thing ahead.

She couldn’t tell where she was going or how far she had come.

But her purpose was clear.

She needed to return to Eliza.

Then, from beyond the fog, someone spoke.

A neutral voice that seemed to reverberate throughout the entire space.

She had heard it before.

[Go and tell that Judas person. That you’ve confirmed the third gift by sending her away quickly and without any problems.]

This voice had guided Judas to the pier.

Hadn’t it been a promised gift back then too?

[Ugh… He really is hopeless… I have a feeling this was a mistake.]

When the grumbling voice disappeared, the fog quickly began to clear.

Her consciousness seemed to scatter with the fog, then spiral inward toward somewhere.

Maria slowly opened her tightly shut eyes.

It felt like waking up from a deep and long sleep.

The first thing she saw was a round face.

Curly black hair.

Tearful red eyes.

A pretty child.

“Mom…?”

Eliza’s voice woke her up fully.

She remembered the moments before wandering in the fog.

When they had said goodbye at the pier.

Judas had told her to follow him, that she could go back too.

Hesitantly, she had boarded the boat, which then moved toward the void.

And now, she was awake.

Yes, she had come back.

Maria gently caressed Eliza’s face.

The warmth in her hands felt comforting.

How long had it been since she had seen this face?

How long had it been since they faced each other, knowing who they really were?

“Elly…?”

The first words that came to her were the feelings of a mother for her daughter.

“I’m sorry…”

Whatever it was, she always felt it was her fault, and she was always sorry.

Without saying a word, Eliza cried and hugged Maria tightly.

Now, everything was okay.

They would never have to part again, nor would they need to deceive each other.

So, she didn’t need to feel sorry anymore.

Maria patted her crying daughter.

It seemed like Eliza had forgiven her.

Judas’s words were right.

Forgiveness was something Eliza would decide.

But for herself, she could never completely forgive herself.

Still, endlessly feeling sorry and tortured by guilt wouldn’t be respectful toward Eliza.

So, from now on, she would live with gratitude toward Eliza, and occasionally, feel a little bit of regret.

She glanced at Judas, who stood a bit further away.

He was watching her and Eliza with a satisfied, yet sorrowful expression.

Maria smiled at him gently, conveying her thanks.

Judas nodded slightly.

Seeing the happy mother and daughter filled his heart with pride.

All the hard work had been worth it.

In the end, he had saved both Eliza and the people who had been part of her world.

Though he wasn’t sure if it would reach him, he silently thanked God in his heart.

***

The god who had made the deal with Judas sighed and grumbled.

“Ugh, that fool…”

Even so, he smiled with satisfaction.

“Because of that kid, I’ll have to face a punishment that wasn’t even planned. Ugh…!”

He stretched his arms above his head and grumbled.

Though his expression, imperceptible to human senses, was unseen, it was still smiling.

It was time to work again.

Even as a level 5 intellectual being, he was, after all, nothing more than a mere component of the grand cosmos and a speck of dust.

Still…

“It seems like you liked the gift.”

Watching Judas, who was a speck of dust smaller than himself, live like that, somehow gave him the strength to endure once more.

And unlike himself, he had succeeded.

“I’m glad he seems to have succeeded.”

Watching him brought back memories of the time when he was once an intellectual being like him.

No matter how transcendent he became, he couldn’t forget that memory.

And he shouldn’t forget it.

It was the only human nature and identity that made up who he was now.

“I should get back to work…”

The white space where he had met with Judas.

When the white curtain vanished, the black cosmos appeared.

Instead of stars, sparkling black bubbles were scattered across the space.

Countless, like stars, each one was its own universe.

It was also something he had to manage.

“I wonder if there are any cases in need of help within this.”

Although he could no longer intervene, he would continue to watch over Judas, who had achieved the desired outcome, from afar.

Occasionally, while gazing at the cosmos.