The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 18

“The lady says she has testimony to give as a mage regarding the duel,”

Said Lia.

All eyes turned to the high seat where Eliza sat.

Eliza descended the stairs with graceful steps.

Everyone watched her intently.

Alone, she stood tall amidst the hundreds of onlookers.

Her pace was leisurely, unaffected by the several awaiting her.

I waited for her, breathing slowly.

My body ached.

It was the first time I had been beaten so severely in my life.

And with such a young and weak body,

Honestly, I wanted to collapse and rest right away, but I endured.

As Eliza approached, Gawain hurriedly knelt on one knee.

I too guided my numb body and assumed a posture of respect.

“I saw it,”

Eliza said bluntly.

“He used magic first.”

Gawain looked up.

Eliza gestured towards the unconscious Gulliat.

“But, I…”

“Are you saying I’m lying?”

Eliza looked down at Gawain with a disdainful look.

“I didn’t know you were more knowledgeable about magic than I am, Sir Gawain.”

“No, I was reckless, young lady.”

“If you’re curious, check for yourself. There’s still residual magic.”

Gawain examined Gulliat’s body.

He touched his right fist and nodded.

“Young ladyis correct. I was incompetent. I apologize.”

“That’s right.”

Eliza poked fun at Gawain’s incompetence so boldly.

Gawain bit his lip without lifting his head.

But soon, as if resolved, he raised his head and stood up.

“As a judge, I correct the result. The winner is…”

He looked at me.

“Judas. Therefore, the winner of the tournament is Room 13.”

Despite the potential for noise, the surroundings were quiet.

Eliza was to blame for stepping into the arena.

Clap, clap, clap.

Eliza clapped slowly.

Only then did the audience applaud her.

It was a rather subdued celebration.

“Judas.”

Eliza approached me.

Like when we first met, she lifted my chin.

Eliza, with her cheeks reddened by recent makeup, looked vibrant.

Eyes that resembled a cat’s, tear marks under her right eye.

It was the sight of Eliza, the murderer, that I knew.

Why does she look different today?

“…Yes, Miss.”

“It was fun. Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“I never thought you’d be able to use magic. What else are you hiding from me?”

“But using it so openly, it’s a bit confusing. Are you trying to hide something from me, or do you want me to notice? It’s hard to tell.”

It’s neither.

If I had to say, it’s the former.

I’m not particularly hiding anything, but I definitely don’t want you to notice.

Eliza chuckled at how I interpreted my silence.

The eerie smile on her doll-like face was unsettling.

“Anyway.”

Eliza still had her hand on my face as she spoke.

Her gaze flickered between me and Gawain like a blade.

“What punishment is given to a candidate who tried to kill using magic and for a judge who is also the final authority of the training camp, for failing to notice? What do you think?”

Eliza gently caressed my face.

It was a dirty face covered in sweat, blood, dirt, and dust.

But Eliza didn’t seem to care as she continued to stroke my face.

As if she were asking me.

“What should we do?”

It was a smile like that of an innocent child.

Except for the fact that she was asking whether to grasp or release a person’s life.

My face stung at the touch of her small, soft hand.

Perhaps it was because it touched my wound.

I simply bowed my head.

“It’s up to you, miss, who is wiser than I am, to decide.”

“Fine, understood.”

Eliza left the training ground.

The stiff applause subsided, and the surroundings became chaotic.

“…I apologize for my mistake. I’m sorry, Judas.”

Gawain bowed deeply in front of me.

I was so surprised that I hadn’t expected it at all.

“As an excuse, a body reinforced with magic is difficult to detect from the outside unless that power is released. It’s close to impossible. Unless you’re a mage as exceptional as the lady.”

That was a fact I didn’t know.

I listened carefully because it could be important for my future.

“That’s why Gulliat hesitated and only started running at the end. He was trying to suppress his power as much as possible. And if you touch where he had reinforced with magic, you can feel the residue. As the lady said, Gulliat was trying to kill you. With this right hand imbued with magic. It seems he only reinforced one hand locally to hide it as much as possible.”

I almost died.

However, it didn’t feel real.

Whether it was because I had won.

Or because the act of beating someone to death with my hands felt unreal.

More than that, this Gawain is also an amazing person.

Not knowing what kind of situation I might face with Eliza, he politely apologized and explained the situation rationally.

“In a duel, you may end up killing your opponent, but excessive attacks aiming for murder are prohibited.”

“Yes. I understand.”

“He will be punished accordingly. To you, Gulliat. It’s a discussion meant to indicate not to take personal sanctions even if you feel frustrated.”

“I understand.”

I don’t even have the intention to do so.

In my opinion, Eliza has already completed her plans to intervene.

“I will also receive a fair punishment for my mistake, and I am prepared for it. Once again, I apologize.”

“No, well… it’s okay.”

“By the way, when were you able to use magic?”

“Today is the first day.”

“…Is that so. You’ll have to be examined separately later.”

Gawain quickly called for a knight and took Gulliat to the infirmary.

While he was watching the scene, someone rushed out of Room 13.

“Judas-!”

Richard rushed forward.

“Hey, man! What happened to you, are you okay?”

“I’m about to die.”

“You seem fine talking normally.”

“You’re about to die?”

“Uh, I’m fine, it’s okay.”

A forced laughter followed a peaceful remark.

Dylan, supported by Argon, arrived late.

“Judas…”

“Didn’t I tell you? That I would win.”

“You’re really… sigh…”

Dylan couldn’t finish his sentence and let out a deep sigh.

Soon, the sigh turned into forced laughter.

Richard laughed softly at the sight.

“Do you know how worried he was from behind? He thought he had become a parent!”

Other colleagues chimed in.

“I heard that too!”

“How hard do you think he tried to prevent him from running away?”

“…How many times did Senior Richard swear at Gawain for not stopping him quickly?”

“You, you bastard…! What’s the point of saying that!”

Richard glanced at Gawain and rebuked Dylan.

Fortunately, Gawain was busy dealing with the situation.

“Thanks for winning, Judas.”

“I thought you were going to lose, to be honest.”

“Me too.”

“Who would have thought you’d be able to take down that guy?”

Starting with Dylan and Richard, the colleagues in the room each said a word to me.

Thank you, congratulations, well done. Words of comfort like that.

I was grateful, but I was curious about one thing.

As someone in my position, I couldn’t help but break this emotional atmosphere.

“Why don’t you ask about the background behind me using magic?”

Everyone fell silent at that remark.

Richard was the one who broke the awkward silence.

He patted my shoulder.

“Hey, is there any guy without a story here.”

At his words, I looked around at each of their faces.

Richard, who would later be called a ‘Lion knight.’

The future of the rest is unknown.

Dylan, Lindel, Argon, Felin, Esmo, Dyke.

Others whose names I remembered but weren’t yet close to.

Characters who didn’t appear in the game, who might not even become major characters.

But they were also people.

“Rather than that secret, isn’t it more important that our roommates gave us the victory?”

“Don’t act so relaxed. Until just now, you were swearing at Gawain like he was the culprit…”

“Dylan, shut up. Do you want to get hit again where you just got hit?”

They bickered while laughing.

A bustling, noisy, yet harmonious atmosphere.

Without intending to, memories of a past life came to mind.

Back then, too, there were colleagues.

Friends I trained with.

Colleagues I challenged.

But……

“Why are you acting like this?”

“Just because you exercise, you think you’re something?”

“Hey…. Damn, you got us in trouble with the seniors by acting tough. Ah, this is ridiculous.”

It was just teasing.

At first, even those who cheered for me quickly turned away.

I didn’t do it for that purpose.

I just didn’t like the sight of someone being excluded from training for irrational reasons, or being deprived of the qualifications to compete because they lacked connections.

That’s all it was.

It wasn’t to impress anyone, so I endured being ostracized alone.

And the result was…

“Huh…? Judas, are you crying?”

Lindel asked in a surprised voice.

Richard chimed in with a playful tone.

“Huh? Crying? Are you crying? Hey, are you crying?”

“Who said I’m crying…”

“He’s crying, he’s really crying! Haha!”

“Oh, come on, really!”

Dylan kicked Richard.

“Ow!”

“What are you doing to someone who’s crying!”

“Hey, man, this is harassment!”

“What do you want me to do! Report to the authorities! I’m also afraid of Gawain-kyung!”

“I forgive you with my broad mind.”

Listening to their argument, I couldn’t help but laugh.

They’re really funny like idiots. These guys.

“The guy who did the best today, why are you crying?”

“…I’m not crying.”

“Yeah, yeah. You’re not, right.”

I was belatedly embarrassed.

I really want to die.

I wish someone would knock me out.

“This is also the influence of the moon…”

I’m an adult in mind anyway, but my body is only 13 years old.

Even when I reported Kale last time, my body trembled under the gaze.

My young body reacted involuntarily.

So, what just happened was also the influence of the moon.

I’m not the one who cried. This. Really.

***

Today, when the finals were held, it was Saturday. It’s the weekend.

So, there was no schedule after the battle ended.

First, I went to the medical room.

My condition must be worse than Gulliat.

He passed out in one hit, but I was beaten countless times.

“He might not be in perfect shape either.”

We once had a conversation on that topic.

How painful would it be to get hit with a baseball bat?

It was a meaningless conversation after drinking, but everyone was serious.

Even those guys who were still my friends back then.

After a fierce debate, I made a clear analogy.

“Think about swinging a baseball bat with all your might on the ground. How painful do you think the baseball bat would be? Then, think about swinging a person to the ground with all your might. How much hurt do you think that person would be?”

“Hey, no matter what, a baseball bat is harder than a person, so wouldn’t it hurt more?”

“Yeah, but that’s because he doesn’t know he would fall! If he knew, wouldn’t it hurt less? Imagine him falling on concrete with your wrestling moves. Do you think he’d be okay?”

Everyone who was discussing with me was amazed by my response.

It was a moment when a fierce conflict was unified into one meaning.

“Oh….”

“…Oh!”

“Ah-ha!”

Anyway, the conclusion was that hitting someone hard on the ground hurts a lot.

I still don’t know what conversation that was.

That’s how it is when you drink.

“Anyway, even though it was just one hit, you can’t expect him to be fine after being hit.”

Lindel and Richard supported me.

“But you’re really tough. How did you endure being hit like that?”

“If it were me, I would have surrendered…”

Lindel also agreed with Richard’s words.

“How can you say that? I’m finished if I lose.”

“That’s why you’re tough. There’s no one crazier.”

“But, what was that you did at the end? We didn’t learn that in training.”

Lindel asked.

It seems like he’s asking about lifting someone.

Even in this training, we learn unarmed combat like takedowns as part of swordsmanship.

It’s closer to wrestling than judo.

“Oh, I just… learned it a long time ago. It just came to me at that moment.”

“Can you teach me later? I want to learn.”

I remember the old days.

When I gave up my life as an athlete and took a leave of absence from college.

I worked as an instructor at a gym.

My nickname back then was ‘the elementary school student slaughterer.’

Even if the opponent was an elementary school student, I did my best to face them.

“Whenever you have time.”

The doctor in the medical room was a middle-aged man who looked very tired.

He pressed various parts of my body, checked the bruised areas himself, and then nodded.

“Your mental strength is impressive… or should I say, you’re not in your right mind.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“So, you weren’t in your right mind. Cancel all training for a week and rest.”

“Are you saying I shouldn’t exercise at all?”

Even if I eat one more meal and move a little more, my body is still lacking.

But rest from exercise?

“Wouldn’t a light exercise be okay? For rehabilitation purposes. Just avoiding direct confrontations that could harm my body…”

“Is he always like this?”

When the doctor asked, Richard nodded.

“He’s a bit of a nutcase.”

“He’s not usually a nutcase… Stop talking nonsense and rest well. Resting is also training.”

It was a valid point…

With no other choice, I nodded my head.

***

“Phew….”

The stream of water from the shower hit his body.

It hurt as if it were really hitting him, not metaphorically.

“I guess I need to rest.”

As the excitement in his body subsided, the pain became more intense.

It wasn’t just a normal injury.

Training like this would be self-harm.

“I don’t even have to worry about muscle loss, so it should be fine.”

A few trainees who entered the shower room recognized me and greeted me.

Most of them were friendly.

Since I had managed to take down Gulliat with my bare hands, I was worthy of praise.

While washing up, I checked the system message belatedly.

“Mana Release… So that’s why I had that strength.”

At some point during the fight with Gulliat .

Suddenly, mana overflowed from my body.

The pain was also erased at that moment.

Thanks to that, I was able to lift Gulliat steadily with all my strength.

“It’s useful. I didn’t know it would be this good. Is it the influence of the moon attribute? But how did I do it?”

I don’t remember using it at that moment.

Of course, I don’t even know how I used it.

I tried again, but it was no use.

Since the mana must have been depleted, I gave up.

I’ll have to figure it out later.

After washing up, I visited the medical room again.

I disinfected the injured area and applied a thick layer of gauze.

“Remember. Training is prohibited for a while. I’ll tell Gawain too, so don’t try to deceive him.”

“Yes, sir.”

I received a strict warning.

While being harassed by Richard and Lindel, I headed to the dining room.

All the members of Room 13 were waiting for me.

“Judas! Over here, over here.”

“What’s all this?”

The wide table was filled with greasy meat.

It was a food that was not usually served in the dining room.

“We bought it from outside.”

Dylan explained as the representative.

“Since today is a weekend, we were allowed to go out freely. While you were showering, we collected money little by little and ran to the faraway butcher shop to buy this.”

The dining room doesn’t just serve the dishes designated by the facility.

There is a place in a secluded area where you can cook.

If I have permission, I can use it freely.

Those who actually use it are rare.

“It’s because everyone wants to repay you for your hard work.”

Argon awkwardly rubbed his nose underneath as if embarrassed.

“To be honest, if it weren’t for you, would we have won? It’s all thanks to you.”

“It’s not like I was the only one working hard…”

He wasn’t overly humble.

If Dylan hadn’t held out in front, I might not have been able to handle the opponents.

We were lucky with the draw, but ultimately it was thanks to the people in our room that we won.

Especially before the final match, Richard often played a key role.

“It’s not like I’m telling you to eat alone, we’re all eating together. There’s no need to feel burdened.”

Richard said leisurely next to him.

Dylan nodded in agreement.

“And the money spent on this meat. It’s not even half the price of the cookies you brought. And that’s excluding the cost of the chocolate.”

“…I see.”

The feeling of burden disappeared instantly.

“Then I’ll gratefully accept.”

A few people took turns grilling the meat.

The five of us, including Dylan and me, sat down and enjoyed the meal.

We passed by with envious looks from the candidates in the other room.

‘How long has it been since we’ve had such rich oil and protein……’

It wasn’t a good meat.

It was tough, greasy, and smelled quite bad.

But it was delicious.

I suddenly had a question.

“Where did the salt come from?”

The meat had a salty taste.

It means it was seasoned with salt.

Salt is a rare spice to obtain in this world.

“It was given by Sir Gawain while he was passing by.”

It was an unexpected gift.

As I was eating the meat like a beast, a group came into the restaurant.

It was the people from Room 15.

They all had dark expressions.

Especially the one at the front.

As our eyes met, he was surprised and quickly looked away.

‘He’s scared.’

They sat at a table far from ours.

The people in our room openly stared at them.

“It’s not going to work.”

Richard stood up suddenly.

“Judas, let’s go.”

“Yes?”

He held up a dish stacked high with energy and led the way.

I think I know what he’s up to.

I barely held back a laugh.

Thud!

Richard set the dish down with a loud noise.

At table 15.

“What are you looking at?”

Richard sat down, saying so.

I also sat down next to him.

“Is this your table? Are there rules against sitting here? Should I leave?”

“…No.”

He said in a voice locked in a throat and focused on the meal.

Hard bread and jerky. Lukewarm soup.

It looked unappetizing.

In front of them, Richard and I chewed the meat gratefully.

It made a sound as if the tender texture and oiliness were bursting.

Intentionally, we ate noisily.

“The meat tastes very oily, which is nice.”

“Well, I chose it very well. Thanks to whom I also got the salt. Should I eat with the prize money I received this time?”

“Good idea. This time, with my money too….”

“Hey, enough, man. Your cookies cost less than half of that?”

“Then I’ll gratefully eat them.”

While chatting and laughing, we ate meat without a break.

It was intentional and obvious mockery.

As time passed, Gulliat’s expression soured.

Seeing him, Richard laughed bitterly.

“Why. Do you want to kill me?”

“…..”

“You’ve raised your magic. Do you want to do it here too? Try it, punk. If you’re confident.”

Gulliat breathed heavily as if suppressing anger.

The candidate from room 15, sitting nearby, looked uncomfortable but couldn’t refute.

Chewing jerky forcefully, Gulliat glanced at me.

I met that gaze head-on.

As if asking if there was something to say.

Honestly, I don’t have the confidence to win a fight right now.

But Gulliat lost perfectly for me.

The memory of defeat remains as a trauma.

As a target, he lowered his gaze.

Unable to bear it, he even moved his seat until he stood up.

“You coward.”

Richard said as if spitting on his leaving back.

I also wholeheartedly agreed with that opinion.

***

Eliza returned to her home office.

Before dinner.

There was a mountain of work to be done.

When she opened the door, two neatly arranged flowers greeted her on the desk.

Anemones.

The flowers Jude gave her.

Every time she looked at them, she smiled.

A light, mocking smile.

‘Pathetic.’

As Eliza sat down, Miguel handed her an envelope.

“Information about candidate Judas.”

Eliza smiled faintly.

Judas had been the most interesting and amusing subject lately.

“You said there was no record, where did you find it?”

Eliza asked as she took out the documents.

“Judeca.”

“Judeca? I’ve heard of it somewhere.”

“It’s a gambling den that trains slaves and makes money using them as gladiators.”

“Ah, there.”

Eliza had visited a few times.

A mega circular arena that could not be compared to the training camp’s stadium.

A place where gladiators from all over the world gather to show all kinds of matches.

It’s basic for humans to fight each other, and sometimes they fight lions or bears.

There are also special matches against demons.

Eliza wasn’t particularly interested.

Who kills and who is killed.

Her daily life was already a tightrope walk between life and death every moment.

As Eliza recalled the impressive sight Judas had shown her today, she took out the documents.

The sight of facing an opponent he couldn’t beat.

The unwavering will not to give up even though no one expected victory had left a strong impression on her.

It appealed to her.

Why only do things that appeal to her?

“This is the only record we’ve found so far.”

Eliza quickly deduced the personal information from the document.

While reading it, she found something peculiar.

‘It is estimated that he received special training in the past…?’