The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 194

They walked to Yuel’s barn.

It was far too large to be called a barn for just a single moon deer.

Big enough that several families could probably share the space.

The dogs, wary of the unfamiliar place, lowered their bodies and sniffed around cautiously.

“Yuel!”

Yuel was running toward Judas and Eliza but suddenly froze.

It seemed startled by the strange creatures it had never seen before.

Judas approached first and scratched its head.

“It’s okay, it’s okay. They’re not bad. You don’t have to be on guard.”

The mother dog, who had been scanning the surroundings, was the first to spot Yuel.

She tilted her head slowly.

Once to the left, then once to the right.

After that, she carefully approached.

Yuel stared down at the dog before lowering its nose slightly closer.

“Aww, what a good one.”

It didn’t seem wary at all.

The mother dog felt the same way.

“Good job, you’re doing great.”

The puppies, barely able to crawl, were carried over in Eliza’s arms.

Their eyes were only half-open, and it was doubtful whether they could even see Yuel properly.

Eliza showed the puppies to Yuel and spoke softly.

“What do you think? Think you can live together from now on?”

It was a clever creature that understood speech.

It was probably mulling over Eliza’s words.

One of the puppies squirmed in Eliza’s arms, letting out a small whimper.

“Oh, alright, sorry about that. I’ll put you down.”

As Eliza gently lowered it, the puppy crawled clumsily toward its mother.

Yuel lowered its body all the way to the ground, curiously watching them.

“Looks like Yuel doesn’t mind.”

“Yeah. Seems to like them. I think they’ll get along.”

Others couldn’t quite interpret it, but Judas and Eliza—who had often cared for Yuel up close—could read its behavior.

May adjusted her glasses and asked cautiously.

“Um… so, is it okay for them to stay here?”

“Yep. Yuel gave permission.”

“That’s great.”

May immediately gathered some dry straw and set up a cozy spot in the corner for the dogs.

It would be the home for the mother dog and her four puppies.

Maria, having heard the news, arrived at the barn shortly after.

“Elly? You brought dogs?”

“Yeah, yeah! Look at this.”

Eliza lifted one of the puppies with both hands, proudly supporting its tiny bottom.

The puppy looked around in confusion, its expression dazed.

“Isn’t it cute?”

Maria gasped and covered her mouth.

“Oh my, oh my goodness… How… how can something be this cute…?”

With trembling hands, she reached out to touch the puppy Eliza was holding.

It was so small and delicate that she was almost afraid to pet or hold it carelessly.

So she only gently poked it with the tip of her finger.

The soft, fluffy fur and warm little body were beyond words.

The puppy sniffed at her finger curiously.

“W-where did you even find such an adorable creature…?”

“We stumbled upon them while visiting Jericho. The mother dog used to follow Judas around back in the day, and I guess she needed help.”

“Judas’s really going to be someone great, huh… doing things like this…”

Maria felt her head spinning as she was overwhelmed by the sheer cuteness.

Judas glanced around the now bustling barn.

Eliza, holding up the puppy proudly; Maria, utterly captivated.

May checking over the puppies’ condition.

Yuel sitting on the floor, greeting the new family.

Bradley, who had just come back from cleaning behind the barn, looking surprised.

And next to Judas was the mother dog.

It all started from a brief encounter in Jericho.

She had just been an unnamed stray wandering the town, but that connection had brought her here.

Judas knelt down on one knee and gently petted the dog’s head.

“Let’s get along from now on.”

The mother dog barked energetically, as if in response.

“Woof!”

***

Eliza was busy.

That was the nature of being an emperor.

Endless paperwork constantly demanded his decisions.

And Eliza wasn’t just any emperor—he was the one who unified the continent.

Naturally, the workload was immense.

Eliza, true to her title as the great mage heralded as a reincarnation from the age of myths, often took to the battlefield herself.

The majority of battles waged to conquer the demon realm fell to her, and every inch humanity had advanced so far was thanks to her efforts.

Naturally, she was incredibly busy.

Judas, who always followed her around, wasn’t as overwhelmed as she was, objectively speaking — but he had his own share of busyness too.

Yet, there were no signs of weariness on either of their faces.

They were the kind of couple who were simply happy just being near each other, but lately, there was an extra reason for their smiles.

“Woof!”

“Yap! Yap yap!”

“Arf arf arf!”

Every time they returned from work, they were greeted by a pack of excited puppies running up to meet them.

Originally, they would come to the barn to say hello to Yuel after their duties, but now, puppies had been added to the scene.

In just a few weeks, they had grown significantly, and unlike before, when their eyes looked unjustly sleepy, they now sparkled brightly.

Although one of them maybe due to differences in growth rates still had half-lidded, droopy eyes giving it a permanently wronged expression, it was adorable all the same.

They were still young, so their running was a little clumsy.

Sometimes they would trip, or run at weird diagonal angles little things like that.

But it wasn’t a problem; it only made them cuter.

“Aww, yes, yes, you’ve been good?”

Judas knelt down, accepting the full-body tackle of the puppies flapping their ears and wagging their tails so fast they were just a blur.

Unlike Judas, who actively greeted and talked to them, Eliza was quiet.

She simply crouched next to him, gently stroking each puppy as they rubbed up against her feet.

Her face was lit up with a pure, blissful smile.

‘So cute.’

The fluffy, scruffy fur unique to young animals.

Their warm, squishy little bodies.

Their awkward, unsteady movements.

Eliza was sure: there wasn’t a soul in the world whose heart wouldn’t melt before such pure adorableness.

“They must have just nursed — look at how round their bellies are.”

Judas commented as he inspected the puppies.

They were so tiny, but their little bellies stuck out comically, making them unbearably cute.

It even felt a little unfair.

All they had done was drink milk, and yet they were showered with affection.

‘In that sense… I guess they’re kind of like Eliza…’

Just seeing Eliza doing nothing made him feel happier, and he found himself thinking she was adorable for no reason.

He couldn’t say there was no similarity.

The two of them settled in for a while.

Judas leaned back against the wall, and Eliza sat down, resting her back against his chest.

In that position, they would play with the puppies or chat idly with Yuel— their current normal.

Eliza picked up one of the puppies while leaning against Judas.

“This one still can’t open its eyes properly.”

It was the puppy with the perpetually wronged expression among the four.

“Is that okay?”

Judas asked, offering his hand for the puppies to nibble on.

“May said there’s no health issue, so there’s nothing to worry about. …Or maybe it just has naturally small eyes?”

“Maybe.”

The puppy squirmed and whimpered in Eliza’s hands.

“Okay, okay, I’ll put you down.”

Eliza gently lowered the puppy back to the floor.

It toddled off on its short legs.

But she didn’t feel sad — because another puppy immediately tried to climb into her lap.

Eliza laughed warmly and cuddled the next one.

Next to them, the mother dog lay comfortably resting.

It was a drowsy, peaceful moment.

These days, every time they came back to rest, it was like this.

They would lazily relax, sometimes dozing off until dinner, sometimes chatting about nothing in particular.

Sometimes Maria would join them to play with the puppies too.

As Eliza gently petted a puppy, she spoke up.

“Maybe we should go to the beach in the summer.”

“The beach?”

“Yeah. By then, the big ship we need for the next campaign will be finished. I want to personally test it and inspect the supply routes. Also, we’re planning to reopen the blocked maritime trade routes, and I think I should see that with my own eyes too.”

“…Your work never seems to end.”

“If I finish it all early, I can spend more time playing with you later.”

“That’s a very wise plan.”

Eliza let out a soft, cheerful laugh.

“And… there’s something I want to see too.”

“Something you want to see?”

“Yeah. It’s just….”

Just as she was about to finish speaking, Yuel trudged toward them.

Her footsteps were heavy, almost as if she were grumbling.

Judas and Eliza looked up at her blankly.

Yuel slumped down in front of them, resting her chin on the ground, and gently nudged Eliza’s shoulder with her horn.

“Yuel? What’s wrong? Is something bothering you?”

Eliza asked as she softly patted the horn.

Yuel only darted glances between Eliza and the puppy in her arms, eyes full of displeasure.

“Why’s he acting like this?”

“Hmm. I think I might know.”

“Yeah? Why? What is it?”

“Maybe… he’s sulking?”

“…Sulking?”

Yuel twitched his head slightly, as if agreeing.

“Why…?”

“Well, because when we first brought Yuel here, you didn’t dote on him like this.”

Back then, Eliza didn’t pay as much attention to Yuel as she did now.

It had been a time when her emotions were faded and distant.

Meanwhile, Judas had often gone to visit Yuel whenever he found a spare moment.

Partly to receive magic through her horns, but mostly because he enjoyed spending time with her after training.

And now.

The moment the puppies arrived, Eliza was pouring all her attention into them.

It was no wonder Yuel was feeling hurt.

“Ah… hmm…”

Eliza looked flustered, not knowing what to do.

“Wh-what should I do…”

It was rare to see her, always so composed and confident, looking so at a loss. Judas watched her with an amused heart.

“Umm… Yuel?”

The clear eyes of the moon-deer glanced at her.

“I didn’t realize you felt that way. I’m sorry.”

Eliza gently stroked Yuel’s chin and apologized honestly.

Because Yuel was a spirit creature, he could fully understand human words.

“I’ll pay more attention to you from now on. So, will you forgive me?”

Yuel, his ears twitching, laid his chin next to Eliza.

It was a gesture he only made when he felt completely at ease.

“Looks like he’s forgiven you. That’s a relief.”

Eliza smiled, looking genuinely relieved.

“…I wonder if this is how Judas felt when he got jealous because of me.”

“Probably something like that.”

“I see… It’s not a bad feeling, actually.”

“Hmm…?”

Judas couldn’t help but laugh as he watched her playful smile.

As he kissed the top of her head, a sudden curiosity struck him.

“Come to think of it, I’ve always wondered — what does Yuel’s name mean?”

“…Hmm?”

Eliza lifted her head.

Still cradled in his arms, she looked up to see Judas’s face.

“You really don’t know?”

“U-uhm… how was I supposed to know…?”

“Here’s a hint: it’s a combination of letters from two names.”

“…!”

The hint hit Judas like a revelation, delivering a grand and profound realization.

‘Yu’ from Judas.

‘El’ from Eliza.

“…It’s our names?!”

“Yeah. I didn’t expect you really wouldn’t know.”

“My gosh.”

It was shocking.

To think he hadn’t realized until now.

It was such an obvious combination, something he could have figured out so easily.

Yet he never even considered it.

Even though it wasn’t much of a twist, it still felt like he’d been blindsided.

“W-wait. But you named Yuel a long time ago.”

It was back when they were still young — when they hadn’t even confirmed their feelings for each other, when the possibility of love hadn’t even crossed their minds.

Although, to be fair, Judas had already been wavering back then.

Eliza replied coolly.

“Because I already liked you back then. I just didn’t realize it yet.”

Looking back, it was clear.

There’s no way she would have named something so precious after the two of them unless she already had feelings for him.

At Eliza’s confident reply, Judas smiled broadly and kissed the top of her head again.

And he said, without thinking,

“You’re adorable.”

“……”

However, there was no response from Eliza.

Not just no response—she was completely silent.

Her body suddenly stiffened as if frozen.

Her ears, visible from above, slowly turned red.

“Eliza?”

“…H-Huh? M-Me?”

She reacted after a long while, like someone waking from a deep sleep.

‘What’s going on?’

For Judas, her reaction felt very unfamiliar.

He had never seen Eliza like this before.

Thinking carefully, he realized something.

It was a realization even more dazzling and intense than when he had first heard the origin of the name “Yuel.”

‘This is the first time I’ve actually told Eliza she’s adorable…!’

He knew very well how often he found her unbearably adorable.

But he had never said it out loud before.

He had always just smiled to himself, feeling pleased.

It wasn’t because he deliberately chose not to say it.

It had just happened that way, somehow.

And today, for the first time, he had spoken the words aloud.

Eliza, hearing “adorable” from him—a word she had never heard from him before—was turning bright red.

‘Ohh… This might be fun to tease her with.’

He could feel how tense she was, completely at a loss in his arms.

“Eliza.”

Judas’s voice dropped low.

“Y-Yeah? Y-Yeah…?”

Judas gently grabbed her chin with one hand, making her look at him.

Her face, where his hand touched, felt almost burning hot.

Her wide, upturned eyes trembled uncontrollably.

Seeing her so flustered and helpless from a simple “adorable,” made her seem even more endearing and lovely.

So, what he said next wasn’t just for teasing—it was also pure sincerity.

Judas looked straight into her face, grinned, and said:

“Adorable.”

“……”

Watching Eliza, who looked like she might start steaming from her head, Judas grinned mischievously.

“Eliza, you are ridiculously adorable.”

“U-uh, ugh…”

Eliza wanted to run away.