The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 199

“You may come in.”

As Eliza gave her permission, the door opened cautiously.

Soon, several sailors entered one by one, each carrying a tray.

They placed them one by one on the table.

Judas and Eliza sat calmly.

There was no trace of the heated intimacy they had just shared.

Captain Gabriel, who had entered first, spoke.

“Though we are currently sailing smoothly with a favorable wind, the ship may rock from time to time depending on the circumstances. We will do our utmost to maintain a steady course, so I humbly ask for your understanding should there be any shaking.”

Judas replied casually.

“That’s no big deal. It’s only natural for a ship to sway.”

Eliza, seated beside him, added a word.

“I didn’t feel any shaking while we waited. It’s better than expected. The ship, the captain, and the crew’s skills alike.”

A measured compliment.

Maintaining morale often requires paying attention to the feelings of subordinates.

Gabriel gave a courteous smile, doing his best to maintain the dignity of a soldier.

“Thank you, Your Majesties. Then, I hope you enjoy your meal. When you are finished, please call for the crew waiting outside.”

Before long, the table was fully set with food.

Gabriel exited with the crew.

Eliza naturally moved to sit beside Judas and said,

“Eating during a voyage feels different.”

A room at the rear of the ship.

Through the small, round window — not very large — the ocean could be seen.

The ship sailed forward over the blue waves stretching endlessly with no obstacles in sight.

A meal in such a place was bound to feel novel.

Especially the ingredients.

“I’ve never seen food like this.”

“Yeah. Even in the palace, you hardly come across these ingredients.”

Lobsters, shrimp, and fish not seen in the palace — the meal was full of fresh seafood.

Due to spoilage during transport, many such ingredients rarely made it inland to the palace.

“Thanks to being on the ship, we get to try meals like this.”

Judas, who ate heartily without being picky, welcomed this new menu with open arms.

He reached for a piece of bread with a pleased expression when Eliza said,

“Oh, right. Judas, you need that thing.”

“Huh? That thing?”

Eliza held out one hand.

A flat, plump glass jar appeared above it.

It was a summoning spell based on teleportation.

If one remembers the coordinates of a specific item, they can retrieve it like this.

“That magic you said you were researching a few days ago… Is that what this is?”

“It’s something you eat a lot of these days.”

“Oh, no way.”

Inside the glass jar was a reddish-pink cream.

Specifically, tomato cream cheese.

Eliza had made it recently, and it suited Judas’s taste perfectly — he ate it with every meal.

“You researched that magic just to bring this?”

“Yep.”

Her matter-of-fact reply was so endearing that Judas kissed her on the cheek.

“Thanks.”

“Hehe.”

Eliza chuckled like a child, feeling the sensation of pressing her cheek.

She had tried to open the lid to give it, but it wouldn’t open easily.

Watching Eliza struggle, Judas said,

“I’ll open it.”

Taking the bottle, Judas seemed to apply a little force, and the lid popped off effortlessly.

“……”

Eliza stared blankly at him, replaying what she had just seen in her mind.

The large, rough hands that had gripped the lid as if to crush it.

The muscles in his forearm that had twitched as he applied force.

The slightly raised tendons.

So, it was just opening a glass bottle lid.

But why did such a strong impression stay in her mind, warming her whole body?

Was it because she couldn’t do it herself?

Even so, it was just opening a lid.

Objectively, it wasn’t something that could be considered remarkable.

Even knowing that, Eliza couldn’t stabilize her heart, which was racing like a fool.

It was just opening a glass bottle lid.

Was it her own strangeness that made her feel such a strange, awkward sensation, or was it because of that man, who, despite trying to act indifferent, was endlessly wild and seductive when he took off his mask?

“…Hm?”

Judas suddenly looked at the now quiet Eliza.

“Why…?”

He tried to speak but his mouth froze.

The expression Eliza had just made was one Judas knew all too well.

Her flushed cheeks.

Her tightly closed lips.

The slightly drooping corners of her eyes.

The eyes, gazing upward, were a little moist.

It was the expression she made when she was desperately longing for something, sending an unspoken signal.

Judas reflexively tensed his body.

He quickly glanced around.

“…Here? Right now?”

He was worried about whether the soundproofing was good enough, but Eliza grabbed his hand and placed it against her chest.

“…!”

Through the clothes, he could feel her large, soft form, and then it touched the center of her chest.

The spot where her heart was beating.

The body heat coming through the fabric was hot, and her pulse was strong.

“Why, why suddenly…?”

“…Because of you.”

“What did I…?”

“I don’t know. Anyway, it’s all your fault, so take responsibility.”

“Well… that’s a nice thing to say, but how am I supposed to take responsibility…?”

“Ugh.”

Eliza sighed deeply and fiddled with his hand.

Muttering in a disappointed voice,

“I don’t even know if the soundproofing is solid, and who knows what could happen out on the sea… I guess I’ll have to wait. I’d love to take you straight to the cage though.”

The cage.

The name for the secluded spot below the mountain had already solidified as the “cage.”

“Then, since we can’t guarantee when we’ll leave… it wouldn’t work, would it?”

“Hmm. It seems like… it wouldn’t.”

“Ugh.”

Eliza, who had been fiddling with Judas’s hand, suddenly lifted her head.

“Maybe it would feel even better if we wait?”

She had never tried waiting before.

Whenever they felt desire, they shared it as soon as possible and relieved it.

They had never stayed in a place for a long time, not being sure if it was safe.

So, what if they held onto that longing for a long time and then were freed?

“Isn’t it just going to be even better?”

The thought led to an obvious yet somehow exciting conclusion.

“Well… I guess that’s probably the case?”

“Hmm. Yeah, alright. Then I’ll just have to hold on.”

Eliza said as she gently stroked Judas’ thigh.

“Let’s eat first.”

“…It’s going to be harder to hold on if you stroke my thigh at this point.”

“Huh? Ah.”

Eliza quickly realized and smiled.

A mischievous, playful grin.

She deliberately pressed her upper body against his arm and asked.

“Why? What does it feel like?”

“Like I want to do something bad that I shouldn’t…”

Judas’ situation was awkward.

He didn’t want to get physically close to Eliza in a place where the soundproofing wasn’t guaranteed.

He couldn’t use teleportation.

So, he would have to wait immobile until they reached their destination.

“Hmm, still, no.”

Eliza mixed in a little nasal sound as she whispered ticklishly in his ear.

Her delicate hand gently stroked his thigh.

He could feel her arms around his waist twitching.

“You can’t do that here, especially with the soundproofing not being certain, right? So, hold on until we get off the ship. After that, I’ll let you do anything you want.”

“Would sneaking over to the cage at night be…?”

“No.”

“…I won’t just sit still, you know? I can also… hmm? I can tease and torment you a little, too.”

“Hmm. Go ahead. I can hold out.”

Even if Judas provoked her, Eliza didn’t budge.

Which of them had a stronger sexual desire?

It was hard to decide, but in terms of endurance and patience, Eliza was definitely superior.

“Can you hold out while teasing me and watching me like this?”

It was a complete deadlock.

Judas couldn’t hold out against Eliza in that state.

“Sigh… This is insane.”

Judas sighed deeply, wiping his face.

Eliza chuckled, pulling away from him.

“Alright, I’ll stop for now.”

She was just stepping back for the moment.

She planned to tease and torment him again next time.

For the whole journey.

“Let’s eat quickly. You must be hungry.”

Eliza thought it would be quite fun to live on the ship.

“…Yeah. Let’s eat.”

Judas was sure it would be incredibly difficult for him.

***

After finishing their meal, the two stood on the deck, gazing at the sea.

They passed by the saluting sailors, the navigator, the deckhand, and the captain, finding a spot higher up.

The ship sailed across the vast sea, stretching as far as the eye could see.

The sound of water being cut through.

The noise of sailors handling the sails.

The captain’s orders. The sound of the wheel turning.

The smell of the sea, the breeze brushing their ears, and so on.

For the two of them, who had never seen the sea before, it was a mystical sight in itself.

They stood side by side, hands clasped together, silently gazing at the sea.

Judas stared at the deep ocean for a while and thought.

‘I want to swim.’

Although it was his first time seeing the sea, he had swum before.

As part of physical training,

I’m confident I’m doing quite well.

“Sea swimming is different from swimming in a pool, but…”

Still, if it’s along the coast, it might be worth a try.

Well, even if I get swept away, Eliza could just teleport me back.

“Can Eliza swim?”

Now that I think about it, I’ve never seen her play in the water.

She sometimes messes around in the bathtub, but that can hardly be called swimming.

“Swimming… Eliza in a swimsuit… no, I should resist, this is a big problem.”

It was a primal, almost instinctive train of thought, but there was no helping it.

Given that I was already being tested by Eliza’s antics, it was only natural that I would be curious about what she’d look like in a swimsuit.

While Judas thought like a wild animal, gazing at the sea, Eliza remained completely at ease.

Although boarding the ship had been a duty, it felt more like a vacation compared to the usual workload at the palace.

I had hurriedly cleared up some work to make it in time for the voyage.

The fatigue of the past seemed to dissipate with the cool sound of the sea cutting through the air.

Having Judas with me made it even better.

I was really looking forward to what would happen after the voyage.

Then, suddenly, a question came to mind, and I called for Gabriel.

“What do we do if we encounter pirates during the voyage?”

“It depends on the size of the pirate group, but generally, we either avoid them, or if that’s not possible, we flee. We only fight if it’s absolutely unavoidable, but that’s not a common situation.”

Pirates are usually prepared for plundering.

It would be suicidal for a regular ship to engage with them.

“On the other hand, for ships heading towards the Beelzebub Peninsula, including the trade vessels, I’ve instructed them to have a wizard on board each ship for defense.”

“You’ve done what you said you would.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

It had been Eliza’s suggestion.

To prevent any disturbances during the voyage, placing wizards with long-range magic abilities on each ship.

What intrigued Eliza in Gabriel’s response was the first part.

She was wondering how regular ships handle pirates during their voyages, unlike these special ships.

She was also considering the post-demon realm conquest situation in the empire.

“By unlocking each blocked trade route, we’ll also open paths to other continents.”

I had to think about how to best engage with the unknown world.

Of course, once the demon realm conquest is over, Eliza will spend all day playing around with Judas.

But it would be better to decide on these things early so I can delegate them to my subordinates later.

I might not get to rest fully, but I’d still have to handle important matters now and then.

Eliza glanced at Judas briefly.

His ears were red—he was clearly thinking about something.

His reaction after we arrived was certainly something to look forward to.

Judas’s eyes widened as he looked at the sea, then pointed at something.

“Huh? What’s that over there?”

“Hm?”

Eliza looked in the same direction.

On the blue sea, something pale gray and streamlined was floating.

It soared up in a short arc, then submerged, repeating the motion.

There were dozens of such objects.

Gabriel spoke up.

“That’s a pod of dolphins. In the summer, they often travel north in groups, seeking cooler waters.”

The ship slowly drew closer to the pod of dolphins.

We ran parallel to them, staying close enough to see them clearly without colliding.

Even when we were near, the dolphins didn’t seem frightened or move away; instead, they leaped and swam forward across the sea.

Judas and Eliza were mesmerized by the mysterious spectacle.

Dozens of pale gray dolphins leapt out of the water, squealing as if they were having a conversation.

The way they splashed the sea seemed like they were playing.

“It’s amazing…”

It was a mysterious and beautiful scene.

Judas glanced at Eliza.

Her face was completely captivated, like a child seeing animals for the first time.

Her red eyes sparkled with purity.

It was so precious that he wanted to protect it.

He gently pulled Eliza’s shoulder and kissed the top of her head.

Eliza chuckled softly and kissed Judas on the lips in response.

The two of them embraced and watched the dolphins play.

The unexpected guests of nature and the schooner sailed side by side for quite some time.

During this time, Judas and Eliza never left each other’s side.

The schooner sailed without much trouble all the way to the Beersheba Peninsula.

As planned, they arrived after three days.

By the time they docked at the port, it was already late afternoon.

Eliza informed Gabriel.

There was something more important than sightseeing and checking out the peninsula.

The excitement they felt was a secret known only to Judas and herself.

“I’ll get a detailed report tomorrow morning. I’m a bit tired from the long voyage, and I’d like to stretch my legs on land.”

“Yes. Understood, Your Majesty.”

Before Gabriel could finish his response, the two of them disappeared.

Judas and Eliza arrived at their secret spot, a place they had dug out at the foot of a mountain.

It was a cage.

By the time they arrived, they were already tightly embracing and kissing passionately.

There was no calm or tender foreplay.

They were about to get straight to the point.

“Ugh!”

In a moment, Judas lifted Eliza and held her close.

Startled, Eliza wrapped her arms around his neck and clung to him more desperately.

Judas brought her to the bed, lay her down, and climbed on top of her.

When their lips parted slightly, his gaze was more intense than ever.

“Eliza.”

His voice was low and wet.

Eliza instinctively hunched her shoulders and swallowed hard.

“Did you have fun teasing me all this time?”

“……”

“Today, you’re going to get a good scolding.”

How would he punish her? How severe would it be?

Even though his words weren’t exactly comforting, Eliza felt a strange sense of anticipation.

Looking at his shadow looming over her, her heart began to race faster.