The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 2

“Get rid of everyone except this one.”

Eliza said that and left.

The surroundings are noisy.

So is my head.

The knight helped me up.

For some reason, the way he handled me became cautious.

[Tutorial completed.]

A phrase that adds confusion to confusion.

[You can view the status window. Would you like to view it?]

I subconsciously agreed.

[Name: Judas Defecit]

[Age: 13]

[Origin: Slave]

[Health: 7.2]

[Strength: 5.1]

[Agility: 11.6]

[Traits: Stealthy Steps, Weaponizing Objects]

A familiar status window.

I’ve played this game for over 8,000 hours, and now it’s become reality.

I’ve started with countless characters.

‘The stats and traits are similar to those of a petty thief character. Must have lived a rough life on the streets.’

I was instinctively analyzing the status window.

“Judas.”

A heavy voice snapped me out of it.

It was Gawain.

He scratched his forehead, seemingly troubled as well.

“…You’ve passed the candidate selection. Follow me.”

Without realizing it, I looked around.

Dozens of applicants, except for me, were immediately disqualified.

‘How did this happen?’

I truly don’t know….

I followed Gawain, organizing the current situation.

‘I’ve become a candidate for Eliza’s Escort knight.’

In the future, she becomes a notorious villain who kills her parents and siblings.

A crazy psychopath who commits atrocities and murders after conquering her family.

Eliza de Bevel.

She is the youngest daughter of the Duke of Bevel.

The Duchy of Bevel is famous even in this world.

Famous for bad reasons.

Eliza’s parents are as insane as she is.

And the duchy they manage reflects that influence.

It’s a place where people mad with power and money gather.

There are several hideouts of major criminal organizations on the continent in this place.

Except for major cities, public order is a mess, but Eliza’s father, the Grand Duke, doesn’t care.

Because he knows how to use the dirty money from the underworld.

Some people call him this:

The Emperor with the Black Crown.

The current Emperor of the Empire rose to the throne solely through legitimate power and methods.

The Grand Duke stands on the opposite side.

And Eliza inherits that personality perfectly.

No, she even surpasses it.

Anyway, she’s a high-ranking lady.

Which means it’s not easy to become her Escort knight.

You have to go through several tests.

Only those who pass the final stage can become Eliza’s Escort knights.

‘There are also a lot of strong competitors.’

Even if it’s a villainous family, they are global tycoons and powerful people.

From the perspective of those who crawl below, it’s a dirty but successful path.

‘I know this is a one-way trip to hell.’

I somehow became a candidate.

Originally, in the selection process for candidates, Eliza only briefly reviews and passes by.

Usually, the knights sort out the passers with simple tests.

Eliza does not intervene.

As far as I remember.

‘Did I match her strange taste…….’

There’s still a chance to escape.

As a candidate, I just need to not achieve scores worthy of becoming a Escort knight.

Later, I can voluntarily withdraw.

Becoming Eliza’s Escort knight isn’t the only path.

I could become a soldier of the duchy.

If I have outstanding skills, I could become a direct knight of the Duke’s family.

Like the knights who stood next to Gawain earlier.

‘Not a good choice. The best is to escape from the Duchy of Bevel. Anyway, the sure thing is I must not become Eliza’s Escort knight. That means

‘100% guaranteed death.’

Can I go back?

I don’t know.

I’m on the verge of having a noose around my neck, there’s no time to find out.

By the way, how old is Eliza now?

If I know that, I can tell how many years it is before the game’s timeline.

I wonder if there are already some knights who have passed the final selection.

They don’t keep just one knight for protection.

As I got lost in these thoughts, Gawain came to a halt.

“This will be your dormitory from now on. You will live and train here with the other candidates. Understood?”

“…Yes.”

“Hmm. You seem to be a slave who was brought here by force.”

Since I didn’t know well myself, I didn’t respond.

It was probably true.

“You didn’t come here willingly, did you? I understand. You must feel dissatisfied and resentful. You might even hate the world.”

He spoke unexpectedly gently.

As if he was understanding and considering me.

Was he comforting me because I looked displeased?

“But.”

That was an act.

His voice became much lower and solemn.

“From now on, as an official candidate, you will have to conduct yourself properly in front of the lady. If you show the same behavior again, I’ll make sure you won’t feel wronged for the rest of your life.”

He was saying he would kill me.

Or, do something close to death.

Either way, it’s similar.

“……I will keep that in mind.”

“You’re quick to understand for an arrogant one. Well, think of it positively. This is an opportunity for you, isn’t it? You’ve dared to get the chance to become Lady Elia’s escort knight.”

How easygoing of him to say that.

He doesn’t know her future.

“I don’t know what the lady saw in you, but that confident and arrogant demeanor isn’t bad. A harsh life awaits you from now on.”

The escort knight selection is a fierce competition.

Every test is intense.

In other words, the psychological warfare between the candidates is fierce.

Gawain opened the door to the dormitory.

A rectangular building with nothing special.

Four stories tall.

Just clean.

I walked past the front door following him.

“Room number 13. This 12-person room will be where you stay.”

He pushed me forward.

Six bunk beds lined up on either side.

In front of them stood two candidates each.

Standing at attention.

Their gazes did not carelessly look this way.

‘What… is this like the military… Ah.’

“Attention.”

When Gawain spoke,

“Attention!”

Several candidates shouted in unison.

“This is the 13th candidate, Judah Defecit, who became a candidate today. Treat him well as he will be your companion from now on.”

“Yes!”

“Squad leader?”

“Yes! Sixth candidate Dylan!”

“Guide him through the basics.”

“Yes! Understood!”

Gawain spoke softly in my ear.

“Welcome to the Bevel family.”

Somehow, it sounded like a death sentence.

Gawain left the room.

Until the sound of his footsteps disappeared, the room was silent as a grave.

Everyone in Room 13 watched me in silence.

With stiff expressions and persistent gazes.

The pressure was immense.

I stood rigidly, staring straight ahead.

With my peripheral vision, I roughly observed their faces.

‘The age range varies.’

From young men who seemed to be around 18, to those who appeared to be of similar age to me.

Dylan, who was called the squad leader, is a young men.

Even though it was the right time to start a conversation, they didn’t do so.

He continued to tighten his grip with silence and his gaze.

I’m familiar with this kind of situation.

It’s an attempt to establish dominance from the first meeting.

As if to show that this is not an easy place.

There is a saying that goes around in the military.

‘Don’t stand out.’

Whether for good or bad, drawing attention only brings trouble.

If there are 10 people, being around 4th place is ideal.

In fact, this applies not just to the military, but to any communal living situation.

Unless there’s a special reason, it’s best not to stand out.

Of course, I couldn’t follow this rule.

I’ve stood up against senior soldiers who irrationally beat up juniors and extorted money.

I’ve also thrown down a university senior who unfairly punished and hit the juniors.

I guess I’m not naturally someone who stays quiet.

Besides, back then, I had confidence in protecting myself.

Now, it’s different.

I’m only 13 years old. Young and skinny.

One punch from that guy, Dylan, and I’d be out cold.

Plus, the norms here must be different.

A world where murder and violence are common.

And these are volunteers for the most brutal kingdom, Bevel.

One wrong move, and they could kill me.

‘Be cautious for now.’

Quite some time passed.

“Impressive.”

Dylan smirked.

“I’ve never seen a rookie so confident. As expected of the only successful 13th batch candidate.”

This is bad.

Being the only candidate who passed while everyone else failed,

It’s impossible not to stand out.

“I’m Dylan, the head of Room 13, 6th batch.”

“I’m Judas, from the 13th batch.”

“You seem well-prepared. Is that why you caught the lady’s eye?”

I don’t know.

As far as I know, Eliza doesn’t like people who challenge her.

“First….”

Dylan looked me up and down.

“You need to clean up.”

I agree.

My clothes were like rags.

And my body smelled, probably from not being able to wash for a long time.

“I’ll show you the bathroom first. Follow me.”

Unlike the military, it seems there’s no fixed time for washing.

That’s fortunate.

Having your life controlled twice in the lifetime is enough.

Military. And this physical training dorm.

The shared bathroom was clean.

Glossy floors and walls. Slightly humid air.

High windows.

I turned on the shower and looked in the mirror.

It’s the first time seeing my face since arriving here.

Messy black hair from lack of care.

Beast-like golden eyes.

A rough impression, perhaps from growing up in the backstreets.

A skinny body with prominent ribs.

It hit me late.

I’ve been dragged into a strange world.

This isn’t Korea.

“Damn it….”

I realized one more thing.

Until now, I’ve been speaking in a completely different language from Korean.

The curse I just uttered was the first Korean word I said here.

It felt so natural that I didn’t notice.

“Whew….”

I took a deep breath while washing my face.

Can I go back?

I don’t know.

Even though I’ve experienced this world as a game for a long time, I don’t know how to return to Korea.

‘Survive first.’

If I have to live here, so be it.

There’s no other choice.

First, I need to get out of Eliza’s grasp.

And also from Bevel Kingdom.

Not all areas in this world are as harsh as Bevel.

There are many places that are good to live and peaceful.

‘If possible, let’s not stay in Bevel Kingdom.’

I washed and changed my clothes.

Finally, I looked somewhat human.

When I came out of the shower, I felt a sense of unease.

The whole atmosphere of the dorm was cold and silent.

Dylan, who should have been waiting outside, was gone too.

…Where did he go?’

I first headed to Room 13.

As I walked, shaking off my wet hair, I quickly understood the source of the unease.

All the dormitory candidates were outside, lined up against the wall.

In front of each one stood a knight in full dress uniform, watching the candidates.

It was as if a knife had been put to their throats; they clammed up.

They just stared intently at me moving alone.

Even the supervising knight did the same.

‘What on earth is happening…?’

I soon found out the reason.

In front of Room 13.

Like the other rooms, everyone was standing outside in a line.

Dylan was there too.

And in front of them.

“You’ve arrived.”

Eliza was there.

She was wearing the same fancy dress I saw earlier.

The trainees dared not look at Eliza, lifting their gazes high.

I was flustered, unable to do anything.

‘It seems like she’s here to see me… but why?’

Eliza didn’t bother to answer my question.

“Follow me.”

She simply ordered.

Without even checking if I was following, she walked somewhere.

As she turned, the trainees who had been staring into space all glared at me.

They seemed to be asking what on earth was going on.

‘I don’t know either…’

Eliza led us outside the dormitory.

Into a building’s reception room.

“Sit.”

Eliza commanded as I sat in the chair the maid pulled out for me.

The chair was so luxurious it felt wrong to even sit in it.

I cautiously sat in the chair opposite her.

Eliza stared at me blankly.

“I meant sit on the floor.”

She spoke as if watching some rare animal do something strange.

I awkwardly tried to get off the chair.

“Never mind. Just stay there.”

She’s as unpredictable as she was int the novel.

A maid soon brought in hot tea and refreshments.

“Eat.”

Eliza said calmly.

‘Would you eat in such a tense situation, with all these servants around?’

But I ate.

I don’t let things like that bother me.

Moreover, this character Judas was very hungry, as if he hadn’t eaten in ages.

“Thank you.”

I first warmed my stomach with the hot tea.

‘I am really eating.’

Even so, I’m not oblivious.

There must be a reason she called me.

I put down the teacup and asked.

“May I ask why you called for me?”

“Well.”

Ah.

That selfish way of speaking.

It’s the same now as it was back then.

It makes me want to flick her forehead.

But I have to endure.

Right now, she’s the master and I’m the servant.

If she added ‘just because I want to kill you,’ I’d have no choice but to die.

“You could have sent someone instead of waiting.”

“Just because.”

Eliza glanced out the window.

“I was curious to see who would dare make me wait.”

No. You just waited on your own.

Did I make you wait?

I wanted to argue but held it in and apologized.

Making a noble lady wait is a crime in this world.

“I’m sorry.”

“Okay. …Actually, I haven’t decided what to do with you yet.”

I almost bit my tongue instead of the cookie.

“Daring to look me straight in the eye without kneeling before me.”

Eliza spoke clearly.

Her voice lacked any emotion or intonation, as if she were a talking doll.

“I haven’t decided whether to kill you or let you live.”

I struggled to swallow the cookie in my mouth.

Luckily, it didn’t get stuck in my throat.

In the end, Eliza smiled faintly.

“What should I do with you?”

The infamous villainess who would later shake the continent was holding my life in her hands and asked.