The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 36.1

Judas bought the hatred of Barak and Narcissa.

Narcissa is currently in exile anyway.

There is no capability to touch Judas.

Therefore, the only target to watch out for is Barak.

For Judas, Eliza personally selected knights to protect him.

The most important value is one thing.

Skill.

The opponent is Barak.

You cannot afford to prepare lightly.

Next in importance is loyalty.

Under her own command as a Illegitimate child, she must protect Judas, who happens to be a commoner.

She couldn’t easily entrust this task to someone who forcibly pledges loyalty.

So, after careful consideration.

Filtering out the best in skill and reasonably loyal personnel.

Hermes.

She was a young woman, but that didn’t matter.

As long as she had the skill and determination to protect Judas, it didn’t matter who she was.

Even though she seemed like a distant relative, she had family to support, so the basis of loyalty was quite clear.

Yeah. That’s how it was when they were selected.

It was like that, but….

“……”

She had forgotten that today was the day Hermes was supposed to meet Judas.

So she didn’t know it on purpose.

Just because there was something to see Judas for, she came to the training ground in time for his training to end.

The two people who met were close.

Judas and Hermes.

The hands they shook were probably a handshake.

It seemed like they had just met.

And their faces getting closer.

Whisper.

There is a saying that the volume of the voice is proportional to the psychological distance or emotion.

If you are close or have good feelings, your voice gets smaller.

On the other hand, if you are distant or have bad feelings, your voice gets louder.

It’s like when an angry person raises their voice.

At this moment, I couldn’t figure out why that hypothesis came to mind.

I just didn’t like the sight of Judas sticking so closely… in my heart.

Eliza used teleportation.

There was no reason to do it, and it wasn’t even a distance.

In an instant, she arrived next to them.

“What are you two doing?”

“Oh, Miss…?!”

While Judas was surprised and stammering, Hermes just widened her eyes.

Soon she calmly explained.

“Miss Eliza! As instructed, I was meeting Judas and exchanging greetings.”

“Hmm.”

“Why did you come?”

“I have something to see Judas about.”

“Yes, and you?”

She was still trying to calm her pounding heart.

The surprised feeling didn’t easily subside.

It was surprising enough just appearing out of nowhere.

But of all things, to appear right after hearing about the guild’s reconnaissance.

Almost passed out.

‘She didn’t hear it, did she?’

“Yeah. But… Well, let’s at least finish the greeting and follow me.”

Without waiting for an answer, Eliza returned to the carriage.

Sits down and thinks quietly.

It’s uncomfortable.

Very trivial fuss.

It feels like a tiny pebble has gotten into the shoe.

When you check it out, it doesn’t come out, and when you put it back on, you still feel it.

Ignoring the sight of the two outside the carriage window, she buried her face in the cat doll.

She thought amid the pleasant scent.

What could be the cause of this discomfort?

Can a name be given to this feeling of unease?

Even searching through her mental dictionary yielded no answer.

It was a puzzle.

Watching the troubled Eliza, Lia turned her gaze away.

Outside the window. There’s Judas over there.

She observed his actions with a cold gaze.

***

“Oh, this is surprising.”

Hermes chuckled lightly.

“I didn’t expect you to suddenly appear at that moment.”

“You’re quite hearty….”

I’m on the verge of death.

It feels like my heart has been struck from toe to crown and returned to its place.

“Anyway, um, you said the Blind Star sent this?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

I told Eurydice when I left the Information Guild for consultation.

Since it’s hard to come by every time, ask for a separate way to contact.

I had forgotten about it for quite some time.

But I never expected to pull it off like this.

‘How could the Information Guild plant an informant in Eliza’s mansion?’

I brought up that question.

“How is this possible?”

“A while ago, there was a turnover in the members of the knights hired by Eliza. I heard it was due to internal corruption.”

Ah….

Several knights were replaced after I knocked down Kale.

Due to that incident, the Information Guild planted spies in Eliza’s mansion.

“I supported them at that time and luckily succeeded in passing. Originally, I was investigating the Bavel family under the Duke Barak, but I came here after finding a substitute.”

Hermes chuckled at my stunned self.

“Are you surprised?”

“Well, I was, but thanks to you, I’m a little less surprised.”

“The information you provided has been confirmed directly by the Blind Star.”

I sold information to Eurydice, the master of the Information Guild last time.

Orpheus, her husband. Alias, the Sun that Rises at Night.

I lied about looking for a character named ‘Eurydice’ to build trust with Orpheus, who wants to meet.

Through him, I planned to escape gradually while making deals with the Information Guild.

“There’s something to check first….”

Hermes glanced casually at the side.

He checks the carriage Eliza rode.

“Would it be okay if you have time? I think you have business.”

“I just found out too, so I don’t know. Let’s talk about what you need as quickly as possible.”

“Okay. First, I’d like to ask about what you told me then. What is your relationship with ‘the Sun that Rises at Night’?”

It was the expected question.

I showed the reaction I had prepared in advance.

“I’m worried too. Is it okay to tell you everything….”

I know who Hermes is.

I was hesitant because she wasn’t a character often seen in the game, but I just remembered earlier.

She is a distant relative of Eurydice.

She remains by the side of the beaten-down Eurydice, who lost her husband and became filthy.

“I like your cautious attitude. But you can rest assured. I’m someone who even knows the real name of the Blind Star.”

I nodded my head.

There’s no need to prove it.

In the first place, it’s enough to know that she came looking for me knowing my code name and Eurydice.

“Okay. Actually, it’s not a great relationship with ‘the Sun that Rises at Night’. I just got a little help from him.”

“Were you on the front lines?”

The war between humans and magic beings is not over yet.

Around this time, Orpheus traveled around the war zone and rescued many people.

It was a kind of atonement to push away the guilt of lying to Eurydice, who was unintentionally mistaken.

I plan to pretend to be someone who received help from him.

“I met him in a refugee village near the front lines.”

“I see… But even though you’re not particularly close, to make such a request…”

I awkwardly scratched the back of my neck.

“Well… I insisted.”

“Pardon?”

“It’s a long story… I overheard him mentioning someone named Eurydice while he was drunk.”

That part was partly true.

Occasionally, when drunk, he would mutter to himself.

But he never did so in front of others, nor did his personality suggest it.

I merely embellished scenes that were exclusively available to gamers.

Drunk, he often spoke to himself, yearning for his lover, Eurydice.

“At that time, I was wandering here and there, in a difficult situation, until he helped me. In a word, he was my benefactor. I wanted to help him in return, so I insisted and ended up with this request.”

It’s still awkward and difficult to lie.

But if it’s based on some truth, it’s manageable.

Eliza, who reads me like looking at the back of her palm, is unique.

Usually, she doesn’t see through things so easily.

“He originally didn’t want to talk about it, but every time he got drunk, he reluctantly told me.”

Especially if the subject has already proven my credibility.

Moreover, Orpheus is actually kind to children.

“Um… Understood. First, I want to make one thing clear. Finding this Eurydice is the Sun that Rises at Night and Judas is a sort of agent. Is that correct?”

“Exactly.”

“Alright. We’ve easily verified the identity of Eurydice, but… until I meet the Sun that Rises at Night…”

As she spoke, she seemed to realize something and closed her mouth.

“Why?”

“Oh, sorry. It’s an area where I can’t disclose more detailed information…”

“Well, as long as the request is resolved.”

Hermes smiled gratefully.

Luckily, my lie seemed to work.

A long-term plan to escape.

The first step, contact with the Information Guild, has been quite successful.

From now on, I just need to sell the information I know to them.

“I should reveal them one by one, starting with something plausible, or it might look suspicious.”

The source of information is crucial.

Although I can keep it secret when I talk, it’s beneficial to disclose as much as possible to maintain trust.

Successful, but still a time for cautious behavior.

“By the way, does this mean I’m also a customer who can sell information?”

Hermes smiled like a child.

“Since receiving the codename, you’ve been a customer. Do you have any information you’d like to sell?”

It’s definitely useful when begging like a child.

Hermes took out a small note.

“Jericho will be reclaimed soon.”

“You mean the territory taken by demons?”

“Yes, exactly.”

Hermes tilted her head questioningly.

“Can you know the source?”

I’m not good at lying.

It’s natural to make up lies.

Of course, I can explain why Jericho is being recaptured.

I just can’t explain how I know that.

So you have to answer as simply as possible.

“I heard stories of imperial army coming to support the front line. At that time, I lived like that.”

Street orphans are easily bad.

Theft, pickpocketing, eavesdropping. Etc.

Such a child is very common in the world.

But it’s hard to believe that it’s based solely on hearing it.

I’ll add briefly.

“Besides, there are a lot of people coming and going on the front lines. I gathered what they were saying, and it turns out the Imperial Army’s next city to reclaim is Jericho. What did they say… Ah!”

A sudden thought occurred to me.

If you stumble over a lie, just repeat what you heard like you’re passing on someone else’s story.

Wouldn’t they think you’re just struggling to recall the memory?

“They say there are too many Imperial army deployed compared to the size of the village they need to protect. By that time, supplies were plentiful, but they weren’t relief supplies for refugees. They were all military supplies or something like that.”

I pretended not to know much.

It was embarrassing on the inside, but there was no help for it.

“To eavesdrop on military secrets….”

Hermes said, covering her mouth.

“Really impressive!”

She laughed heartily under her hand.

Fortunately, it seemed to have been effective.

“My goodness, how valuable could this information possibly be…? Cross-verification will be necessary, but if it’s true, seizing this would really…”

Hermes murmured excitedly.

Her eyes, filled with exhilaration, quickly scanned the notes I had just told her about and tucked them into her bosom.

“For now, I’ll hear up to this point. You shouldn’t keep the lady waiting too long.”

“Yes, of course. Oh, by the way, could you look into my parents?”

In fact, I’m more curious about Judas’s past than his parents.

But asking directly would be strange, so I chose a different approach.

Many orphans are curious about their parents.

Hermes smiled and nodded as if she understood.

“I’ll find out. We’ll settle the cost for this information and request later.”