The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 46.2

Next, Richard and Dylan went in one by one.

Neither took very long.

Judging by the atmosphere, Dylan didn’t fully reveal the facts even during his private counseling.

After cross-referencing various things with Shylock, I roughly understood the situation.

Barak. Gaston. Dallant.

Their targets, Dylan and Richard.

However, it seemed more like the independent actions of the two rather than Barak’s orders.

‘Is it because of me that those two are in danger…?’

I think I understand why Dylan is keeping quiet.

It’s a matter involving Gaston, the instructor and knight at the training center.

He must have judged that he couldn’t confide in Shylock, who is also an instructor.

I had something to discuss with Dylan and Richard, so I sent Hermes out for a moment.

“Come with me.”

Richard said to Dylan, who had just come out.

Dylan followed him without a word.

Of course, I went with them.

We went to a corner of the training center.

“Are you still going to keep your mouth shut?”

Dylan looked between Richard and me.

Reluctantly, he opened his mouth.

The truth revealed was almost as I had expected.

The incident began like this.

Last weekend.

Dylan, who had stayed at the training camp, saw Vinyl and Sallaman among a group that had just gathered.

They were all from the same room.

Room 5.

So, it wasn’t anything special.

However, Dylan said he heard a rumor circulating in another section.

And that Vinyl was close to the source.

It seems he couldn’t uncover anything about Shylock.

“A rumor? What rumor?”

Richard asked, frowning.

“It’s nothing much. There are always idiots who talk behind your back because they can’t say it to your face,”

I said nonchalantly.

I really didn’t care much.

I know why it happened, and half of it is under my control.

But Richard and Dylan weren’t as indifferent as I was.

“Judas… you knew, didn’t you,”

Dylan said self-deprecatingly.

“You jerk, if you knew something like that, you should have told me. Are you kidding me?”

Richard snapped irritably.

I didn’t expect this reaction at all.

I know these two can be quite nosy.

But I didn’t expect them to worry about me this much.

“Well, how big of a deal is it to report everything? Anyway, let’s hear more about what Dylan has to say,”

I said, scratching my cheek awkwardly.

They glanced at me for a moment.

Then Dylan began to speak again.

“Anyway, I followed Vinyl and Sallaman’s group, and your name came up, Judas.”

My name?

If Shylock and I are right, Gaston’s target is Dylan.

Sallaman and Vinyl must be cadets he’s using.

But Dylan said they mentioned my name.

“I didn’t hear the whole conversation, but it was something like they’d attack you secretly soon. Then they made a mistake….”

They found out he was tailing and eavesdropping on them.

After that, they beat him up under the pretext of keeping him quiet.

Dylan said he realized it right away.

The command system centered on Sallaman.

Violence wielded without hesitation.

He figured they must have some backing.

“Then Sir Gaston showed up. Just like earlier. But they didn’t seem too scared of him. They pretended to be surprised. He must be supporting them from behind.”

Through his experience, Dylan had pieced together the truth.

Suspicious Sallaman and Vinyl.

And Gaston, who’s backing them.

It seems Gaston has ordered them to do something about not only Dylan but also me.

Coincidentally, Dylan heard the conversation and became a target.

“But isn’t it strange? Why would Sir Gaston back them? Judas, do you know anything?” Richard asked.

Barak is involved in this incident.

They don’t know that.

Should I tell them or not?

After some thought, I decided not to tell them.

To explain that, I’d have to start with Barak, the current internal strife within the Bevel family, and even the confidant of Barak who infiltrated the training camp.

The more they know, the more exposed to danger they’ll be.

Most importantly, these two wouldn’t just sit still after hearing it.

They’d try to do something to help me, for sure.

They’ve already suffered because of me.

I can’t let them get more involved.

Right now, it’s better for me to handle it alone.

…Maybe I’m just jumping to conclusions by myself. Well, anyway.

“I knew about the rumor, but that’s all. The rest is news to me too.”

“Ugh. Seriously, these idiots.”

Richard clicked his tongue as he looked at Dylan and me.

“How stupid do you have to be to keep something like this to yourself….”

“It’s really not a big deal. Just some rumors going around… I only found out about Sir Gaston and Room 5 today. And about that thing you did over the weekend….”

“Shut up, you idiot.”

“Yes, sir.”

“The weekend?”

Dylan asked, and Richard glared at me before reluctantly speaking.

Dylan seemed to already know about the orphanage.

But not about the protection fees.

After hearing the whole story, Dylan shook his head.

“You’re just the same, senior.”

“So should I have asked you guys for money?”

“At least you could’ve talked about it….”

Dylan, about to argue, closed his mouth.

I let out a hollow laugh for no reason.

We could have helped each other if we talked, but we kept silent not to cause trouble.

Even if it wasn’t practical help, just talking might have been a comfort.

We were all the same.

There was no excuse.

Richard and Dylan soon let out helpless laughs.

“So, what should we do about those Room 5 bastards now?”

“What can we do? Gaston is backing them up.”

“Are we just supposed to sit back and take it? That’s not how we operate.”

Suddenly, I was grouped with someone like Richard.

But it was true, so I just nodded.

Honestly, I might even be worse. Hmm.

“So, are we going to storm into Room 5?”

“Should we?”

“At least pretend to think about it….”

Think about it.

Isn’t there a way…?

***

While moving in the carriage, Hermes seems strange today.

She rests her chin in her hand, looking serious.

As if she has something on her mind.

“Sir Hermes?”

“…Ah! Sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment.”

“Do you have something troubling you?”

“Um….”

Hermes quietly looks at my face.

To speak or not to speak.

A thoughtful expression.

Soon, she gives a light laugh.

“No, it’s nothing.”

“It really seems like there’s something.”

“I’ll tell you next time.”

“Well, okay.”

I wasn’t going to force it out of her.

I had my own issues to ponder too.

‘Barak, Gaston, Sallaman, and Dallant.’

Barak is too big to handle right now.

I don’t even know his true intentions.

So let’s put him aside.

Then, the others?

The most likely target is Sallaman.

He’s a fellow cadet.

How can I get back at him this time?

It wasn’t even a problem I needed to worry about.

An event where we would face them head-on was coming on its own.

***

Gawain was recalling Judas’s next personal training schedule in his office.

At that moment, someone knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

Gawain knocked on the desk in response.

Knock, knock.

It was a signal that the person could enter.

The one who opened the door and came in was Gaston.

He was one of the three under Barak’s command in the training center.

After a brief bow, he handed over a piece of paper.

“It’s a mock battle plan.”

A Escort knight is different from a regular knight or soldier.

Their purpose is to stay by their lord’s side.

They don’t guard territories or engage in battles unless necessary.

Therefore, Escort knight candidates don’t study ‘battle’ in depth.

It’s not that it’s unnecessary, but it’s secondary.

In the training center, they only teach the very basics.

They have never taken an exam on it either.

Naturally, the ‘group mock battle training’ Gaston brought was unfamiliar.

Gaston explained.

“I think it’s a good time to check the unity and teamwork among the candidates. It is also suitable as a means of evaluation for providing special meals ordered by Lady Eliza. We can score it by room.”

The rationale was plausible.

“Therefore, we plan to conduct such mock battles once a month.”

Gawain looked at the bottom of the page.

The matchup chart for the first mock battle.

Room 13, where Judas belonged.

And room 5, where Sallaman belonged.

The two would face each other soon.

Gawain could easily guess the intention behind this.

‘They’re trying to do something.’

He recalled the orders he received from Barak a few days ago.

Shylock, Gaston, Dallant.

If any of them asked for something, he was to assist them appropriately.

He had no decision-making power.

He had to be loyal to Barak.

He owed him something more precious than his life.

Since then, he decided to become Barak’s dog.

Gawain said what was most necessary for Gaston at this moment.

“We’ll decide whether to continue based on the results of the first trial.”

Gaston was just a means to accomplish the order.

This plan didn’t need to be carried out more than twice.

Gaston bowed his head.

“Thank you.”

Gawain signed at the bottom.

It couldn’t pass without his approval.

“Take it.”

“Thank you.”

Gaston received the document and left.

Gawain watched his back quietly and then lowered his head.

It couldn’t be helped.

***

Gawain’s permission was easily obtained.

It wouldn’t be long now.

‘I have to carry out this order successfully to show my loyalty.’

And at the same time, he would teach the arrogant Judas a lesson.

That brat who dared to rise above his station.

Gaston immediately left the training center.

Only the final preparation remained.

It was time to pick up the magician for the long-range sniping.

***

“…That’s all I have to report.”

Shylock concluded his report.

The subject of the report was Eliza.

She nodded and tapped on the desk.

A habit she had when she was deep in thought.

“Gaston, Dallant…. So they went that far, huh.”

Her cold, sinking eyes looked out the window.

As if she was watching the two people who would be somewhere beyond.

Her red eyes were filled with a sense of gravity.

Shylock tensed up without realizing it.

Even though he was not the subject.

Gaston and Dallant.

It was clear that something big had happened to the two of them.

“We need to keep an eye on both of them.”

She might also confirm the effects of the new magic she had recently learned.

Eliza smiled faintly as she thought of Judas.

A child like a little rabbit jumping around and causing trouble.

But everything was still in her grasp.

‘A kid who requires a lot of attention.’

Since her possession was in danger, she had no choice but to step up as the owner.

***

Joint training for Mock battle.

As the first exercise, Room 13 and Room 5 were set to face off.

The difference in power between the two rooms was obvious.

Room 5, which was in the upper ranks.

Room 13, which was in the middle ranks.

Everyone predicted that Room 13 would lose.

On the day of the training, Eliza came to the field where the mock battle would take place.

She had heard that the one who planned this was Gaston.

She was certain something was going to happen.

She was also curious about what Judas would show this time.

In the distance, she saw the members of Room 13.

The first person who caught her eye was Judas.

It was inevitable.

He was the only one with color.

Next, a boy shouting loudly at the center.

It was Richard.

“We’re going to kill all those bastards from Room 5! Any complaints?”

“No, sir!”

“After killing them, we’ll kill their corpses again! Got it?”

“Yes, sir!”

Even Dylan didn’t say no to murder, at least for today.

Anyway, they wouldn’t actually kill anyone.

The weapons they used were all blunt wooden swords.

It was just a motivational speech.

Judas also prepared for the Battle, balancing excitement and calmness.

Eliza found his behavior fascinating and watched him closely.

It was clear that they were excited.

Some kind of passion. Solidarity. Something like friendship.

She had also heard about what Judas had gone through.

And the stories of Richard and Dylan that happened around him.

Judas was angry and acted as if their matters were his own.

It was truly fascinating.

What are they?

What is their relationship?

She searched her mind for the right word.

The answer came quickly.

‘Friends.’

It wasn’t a difficult word, but Eliza found it very difficult and unfamiliar.

It was a concept she didn’t have.

Even the family she had was just a facade.

How could she have friends, a relationship that had to be formed later?

Eliza, thinking about what kind of relationship friends were, suddenly thought of Judas.

When she weighed everything, Judas was quite close to being a ‘friend’ to her.

Eliza, who had thought that far, burst into a hollow laugh.

“That’s ridiculous.”

There was no way she would develop such a relationship.

Judas was merely an interesting subject.

If she had to categorize it, Judas was like a research subject.

Simultaneously, he was someone to be used.

Above all, the two had a strictly hierarchical relationship.

Eliza was the master.

Judas had to serve her.

It was a relationship where personal feelings could not intervene.

Now and forever.

Eliza had laid a large alarm spell centered on this field.

A dome-shaped magical barrier covering the ground.

A triple-layered barrier.

It was the first magic she mastered because there were too many people targeting her.

Since mastering it, she used it wherever she went.

The feeling that nothing was caught in the barrier provided a subtle sense of relief.

“If Gaston tries anything, he’ll be caught by the barrier.”

Around that time, someone stood in front of rooms 13 and 5.

It was Gaston.

He was the representative of the instructors who would supervise today’s mock Battle.

“I will now explain the rules for today’s ‘Capture the Flag.'”