The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 50

“Tell me more.”

Gaston bit his lip slightly.

He never thought he would end up talking about this.

But to survive, there was no choice.

Nothing is more important than one’s own life.

Meanwhile, the Mage Bols was shocked by the confession.

“B-Bordeaux…?! You? I knew it! Something seemed off; you blockhead with a nail in your skull…!”

“Quiet.”

At Eliza’s sharp glance, Bols immediately shut his mouth.

She looked back down at Gaston coldly.

“Don’t think you can stall. I have nothing to lose by getting rid of you here.”

That’s a lie.

Since they had decided not to confront the Moon God Church openly, Gaston’s internal disclosure was quite important.

Who knows what he might say, but it’s worth listening to.

She just pretended to be relaxed on the outside.

“To be precise, the Bordeaux family hired me.”

“Were you a wandering knight?”

“Yes. I was also once a believer in the Moon God Church. But I don’t know their ultimate goal…”

“Stop trying to dodge responsibility and just tell me what you know.”

“…I’m sorry. They told me to monitor the young lady’s behavior and report periodically. They also ordered me to grasp the layout of the mansion and the surrounding area.”

Gaston had been tasked with monitoring Judas under Barak’s orders.

However, his true purpose was different.

The real mastermind was the Moon God Church.

And the target was Eliza.

Eliza asked, puzzled,

“But, weren’t you affiliated with the training camp?”

“I was taken there during the last personnel change.”

Thanks to Judas.

From the first day, that child had shaken up the entire training camp, resulting in Gaston being moved from the mansion to the camp.

Eliza smiled inwardly.

What a clever child.

“It seems you haven’t passed on all the information yet, seeing as you didn’t run away after moving to the camp.”

“…That’s right.”

Observation of her.

Checking the surroundings of the mansion.

Doesn’t that seem like they’re preparing for war?

It’s still strange.

Would the Moon God Church dare to target her?

Even though she’s an illegitimate child, she’s still a member of the Bevel family.

If they declare war without a legitimate reason, they could turn the entire Bevel family into enemies.

The Moon God Church can’t handle an enemy like Bevel.

‘…No way. Is it them?’

A force that has a reason to oppose the Bevel family.

A group with enough power.

There is one.

‘No, let’s not jump to conclusions. It’s not certain.’

They continued listening to Gaston’s testimony, but there wasn’t much meaningful information.

At best, it was just about connecting Sallaman with the Bordeaux family to grant him a small title.

For Eliza, it was useless information.

In the end, Gaston was just a disposable pawn.

“Sir Gawain, bring Dallant and Shylock here as well.”

She already knew about Shylock, but she had to act as if she didn’t.

Few people knew that he was a double agent.

It wouldn’t be beneficial if that number grew.

“And Gaston, you might have more useful information, so I’ll keep you alive for now.”

“Thank you for your mercy.”

“I, I…!”

Bols hurriedly interjected.

Eliza looked down at him with cold eyes, and he immediately fell silent.

A Mage.

A valuable asset.

But is it really necessary, with her around?

Moreover, since she awakened the Mad fire, her magical capabilities had surpassed imagination.

She didn’t even need a Teacher anymore.

But it was also ambiguous to let him go.

Bols had just overheard a subtle power struggle between the Moon God Church and himself.

If not handled properly, there was a possibility that information could leak.

“I need time to think.”

“Yes, yes! Of course! No question about it, hehe.”

Eliza turned away from him, who was laughing obsequiously.

She wasn’t very interested.

It was just that her relationships around her were a complete mess.

Even more than she had known.

‘Do I need to clean house again…?’

While waiting for Dallant and Shylock, Eliza pondered the personnel situation at the training camp.

She would handle Sallaman and Vinylquietly and separately.

Unlike Gaston, these worthless ones who had nothing valuable to extract had messed with Judas.

They had to pay the price.

‘I should have paid more attention last time.’

Thanks to Judas, she had replaced some personnel once.

At that time, Eliza had entrusted everything to Gawain.

She hadn’t been interested in the training camp itself.

It was just that Judas had been somewhat intriguing.

Now, the situation had changed.

She had become somewhat interested in the training camp.

She decided to keep the reason to herself.

‘There is no trustworthy talent among the current personnel. People, by nature, aren’t trustworthy. Narcissa… Should I beat her to prove my strength? Perhaps I’ve been too quiet, waiting for the right moment.’

Power that is only stored and hoarded has no meaning.

One must know how to flaunt and display power appropriately.

Someone arrived at the underground prison.

The first to arrive was Shylock.

He seemed confused, having been dragged in without explanation.

Soon, he saw Gaston locked up and realized the situation.

“Judging by your expression, it seems you understand what’s going on?”

“…”

“I’m glad you’re quick-witted. It’ll save me some trouble.”

Shylock immediately grasped the situation.

He acknowledged and apologized like a criminal, and Eliza listened as if she were hearing it for the first time.

They exchanged questions and answers about things she already knew.

After the performance, Eliza sighed softly.

This time, it wasn’t an act.

She was simply fed up.

The interference under the guise of family—how was it different from violence?

It was a life she had never wanted; even her birth was an act of violence to her.

When her mother was around, she hadn’t been this cynical about life.

Just then, Dallant entered the underground.

A calm, hardened expression.

He seemed to have already guessed the situation.

“It seems you’re also quite perceptive.”

Eliza’s expectations were off.

Dallant kept his mouth firmly shut.

“Why make this more exhausting for each other…?”

As she spoke, Eliza felt a strange sense of dissonance.

Her senses as a Mage were on edge.

A distorted wave of magic.

It emanated from Dallant.

Dallant’s eyes were rolling back.

His whites were showing, and saliva was dripping from between his clenched teeth.

Hermes instinctively stepped in front of Eliza.

Eliza observed Dallant through the space between Hermes’s arm and waist.

‘What is that…?’

Even with eyes that could see magic, the waves were unclear.

Everyone recoiled, stepping back from Dallant.

“Grrr…!”

Shaking and trembling, Dallant knelt and slowly collapsed.

Thud, his face hit the floor.

After the commotion, a heavy silence settled.

Eliza narrowed her eyes.

‘The turbulent magic… has disappeared.’

It wasn’t just the magic that had vanished.

There was no sign of life.

Shylock cautiously approached and poked him with the tip of his sword.

No reaction.

He paused and continued thinking.

‘The fluctuating magic power… It was a reaction caused by a magical formula implanted in the body.’

A determined or perhaps resigned expression.

Tightly shut lips.

And then, at the very moment he needed to be interrogated, death.

Leaving no clues behind.

‘…A suicide to conceal information.’

Dallant was not a Mage.

In other words, someone implanted magic into Dallant.

A suicide magic that activates under specific circumstances.

Eliza had recently learned about this magic while searching for spies.

A spell designed to force spies to commit suicide to prevent information leakage.

It activates when the conditions are met, after being implanted in the body.

“Bring the physician and check if it’s poison,”

Eliza commanded.

While suspecting magical suicide, other possibilities had to be considered.

Nothing could be confirmed without verification.

Soon, a physician came and conducted a simple examination.

“A more thorough examination would require opening the abdomen, but for now, there are no detectable toxic substances.”

Eliza continued to ponder, only to hit a wall.

There wasn’t enough evidence to think further.

A meticulous individual capable of implanting magical suicide.

But how difficult is that spell?

Eliza is quite good at self-objectification.

She knows her magical talent is exceptional.

However, she doesn’t know exactly how extraordinary it is, having rarely met other Mages.

The distorted magical waves emanating from Dallant.

It was evidence of someone artificially manipulating it.

To make it difficult to detect before or during activation.

How difficult would it be, including that?

There was someone nearby who could provide that clue.

“Was it Bols?”

The Mage hired by Gaston.

And at the same time, the Mage betrayed by Gaston.

“Yes! It’s Bols!”

“You said you are a Mage.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Bols answered sincerely.

He had been betrayed by Gaston.

So blatantly, right in front of him.

He was ready to do anything to screw him over.

And anyway, this young noble before him held his life in his hands.

He was ready to be as servile as needed for his safety.

“Where did you learn magic?”

“I studied formally at the Magic Tower… before being expelled. Due to my behavior, yes…”

He decided to hide his shameful history of neglecting studies in favor of drinking and gambling.

Not every truth needed to come to light.

“How many floors did you reach?”

The Magic Tower has 33 floors in total.

The number of floors one can access is limited by their magical level.

So far, no Mage has broken the seal and entered the 33rd floor.

Except for the sages who built the tower in the distant past.

One of those sages was the founder of the Bevel family.

Whose eyes shone like Eliza’s.

“The 9th floor.”

The 9th of 33 floors.

Considering Bols’ age, it was a reasonable level.

Moreover, the Magic Tower is a conical structure.

The space decreases and the difficulty of entry increases exponentially with each floor.

Being on the 9th floor means he’s quite a reliable Mage.

In terms of skill.

“What do you think about it? The magic that killed Dallant?”

“…What? Magic? Was there magic involved?”

“…?”

Eliza frowned as she looked at Bols.

He glanced between the corpse of Dallant and Eliza, then bowed his head apologetically.

“Well, I didn’t see any traces of magic…”

It was true. While Eliza felt the waves of magic, Bols sensed nothing.

“If what you say is true, then someone must have implanted a spell that activates under specific conditions and concealed or erased its traces…”

Bols explained cautiously, watching Eliza’s reaction.

He couldn’t dare think that Eliza was mistaken. Even if he did, he wouldn’t have the courage to say it aloud.

“Normally, a suicide spell would have strong and rough waves because it uses someone else’s magic circuit, making it inherently unstable.”

In other words, not many people could concoct such a spell.

Eliza mentally raised her assessment of the force behind Dallant’s actions.

High-level magic and careful concealment. There aren’t many groups capable of such things.

As she unconsciously kneaded the paw of a cat doll, Eliza continued her thoughts.

“First, the Magic Tower.”

If there’s a global authority on magic, the Magic Tower would be at the top. But she quickly dismissed it.

The Mages of the Magic Tower don’t handle these kinds of tasks. Unless someone was excommunicated or defected, the ‘Magic Tower’ wouldn’t be backing Dallant.

“Second, Barak.”

A Mage far superior in skill to herself, a monster among the best in the world. But the motive was lacking. Would Barak really bother with a suicide spell just to protect a spy?

Especially since Dallant was directly instructed by Barak. Putting a suicide spell on such a person would only point back to Barak, unnecessarily exposing him.

Besides, Eliza hadn’t even interrogated Dallant. The likelihood of Barak being the true force behind Dallant was low. So, Barak was also ruled out.

“Third, the Information Guild.”

This was also quickly excluded. The Information Guild doesn’t operate in this manner.

That left the fourth and final possibility. A faction she had a vague inkling about but wasn’t entirely certain.

One of the two families currently dividing the continent. Outwardly friendly with the Duchy of Bevel, but secretly engaging in all kinds of covert actions.

“It wasn’t the Moon God Chruch…”

The assassins sent to kill her from the Moon God Chruch. The spies infiltrating her mansion. The Moon God Chruch was just a scapegoat.

She realized there was another force trying to kill her, using the Chruch as a front.

The group she thought of earlier. They have a reason to oppose the Bevel family and the power to do so.

“Helios…”

Only the imperial family of the Helios Empire remains as the sole suspect.