The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 58.1

Judas didn’t do this because he liked it.

That didn’t mean he hated it either.

The shame he felt now was a different matter from like or dislike.

He just thought it was something he had to do, so he did it.

Once he had acted, there was no turning back.

Since he had already done it, he could only move forward.

After all, he had lived his life without looking back.

‘What are you going to do about it? At best, you’d accuse me of blaspheming the nobility and have me executed, right?’

Eliza’s eating habits wouldn’t be temporary.

She had probably been eating like that for a long time.

Therefore, she needed to be fed easily digestible food first.

They needed to avoid anything too large in quantity, too hard to chew, or too strong in taste.

That’s why bland porridge was chosen.

Even though Judas had gone through the trouble to prepare it, Eliza didn’t seem inclined to eat on her own.

It was within expectations.

Judas intended to personally scoop the porridge, cool it, and feed it to her.

“Ah, do it.”

It wasn’t so much affectionate as it was a purely obligatory action.

Eliza didn’t react.

Rather, it’s more accurate to say she couldn’t react.

Her mind went blank.

It felt like being stranded in the middle of a snowfield with nothing around.

Where to go, what to do now…

She didn’t know.

Unconsciously, her mouth opened.

Judas hesitated for a moment.

Was it because she followed orders, or was she just out of it?

After placing the spoon in Eliza’s mouth, Judas realized it was the latter.

Even with the porridge in her mouth, Eliza’s lips didn’t close.

“You’ll spill it like that. You have to chew.”

Judas grabbed Eliza’s chin and closed her mouth.

“……”

Only then did Eliza slowly begin to move her jaw.

“Don’t just swallow it. Chew it properly before you swallow.”

Judas said as he scooped the next spoonful.

Eliza, like a creaky doll, followed the instruction.

She chewed the food.

It was warm and sticky.

There was no taste.

If one were to ask if it was delicious or not, of course, it wasn’t.

Compared to the simple soups she usually had a few spoonfuls of and discarded, this was terrible.

But still, Eliza persisted and ate.

Finally, she swallowed.

Judas waited a moment before offering the next spoonful.

“Ah.”

Eliza obeyed.

She opened her mouth slightly.

She accepted the food that was given to her.

Like a baby bird.

‘How could something like this happen to me…’

Eliza rarely thought about the difference in status between himself and Judas.

Especially since Judas had told her that he only saw Eliza as a person.

Ever since that statement, she had erased any thoughts of status from her mind.

Even though Judas didn’t explicitly say that, it’s what Eliza had accepted.

But in this moment, she couldn’t help but recall that difference.

‘How dare a commoner…’

Even though it was absurd and shocking, her mouth continued to move.

Since it was offered to her, she kept eating.

Unaware of her thoughts, Judas watched Eliza carefully, observing how she chewed and swallowed.

With her puffed-up cheeks, she seemed to be eating well, mumbling and munching.

This action repeated several times.

Eliza’s mind, now blank and white, conjured a mirage-like image.

Like drawing on a blank canvas, she imprinted scenes of Judas and herself onto the landscape.

The image resembled a past she had forgotten.

‘Mom…’

There was a time they had eaten together.

Back then, Eliza had a healthy appetite appropriate for her age.

She would sometimes spill her food.

Each time, her mother would wipe her mouth, feed her, and soothe her.

It was a feeling of being cared for.

A sense of protection.

Unlike now, where she had to wrap her body in thorns because everyone around her was an enemy, there was once a time when she could rely on her only family and ally.

Judas often reminded her of that past.

Feeling on the verge of tears, Eliza clenched her fists tightly.

Though she had occasionally shown her bare face to Judas, she couldn’t afford to appear weak.

Although Judas had seen her vulnerable moments in her sleep several times, Eliza was unaware of that fact.

Suppressing her emotions, she struggled to chew her food.

Her breathing was labored, causing her to spill or get food on her lips in a manner unbecoming of a noble.

Whenever that happened, Judas would silently wipe her mouth.

Even though his hand came close to her face, Eliza remained calm.

She didn’t dislike the feeling of someone looking after her.

‘I miss you…’

Black hair like hers.

And black eyes like hers.

Once a year, Eliza visits her mother.

More precisely, her grave.

She always makes a vow in front of the tombstone.

To regain her composure, resist weakness, and etch her goal into her mind once more.

To bring down the Bevel family with her own hands.

To avenge everything.

She doesn’t visit often because standing before the grave causes her resolve to waver.

Come to think of it, her mother’s memorial day is approaching.

“Another bite?”

Judas asked, and Eliza gave a small nod.

A quiet meal continued for a while.

This hadn’t happened in years.

From one corner of the dining room, Anna watched nervously with anxious eyes.

Beside her, Lia’s subdued black gaze fixed on Eliza.

***

Eliza uttered words she never imagined would come out of her mouth.

“I’m full…”

The fullness in her stomach pushed the words out.

There were only a few spoonfuls of porridge left in the bowl.

Judas immediately set down his spoon.

He didn’t want to force her to eat more.

It might upset her stomach.

For him, it would have been a matter of a minute to finish, but for Eliza, it was probably enough food to last her several days.

Anna cautiously approached and cleared the bowl.

Bowing her head in gratitude, Judas spoke to Eliza.

“I don’t know what plans you have left for today, but try not to lie down right away. It would be better to sit and rest for a while or take a light walk.”

After that, he continued to ramble on about what not to do immediately after a meal.

In the middle of his speech, Judas met Eliza’s eyes.

She was looking at him with a content smile.

Her clear smile, free of shadows, left him feeling oddly embarrassed.

Scratching his cheek, he hastily finishes his sentence.

“Ah, anyway. You’re a busy person, and if you don’t eat properly, your health will suffer, so, um, please… take care.”

Eliza tilted her head slightly and smiled.

The response that came back was a bit excited.

“Yeah. I will.”

That action slowly unsettled Judas’s heart.

“Well, then I… I’ll be going now. I apologize for today….”

Eliza cut him off.

“Don’t apologize.”

Her face was still full of smiles.

A smile that, for a moment, even felt kind.

“You don’t need to apologize.”

To be precise, she didn’t want to hear his apology.

There was a big difference between not needing to apologize and not wanting to hear it, but Eliza didn’t bother to distinguish between the two.

Judas, who had nothing else to say, came up with a strange response.

“Ah, um… thank you?”

Despite the absurd response, Eliza just smiled.

Judas sensed a small but not insignificant feeling of discomfort from her, who was smiling so brightly.

The red blanket and the cat doll that she always carried were missing today.

Judas also felt something odd within himself.

He couldn’t understand why he even cared about such things.

Whether she carried them or not, it was entirely up to Eliza, wasn’t it…?

Noticing his gaze, Eliza smirked.

She asked in a playful voice.

“Why?”

“No, it’s nothing….”

“Does it bother you?”

“It’s just, since it’s something I gave you, a little….”

“I didn’t ask what was bothering you, did I?”

“…….”

Judas thought to himself.

That he wanted to bury his face in the remaining porridge and just die.

Seeing Judas’s face turn red, Eliza laughed, seemingly entertained.

“I sent it out for laundry. I didn’t throw it away, so you can relax.”

Judas almost replied that he wasn’t worried about that, but held back.

Saying anything would only make him feel more pathetic.

He just wanted to leave this place as soon as possible.

Anyway, he had fed her, and now it was time to sleep.

“Then, I will! I’ll excuse myself first…!”

Seeing him flustered, Eliza chuckled softly.

“Alright. Sleep well.”

“You too, have a good night….”

Judas barely managed to answer as he hesitated and then left.

Eliza smiled contentedly as she watched the door close.

She leaned back against her chair, feeling a pleasant fullness.

As she settled into her comfort, she thought.

‘Anggra…’

Bishop Anggra.

The person who brought Judas out of Judeca.

Judas doesn’t know that name.

His reaction wasn’t a lie.

Judging the sincerity of Judas’s reactions was as easy as picking fruit off a cake.

From what she could tell, Judas really didn’t know Anggra.

‘The possible scenarios in which this could happen.’

It wasn’t entirely impossible.

First, if Anggra hadn’t revealed his identity.

Though she couldn’t imagine why, if that were the case, it would make sense that Judas didn’t know Anggra’s name.

But it didn’t completely eliminate the doubt.

The Person Brought from Judeca.

Judas reacted as if the very subject was unfamiliar.

‘In other words, he doesn’t know that someone brought him out.’

The second possibility.

This is currently the most plausible.

‘They used magic that interferes with memory.’

But this isn’t magic that just anyone can learn.

It’s not a matter of difficulty in mastering it.

Magic that interferes with memory and the mind has been designated as ‘forbidden’ under the guidance of the Empire and the Tower of Magic.

In other words, it is officially prohibited magic.

Using it is severely punished.

Even before the punishment, learning it in the first place is almost impossible.

Any related materials to this magic are strictly stored in the ‘Catacomb,’ a joint underground vault owned by the Magic Tower and the Imperial Family.

However, just because it’s forbidden doesn’t mean no one knows about it.

Just as people don’t break laws because they are ignorant of them.

Typically, they break them more cleverly because they know the laws.

One cannot completely rule out the possibility that someone secretly dabbled in this magic.

Or perhaps someone who learned it before it was banned might have passed it on.

There are also dark mages.

Criminals who live outside civilization.

They are those who use life as a sacrifice to manifest magic.

With their unique magic systems, they can create magic that interferes with the mind.

Though, due to the nature of dark magic, using it would be tricky.

‘A force capable of doing something so dangerous. And a force that must do it.’

The answer comes quickly.

‘The Imperial Family supporting the Moon God Church.’

Again, the question arises.

Why would they do that?

‘Because there is something in Judas’s memory that he must not know.’

From Eliza’s understanding, Judas is a kind of scout sent by the Moon God Church.

A disposable pawn to see if they can approach her.

Judas wouldn’t know such a fact.

If he did, he would never have dared to make eye contact with her on the first day.

‘They confirmed Judas, attempted an assassination with the second person named Traditor but failed. Afterward, I caught onto their trail, and Anggra went into hiding.’

In this situation, if Eliza uses Judas, he could gain access to the Moon God Church’s internal information.

The fact that someone intentionally tampered with his memory suggests that there is something he must not learn, even indirectly.

Eliza unknowingly smiled.

‘In many ways, he’s a useful child.’