The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 60.1

Early in the morning, Eliza left the house and gazed out of the window with her chin resting on her hand.

The scenery outside the train window changed moment by moment, as if the window itself were a blank canvas.

Once a year.

The one day she allows herself to feel weak.

She skipped breakfast, and she planned to skip dinner too.

Today, food simply wouldn’t go down.

She just stared blankly outside as the world passed by.

It was fast, as if time itself were slipping away.

It had already been five years.

Across from her, Lia quietly observed Eliza.

There was no special guard escort.

In the past, she would bring anyone along with her, but now, it was unnecessary.

To attack Eliza, a fully fledged mage, would require great sacrifice.

The destination was within range of a teleportation spell.

She could just use continuous teleportation.

But Eliza didn’t.

She chose the inconvenient and arduous way.

Today was that kind of day.

A day to be weak, but also a day to temper her mind.

For her, this journey was nothing short of a pilgrimage.

It could not be easy.

As she traveled, she let her mind drift aimlessly.

Among the thoughts that surfaced was Judas.

She regretted not being able to have dinner with him tonight.

Though, truth be told, she wanted to, but she wouldn’t allow herself that indulgence.

The train came to a halt at the final stop.

Gethsemane.

A quiet, desolate village.

It wasn’t the kind of place someone like Eliza would normally visit.

But Eliza walked with familiarity.

She came here at least once a year.

Leaving the village and entering the fields, a low mountain appeared.

An unpaved hill.

Eliza sent wind ahead to clear her path.

The sharp wind cut through the grass, opening the way.

At the top of that hill.

In a place where no one would expect to find anything.

There was a single gravestone.

Her mother’s gravestone.

She had originally planned to place it on her estate, but Eliza refused.

That place would one day be in danger, at risk of being swept up in a bloody conflict with the Bevel family.

So she hid her mother here.

On a small hill not far from where her mother had died.

It had been five years since her mother’s death.

Today was the anniversary.

The gravestone was worn, covered in dust and grass.

Eliza personally cleared the grass and wiped away the dust with a handkerchief.

Once it was clean, she quietly embraced the gravestone.

It was still too big for her to fully envelop.

But Eliza didn’t care.

She held it close, as if to shield it from the cold.

Without realizing it, tears fell from her eyes.

For today, she didn’t blame herself.

She didn’t lash out at herself for being weak.

Because this was the one day a year she allowed it.

“Mom….”

She muttered as she pressed her face against the gravestone.

“It’s starting now… I’ll kill them all….”

The Bevel family.

The assassin’s guild.

And anyone else who was after her.

“I have allies now… so don’t worry….”

She would eliminate all of her enemies and return to this place.

Next time, she would come back as someone changed, and she would move her mother’s gravestone to her estate.

“I’ll kill them all, so watch over me….”

Eliza kissed the gravestone for the last time.

The cold, rough stone received the warmth of her small lips.

Even after that, she stayed there for a long time, her eyes closed, silently holding the gravestone.

She shared her warmth generously with the cold tombstone.

After all, being alone in this place must be cold and lonely.

Only after a while did she open her eyes.

“I’ll come again next time. Goodbye.”

Eliza caressed the tombstone one last time and turned around.

By then, her tearful face had disappeared, and Eliza’s expression had hardened.

“Let’s go.”

Lia, who had been waiting behind her, quietly followed.

Before leaving, Lia glanced back.

A name was engraved on the tombstone.

It was the name of Eliza’s biological mother.

The tombstone that read ‘Maria’ stood in place, bidding them farewell.

Today marked the fifth year.

***

When Eliza returned to the mansion, it was around evening.

It was almost time to have dinner with Judas, but today, she had no appetite whatsoever.

However, she had to make sure Judas ate.

So she went to look for him…

“…He hasn’t returned?”

Anna bowed her head apologetically.

“Yes, my lady. He should have returned by now, but he hasn’t. Perhaps his training went on a bit longer….”

That was a possibility.

But Eliza considered another possibility.

‘A relative is coming here now.’

Barak’s direct descendants.

They were coming to this mansion to formally protest about her arbitrarily detaining Narcissa.

She didn’t particularly resent them for coming around the time of her mother’s memorial day.

It wasn’t as if they were considerate of such things.

They wouldn’t even be arriving today.

They would probably come tomorrow or the day after.

However,

‘One of them could have approached Judas.’

The fact that Judas was a favored individual was well-known even to the main family.

If they couldn’t touch her directly, they might have targeted Judas.

It wasn’t out of the question.

The suspect who could do such a thing immediately came to mind.

Among Barak’s children, the most reckless one.

“Sarah….”

“Ah, Miss?”

Anna called out in a startled voice.

Eliza’s gaze had begun to burn with a golden glow.

Without replying, Eliza immediately disappeared.

She teleported to the last place Judah had been: the training ground.

***

“You brat! This won’t work! Since I can’t go, you come here!”

In front of a shouting Judah, Sarah had slumped to the ground.

“Hiccup….”

“Lady Sarah!”

“What are these people doing…!”

Two knights approached the hiccupping girl.

One of them was the very squire who had been set to spar with that commoner.

Sarah quickly composed herself.

She had brought two knights with her.

There was no need to be afraid.

Just as she was about to stand, someone suddenly appeared and intervened.

“What business do you have here?”

Barak’s loyal sword.

Commander of the Knights of Bavel.

“I wasn’t informed of your visit.”

Gawain appeared and blocked their path.

As if he were standing against Sarah.

Sarah knew well that Gawain was on Barak’s side.

She quickly got up from her seat.

“Sir Gawain! You’re just in time!”

Her confidence renewed, she pointed furiously at Judas….

“….”

…only to lower her hand.

Judas was glaring at her intensely.

“D-Did you see that?! Look at what he’s doing to me! How dare he insult me!”

“Judas. This is Sarah de Bavel, the fifth daughter of Duke Barak.”

“You heard that?!”

“Yes, I heard it earlier. But that’s not a very important issue. That person insulted my master first.”

“Hmm…”

Gawain stroked his chin, as if troubled.

To Sarah, Eliza might be a filthy illegitimate child, but Judas is different.

She is a master so precious and noble that one would risk their life to save, and though it’s uncertain if her feelings will ever be realized, she is loved with the tender heart of a young boy.

Gawain didn’t know what was truly in Judas’s heart, but he made his own judgment nonetheless.

Insulting Eliza in front of someone like Judas is no small matter.

“Then, how about this? Since neither side can back down, why not settle this with a duel to determine who is right?”

“That’s exactly what I wanted!”

Sarah shouted confidently.

She immediately pushed one of her attendants forward and said,

“Allow me to introduce my challenger.”

The boy bowed respectfully.

“I am Mizeroum Horn, honored to serve Lady Sarah. I shall reveal my na…”

The boy trailed off, looking behind Judas.

A group of people was approaching from that direction.

Judas also turned around.

“Judas? What are you doing here instead of leaving?”

Richard.

“Why is Sir Gawain here…?”

Dylan.

“Who are those people?”

Lindel.

“Trouble seems to follow you wherever you go.”

Argon.

The members of Room 13, including the four, rushed forward.

They had been resting near the entrance when they heard the commotion and came out to see what was happening.

As a result, they found Judas confronting Sarah.

Sarah involuntarily caught her breath.

For some reason, the group of boys approaching with rough manners seemed threatening.

Even though they were all around the same age.

Gawain briefly explained the situation.

Upon hearing this, Room 13 members sat around as if they were there to watch a show.

“Judas, you’re going to win, right?”

“It’s been a while since we’ve seen something entertaining.”

“Indeed, it’s been a long time since we saw Judas fight seriously.”

“But are we allowed to watch this?”

Dylan asked, and Gawain looked at both Sarah and Judas.

“I don’t mind.”

Judas replied calmly.

Sarah didn’t back down either.

“Of course! Watch carefully as I claim victory!”

Sarah could have refused the audience, but she didn’t.

She was confident she would win.

Gawain nodded, signifying his acceptance.

The members of Room 13 also settled in, reassured, and took their seats.

Judas introduced himself curtly.

“Judas.”

It was a short and arrogant introduction.

He quickly assessed Mizeroum.

‘Left-handed. Slightly taller than me. Slender build. Not sure about magic, but physical strength should be manageable.’

Gawain sought Sarah’s agreement.

“Shall we begin?”

“Hmph! Anytime!”

He dropped his glove.

That was the signal to start.

Mizeroum charged forward immediately.

Closing the distance in an instant, he threw a punch with all his momentum.

At that moment, Judas was certain.

‘I’ve won.’

He suddenly realized how much he had grown.

Even at a young age, his opponent was no pushover.

The punch was fierce enough.

But he could see it clearly.

Usually, he was too busy getting beaten up by Gawain to notice.

His body was already heating up.

He unleashed that power fully.

[Magic Release (Lv.28)]

Judas collided with Mizeroum head-on.

The punch missed its mark awkwardly.

Likewise, Mizereum, who had used magic, did not fall.

A close-range struggle ensued.

Naturally, Mizereum’s hand grabbed Judas’s collar.

In other words, Judas had closed the distance to a range and position that was ideal for grabbing.

What happened next took place in an instant.

Even though Mizereum was in a losing position, Sarah was mesmerized by the sight.

It was even beautiful.

Judas grabbed Mizereum’s sleeve and gave it a shake, then spun his body around.

Mizereum’s body seemed to be sucked in by Judas, as if caught in a vortex.

He floated slightly in the air, then fell straight down.

Judas slammed him to the ground with all his might.

A technique that uses only the sleeve to throw.

“Sleeve Slam.”

With a dull thud, Mizereum exhaled harshly.

“Ugh—!”

A pain, as if he had been struck by a heavy, solid blunt weapon, shot through his entire body.

Mizereum, lying on the ground, trembled uncontrollably, unable to support himself.

The spectators in Room 13 rose in unison, cheering.

“Woohoo—!”

“Yeah!”

“This is it, this is what we came for!”

Judas waved to them leisurely.

Gawain, who had been watching, was quietly pleased.

He stroked his chin, nodding slightly with a faint smile, unseen by anyone.

Yes, this is how it should be.

Amid the fervent support from Room 13, Judas looked at Sarah and grinned.

“You’re next?”

“Y-you, y-you…!”

Sarah’s fists trembled with rage when suddenly, someone appeared in the middle of them.

The first to recognize who it was, was Judas.

“M-milady?!”

It was Eliza.

Arriving on the scene, Eliza slowly scanned the surroundings with blazing eyes.

The first thing she saw was Judas.

He seemed unharmed.

Next, she noticed the young knight lying beside him.

And Sarah, trembling.

There was enough evidence to grasp the situation.

She knew well enough about Sarah’s childish antics.

Eliza began to walk toward Sarah, step by step.

“Sister Sarah.”

Her voice was coldly sharpened.

Judas stepped back and took a sip of water handed to him by Richard.

Though she wasn’t addressing him, his heart tightened.

“E-Eliza…!”

“There’s a lot I want to ask, but I’m a bit tired today. I won’t bother with annoying questions. Just disappear from here quickly.”

“You, you! How could you manage your subordinates so poorly that this happens?!”

“Don’t make me say it twice.”

“What’s so special about him that you protect him like this? What, are you engaged to that commoner or something?!”

It was meant as a jab, but Eliza calmly retorted.

“What if I am?”

Pfft—!

Judas spewed the water he was drinking like a whale.

While he was coughing violently from choking, Eliza remained as calm as ever.

Richard patted Judas on the back.

“What difference would it make if I were, or if I weren’t? Shouldn’t you hope that I’m not? If it were true, I’d be even angrier than I am now.”

“Y-you…!”

“Hurry back to your safe family. You have no power without your background, so don’t wander around carelessly.”

Eliza stepped closer to Sarah.

With a shadow cast over her face, she whispered low into her ear.

Sarah froze like a frog in front of a snake.

Her blazing gaze seemed ready to devour her.

“If you step in the wrong place, you might die without anyone knowing.”

“……”

Sarah crumpled to the ground, as if her legs had given out.

She began to sob and then burst into tears.

“Sob, hic…! Waaah! Bring back my mom—!”

“My ears hurt…”

Eliza looked down at Sarah as if she were a child who didn’t know any better.

She made an irritated gesture toward the knight standing behind her.

It was a signal to quickly take them away and disappear.

The knight, intimidated by Eliza’s presence, hastily fled, dragging the unconscious squire and the crying noble with him.