The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 63

Eliza did not see Barak’s family off.

She was too busy trying to calm her irritation by holding onto Judas.

Instead, Lia saw them off.

After confirming no one was watching, Barak subtly approached Lia and spoke.

“How is Eliza doing?”

Lia raised her eyes briefly, then looked away as she answered.

“Healthier than before, thanks to the child by her side.”

“Hmm… How long will he continue like that?”

“……”

“Perhaps a little bit of…”

“How could I? How could I even dare? That would be too selfish.”

“……”

“It’s already too late. It would only hurt Eliza. It’s better for me to stay as if I don’t know anything.”

Lia glanced in the direction of the mansion.

She envisioned Eliza, happily holding Judas.

“Anyway, I’m probably someone who isn’t needed anymore.”

“But…”

“Are you worried? Do you want to play the role of a father now? Or is it just that pretending to care makes you feel better?”

“……”

“Hoo… You know it’s too late. Neither you nor I have the right. And even if the Duchess is gone, her foundation is still intact, and her children will keep an eye on Eliza and me.”

“……”

“I’ll handle things here on my own. Just like always, keep your eyes on the bigger things and move on.”

Barak couldn’t say anything in the end.

The coachman and the party had finished preparing to leave.

As if nothing had happened, Lia politely said her farewell.

Her voice and tone returned to normal, unlike just moments ago.

Her face, heavily made up, looked different from Barak’s memory. She stood stiffly, like a maid that suited her role well.

“May you have a safe journey back.”

As she bowed, the roots of her red hair, which were black, became visible.

Barak pretended not to notice and got into the carriage.

***

A dim underground space.

A wide area resembling a cave.

At its center, one by one, candles were being lit.

Lights flared up in a methodical sequence.

The space gradually became faintly illuminated.

Unique patterns were drawn around the candles.

At the center of the blood-drawn patterns, a massive heap of flesh formed a mountain.

They were all human corpses.

In front of them, Anggra sat.

A man in a black robe, who was conducting the ritual, asked.

“Are you certain you want to erase all your memories from the day you found the child of the prophecy until now?”

“Yes, no changes.”

“I cannot guarantee success. If something goes wrong, you could lose your sense of self and become a broken shell.”

“It doesn’t matter. I’ve already entrusted my role entirely to the Pope.”

“Understood. It will hurt a little.”

The man in the robe closed his eyes, clasped his hands together, and concentrated.

The blood patterns began to darken.

They turned into black flames and engulfed the mountain of corpses.

The corpse mountain burned without producing any scent of burning flesh and transformed into smoke like dark clouds.

Anggra, watching it approach him, tightly shut his eyes.

“All for the moon… to prevent the resurrection of the evil god…!”

The black smoke was drawn into Anggra’s body.

“Ugh…!”

Anggra gritted his teeth and endured.

Blood flowed from his mouth.

When the ritual finally ended, he had fainted.

“The memory erasure has been successfully completed.”

The people in identical robes, who had assisted in the ritual, gathered around.

“He may not become a broken shell, but who knows how he will live now. He’s a fanatic; he’ll manage somehow.”

A child of prophecy, a figure common in many holy texts.

The mage scoffed at Anggra’s faith.

After all, the ruler of this world had already been decided.

The savior foretold in the prophecies.

“Someone, throw him near the front lines.”

“I’ll do it.”

“We will inform His Majesty of the truth and continue with the plan.”

He smirked, watching the fate of the pitiful fanatic who didn’t even realize he had become a sacrificial lamb.

“All for His Majesty the Emperor.”

***

The Pope of the Moon Chruch.

Nadab.

He smiled kindly as he faced the man before him.

The most powerful figure on this continent.

And in a few years, he would become the noble incarnation that would devour the world.

The Pope of the Sun Church and the Emperor of the Helios Empire.

It was Johann.

Johann was the first to speak.

“I heard you’ve been assigned a role.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. That’s correct. I will be replacing priest Anggra from now on.”

“Memory erasure… Quite thorough.”

“This is a grand endeavor for the Levant Continent, the Demon Realm, and all of humanity. There can be no blemishes.”

Johann merely laughed.

The first step, involving Eliza, had already failed, but he didn’t bother to point it out.

The help of the Moon God Church was essential to achieve his goal.

They would be around for a long time.

There was no need to spoil things in advance.

After all, he could just discard them in the end.

“For a new era.”

Johann extended his hand.

Nadab knelt before him and kissed the back of his hand.

“For the restoration of glory, I will gladly give my body, Your Majesty.”

“Good. Now, it’s about time.”

Johann nodded in satisfaction and spoke calmly.

“It’s time to prepare for the resurrection of the evil god.”

But first, things had to be taken care of.

“There cannot be two suns in the sky.”

The ritual he had long prepared.

Its first phase.

A plan named Solar Eclipse.

“Shall we begin the killing of Bevel?”

***

On the way back from meeting Eliza.

Barak was lost in thought.

The matter concerning Narcissa would be left to the trial.

He could not intervene personally.

He hadn’t intended to come at this time, so close to Maria’s anniversary, but he had been compelled by his children’s insistence.

Helplessness. Weakness.

How pathetic he was, unable even to care for his own family.

That is why he thought about larger matters instead, and became obsessed with them.

The great achievement he had hoped to accomplish.

For that, he had reached out to the Moon God Church.

Anggra had taken his hand.

They were clearly in a cooperative relationship.

But at some point, things began to go awry, and after Anggra’s pilgrimage, communication had nearly ceased.

Tap, tap, tap.

Crossing his arms and tapping his forearm, he thought of a possibility.

‘…Betrayal?’

It could only be that.

Hard to believe, but.

But why would the Moon God Church?

Why should they?

Why would they be allowed to?

There was only one scenario that satisfied both questions.

Having finished his calculations, he laughed weakly.

“Your Majesty, the Emperor. You made your move first….”

Who had been quicker?

He, or the Emperor?

It was a question he could no longer answer.

‘Anggra’s pilgrimage had been prolonged, and I was notified that the Pope had taken over his role. But, well…’

Barak decided not to fully trust them anymore.

The grand plan he had been preparing for so long.

To destroy the Empire.

He couldn’t do it alone.

That was why he had joined hands with the Moon God Church, but they had joined hands with the Empire behind his back.

The reason was obvious.

To eliminate Bevel.

“In that case, I’ll simply show them.”

What happens if they touch Bevel.

Caught up in an internal struggle at such a time, Barak felt troubled.

A dull pain spread in a corner of his heart.

A sore spot.

Eliza.

‘I had believed that once this grand task was accomplished, all my neglect would be repaid….’

He believed that once the Empire was gone and Bevel stood tall, the internal conflicts within the family would diminish.

The disdain and hostility directed toward Eliza would naturally fade.

He thought that perhaps Eliza’s past would be compensated for.

For such a future.

For the peace of his family and the common good, which was the aim of the majority, he had knowingly allowed such an environment.

He had turned a blind eye to his weak self-loathing, saying it was an unavoidable matter.

But now it was too late.

Eliza would not stop, and the Empire would crush Bevel.

In this situation, there was only one course of action.

‘I’ll have to face it alone…’

For a moment, Ria’s words flashed through his mind.

Did he want to play the role of a father now, of all times?

A bitter smile formed on his lips.

It was a critique that pierced right through his life.

***

“Hmm, hmm~”

Eurydice sat in front of her desk, quietly contemplating.

Eliza’s request.

To investigate a taboo related to memory.

And Judas’s request.

To trace matters concerning his family.

The destinations of both requests cunningly overlapped.

Magic that interferes with memories falls under the category of taboo.

Such magic is managed under seal, along with the fragments of a fallen star, in the Catacombs—an underground tomb jointly owned by the Mage Tower and the Royal Court.

Even those involved cannot easily approach it.

So, which direction should she pursue?

Black magic.

A method that mimics existing magic by sacrificing life.

If there were black mages, they might have inherited and passed down memory-related magic among themselves.

And then, Judas’s family.

Judas said he wandered around villages near the frontline in the past.

Black mages linger near the outskirts of the demon realm, close to the frontline.

Humans are the most valuable sacrifices for black mages.

Thus, it is impossible for them to live mingled among humans.

They can’t hide either.

Driven by their hunger for power, they inevitably capture people and use them as sacrifices.

‘The paths of black magic and the search for Judas’s birthplace intriguingly overlap. They both seem to point toward the edge of the human territory, near the demon realm. It’s worth investigating together.’

It would be nice to have more clues.

For now, she turned her attention beyond the continent.

‘I don’t know why the young lady is searching for magic related to memory, but I hope it works out for her somehow.’

It will take a long time. Definitely.

Even so, Eurydice decided to stake her future on Eliza.

And while she was at it, she would help Judas too.

***

A cage.

Moonlight streaming in.

Falling leaves dwindling.

The space growing wider.

A girl.

Fireflies.

A dance.

A flower blooming in the center.

A red flower.

In the midst of overwhelming emptiness.

The only light.

My color.

Anemone.

***

What is the meaning of the anemone flower?

***

Sparks flew where swords met.

The blunt-edged iron swords were dull.

They were as heavy as their thick blades.

That weight was part of the training.

Kang! Chang!

A flash burst along with the sparks.

For a brief moment, the space brightened.

The place where the light vanished was dark.

It was a darkness so deep that even an ordinary person would find it hard to distinguish objects.

However, the two men crossing swords could see each other clearly.

The movements of hands and shoulders, feet and hips.

The trajectory of the sword born from them.

They shined when they intersected and crossed.

Kang!

The moment the clashing swords fell apart, one side seized the opening and lunged forward.

A daring step.

The sword tip thrust in half a beat faster.

The other side also reacted.

The expanded golden pupils chased the sharp line.

He raised his sword vertically and deflected it.

Keeek-!

A scraping noise.

Keeping his body from being pulled in by the force, he pushed forward.

He slashed at the approaching opponent.

But the sword did not reach.

It narrowly missed.

Instead, the opponent’s sword struck his leg.

For a moment, his body tilts.

His vision flips upside down.

Thud-!

He falls.

Steel touches his neck.

The sword that meets his heated body is cold.

The one who didn’t fall, the victor.

Gawain speaks with a breathless voice.

“…You’ve improved a lot. I can’t afford to go easy on you anymore.”

He extends his hand.

The fallen young man takes it and stands up.

Gawain brightens the light and continues.

“You can now completely control your mana freely. You’ve grown immensely.”

The young man admits with a weak smile.

“I’m still far from perfect… but compared to before, I’ve noticeably improved.”

Gawain looks at the young man.

When they first met, the boy was only tall enough to reach his solar plexus.

Now, they were at eye level.

His body, as solid as a rock, and his large build were fitting for a knight’s physique.

He grew faster than others.

Maybe it was because he ate a lot.

The youthful face that once smelled of milk had matured with stronger features.

With his wild aura, he supposedly drew quite a bit of attention from young women when he walked through bustling streets, but Gawain didn’t care about the aesthetics of the man’s appearance.

However, he might not be a bad prospect as a son-in-law for his niece.

But that’s just wishful thinking; realistically, it would be impossible.

That seemed most likely.

The young man before him…

His thoughts were interrupted by the young man’s voice.

A voice that had deepened as much as he had grown.

“I’d like to start handling sword aura soon… but I can’t seem to get any response there.”

“There’s no need to rush. You’re already progressing fast enough. Especially when it comes to wielding mana externally; it’s a double-edged sword. A mistake could hurt the user.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

Gawain set down his steel sword.

It was so heavy that it made a thud as it hit the ground.

Anna, the maid who had been quietly standing in the corner, approached and handed the young man a towel.

She quickly withdrew from assisting the young man.

Her master had previously ordered her to keep her distance.

She wasn’t supposed to be here today either.

But Anna had pretended not to know and stopped by to watch.

The young man smiled kindly.

“It’s been a while. Thank you.”

Anna nodded lightly and stepped back again.

She had followed him around since he was a little boy.

Seeing the boy she used to look down upon now grown up, her feelings were complicated.

His maturity was enough to cause sleepless nights among the maids of this household.

Opinions about him were quite mixed.

There was a desire to put a leash on him, while also a desire to be leashed by him.

But that was as fanciful as dreaming of a hero or a prince from a fairy tale.

Within the domain of his owner’s grasp, approaching that young man was impossible.

The young man had no idea his master was plotting such things.

Gawain spoke to the young man, who was wiping away his sweat.

“The final test is not far off.”

“Yes… I know.”

“And Lady Eliza’s coming-of-age ceremony, too.”

“…”

“As I always say, you must not hesitate at any moment.”

“I will remember that.”

“Today’s training ends here. You’ve worked hard, Judas.”

The young man, Judas, who had just turned 18 this year, smiled lightly.

It was a smile filled with complicated thoughts.

“Yes. Thank you.”

Five years had passed.