The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 72

When the final test began, Eliza gave Judas a bracelet.

It was something Eliza had crafted herself, using techniques learned through her interactions with the Mage Tower.

It wasn’t an ordinary bracelet.

A man-made, enchanted object.

An artifact.

Eliza had created it specifically for Judas.

The conditions for activating the artifact were as follows:

When Judas was in danger.

And its effect was to burn all nearby threats while sending a warning and coordinates to Eliza herself.

So that Eliza could react instantly via teleportation.

This was the second measure Eliza had prepared to deceive the Imperial family.

In truth, it wasn’t so much a measure, as it was something she prepared out of concern for Judas.

***

“…Eliza?”

I muttered that name blankly.

Something cold slid down my wrist.

Looking down, I saw the bracelet Eliza had given me was broken.

With a clatter, it fell to the ground.

The red gemstone in the center of the bracelet was shattered.

‘Now that I think about it, the light earlier had spread out from me. It seemed more concentrated around my left hand…’

The fire that spread, followed by Eliza’s appearance.

The sudden shattering of the bracelet.

It was enough to understand the situation.

‘An artifact?’

Eliza had given me an artifact.

As if she had anticipated something like this.

“Hooh.”

One of the enemy mages spoke with interest.

“Isn’t that Lady Eliza? There are quite a few rumors about her being an exceptional mage.”

Eliza didn’t respond.

I couldn’t see her face, only her back, but judging by the lack of movement, it seemed she was quietly staring at the enemy.

I assessed the enemy and checked the position of the Sun Statue we were guarding.

Eliza stood facing the mages in a standoff.

Far to the left was the altar with the Sun Statue.

‘Their goal must be the Sun Statue too. Three Imperial mages…’

The minimum requirement to become a Imperial mage:

The ability to perform long-distance teleportation.

‘Those guys could easily teleport away with the statue if things go south.’

I watched the enemies and the Sun Statue alternately, prepared for their sudden move.

The situation had naturally turned into a confrontation.

Hazel and the three Imperial mages.

And me and Eliza.

‘The only good thing is one of their mages is missing an arm. It’ll be hard for him to fight at full strength.’

Hazel. I had to be cautious of him, too.

A battle involving both mages and knights who can wield magic.

Unexpected developments always come from knights.

To cast magic, mages can’t move too much.

Thus, mages are like stationary cannons.

On the other hand, knights can move freely.

Their magically enhanced bodies can sometimes surpass the speed of a mage’s spellcasting.

‘Eliza will handle the mages. I need to focus on Hazel and the Sun Statue.’

The mages, perhaps due to their superior numbers, seemed relaxed.

“It’s unfortunate that a noble such as yourself made the effort to come all the way here, but we’ll be taking the Statue.”

Eliza responded indifferently.

“Well, I don’t recall giving permission.”

“We didn’t exactly─”

At that moment, I saw it.

Hazel and the two mages behind him exchanged a signal with their eyes.

Something was about to happen.

I crouched down slightly, ready to spring into action.

“─ask for it.”

As soon as the mage finished speaking, Hazel bolted towards the Sun Statue.

At the same time, I moved as well.

I launched myself forward, pushing off my crouched legs.

We both reached the Sun Statue at the same moment.

There wasn’t enough time to grab it.

We raised our weapons and clashed.

Hazel swung his sword.

A simple but precise horizontal slash.

A large two-handed sword swung down.

A massive and heavy strike, matching its size.

It’s a movement I’ve grown accustomed to after facing him several times.

However, the result is different from usual.

Crack! The sword broke.

My sword.

“…..!”

I barely dodged to the side.

I was almost cut.

Hazel relentlessly attacks without giving me a break.

He switches to half-swording and thrusts faster by half a beat.

He deflects with the broken blade and closes the distance.

‘If I can draw him into close combat…!’

But as if anticipating it, Hazel kicks me away.

He puts distance between us.

It’s as if he refuses to give me any advantage.

‘Was I flustered and careless? I should have been more cautious.’

Only then do I see Hazel properly.

It’s a large two-handed sword.

Different from the weapon I knew.

It only resembles it in shape.

‘Is this a special weapon he prepared for today…?’

I let my guard down, thinking it was his usual weapon, and I lost mine.

A brief exchange of attacks.

While I was contemplating how to approach this situation.

Suddenly, the view around me distorted.

It wasn’t dizziness or an illusion.

Like a thick fog, a dome-shaped barrier enveloped Hazel and me.

“What is…?”

Unlike me, Hazel is calm.

I keep an eye on him while glancing at the barrier.

‘A barrier?’

A curtain that blocks the inside from the outside.

I know what this is.

‘A magic disruption field?’

The caster is obvious.

Those three mages.

They’ve separated me from Eliza.

Hazel points his sword at me.

“For a grave, it’s quite luxurious.”

The difference in arms.

A broken sword versus an intact one.

And the difference in rank.

I’m ranked second in the training camp, and Hazel is first.

They’ve completely removed knights from this battle between mages and knights.

‘They’re sure Hazel will beat me.’

Similarly, they must be confident the three mages can defeat Eliza.

However, I think a little differently.

At least, right now, it’s impossible for those three to defeat Eliza.

Then, what about me?

“……”

It’s quiet.

Completely cut off from the outside.

Not even a sound can be heard.

Inside the barrier is as silent as a grave.

“Well….”

I wasn’t planning on retreating anyway.

Am I confident I can win?

Is it possible?

Honestly, I can’t be sure.

If I somehow manage to get close with this broken sword, I might win with grappling.

‘The problem is, Hazel knows this too. He’ll do everything he can to avoid letting me close in.’

One thing is certain.

There’s no room to retreat.

So even if I lose, I’ll move forward.

“We’ll see whose grave it turns out to be.”

Eliza looked at the dome-shaped barrier formed at one side of the passage.

A space-severing barrier with added magic disruption functionality.

Judas was trapped inside.

Along with Hazel, the Imperial family’s spy.

‘Are they trying to force a magic battle that excludes mobility?’

A chaotic battle in a confined space is disadvantageous for mages.

Thus, they’ve completely removed the two knights from the battlefield.

“Judas, was it?”

One of the mages spoke.

“The cadet the lady holds dear.”

Eliza did not respond.

Magic requires intense concentration.

Therefore, when mages engage in close combat, petty provocations often occur.

This is to disrupt their mental focus and concentration.

Even while provoking, they must not lose their own concentration, making it a delicate balancing act.

“Let’s see whose corpse we’ll be looking at first, shall we?”

Eliza didn’t rise to the provocation.

“Not really…”

She didn’t think her knight would lose.

She couldn’t even picture herself being defeated by them.

Though outwardly calm, inside she was deeply unsettled.

She simply didn’t show it.

How dare they, talking about whose corpse would be seen first.

“They should’ve just imprisoned me instead.”

“We were curious too.”

A mage is a rare and valuable asset.

There aren’t many opportunities to compare their skills with others.

“We were wondering if the famous genius mage is just a rumor, or if you’re truly worthy of being called a revival of the mythical age.”

Although Eliza didn’t reveal her identity, she knew who they were.

The Imperial Mage Corps.

One of the two largest mage groups.

The other being the Tower of Magic.

“They must be proud of their skills, which have likely been verified through various experiences.”

That’s why they confidently isolated Judas and Hazel.

“While dragging out the conversation, they swiftly and skillfully completed a barrier. Not only are their individual abilities strong, but their teamwork is excellent as well.”

It was a well-founded and objective confidence.

If only their opponent hadn’t been Eliza herself.

“Then, let’s see…”

The three mages pointed at Eliza.

Hands are an excellent part of the body to direct magic.

“Shall we test it out!”

Magic began to form in midair.

Unlike what they used on Judas, this was quite advanced magic.

A large, stormy black cloud emitting electricity rose up.

Hundreds of sharp stone fragments floated, aimed at Eliza.

And from the ground, tree roots surged up to bind her.

Eliza stood still with her hands in her pockets.

The three mages smirked as they looked at her.

They were certain it was over.

But.

Screeeech-!

A sharp noise was followed by a brilliant light above Eliza’s head.

Golden beams of light illuminated the area.

The mages had to close their eyes from the blinding brightness.

When they opened their eyes again, the chapel was silent.

The only thing left was a small orb, flickering above Eliza’s head.

“Huh… huh?”

The magic they had prepared had completely vanished.

As they stood dumbfounded, the golden orb descended into Eliza’s hand.

It looked like a small sun.

Looking down at the sun in her hand, Eliza spoke indifferently.

“Is that all?”

Just as they were curious, so was Eliza.

Opportunities to fight against skilled mages were extremely rare.

She had accepted their challenge for that reason, but it was utterly disappointing.

“Better than Vols, but still pathetic.”

Three pitiful Imperial mages.

Eliza confirmed one thing.

The Emperor didn’t fully trust the information she had leaked.

If he truly believed that the Sun Statue was there, he wouldn’t have sent only mages of this level and a knight like Hazel.

“Considering the Statue is famous and rumored to be here and there, that makes sense. It must’ve been hard for him to move his elite forces lightly. Still, he’s much more cautious than I expected.”

There were a few other things she was curious about.

The Emperor’s goal in acquiring the Sun Statue.

The conditions for activating the Statue .

And whether the Emperor knew those conditions.

Lastly, how Judas found out about this place and came here.

A seemingly trivial, but to her, far more important question.

Countless thoughts crossed her mind in a brief moment.

In the meantime, the three Imperial mages, still in shock, murmured to themselves.

“What just happened…?”

“Magic absorption…? No way, against us… Cough?!”

The three mages simultaneously coughed up blood and collapsed.

Grabbing their stomach as if in pain.

“Kaeeek-!”

“Urgh, kuhuh…!”

One of the mages, vomiting blood, looked up at Eliza.

“W-what is this…! Kuhk!”

The reactions of the other two mages varied.

One rolled on the ground, coughing up blood, while the other screamed as they clawed at the floor, their nails breaking.

“Well.”

Eliza had no intention of wasting words on an explanation.

While they had been trying all sorts of things, Eliza simply hadn’t stood idly by.

She had ignited a slow-burning flame within the bodies of those three.

She had also added an anesthesia spell, delaying their awareness of the pain.

When she learned healing magic for Judas, she hadn’t imagined she would one day apply it in this way.

“This is all I’ll tell you. Who your enemies are. Who you dared to harm.”

Eliza approached the fallen mages.

Tap, tap.

The sound of her shoes echoed coldly through the ruins.

There was much to think about, but for now, there was only one problem to address.

She lightly tossed the orb in her hand, and a small sun rose once again.

Magic poured out from the orb.

A storm cloud crackling with electricity filled the ceiling of the chapel, and hundreds of sharp stone shards floated as if targeting the three mages.

The magic they had cast had been absorbed, then re-released.

But now, its size had grown far larger than before.

And what erupted from the floor was not tree roots, but a golden flame whip.

The whip bound the limbs of the three to the ground.

“I suppose I should give you a chance to repent. You just have to answer my questions sincerely.”

Eliza gazed coldly down at the three imperial mages.

Her eyes shone with an unnatural color.

Orange flames were trapped within her crimson eyes, and her yellow pupils glowed like orbs of light.

Since arriving here, her eyes had been ablaze with a wild fire.

Judas and Yuel had almost been hurt.

The ones who dared to invade her domain now lay helpless before her.

Eliza calmly released her anger, refined and controlled.

“In exchange, I’ll grant you a painless death.”