The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 73

A heavy sword strike rains down like a landslide.

A landslide with a crumbling stone mountain.

Huge boulders fall and pummel my body.

I barely manage to hold on with a broken sword.

I can feel that I’m reaching my limit.

‘It feels like it’s going to break….’

Both my body and my sword.

I avoided a fatal blow.

There aren’t even any scratches.

But the damage keeps accumulating on my body as I block the attacks.

He’s got a terrible personality, but I can’t deny his skill.

‘Of course, not just anyone becomes a royal knight.’

I dodged and deflected, barely holding on to my life.

I squeeze out every last drop of mana in my body.

While reinforcing my body, I focus on my weapon.

A technique that allows me to use a sword even without a blade.

It’s what I longed for the most during my recent training with Gawain.

But it’s not something that will come easily.

For now, I’m barely managing to avoid Hazle’s attacks.

Even when I try to close the distance, deflecting his blade with a broken sword is no easy task.

And whenever I manage to get closer, Hazle quickly pulls away.

‘Just once…!’

At that moment.

Hazle’s sword strikes swiftly.

I hurriedly block with mine.

Crunch-!

Even the remaining blade shatters.

I roll backward to avoid injury, but all that’s left in my hand is the hilt.

My weapon has lost its function.

Hazle doesn’t wait for me.

He must have sensed this was the perfect opportunity, as he charges in immediately.

A confident thrust.

It’s a move that’s caught me off guard many times during our countless battles.

Hazle’s finishing move.

I have no means to block or evade.

It’s too late to dodge.

I keep my eyes on him, thinking furiously.

There’s no clear way out.

In the midst of this urgency, an unexpected thought crosses my mind.

‘Is Eliza safe…?’

Even in the face of danger, I’m worrying about someone else.

It’s strange.

I should feel desperate, but I’m oddly calm.

It feels like time is slowing down.

As if every second is split into multiple moments, and I can sense each one in detail.

I remember something Gawain once said.

‘Heightened senses allow you to perceive time in finer and sharper detail. You feel a second entirely different from how ordinary people do. When that happens, they say you’ve reached a “state of mastery.”’

A certain state.

A threshold.

That’s why, in fights between skilled opponents, the exchanges are often short and simple, lacking in flash.

In just one second, countless moves are made with nothing more than shifts in the shoulders, feet, and gaze.

That leaves only the fastest, most basic techniques.

‘Right now, I….’

I feel like I can do anything.

In a close-range contest of strength, I could win with a grappling technique.

But with my sword broken, I shouldn’t be able to get into close range.

That’s how it should be.

Yet, I feel like I can do it.

No, I’m certain I won’t even need to engage in that kind of exchange.

I raise my sword.

It’s just the hilt now, no longer even resembling a weapon.

I channel all the mana in my body into the sword.

Once you surpass the level of reinforcing your body with mana, you can strengthen the object in your hand.

I reached that level once when fighting Sallaman.

And if you go beyond that, you can project mana outside of your body.

That’s sword energy.

It’s the form where mana is layered over the sword.

And beyond that, there’s an even higher stage.

‘The ability to use a sword even without a blade….’

Mana flows.

It passes through my hand, along the hilt, and settles in the place where the broken blade used to be.

‘Sword mana, in and of itself.’

A sword forged with magical power gleamed.

A sword glowing in ivory.

Yellow and blue light subtly mixed, resembling the moon.

A crescent moon finely sliced.

Hazel’s sword pierced through.

Before I knew it, it was right before me.

His expression slowly changed.

Confusion, surprise, bewilderment.

I simply—

Cut.

A swish—like the sound of a cool breeze.

“……”

A brief silence.

Clang, with a thud.

The sword fell.

It was Hazel’s two-handed sword.

The sword, split vertically, clattered noisily as it rolled.

Hazel knelt down right after.

As if sliced by a precise machine, his armor was cleanly severed in a straight line.

Blood gushed from his body and mouth.

Hazel mumbled something.

His weakened voice faded into the distance.

“Ah… Lord… Yohan…”

Hazel spoke no more.

Before I knew it, all that was left in my hand was a pitiful hilt.

When you manipulate magic externally, the recoil brings pain to your body.

But there’s no time to worry about the pain.

The barrier is still intact.

Even pounding it with my fist, it doesn’t budge.

‘Eliza…!’

How is it outside right now?

Did Eliza win?

At that moment, crack! A fissure formed in the barrier.

I instinctively stepped back.

‘What is this…? When did my strength become this powerful? Just how far am I supposed to grow…?’

No, that’s impossible.

This kind of barrier shouldn’t be able to break this way in the first place.

Finally, the barrier shattered.

Someone’s figure appeared.

***

In the end, the Imperial mages revealed no information.

Since Eliza had expected as much, she wasn’t disappointed.

After completing the interrogation, she turned her eyes to the barrier.

The hazy, fog-like barrier was opaque.

It even blocked sound.

Judas was inside.

Was he safe?

That was her only thought.

The reason she ended the interrogation somewhat hastily was because of that.

Unaware of her own anxiousness, she focused solely on the barrier.

This situation was uncomfortable.

The thought that someone close to her might die again.

It reminded her of her mother, who died when she was young.

Judas couldn’t possibly lose.

She was sure of that.

Eliza knew because she had occasionally watched Judas and Hazel spar from afar.

She knew Judas had been holding back against Hazel to some extent.

But, she was becoming increasingly uneasy.

By now, shouldn’t he have appeared, safe and sound?

Struggling to calm her unsettled heart, she analyzed the barrier.

An anti-magic field that negated spells.

A core technique used to counter mages.

No mage in history had ever broken through this field.

‘But, maybe I can.’

For five years, Eliza had continuously objectified her position as a mage.

And she realized—

The word ‘genius’ wasn’t enough to describe her talent.

Today, once again, she felt it deeply.

She had defeated three Imperial Mages as easily as brushing off dust.

If she wanted to win even faster, she could have.

The Tower Master once evaluated her talent like this:

‘The return of the Mythic Age.’

The widespread praise originated from the Tower Master’s own mouth.

At the time, Eliza tilted her head in curiosity.

“Is that so? Is it at that level?

Now I understand.

My talent is at least at that level.

I touched the barrier.

A light resistance pushed against my body.

When I applied more strength, the resistance intensified.

Eliza thought.

What exactly is a Mage?

It’s not only Mages who use magic power.

A trained warrior can also strengthen their body with magic power.

Like Judas.

However, just because someone knows how to use magic power doesn’t mean they can cast spells.

The difference hasn’t been fully proven yet.

But there is a common description that Mages use to describe magic.

‘The concretization of abstract thought.’

Thus, magic begins in the imagination, even before it is realized through magic power.

Transforming abstract ideas into structured imagination through complex formulas and systems, then realizing them.

That is magic.

When I touch this barrier, the thoughts in my mind become entangled.

The rules get tangled up.

Like misaligned gears preventing a set clock from turning.

I rearrange that order.

While rearranging it, I find the scattered core.

It’s impossible.

Many Mages have challenged this force field.

None have succeeded.

As of now, even the industry has given up.

Eliza wouldn’t have paid much attention either.

If Judas weren’t inside.

The concentration didn’t last long.

‘…Got it.’

As soon as I finished rearranging, I found the core of the force field.

I channeled magic power through my fingertips and pierced it.

Then, crack! A fissure appeared in the barrier.

The cracks spread like a spiderweb.

The dome-shaped barrier crumbled from the top down.

Eliza took a step back and watched the scene.

The collapsing barrier looked like an egg.

She had broken through the barrier that completely blocked magic.

Yet the historic achievement didn’t quite sink in.

There was no time to feel joy or realization.

All she thought about was the person inside.

She clenched her fists tightly and waited.

Maybe.

What if.

Judas….

Beyond the collapsing barrier, Judas’s face appeared first.

Her vision narrowed.

She could only see Judas.

He looked at her.

Those always vivid golden eyes.

He smiled.

Why is he smiling?

Relieved that he survived.

Why is he relieved?

Because he’s my escort knight.

Yeah, it’s just for that simple reason.

I know that. But when I see you smile, my heart feels strange….

At the same time, she too felt relieved.

It was a contradictory feeling.

Even though she knew Judas would win, why did she feel relieved seeing him unharmed?

Why….

“My Lady!”

Judas called out to her as he approached.

“Are you all right?”

Eliza blankly looked up at him, who had come right in front of her.

With her fists clenched tightly against her chest.

Her heart was pounding.

“My Lady? Are you okay? Did you get hurt…?”

Eliza didn’t want to show him her face.

So, she threw herself into his arms, as if hiding.

Trying to hug him.

But….

“Ow!”

She ended up bumping her forehead against his hard armor.

Unfortunately, Judas had put on all his armor.

Rubbing her sore forehead, Eliza pouted and said.

“Take it off quickly.”

“…What?”

“I said take it off.”

“……”

Despite feeling embarrassed, Judas slowly began to remove his armor.

Once he unfastened the belts securing his side and shoulder, the front and back separated.

He even took off the chainmail he wore underneath and tossed it aside.

‘Is she going to hold me…? I probably smell like sweat…’

Unlike him, who had become stiff, Eliza didn’t seem to care.

As soon as Judas’s now bare upper body was revealed, Eliza embraced him.

The warmth of his body seemed to melt her heart.

She could hear Judas’s heartbeat in his ears.

The flames of magic that had been ready to surge now settled down.

Only then did Eliza finally relax completely.

A smile unknowingly spread across his face.

“Are you hurt at all?”

Already back to his usual calm demeanor, Judas nodded from within Eliza’s arms.

“Yeah. What about you?”

“…What?”

Judas, flustered, asked again.

This wasn’t the first time.

Eliza, asking about his well-being in return.

Yet every time, Judas couldn’t help but feel thrown off.

It made him feel strange.

On the other hand, Eliza was puzzled.

There was no way Judas could have misheard such a simple question.

Did he hurt his head or something?

“I asked if you were alright.”

As he spoke, Eliza carefully examined Judas.

There were no visible injuries.

Though what was inside might be another story.

“…Yes. I’m not in perfect shape, but I’m fine.”

“Hmm.”

Eliza wrapped her arms around Judas’s waist.

As if it were a natural and familiar action.

While Judas was at a loss for what to do, Eliza checked his mana circuit.

She couldn’t inspect others’ circuits in such detail.

Only Judas’s allowed her to do this.

“Your mana’s in a mess.”

To put it in a metaphor, Judas’s mana circuit was twisted up like a dried well.

It looked like he had fought intensely inside.

She belatedly looked at the spot where the barrier had been.

Hazel, collapsed.

Judas’s victory was evident.

And beyond that, the sacred statue was visible.

Even the sun idol standing behind it.

It was proof of something else…

At that moment, Judas pulled Eliza into an embrace.

Eliza looked up.

Judas was staring at her.

His expression was a mix of focus and absent-mindedness, making it hard to read.

“……”

For the first time in a while, Eliza was caught off guard.

It was the first time Judas had initiated physical contact with him.

It felt strange and unfamiliar.

Both for Judas and for herself.

A corner of her heart felt oddly ticklish.

As Eliza tried to analyze the reason, Judas hurriedly let go.

“…Ah! I-I’m sorry…”

He wanted to back away as far as possible, but since Eliza was still holding him, he couldn’t.

‘Am I going crazy…! What’s wrong with me!’

It felt as if something had slipped out of him when his body touched Eliza’s.

He had been trying to understand her better, but before he knew it, he had hugged Eliza.

“You, um, y-you asked if I was alright, right? Yes, um, I’m fine. Yes… No, I mean, sorry… I made a mistake…”

He was rambling.

Eliza found the sight amusing, yet for some reason, she couldn’t look at Judas directly.

Her face grew hot.

She pulled her scarf up to her nose to hide her rising smile as she barely managed to respond.

“…Yeah.”

Without even knowing what she was saying ‘yeah’ to.

Only one thought occurred to her.

Now that Judas was going to officially become a knight, she should probably get him a sword.

Or maybe even a shield and some armor.

Something nice from the Bevel family’s warehouse or the Sun God Church vault.

Judas, trying to cover his face, looked at Eliza.

Her ears, peeking through her black hair, were red.

He was staring in puzzlement, wondering why, when Eliza glanced at me.

Then, she spoke nonchalantly.

“But you know.”

“Yes?”

“You called me ‘Eliza’ earlier, didn’t you?”

“……”

Judas averted his gaze and swallowed.

Cold sweat began to form on his back.