The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 75

“…….”

An awkward silence fills the air.

One second feels like an hour.

A distance where we can feel each other’s breath.

In that moment, I froze, my arms still around Eliza’s waist.

My heart races furiously.

‘Please stay still…!’

Contrary to the storm in my chest, my face stiffens.

I feel like I should say something, but my lips won’t move.

Unlike me, Eliza seems calm.

Though, what could she be thinking so deeply about as she persistently stares at me?

A subtle sweet scent.

Eliza’s distinctive fragrance.

I should be used to it by now, but I’m not.

Especially at times like this….

“Kii-uuung?”

Yuel suddenly popped her head in.

She was wondering why, after preparing to ride, we weren’t doing so.

“Oh, uh, um… right, yes….”

I hurriedly, but carefully, placed Eliza onto Yuel.

I set her down gently in a side-saddle position.

While I fumbled, Eliza gazed at me calmly with an unyielding look in her eyes.

‘I almost died…. I really almost died…. Thanks to Yuel, I was saved….’

My heart continues to pound relentlessly, as if refusing to calm down.

Eliza, who had been watching me, slowly looked around.

“This is really high….”

She murmured nervously, gripping the saddle tightly.

“Riding on the back of a creature with free will… it’s incredibly dangerous….”

Her uncharacteristic behavior made me chuckle.

My heart finally settled.

“Do you think Yuel finds me heavy?”

She gently stroked Yuel’s horns, as if soothing her.

From what I know, she feels light… No, I shouldn’t think about that.

“Since Yuel is carrying me even when I’m fully armored, you don’t need to worry.”

“Hmm….”

Though she still seemed uneasy, Yuel looked a bit excited.

It was her first time carrying Eliza, and she seemed to enjoy it.

‘Cute little one. You saved me.’

Without Yuel, I would’ve been stuck, frozen forever.

I patted her chin a few times before stepping into the stirrup.

I grabbed the saddle and climbed up.

Once I stepped into the other stirrup, it created quite an awkward sight.

With Eliza sitting sideways, I had to enclose her entirely in my arms.

Moreover, I was straddling the saddle with my legs wide apart….

I shook off distracting thoughts and gave Eliza some instructions.

“…It could be dangerous when we start running, so hold on tight. You can grab Yuel’s horns, or hold onto my arm or body.”

“…Okay.”

“We’re starting now.”

I tapped Yuel’s horns twice.

It was the signal to move.

As soon as Yuel took her first step, Eliza flinched.

Then, she wrapped her arms tightly around my waist.

‘Think pure thoughts…’

We began to patrol the area.

We couldn’t find Richard within the forest.

‘If we can’t find him in the fields either, we’ll have to head back.’

“I’m going to speed up.”

Eliza nodded silently.

Yuel started running.

Eliza clung to my waist and froze.

‘It must be scary if it’s her first time.’

Yuel dashed swiftly through the forest.

She nimbly weaved through the thick trees.

A normal horse could never pull off such agility.

I was scared at first, too.

I remember being terrified, thinking we’d crash into a tree.

But now, I’m used to it.

I pulled Eliza closer with one arm, letting her lean into me.

It was more stable that way, that’s all.

No other intentions. Really.

Yuel charged powerfully, breaking out of the forest.

A vast field will soon unfold.

I would sometimes take Yuel and go for a walk to distant places whenever I had time to spare.

Because I wanted to see the grand scenery of nature, something rare to find in the place I used to live.

I wished Eliza could see it too.

She was holding me tightly, her eyes closed as if she was scared.

“Miss.”

When I called her softly, she lifted her head slightly.

Her gaze asked why I called.

“Look ahead.”

“…Ahead?”

I simply nodded.

She looked at me curiously, then turned her head forward.

At that moment, Yuel ran between the trees, jumping over the bushes.

Bright light pierced our eyes.

***

Pop-!

As we burst through the bushes, it was as if the world opened up, pouring light and unveiling the landscape.

Eliza’s eyes widened as her black hair fluttered in the wind.

The field that stretched out before us swayed gently with the breeze.

It extended flat and uninterrupted.

The sky and the horizon were meeting.

The fresh green air filled my lungs.

The wind on my face was cool, yet my body was warm.

Because of Judas, who was holding me.

Or perhaps because I was holding Judas.

Both were true.

Because that was exactly how we were at that moment.

In front of the great plain, she couldn’t utter a single thought.

‘…Color.’

Color spread over the once-ashen landscape.

Vivid hues shimmered in waves.

Her vision was filled with two colors.

The green field and the blue sky.

Occasionally, small patches of white clouds.

Here and there, wildflowers bloomed.

It wasn’t that Eliza couldn’t see colors before.

She had just accepted that there was no meaning in them, believing her world was devoid of color.

But now, as she rode Yuel, embraced by Judas, in this moment—

She could perceive the colors clearly.

Before her was a more beautiful spectacle than any artwork she had ever studied for the sake of refinement.

Without realizing it, tears began to flow as Eliza took in the scenery.

With every breath, her chest filled with overwhelming emotion.

As they crossed the field at high speed, the refreshing wind hit and scattered.

Eliza recalled various expressions describing the senses.

Seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling.

None of them could explain this situation.

Her sharp mind quickly found the right answer.

Embrace.

Eliza embraced this moment in her heart.

All that she could see, hear, smell, and feel on her skin.

Like a cherished memory from childhood that she would carefully keep and revisit.

Just like the days she spent with her mother.

She felt as if she would bookmark today, keeping it in her memory for a long, long time.

***

Eliza held me with one arm, using her other hand to hold down her fluttering hair.

She slowly took in the vast scenery around us.

I could see her profile.

Her round cheeks slightly protruding.

Her large, red eyes filled with the greenness of nature.

For some reason, tears were streaming down from the corners of her eyes.

She blinked slowly, then opened her mouth.

“Judas.”

I quickly interrupted.

“Don’t speak. Beginners can bite their tongues if they’re not careful.”

I wasn’t born with horse-riding skills either.

In fact, I bit my tongue several times when I first rode Yuel.

Eliza didn’t say anything else.

She quietly looked ahead, then placed the hand that had been holding her hair over mine.

That alone made it feel like something had been conveyed.

We didn’t speak for a while.

We simply crossed the field on Yuel.

***

In the end, we didn’t find Richard and just ended up sightseeing across the field with Eliza.

Surprisingly, Eliza seemed to enjoy it.

I slowed Yuel’s pace so she could take in the surroundings at leisure.

Step by step, we walked slowly across the field.

Eliza, who was in my arms, looked around the meadow with wide eyes, like a cat watching the scenery outside the window.

She didn’t ask to go back, nor did she question why we were delaying.

It was the first time I’d seen her like this.

Leisurely, quietly appreciating something.

Eliza is always relaxed.

She carries the unique calmness of someone with power.

But it didn’t seem like it was because she was truly at ease.

Though I didn’t know the full details.

Holding me with one arm while gazing out at the meadow, she looked strangely peaceful.

Her expression was different from usual, more emotionless.

I wasn’t appreciating the scenery; I was admiring Eliza.

Her graceful nose. Small but full lips.

Her cheeks, still retaining a youthful roundness.

Her deep, gleaming red eyes.

Her personality had changed, and in many ways, she felt softer than the Eliza I once worried about.

“That.”

Eliza, who had been staring at something intently, pointed with her finger.

There was a yellow flower blooming there.

“Do you want it?”

“Yes.”

Approaching the flower, I spoke to Yuel.

“Pick just one for me.”

Yuel pressed its face against the flower, tilting it, then neatly cut the stem near the roots and handed it to me.

It was as clean as if a person had picked it, with no damage.

“Good job. Thank you.”

“…Is it really that smart?”

Eliza mostly sees Yuel only in the stable.

She rarely gets to witness its intelligence as I do.

As I handed Eliza the flower, I said,

“Of course. Sometimes I’m even surprised myself when I see how smart it is. It helps a lot too.”

“Hm… You know quite a lot about it.”

“If you go on walks with Yuel, you’ll get to know it too, Miss.”

“I’m not really one for walking alone…”

Eliza trailed off, staring at the flower.

I kept quiet as well.

Talking like this made me feel like an overly proud parent, and it embarrassed me.

‘But it really is smart…’

I subtly changed the subject.

“What kind of flower is it?”

“A marigold.”

I didn’t expect her to know that.

Eliza truly seems to know everything.

As she fiddled with the marigold, she placed it behind her ear.

Looking up at me, she gave a slight smile.

She always smiled at me like that, gently.

The reason it felt different from before must have been purely due to my own feelings.

Not because she had changed.

***

“Ugh, screw this! I quit!”

Richard shouted in frustration.

He had even lost track of how many days had passed since the exam started.

“Where the hell is it?! Ugh! I quit, no, I can’t do this!”

He had searched here and there, following the map.

As a result, he encountered several things.

Like goblins forming a small village in a cave.

Or deserters hiding in the forest.

Or a secret force operating covertly, whose affiliation or purpose he didn’t know. And so on.

None of them, among those he brutally took down, had the sacred relic.

It was all just hard work.

“I don’t care anymore. I’ll aim for the next exam or whatever. Something will work out.”

If it had been a mission to recklessly hunt some monster, that might’ve been different.

But this, he absolutely despised.

Richard, having given up, mounted his horse.

He rode straight in the direction of the mansion.

Beyond the forest lay a wide field.

There, he saw it.

“…Huh? What’s that?”

A leisurely strolling deer.

And there was someone riding on it.

“It’s Judas!”

Something was dangling from the deer’s side.

A round, ash-gray object.

It was the Sun Emblem being held up.

‘Of course, it’s you again.’

I knew it.

That extraordinary junior of mine always succeeded.

It’s not that he never fails.

There are times when he loses, and sometimes he makes mistakes.

But Judas never truly crumbled.

In the end, he always achieved what he needed to.

Sometimes, it was strange.

After all, Judas wasn’t the type to be naturally smart like him.

Yet, every now and then, Judas showed remarkable quick thinking.

‘Maybe I’ll just go over and talk to him… huh? Who’s that?’

As Richard approached, he noticed something unusual.

Judas wasn’t alone.

Someone was in his arms.

‘A girl? That’s…’

He immediately recognized her.

Eliza.

She was leaning against Judas.

The way they were holding each other looked incredibly affectionate.

‘…Hah, unbelievable. Acting like it’s nothing, huh? Really, those two, geez.’

To make it even more obvious, Eliza had a yellow flower tucked in her hair, smiling at Judas.

The cold and sharp impression she usually gave off completely softened when she was with Judas.

‘Sigh… both of them are so frustrating.’

How much longer were they going to awkwardly keep pushing each other away?

Despite his frustration, Richard smirked mischievously.

He had enough material to tease Judas endlessly when he got back.

Richard decided to turn around.

He didn’t want to interrupt their time together.

‘So, it’s finally happening, huh?’

The guy who always achieved what he wanted.

Even becoming Eliza’s first knight, an accomplishment no one else had managed.

Although Eliza hadn’t officially announced it yet, Richard was certain of it.