The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 83

After the duel between Achan and Judas ended, several priests guarding the Church quietly appeared.

They were there to handle the aftermath of the battle.

Most of their attention was on the severely defeated Achan.

A few priests approached Judas.

Judas waved his hand.

“I’m fine.”

“No.”

Eliza dismissed his response.

She quickly looked Judas over and said,

“Just in case, you should get checked too.”

“I didn’t even get grazed….”

“Still.”

Eliza could also use healing magic.

Her level was on par with that of a cardinal.

However, that magic only healed external wounds.

It couldn’t address internal injuries like divine power could.

“Understood.”

Judas complied.

There was no particular reason to refuse, nor was there one to accept.

He sat on the prepared chair.

As the priest examined Judas’s body, Eliza was looking at a certain door.

She suddenly spoke.

“I need to go somewhere for a bit. Can you manage alone?”

“I’m not a child…. More importantly, where are you planning to go alone?”

“There’s someone I need to meet privately. No one should hear this conversation.”

Even the escort knights have their boundaries.

They were merely hired guards.

There were conversations between the master and someone else that should not be overheard.

“Understood.”

Judas acknowledged.

Even if she was far away, he could summon her immediately if he wished.

But for some reason, there was a slight….

“I’ll call you if there’s an emergency.”

“Yes.”

“I’ll be back soon, so don’t worry.”

Eliza left.

Judas quietly watched her back as he received the priest’s care.

A notification popped up in his mind.

In fact, it had come earlier, but he was only checking it now.

[You have completed the hidden quest ‘Perfect Noble Hunt.’]

[Please select your reward.]

***

While Judas and Achan were fighting, Barak was speaking with Bishop Harold.

In a small confessional prepared in one corner of the Church.

No one could enter.

“It’s been a while since we met like this.”

Barak spoke first, with a relaxed tone.

“I apologize for not being able to visit due to my busy schedule.”

At his polite words, Barak only chuckled lightly.

“No need to apologize. We’re both preparing for important matters, so it’s natural to be busy.”

“The part you mentioned is slightly delayed but progressing smoothly….”

“Bishop Harold.”

Barak calmly interrupted him.

This wasn’t a place for pointless chit-chat.

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“I won’t waste words. Are you still not considering allying with Bevel again?”

“What do you mean by that….”

“Did you really think I wouldn’t know?”

“…….”

“Even His Majesty must have sensed something; it’s strange that you haven’t received any hint.”

“…….”

Harold remained silent.

Barak deliberately prolonged the silence.

To unsettle his counterpart.

Silence is an excellent tool for sowing discord, as it lets the other person’s imagination run wild.

“This is both a warning and a proposition. I don’t know what promises His Majesty made, but do you truly believe he will keep them as they are?”

Barak paused to observe Harold’s reaction.

Calm silence.

Even his breathing did not falter.

Whether it was remarks about how His Majesty wouldn’t behave that way, or about how he found him just as untrustworthy, nothing came out of him.

He expected a retort to slip out instinctively, but he was not so careless.

“Think carefully. When the hunt is over, if it’s judged that there will be no more hunting, the hound is bound to be slaughtered, not fed.”

“…Understood.”

Harold left with an ambiguous response, difficult to interpret.

Barak leaned back quietly in his chair.

‘I’m not sure if this is enough….’

The time is approaching to show some action.

Perhaps a great war will break out.

What will happen after that?

The Bavel family.

His own children.

And Eliza.

“Hoo….”

Letting out a sigh, uncertain about the future.

At that moment, the door across from him opened.

The confessional is divided into two spaces.

The room where the penitent sits to confess sins.

Currently, that was Barak’s seat.

Across was the room where the priest who hears and absolves sins sits.

The door to the priest’s room had opened.

Barak looked over curiously.

Beyond the dense lattice screen.

He couldn’t identify the person on the other side.

All he could make out was long black hair.

“Who’s there…?”

“Duke Barak.”

“…..!”

Barak’s eyes widened.

It was a familiar voice.

A calm, gentle female voice.

“We aren’t particularly interested in a lengthy conversation, so let’s get to the point. What’s your relationship with Angra?”

“…….”

“What are you plotting behind the scenes with the Moon God Cult?”

Barak remained silent.

Partially, it wasn’t intentional.

His lips wouldn’t move, caught off guard.

How did she know that?

“You’re surprised. Your breathing faltered slightly. That’s the reaction when an uncomfortable truth is revealed. Well, you probably aren’t secretly working with the Moon God Cult for world peace, so it’s only natural.”

“…….”

“Not willing to explain? Then how about this—I know Angra’s location. I could capture him at any moment if I wished.”

“…!”

“What is the Duke’s goal…? Meeting secretly with the Moon God Cult, even when it’s now possible to ally openly, means there’s a particular reason, doesn’t it? Shall I take a guess? The empire’s downfall? The revival of an evil god? Or… dealing with a grown-up illegitimate child too powerful to control…?”

At that moment, her words stopped abruptly.

An unnatural silence.

Barak looked over to the other side.

“…?”

The figure was gone.

She had disappeared, clearly.

The door hadn’t opened.

It wasn’t as if she’d hidden like a child’s prank, ducking below.

There was only one conclusion.

She had teleported.

Barak, a bit dazed, called out the name of the one who had just been interrogating him.

As if she would answer.

“…Eliza?”

***

The priests who had been checking for internal injuries had all left.

Since there were no injuries, it was quick.

[Please choose your reward.]

[1. Soul Binding]

[2. Mana Barrier]

[3. Revelation Discovery Enhancement]

Growth is still welcome.

Alone, he pondered the list of rewards.

“Hmm, what should I choose…?”

Each reward is quite impressive.

Soul Binding.

It allows me to bind a specific object to my soul, letting me summon or dismiss it at will.

This reward appeared on the list once before.

‘Back then, I didn’t have anything worth binding, but things are different now.’

Moon’s Pupil.

This relic is an excellent weapon for binding.

The advantage of Soul Binding isn’t just its portability.

I can pretend to be unarmed and then summon it to launch a surprise attack.

‘It’s pretty good, but… among these three, it oddly feels a bit lacking.’

I’ll hold off on that for now.

Next is the Mana Barrier.

This one is also quite tempting.

Similar to forming a sword with mana, it allows me to create a large barrier.

‘In a way, it suits my role as a knight protector.’

However, there are some issues.

Since it’s larger than a sword, it consumes a tremendous amount of mana.

More fundamentally, Eliza isn’t someone who really needs such extreme protection.

‘Honestly, she’s stronger than me, so… hmm…’

When considering its actual efficacy, it’s more suitable for someone heading into battle than a bodyguard.

Moving on.

Finally.

Enhanced Revelation’s Discovery.

The name alone doesn’t give much clue to its meaning.

I read the description.

[Enhances an effect that completely blocks all magical damage once.]

[It activates automatically when affected by magic and grants complete immunity to all magical damage for three seconds immediately after. The first triggering magic is nullified as well.]

[Cooldown: 24 hours.]

Eliza, who once used fire magic against me.

This would help avoid that tragedy, but just in case…

As I was about to choose my reward.

“Are you Sir Judas?”

Suddenly, a priest approached.

Their face was hidden deep under a hood.

“Yes. What is it?”

“I came to check if you have any injuries.”

“Another priest already checked on me earlier.”

“Oh, I see. Did they say there were no issues?”

“That’s correct.”

“That’s a relief. But I was specifically ordered to check… If it’s not a bother, may I verify it briefly?”

The priest’s demeanor was very earnest and cautious.

If it’s their duty, then…

“Sure, go ahead.”

“Your hand, please.”

I offered my hand willingly.

The priest extended their hand toward me.

Their figure was shadowed by the light.

A sudden question arose in my mind.

‘Why is the hood pulled down so low?’

Among the priests here, there’s no one like that.

In fact, given the dress code…

Something felt wrong.

An uneasy sense of discrepancy.

The moment I tried to withdraw my hand.

“Step back.”

A voice spoke.

The petite figure that appeared out of nowhere was someone I knew all too well.

The red scarf, the black cat plushie in one arm.

The red eyes gazing down at me as I sat.

“Young lady?”

It was Eliza.

But why is she telling me to step back?

“Why should I…”

“Be quiet…”

Eliza turned away, her face flushed.

It was then that I realized.

‘Oh. She miscalculated the direction when teleporting…’

Wait a second.

But how did she appear right in front of me?

But more importantly, why all of a sudden….

“What business do you have with my escort knight?”

She spoke to the priest who had tried to touch me.

Unlike her earlier embarrassment, her voice returned to its usual tone.

Perhaps flustered, the priest awkwardly took a step back.

Eliza’s words struck like a nail being hammered in.

“Especially you, a Dark mage, at that.”