The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 89

Gaston.

A former instructor at the training camp.

A knight who, under Barak’s orders, engaged in vile schemes targeting Dylan and me.

Was it during the group mock war?

After being discovered by Eliza, he was expelled.

Sallaman.

He colluded with Gaston to obtain a title, becoming the main instigator in bullying Dylan.

He, too, was expelled along with Gaston.

That’s what I heard.

Whether they’re dead or alive, I haven’t heard any more details.

But…

“Gaston, and Sallaman… isn’t it?”

In the underground city we came to in pursuit of the dark mage.

There they were—Gaston and Sallaman.

Skin devoid of color.

Vacant eyes.

Movements creaking unnaturally.

Ghouls.

Born from the dark mage’s curse.

“Something else is coming!”

The booming sound of footsteps like drums.

They fill the underground city, resembling an ant nest.

They come at us from all directions, except for the entrance.

At the edge of the torchlight’s glow.

Enemies crowd in like a swarm.

A horde of red orcs.

They’re a bit different from the orcs seen outside.

Their eyes lack focus.

Their movements are slack, drooping.

“They’re all ghouls too… Just how many ghouls are there?!”

“Stay calm! Regroup! First, let’s fall back…”

Dylan, mid-sentence, fell silent.

Everyone glanced back nervously.

The entrance was blocked.

A large rock, which wasn’t there before, now barred the stairs.

‘A trap….’

“The passage is too narrow for them to attack all at once! We have the advantage!”

Dylan’s orders were calm and precise, even in this tense situation.

The strongest members took the front with their shields raised.

I was one of them.

With six people in place, the passage was fully blocked.

Behind us stood five archers. And Dylan, directing us from the back.

As he said, the passage worked to our advantage.

‘But ghouls have much stronger brute strength than when they were alive. They feel no pain and show no hesitation. This won’t be easy.’

There’s one downside to ghouls.

While their physical abilities increase abnormally, their intelligence declines.

Still, we can’t relax.

A dark mage capable of creating this many ghouls…

Even without seeing him, he’s clearly powerful.

An exceptional dark mage can even control their ghouls directly.

Or create a commanding entity to lead the entire ghoul swarm.

‘But that doesn’t mean we’re without a way to win.’

Dylan quickly issued a command.

“Only use one torch!”

I nearly forgot for a moment too.

This is an enclosed space.

If it fills with toxic gases from too many torches, we’re in danger.

We extinguished all but one torch.

The light dimmed, and darkness deepened.

Sallaman and Gaston, seemingly directing the charge, raised their swords and pointed them at us.

“They’re coming! Prepare for battle!”

***

Judas, at the forefront, raised her shield.

When fighting as a group, maintaining formation is crucial. So is teamwork.

Acting rashly wasn’t an option.

First, assess the situation; we can act later without rushing.

The staggering orcs suddenly picked up speed.

They charged, flailing their limbs grotesquely.

Their stance was clumsy, unbefitting a proper warrior.

But—

Bang!

The force hitting against the shield was no joke.

‘Even though it’s reinforced, this is pretty rough…’

He glanced to the side.

Through the gaps in the shield, his comrades thrust their swords to keep the enemy at bay.

An arrow shot past his head.

It was a dangerously close strategy.

‘Our teamwork is on point, but there are just too many enemies.’

Judas asked without specifying anyone in particular.

“How much longer can everyone hold out?!”

“We’re managing!”

“Not a problem!”

Even when faced with unexpected enemies, Room 13 never backed down.

Judas made up his mind.

‘I need to step in.’

Ghouls lack intelligence.

However, these ones moved as if they possessed it.

When one got injured, it would fall back, and a healthy orc would step forward to take its place.

‘They’re not thinking. There’s a leader directing them. That would be… those two.’

The first ghouls to appear.

Gaston and Sallaman.

The two didn’t approach.

They merely observed from the edge of the light.

“I’ll jump into their midst!”

It was something only he could do.

Dylan responded.

“We’re counting on you!”

Hador shouted.

“I’ll cover you!”

As Hador pressed forward with his shield, Judas naturally moved up front.

The substitution flowed smoothly like water.

Judas infused mana directly into the Moon’s Pupil.

The black blade began to radiate light.

It shone in a brilliant ivory color.

[Mana Release (Lv.42)]

Though he had repeatedly drained and refilled his mana because of Eliza, his magic stat had actually decreased.

The rate at which his mana was absorbed was faster than before.

Still, it was enough to fight in this situation.

Several orcs charged toward the solitary Judas.

He didn’t move hastily.

The mana coursing through his circuits cooled his mind.

He simply took a step forward and slashed his sword across.

He bypassed multiple axe swings that were clumsily aimed at him.

As if time had faltered, the consequences of his actions were a beat delayed.

When Judas took his next step, the axes shattered in unison.

And when he took another step, heads fell.

Blood spurted like a fountain from the orcs’ necks.

The others momentarily stood dazed, watching him.

When they first saw this sight while fighting a gang of train robbers.

They had been utterly shocked the first time they witnessed that scene.

Even now, it was just as awe-inspiring.

It was surreal.

Their resolve burned even brighter within.

It was only natural.

This dependable man was their comrade.

For five years, he had shared blood, sweat, laughter, and battles with them—a family.

Dylan shouted.

“Everyone, advance by a step! Move up with Judas, securing a range where we can protect him!”

Judas advanced with his comrades at his back.

Comrades whom he could trust to guard his back were rare.

His targets were Gaston and Sallaman.

He cut down the lesser foes casually as he passed.

“……”

The orc-turned-ghouls swung their axes without a sound.

Their twisted movements were grotesque.

After a few quick clashes, he broke through and reached Gaston.

He swung his sword down with force.

Gaston raised his sword to block it.

With a clang, the impact made Judas’s arm throb.

‘He blocked it…?’

The Moon’s Pupil.

Its sharpness could shatter even the Stone Sword in a direct hit.

Yet, Ghoul Gaston had blocked that attack.

‘It’s not the equipment. This is… enchantment.’

Enhancing a weapon with mana was something even mages could do.

They would imbue it with an attribute matching their specialty.

This is called enchantment.

And, a dark mage can imitate that as well.

‘An enchantment strong enough to block the pupil of the moon… the level is far higher than I thought. Just who is this dark mage?’

Moreover, Gaston was a knight.

Ghouls retain some of the strength and skills they had in life.

A wavering movement.

Swordsmanship blended in an oddly peculiar way.

And, there were two opponents.

When he faces Gaston, Sallaman intervenes.

He twists his body, barely managing to block with a shield.

If he tries to kick and stab with his sword, this time, Gaston interferes.

There’s no room to retreat.

An orc is behind him.

A surrounded situation.

But.

“Keep moving forward!”

The allies quickly pushed in to his location.

Richard leapt forward.

“Need some help?”

Judas smirked.

“I almost died from exhaustion, so help would be appreciated.”

“Stop whining.”

Richard took on Sallaman.

Judas faced Gaston.

Another comrade took on the orc.

The tide of the battle turned swiftly in their favor.

***

The dark mage, Tabu, raised his head while writing a letter.

The entrance to his lair had closed.

It meant that a trap he’d set had been triggered.

‘I haven’t received word that anyone was coming… is it a stray?’

Or perhaps a monster that wandered in, seeking shade.

It wasn’t an unusual occurrence.

Tabu dismissed it.

The ghoul group he had on guard would handle it on their own.

He continued writing his letter.

[…Just as I attempted to reinforce brainwashing and suggestion, the thorned crown appeared, and the plan failed. Unclear on how the void was detected. Escaped with the help of the sun, now residing in the current research lab. The target is now likely closer to the thorned crown and interacting more often, rendering the previous plan completely nullified. Awaiting the next directive….]

He paused mid-sentence and raised his head again.

‘Still alive?’

The sound of the ghoul fighting the intruder reached even here.

Faint, yet discernible.

He had expected it to end quickly.

At the level of ghouls he commanded, a typical stray wouldn’t last more than a few seconds.

Even a skilled fighter wouldn’t fare any better.

It wouldn’t be different for a monster either.

There wasn’t a creature around here capable of defeating his ghouls.

‘…Strange. Are there many of them or are they strong? If so, the temporary sacrificial orcs set outside would have intercepted them first, right?’

The orcs stationed outside respond to fairly powerful foes.

While each one isn’t strong individually, they use their numbers to fight the enemy.

Ordinary foes reaching this canyon would be stopped by those orcs.

They were disposable, suitable for sacrifice if they died.

‘So, they defeated them and came through unharmed?’

He set down his pen and stood up.

After grabbing his staff, crafted from human bones, he headed in the direction of the commotion.

He didn’t bring a light to avoid detection.

In any case, he was accustomed to the darkness.

The sounds of battle continued unabated.

Clang, bang, crash.

Heavy weapons clashing.

Thud, thud. Arrows piercing.

Cutting through flesh, cleaving bone.

In the distance, he saw light.

Two sources of light.

A formation gathered around one holding a torch.

And, a young man wielding the moon.

To Tabu, this scene felt like a cruel joke.

‘Why is the target here…?!’

It was fortunate but baffling.

‘How did they find this place?’

He couldn’t believe that such a large, formidable force had arrived by mere chance.

‘Could she have…? No, no, that doesn’t make sense.’

He didn’t know who all of them were.

But he recognized one.

The target specified in the mission.

The child he had once placed under a spell ten years ago.

A sacrifice to become the spearhead of the Empire’s eternal prosperity.

‘I don’t know why, but it turned out well. I’ll subdue him here and complete the mission. That letter might have been unnecessary.’

Hiding in the darkness, he focused.

Ordinary magic would give off light, so he prepared dark magic.

He was too far to use mental magic, and his opponent seemed unscathed.

‘Subduing him takes priority.’

A dark aura seeped into his bone staff.

There were plenty of corpses around them to use as sacrifices for the dark magic.

‘Looks sturdy enough. I don’t need to worry much about adjusting the power, which is convenient.’

Finally, the magic was complete.

‘Corpse Condensation.’

All the dismembered corpses nearby flew toward Judas.

Drawn like magnets, they piled up around him, pressing down with weight.

Blood surged and joined the assault.

The corpses crushed him, and the blood blocked any space to breathe.

‘I doubt he’ll die from just this.’

Black flames erupted from the bone staff.

They sped toward Judas.

The moment they collided with the heap of corpses surrounding him.

Boom-!

All the corpses encasing Judas exploded.

Fragments of flesh filled the narrow tunnel, mingling with the blood.

It was as if a dense mist of blood blanketed the area.

Though his view was obscured, the dark mage sneered.

‘No one’s survived this. The rest look like small fry, so I’ll finish up….’

Suddenly, he felt a breeze and his vision tilted downward.

‘…What?’

As the ground approached slowly, his vision whirled rapidly.

He tumbled, rolling over and over.

When he finally stopped, he belatedly saw a face.

His target, Judas.

Looking down indifferently, Judas shook his sword clean.

Just before he had been trapped by the corpses.

He had noticed the flickering black flames at the end of the passage.

And as the corpses exploded.

[Temporary Magic Immunity Activated.]

[Immune to all magical damage for 3 seconds.]

With magic immunity, he had emerged unscathed.

The dark mage’s consciousness faded entirely.

The remaining ghouls collapsed all at once.

It was because their central core, the dark mage, was dead.

With everyone’s skills being so outstanding, only a few ghouls remained.

Then someone shouted.

“Judas defeated the dark mage!”

The members of Room 13 cheered exuberantly.

So loud, it was enough to worry if the underground city might collapse.

“It’s over-!”

Watching his comrades, now part of the Imperial Guard, Judas merely smiled lightly.

Then, he glanced down at the severed head of the dark mage.

A face lying with its gaze to the sky.

It felt strangely familiar.

‘This person…?’

Not because they had met during the knighting ceremony.

But from a time much longer ago…