The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 92

Right after being ambushed by a mysterious group, Hermes and the knights arrived.

“As expected! Lord Judas! And Lady Eliza!”

From afar, she called out, as if relieved to see us.

The enemies were briefly taken aback but quickly readied their crossbows towards us once more.

“Everyone, grab your weapons…!”

The moment Dylan gave the order, a light appeared.

A golden flame enveloped the front in a hemispherical shield.

It was Eliza’s magic.

The barrier of flames protected us, and the projectiles that were fired disintegrated in the fire.

Dylan hastily issued new orders.

“Those uninjured, engage the enemies at the rear and then join our front lines! Lindel, Jerry! You two, tend to the wounded first!”

“You damned bastards—!”

Richard cursed, charging backwards, followed by several others.

We collided with the enemies blocking the path to the underground city.

During the clash, Lindel approached me.

“Judas. Are you okay?”

“Ugh… I’m sore.”

“Hang tight; I’ll get it out.”

Eliza watched nearby, her gaze filled with worry.

“Ready to pull?”

“Yes…!”

I clenched my teeth.

The sharp, solid object embedded in my back was slowly removed.

“Ugh…!”

I bit down hard, holding back a scream.

At that moment, Eliza swiftly extended her hand diagonally upwards.

From her hand, a fierce flame formed, shooting up at an angle like an arrow.

Ahead, an enormous ice spear was summoned to intercept the advancing fire.

‘Ice Spear?’

Eliza’s flames collided precisely with the summoned ice.

The two spells clashed and exploded, sending out a shockwave.

The opposing elements canceled each other out, releasing steam into the air.

Broken ice and droplets of water showered down like rain.

“It’s out!”

Finally, the bolt was removed.

“Damn, that hurts… There’s no poison, right?”

“Luckily, it seems not.”

“Judas, stay still.”

Eliza placed her hand on my back.

The pain quickly subsided, and I felt my skin knitting back together.

It was healing magic.

“Ah… Thank you, my lady.”

“There’s a mage among them. I’ll handle him….”

“Aaagh—!”

A loud scream echoed from behind.

Startled, I turned to see Hador thrashing about after removing his own bolt.

Behind him, I saw Richard and our allies in fierce combat.

Richard, locked in a swordfight with an opponent, seemed to overpower his foe through sheer strength. Grabbing his opponent’s wrist with one hand, he pulled, tipping the balance.

As the enemy extended a foot to regain balance, Richard swiftly kicked it away.

‘A clean back heel kick.’

The enemy fell, and his neck was slashed simultaneously.

Five years of training had paid off, and now, they could all skillfully handle real combat.

Watching Hador, whose face had paled, I turned to Eliza.

“Could you possibly heal that Hador guy as well?”

“….”

“If you’re not inclined….”

“I’ll do it.”

Her tone was reluctant.

As if she’d disappeared, Eliza reappeared beside Hador and swiftly healed his ankle wound.

The speed was instantaneous.

Before Hador could even greet us, Eliza was back by my side.

‘Even though they’re her personal guards, she’s a bit too cold, isn’t she?’

Hador, the subject of the comment, greeted us in a loud voice.

“Thank you, Miss!”

Well, considering she healed his injury in just a few seconds in this situation, warmth or coldness doesn’t really matter.

Standing up, Eliza spoke.

“I’ll handle the mage.”

She’s the one we must protect and our leader.

Ironically, she doesn’t really need active help from us.

She’s a stronger force than all of us combined.

From the moment their first surprise attack failed, they were as good as defeated.

I spoke up.

“…Please, stay safe. Summon us if anything happens.”

“…….”

Eliza stared at me intensely, then pulled her scarf up to cover her face beneath her eyes.

For some reason, the tips of her ears turned red.

After a brief pause, she looked away and responded.

“…Sure.”

Eliza’s figure disappeared.

It seemed she had teleported in pursuit of the mage.

“After securing the rear, proceed forward and join our allies!”

Dylan shouted.

I couldn’t just stand by idly either.

With a loud whistle—!

In the distance, Yuel approached, leaping from cliff to cliff.

It gracefully dodged bolts and occasionally kicked off enemies, sending them tumbling down.

At last, Yuel came right up to me.

I climbed on top and patted it’s neck.

“Good girl, good girl. You’ve been doing well.”

While the rest of the team handles the ground, I’ll run across the cliffs with Yuel.

To deal with any enemies that pop out.

“You don’t seem hurt. Ready to run again?”

Yuel answered by pawing at the ground.

“Alright. Let’s go.”

In a flash, we were airborne.

I looked down at the enemies positioned all around the gorge.

***

Eliza teleported directly in front of the mage.

Though they all wore identical dark robes, identifying the mage was easy.

The highest cliff, overlooking the entire gorge.

The mage, who had been waiting against the wall, clapped his hands and stepped forward.

A smile spread beneath his hood.

“My, my. Impressive. The mage who heralds the return of the mythic era. Not only did you locate me, but you even closed this distance flawlessly.”

Eliza remained silent, her golden pupils glaring as if to burn him alive.

Her heart had been pounding fiercely since earlier.

Judas, who had shielded her from harm.

And Judas, who had been struck by a bolt protecting her.

The intense memories of both moments replayed, making it hard for her heart to settle.

“Glaring like that is terrifying. Are you so angry that your precious lover almost died?”

“…?”

Eliza tilted her head, puzzled.

It was a strange taunt.

It was so out of the blue it almost dispelled her tension.

She didn’t have a lover, though?

“Perhaps it’s because you’re a mage who’s dabbled in dark magic, but you seem to have lost your sanity.”

“Oh… Truly impressive. You figured that out too?”

“Your aura resembles that of the comrade of yours who died back there.”

The mage crossed his arms.

Rubbing his chin, he looked as if he were seriously contemplating something.

He extended his hand toward Eliza.

Not in a stance to cast magic, but as an offer.

“Hey. I’m asking this seriously, would you consider joining us? The more I learn, the more I see your talent is far too precious to waste. True, our initial meeting might have been poor… but I assure you, if I speak with the higher-ups, someone of your skills would be welc—”

“No thanks. I’m not interested in joining the Imperial Mage Corps.”

“…!”

The mage took a few steps back in surprise.

“H… how…?”

Eliza simply gave a soft smile.

“Well.”

A dark mage infiltrated the Sun Church.

The temple knights, who served under the Imperial forces, had let the dark mage escape.

The records and studies found in that dark mage’s residence.

And, the three Imperial Court mages I faced directly with Judas.

It was the result of piecing together various clues.

The Imperial Mage Corps had turned to dark magic to amplify their powers.

The Emperor knew about it and was using them.

And, for some reason, they were targeting me.

I wasn’t completely certain, though.

I only thought it was a high possibility.

To gauge their reaction, I pretended to know, and they took the bait.

That was all.

“I don’t particularly feel like telling you. Even if you ask why you’re lurking around me, I doubt you’d answer.”

“…”

“Annoying… Should I tear you limb from limb?”

“…That’s a shame. It would’ve been great if you had become an ally.”

Just a pure pursuit of power, a fanatical obsession.

A textbook example of a mage dabbling in dark magic.

The difference was that, as a member of the Imperial Mage Corps, he was also powerful as a pure mage.

The mage reached out his hand.

He cast a completed spell.

Around Eliza, delicate bubbles began to rise.

Thousands of tiny bubbles encircled Eliza as if trapping her within a single droplet.

Sharp ice spikes, like needles, formed outside the bubble in all directions.

This time, too, there were approximately thousands of them.

They all pointed at Eliza in unison.

There was no angle to evade.

The mage had heard that his comrade had been killed by Eliza.

The news made him glad.

He could use his comrade as a sacrifice to further strengthen his dark magic.

And with that power, he wanted to face Eliza in battle.

He honed his magic for this day, refining it meticulously.

His ultimate spell, prepared by putting his life on the line.

“Considering you can only handle fire attacks, this spell should be a burden for you. Even if you’re like a reincarnation from the Mythical Age, magic ultimately boils down to a matchup, right?”

“Is that so…?”

“That exceptionally gifted body of yours would have made a perfect sacrifice…”

The mage couldn’t continue his words.

Dazed, his half-opened mouth froze in place.

What unfolded before his eyes defied reality.

Eliza simply waved her hand.

Then, the bubble barrier started burning.

It was an impossible phenomenon.

Burning water?

The water evaporated in flames as if it were burning paper.

The ice spikes were no different.

They melted in an instant.

The magic he had built on his life as a mage, on all his experience…

Eliza looked at him nonchalantly and spoke.

“It’s not like I can only use fire magic.”

“What…”

The mage’s hair stood on end.

A chill ran down his spine.

Before he could even react, the ground shot up.

A rock jutted out.

A massive boulder struck the mage’s chin with force.

He fainted on the spot.

Eliza looked down at him indifferently.

‘Is this all…?’

There were about ten members in the Imperial Mage Corps.

Of those, she had defeated four.

And three of them were at a three-to-one disadvantage.

Casually, she tried out the spell he had just cast.

It was her first time seeing it, but she could do it.

She didn’t know why it was possible.

She just felt she could, and indeed, she succeeded.

Thousands of bubbles and ice spikes manifested.

They were larger and denser than the ones created by the mage she had knocked out.

‘…It’s unimpressive.’

Eliza dismissed the spell indifferently.

‘Is my power really that abnormal?’

She still found it difficult to gauge her own level.

Some days, she thought she understood, but then she would suddenly grow stronger, making precise measurement difficult.

‘I need an exact measure to compare myself to Balak…’

Especially on days when she shared close moments with Judas, her growth seemed to accelerate even more.

‘Anyway, getting stronger is a good thing, so it’s not bad. Maybe I should think of it as Judas’s influence.’

With that thought, she looked down at the ravine.

The advantageous position of her allies was clearly visible.

However, Eliza wasn’t particularly interested in that fact.

Instead, she focused on a single point, bouncing between the cliffs.

It was Judas, riding on Yuel.

‘He’s safe.’

He was moving along the top of the cliffs, cutting down enemies.

Eliza placed a hand on her chest.

Her heart, which had been pounding painfully since earlier, continued its relentless beat.

She recalled the moment it started.

When Judas had knocked him to the ground.

And when she saw the wound on Judas’s back.

Her heart had sunk.

Her body stirred from within.

The reaction was the same, yet the reasons were entirely different.

What… could it be? How were they different?

Eliza shook her head.

There was something else she needed to do immediately.

She had to support his allies with magic.

‘A mage of the Imperial Magic Division. Then those are royal knights.’

After casually deducing this, she cast a spell.

Dozens of fire arrows formed above the ravine.

They poured down like rain, hitting only the enemies.

Eliza watched the descending fire.

Judas, moving along the cliffs on Yuel, looked up.

Their eyes met.

He gave a short, thankful nod and grinned.

“……”

Eliza stared at her, spellbound.

After a brief greeting, Judas quickly focused on the battle again.

His gaze was intense, fully committed to something.

Calm and sharp.

Flying on Yuel, his hair whipped in the wind.

His bold, distinct features were fully visible.

Dark eyebrows, deep eyes. A straight nose. And those lips….

Without realizing, Eliza licked her own lips and swallowed, quickly shaking her head.

She brushed away unnecessary thoughts.

There was still work to be done.

Time must not be wasted.

That was the only reason.

The reason her face felt hot and her heart beat faster than before was due to the adrenaline of the battle ending.

It was absolutely not because of Judas.

She steadied her mind and looked at the unconscious mage.

‘Hmm…. It would be troublesome if he escapes.’

This mage needed to be interrogated.

He had to talk about the royal family and dark magic.

She wasn’t sure how she would use that information yet.

But it was bound to be valuable.

Dark magic was despised in all nations and societies.

Those madmen who sought to sacrifice humans could only expect that.

And yet, the Imperial Royal Family, the pillar of the continent, was dabbling in dark magic?

The revelation of such a truth would cause a massive impact.

She wasn’t necessarily trying to create chaos.

It was just that she wanted to understand why the royal family was so interested in her.

That was all she was curious about.

If necessary, she would oppose the empire, but more pressing was the annihilation of the Bevel family.

Keeping her priorities clear, Eliza placed a hand on the dark mage’s body.

‘A mage capable of teleportation. Physical restraints are meaningless.’

In other words, she had to prevent the use of magic.

A temporary barrier wouldn’t suffice.

The anti-magic field had many limitations, and maintaining it would exhaust even Eliza.

It was better to seal the ability to use magic entirely.

‘I’ve never heard of that being possible.’

She simply entertained the thought.

To completely burn the opponent’s mana circuits.

But she believed it could be done.

When it came to magic, even if it wasn’t magic itself, she had never failed.

An application combining the anti-magic field she had learned last time and the method she had used to break through it.

She sensed the mage’s mana circuits through her hand.

A flow that spread through the body like veins.

Having frequently observed Judas’s mana circuits, she quickly located those of others.

The circuits spread out in bundles starting from the heart.

She set those circuits ablaze.

Eliza stared intently at the area near the heart.

It wasn’t visible to the naked eye.

But she could clearly feel it with her hand.

The mana circuits flowing through the mage’s body.

Starting from the tips of the limbs and reaching the heart, it burned away like a candle.

‘…It’s done.’

Finally, every magical circuit was incinerated.

Now, this mage could no longer use magic.

They were in the same position as any ordinary person without magic.

Their talent no longer felt remarkable.

It had always been this way.

Eliza checked below once more.

Before they knew it, the battle had ended, and the allies were handling the aftermath.

The once-intense atmosphere of fierce fighting had settled, becoming calm.

‘…….’

And there, Judas and Hermes were chatting with smiles.

Just the two of them.