The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 94

“Judas….”

The result of tracking down the dark mage.

Through the letter left behind at that place, Eliza reached one conclusion.

“I was nearly subjected to brainwashing and suggestion.”

She recalled Judas’s final trial.

The time she went to find the Statue of the sun.

Eliza managed to identify traces of the dark mage.

The traces remained in the place where Judas had stayed and fought.

Almost as if they had been pursued.

“The dark mage who left traces during the final trial, and the one I tracked down who approached Judas during the investiture ceremony.”

The two are the same person.

“Their objectives align.”

In both cases, they approached Judas.

“The content of the letter, attempting to brainwash him again, implies there was a first attempt.”

It seems they attempted brainwashing during the final trial but failed.

The reason is unknown.

It could have been due to a lack of opportunity or Judas’s mind resisting.

Brainwashing and suggestion magic are not omnipotent.

The effect varies depending on the mental state of the target.

Suppose someone is given a suggestion to kill.

If the target doesn’t want to kill, the suggestion may quickly dissipate or may not work at all.

On the other hand, if there’s intent to kill, the suggestion takes hold more deeply and easily.

“Although the exact reason is unclear, for some reason, the suggestion and brainwashing failed.”

Afterward, they sought Judas again.

Using the investiture ceremony as an opportunity.

“They would have modified and enhanced the previous magic. And if they cast this suggestion enhancement on the spot… there’s no guarantee Judas wouldn’t be affected.”

Fortunately, Eliza intervened in that matter.

She sensed the dark magic’s presence that day and moved to Judas.

“How dare they….”

Eliza felt her anger bubbling.

Before she knew it, her gaze burned with a crazed fire.

Among all the people, they tried to use Judas to kill her.

Judas is the person closest to her.

If they could use him, they knew it would be most effective.

Even if she were their enemy, she would have used the same method.

But understanding it intellectually and experiencing it personally are different matters.

The command note with the suggestion to kill Eliza.

It belongs to Treditor.

Eliza knew this and couldn’t help but be certain.

What she learned from that command note was the existence and usage of the dark magic ‘suggestion enhancement.’

And the possibility that the other party intended to use it on Judas.

She couldn’t think of anything else.

“Whew….”

Eliza sighed deeply and buried her face in a cat doll.

It was a substitute for Judas that she used when she needed comfort.

Sometimes, when Judas was absent, she would lie alone with it on her bed.

With a calmer mind, she reviewed the situation once again.

“The other party tried to brainwash Judas but failed.”

So, to what extent does the scope of that ‘other party’ reach?

First, the dark mage.

He is also a royal mage.

In other words, this includes the empire.

Eliza also suspected some kind of connection between the Moon God Church and the royal family.

The basis was a corpse found in the secret residence of the royal mages.

Gaston, Sallaman.

Gaston Bordeaux.

He is associated with the Moon God Church.

Sallaman also made a deal with Gaston, agreeing to receive a minor title after dedicating himself to the Moon God Church.

Eliza sorted out one fact.

“The empire conspired with the Moon God Church to kill me.”

There’s one more faction that engaged in similar acts.

Barak.

He secretly communicated with Anggra, a figure of the Moon God Church.

Eliza believed the reason and purpose revolved around her.

She summarized the second fact that she had uncovered.

“Barak tried to use the Moon God Church to kill me.”

The knight training camp.

It was established by Barak.

The condition to admit candidates without discrimination was also set by Barak.

At that time, Eliza did not refuse.

He couldn’t refuse.

It was shortly after her mother had passed away.

She was adjusting to life in the Bevel household, receiving direct education from Narcissa.

Every day, she was too occupied with being punished on her calves.

It was only later that she learned about the establishment of her own guard training center.

And then, there was Gaston, a figure from the Moon God Church.

He was someone Barak had planted in the training center to trample down Judas.

One by one, the powers were becoming intertwined.

The imperial family. The Moon God Church. Barak.

A loose connection linking them all.

That link was Eliza herself.

‘I am….’

Who is Eliza?

She gathers the many names that the world has given her.

A direct descendant of the Bevel family.

A cursed bastard who inherited the abilities of a mage.

A ruthless villain who spares no means.

A mad mage of fire.

‘…The reincarnation of the mythic era.’

A power that everyone fears and reveres.

Barak ascended to his current position through strength.

A Mage of fire.

Emperor Johan gained the people’s favor with his overwhelming divine power.

And now, a person who could threaten both of them.

Eliza.

The reincarnation of the mythic era.

A dangerous seed that could cause a crack in the precarious balance of power.

An unpredictable seed, whose growth could not be foreseen.

Combining two facts, Eliza reached a complete conclusion.

‘Johan, Barak. The two of them used the Moon God Church to try to kill me.’

There’s no way the two heads of separate powers would have separately reached out to the Moon God Church to kill him.

It’s more realistic to think they conspired together.

‘Instead of killing me directly, they borrowed the Moon God Church’s hands. If anything went wrong, they could shift the blame.’

Even if she was a illegitimate, she was still a mage.

And a highly promising one at that.

An era living on a fragile peace as the war with the demons was not yet over.

Power itself is an object of desire.

Even if it belonged to a dirty bastard.

‘The Empire and Bevel do not wish for an end to the war.’

It’s a story whispered among the citizens, like a conspiracy.

The upper echelons of society deliberately avoid ending the war.

Eliza knows that about half of this conspiracy is true.

In fact, the powers controlling this continent do not desire peace.

But it’s not that they’re purposely avoiding it.

They simply lack the strength to bring a definitive end.

‘If all powers united with one mind, it might be possible… but that’s not going to happen.’

The reason they desire the prolonged war is simple, yet short-sighted.

War feeds on the lives of the lower class.

It is the lower class who are conscripted and die, who end up homeless and starving in the streets.

They also bear the burden of high taxes imposed because of the war.

Meanwhile, the highest-ranking nobles in society face no such hardship.

Even Eliza herself is no different.

The more impoverished the lives before them become, the less the lower class can see the structural flaws in society.

The two great powers that form the core of humanity used this to their advantage.

They maintained the war to blind the lower class and strengthen the lives of the upper class.

Helios and Bevel.

A relationship of mutual restraint that occasionally cooperates for shared interests.

And they intended to kill her, a dangerous bud, to maintain the peace they had built.

‘The reason they didn’t use an assassin guild that could guarantee my death is obvious. First, it leaves a record. Second, Lamech always makes sure it’s known who was responsible.’

Moving the assassin guild would leave clues on its own.

There aren’t many forces willing to go as far as hiring an assassin guild to kill Eliza.

Someone would easily speculate, and if the truth got out, the public opinion of the two powers would crumble.

‘So that’s how it was….’

After crossing tangled clues, she reached a single conclusion.

Barak, the royal family, and the Moon God Church had conspired to kill her.

Enemies lurked in places beyond her observable range.

In front of her completed deduction, Eliza chuckled lightly.

It wasn’t surprising at all.

Her very birth was an original sin.

Even if more people came to hate and try to kill her, she wouldn’t care.

Likewise, she would simply kill those who opposed her.

It was a simple matter.

‘I’ll have to capture Anggra and interrogate her.’

She had known Anggra’s location for a while but had left her alone until now.

There was no clue to question even if they were caught.

In a situation where no significant benefit could be expected, there was no point in provoking a pilgrim.

However, a new faction—the Imperial Family—had joined the fray.

He, who had connections with Barak, was highly likely to have been a liaison for the Imperial Family.

Now, there was ample motive and basis to interrogate him.

Eliza organized the materials and left the laboratory.

Outside, Judas was waiting, having just washed up.

The laboratory was dangerous to enter carelessly.

So, unless Eliza gave explicit permission, Judas always waited outside.

It was strictly by the book.

Eliza, deep in thought while organizing clues, hadn’t noticed that he was waiting outside.

‘Couldn’t you have asked if you could come in….’

“Miss, have you finished your work?”

Without answering, Eliza looked up at him.

With the sun at his back, it was a bit dazzling.

A shadow cast in the backlight.

Golden eyes held her reflection.

A knight, Judas Deficit.

A person she chose.

And finally, someone who had become hers.

The enemy had tried to use Judas to kill her.

Although they failed.

‘If, by any chance, this child tried to kill me…’

Just the thought made her feel as though blood was draining from her body.

It felt as though her whole body was turning cold.

Dark thoughts began to spread further.

‘What if Judas, like Treditor, was also a prepared assassin…’

It was a possibility hard to ignore.

Just thinking about it made her breathing tremble slowly.

“Miss? What’s wrong…?”

Judas asked worriedly, seeing her trembling lips.

Before he could finish speaking, Eliza threw herself into his arms.

She hugged his waist tightly and took a deep breath.

Freshly washed, the moist air filled her lungs.

The faint scent of his body mixed with the smell of soap.

Eliza felt relieved by that scent.

The warmth of his body made her feel at ease.

His solid and broad frame could easily bear her weight.

Her anxiety washed away.

The presence that had comforted her for five years.

If only Judas weren’t here.

If Judas intended to kill her.

If Judas was someone who had to kill her…

‘…’

That couldn’t be.

Someone like that wouldn’t be so devoted to her.

He had risked death for her time and again.

He had stayed by her side.

That was enough.

Eliza didn’t dwell on it deeply.

She tied up the thought on her own.

Just closing her eyes in his arms and listening to his heartbeat was enough.

She savored the cool air that flowed in faster than usual.

Eliza, rubbing her face against him like a cat, spoke.

“You’re mine.”

“…”

“So, no matter what happens, you have to be on my side.”

Judas, flustered yet cheerful, answered readily.

He didn’t know how to respond to the ‘mine’ part, but he could respond to being ‘on her side.’

“Of course.”

Eliza looked up at Judas, who had answered so, for a moment.

The enemy might target Judas again.

‘…What should I do.’

It didn’t matter if she was targeted.

But Judas was a different matter.

She worried endlessly, fearing he was weaker than her.

‘Should I hide him somewhere that can’t be observed from the outside… If I use teleportation, I could visit even a completely sealed space… Just leave a small air hole, and I’ll handle the food… Real-time location tracking alone doesn’t feel secure enough…’

Where would be a good place to hide him?

‘…Should I dig out a mountain? Then no one would find him. I’ll cover the exposed part with magic once I dig it out. If he wants some sunlight occasionally, I can just take him for a walk. Now, which mountain would be suitable… Wait. What kind of conditioning and to what depth is feasible with mind-control magic? Hmm…’

The red eyes watching him with a persistent, almost overwhelming gaze grew darker.

Judas, noticing the intense look, glanced away and asked softly.

“Um… why are you looking at me like that?”

Eliza simply answered with a grin.

It was a slightly chilly smile, subtly different from usual.

“No. Nothing. It’s all taken care of. The mage we brought?”

Eliza leaned against Judas’s chest, waiting for an answer.

Judas, unable to fully embrace her, responded in an awkward stance.

He was used to her casually clinging to him, but he still didn’t know how to handle it each time.

“I’ve moved him to the underground prison. He should still be unconscious.”

“Good…. There’s one more person I need to find. Judas, do you still not remember Anggra?”

“No, I don’t.”

“I’m going to bring that Anggra here.”

It was a bewildering statement for Judas in many ways.

First of all, Eliza had never told Judas she knew where Anggra was.

This was the first time she mentioned it.

So it came completely out of the blue.

Secondly, Judas had no memories of Anggra at all.

Although he was curious about his past, he never felt a pressing need to find him.

In the end, he scratched his cheek awkwardly and answered.

“Uh, yes… then, shall we go?”

At his lackluster response, Eliza narrowed her eyes and glared at him.

She thought she was being considerate. This fool…

Eliza shook her head and took his hand.

“We’ll teleport.”

There was no need to hold hands.

However, there was no reason not to hold hands, either.

If that was the case, Eliza thought, it was better to hold on rather than let go.

***

The place they arrived at was a barren land.

The entrance to the Demon Realm.

Just outside human territory.

In the distant past, all this land belonged to humans.

There were sanctuaries built in that era within the Demon Realm as well.

Some pilgrims even crossed into the Demon Realm to seek these sanctuaries.

Right at the entrance of the Demon Realm stood a small campsite.

A makeshift tent barely fit for one person.

There wasn’t even a fire lit.

Eliza strode confidently toward it.

Judas followed behind her.

Inside the tent, an old man sat.

Kneeling as if in prayer, silent.

Sensing their presence, he lifted his head and opened his eyes.

“Who are you…? You don’t seem like black mages or robbers…. What brings you to a place like this?”

The bearded old man asked.

Though he must have been weary from the arduous pilgrimage, his eyes were sharp.

Eyes filled with pure faith.

Eliza felt a strange dissonance from that gaze.

‘…What is this?’

While Judas stayed on guard, Eliza spoke.

“Well…. It’s hard to put it in one word.”

Eliza spoke slowly, subtly wary of Anggra.

Holy power doesn’t harm people.

But there could be a weapon hidden on him.

The plan to assassinate Eliza, crafted by the Royal Court and Barak in unison.

At the center of it was Anggra.

If things went wrong, he might attack and flee.

‘A pilgrim usually travels unarmed, but I can’t trust this man.’

However, Anggra showed no such signs.

While cautious, he smiled lightly as if glad to see another person.

“I never thought I’d see someone roaming around here unharmed.”

Eliza took a step back from the situation.

An odd sense of disharmony.

“Judas, search this man’s belongings.”

“What…?”

Judas was taken aback.

He didn’t know how Eliza knew Anggra’s location, nor why she was looking for him.

Yet the way she treated him felt no different than if he were a thief.

He was in no position to refuse.

“Then, excuse me.”

Judas carefully rummaged through Anggra’s belongings.

Casting a wary glance at Eliza , he met Anggra’s eyes.

Their eyes met.

Gray eyes.

This old man’s face. Those eyes.

Somewhere, he had seen them before.

Even the shabby attire.

It wasn’t odd that he’d seen it before.

After all, this was the man who had once brought him out of Judeca.

‘But… it feels somehow different….’

Without realizing, Judas stopped her hand.

‘Anggra, Anggra….’

Repeating that name, Judas quietly observed the old man’s face.

‘This person… saw me… when, where… that is, a long time ago….’