The Escort Knight Who Is Obsessed by the Villainess Wants to Escape - Chapter 98

“Are your injuries healed?”

Gawain asked.

I was stretching in front of him.

Having just finished an intense warm-up, I was already drenched in sweat.

“Thanks to you, I recovered on the spot.”

“I heard it was a bolt that came from behind.”

“Yes. I couldn’t avoid it because I had to protect you.”

“Impressive.”

Getting injured to protect one’s master.

It was the ultimate honor for a knight.

‘I don’t know about honor, though…’

At least, thanks to me, Eliza wasn’t hurt.

That wasn’t such a bad outcome, after all.

I finished stretching and picked up my sword and shield.

Gawain’s weapon was just a sword.

A well-balanced blade that could be wielded with either one or both hands.

It was his preferred weapon.

Neither of our equipment was ordinary.

These were specially crafted training tools with reinforced metal cores.

Heavier than the swords used in actual combat.

The shield was the same.

Though it was called a wooden sword, it was basically a metal club.

Getting hit would leave bruises, or worse, fractures for ordinary people.

Gawain approached with his sword pointed at me.

He said the words he always did before starting.

“Don’t hesitate.”

***

Gawain’s sword could be described as a line.

A simple, precise line.

His movements were restrained.

Every unnecessary motion was stripped away, leaving only efficient, clean actions.

To the point of being obsessive.

It was a polished, superior version of Dylan’s style.

By connecting one movement to another, his attacks and defenses became seamless.

Sparring with him was brutally honest.

Honest, but never predictable.

Countless lines drawn together form a plane.

Similarly, Gawain endlessly linked and varied textbook movements, dominating the space around him.

Clang!

Blocking his sword with my shield made a sound like a cannon firing.

Both of us had enhanced our bodies with mana.

The ground trembled beneath our feet.

The shockwaves alone might injure any ordinary person standing nearby.

I pressed forward, keeping my shield close to his sword to leave him no time to recover.

A bold step forward.

I thrust my sword beneath the shield, aiming for a blind spot.

An attack leveraging his obscured vision.

But.

Thud. Something struck my knee.

My advancing body stumbled, and my sword failed to reach its target, stabbing futilely into the air.

Gawain, who had stepped back to adjust his stance, lunged forward a beat faster than I could react.

The sheer momentum made me feel like I was being pushed backward.

If I blocked, I would only play into his hands.

I had to catch him off guard.

Diverge from his expectations.

Instead of blocking, I stepped forward.

Gripping my sword with both hands, I swung it.

The shield resting on my left elbow subtly deflected Gawain’s sword along the trajectory of my swing.

At the same time, my blade struck Gawain’s side.

Thud! A dull sound echoed.

Gawain staggered.

Seizing the opportunity, I took another step forward and slammed my shield at him.

Gawain hastily raised his sword to block.

I quickly sidestepped and hooked my sword behind his knee, pulling him down.

Boom!

Gawain fell.

I pointed my sword at him.

The tip of the blade stopped precisely at his throat.

Every time I heaved my weary body, sweat dripped to the ground with a splatter.

Gawain, who had also collapsed, was drenched in sweat.

He grinned, seemingly satisfied.

“Excellent.”

***

Occasionally, I manage to defeat Gawain like this.

Of course, I know he’s holding back to some extent.

As proof, after a few more rounds, I kept losing.

Today’s record: 1 win, 4 losses.

“Let’s call it a day,” Gawain said, catching his breath.

Lying sprawled on the ground, I replied,

“Thank… you… for your efforts…”

“You said you can use aura now, right?”

“Yes, well… I can manage if I have to.”

“Hmm… You hurt your back protecting that lady last time. By the way, have you ever tried channeling that energy into your body?”

Aura is just magical energy released to a visible extent and imbued into a weapon.

Similarly, that magic can be enveloped around the body.

Like a thin layer of armor.

I had momentarily forgotten about that application.

‘I’ve just been too busy with other things.’

I got up and replied,

“I haven’t tried yet, but it’s not exactly easy, is it?”

It’s different from imbuing a weapon with magic.

Typically, magic is most easily released toward the hands.

It’s also easier to control magic emitted from the hands.

That’s why mages extend their hands when casting spells.

Similarly, it’s easier to imbue magic into objects held in hand, like a sword or shield.

In contrast, evenly distributing magic across the entire body is extremely difficult.

“Try it once. I heard the lady intends to provide you with excellent armor, but you can’t always rely on equipment.”

“Got it. Let’s give it a shot.”

I followed his instructions.

Like when using aura, I released magic outward from my body.

The first changes appeared in my hands.

A pale ivory glow of magic covered my fingertips.

‘It’s the same as what Epona extracted.’

It had been the same when I used aura.

A broken sword blade,filled entirely by the ivory glow.

However, the light covering my hands didn’t spread to the rest of my body.

Gawain looked at me and said,

“There is one quick method. It’s more of a gamble, but want to try it?”

“It’s better than doing nothing, isn’t it?”

“Good.”

And then, I found myself in a rather bewildering situation.

“…Sir Gawain?”

Both my hands were bound.

The ropes securing me were tied to the ceiling, forcing my arms upward.

Even my eyes were blindfolded.

Gawain’s voice came from in front of me.

“From now on, I will strike your body with this wooden sword.”

“…Pardon?”

“And you will block it.”

“In this state? What, am I supposed to lift my legs to block it?”

“No. Defend with magic. If you fail to control the magic coming from your hands, the ropes will snap. So, you must defend your body with magic while ensuring the ropes don’t break.”

“What kind of… Gah-!”

A wooden sword reinforced with iron struck my abdomen.

It wasn’t a light hit.

He swung it with full force, just like during our spars.

Gawain warned,

“Let’s begin.”

After that, my entire body was struck repeatedly with the wooden sword.

I couldn’t act recklessly.

I had to ensure the ropes wouldn’t snap.

I couldn’t twist my body to evade or block with my legs.

I could only defend with magic.

‘Like that’s going to work…!’

He carefully avoided bones and major organs, aiming purely at my muscles, striking them relentlessly.

The sound of Gawain shifting his position,

The whoosh of the air being split.

Combined, I could roughly predict the direction of the incoming strike.

‘Then, concentrate the magic there…!’

Of course, it didn’t work.

“Ugh-!”

He got hit squarely.

‘Focus, focus….’

He kept thinking while taking the blows.

One step at a time.

What exactly needed to be done.

Why this method was a shortcut, he reasoned.

It couldn’t just be rote learning.

I had to think, to internalize it.

Though I’m not talented at using my head, this feels a little different.

When it comes to exploring and understanding things related to the body, I’m confident.

‘Why this method? Why tie my hands?’

I need to control my magic so the rope doesn’t snap.

In other words, it’s about distributing magic efficiently.

Not explosively releasing it.

‘Then, the magic flowing from my hands, wrapping around my body….’

A faintly comprehensible sensation.

Then suddenly, the atmosphere shifted.

Judging his position only by sound. The target point.

‘…That’s a vital organ?!’

He’s going to such extremes?

The survival alarm didn’t activate.

But instinctively, I felt the threat.

The sound of wind slow and clear.

The wooden sword slicing through the air.

The target was my vulnerable side.

‘I have to block it!’

I desperately cried out inwardly.

Thud-! A heavy impact rang out.

But.

‘…Huh? It doesn’t hurt?’

There was no pain.

Thunk, the wooden sword fell.

And then Gawain spoke.

“Well done.”

“…Huh? Wait, did I succeed?”

“You know you did.”

“I can’t see, so I can’t be sure. I definitely heard the sound, but it didn’t hurt.”

“Hold on. I’ll untie you so you can confirm….”

At that moment.

Click.

Someone opened the training hall door.

Gawain, who was approaching, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Turning around, he sharply inhaled.

In apparent surprise.

‘Who could it be?’

“L-Lady Eliza.”

“…Lady?”

I couldn’t see.

My hands were tied, so I couldn’t even offer a proper greeting.

And for some reason, Eliza, who had entered, remained silent for quite some time.

***

Eliza had come looking for Judas.

There was no particular purpose.

She was simply curious about what he was up to.

It wasn’t an unusual occurrence.

Occasionally, she would watch Judas train from the side.

Not for long, but still.

And today, the Judas she had come upon was—

“…….”

Tied at the hands, blindfolded.

His entire body was drenched in sweat, likely from intense training, rising and falling with his labored breathing.

His ragged breaths. The faint grimace of pain visible beneath the blindfold.

At the sight, Eliza found herself unable to move.

It was a heat, a sensation she had never felt before, spreading through her from within.

It was shocking at the same time.

A savage scene utterly devoid of aesthetic beauty, and yet from him emanated a kind of aesthetic value beyond description.

Something alive, pulsing with the raw energy of untamed wilderness, a quality that no artificial human act could ever replicate.

Suddenly, the world’s unworthy evaluations of Judas came to mind.

Someone, she wanted to put a leash on.

Or someone she wished would put a leash on her.

How dare they, to speak of someone’s ownership in such a way….

“…Lady? Are you all right?”

Gawain asked.

‘Judas needs to be released, but Eliza’s sudden arrival left me stuck, unable to do anything.’

Only then did Eliza regain her composure.

“I just came to see what was going on. You’re training diligently.”

She expertly put on her mask.

As if nothing had happened, she left the training ground.

Judas’s presence wavered at the edge of my senses, dizzyingly sweet, like melted sugar clinging to my fingertips.

I forced myself to ignore it.

***

After mastering my defense techniques, I visited a physician.

Not Eliza’s personal physician, May, but the one who mainly treated soldiers.

This was the same physician who had been stationed at the training camp.

After the training camp closed, she relocated here.

Physicians are precious, so they couldn’t be dismissed.

“Why on earth do they train in such brutish and barbaric ways…”

She grumbled as she applied a paste of herbs to my bruises.

It was cooling and felt good.

“Seriously, knights are insane. I just don’t get it.”

“But isn’t it because of people like me, who recklessly get hurt, that you’re able to make a living?”

“I knew five years ago that you were a lunatic. Do you even hear yourself?”

“Well, it’s not entirely wrong… Ow!”

She smacked me on the back.

“Stop spouting nonsense and go easy on your body!”

“But my job is to use my body. How can I—”

“Shut it!”

“Hey, stop hitting me already!”

What a nasty temper this old woman has.

…Not that I’m one to talk about other people’s tempers.

After finishing the treatment, I went to find Eliza.

However, she had holed up in the magic laboratory and didn’t show her face at all.

She only gave instructions to come back later.

This was a first.

Even when she was busy, she’d always meet in person to talk.

‘She must be really busy.’

Ever since returning from the Mage Tower, she’s been preoccupied with various research.

It seems she’s also handling issues related to my equipment.

‘If anything urgent comes up, she’ll summon me.’

I always make sure to wear the necklace.

Whether sleeping or bathing.

Fortunately, I haven’t been summoned or visited by Eliza while bathing.

‘Not like I can take it off just because I’m worried about that…’

Since Eliza told me to come back later, I decided to visit my comrades in the meantime.

In a large training ground located on one side of the mansion grounds.

I saw various individuals training.

Among them, I spotted some familiar faces.

Three sitting together—Richard, Esmo, and Dyke.

Having finished their training, they were resting.

Richard noticed me first and waved his hand.

“Look who’s here—our busy escort knight, too occupied getting beaten up by Sir Gawain.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

Esmo and Dyke also smiled and waved at me.

I naturally sat down next to them.

‘You guys done with training?’

‘Yeah. Too exhausted to do any more today.’

On the training ground, numerous individuals were practicing.

Among them, nine stood out.

Room 13 members—or now, the Imperial Guard members.

They were dueling, crossing weapons with each other.

‘I’d consider it my dream come true if I could train with Sir Gawain even once.’

‘Why not ask him?’

‘Think he’d do it?’

‘Probably not.’

‘Are you teasing me?’

‘A little.’

Richard put me in a headlock.

We laughed and bantered about meaningless things.

Then, out of nowhere.

‘Not long until the Founding Festival.’

Nils commented in passing.

The Founding Festival.

The day the Helios Empire was established.

A day to commemorate the end of the chaotic times when there was no nation or unified order.

‘Will the young lady attend as well?’

It’s also a day when all sorts of nobles gather.

It’ll draw a much larger crowd than Eliza’s coming-of-age ceremony ever did.

Well, Eliza’s birthday is just a birthday, while this is a national festival.

‘Doesn’t the knight glued to her side know anything?'”

“I haven’t heard anything, so I don’t know.”

The annual Founding Festival.

So far, Eliza has never attended.

The reason is unknown.

I’ve never asked.

But perhaps it’s because other members of the Bevel family attend, so he avoids it.

Eliza almost never participates in events unless absolutely necessary.

He always says he has other things to do.

What keeps him so busy has always been a mystery.

But now, I know.

‘The Imperial family, the Bevels, and the Moon God Church….’

I heard that these three forces conspired to kill Eliza.

That conversation in the garden. The atmosphere back then.

I remember every detail.

‘It must be tough.’

Especially these days, he seems even busier, so it’s likely he won’t attend this time either.

“That’s a shame,” Dyke said.

“I wanted to visit the Imperial Capital at least once.”

The Founding Festival is held in the Empire’s capital.

However, due to the massive crowds, the venue is usually on the outskirts of the city.

“I also wanted to check out a place called Judeca.”

And there’s the large coliseum in the capital.

Judeca.

The place where Judas lived before I ended up here.

The Founding Festival’s main event is watching gladiators fight in Judeca to commemorate driving out monsters and founding the nation.

The others didn’t ask me much about Judeca.

A young child who lived there as a slave.

It wouldn’t hold any pleasant memories.

Not that I remember much, anyway.

“Well, there will be another chance someday.”

One thought came to mind.

Unlike when I was young, now is a time close to the future I know.

And I know what happens at this Founding Festival.

‘A monster captured in Judeca escapes, wreaking havoc on the capital.’

Many civilians died at the time.

The Imperial Knights were dispatched to subdue the monster, and as a result, the Imperial family’s position grew even stronger.

It became clear to everyone that the Empire was the greatest force protecting them.

After the monsters were eradicated, the group behind the incident was revealed.

Supporters of a war conspiracy theory.

They claimed the Empire deliberately prolonged the war to collect taxes.

I heard they infiltrated Judeca and unleashed the monsters.

Their claim wasn’t entirely baseless.

The Empire indeed has little interest in ending the war.

‘But the appearance of the monster back then… something felt off about it.’

I was deep in my studies of Eliza at the time, so I didn’t dig deeper into the incident.

‘Did those conspiracy theorists even have the power to manage monsters?’

Someone stumbled during a sparring match on the training ground.

It was Lindel.

“Oof, that must’ve hurt,” Dyke commented from the side.

Lindel got back up and steadied his stance.

The basics of judo I’ve been teaching Room 13 for a long time.

His posture showed traces of that training.

“…He’s a bit off, maybe because he’s tired.”

“Oh, teacher, you seem dissatisfied with something again,” Richard teased, noticing my expression.

I shrugged and stood up.

“Looks like I’ll need to give him a lesson myself.”

***

Evening.

Across from me, Eliza, who had finished eating first, spoke.

“I’m attending the Founding Festival.”

The awkwardness of sharing meals had long since become routine.

At least, she no longer constantly asks to be fed, which is a relief.

Around three years ago, she started eating well on her own.

Of course, she still asks to be fed often.

Days like today, when he eats by himself, are rare.

‘But today, he won’t meet my eyes.’

“When will you be leaving?”

As a festival, it draws people from all walks of life.

On the day of the festival, even commoners naturally come to enjoy it.

However, nobles tend to arrive earlier.

“I plan to leave the day before it starts.”

“Is there anything I should know?”

A gathering of all kinds of nobles.

Naturally, the Emperor would be there, and Barak would come too.

The children of the Bevel family as well.

They were clearly Eliza’s enemies.

There might be something I need to pay special attention to.

Eliza gave a light laugh at my question.

“Not yet.”

Not yet.

Did that mean there would be something later?

She said there wasn’t, so I couldn’t press further.

After all, she was above me—my master.

I simply nodded.

***

That night.

Eliza couldn’t sleep.

It was a different experience from before.

It wasn’t because of a nightmare.

Ever since spending time with Judas, such experiences had gradually lessened.

Recently, there were even times when she didn’t have nightmares sleeping alone.

Her insomnia had improved quite a bit too.

Of course, she still slept best when holding Judas.

In any case, it wasn’t nightmares or unpleasant memories keeping her awake.

It was a peculiar feeling.

The image of Judas from earlier in the day kept surfacing in her mind.

The more she tried not to think about it, the more vividly and tenaciously it clung to her consciousness.

Judas, bound, with his upper body exposed….

Eliza suddenly sat up.

Without hesitation, she used teleportation.

Her destination—the adjacent room.

Where Judas was staying.

The space shifted.

Judas’s familiar bedroom.

And there he was, sprawled out asleep.

His shirt slightly lifted.

A glimpse of bare skin was visible.

The faint moonlight delicately outlined the contours of his muscles.

‘…….’

Eliza stood there, silently watching him.