“You just called me ‘Eliya’ earlier, didn’t you?”
“…….”
Surely, that did happen.
When Eliya appeared, I was so surprised that I called her by her name without thinking.
“But I’m not the same me as before.”
Judas was confident.
Unlike when he was younger, he could definitely lie…
“… Ah, no, I didn’t!”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sorry.”
…But he still couldn’t.
“Hmm.”
“Uh, it was just that you suddenly appeared, and I was surprised…”
“Are you saying it’s my fault?”
“No, of course not! It’s entirely because I’m a very rude person.”
Eliya chuckled lightly.
“Try saying it again.”
“No, that’s not….”
“Not that.”
“What?”
“Say ‘Eliya’ again.”
“…”
Again, Judas’ back became damp with cold sweat.
‘Isn’t this that thing?’
If I just do it because she told me to, won’t she really press on me?
How could I dare to call my master like that?
What should I do?
“What are you doing? Hurry up.”
“No matter what, that’s a bit…”
“Do it if I say so.”
He swallowed a deep sigh inwardly.
‘Yeah. If my master says so, I have to do it.’
Judas slowly inhaled.
He looked at Eliya but then shifted his gaze elsewhere.
He couldn’t bear to look her in the face.
His lips and tongue were already ready to pronounce the sounds.
But his throat wouldn’t allow the air to come out.
After a long hesitation, he finally said it.
“… Eliya.”
He was still turning his gaze away.
He looked at Yuel instead of Eliya.
Maybe he knew the battle was over, as they were slowly approaching.
‘But why is he so quiet? This atmosphere is awkward…’
As he tried to sneak a glance down, Eliya pressed her forehead against Judas’ chest.
“…Don’t do that in the future.”
Hearing it for real, it didn’t seem like such a pleasant experience.
Judas thought to himself.
‘She tells me to do it and then…’
Though Eliya’s true intentions were different from his thoughts, Judas couldn’t know that.
“Yeah…”
Judas said he would comply.
After all, he wouldn’t have to really call her “Eliya.”
And he wouldn’t in the future, either.
‘But is she cold or something?’
He couldn’t see her face.
Instead, the small ears peeking out from the side of her head were red.
“Are you cold by any chance?”
“…Not at all.”
Judas was moderately convinced.
After all, Eliya was a magician.
If she were cold, she would have lit a fire or something.
Just then, Yuel, who had approached them, stuck his face between Judas and Eliya.
“Good, good! You’re safe! Well done!”
As Judas stroked him, Yuel rubbed against him, looking pleased.
On the other hand, Eliya glared at Yuel with her pouting eyes.
Not seeing her like that, Judas looked around.
The three magicians that Hazle had summoned.
All of them were dead and crumpled.
Eliya spoke first.
“They were from the royal wizard order. And that guy is a spy planted by the royal family.”
As feared, Hazle was indeed a royal knight.
Judas was aware Eliya had many enemies.
He had mostly just thought it was the Bevel Family.
But it wasn’t just them.
“Is the empire targeting you, miss?”
Eliya looked up at Judas intently.
Her expression was calm and emotionless.
Now, Judas could read subtle differences even in that expression.
Eliya was currently contemplating whether to speak or not.
After a moment, her small lips moved.
“Judas.”
Eliya pushed Yuel’s face away and leaned against his chest.
The sound of her heartbeat was pleasant to hear.
“I have one more question for you.”
“Go ahead.”
“How did you find this place?”
A ruins hidden under the sun symbol.
It wasn’t an easily identifiable location.
Yet, Judas had indeed found it.
And it hadn’t even been a week since the test started.
The speed was as if he had known it all along.
Or…
If Judas had information leaked from the royal family, it would be possible.
If so…
How did Judas know that information?
“…….”
Judas fell silent for a moment.
Despite knowing the longer the silence lasted, the more suspicious it would seem, he still found it hard to respond quickly.
Saying he knew it beforehand wouldn’t logically make sense.
There was no way he could have known a place the royal family would discover only later.
Thus, he had no choice but to deliver a clumsy lie.
He took a deep breath and spoke as casually as he could.
“When I found the map you gave me, I happened to find it.”
Eliya typically looked at other people’s faces intently when listening, to the point it became burdensome.
It was a habit and a skill.
To figure out their lies.
However, at this moment, Eliya didn’t look at Judas’ face.
She simply spoke while leaning against his chest.
“… I see.”
It was the result of the fear she unconsciously felt.
Judas might not be on her side.
She couldn’t completely dismiss that possibility.
“That’s lucky.”
She accepted it without critical thinking.
In hindsight, it wasn’t entirely without objectivity.
The range indicated on the map was broad and ambiguous, but it didn’t exclude this place.
If you looked for it, you could find it.
Moreover, Hazle and the royal wizards had attempted to kill Judas.
The artifact she had given him proved this.
If he had really been a spy, such things wouldn’t happen.
The evidence was ample.
Judas was someone she could trust.
He was on her side.
He wasn’t a traitor.
Some beliefs aren’t due to being able to trust; rather, they come to fruition because one chooses to believe.
By believing in that person, an irrational cycle of trust is created.
Eliya, fully aware of this, blindfolded herself.
In that moment, a different fear started to rise.
Her current response was no different from weak dependency…
Eliya pulled away from the moment when she felt she might realize a certain fact.
Forcing her thoughts to stop, she detached from the flow of reasoning.
Eliya lifted her head.
Now she looked at Judas’ face.
Had she seen it a moment earlier, she might have detected the lie.
But the expression on Judas’ face held no clues now.
Facing him, for some reason, made her want to smile.
She grinned.
“Congratulations.”
“Yes?”
“I mean for becoming my knight.”
“…!”
“Of course, I need to properly acquire that sun symbol first.”
“Ah!”
Now she remembered.
The sun symbol she was carrying.
He approached the altar.
He felt a surge of emotions.
‘So I’m a knight now….’
He had passed the last test.
It almost got snatched away by Hazle, but he ended up winning.
Eliya said she would grant him the qualification to be her knight if he passed this test.
Was her recent comment an acknowledgment of that qualification in this place?
‘The sun symbol…’
An artifact he had used before the reincarnation.
A holy relic that grants any miracle.
The reason he hadn’t searched for it after arriving here was simple.
Having it didn’t guarantee he could make a wish.
To manifest the power of the sun symbol, a very troublesome item was needed.
And that was something he could never obtain at his current level.
It might be relatively easy for an emperor who desired it.
‘…Wait a minute. Where is Richard and what is he doing?’
And the moment he took the sun symbol from the altar…
[Hidden quest, ‘The one drawn to fate’ completed.]
[Rewards being provided.]
‘There’s no choice, just a reward?’
Curious, he turned around and found Eliya staring at him intently.
‘…Sometimes I can’t help but think she’s really like a cat.’
He wanted to check the reward, but right now, it was time to talk to Eliya.
“Judas. You… are on my side, right?”
It was a light-hearted question.
Despite her calm tone, it was a heavy query.
With only enemies around, Eliya.
Just looking at Hazle was enough.
He, the top of the training academy, was a spy for the royal family.
For her, what does ‘being on my side’ even mean, in such a narrow scope?
Judas thought deeply.
‘I…’
Words don’t always carry sincerity.
Yet, he answered as honestly as he could.
“I am on your side, miss.”
There was no reason not to be.
Unless she wasn’t the one he cared about, there was no reason for him not to support her.
“…Right.”
Eliya nodded.
The emotions that surfaced on her lightly smiling face were difficult for Judas to read.
She felt relieved by that one statement, which held no absolute truth, and also felt a sense of dissonance at herself for feeling that way.
Still, Eliya felt assured by that answer.
She knew she had to tell Judas.
“I haven’t clearly identified whether the empire is targeting me or my family. I’m trying to figure it out by laying down this trap.”
She had left Hazle in the training academy and threw out a test for him to bring her the sun symbol.
Everything was a trap.
“There are plenty of reasons to target me. I am a remarkable magician. The Bevel Principality might also rub the royal family the wrong way.”
“Then the ones behind these attacks…”
There are far too many people in the royal family.
It’s difficult to pinpoint a specific enemy.
However, Eliya was confident.
“Johan.”
“……”
“Johan Libelatio Helios.”
‘The emperor…’
Even Judas, who knew the future, found it difficult to discern or deduce this part.
In the future he knew, the Bevel family wouldn’t exist.
Only Eliya remained.
Back then, the relationship between Eliya and the royal family was bad.
After all, the bad woman Eliya was a villain who often killed people and set fires.
‘But now… so much is different.’
First of all, the Bevel family is still standing strong, and the Molsin Church is intact.
Eliya doesn’t kill people like a madwoman anymore.
The sun symbol, once sought after by the emperor, is now possessed by Eliya.
‘What is the emperor’s objective?’
Is he seeking her because she’s an outstanding magician?
“Ah, then is the bracelet you gave me also a trap?”
“That’s a bit different. Just in case, I’m worried….”
“Excuse me?”
“……”
Suddenly, Eliya clamped her mouth shut.
“Miss?”
Even when Judas called her, she averted her gaze and didn’t respond.
For some reason, it was embarrassing for her to say the word ‘worried.’
There’s a subtle yet clear difference between saying one is worried and saying that they worry.
Eliya subtly hid behind Yuel.
Only half of her face was shown as she looked at Judas.
‘Hmm… I don’t know why she’s acting like this, but she’s cute, so it’s fine. As long as she’s cute.’
Judas recalled something that suddenly came to mind.
“Ah! Miss, I have something to say.”
While camping, he had been attacked.
The suspicious group wasn’t an ordinary bandit.
Their movements were trained.
They clearly came to take him down.
They were probably assassins from some faction.
They might also be enemies of Eliya.
After hearing Judas’ words, Eliya scanned him up and down.
“I’m glad you’re okay.”
Judas scratched his cheek awkwardly.
‘Is she worried about me?’
It felt strange, awkward, and a little… unsettling.
It felt weirdly ticklish inside.
Is she now worried about him because he’s her knight?
Well… that wasn’t a bad feeling.
“And you’re impressive. Noticing the suspicious point and deciding to report it.”
“Thank you….”
“If I see it directly, I might glean some clues. Do you remember where it is?”
“Yes. I remember.”
He had marked it on a map just in case he might forget.
“Lead the way.”
*
It didn’t take long to arrive as it was close to the ruins.
A place in the forest where traces of a campfire remained.
However, it had changed since he left.
‘The corpses…’
All the corpses had dried up.
They looked like mummified remains.
“…Were these guys the ones who attacked you?”
Eliya asked with a puzzled expression.
The scene looked as if it had been attacked by undead creatures.
“No. They were perfectly alive.”
The corpses had blood drained out of them completely.
He couldn’t help but think of a certain monster.
‘Vampire?’
If you encounter a starving vampire, it could result in a similar condition.
‘But this isn’t an area where vampires usually come out…’
After a quick check, it was confirmed: these weren’t vampires.
There were no bite marks anywhere on their bodies.
“…This is the work of a dark wizard.”
Eliya looked around, her expression turning serious.
“It looks like they absorbed blood to fuel their magic. There’s a remnant of dark wizard magic left behind.”
While Judas hadn’t felt it, if Eliya sensed it, it must be correct.
‘This is a suitable place for a dark wizard to appear.’
Dark magic.
It is a warped method of magic created by those who envy and yearn for the talents of wizards.
They use the lives of others as fuel for their magic.
Dark wizards cannot dwell among people.
Much like witch hunts, they are periodically purged, and they stand out terribly.
They are inevitably forced to go to places that are remote from human activity.
The demon realm.
They usually live secluded nearby.
‘That was a close call.’
Had the timing been slightly different, he might have run into a dark wizard.
Although there are differences among dark wizards, it is best to avoid entanglements with them.
“…Judas.”
“Yes, miss.”
“Still, you don’t recall anything from the past?”
Five years ago.
Eliya had asked him about his past.
He had answered honestly.
Saying he didn’t remember.
Since then, he had tried to recall things on his own.
However, he had ultimately learned nothing.
He did have dreams.
Most of which seemed to point toward Judas’ past.
Like dreams do, he quickly forgot most of them.
“Yes. That’s correct.”
“I see…”
Eliya nodded with a determined expression.
In the end, he hadn’t obtained any clues at the scene.
There was nothing to salvage from the scrawny corpses.
It was time to head back.
As he tied the holy relic to Yuel’s side, Eliya reached out her hand.
“…Yes?”
“What are you doing? We need to go back.”
Ah.
Teleportation?
‘Wait a minute. I would have to travel days on foot from the mansion to here, yet I just teleported?’
Teleportation is a difficult spell.
The amount of magic consumed is immense.
As the distance increases, the difficulty and mana consumed increase sharply.
It becomes exponentially harder when transporting other people or objects as well.
‘But is that possible now?’
This situation was out of the ordinary.
He knew she was remarkable, but every time he experienced it firsthand, he was astonished.
It seems Eliya had grown far stronger and faster than he had known.
“Give me your hand.”
Sadly, he had to refuse that request.
“I’m sorry. I’ll ride Yuel back and check if Senior Richard is safe.”
It’s not like he was going to die anytime soon.
Still, as he hadn’t seen a trace of him, he wanted to look around a little before heading back.
“……”
Eliya crossed her arms, looking displeased.
She tilted her head slightly, glancing up at him.
Was it because of the holy relic?
“Ah. Maybe you should take this with you, miss….”
“No.”
Eliya cut him off.
“I’m going too.”
“Really? There’s no need for you to….”
“Just coming along.”
Well… If she insists, that’s how it would be.
Eliya being there was good for him.
After checking the surroundings, he could use teleportation if he couldn’t find Richard at all.
‘But… there’s only one way to say it, huh?’
Yuel didn’t speak, but still…
Two people can’t ride one horse.
Moreover, Eliya was smaller in build compared to him.
Just, the form it would take was a bit…
“We’d have to ride on each other’s back. Are you okay with that?”
“Why?”
He forgot.
Eliya had no thoughts regarding such matters.
She seemed to be lacking in awareness regarding such things.
She sometimes crawled into his bed, so something like sharing a saddle should be no big deal.
‘She doesn’t know that for me, it’s kind of a big deal, huh?’
“Why don’t you go first?”
Eliya hesitated for the rare occasion.
“…I don’t know how to ride.”
Ah. That’s true.
Eliya had no need to ride.
She had far superior teleportation magic.
For that reason, she had never ridden Yuel.
She always just watched him ride.
Now I understood what embarrassed her.
Whenever she had to show she wasn’t perfect, she felt flustered.
Just like when she hesitated to pet the Moon Deer for the first time.
“Come here.”
In the end, I had to lift her up.
“Place your hands on my shoulders.”
Eliya obediently followed my words.
Her hands reached out to my shoulders.
‘…Wait, this feels uh, um.’
I tried my best to remain calm and act as if nothing was wrong as I grabbed her waist.
With two hands, I could nearly wrap around her slim form.
‘But why is she so soft…? Ah, no. I shouldn’t be thinking about this.’
I carefully lifted Eliya.
Then, she gasped as if surprised and hugged my neck tightly.
“Ugh!”
Fearing she might fall or topple, I hurriedly supported her waist with my arm.
Naturally.
Our faces were suddenly close.
Her subtle fragrance wafted over abundantly.
“……”
Eliya’s face filled my view.
Her red eyes stared directly into mine.
Her nose brushed dangerously close to mine.
Every time she breathed, her warm breath touched my lips.
Her plump, red lips slightly parted.
Without realizing, I swallowed hard.
Eliya’s gaze dipped down and then back up.
She looked at my lips, then back to my eyes.
She stared at me intensely while being at such a risky distance.
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