The Escort Knight Who Is Being Obsessed Over by the Villainess Wants To Run Away

5. I decided to just participate, but (1)

A new engineer was assigned to each division.

This is the influence of the last time I pinched the laziness of the management engineer together with Cale.

The knight assigned to District 5 is Thomas.

Unfortunately, it has the same name as the previous article.

Anyway, he’s someone you rarely run into.

Because most complaints go through Dylan.

Therefore, there is nothing special to expect.

Just recognized me and was quite happy.

“Are you that Judas?”

It was a word with many meanings.

The candidate who monopolized Elijah’s attention.

The person who replaced more than half of the instructors at the training center.

“Hey, thanks to you, I, who used to live in a corner of the periphery, come to a place like this.”

This is also a corner of the periphery.

Elijah’s mansion is also not a very good location geographically.

Anyway, nothing special happened after that.

Until the weekend comes.

*

“What happened on the weekend morning?”

Richard grumbled.

Originally, on weekends, I simply take a roll call in the morning and have free time.

But today, according to Gawain’s order, former candidates gathered at the playground.

‘There are so many of them.’

During training, only candidates from the same division meet.

There are so many of them that it’s disgusting to put them all together.

“I was just told I had a job to give you.”

Dylan said.

He didn’t seem to know in detail why they were gathered.

‘I have to go to the Moon Deer Forest….’

It was an unpleasant situation even for me, who had planned a separate schedule for today.

Candidates stand in a rush without any particular order.

Soon after, a maid laid out her long red carpet.

Someone appeared at the same time as Gawain got down on one knee.

It was Elijah.

Today, too, she proudly walks under the umbrella that her maid put on her.

The gaze that seems to look down and the expression that is cold like a doll are still the same.

The forsythia-like yellow dress stands out in this dull training ground.

Elijah glanced at the candidate on her one knee with her bored eyes.

‘… I think we just met eyes.’

No way.

How many people are here right now?

Elijah sat down on the chair brought by the maid.

Gawain explained why he gathered today.

“In commemoration of Elijah’s soon-to-be birthday, the young lady herself bestowed upon you candidates a glorious opportunity.”

Elijah’s birthday.

I knew it was late winter, but it must be around this time.

I feel anxious for nothing.

This is because the adult Elijah went on a rampage every single birthday of her own.

She celebrated her own birthday by slaughtering dozens of people.

I still vividly remember the sight of burning a corpse as a candle.

“A simple hunting competition will be held, and the game the winner brings will be used for the lady’s birthday banquet. Of course, the owner of the game will be known to those who participate in the banquet and to the servants of the mansion.”

Everybody got agitated at those words.

It was an opportunity to make a small name known to the upper class society among the nobility.

To Elijah, it was worth more than just looking good.

‘I don’t like it.’

It’s not money, and I’m not interested in just making my name known.

I want to stop even in Elijah’s eyes.

It seems that she is already at a point of no return. Anyway.

“The time is from noon today to noon tomorrow. Participation is free. A fee of 5 florins will be paid to all candidates who participate.”

5 Florin.

If converted to won, it would have been about 20,000 won.

Really cheap for a full day’s work.

However, it’s not bad considering that the low-level workers here are cheap.

“Is 5 florins worth it?”

“If you can get something just by participating….”

In fact, people around me said it was a good price.

‘I’m glad I’m free. I have to get out of there because I have to go to the Moon Deer Forest….’

“The hunting ground is limited to the moon deer forest. And a prize of 100 florins is paid separately to the winner.”

‘… ….’

“Those who do not want to participate may act freely from now on. I will not force you.”

Only a handful of people left.

I stood still.

‘For now, let’s just participate….’

*

South entrance of Moon Deer Forest.

I stood with Richard and Dylan.

There are many other candidates around.

“Please take good care of me. Judah.”

Richard tapped me on the shoulder.

“Yes? Isn’t it a solo exhibition?”

“Yes. So to steal your prey. Wasn’t there a rule saying not to do that?”

Now that you think about it, is that so?

“I never learned to hunt.”

“But man. There is such a thing as intuition. I don’t know if it’s ability or luck, but considering what you’ve done so far, I think I’d better follow you.”

From the side, Dylan nodded.

So that means they both intend to eat me.

‘I feel good….’

In fact, if you follow me, you may find a formidable beast.

I don’t know if these two can hunt, but they can try.

‘… Wait. Would I rather let one of them win?’

My purpose is the participation fee of 5 florins.

And it’s a mushroom from the moon deer forest.

I decided to let go of the championship.

It’s a pity. That’s 100 florins.

However, you must not stand out from Elijah any longer.

It is harmful in the long run.

‘It’s a way to make money, because there are many other ways.’

I need 100 florins, but I’m not in a hurry.

It’s okay to delay.

However, it won’t be easy to defeat Richard and Dylan.

If I, who was sold in the slave market, knew hunting, how could they follow me?

‘Well, let’s take him around for now.’

There are advantages to simply going along.

According to Richard, you can steal other people’s things in this competition.

Someone could get hurt in the process.

Conversely, you can injure someone and then excuse yourself as an accident in the process of stealing the prey.

‘I still have a lot of enemies. I should buy it.’

“Don’t feel sad.”

Dylan said solemnly.

“This is how the world originally was.”

He talks nonsense seriously.

“If either of you follow me and one of you wins, I’m fine.”

“Hey…. If you say that, we’re like dog trash! I was just trying to go with you!”

“… It’s already too late. We are trash right.”

The hunt began while Richard and Dylan struggled with shame.

I entered the beginning of the moon deer forest.

The winter forest was desolate.

It is full of dead brown grass and full of dry trees without leaves.

I immediately activated [Hunter’s Sense].

I slowly looked around.

Footprints of candidates going ahead are stamped on the floor.

The traces were particularly clear.

I turned my head and looked at the forest.

A place where birds stayed.

A twig eaten by insects.

Roads and traces of animals.

These special things were clearly distinguished from the meaningless landscape.

‘The detection range is approximately 100m.’

I can’t see any traces farther than that.

Enough.

Because I know the characteristics of the object I have to pursue.

I took the two idiots who were still beating themselves up and entered the forest.

***

A group of people glared at Judas and the two idiots as they moved away.

Only the man in the center looked the other way.

A bigger physique than those who are with you. Straight impression.

The thick chin was as hard as his wick.

“Brother Gulliot. Are you going to leave him like this?”

A man who looked like a dried rat on a drying rack said cunningly.

The large-built man named Guliott, who was looking elsewhere by himself, answered indifferently.

“Then what?”

“We have to show ourselves!”

Others helped by the side.

“Right! I crossed that newcomer topic!”

“Originally, the most outstanding person in our district was Gullett!”

“… Does that mean that newcomer is better than me?’

“Ah, no… ! I don’t mean that! I dare not stand out more than Guliott!”

Gulliot shut his mouth.

Even before Judas came, he did not stand out as much as Judas.

To be precise, he stood out among the candidates.

The 10th generation, Gulliot. 16 Years old.

Having undergone knight training in his family, he emerged faster than anyone else.

It has already passed the 6th test, and has recently reached the stage of magical training.

There are front riders who have passed more tests than that.

However, no one passed the test faster than he did.

Everyone noticed him as a promising player.

Maybe he passed the final exam ahead of his senior jockey.

The fact that Elijah did not pay any attention is a secret known only to her aides.

“It’s done.”

Guliott waved his hand.

“Is there a law that says you have to become an escort just because you stand out? Leave it alone I will take care of it.”

It was a remark that felt like an indifferent big person.

“Brother is right!”

“A guy like that should be discouraged in advance…. He lives thanks to his brother.”

It was an obvious flattery, but it was nice to hear.

But Guliott didn’t show it.

Listening while maintaining an expressionless expression, he was silent.

As soon as she arrived here, Guliott became the center of Room 15.

It was the result of proving his skills.

He was very pleased with it.

“As expected, a person who will become an escort must have a broad mind.”

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Except for Gulliot, who is in charge.

He was about to die from a twist in his stomach.

As a promising player, it was his job to rise and fall in the ranks of everyone.

Elijah’s conspicuous thing had to be her own place.

But Judas, who has been in the prison for a week, took the role.

She seemed to have been taken away.

In reality, Judas is nothing more than a youngster who failed even to pass the first test.

Objectively, between Guliott himself and Judas, he is the one who fits Elijah’s escort knight.

Even so, I can’t sleep these days because of the inferiority complex that I was pushed out.

If I didn’t have eyes to see, I would have run to him and scolded him.

But I endured it for the sake of face.

Nobility was the way it was supposed to be.

Even though he was a nobleman who promised to go under someone else’s hand, he was a nobleman.

“But what? This hunting competition is Gulliot-hyung’s stage!”

It was as he said.

Gulliot also learned to hunt and enjoyed it from an early age.

He may have nobles of a similar level to him, but he was full of confidence to be number one.

‘If you hunt and present a moon deer, you will definitely win first place.’

The owner and symbol of this forest, the moon deer.

It is a smart and mysterious spiritual creature, and in a certain religion, it is said to be a sacred beast given by God and is praised as a holy beast.

If you hunt a deer that month and sacrifice it, you will have no choice but to win.

And Guliott knows how to track the moon deer.

***

He hasn’t found his prey for quite some time.

Richard and Dylan couldn’t stand the nervousness and went hunting separately.

I didn’t bother holding on to it.

It doesn’t matter who wins, and it’s questionable whether they hold on to me because I know how to win.

Before Dylan left, he gave me a flint.

The forest gets dark quickly, so be careful.

I received a small stone knife from Richard.

I heard that it was used to catch game or make a fire.

Anyway. Right now I’m on the verge of swearing with upbringing.

“It doesn’t taste bad….”

He is chewing his 9th raw mushroom.

The name of this yellow mushroom in your arms is ‘yolk mushroom’.

Eating 10 will permanently increase your health stat by 1, and eating 1 will restore your current health.

The problem is that I am currently not provided with health status, or HP.

I had no choice but to eat 10 to see if it really worked like a game.

Rinse the dirt in the river and eat the 9th.

Tough, crumbly, earthy taste.

‘I don’t think I’ll be able to hold back my anger if my stamina doesn’t go up.’

I didn’t know when I was playing the game.

If you right-click, it just disappears with a chewing sound.

You ate something so tasteless.

‘Should I even cook?’

Thought so, I swallowed the 10th.

[The stamina stat increases by 1 over 24 hours.]

“Whoa….”

Still, it goes up.

The number is only 1.

The maximum number of HP that can be raised with this mushroom is only 3.

But I’m not in a position to hide it.

Stats are like money.

No matter how much it is, it is not enough.

‘If you go up by 3 just by eating mushrooms, it’s incredibly fast. Let’s get some more.’

Activated [Hunter’s Sense].

Soon you will see footprints along the river.

A cloven hoof.

Sugar-like powder glitters around the marks.

This is a characteristic that appears in the traces of moon deer.

This yolk mushroom is a mushroom that grows near the ‘yellow umbrella mushroom’, which is the staple food of moon deer.

If you don’t know the exact way to tell them apart, they’re so similar that it’s easy to get confused.

Besides, the yellow umbrella mushroom is a poisonous mushroom.

‘It’s not critical. If you eat it in the wild, you’ll be in big trouble.’

When I ate it as a character, I couldn’t move for a minute because I was laughing on the spot.

It’s poisonous to humans, but it gives off a unique flavor to moon deer.

“… Uh?”

I found a moon deer.

It’s a quadrupedal animal, but its gaze is higher than mine.

Ocher leather and black eyes.

Antlers are pale gray.

As if it would shine in the moonlight.

I’m drinking water from the opposite river.

‘He’s hard to come across before the moon rises.’

The moon deer found me and ran away.

I remembered the direction just in case.

I was still digging for mushrooms after that, when I heard a group of people approaching clamoringly.

‘Who are you?’

I hid myself in a nearby bush.

I even used [Secret Steps] To avoid getting caught.

Across the forest, quite a group appeared.

‘About 10 people. What is this large crowd?’

The candidates for the same division.

I know the face, but I don’t know the name.

There is no good reason to be found out.

Hidden and waited for someone to pass by.

I naturally overheard the conversation.

“This way. The trail of the moon deer continues.”

Was anyone going after it?

Ability is fine.

I hope he wins.

“Hey, Gulliot, do you see that? To me, they look just like big deer tracks.”

“Will it be the same as dark-eyed people like us?”

Judging from the conversation, Guliott is the center of the group.

The rest seemed to be subordinates who were loyal to him.

“But he seems to be a pretty big guy. How are you going to catch it?”

“The moon deer appears mainly at night. Then we can run together and catch them.”

Unfortunately, I don’t know how to hunt.

It doesn’t make sense.

However, confronting the moon deer head-on at the level of a candidate now is tantamount to committing suicide.

It’s a creature that doesn’t kill people, so it won’t die.

Instead, every bone in his body would be crushed.

‘If there are that many, I might be able to escape.’

I was going to let you go like that, but….

“Then you can flatten that newcomer’s nose!”

… Newcomer? I go?

“This is your chance to tell that idiot Judas who is the head of this block.”

“As a senior, giving advice indirectly would be fine.”

Gulliot spoke in a voice full of pride and pride.

Their private conversation gradually drifted away to the other side of the forest.

I looked down at the mushroom in my hand.

Yelk mushrooms for me to eat.

And yellow umbrella mushrooms, one of the delicacies enjoyed by moon deer.

In the process of sorting the mushrooms, I was worried that someone would recognize them.

I know how to safely hunt moon deer using this.

“Whoa….”

He sighed and scratched his head.

It’s better to openly shove like Lindel.

It’s like an immature child, so it’s even cute.

Those who go around in groups like that, gossip, and don’t have the guts to speak in front.

I was fed up with it in my previous life.

If you visit them and ask them, they will say that it wasn’t like that.

If there is no way to prove it, you can’t argue further.

They are annoying people in many ways.

‘… I can’t do it.’

I can’t see them getting first place.