Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 310

Finally, after the Emperor and the Crown Prince entered and took their seats, the full-scale banquet began.The banquet hall was once again thrown into commotion as the Emperor, who rarely appeared in such places, showed up.

Only after the Emperor had given a brief speech and the audience with the nobles was over did the hall become somewhat quiet.

Cantares was finally able to find time to speak briefly with Laius.

Cantares, holding a glass of champagne, quietly approached Laius.

“You don’t look so good, Captain Laius.”

“…I’m alright,” with a face that didn’t look all that fine, Laius gave that reply.

Cantares patted him on the shoulder in comfort.

“You look very cool. This is the dignity befitting the master of the Holy Sword.”

However, there was a lot of mischief in the Crown Prince’s eyes.

Laius, who had been silent for a moment, muttered in a small voice so that no one else could hear.

“At times like this, Arendt and Your Highness are a perfect match.”

“Well, that’s quite the curse.”

Cantares burst into laughter.

“Enjoy the occasion. Like someone said, you’re the star of the show today.”

“Ha…”

Instead of answering, the knight captain simply let out a deep sigh.

Cantares, who patted Laius’ shoulder once more, moved away from him and mingled with the others naturally.

“Good grief.”

Laius, who was resting his forehead on his hand, looked up and checked Arendt’s location out of habit.

Arendt met the captain’s eyes and did not look away, but looked at him with an expression that said, ‘What do you want me to do?’

Watching the subtle satisfaction on that smirking face made him feel sick.

‘Still… I guess that guy’s intentions were well-received.’

At this moment, there were few people who were watching the apprentice knight meaningfully.

This was because most of the attention was focused on Laius and the elves.

Laius quenched his thirst with wine and recalled the events of the previous night.

‘It’s still absurd to think about it now.’

Last evening, a young servant who was close to Arendt came to Laius’s office carrying a large box.

Seton shouted confidently with his big, bright eyes.

“This is what Sir Arendt sent to Captain Laius!”

…

And the moment he opened the box and saw the flashy ceremonial outfit, his disbelief shot straight to the heavens.

And the moment he opened the box and saw the sparkling robes, he was completely dumbfounded.

Laius immediately summoned Arendt.

The apprentice knight, who he had to call several times before showing his face unless he felt like appearing, somehow showed up after only one summons.

And then he shamelessly said something like this:

“I prepared this specially for you. Surely you won’t ignore my sincerity?”

Not only was his manner of speaking like that, but since it was Arendt standing in front of him, he couldn’t really feel his words about sincerity or anything like that.

Apparently, as soon as the decision to hold the banquet was made, a special order was placed at a tailor introduced through Neumann.

The arrangement to have the ceremonial outfit arrive the night before the banquet was made in advance so that Laius would not be able to refuse it.

Laius was left speechless by the meticulousness.

‘A troublesome guy.’

To relieve his migraine, Laius pressed his temples.

Arendt didn’t stop there.

Arendt, who had also brought in a lot of ornaments from somewhere, meddled in this and that and ordered the servants to dress up Laius to the fullest until just before the banquet time.

“No, that one suits you better. Let’s go with a necklace with blue jewels. It can be a bit too flashy. The captain will be the one who will pay the price.”

It wasn’t funny to see him giving orders to his servants with his arms crossed.

Needless to say, Diana, Kendrick, the elves, and Llewellyn were also suffering similarly at the hands of their servants.

It was Arendt who even prepared Llewellyn’s outfit when he barged in without notice.

It was truly a terrifying display of determination and action.

‘The prince seems to be enjoying himself quite a bit.’

Laius’ gaze naturally turned to Llewellyn.

Llewelyn, who had an overly free-spirited personality, also did not like this kind of place.

They always said he was just running away all the time.

But now Llewellyn was talking to people with a polite smile on his face.

He guessed that the prince was quite pleased to be joining Arendt’s scheme.

“Ha…”

Laius let out a short sigh, straightened his back, and raised his head.

Even though he disliked it, the sound of people gasping in awe reached his ears vividly.

His face was about to start to burn again, but Laius kept his composure.

Since things had come to this, he had no choice but to go along with it.

“How is it?”

“…”

Although his junior spoke confidently, Arthur was unable to say anything.

He could vividly see how much hardship Laius had to endure to achieve such a neat appearance. Read full story at NoveI-Fire.ɴet

“You can’t possibly mean His Majesty, right…?”

Arendt answered Arthur’s stammering question.

“I didn’t make the request myself. Perhaps His Highness gave a subtle hint?”

Of course, it was not at all strange for the Emperor to be in such a place.

However, considering the Emperor’s nature of stepping back to give strength to Cantares, it was certainly unusual for him to still be here.

“…Scary kid.”

With Arthur’s weary voice as a background, Arendt leisurely admired his surroundings.

‘This is what they mean by a super luxurious casting.’

It was a sight he quite liked.

Although Laius was Laius, the elves were receiving just as much attention.

Salem was already being bombarded with questions, possibly because it had already been revealed that he was a spirit mage.

Zakar, Shekhinah, and Ragnald also seemed unfamiliar with this place, but with Llewellyn’s help, they blended in naturally with the people.

Llewellyn also attracted people’s attention by introducing the elves to them with his characteristic wit.

‘To this extent, it was a success.’

The hero of the Holy Sword and the knight captains who had just announced victory from the battlefield were here.

And there were even the popular prince and the elves of the friendly nations.

Moreover, since the Emperor, who was rarely seen in person, was here, there probably weren’t many people who would pay attention to an apprentice knight.

“…But I don’t know how long this will work.”

Arthur, who was watching the same scene as Arendt, muttered in a trembling voice.

Arendt nodded slightly.

“Of course. This is just the beginning.”

“I expected you to say that.”

Arthur’s sharp gaze swept over the group.

Even though there were dizzyingly luxurious sights everywhere, there were still a few people who glanced in Arendt’s direction.

As time went by, there would be more people like that.

Arthur, who had been looking around, looked at Arendt again.

“I don’t know what your intentions are, but just do whatever it takes.”

“Well, I wonder what will happen.”

For a moment, a strange light flashed in the eyes of the apprentice knight who was muttering meaningfully.

It was impossible to stop Arendt when he was in that state.

He didn’t really want to stop him in the first place.

Arthur just laughed.

“Okay, you figure it out.”

Count Graham was having a very satisfying day.

Not only was he invited to a banquet hosted by the Crown Prince, but he was also given the honor of speaking directly with Laius de Winfried.

“Your Majesty must feel reassured. Since Captain Laius will protect the Empire in Lord Luce’s name, I have no worries either.”

“You are too kind. I will make sure to live up to the trust you have shown me.”

Count Graham couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration at Laius’s concise answer.

‘He is truly an example of a hero.’

His flawless appearance, his dignified demeanor, and his attitude of never losing his humility until the end were all awe-inspiring.

Count Graham’s luck did not end there.

Over Laius’ shoulder he found another person he had been longing to meet.

“Ah…!”

A joyful exclamation burst from Count Graham’s lips.

“Captain Laius, is that Sir Arendt?”

“Yes?”

Laius turned his head toward the direction he was looking at.

Then he soon found Arendt talking with Duke Lancelot and his party.

In an instant, an uncomfortable look appeared on the captain’s face.

“…Yes, that’s right.”

But the Count didn’t notice it.

“Indeed. I can recognize him at a glance. He is worthy of receiving the grace of Lord Luce.”

Pure admiration flowed from the Count’s lips.

Even among the elves, his appearance stood out no matter how extravagantly his surroundings were.

Although Laius’ mood became slightly more uncomfortable, the Count still did not notice.

“He is as handsome as I’ve heard. Even though he is still young, he is an amazing person.”

At that moment, a person who had been watching from afar was seen quietly approaching Arendt and speaking to him.

Arendt frowned at the sudden intruder and took a step back.

“It seems Sir Arendt isn’t someone who enjoys being around people much.”

The Count’s eyes widened when he saw that scene.

“I suppose that’s true,” Laius answered.

He wouldn’t say Arendt disliked being around people, but for now, it seemed he wanted to be seen that way.

Starting with the first person who showed courage, people began to gather around Arendt one by one.

Count Graham let out a short exclamation as he recognized one of them.

“Oh, Marquis Cliff is here too. He wanted to build a temple for Captain Laius and Sir Arendt, but unfortunately the Great Temple refused to allow it.

“Was that him?”

The one who drained Arendt’s last bit of patience.

Laius omitted the rest.

“Yes. He is a very devout man and has a great personality.”

As Count Graham boasted,

“It seems that the Marquis is as lucky as I am. It was very difficult to get an invitation to this banquet.”

“Was it so?”

“Yes, of course. How many people would want to be in a situation like this?”

Laius nodded meaningfully at the proud Count’s words.

“I see. That’s good. That’s good.”

“Oh, I’ve kept you busy for too long. I’ll be going now. It was a great honor to meet you, Captain Laius.”

The Count, who suddenly came to his senses, quickly bowed his head in goodbye.

“I would definitely like to treat you if I get the chance someday.”

“Thank you for your kindness. It was a pleasure talking to you.”

As soon as Laius said goodbye, the Count turned around and began to walk away.

His footsteps naturally led him to where Arendt was.

“Is this what it means to step into a dangerous situation with your own two feet?”

Diana, who had been watching the situation from the side, smiled and spoke.

Kendrick also approached quietly.

“Don’t you think we’re about to get quite the show? Even His Majesty seems to be looking forward to it.”

Laius answered sheepishly.

“Honestly, I don’t have a good feeling about this.”

The three captains’ gazes turned towards Arendt.

The others enjoying the banquet were also pretending not to, but were paying close attention to the apprentice knight.

Before they knew it, Henry, Arcus, and Duke Lancelot had quietly retreated to the back, and Arendt was surrounded by nobles he had never seen before.

The captains looked at him with half anticipation and half worry.

And after a while.

“What did you expect?”

The apprentice knight’s particularly sharp words pierced through the noisy banquet hall.

“…”

There was a moment of awkward silence.

Even those who were preoccupied with other things looked back in surprise.

Laius rubbed his temples, Diana shook her head, and Kendrick burst out laughing.

“It’s started.”