Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 268

Although it was annoying, Arendt’s words were not entirely wrong.The condition was that Lexion be allowed to stay in the palace for a while.

“I also need to focus on recovering for a few days, and to do that, I need to return to my true form. However, since I gave the lair to Stellar, I need to find another space… if I stay outside and get noticed by the cult, it will be a nuisance.”

“Oh, that’s simple.”

Surprisingly, Arendt answered readily.

“I think it would be best if you stayed in the Crown Prince’s private training grounds. It’s quite spacious and comfortable. If you ask Aide Jereon to block off the area, there shouldn’t be any problems.”

It was a moment when the innocent Crown Prince was suddenly struck by a bolt out of the blue.

Lexion’s expression became pale.

“I know it’s not something I should be saying, but is that okay?”

“Whether it’s okay or not, if I ask for it, he should give it to me. I’m working so hard like this, so he should at least have some conscience.”

“…”

Lexion glanced at Laius’ expression.

Laius was already looking at the distant mountains with an enlightened expression.

The same was true for the other knights.

But what was even funnier was that they didn’t seem to have any intention of pointing out or opposing the attitude of the apprentice knight.

“I will speak to His Highness the Crown Prince. How about creating an identity so that you can stay in the palace in human form for a while? It would be easier for you, Lexion, to move around if you have a base.”

“It’s not a bad idea, but what do you want?”

As Lexion frowned, Arendt responded.

“I’m talking about where the 1st and 2nd knights are right now. If we wait until something happens and then go to support them, it’ll definitely be too late…”

“You want me to move there in case of an emergency?”

“Yes, you’re quick to catch on.”

Looking at Arendt, who nodded his head plainly without showing any sign of embarrassment, Lexion made a bewildered expression.

But soon he clicked his tongue and waved his hand.

“Okay. Instead, make sure you prepare so that I can stay in the palace without any problems.”

“That is up to His Highness. It is not my job.”

“…”

Lexion fell silent.

The knights were still just pretending not to notice.

Even the captain, who was so old-fashioned and upright.

Would the Caerleon Holy Empire be okay?

He was starting to feel a little skeptical.

Laius, who could not bring himself to tell Count Eckhart that the person who had suddenly barged in was a dragon, introduced Lexion as a reclusive archmage.

After asking the servants to keep quiet, he finally informed the Count that he would be leaving this evening.

“…This is quite sudden. I thought you were staying for a while longer.”

Count Eckhart, who had been listening quietly, opened his mouth.

“There’s no longer a need to stay here for long. Thank you for everything up until now. The on-site investigation and recovery are in the final stages, so I can leave it to the police and the Count’s knights. If you notice any unusual signs, please contact us immediately.”

“I will do that.”

When the Count bowed his head respectfully, Laius also nodded in return.

Laius called the knights who still remained on the scene to the castle and hurried to prepare to return.

Count Eckhart simply stood back silently and watched them, or rather Arendt, meddling and bickering among the knights.

The Third Knights, who had finished preparing, gathered in front of the Count’s castle.

Laius said his final goodbyes to Count Eckhart, who had come out to see them off.

“Thank you for your time. I hope to see you again next time.”

“I hope that the captain will continue to prosper in the future.”

Count Eckhart hesitated for a moment before answering shortly.

Laius realized that he was looking at Arendt who was standing behind him.

Arendt, who was engaging in a petty argument with his seniors as usual, also noticed the gaze and turned his head.

Count Eckhart, who met his eyes, spoke first.

“Sir Arendt.”

“…”

Laius’ eyes widened slightly at the indifferent title.

Arendt’s brows furrowed slightly.

Instead of making a long speech, Count Eckhart spoke plainly.

“I wish you good luck.”

“…”

It was a short but powerful statement.

The knights who had been chatting were shocked and fell silent.

Their eyes widened and they looked back and forth between the Count and Arendt.

“Tsk.”

Arendt clicked his tongue in annoyance and responded sarcastically.

“Please live long and suffer like a dog, Count.” Get full chapters from NoveI-Fire.ɴet

That was the end.

There was no sign of regret in Arendt’s back as he turned around.

Count Eckhart realized that he could never interfere in his life any longer.

The knights pretended to head back to the palace but quickly escaped to the plains.

When they reached a place where there was no sign of life, Laius stopped the group.

“I think this should be enough, but are you really alright? There are quite a few people, and we have horses as well.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. Who do you think I am? Back in the day, I was able to move an entire country’s army.”

Lexion grumbled and gathered the knights together and immediately began to use his magical power.

“You might feel a little dizzy.”

After the warning, a tremendous magical force engulfed the group in a gust of wind and light.

They didn’t even have time to be surprised.

Arendt, who had unconsciously closed his eyes, opened them when he realized that the air touching his skin had changed.

“…!”

Arendt’s eyes widened.

Before he knew it, they were in the middle of the Third Knight’s training grounds.

“Wow…”

“…That’s amazing.”

Exclamations of surprise burst out here and there.

Even Laius just blinked blankly with a surprised expression on his face.

Lexion, who had been looking at them pitifully, rebuked them.

“Don’t just stand there, get moving. You can’t act this leisurely, can you?”

“Oh, no. I’m sorry.”

Laius suddenly came to his senses and gave instructions.

“Arendt, you come with me to meet with the Crown Prince. Lexion, I ask you to accompany us as well. You guys clean up first, and tell the servants so they won’t be surprised.”

“Yes, I understand.”

After confirming Richt’s answer, and him starting to nag his juniors, the three of them left the dormitory.

The next thing to do was to watch the Crown Prince grabbing the back of his neck.

“…”

As expected, the Crown Prince seemed speechless when he saw Arendt and his group who had suddenly appeared.

However, after seeing Laius’ sincere report and Lexion, who was with him, he somehow understood and nodded in understanding

“So… you are Lexion. It’s nice to meet you. Of course, I will give you the training ground. I will also prepare a temporary identification card for you. If you need anything else, please ask my aide.”

Cantares greeted them calmly.

Then Lexion raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“You’re not as flustered as I thought you would be.”

Jereon, the aide standing behind the Crown Prince, also smiled vaguely and did not seem particularly flustered when told to attend to the dragon right away.

Cantares answered calmly.

“I’m sure you’ve experienced this as well, but most things that are beyond common sense can be explained to some extent just by the presence of that brat, no, Sir Arendt, standing next to you.”

However, it seemed that Cantares also had a hard time completely calming down his agitated mind, so he secretly cursed.

Lexion gave the Crown Prince a pitying look.

“You must have had a hard time.”

“Your Highness, you brought this upon yourself. Why are you blaming me?”

Arendt, who had been listening quietly, intervened in an annoying manner.

For a moment Cantares clenched his fists, but then he displayed superhuman patience and changed the subject.

“Reinforcements from the Elven Kingdom have arrived, so I think it would be a good idea to say hello while you’re here. Jen, go and get them.”

“All right.”

After Jen bowed and left the office, Arendt asked.

“By the way, how’s it going over there? I heard it’s not easy to persuade the other kingdoms.”

“The agreement between the First Kingdom and the Third Kingdom was concluded early, but it was difficult to persuade the Fourth Kingdom. The Grand Elder of the Fourth Kingdom refused to join until just before departure, but after hearing the story about the artifact, he belatedly sent warriors.”

The Fourth Kingdom was a particularly closed society among the elves, home to a shadowy race of elves commonly referred to as dark elves.

Llewellyn, with his insane sociability, became friendly with the elders there, but even he was said to be only allowed to wander within designated areas.

Arendt frowned faintly.

“If there’s an artifact that interests them… the Unquenchable Heart?”

“Yes, that’s right. I told Grand Elder Altair about the Unquenchable Heart because I thought it might help in gaining the cooperation of the Fourth Kingdom. If he still couldn’t convince them, then he should try using it as a bargaining chip.”

Cantares nodded in agreement.

“Sure enough, it seems they were quite tempted. Not long after, the Fourth Kingdom expressed their intention to join if they were allowed to research the Unquenchable Heart. So I accepted that condition.”

The Unquenchable Heart was an artifact that could heal the user by transferring their wounds or illnesses to others.

He had previously reported that the effects of this artifact were similar to the sorcery of the Dark Elves, and it seemed that his guess was correct.

Arendt raised his eyebrows.

“I’m glad that convinced them.”

“It seemed like there was something going on, but I haven’t asked about it yet. They just arrived.”

Just then, a knock was heard from outside.

Jereon was back.

Then suddenly Laius opened his mouth.

“Aren’t elves several times more sensitive to magic than humans?”

“That’s true. But why are you asking that all of a sudden?”

To Cantares who asked curiously, instead of answering, Laius looked at Lexion with an extremely uneasy expression.

“…I already mentioned the story about the dragon when the elders gathered, but wouldn’t it be better to give them a heads-up in advance?”

“What’s the point of saying it now? They should get used to it too. There’s no way they’d foam at the mouth and fall over like the Grand Elder, right?”

Arendt shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

Cantares, who had been silent, asked Lexion with his last hope.

“Is it alright? If you stay like this, you’ll probably run into some elves.”

“I’m not exactly keen on it, but… think about it, Crown Prince.”

Lexion replied with a frown.

“I need to return to my true form and go through a recovery period… But even if I try to hide my presence in my true form, the elves will sense it. If you don’t want to keep them up all night tormented by nightmares, it’s better to notify them now.”

They might have already sensed the ominous presence.

Cantares put his hand on his forehead and sighed deeply.

“…Arendt. It may be funny to say this now, but if you’re going to let a foreign prince or dragon into the palace, why don’t you at least give me a heads up? How many times has this happened!”

He tried to remain as calm as possible, conscious of Lexion, but in the end, his voice became louder as usual.

“What? Didn’t you already give up?”

“Is this a problem that can be easily given up on?”

Cantares became irritated at Arendt’s indifferent response.

“Now, whenever I hear that you’ve been away and are coming back, my heart starts racing! And I can’t even guess where you’ve been or what you’ve been doing!”

“The heart is supposed to beat. If it doesn’t, you’re in big trouble, so you should thank me.”

While the two were bickering, Jereon, who couldn’t wait outside any longer, quietly opened the door and peeked in.

“Your Highness, as you said, I have brought the warriors…”

But that was only for a moment.

.

Jereon quickly closed the door after checking the situation inside.

It was a quick decision by the aide who could not show the Crown Prince’s disgrace to the elves.

Laius sighed and shook his head.

And Lexion, who was watching this scene in bewilderment, muttered.

“…I’ve seen all sorts of things in life.”

In his long life, he had never once thought that he would see a Crown Prince and an apprentice knight fighting.