Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 239

Arendt remained silent for a while, lost in thought.Even after a rather long silence, Laius waited patiently.

At first glance, it seemed like Arendt was standing still, but his shadowed golden eyes were calm and composed.

It was a look that could be seen when he was in deep thought.

After a while, Arendt spoke first.

“…That could be possible. Unlike the ones that have appeared recently, they were in their original form, with no signs of manipulation.”

It was neither Vincent nor Jin. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ N0veI.Fiɾe.net

Then there was only one possibility left.

“If they were all gathered together to explode at once, it was most likely a trap made by the Chernion Cult during the Great War.”

Laius nodded slowly.

Arendt, who had been listening quietly, put the dirty stone in his hand back down on the table.

“Is this the core that was there?”

“Yes, it was glowing faintly at first. I could also sense the old magic. However, it entered an inactive state after all the ghouls were dealt with.”

Arendt frowned slightly at Laius’ answer.

“That’s the problem. Why did something that had been left unattended suddenly start to be active?”

“Yes, there was no one nearby who looked like a caster. I searched around, but there was no one suspicious.”

When the dragon ghoul revealed itself, the body of the caster who had activated the spell was also found among the ghouls that had poured out around it.

Before Jin joined in the development of the ghouls, someone was needed to cast the spell directly to move them.

But in the cave that Laius discovered, such circumstances were not noticeable.

‘It is possible that the caster activated the ghoul without being noticed by people and then left…’

It was possible for Jin and Roger to do this since they could use teleportation magic.

But even if they tried to activate the old trap, there was nothing they could gain.

Laius had similar thoughts.

“It doesn’t seem like someone activated it on purpose. It’s more likely that it was accidentally activated for some reason.”

“That’s right. But I wonder what the reason is…”

Arendt, who had been muttering unconsciously, suddenly stopped talking and raised his head.

His eyebrows were slightly furrowed.

“But why are you asking me this? Wouldn’t it be quicker to go straight to Count Stadler and discuss it?”

“Because there are times when you reveal information that no one knows about.”

Then a voice that was incredibly calm replied.

Arendt was momentarily speechless at the surprising retort.

The captain added with an indifferent expression.

“When we first discovered the ghouls, it was the same. So this time, I called you separately, just in case you know something. It’s probably safer for me to handle it rather than you speaking directly.”

“…”

Arendt, who had been staring blankly at the captain’s face and blinking, opened his mouth.

“Captain.”

“Speak.”

“Don’t you have any reservations, Captain?”

At the blatantly absurd remark, Laius’ eyebrows twitched.

“…At least I don’t want to hear that from you, but I wonder why you’re suddenly picking a fight.”

“Why, you ask…”

Arendt muttered in disbelief before trailing off, unable to finish the sentence.

He realized that this kind of rambling was not very ‘Arendt-like’ behavior.

Laius, genuinely confused, looked at him with a displeased question in his bright blue eyes.

There wasn’t even a shred of doubt to be found on his face.

‘Of course he won’t doubt me now.’

Well, that was because there were more than a few things he’s gotten away with so far.

That didn’t mean he had anticipated this situation.

“I don’t know if I can call this a concession, but I’m not very thrilled with being dependent on you, the youngest of the Knights.”

“Well, that’s because none of you are any help.”

Laius ignored the spiteful remark.

“And if what you mean by reservations is about something you’re still keeping secret… well, I don’t see why I should have any.”

“Huh?”

“I’m not really planning on digging into it now. I promised to leave the past behind, and that won’t change in the future. But since you don’t need to take unnecessary risks, I’m just saying it’s better to report to me first if anything comes up.”

Arendt was left speechless by the words that followed.

‘This person, really…’

It was a trust so unsettling that it almost felt frightening.

The part about hiding something referred to the source of the information Arendt had revealed so far.

Because up until now, it had always ended with things being brushed aside or silenced through some form of deal, there were always lingering uneasy parts that couldn’t be shaken off.

Laius was saying that he would take care of it himself, to prevent unnecessary attention from being drawn to Arendt and to prevent him from being suspected and harmed.

Arendt held back a deep sigh and stood there awkwardly.

“The captain…”

“Don’t call me a fool.”

He had been outmaneuvered.

Laius casually added, facing Arendt, who was looking at him in disbelief.

“It is a leader’s duty to protect his subordinates. I am just doing what I have to do.”

“…If you end up getting hurt, it’s none of my business.”

“I get stomachaches every day because of you. Anyway, do you know anything?”

As if it wasn’t worth talking about anymore, Laius changed the subject again.

Arendt, who had been staring at him with a disturbed expression, soon responded dryly.

“There’s nothing I can tell you. I don’t know anything, but I think your guess is probably right. Vincent is already dead, and what Jin is making is quite different from the original ghouls.”

Laius nodded without any sign of regret.

“I see. Is there any chance that something similar will happen again?”

The apprentice knight was momentarily silent at the question that followed.

This time the silence was somewhat unnatural.

Laius could guess what this silence meant.

The captain’s expression hardened for a moment.

‘Did I say something in vain?’

Considering that the wayward personality of that guy would make him run away if anyone reached out too much, he realized a bit too late that the conversation might have made him uncomfortable.

Just as he was about to add that he didn’t have to say anything if he didn’t want to, Arendt started speaking.

“I’m not sure, but this will probably be the first and last time.”

“…”

Laius’ eyes widened slightly.

“The same thing won’t appear again, so you can start investigating right now. I just handed over what is presumed to be a fake spirit stone to Count Stadler today, so I’ll ask him to study it while comparing it to what you found.”

Whether he knew it or not, Arendt continued speaking smoothly with a sullen face, no different from usual.

It was almost as if the uncomfortable silence that had just passed had been an illusion.

“That…”

After a brief hesitation, Laius finally managed to respond, feigning calm.

“…I understand. I will report this to His Highness the Crown Prince. First, the most urgent task is to find out why the ghouls suddenly moved.”

“Alright? Then go see Count Stadler now. Don’t waste time by holding onto people. I’m leaving now.”

The moment Arendt was about to turn and leave, Laius called him to stop.

“Wait a moment.”

“What is it now?”

Laius spoke as Arendt turned back in annoyance.

“I’m talking about the incident the three of you caused during this mission.”

“Ah.”

A frustrated sound escaped from Arendt’s mouth.

The apprentice knight, rolling his eyes, sullenly added.

“Just so you know, it wasn’t me who broke the castle gate, it was Senior Richt.”

“But it was your idea to herd the ghouls into the lord’s villa and blow them all up at once.”

“…”

“On top of that, you paid the compensation for the burned granary out of your own pocket, and then you took double that amount from His Highness the Crown Prince?”

It seems that Arthur and Richt had told Laius everything in detail when they got scolded earlier.

Arendt was already starting to feel uncomfortable with the sermon that was about to pour out, but Laius spoke briefly.

“…Okay. I’ll let it slide this time.”

“Huh?”

Arendt blinked at the unexpected words.

But Laius only waved his hand lightly.

“From now on, be careful not to cause any unnecessary damage. Go ahead. You’ve worked hard.”

It was a somewhat tolerant tone of address.

Arendt, who had been staring blankly at him, soon shrugged his shoulders as usual and left the office without even saying goodbye.

.

The door closed, and Laius, left alone, finally relaxed and slowly leaned back in his chair.

“Phew…”

As the one who spread the tendency for trouble, Arendt hadn’t changed much, whether back then or now.

He’s arrogant, has an outstanding talent for getting under people’s skin and no manners.

He still had the bad habit of casually approaching others, yet when someone else tried to get close, he would sneakily pull away.

‘But at this point…’

Still, it seemed like the distance had narrowed a little compared to before.

A faint smile appeared on Laius’ lips.

“Tsk.”

Arendt came out of the captain’s office and clicked his tongue briefly before even letting go of the doorknob.

It was because he was so upset that he ended up saying useless things, but it was impossible to undo the lines that had already been said.

Arendt turned toward the training ground where Arthur was waiting.

He thought he could shake off the remaining discomfort by moving his body.

But before he could take even a few steps, he heard urgent footsteps.

“Lord Arendt, there you are!”

Seton spotted him across the hallway and ran towards him with a bright smile.

“What’s going on?”

“A parcel and a letter have arrived for you from outside the palace. I have come to deliver them to you!”

Seton’s eyes sparkled at the simple question.

“Thank you for your hard work on the mission! I’m glad you came back safely.”

“Okay, give me what you brought. Who sent it?”

“The Neumann logo was stamped on the top.”

Seton quickly handed the items he had brought to Arendt.

“I’ll check it out. You can go now.”

“Yes! See you again!”

With an exaggerated bow, Seton quickly retreated, heading back to his original post with brisk steps.

Arendt, who had sent Seton away, checked what he had handed over.

One was a rather thick envelope.

As Seton said, the wax seal bore the design of the Neumann Merchant Group.

It seemed like he had sent information about those who were spying on the Khan Union.

Arendt then turned his gaze to the thin envelope Seton had handed him.

The sender was not written on it.

He tucked the envelope under his arm and tore the seal.

“…Hmm?”

A piece of paper was carelessly placed inside.

Arendt took out the letter and unfolded it.

Concise sentences engraved in the middle of a pure white paper caught his eye.

“…”

The sender’s identity was not revealed, but Arendt could easily guess who it was.

The hand holding the letter dropped abruptly.

He slowly exhaled to calm the rising irritation, but in the end, a simple curse slipped out.

“Damn, seriously.”

As expected, problems don’t just come one at a time.

If they all came rushing at once, like “Take this!”, that would be one thing, but…

Arendt turned around and quickly walked back toward Laius’ office.