Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 126

“Actually, we can’t be sure. It’s only a hunch for now.”After briefly briefing Llewellyn on what kind of mine it was, Arendt added that sentence.

Llewellyn looked at the floor with a serious face.

“But it’s quite possible. The only creature that would have the compulsive power to place a ban on taking something out of a book of magic is a dragon.”

“So you’re saying that mine was the dragon’s home?”

“If that’s the case… it wouldn’t have been a residence, but more like a villa.”

Llewellyn slightly shook his head in response to Count Stadler’s question.

“You said it wasn’t too far from the Imperial Palace? That area was populated by many humans even before the war. There was no need to build a lair in a place where people would come and go frequently. But…”

“Are you saying that there is a good chance that it was used for laboratory purposes?”

“Yes, that’s it.”

This time Arendt nodded at the Count.

“It’s something I hadn’t thought of until now, but maybe we can find some new clues there.”

“Huh…This is something I didn’t expect.”

Neumann also let out a sigh.

Although research had been ongoing for quite some time, the original owner of the ruins inside the mine still remained a mystery.

Laius, who had been listening quietly, asked a question.

“Count, have you finished analyzing the ancient books that were there?”

“No, there’s still a bit left. There are books with unfamiliar scripts that I’m currently deciphering with my assistants, but it seems like it’ll take some more time.”

Perhaps there were records of the Dragon Clan there.

Count Stadler’s eyes flashed.

“I’ll push myself a little harder.”

“When you return this time, please bring Prince Llewellyn with you. Lord Neumann, please lend them Warren. Is that alright?”

Neumann blinked at Arendt’s sudden words.

“Yes, of course that’s fine, but… may I ask why?”

“Even though he looks like that, he is still a prince of a country. If something were to happen within our empire, it would be difficult. And if Warren is with him, they will be able to quickly connect with the Neumann Group.”

Warren was a useful guy in many ways.

Warren, convinced by Arendt’s words, bowed his head toward Llewellyn.

“Please take good care of me, Your Highness.”

“Yes…”

Unfamiliar with the fast-paced situation, Llewellyn nodded his head bewilderedly.

“I’ll tell you in advance, it’s not surprising that we could be counterattacked at any time. The church has suffered a severe blow, but it’s clear that they are a force that cannot be ignored.”

Laius, who had been silent, started to speak.

“There may be a dangerous situation. Furthermore, Warren has fled from the religious order, so if you move together, you may be more noticeable. Please be especially careful.”

“As the captain said, we must make sure that Prince Llewellyn is not discovered moving with us for the time being. It probably won’t last long though.”

After Arendt obediently agreed, the captain looked at him with an uneasy gaze.

“But for the time being, I think they’ll be careful. They’ll realize that not only the Empire, but other countries are starting to turn against them as well.”

“I see. So you’re saying that they’re like a rat in poison?”

“It may seem like it right now, but it won’t work out that well. Just think about who they have attached to them.”

“…”

Cantares closed his mouth.

Dragon.

In the end, they returned to the original topic of this meeting.

“So, we need to find the dragon?”

“Although they are friendly with their clanmates, dragons are thoroughgoing individualists.”

Arendt nodded his head and continued.

“I don’t know how many dragons are left now, but I don’t think they’ve all joined the Chernion Church.”

“Then what, you want to negotiate with them?”

“If it’s possible.”

The office fell into silence again at the light answer.

It was an absurd statement to say that one would negotiate with a dragon that may or may not exist. However, since the speaker was Arendt, they thought that it might not be so absurd.

“Are you… did you find something?”

“I’m not sure, but I recently gathered some information and investigated it.”

From Count Stadler’s translations and the temple, to the book dealer and the imperial library… there was no place Arendt did not search.

“They say there are few records left from the war era, but aren’t old stories still passed down?”

“Yes.”

“Have you ever heard of a story like this? The one where the hero Khan and the dragon fight each other.”

“Well, I’ve heard of it… It’s an old fairy tale. It’s not a very famous story. In the records handed down to the imperial family… Ah.”

Cantares, who had been answering blankly, soon realized his mistake.

The imperial records were not perfect either. Some information about the Sword of the Broken Heart was preserved, but the story of the god Chernion was completely erased.

Besides, they were not in a position to ignore it just because it was an old fairy tale. No one could have imagined that an evil god that was treated as just an old tale would come to this era.

Count Stadler intervened.

“There’s also the story of the Dragonborn. Although they didn’t reach a conclusion, the dragon was impressed by the hero Khan and became his friend. As a token of this, he gave him a weapon made from his own bones.”

It was a story that could not be overlooked, since they had even found an artifact made of dragon bone.

Laius groaned briefly.

“I was stuck in my room for days wondering what to do…”

“So I looked for similar stories. There was also a mention of dragons in the materials I received from the temple.”

Arendt paused for a moment as if choosing his words, then spoke briefly.

“Dragons are a species that lives close to gods.”

“…Close to God?”

Llewellyn’s eyes widened at the words he had never heard before.

“It’s a passage from a book that children who have just entered the temple are reading. It’s said to be a copy of a record left by a priest who traveled the continent a long time ago… Even among the priests, it seems like this is just another old tale.”

Arendt shrugged.

“Only a great god can tame a dragon that is so powerful. It’s a bit disappointing that it’s not clearly written which god it is.”

Since it was a temple of the Luce Church, the god mentioned there was probably Luce.

“Now that it’s been confirmed that the dragon is on the Chernion Church’s side, there must be one or two people who sided with god Luce. We need to find them.”

“After finding them and informing them of the current situation, will we ask for their cooperation so that the world does not become dangerous again?”

“That’s not it.”

Arendt clicked his tongue at Cantares’ question and declared confidently.

“The fucking bastards are going to come crawling back out and raise their heads again, so I’m going to ask them if they’re going to just sit there and do nothing.”

“…”

Really… he had a personality that was once again admirable.

While everyone else was silent in confusion, Warren quietly muttered.

“I don’t know who it will be, but they’ll kill the guy who went to negotiate.”

Clap.

With a single clap, Arendt lightened the mood.

“If we put together the circumstances that have emerged so far, we can see that there is a reason why the dragon attached to that side has not come up to the surface until now.”

“Are they afraid of their own species getting involved in this?”

“Maybe.”

Arendt nodded at Laius’ words.

“Therefore, it is possible that other dragon clans are completely unaware of how the world works. But that won’t be the case in the future.”

“So this is what you were planning after all. You were just trying to provoke them.”

The Crown Prince burst into laughter.

At the founding ceremony, a dragon was exhibited to inform the people of the coming of the evil god and the appearance of the dragon, and a single hero was presented to fight against it.

He just thought Arendt was acting like that because he was so angry… but it turned out to be a giant bait to summon a dragon.

“Well, I guess. Maybe they’ll make contact first. In any case, it won’t be easy.”

As he said this, Arendt glanced at Llewellyn.

Llewellyn, who had been staring at the floor with his arms crossed, blurted out.

“No, I have an idea where to start.”

As expected. He thought that if he just threw him at it like this, he would figure it out.

“Then please. If you need any supplies, you can ask Lord Neumann. I’ll pay for it.”

“You’re paying for it?”

“I have a lot of money. I can’t use the Empire’s public funds for something that’s done in secret.”

Arendt’s new business at the Neumann Merchant Group was a huge success, and his pockets were getting fatter. In addition, he had enough magic stones to sell right away.

Cantares organized and gave instructions to everyone.

“I’ll leave that to Arendt and Neumann. Count, you will continue analyzing the dragonbone while assisting Prince Llewellyn.”

“Yes, I understand. I will proceed without a hitch.”

“Just a moment, I’ve been concerned about this for a while now.”

The prince raised his hand slightly and smiled awkwardly.

“You mentioned the Dragonborn story earlier, right? You’re saying you’ve actually obtained it…”

“Ah.”

Now that he thought about it, Llewellyn still didn’t know anything about artifacts. The data he sent him this time also completely omitted any information related to artifacts.

“You don’t mean that, do you?”

It was a decision made out of fear that those who coveted the treasure might act recklessly. As a result, Vincent and Blake were only described as ‘strong people who wore masks and used special abilities.’

Count Stadler gave the prince an ambiguous smile in return.

That meant, yes.

As the prince, gaping, looked from the count to Arendt and the Crown Prince, Cantares spoke.

“Well, I guess it would be better to share correct information.”

The Crown Prince briefly told him the truth about the battle they had fought so far, which was a little different from the story that had been made public, and what artifacts they had obtained in the process.

It was obvious how excited Llewellyn was.

That evening.

Llewellyn, who was so restless that he couldn’t stay still for even a moment, left for the mines with the Count, and the palace became quiet again.

And Arendt stood face to face with Laius in the Crown Prince’s private training ground for the first time in a long while.

“Are you able to move around now?”

“Why are you asking something obvious?”

Arendt responded curtly and drew his sword.

As the sword of the apprentice knight was smoothly drawn and pointed towards him, Laius also drew his sword without hesitation.

“Is it okay?”

“What’s okay?”

“he artifact that Blake had was handed to Prince Llewellyn.”

Llewellyn decided to borrow the Dragonbone Artifact after Count Stadler finished analyzing it.

It was something that everyone there agreed on.

“Since I’ve asked him to do something dangerous, I need to send him at least one more way to protect himself. As I said earlier, if he dies somewhere, I’ll be in trouble.”

After all, it was Arendt himself who brought the prince in.

But that wasn’t the answer Laius wanted.

“Do you trust him?”

“What a random question.”

“I don’t mean to question your judgment now, but I am, as you say, an outrageous idealist and an inflexible man of principle, so I have to ask.”

…This guy, were there any aftereffects?

Arendt just thought he was a genuine protagonist, but lately he’d been feeling like he was seeing a bit of a rebellious side to him.

Arendt looked at Laius with slightly weary eyes.

“Does that matter?”

“I don’t like to doubt anyone, unless absolutely necessary. I have a habit of trusting people easily.”

“I know. It’s also your biggest weakness, Captain.”

“…”

Laius flinched at the sharp reply.

“…I’m sorry. But you’re different from me. That’s why I’m curious. Why did you share such detailed information with the prince and ask for his cooperation even when it was too much?”

“Because I need his ability.”

Arendt responded without a moment’s hesitation.

“It would be a waste to let a useful piece go to waste. And I never trusted him.”

The apprentice knight, standing with an arrogant attitude, looked at the captain with displeasure.

“Why do you think I bothered to send Warren along?”

“What?”

Laius let out a dumbfounded sound at the unexpected words.