Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 187: Are you mocking us?

Laius said quietly.“There are three… no, four.”

“I can barely feel any movement.”

Richt, with his hand on the sword, added as well.

The brief peace was shattered and tension began to flow in an instant, leaving Llewellyn speechless.

Arthur glanced at the prince with a hardened expression and asked.

“Your Highness, do you know what that is?”

“…A reconnaissance bird used by elves.”

Although it was not a real living bird, it was an object that contained the unique magic of the forest elves and could move around and detect the presence of its surroundings and convey it to its owner.

There was still no response from the other side of the darkness.

It must have been obvious that the reconnaissance bird had been shot down.

But seeing that there was no response, it seemed like they had no intention of fighting right away.

After a while of sharp tension, a calm voice that did not fit the situation flowed out.

“At this point, let me be frank.”

“…?”

It was Arendt.

The apprentice knight blurted out, staring blankly into the darkness.

“The secret plan that my senior asked about was actually something that had been in progress for quite some time.”

“What?”

“Count Stadler handled the magic suppression for us. I made a few adjustments to it just before we departed.”

“…”

Whew.

A cool breeze passed by, caressing the group.

Richt and Arthur forced their stiff necks to move and looked at Arendt.

Llewellyn also dropped his jaw in shock, and Laius was momentarily speechless and dumbfounded.

Be that as it may, Arendt simply gave his seniors a pitiful look.

“Did no one really notice? Are these so-called knights so dull?”

“…”

Because of that shamelessness that they couldn’t get used to no matter how many times they were hit, they were so dumbfounded that they couldn’t even think of anything to say in response.

The reason Count Stadler put so much effort into the anti-magic barrier was because he was afraid that the elves might chase after the spirit stone’s energy.

That Arendt made a few adjustments…

It meant that the elves were deliberately lured this way.

Arthur, who had been opening his mouth, muttered in absurdity.

“Is that guy really crazy…?”

Arthur’s mutterings grew louder and soon he began to tear out his hair.

“No, it’s funny that you’re saying this now. Hey, you crazy bastard! What the hell are you doing? I’m already in so much pain!”

“It’s so noisy. If you’re upset, you should’ve acted first. You’re so dull, but you talk too much.”

Regardless of the reactions around him, Arendt just kept picking his ear.

The shocked Richt and Laius didn’t even think to stop the furious Arthur.

Llewellyn, barely coming to his senses, asked stammeringly.

“Why, why? Why on earth? Wasn’t the magic there for us to avoid being caught by the elves?”

“Why? Then, are we going to let those unidentified guys continue to run rampant throughout the Empire? Were we going to let them cause a commotion in some random place, trying to find the spirit stones? That would be even more of a headache.”

With those valid reasons, they were once again left speechless.

Richt, who had been blankly staring, barely managed to pull himself together and stammered as he asked.

“So… you intentionally led them here?”

“Yes.”

Arendt shrugged.

“Since we didn’t announce our destination, there was no way for them to know where we were going, but since this guy was with us, I think they would have a rough idea.”

They fully expected that they would come to explore.

That’s why he paid even more attention to the magic suppression barrier.

Laius pressed his eyebrows together and urged him briefly.

“…Keep talking.”

“It would be a shame to come all the way here and just go back, right? I just tweaked it just long enough for them to be suspicious. It was pretty hard, but I was able to do it somehow by using the magic stone.”

There were times when they despaired of Arendt’s useless talents, and that was the case now.

It was no wonder the knights had not noticed until now.

It’s not like the magic suppression barrier was completely broken, it was just that a magic stone got stuck between the barrier.

With just one trick from the apprentice knight, a perfect trap for the elves was completed.

Arthur buried his face in his hands and cried.

“Why on earth are you using your great dexterity like that…!”

“I can use it anywhere. Isn’t it pretty great?”

Arendt waved his hand at the sight.

There was nothing more to say to that.

The tension that had been flowing just a few minutes ago disappeared without a trace, and what remained was a deep sense of emptiness.

Laius, exhausted, let out a deep sigh, calming himself down.

“Okay, so let’s say it already happened… what are you going to do?”

“Well, that depends on how they respond.”

Arendt answered indifferently and looked at Llewellyn.

“Did they hear the conversation we had earlier?”

“…If it was true that they were hiding in the forest over there, they wouldn’t have heard it properly since the scout bird was destroyed. However, they would have known for sure that the spirit stones were with us.”

Llewellyn, who had been holding his forehead, sighed and answered.

Arendt smiled, perhaps with a hint of satisfaction, or perhaps with a bit of wickedness.

“That’s a bit unfortunate. But since we’ve already got a companion, let’s have fun. I’m looking forward to seeing how carefully they’ll follow along.”

From the elves’ perspective, it would be enough to make their blood run cold.

They sent out a reconnaissance bird with great determination, but that was shot down, and even though they wanted to steal the spirit stones, they couldn’t rush in right away for fear of falling out with Llewellyn.

Even if they had rushed in from the beginning, there would have been Laius there, so they would have been subdued without being able to properly show their strength.

In the end, it meant that they could do neither this nor that.

Llewellyn let out a new exclamation of contempt.

“Wow, seriously, what a temper…”

Everyone in the group had no choice but to agree with that short statement.

Even after they had completely left the empire and reached the edge of the territory of the Lucain Kingdom, their awkward companionship continued.

The knights were dying because they were so annoyed by the constant gazes they felt.

But since the other side didn’t take any action, they couldn’t react first either.

Finally, a few days later, while preparing to go camping again, Richt threw out the topic in a pained voice.

“…Is there any way to fix this?”

For a few days, no matter what they did, eyes were following them.

When gathering firewood to make a campfire or securing drinking water.

They felt like their every move was being watched, like when they stopped by town to buy something they needed.

There was a limit to pretending not to know.

But Arendt was just being utterly nonchalant.

“Enjoy it. When will you get this much attention again, senior?”

“I keep forgetting that you’re not someone worth talking to, and that’s a big problem.”

“It’s because you’re an idiot.”

“Richt, be patient. Fighting won’t get you anything back.”

When he saw Richt clenching his fist at the mean answer, Laius stopped him with a complicated expression.

“In a few days, we will enter the Nephele Kingdom. By then, something will come up.”

They were planning to stay at the palace for a day and take the boat the next day, so they would probably come to a conclusion within those two days.

Surely the elves wouldn’t just sit back and watch as they crossed over into the elven territory.

As the knights become more and more upset, the elves watching would become even more troubled.

And Arendt seemed to find that quite enjoyable.

He was probably the only person who could drive people to the brink like this without lifting a finger.

This sluggish situation continued until they reached the Nephele Kingdom.

And finally, these words came out of Prince Matthias’ mouth as he came out to greet them in front of the palace.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen you, so I know this is rude, but is something wrong? You don’t look too well…”

“…It’s nothing, Your Highness. Thank you for your hospitality.”

Laius felt a little, just a little, regretful that he had no choice but to answer like this.

Only after entering the palace could the group escape the persistent gaze.

Feeling relieved, they tidied up their clothes in the room they were led to and headed straight to see the King and Crown Princess.

The knights bowed to the King who sat on the throne and the Crown Princess who stood next to him.

“I, Laius de Winfried, Captain of the Third Imperial Knights of the Caerleon Empire, greet Your Majesty and the Crown Princess. I thank you for your willingness to lend us your aid.”

“Raise your head.”

As soon as the king’s permission was given, the knights raised their heads.

The Crown Princess stepped forward in place of the king and smiled.

“On behalf of Lord Luce, I welcome you all, Captain Laius, and gentlemen.”

“Thank you for your hospitality, Your Highness the Crown Princess.”

Laius bowed again.

Arendt studied the new character carefully.

‘Isabella Nephele.’

She was the one who quietly inherited the position of Crown Princess that Alois had dishonorably given up.

Unlike Matthias, who was timid and cautious in everything, she didn’t seem like she would act recklessly like Alois.

Her polite but not overly formal manners showed consideration for putting visitors at ease.

While Arendt was evaluating Isabella as someone more worthy of the position of Crown Prince than Matthias or Alois, she started speaking again.

“I would like to apologize and thank you, albeit belatedly, for what happened in the Lucain Kingdom. I should have taken action internally, but I am ashamed.”

“It is in the past, so please do not take it to heart, Your Highness.”

“Thank you for saying so.”

As Isabella smiled and bowed her head slightly, her gaze fell on Arendt and then left.

But that only lasted a moment.

As the Crown Princess stepped back, the king smiled and continued speaking.

“It’s because I haven’t educated my children well. You must be tired from your long journey, so please step back and get some rest. I would like to treat you well, but unfortunately, there isn’t time.”

The king, who had spoken up to that point, also turned his gaze towards Arendt, who was standing behind Laius.

By the time Arthur and Richt noticed this, the King had started to speak again.

“I have heard in detail what happened at the conference in the Lucain Kingdom, Lord Arendt von Eckhart.”

“Please inquire, Your Majesty.”

Arendt straightened his posture and answered firmly.

“You’re on good terms with Prince Llewellyn, aren’t you? I heard you were the one who asked the prince to help our kingdom.”

The king added with a warm smile.

“I appreciate that, too. If you need anything, just let me know. In Luce’s name, I will never forget the loyalty you have shown me.”

“I only did what I had to do. I’m honored even by your words, Your Majesty.”

The seniors who saw Arendt answer in a humble and upright manner like a knight had to try to somehow control the expressions on their faces that were starting to rot away.

But the king, who had no way of knowing the inside story, simply nodded his head in satisfaction.