novelAlta Chapter 192: There is such a word in the Empire
Chapter 192: There is such a word in the Empire
“Is it okay to just leave them like that?”Arthur, who had been watching for a while, finally couldn’t hold it in any longer and blurted out a question.
His gaze, filled with pity, was fixed on the elves who were going crazy after being toyed with by Arendt on one side of the spacious cabin.
Richt, who happened to be watching the same scene, responded quietly.
“Then go and try to stop it.”
“I made a slip of the tongue.”
“Why would you interfere and get in trouble?”
Llewellyn let out an awkward laugh next to Arthur, who was quickly reflecting.
At that moment, Sakhalin couldn’t control his anger and shouted.
“You little brat who doesn’t know manners or honor!”
“Which one of you couldn’t see through this kid’s trick? You must be quite proud of your long elf life after experiencing defeat by a human kid who can’t even live half as long as you.”
But to Arendt, it was nonsense that didn’t even make sense.
Sakhalin’s face turned red with rage as Arendt pretended to pick his ears and made a fuss.
Even if they looked at it from the same side, Arendt’s actions were so annoying that it drove them crazy, so they could easily guess what Sakhalin’s insides were like.
“This cheeky bastard!”
“Calm down, Vice-Captain! Your opponent is a kid!”
“If you fight here, the ship will sink!”
Sakhalin, who was running wild, saying he would hit Arendt once, was stopped by his elf subordinates on both sides.
Things seemed to be getting more and more serious.
Richt glanced in the direction where Laius was.
“…”
But it seemed that Laius had already decided to pretend not to know about the situation.
Sitting opposite him was Sylvian, who looked much more haggard than before she came on board.
She also seemed to be deeply troubled by the shameful behavior of her subordinates.
Llewellyn muttered in disbelief.
“By the way, why is Captain Laius so calm?”
“He’s used to this situation… He might think it’s better to do it this way, rather than having that guy’s judgment continue to be twisted.”
“I see.”
Llewellyn nodded, convinced by Arthur’s explanation.
The day he first met Sylvian, Arendt seemed strangely uncomfortable.
It was certainly strange, considering that he was usually not one to show his raw emotions.
Llewellyn’s face, which had been lost in thought for a moment, turned sour.
“…But why is that guy so angry at Lady Sylvian? It’s true that it’s an unpleasant situation for the Empire, but his reaction was a bit different than usual.”
“And the bigger problem is that it’s hard to tell whether or not that’s what he did intentionally.”
Richt also furrowed his brows and added.
Given the circumstances, it seemed like the latter, but even that wasn’t certain.
Because Arendt was the type who could easily embellish emotions whenever necessary depending on the situation.
The three of them put their heads together and thought about it for a while longer, but no clear answer emerged.
After a brief silence, Arthur concluded.
“There’s nothing we can do. Sir Sakhalin will have to suffer for a while longer.”
Richt and Llewellyn nodded silently.
The impudent apprentice’s intentions were only revealed late that evening, just hours before they reached the elven kingdom.
Sylvian had called her men into the cabin to prevent another quarrel, leaving only the knights and Llewellyn on deck.
Laius opened his mouth and asked quietly.
“Arendt, did you find out as much as you wanted to?”
“To some extent. I don’t know if it will help.”
Arendt blurted out, leaning his back against the railing in a bad posture.
Llewellyn’s eyes widened at the conversation he didn’t understand.
“Find out, what?”
“What? You…”
Arthur, who had finished understanding, widened his mouth and Arendt shrugged his shoulders.
“It’s a simple search.”
Another of Arendt’s special skills, which was as good as his ability to raise people’s awareness, was observing people.
That was also the reason why Laius left Arendt to run wild.
Arendt, who was looking at those who were sighing belatedly, opened his mouth nonchalantly.
“They are definitely strong elves, but their reactions are a bit slow compared to their sensitive senses and trained bodies. It feels like their judgment can’t keep up with their strong bodies.”
“I see.”
Laius nodded calmly.
When the elf warrior and Arendt clashed head-on, the odds of Arendt winning were extremely slim.
However, the reason Sakhalin was beaten was because Arendt’s fighting style had been honed through countless battles.
“They were textbook movements… they probably didn’t have much opportunity to experience actual combat in elven society. If it had led to a showdown using magic power, it would have been difficult for me to win.”
Originally, elves were who had a lot of affinity for magic, and the years they had lived could not be ignored.
“If Sir Sakhalin, the vice captain of the Fog Forest Guard, is like that, then I’m sure other elves are also like that.”
“…Why did you go to the trouble of digging that up?”
“We need to prepare for any eventuality.”
When Llewellyn asked reluctantly, Arendt answered plainly.
“Considering that their main weapon is a bow and arrow, it might be a bit different, but since they’ll be moving according to set tactics anyway, I don’t think there’ll be a big problem if we exploit their gaps well.”
“We can win if we fight?”
Arendt gave a look of blatant contempt to Richt, who asked dubiously.
“Are you crazy? You think we can escape safely?”
“…”
“I spoke to the captain earlier. Just in case, I asked him not to head back right away and to wait in the nearby waters. I also gave him a communication crystal, so there shouldn’t be any issues with contacting him.”
“This damn bastard… I thought he was just making a fuss, but he had already thought that far ahead?”
When Arthur let out a weary voice, Arendt responded nonchalantly.
“Of course. It’s like we’re going into the middle of enemy territory. It’s not certain whether they’ll become an enemy or not.”
“Be honest, was it fun?”
“I found Sakhalin’s reaction rewarding.”
Arthur glared at his junior with a disapproving look at his quick answer.
At that moment, Laius, who had been quietly listening to the story, asked a question.
“You seem more alert than usual. Is there a reason?”
“I just told you. I’m not sure if they’re enemies or not.”
But Arendt’s voice was not much different from usual.
Slam.
There was a brief silence, followed by the sound of waves crashing against the boat.
A few hours later, at sunrise, they would reach the coast of the elven kingdom.
To the knights, it was an unknown area.
Given the circumstances, it wouldn’t be entirely safe for Llewellyn either.
Arendt’s golden eyes turned to Llewellyn.
“You don’t have to come with us. Why don’t you stay and go boating?”
“…That’s ridiculous. There has to be at least one person who can mediate. Do you think I’m just going to sit back and watch?”
Llewellyn, whose face had been hardened for a moment, soon smiled awkwardly.
Arendt nodded without asking any further questions.
“I look forward to seeing how grandly we will be welcomed.”
“First of all, everyone, don’t let your guard down. In an emergency, the prince’s safety is the top priority.”
“Yes, I understand.”
At Laius’ command, Richt and Arthur nodded with serious faces.
And a few hours later.
As dawn broke, the ship reached the waters of the Elven Kingdom.
As they got closer to land, the sight of elven warriors filling the harbor became more and more apparent.
Arthur muttered in horror at the sight.
“They’re giving us quite a grand welcome.”
“Impressive. It looks like there are at least 40 of them. If those people shoot even a single arrow each, we’d all be turned into a beehive.”
“Why do you say such horrible things so calmly…?”
Arendt responded with a relaxed response that was hard to tell whether he was joking or being serious.
Arthur glanced at his annoying junior and said to the sailor.
“Tell the captain to stop here and lower the boats. If we get any closer, this ship could be in danger too.”
If they went a little further, they would be within the bows’ ranges.
The sailor nodded hastily.
“Yes, yes!”
Not long after he dashed out, the ship stopped and two boats were launched.
They each boarded their boats without much conversation.
The boats carrying the group glided across the water and arrived at the port.
As soon as the boats reached the dock, elven warriors armed with spears and bows surrounded them.
As Laius took the first step, a man who seemed to be the leader of the elves stepped forward.
“…Welcome, Captain Laius de Winfried.”
“Thank you for your hospitality despite our rude visit.”
Even as killing intent poured in from all sides, Laius remained calm.
Llewellyn, standing behind him, tried to smile and greeted him.
“How have you been, Sir Zakar?”
“It’s been a while, Lord Llewellyn. I regret that we must meet under these circumstances.”
The man named Zakar answered Llewellyn coldly.
At the sound of the familiar name he heard, Arendt looked up and confirmed the man’s face.
His blond hair was lighter than Sylvian’s and his cool green eyes were striking.
However, there was no expression whatsoever on the elf’s characteristically beautiful face.
‘Yes, he was that person.’
The captain of the Fog Forest’s Royal Guard that appeared in “The Blue Knight of the Holy Sword”.
It was Zakar, a warrior who came to support the Caerleon Empire.
Zakar developed a friendship with Laius, and remained in the Empire until the series abruptly ended.
He was quiet and blunt, but he was also thorough and honest, so Laius trusted him quite a bit.
Even when the unexpected deaths of elven warriors on the battlefield occurred, he remained steadfast and unwavering, but it was Laius who opened his heart first after seeing him mourning them alone under the moonlight.
And soon after, Zakar was impressed by Laius’s character, and the two became true comrades…
That’s what it was about.
To Arendt, who remembered that scene, the two people now exploring each other with wary eyes seemed quite fresh.
“The elders are waiting. Come with me. I will guide you.”
Zakar said stiffly.
The atmosphere was overbearing, as if there had never been a veto from the beginning.
In reality, it was closer to being transported than guided, but no one in the group said that out loud.
Before taking a step, Zakar glanced at Sylvian with cold eyes.
“…”
Sylvian, who met his eyes, avoided eye contact.
It was an attitude of not making useless excuses.
Arendt didn’t miss that sight.
The current captain of the guard was clearly Sylvian.
In that case, she would be higher in status than Zakar.
But the relationship between the two felt horizontal, or rather, like Zakar was higher up.
Arendt’s brow furrowed slightly.
‘What?’
Given that Zakar knew Laius’ name exactly, it was clear that he had already heard the general situation from Sylvian.
Arendt could understand if Zakar was looking down on Sylvian because she failed a mission, but seeing his attitude of treating her like she didn’t exist at all, it seemed like it wasn’t just that.
Sylvian calmly blended in with the elven warriors, but Sakhalin and her other subordinates were unable to control their expressions.
As if it were some great insult for Sylvian to be ignored by Zakar.
He had a gut feeling that there was something more to it.