Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 352

After that, Laius had quite a hard time as he was stuck between the two brats.It was because of the argument that broke out between Arthur, who was determined to follow no matter what, and Arendt, who had become extremely irritated.

“Why do you insist on coming along when you don’t even know what’s going to happen? It’s easier for me to go alone.”

“Didn’t you drop your sword during training not long ago? And you think you can go off on your own like that?”

Neither of them were willing to listen or back down.

In the end, when Arendt snapped in frustration, Arthur raised his voice even more.

“Senior, are you stronger than a dragon? What’s the problem with going with Lord Lexion?”

“But you never know. Besides, Lord Lexion might be reluctant to go to the temple. You’ll end up being alone in the temple. What if something happens in the meantime?”

“What exactly do you mean by ‘something happening’? And while Lord Lexion may have some reservations, there’s no issue with him accompanying me into the temple.”

Caught between the two, Laius gazed blankly into the air, seeming calm at first glance, but his eyes were vacant.

Arthur snapped.

“How do you know if there will be a problem or not? If even one situation arises that Lord Lexion cannot handle…”

“If Lord Lexion can’t handle the situation, none of us can. The possibility of the Evil Cult suddenly appearing in the Empire in a situation like this is slim.”

Arendt frowned and cut him off.

That also made sense.

After the awakening of the Holy Sword, the Evil Cult seemed to have almost given up on shaking the Empire from within.

The fact that Lexion was holding out in the palace also played a part.

Arendt finally put on the finishing touches.

“Senior Arthur, you don’t even know the circumstances. Don’t bother me unnecessarily. It’s annoying.”

Arthur would normally have backed down at this point.

But as he faced those golden eyes filled with both irritation and coldness, Arthur felt a strange surge of defiance rise within him.

“Yeah, I don’t know the details. You’ve got to say something if you want me to know. You always keep your mouth shut and don’t tell me, so what do you want me to do?”

Arthur growled fiercely, holding back the urge to scream at any moment.

“Anyway, let’s go together. You can’t go alone.”

“No way. I hate dealing with annoying things. And I don’t think you’ll be of much help.”

But Arendt wasn’t one to back down easily either. Just as Arthur was about to get worked up again over the rude reply, Laius intervened.

“Both of you, knock it off.”

Arthur paused at the captain’s order. Arendt also stayed silent and stared at Arthur with a displeased expression.

When the situation finally calmed down, Laius continued speaking.

“Arthur, if you want to go, I’ll let you go, but think about it more carefully. And Arendt, rest a bit more in the morning and leave in the afternoon.”

It was to give Arthur some more time to think. Arendt frowned as soon as he realized what he meant.

“I can manage just fine alone…”

“Arendt, you have no say in the matter.”

But Laius completely blocked his rebuttal.

“You seem to keep forgetting, but you are still an apprentice knight. I am your captain, and Arthur is your senior.”

Looking straight at Arendt, Laius continued speaking point by point.

“I am responsible for all your actions, and if Arthur and you were left alone, Arthur would have full command. Don’t forget that.”

“No, why are you saying that now?”

Laius responded firmly to the apprentice knight’s bewildered reaction.

“I’m saying that just because it’s now. Arthur, your shift’s about to start, so head out. Keep quiet about what happened tonight.”

It was an obvious order to leave. Arthur nodded with a displeased expression on his face.

“…All right.”

As Arthur got up, Arendt also naturally got up to follow him.

“Arendt, stay put for a moment.”

While Arendt hesitated, Arthur bowed his head in goodbye and left.

When the two were left alone, Arendt frowned.

“Why?”

“When the captain tells you to stay for a moment, don’t frown and ask ‘why?’.”

Laius pointed out calmly and handed Arendt a small leather pouch.

“What is this?”

“Open it and see.”

Arendt checked the contents as he said, although he had an uneasy expression.

It was filled with cookies that had a subtle herbal scent.

Before he could ask what they were, Laius answered first.

“They’re made with sleep-inducing herbs. Take one whenever necessary. The effects have already been confirmed.”

“Huh?”

When Arendt frowned, Laius explained calmly.

“I asked the healer to make these. Normally, they’d be prepared as pills, but since plain medicine is bitter and people won’t take it, we made them like this instead.”

“…What do you take me for, some brat?”

Laius responded to Arendt’s bewildered question without any change in expression.

“Yeah. You’re not just any brat, you’re a real pain in the ass.”

“…”

“A very troublesome brat who is stubborn, doesn’t listen to people, and always gets into trouble.”

Arendt was momentarily speechless at the unexpectedly serious reply.

Well, sure, Arendt was exactly that damn brat, but somehow, feeling purely proud just because he acted well didn’t sit right with him.

That thought was fleeting, and Arendt, who had come to his senses, handed the pouch back to Laius.

“This kind of thing isn’t necessary. Once we find the cause, it’ll be resolved soon enough, so it’s not really needed.”

“Just take it. Whether you eat it or not is up to you. I can’t force you to do that.”

But Laius shook his head.

“But saying it’ll be resolved soon isn’t very convincing. And it doesn’t seem like you truly believe that yourself.”

“No…”

“I have a rough idea why you’re reluctant to take them. You don’t like being left defenseless against your will, and you hate showing that side to your seniors too.”

Arendt, who was about to say something in response, closed his mouth.

Not long ago, he had refused the sleep magic that Lexion had offered him for exactly the same reason.

“You’re overly sensitive. You’ve always been that way, but you’ve been getting more and more sensitive lately. And then it doesn’t take long for you to lose your cool.”

Laius looked at him and continued speaking slowly.

“You’re tired right now and need rest. Even if this matter gets resolved soon, that won’t change. And to truly rest, you first need to let go of some of the weight on your mind.”

“…”

“That’s what you always say: don’t put unnecessary pressure on yourself. I think that’s what you need to hear right now.”

Arendt looked at Laius with slightly troubled eyes. Laius could instinctively tell it was a genuine expression.

“If you get sleep paralysis, we’ll wake you up. If you sleep too deeply and can’t wake up on time, we’ll stay by your side as much as needed, and if necessary, we’ll even slap you in the face like Arthur did to bring you back to your senses.”

Laius continued speaking slowly.

“You know full well that the people around you aren’t just fools who rely on you.”

“…”

The apprentice knight remained silent. With no change in his expression, he simply gazed at him with a troubled look.

Laius suppressed a sigh that threatened to burst out at any moment.

Although he always criticized them by saying that they were not helpful, Arendt never doubted that his colleagues would do their job.

‘That guy’s bold moves are proof of that.’

All of this was possible only on the premise that he had faith that the people he entrusted with the tasks would never fail.

That means Arendt’s overreaction wasn’t because he didn’t trust the people around him, but rather…

At the exact moment Laius had come to that realization, Arendt sighed deeply.

“Don’t you find it embarrassing to say things like that? Anyway, it’s annoying. I’ll just hold onto it for now.”

Arendt grumbled briefly, then tossed the cookie pouch into the air with a showy flick and caught it.

Laius responded irritably.

“Sometimes, that kind of thing is necessary, especially when dealing with a guy like you, so go get some sleep.”

“Okay. Okay, I understand.”

“By the way, if you go wandering around outside claiming you’re going to work today, I really won’t let it slide.”

As Arendt was about to leave, Laius left a heavy warning.

“I will tell Prince Llewellyn and His Highness that today is your day off, so please stay in the living quarters and do not move until Arthur returns in the afternoon.”

“…You’re seriously persistent…”

With a blatantly annoyed look, Arendt left without a word of farewell.

!

Laius shook his head at the roughly closed door.

Arthur and Arendt’s fight ended in an absurd way. Lexion, who had heard a rough explanation of the situation, flatly refused.

“Why should I go with you? I don’t want to go to such a disgusting place.”

…

In the end, Arendt was left with no option but to travel alongside Arthur.

Arthur also showed no signs of backing down, and Laius said he would respect Arthur’s decision, so Arendt had no other choice.

In the end, Arendt had no choice but to accept his company.

“I thought it wouldn’t be very appropriate to come and go in the territory on a personal whim. So, for now, I arranged it so that Count Stadler requested the exploration. I’ve also coordinated with the Count accordingly.”

Before departure, Arendt explained this to Arthur and Laius with a clearly displeased tone.

“Did the Count say anything else?”

“There was nothing else. He just said to let him know if we find out anything.”

Arendt shrugged his shoulders in response to Laius’ question.

In the first place, the Count wasn’t one who would say no when Arendt said he was going do something. Laius nodded as if he understood and looked at Arthur again.

“Be careful. If anything goes wrong, report it immediately.”

“All right.”

Arthur answered neatly.

With Laius seeing them off, Arthur and Arendt set off on a leisurely journey.

It wasn’t like they were going out to battle, nor were they in a situation where they had to guard the surroundings and escort someone.

The way to their destination was relatively comfortable, and since there were only two of them, they didn’t have much luggage.

By this point, he also seemed to understand why Lexion had insisted on not coming along.

“…Those damn busybodies.”

Speaking slowly, Arendt shot a resentful glare at the unnecessarily clear sky.

But that didn’t last long. Arthur, who was riding ahead, stopped talking and looked back.

“What are you doing just standing there instead of coming?”

“Yes, yes, I’m coming.”

Arendt let out a deep sigh and started to follow behind him, urging his horse forward.