novelAlta Chapter 96: The victor is righteous
Chapter 96: The victor is righteous
“So our job is to rescue the civilians, destroy Rebecca’s lair, and extract meaningful information.”It was incredibly presumptuous of Arendt to speak like that to the captain when he was merely an apprentice knight. As always, he spoke in a relaxed tone as if he was talking about someone else’s business, and the way he counted on his fingers one by one was really annoying.
“It takes time.”
It was a fact that everyone knew, but Arendt’s eyes, staring intently at Laius insisting on pointing it out, clearly showed a look of pity.
If it were to be roughly translated, it would mean, “You can’t even do this?”
To summarize what he said next, he said that he would try to infiltrate the place with Warren to buy some time.
“No. It’s dangerous.”
Laius naturally dismissed it, but that did not mean Arendt would back down.
With his expressionless face and narrowed eyes, Arendt asked a question.
“Don’t you know who I am?”
They know, they all know. He’s the greatest conman who’ll ever come out of the palace.
No one answered, but the apprentice knight, perhaps satisfied with the awkward silence, continued speaking.
“Including travel time, I think it will take about a week…”
“Three days.”
Laius cut him off.
Arendt blinked several times, forgetting to respond for a moment as if it was unexpected. The captain took advantage of this gap and continued speaking quickly and firmly.
“Three days. No more than that is allowed.”
There seemed to be sparks in his blue eyes. Arthur and Richt swallowed dryly and looked back and forth between the two.
After a while, Arendt nodded with a displeased look on his face.
…That was just a day ago.
‘That cheeky brat.’
When he went missing, the entire Imperial Knights were on the lookout for him for several hours, but soon the captains of the First and Second Knight Divisions heard about the incident and the order was given to stop the search.
Thanks to this, the knights were able to return to their quarters while the guards and police continued to conduct inspections.
“We’ll move right away come morning,” and not long after his men returned, Laius declared so.
By this time, even the knights of the Third Knights had begun to notice what was going on.
Rider approached quietly and tapped Arthur on the shoulder.
“Hey, that guy…”
“That’s right. The leader is feeling very unwell, so it would be best for you to lie low and not cause any trouble.”
Arthur answered calmly without even looking back.
“You look very uncomfortable too. Anyway, okay, he’s crazy.”
Rider grumbled a few times and walked away from him.
The period of time Arendt mentioned above was calculated to include reaching Warren’s village from the palace and eliminating all enemies.
A week was barely enough time to rescue the people and subdue Rebecca. Laius had declared that he would do it in three days.
It would be a huge forced march, but there was no one, at least within the Third Knights, who expressed discontent.
Because they couldn’t lose to that fucking kid.
Arthur clenched his fist and then unclenched it.
His eyes were engraved with annoyance and firm determination.
Despite his colleagues’ concerns, Arendt was living in luxury.
Instead of the torn and bloody uniform, new clothes to change into were brought in from somewhere.
It was a great feat achieved just one day after being captured.
“This is truly absurd. Who would have thought you could be this shameless.”
“So you’re saying that I have good abilities?”
Arendt shrugged as Warren muttered.
The gorgeous, jewel-studded outfit, which suited Rebecca’s tastes, seemed to have been made for Arendt from the beginning.
What he would put into his mouth whenever he had the chance was none other than the high-quality cookies that Rebecca had personally prepared for him.
“What on earth have you done?”
“It was a deal. I sold her some pretty good information.”
“Information? Imperial?”
“Oh, I told her who had the artifact.”
Is this kid really okay?
A look of deep skepticism appeared on Warren’s face.
“Have you ever heard the term ‘human scum’?”
“It’s an honor to hear such words from a serial killer.”
The face that burst into snickers was quite something to see even in Warren’s eyes, who didn’t care much about appearances…
It only fueled the urge to smack him.
“Why? Are you jealous because I look like a well-decorated puppy to suit your owner’s taste? What, do you want a ribbon or something?”
“Do you really want to die?”
“If you can, then try it. Oh, the way you were waking up back then was pretty funny.”
“…One day, the day will come when I will punch you in the face,” Warren growled fiercely.
“By the way, Rebecca doesn’t go into battle herself, right?”
“No, she has some self-defence capability, but she has no talent for combat. That’s why she always brings an escort.”
“Most of the time the escort is you?”
“Yeah.”
“Can she detect magic?”
“She can’t do it. Most of the time, she leaves it up to me. In the first place, isn’t it rare for people to be able to sense magic power?”
“That’s good. You have to go back to her soon, right?”
Without waiting for an answer, Arendt took something out of his pocket and tossed it to Warren.
It was a pure white cube with a small magic stone embedded in it. It was an object that had managed to survive being tossed around here and there without being caught until now.
“What is this?”
“It activates when you use a little magic, so put it in your pocket and carry it with you, then bring it back. Move around as much as you can, and just in case, avoid those who are sensitive to magic.”
“…”
Warren looked back and forth between Arendt, the cube, and the video recorder as he tossed another cookie into his mouth.
“But if I loiter around aimlessly, I’ll be suspected.”
“It’s okay. I’ll keep Rebecca here as long as I can.”
It was irresponsible, but that tone made him feel confident that Arendt could never fail. Warren couldn’t say anything more about it.
Warren let out a short sigh and clasped the video recorder in his arms.
“…What on earth are you talking about? There’s no way Rebecca would trust you so easily.”
“Of course. We’re under suspicion. You and I.”
Arendt answered as if humming.
“I’ll just leave it like that and tell you to give it a try.”
Because both of them were in Rebecca’s clutches anyway.
Arendt seemed strangely pleased as he said that, just like a few days ago, when they first crossed swords.
Even in a life-threatening situation, he seemed just happy that his predictions were correct, and he smiled with shining eyes under the moonlight…
A burst of laughter broke out.
“Does a crazy person know the way another crazy person thinks?”
“You just keep being Rebecca’s loyal dog like you always did. I’ll take care of things myself.”
“What?”
“If you want to bark, bark, and if you want to bite, bite, because it’s more disturbing to clumsily take my side.”
Arendt met Warren’s eyes and smiled faintly.
“Your lover seems to be expecting it, so you should show off your talents.”
And just a few hours later, this crazy apprentice knight put his words into practice.
Was this really reality?
Warren couldn’t help but doubt his eyes.
.
A familiar silver-haired kid was standing at the table, surrounded by mercenaries.
‘…Is this right?’
Why was the guy who should be locked in the room there? What on earth did he do to blend in with such a nonchalant expression?
Above all, it was incomprehensible from beginning to end as to why those vigilant and rough mercenaries were talking, eating, and drinking with him.
Rebecca, who came with them, was also just dumbfounded by this sight and could only laugh in disbelief.
“What on earth is going on? Didn’t I tell you to keep a close eye on him?”
“That is…”
The subordinate who first came running to report this situation swallowed dry saliva.
The story he stammered out was this:
Arendt broke down the locked door and escaped on his own, then got into a fight with the mercenaries guarding the front and easily defeated them.
Arendt provoked the mercenaries rolling around on the ground, and those who fell for his provocation moved to the training ground and fought a second battle.
As time went by, people with nothing to do started joining in one by one…
After being beaten and provoked by the apprentice knight, they started eating and drinking together.
Arendt, who happened to be holding a glass of wine and scuffling with the mercenaries, saw them.
“Oh, it’s Mr. Warren and Rebecca.”
“What, what did you say?”
Boom!
The mercenaries who had been chattering away frantically just a moment ago suddenly stood up. Thanks to this, a human-made path was opened between Arendt and Rebecca.
Arendt smiled brightly, holding a glass of wine.
“How do you do, Rebecca?”
“…I really.”
Rebecca smiled bitterly at his natural charm and tapped Warren on the shoulder. Warren understood the meaning perfectly and spoke ominously to the mercenaries.
“Go back to your seats immediately. I will hold you accountable later. Be prepared.”
“Yes, yes!”
The mercenaries storm out, leaving only Rebecca, Warren, and Arendt in the messy restaurant.
“I really… what should I do with you?”
“Accept it. It’s fun.”
Rebecca nodded her head in response to his natural and innocent response and walked over to sit across from him.
“At this point, I’m a little confused. Are you being shameless, or lacking a sense of crisis, or just stupid?”
“Everything you said was wrong except the fact that I’m shameless. I am a person whose life is most important to me, and being smart is one of the things I do best.”
Arendt, as always, laughed mischievously, emptying his glass.
“I looked for a place to lie down and stretch out my legs. Didn’t you expect something like this when you got me out of prison?”
“That’s true, but I never dreamed it would go this far.”
Rebecca, who had been holding her chin, raised the corners of her lips slightly.
“So. Have you seen everything, sir?”
“Everyone was so devout. I thought we were at a temple.”
“Isn’t it great? They’re all stupid, but they’re good subordinates who listen well. Warren, unfortunately, doesn’t really care about the word of God.”
Warren flinched when his name was suddenly mentioned.
“What do you think, sir?”
“I don’t believe in anything like God.”
“It seems quite disrespectful when you serve the imperial family of the Holy Empire.”
Rebecca, who had been silent for a moment, tapped the dirty table with her snow-white fingers.
There was a hint of discomfort in her gaze towards Arendt.
“You know that life is precious, so why are you acting so rudely?”
“Because I want to.”
Arendt looked straight at her and answered plainly.
“Do I need another reason? This is just the way I am. Whether it’s Chernion’s front yard or Luce’s temple, it’s not such a big sin to move wherever my heart desires.”
“You…”
Rebecca, who sighed, smiled bitterly again.
“Have you checked all the spots? Is this a good place for you to stay?”
“I don’t know yet. I don’t care which god I serve, as long as my life is guaranteed.”
Arendt looked at Rebecca with meaningful eyes.
“It would be even better if the food was good, but it’s a shame that the alcohol doesn’t taste good.”
His golden eyes held a subtle smile.
It was clearly Arendt who was in danger of losing his life. It made no difference whether he was in prison or out in the open. He must have known that, yet he had such a shameless attitude.
He seemed crazy.
Eventually, Rebecca had no choice but to relax her expression and burst out laughing.