Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 275

– Hey, you crazy bastard.As soon as he received the call, a swear came from the crystal.

It was roughly the expected reaction.

Arendt answered leisurely, sinking back into the sofa.

“What polite words of thanks.”

– …

Llewellyn couldn’t even bring himself to answer that, because he had no idea where to start pointing out the issues.

As soon as the fighting was reported to have begun, the very next day, the elves who were supposed to be at the Caerleon Imperial Palace arrived at the scene.

Shekhinah and the elven warriors she led had dazed looks on their faces.

When Diana asked how she got there so quickly, Shekhinah turned pale and could only utter one phrase.

“L, Lord Dragon…”

.

With that one phrase, Llewellyn and Diana could understand everything that had happened.

The crazy apprentice knight used the dragon he had in his hands as a means of transportation.

And it didn’t stop there. Shekhinah handed over a fairly heavy box, saying it was something Arendt had sent to Llewellyn.

It was filled with the highest quality magic stones.

Llewellyn, who accepted it, couldn’t help but tremble.

But that wasn’t the end.

Warren arrived a while later, bringing as many magic stones as Shekhinah had brought.

Warren proudly stated that he had stopped by the magic stone mine at Arendt’s request and collected some extra magic stones.

When things got to that point, Llewellyn couldn’t stand it anymore and started calling Arendt and hurling insults at him out of the blue.

– You… You really… How much are you going to take from me later…

“Pay me back in cash later.”

Llewellyn exploded in anger at Arendt’s indifferent words.

– Hey, you punk! I can get magic stones too! I already swept everything from the palace, so why do you have this many…?

It was dizzying to put a price on each and every one.

“They’re better than yours. I asked the Count to refine them in a way that is most optimized for battle. Don’t be stingy and distribute them to those who can use magic. Give them to Shekhinah too. You can teach her how to use them, though I’m sure she already knows how to use them.”

– This crazy…

Instead of an answer, Arendt received a vicious curse.

– If you have something like this, you should use it yourself! You, damn it, just recently…

“I have more than enough myself, so mind your own business. Besides, it’s impossible for me to carry around that much. And I clearly said I’m not giving them away for free.”

Arendt cut Llewellyn off mid-speech as he muttered absentmindedly.

“Okay, what’s the situation?”

A clicking sound was heard from beyond the communication port.

– Ugh, you must have received the report from His Highness the Crown Prince, you bastard. Nothing has changed. It’s almost the same situation. A few ridiculously strong humanoid ghouls appeared, but the elven warriors took them down..

Llewelyn reported grumpily, suppressing his irritation.

– Thanks to the addition of mage Shekhinah, defense has become a bit easier. As for the magic stones, damn it, I tried them, and they were pretty good. When fighting up close like you, there’s no choice, but if I just sit back and focus solely on defense while using magic like crazy, I think it’ll be fine.

“Don’t get hurt, even by accident. I’d rather not deal with the hassle.”

– Can’t you worry a little more kindly?

Llewellyn snapped.

– Anyway, there are no more deaths. If this drags on, the soldiers will probably get quite tired… well, it’s okay for now. The thought of fighting alongside other races is really encouraging.

Those who joined the Lucain Kingdom were also successfully repelling the enemies.

The brave elven warriors led by Ragnald seemed to get along well with Kendrick’s knights.

At first glance, it could be said that the situation was quite stable.

But silence wasn’t always a good thing.

Arendt added casually, as if in passing.

“Don’t let your guard down and block well. Also, disperse your forces well. Guard your rear tightly as well.”

– Okay, you little brat. It’s our kingdom, I can handle it on my own! And there’s also Captain Diana…

Llewellyn paused, his voice irritated, and then asked again.

– …No, wait a minute. What do you mean, guard the rear?

“Literally. What more could there be?”

There was silence for a while as he answered in my usual indifferent tone.

Arendt also waited leisurely without rushing.

After a long while, Llewellyn clicked his tongue.

– Can’t you say something straightforward for once?

“Isn’t it okay now that you understand?”

– Damn it. You’re such a jerk.

Llewellyn continued grumbling, his voice cracking with discontent.

– Anyway, don’t worry too much and just focus on your own work. I’m cutting off communication.

Llewellyn, who was about to hang up, quickly added.

– Thanks for the magic stones.

.

The call was cut off before Arendt could respond.

He was afraid that he would get cursed at for no reason.

Arendt grumbled briefly as he looked down at the crystal ball that had lost its light.

“Then, just handle it properly on your own.”

But then a smile appeared on his lips without him even realizing it, and then quickly disappeared.

At that time, .

A sudden knock brought him back to reality.

As Arendt put down the communicator and raised his head, a young voice was heard from outside the door.

“Lord Arendt, are you there?”

Although he was speaking calmly, pretending to be an adult, his voice was filled with anxiety that he couldn’t hide.

The guest Arendt had been waiting for was Salem.

“Come in.”

When permission was granted, the door opened cautiously and Salem entered.

Since entering the Empire, he was always covered from head to toe with his robe.

Salem asked cautiously, his eyes looking around the room from under his hood.

“Lord Arendt, I wonder why you suddenly called me…”

“I don’t have much to do anyway, so I thought it would be better to take care of the small tasks quickly.”

“Small tasks…?”

Salem, who had difficulty understanding his words, asked back in bewilderment.

Instead of explaining in more words, Arendt just got up from the sofa.

“Let’s go.”

“Yes? Where?”

Arendt glanced at him, who asked in a bewildered manner, and blurted out indifferently.

“You want to study artifacts?”

Only then did Salem stop.

It was a gesture that was easily imagined, with a young face covered by a robe and a blank expression.

Salem’s anticipation turned into a strange feeling when he and Arendt left the palace alone.

And when he realized that their destination was the Great Temple, he became even more confused.

“Lord Arendt? This is…”

Salem asked hesitantly as he faced the statue of God Luce, the symbol of the Great Temple.

Only then did Arendt speak.

“As you can see, it is the Great Temple. The current High Priest was the one who first told me that the artifact might be related to the Shadow Race Elves, so I think it would be best for you to speak to her directly.”

Salem’s mouth opened slightly, hidden beneath his robe.

Arendt easily guessed that he probably had a blank expression on his face.

As expected, Salem soon managed to stammer out his words.

“…Wait a minute. Her Excellency? Her Excellency?”

Salem asked twice, as if he couldn’t believe it even though he was saying it out loud.

Meanwhile, the two were passing through the entrance to the main temple.

“I have a personal relationship with her. That’s why I only brought you.”

“But, as Mr. Zakar said, Lord Arendt…”

“Yes. I don’t have faith, and I don’t even pray. It’s too much trouble to even mention it now. But when you meet someone as a person, does that matter?”

A nonchalant reply came back.

Salem stared blankly at Arendt’s back as he walked ahead.

Occasionally, passing priests would come to greet Arendt.

Although they occasionally looked curiously at Salem, who followed him, they did not speak to him or ask him any questions.

They had polite attitudes, but there was a strange air as if they were hurriedly trying to avoid something.

Occasionally, there were even priests who would glare at Arendt with a sharp, piercing gaze as they passed by.

Salem, who had read the strange atmosphere, looked at Arendt with a puzzled look, but Arendt just walked leisurely with a blank face.

In the end, Salem had no choice but to open his mouth first.

“You said you were close with the High Priest, but it seems like you aren’t that close with the other priests?”

“I guess that’s the case. I’ve done quite a few things.”

Arendt shrugged.

Salem became more curious about the vague explanation, but just stayed silent.

He thought it would be better for his mental health if he didn’t listen to it.

Arendt glanced at him and spoke.

“It would be better to take your robes off in front of the High Priest.”

“…Yes?”

After a moment of silence, Salem asked in bewilderment.

It was a reaction like someone who had been caught off guard.

Arendt turned his gaze straight ahead and spoke nonchalantly.

“Then, were you planning to remain hidden when facing someone as high as the High Priest of the Holy Empire?”

“Ah…”

A sigh escaped from under the robe.

“Lord Salem, do you know that?”

Arendt, who gave him a quick glance, spoke again.

“Even if you achieve your goal, it’s meaningless if you can’t hide your intentions. Of course, with the short-sighted perspective of a child, you may not be able to understand it yet.”

“Huh, huh?”

Salem still didn’t seem to understand what Arendt was saying.

Salem asked cautiously, blinking a few times under his robe.

“I… I’m sorry, but I don’t quite understand what you’re saying.”

“…”

Due to his overly naive reaction, Arendt had no choice but to give up on mocking him.

Arendt clicked his tongue and replied irritably.

“What I’m saying is, rather than walking around wrapped in a robe, it’s better to just openly display your sorcerer’s markings.”

“…!”

.

Salem, who had been following Arendt at a brisk pace, froze in place.

As Salem stopped walking, Arendt also stopped and looked back.

His gaping jaw was visible beneath his robe.

After a long pause, Salem managed to stammer out a question.

“Oh, how did you know?”

“…”

Arendt was dumbfounded by the reaction that seemed more foolish than he had expected.

“How could anyone not know when you’re walking around looking like that?”

Salem seemed even more shocked by the response, which came as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Arendt looked down at the elf boy who was frozen in place and let out a short sigh.

‘This is why the brat’s like this.’

Cantares and Laius seemed to have noticed it long ago, but they pretended not to know until now.

But Arendt was not a kind person who would take into consideration the timid hearts of children.