Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 414

“I’m glad there are no immediate problems.”Arendt responded after hearing Warren’s report.

-First, as you said, I quietly made contact with the Duke… since I told him you sent me, he wasn’t too wary.

Warren continued his report from the other side of the communication port. Though awkward, the fact that he used honorifics suggested he was, in his own way, adapting to human society.

“What about the prince and princess?”

-I’m just watching from a distance for now. It seems like they rarely leave their room. Occasionally, the prince takes the princess for a walk in the garden, and there’s really nothing to watch.

“Hmm.”

Arendt leaned back on the sofa, thinking.

It wasn’t particularly strange. They must have been under a lot of psychological shock.

‘Crown Prince Victor seems to be trying to forget everything by focusing on the recovery work, but…’

The two who had gone on a vacation were likely in a situation where they had no choice but to fully confront their emotions.

Moreover, they would have witnessed their birth mother being shot by an arrow and dying right in front of their eyes.

“What about the Duke?”

-It seems like he’s trying to devote time to the siblings, but it seems like the prince and princess are rejecting him.

“Tsk. I knew this would happen.”

Them leaving the palace was not a bad choice politically, but it was questionable whether it was the best thing for the prince and princess.

Although it was called a vacation, it would not have been strange if they had thought they had been kicked out.

The Crown Prince probably didn’t have time to think that far.

-I’ll stay here and observe for a while.

“Did you go alone?”

-No. A few explorers accompanied me. Llewellyn requested it, saying it would be difficult for me to survey the entire territory alone.

As expected, Llewellyn seemed to have similar concerns to Arendt, although he didn’t say anything.

-Those guys decided to stay around the territory and observe the situation. They’ll also move unnoticed, so don’t worry about that.

“I’m sure they’ll manage just fine. By the way, you said the manpower has increased, right? I think it might be okay to act a bit more boldly…”

Arendt thought for a moment and then asked.

“Is there no way to approach the prince and princess?”

-I wonder. They don’t even seem willing to accept their uncle’s goodwill right now, so what are the chances they’d warmly welcome some rough-looking guy approaching them?

Warren responded annoyedly.

But of course, those words didn’t get through to Arendt.

“It’s certainly a good thing to be objective about your own appearance… but what if you also thought about ways to utilize your racial characteristics? Is that too difficult for a frozen wolf like you?”

-…What nonsense are you talking about again?

After a long silence, Warren asked uneasily. Then Arendt bluntly replied:

“You’re not human.”

-I don’t know why you’re saying such an obvious thing so suddenly.

“I mean, a wolf…”

Arendt sat comfortably, rolling the communication device leisurely in his hand.

“Isn’t it no different from a really big dog?”

-What?

For a moment, Warren didn’t seem to understand what he was saying.

“Children have always loved animals.”

-Even if you say they’re children, the prince is only one year younger than you… No, wait a minute.

Warren, who had been snapping back irritably, realized the problem belatedly and asked in bewilderment.

-What children like? Who are you treating like an animal right now?

“Who else could it be? It would probably be easier to approach them in wolf form than in human form and you could do it without arousing suspicion.”

Arendt continued shamelessly.

“Pretend to be a stray dog and play with the kids. And act as their guard, as well. You felt uneasy watching them from afar, so this works out well.”

-…

For a long time there was no answer from the other side of the communication port.

And after a while, Warren said calmly.

-I don’t even know where to start, but let me just say this:.

“Thanks for the compliment. I know I’m amazing, so you don’t have to bother saying it.”

-Did that sound like a compliment?

Warren responded incredulously.

Of course, it was the kind of talk that didn’t even register with the apprentice knight.

“If you don’t want to do this, why don’t you just show your rough-looking face and try to talk to the kids?”

-…

“If there’s another good way, please let me know. It would be fun if a suspicious person were to hang around the royal family and be mistaken for a member of the Evil Cult, right? By the way, I won’t help you if that happens, so you’ll have to figure out how to get out of there on your own.”

-…You son of a bitch.

“Yeah, next, frozen wolf. Ah, from now on, you’re going to be a son of a bitch.”

Warren seemed speechless. As always, it was Arendt’s complete victory.

“You should roll around on the dirt a few times in wolf form. Go and whine and show your belly.”

-Do you really want to die?

“If you can, try it.”

Warren growled menacingly, but it didn’t work.

“Anyway, don’t let your guard down. If my predictions are correct, something unusual will happen on your side soon.”

-Haa… Is there any reason why you are so sure?

In the end, Warren simply changed the subject, judging that further discussion would only tire him out.

But that wasn’t a good choice either.

“Is it even worth explaining everything to a dog?”

-…!

Llewellyn, who had come into the room, was able to witness the rather unusual sight of Warren venting his frustration through the communication port and Arendt munching on snacks having left the communication port on the table.

“What, why are you here?”

“No. I came to call you because it’s about time to get ready for the banquet…”

Llewellyn muttered, trailing off. His sympathetic gaze glanced toward the gleaming communication port.

“You’re really something to make a calm guy like Warren angry.”

Due to his werewolf nature, Warren tended to trust and follow those he acknowledged.

But Arendt’s personality, which always managed to get under Warren’s skin, never failed to amaze him.

“Thanks for the compliment.”

“…Enough. Let’s stop talking.”

Llewellyn just sighed deeply.

The restoration work near the palace was progressing smoothly, and Lexion, who had been asleep for several days, had opened his eyes again and started to move.

With the help of the elf warriors and the Third Knights, the recovery was almost complete, and the exploration of the underground ruins led by Llewellyn was also almost complete.

Now, it was time for the outsiders to leave, leaving the rest to the Lucain royal family.

Victor, who realized that things were starting to settle down, called Laius and asked for help.

“Before you depart, I’d like to hold a banquet to celebrate our victory. I’d like to invite Prince Llewellyn, Captain Laius, and the elf captains as guests of honor. Would you agree?”

Soon, they would return to the Caerleon Empire.

After that, trials for the criminals would be held within the kingdom, and a purge would begin.

Now was the perfect time to tame the turbulent atmosphere.

Knowing that the proposal had been made with all that in mind, Laius, naturally did not refuse.

“I will gratefully accept it.”

Given the circumstances, it couldn’t be very grand, but the Crown Prince ordered it to be prepared with sincerity.

From that day on, the palace became even busier, focusing on restoration work and preparing for the victory celebration.

It was a rather modest banquet for a royal one.

There was no music and no extravagant decorations.

It was prepared that way on purpose to mourn those who lost their lives in this incident.

Still, everything they needed, including excellent food and refreshments, was prepared impeccably.

Arthur looked around and spoke quietly.

“Still, they’ve put together a better assortment than I expected, even though they must have been quite busy.”

“The Neumann Merchant Group supplied the urgently needed items. As expected, the merchant leader never misses any opportunity.”

After finishing his meal, Arendt, who was stuffing snacks into his mouth, gave a short reply.

Thanks to that, they were able to somehow put together the banquet, so it probably wasn’t a bad deal for the Crown Prince either.

Neumann also used this opportunity to strengthen his connections with the Lucain royal family, so he would have been happy to provide the goods at a low price.

“Well, it was quite a good deal for me too. I asked on short notice, but the results turned out better than expected.”

“…”

Arthur’s expression became somewhat complicated at Arendt’s added remark.

The two people’s gaze naturally fell on the male peacock, or rather, on Laius, who was dressed sharply in his formal attire.

Once again, Laius couldn’t avoid being caught by Arendt and was forced into dressing up.

Surrounded by nobles and receiving praise, the captain looked dignified, befitting the protagonist of the day, but…

“He looks quite upset.”

“What can he do? He has to enjoy it.”

As he said that, Arendt put another snack in his mouth.

It wasn’t just Laius.

The elf captains and even Llewellyn were doing their part, decorating the hall in the ceremonial attire Arendt had procured.

It went without saying that thanks to those dazzling figures, Arendt was able to escape public attention.

“By the way, what did you talk about to Senior Richt? He seems totally out of it.”

Arendt, who had been concentrating on his snack, asked indifferently.

“…Did you notice it?”

“If he wanted to hide it, he should have at least controlled his expression better.”

Arthur’s hesitant question was immediately met with a curt reply.

“What do you expect from someone who can’t lie to begin with?”

Richt had expressed his intention not to attend the banquet today, citing fatigue.

It was an uncharacteristic behavior for Richt, who usually tried to stay put and fulfill his responsibilities.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. His useless thoughts aren’t any of my business. I have a rough idea of what’s going on.”

“I don’t know anything either. I just told him the bare minimum because he kept pressing me.”

“Then let’s just pretend that neither of us knows.”

Arthur nodded silently at the apprentice knight’s words.

The hall was quite crowded, as nobles who had fled returned and those who had been busy with restoration work readily accepted the Crown Prince’s invitation.

Today was a very important day for them too.

‘Because the Crown Prince will declare that he will ascend to the throne.’

Taking this opportunity, Victor will ascend to the throne.

The official coronation ceremony would be held on a grand scale after the situation had calmed down a bit, but starting tomorrow, the Crown Prince would inherit the King’s authority and fulfill his duties.

‘A young king whom the hero has endorsed…’

With a reputation like that, the nobles wouldn’t have any other thoughts.

Besides, after watching him from the side for a while, it seemed that Victor wasn’t as stupid as he initially thought.

This morning, Victor announced his intention to award Laius a medal in recognition of his service.

The award ceremony was also scheduled to be held tomorrow morning after the banquet.

Thanks to this, from now on, Laius will be treated as an honorary knight within the Lucain Kingdom, on par with the highest ranking nobles.

“…His Highness the Crown Prince is quite clever.”

Arendt’s meaningful gaze turned to Victor.

He believed that solidifying his relationship with Laius would help him secure complete control of power.

“His Highness is about to become king, so don’t talk about him like that. I’m begging you.”

“It’s just how I feel. Whether he’s a Crown Prince or a King, people don’t change, do they?”

Arendt stuffed the last remaining snack into his mouth and shook the crumbs from his hands.

“I’m leaving. I’m tired.”

“What? Already?”

“We have a hero, a prince from the Everan Kingdom, and noble captains from the Elf Kingdom. There’s no need for an apprentice knight to guard the place.”

Arthur’s eyes widened, but Arendt turned around without a second thought.

“Oh, senior, don’t follow me. You’ll have to watch them and report it if anything happens.”

“Am I your errand boy?”

“That’s just overconfidence. Do you think you’re anything more than a messenger?”

“Ugh, seriously!”

Arendt leisurely left the hall, leaving the now irritated Arthur behind.

Now, the time had truly come for them to return to the Caerleon Empire.