Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 196

Arendt used to be quite a drinker.Long ago, it was not uncommon for him to get into trouble outside the palace while drunk.

But that was a thing of the past.

In recent years, or rather since his release from prison, Arendt has not been seen drunk even once.

Arendt was a man of superhuman mental powers.

However, this level of strong alcohol was not something that could be overcome with willpower alone.

Besides, it seemed that Elder Altair was offering Arendt drinks.

Now was the time when refusing carelessly could arouse suspicion.

‘…Shit.’

And Arendt was the kind of person who would force himself to drink more than he could handle so as not to ruin the plan he had created.

“Why is that?”

As the atmosphere became strange, the elf who had been chatting together asked curiously.

Arthur smiled awkwardly and quickly tried to cover it up.

“Oh, no. Nothing. It’s just that my junior seems to be very drunk.”

“It seems that the Elder is quite fond of that young man. You know, Llewellyn, how ill-tempered he is.”

When Elder Polaris burst into laughter, Llewellyn could only force a smile and nod his head.

“Haha, that’s right…” ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ NovєlFіre.net

The group quickly exchanged glances.

Something had to be done right away.

The worry didn’t last long.

The moment when Richt, who had been the quietest among them, slowly got up.

Just then, the chef thrust a grilled fish the size of a torso in front of them.

“I just grilled it, how is it? There’s still plenty of food, so don’t refuse.”

“…Ah, yes. Thank you.”

Eventually, Richt missed the timing and had no choice but to sit back down.

Llewellyn awkwardly lightened the mood.

“Well, it’ll be okay, right? He’s not a kid.”

“I’m afraid he’ll cause an accident, I’m afraid he’ll cause an accident…”

Arthur, feeling complicated, soothed his throat with the alcohol he had kept aside.

“Ugh.”

But he soon regretted it as his throat felt like it was burning.

Richt and Laius both strongly agreed with Arthur’s words.

They stared at the backs of the elder and Arendt with anxious eyes.

The elder also thought that it was not something to be done against a young man who knew nothing.

“Ugh…”

As he watched the young man repeatedly pressing his temples with a dazed face due to his drunkenness, he felt even more guilty.

“So, how far did we get to in the story?”

“…We were at the story of the ghouls. Did you know that ghouls exist, Elder? It was the first time I realized that there were such ugly creatures in the world.”

As Altair lightly urged him, the apprentice knight, who had been silent for a moment as if he was in pain, began to speak again.

“Anyway, it was quite difficult because we had no information about the enemy. It was very difficult to track them and deal with them.”

“While we were struggling, something big happened to the Holy Empire. What a shame.”

“Yes, and we were a bit rude to Captain Sylvian. We were also on edge and short-sighted.”

However, his mental strength to remain polite even while drunk was quite admirable.

“I see. I’m sure Captain Sylvian will understand.”

Altair clapped his hands together as if he was trying to soothe a child, then took a sip of his own liquor.

Then Arendt smiled broadly and lifted the bottle of alcohol.

“Would you like another drink?”

“Okay, then.”

Altair gladly filled his own glass and Arendt’s half-empty glass.

Arendt, putting his glass down on the floor, continued speaking.

“So I was a bit surprised when I found the elf in Dragon Lair. Llewellyn… no, Prince Llewellyn told me that she was an elf from the forest. She recognized Prince Llewellyn too.”

“Lord Llewellyn is famous among the elves. It’s a place where humans rarely visit, so when Lord Llewellyn visits, the hall becomes crowded.”

“Hmm…”

Arendt nodded his head up and down with a blank expression.

Then he picked up the glass he had put down for a moment and drank it again.

Looking at that sight, Altair felt a little sorry.

His conversation with Arendt gave him a rough idea of ​​what was happening in the Empire.

At the same time, Altair was also convinced that the young man was involved in all the affairs involving the Evil Cult.

‘My judgment was right.’

He had guessed it from the time Llewellyn started telling stories.

While recounting the exploits of Laius, this boy’s name was mentioned unusually often.

So he called him aside and offered him a drink, and in the end, Altair confirmed that his guess was true.

Altair looked at Arendt’s haggard face.

He had probably been through a lot of hardships in the meantime.

“You must have had a hard time.”

“No. I just did what I had to do. I hope they are eradicated as soon as possible so that peace can return to the Elven Kingdom.”

Even with the brief consolation, the young man simply shook his head indifferently.

Altair couldn’t help but be inwardly amazed at the sight.

It is said that the Grand Master of the Knights, Laius de Winfried, was regarded as a role model for all knights in the Holy Empire, but the apprentice knight below was no ordinary person.

At that moment, Arendt suddenly spoke first.

“Elder, do you know?”

It was a rather random remark.

Before Altair could even wonder, Arendt added:

“There is a word in the Empire. It’s called cooperation.”

“What does that mean?”

Altair asked back.

The apprentice knight continued speaking slowly and very carefully so as not to get his words jumbled.

“If you have any trouble, please let us know at any time. Since we have come this far, we are more than willing to join forces with the elves.”

“…Those are kind words.”

Altair, who had been silent for a moment, nodded with a bitter smile.

But Arendt’s words did not end there.

“And in the Empire, there is also a word called responsibility. In that sense, Captain Sylvian deserves respect. Because she sacrificed her dignity to save the lives of her men… in the end, the captain ended up preventing a conflict between the elves and us.”

He heard that Sylvian surrendered after falling for the enemy’s trick.

At first, he had intended to impose an appropriate punishment, but as he listened to the story, the elder’s thoughts began to change.

It was foolish to take up arms against such people.

Besides, didn’t the spirit stones eventually return safely?

“I see. It seems you have a very good opinion of Captain Sylvian. I’ll tell her tomorrow when the sun rises.”

The elder nodded happily.

Their first meeting was definitely not pleasant.

But it has now been sufficiently verified that the guests brought by Llewellyn were not evil people.

All that was left was to treat them nicely for a few days and then send them back.

If so, their future relationship with the Holy Empire would also develop more amicably.

After that, they just had to sort things out internally and bring peace back to the table.

The young knight took another sip of his drink and spat out briefly.

“And there’s one more thing.”

The voices of the elves chattering happily sounded pleasant.

The temperature was just right, with the cold air and the campfire mixing together.

On one side, an excited elf began to play his flute.

A monkey that someone had brought was running around on its own and eating fruit.

A parrot appeared from somewhere and made its presence known by occasionally making a funny sound like “kkuak.”

As the tension eased, the intoxication from all the alcohol seemed to come to the forefront.

Altair asked, feeling a bit lighter as he felt all that excitement.

“What is it?”

The apprentice knight, already quite drunk, didn’t even seem to notice that his upper body was swaying.

If things continued like this, it seemed like he would need someone’s help when he returned to his accommodations.

The apprentice knight shook off his initial cold impression and smiled broadly, a smile that suited his young face.

“Please lend me your ear for a moment, Elder.”

“Okay.”

In response to the playful request, Altair nodded his head vigorously and leaned back as if agreeing with a child.

The young man approached cautiously, as if telling a great secret.

Then he brought his mouth close to the long ears characteristic of the elves and whispered.

“In the Empire, Elder, there is a word.”

The tone of voice that carefully repeated the same words one more time made him feel even more intoxicated.

Altair let out a small laugh.

“How many times have you said that? What is it?”

“That is…”

The young man, who had been silent for a while, blurted out.

“Shame.”

For a moment, a chill ran down his spine.

“…!”

Altair quickly stepped back, putting some distance between himself and the apprentice knight.

The young man just smiled kindly, as if the cold voice from just now had been a lie.

“Please make sure to remember, Elder. Do you understand?”

“…”

The frozen elder was unable to answer right away.

Meanwhile, Arendt sat up, staggering.

“Oh, I drank too much… I’m going to go get some fresh air. My head feels like it’s going to burst…”

Arendt, who had said that, stumbled violently and fell over with a crash before taking even a few steps.

“Argh, Sir Arthur! Bring him in quickly!”

“Hey, hey! Are you okay?”

Thanks to that, a huge commotion occurred.

Llewellyn screamed.

Arthur, the young knight who had been looking at them with concern, was seen running in a panic and helping Arendt up.

The sight of him barely holding on to his colleague was clearly that of a drunk person.

The smell of alcohol on his breath and every single gesture were real.

The sight of being surrounded by colleagues running towards him didn’t feel like it was staged.

Altair absentmindedly touched his ear.

The voice of the young man who had been speaking softly lingered in his ears for an unusually long time.

They were looking for an excuse to run away from a drinking party that showed no sign of ending.

Seizing the opportunity, the group followed Arendt back to their lodgings.

“Hey, hey! Walk straight, idiot!”

Arthur scolded Arendt as he dragged him to his quarters.

But there was no response in return.

Judging from the strong smell of alcohol wafting around, it seemed like he really did drink all the alcohol that was offered to him.

Llewellyn, who helped Arthur hold on to Arendt, also stuck out his tongue.

“Is it stubbornness, or is it stupidity?”

“It’s probably both.”

Richt nodded with a tired face.

Still, it was fortunate that they were able to escape from the drinking party.

After many twists and turns, they arrived at the accommodation and sat Arendt down on the sofa in the living room.

No, they were trying to make him sit down.

But at that moment, Arendt slapped Llewellyn and Arthur’s hands away.

“…What, what is it?”

At the firm refusal, the two people let go of their hands and stepped back in bewilderment.

Before they knew it, Arendt was standing upright on both feet.

“…”

He stood there for a long time, his head down, his hand pressed against his forehead, as if he were nailed to the ground.

Finally, Laius, who could no longer stand to watch, cautiously called him.

“Arendt.”

After a moment of silence.

An irritated and overly clear voice came out of him naturally.

“You damn elf bastards, what kind of alcohol is so toxic?”

“…”

Arendt ran his hand over his face once and then lifted his head.

The dazed, relaxed eyes and drunken, youthful face were nowhere to be found.

Arendt scratched the back of his head in annoyance and opened his mouth, sending a wicked glare at the group looking at him.

“Why? Are you dissatisfied?”

As usual, a harsh phrase was a bonus.

When they saw that sight, they felt like their spirits were being taken away.

Without saying who would do it first, they put their hands on their foreheads and sighed deeply.

After all, Arendt was Arendt.