Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 117

“Why do you think that?”“I’m not stupid. The personnel placement was too appropriate for me to think that you just roughly figured out the location of the enemies.”

Although there were no dragons, the other knights also encountered difficult monsters in the places they had headed.

Kendrick had to deal with three-headed, six-armed orc ghouls, while Diana encountered a pack of wyverns-turned-ghouls.

There were just regular ghouls pouring out elsewhere.

It was too perfect to be a coincidence.

“If we had sent other knights to where the captains went, at least one or two would have died. You were the one who gave the orders to deploy the personnel.”

“Didn’t you agree not to ask me questions?”

“I’m just asking about how you moved the knights.”

Arendt questioned Cantares with a little annoyance, but the Crown Prince did not back down.

“There’s still one thing left: not revealing who the informant is.”

The Crown Prince smiled mischievously, perhaps thinking that he had caught at least one.

“Can’t you satisfy even these small curiosities?”

Arendt, who had been staring at him with displeased eyes, shrugged his shoulders.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince. I can give you an answer, but how sincere it will be will depend on how Your Highness responds.”

“…Strange. Why do I feel like I’m being interrogated?”

“I can tell by the way your eyes sparkle. It looks like you wanted to make a fatal threat.”

“…”

“Why don’t you tell them that you dispatched the Imperial Knights all over the country just because of Arendt von Eckhart’s words? I’m sure I’m not the only one who will be ruined.”

It was a mistake to try to win that guy over through argument. When he saw his half-smiling face with such an open sneer, he felt a pang in his stomach.

“I have nothing more to lose, but wouldn’t it be easier if we just got along well? You always make things difficult for me. Tsk.”

“What a cheapskate.”

“You talk as if you didn’t already know that.”

Arendt shrugged his shoulders and leaned back on the sofa, crossing his legs.

Why did that action look more hateful than usual?

He was the only person in this Empire, other than Cantares’ own father, who could display such arrogance in front of the Crown Prince.

If there were two, it might be a bit difficult.

“So, what’s your answer?”

“Now that you mention it… well.”

Arendt waved his hand in annoyance.

“Then why did you go with Captain Laius?”

“You ask the obvious. The distance was the closest, and besides Captain Laius, there’s no one who could stop the dragon alone.”

Kendrick and Diana were strong, but it’s been a while since Laius had already surpassed them.

“So you knew that and still rushed to where the dragon was?”

“It’s not a real dragon, it’s just a moving corpse.”

“…”

Cantares couldn’t tell if Arendt had no sense of crisis or if his nerves were extremely thick.

Cantares asked with a look of bewilderment.

“Wouldn’t a normal person think about avoiding it?”

“Think about it. If a dragon ghoul appeared and trampled on people’s houses, would he have just sat there?”

Arendt glared at Cantares, who asked the absurd question, with a look of blatant pity.

“That…”

No.

The speechless Crown Prince moved his lips.

Laius would definitely be the first to run out, no, it was obvious that he would draw his sword and run out before the order was given.

He was that kind of man.

“Isn’t it obvious which one is more convenient? Who do you think would be bothered if there were more things to take care of?”

Ultimately, they did a great job that prevented enormous damage, so he deserved to be praised.

“Besides, I really wanted to beat up that masked bastard myself.”

“This bastard…”

Why did he always say things like that?

Cantares, who had been glaring at Arendt for shamelessly babbling like that, eventually let out a deep sigh and changed the subject.

“We’ve dispatched imperial magic investigators to other locations as well. The first report came in yesterday, and it says that a human corpse was found near the scene with all of its magic drained.”

Following Blake’s orders, he squeezed every last drop of his magical power to activate the magic stone.

“It seems like the places that guy Blake went to were the border area you mentioned first and this side. The rest of them seem to have been moved by his subordinates in nearby areas under his orders.”

That’s why the ghouls could burst out simultaneously. If they had been just one step late, it would have been a dangerous situation.

“Still, judging by the fact that there were almost no casualties, it seems that Your Highness also moved quite quickly?”

“That’s right. Damn, I suffered so much.”

After issuing the order for the Imperial Knights to sortie, the next thing Cantares did was to contact the security forces and lords near the scene, because there was no assurance that nothing would happen until the Knights arrived on the scene.

In the end, it was the right decision.

When the knights arrived, there were already several places where the lord’s knights and the security forces were fighting against the ghouls.

“There were several casualties, but no deaths. The chief constable on the side where Diana went was badly injured, but his life is not in danger.”

To this extent, it was a fairly successful suppression.

The corners of Arendt’s mouth curved into a smirk.

“I’m glad that all the hard work paid off.”

“Yeah, I guess it did.”

On the contrary, Cantares’ expression changed to one of displeasure.

“How is it that you become a rag every time you leave the palace? And it seems to be getting worse?”

“Who would blame me for that? Well, I’m sure His Highness the Crown Prince will give me a generous allowance for my hard work.”

The young apprentice knight with a scarred face grinned mischievously.

Cantares was momentarily taken aback by the smile that was neither mocking nor laughing, but rather like a boy his age.

“Are you… feeling good?”

“Yes? Huh? I’m in so much pain that I’m about to die. How else would I feel?”

But it disappeared in an instant, as if it were an illusion. However, Cantares could not help but feel shocked.

“Then what, did you hit your head somewhere? Aren’t you totally delirious?”

Cantares put his hand on Arendt’s forehead.

“I think it is not me who is delirious, but Your Highness.”

At that moment, Arendt pulled back in disgust.

“Your Highness, can we come in? …Ah.”

While the two were arguing, Jereon opened the door and walked in. He stopped when he saw the situation inside the room.

The aide, who had stopped for a moment, stepped back and closed the door again.

“What happened, sir?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

When Arthur, who had just approached from behind, asked curiously, Jereon answered with a kind smile.

It was a tearful effort by the aide to save a little of the Crown Prince’s dignity, who did not seem to have much left.

No matter what, Cantares was a capable and hard-working crown prince.

After everything had calmed down, he announced the Ghoul situation and faithfully carried out the secret deal he had made with the apprentice knight.

“…This is the record discovered in the magic stone mine. Count Stadler cleaned up the mine that Marquis Grieg tried to hide.”

At a meeting where all the elders were gathered, Cantares held out a stack of worn-out parchments.

It contained detailed records in ancient language of the types of ghouls sealed in each location, as well as how to stop them.

The nobles nodded without a shred of doubt.

“Then, Captain Laius headed to the Border Mountains…”

“Yes, that was what I ordered. When Captain Laius checked the scene and realized the seriousness of the situation, he immediately requested for a sortie. Thanks to that, we were able to stop the situation before it got too serious.”

“Captain Laius’ contribution is very significant.”

Someone burst out in admiration. Then, words of praise for Laius began to flow out from here and there.

Of course, this record was made by Count Stadler.

Because of his characteristically timid nature, it was a bit difficult to persuade him. He was scared to death when he was told to falsify records that would be officially released.

He was able to get his cooperation only after gently telling him that if he didn’t do this, he might be interfered with by the nobles when he later investigated the dragon’s bones, and even after telling him that it was Arendt’s request.

Cantares, who was observing the atmosphere, felt a sense of relief.

‘I guess there won’t be any problem.’

The purpose was sufficiently achieved, as Arendt’s name was not mentioned even once in this presentation.

‘Then next is…’

Is that it?

A slight look of anticipation appeared on Cantares’ face.

And that night, when everyone was asleep.

The lights came on in the Crown Prince’s office.

The people gathered were Cantares, the owner of the office, his aide Jereon, the loyal knight Laius, Arendt, who was still in bandages, and Count Stadler, who was there as an advisor.

“Do you have the item?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Laius took out a small package he had been hiding in his bosom. It was an artifact he had retrieved from Blake’s body.

A transparent jewel dangled from the end of an ordinary leather strap.

It had a seemingly plain appearance, like the Frosty Touch and the Shadow of the Strong. However, you could tell that it was no ordinary object just by feeling the magical power it gave off.

“Do you mind if I take a look?”

“No, please do so.”

At Count Stadler’s words, Laius handed over the necklace.

The Count frowned and began to examine the necklace, or rather the transparent gem, closely.

After a long while, he muttered seriously.

“This… doesn’t seem to be a jewel. We’ll have to take a closer look at it in the lab.”

“It’s not a jewel?”

“Yes, it doesn’t look like a jewel. It looks like something that has been cut and polished dozens of times to make it look like a jewel. For example…”

The Count continued, looking closely at the necklace.

“If the bones of a creature with strong magical powers are processed well, they can produce effects similar to magic stones.”

“What?”

Laius paused. Jereon, who had been preparing tea as usual, also stopped.

Cantares and Arendt widened their eyes.

Bone.

Count Stadler’s mouth also dropped open at the words he had uttered.

Arendt said tremblingly.

“I think I saw something like that a while ago, the bones of a creature with more magical power than any race on Earth.”

A jewel made from dragon bones.

Cantares muttered vaguely.

“So, this is… dragon bone…?”

It was an ingredient that only appeared in legends.

“Oh, no, wait a minute. Isn’t it too early to be sure?”

“No, I’m sure it is! The circumstances are too coincidental.”

The Count shook his head sharply at Cantares’ hasty words, and had suddenly come to his senses.

“It was only recently that the dragon bones were discovered. If some of the dragon clan have joined the evil cult…”

It would have been crazy to create a ghoul from the remains of a dragon.

Before its life ended, it donated its body to the church and left, so that it could be used as a weapon when evil spirits come to this land again.

There was no one who could not guess the Count’s vague and muddled remark.

“What the heck…”

The Crown Prince’s mouth suddenly filled with swears.