Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 219

Jereon approached quietly and handed him some warm tea and some headache medicine.“But since they’ve achieved some results, it’s best to calm down for now…”

“That’s an excessive achievement. How was that any different from the Empire threatening the Elven Kingdom?”

Cantares lamented, clutching his pounding head.

Then Llewellyn, who had been silent, quietly intervened.

“I don’t think the Grand Elder would think that way though. To be exact, Arendt was the one who threatened the Elf Kingdom.”

“That’s right. There can’t be two people with the same temper under the sky… I think even the Grand Elder realized that he is a man who runs wild without any relation to the Empire.”

“…”

Arthur was mumbling along like that next to him, but then he got a glare from Richt and shut his mouth.

Cantares pressed his temples.

That made sense, but it wasn’t really comforting.

Every time they opened their mouths, it felt like his life was being cut short.

‘It would only be my loss if I dealt with it any longer.’

Cantares simply changed the subject.

“So… , you found the Dragon’s Book?”

“Yes, would you like to see it?”

Laius handed the book he had to Cantares.

Cantares carefully examined the ornate, jewel-encrusted book from front to back.

“I see that this isn’t an ordinary item. What’s inside?”

“The elves also say they couldn’t read it. They suspect it was probably written in dragon language. Count Stadler will visit the palace soon to check the book.”

Laius answered.

Cantares nodded and put down the book.

“You got the book. What are you going to do now? That dragon told you to come find him.”

“I checked on my way back, and it seems like the Union is making some money.”

Arendt answered and looked at Llewellyn.

Llewellyn nodded, smiling proudly.

“I’ve already sent my men to the areas surrounding the dragon lairs that have been discovered so far. There aren’t many of them, though.”

Although they were dragons who lived independently, they still had something in common in their taste for choosing lair locations.

The plan was that by searching around the previously discovered lairs, they might be able to discover Lexion’s territory.

“He once appeared in the Nephele Kingdom in human form and manipulated Alois, didn’t he? Judging from that, Lexion is probably a dragon accustomed to playing.”

“Yes.”

As Cantares nodded, Llewellyn became more excited and started to chatter.

“Then there’s a high probability that he’s still acting human.”

“Then isn’t it pointless to look through the lairs?”

“No! Even after he sent Arendt to find the book, the dragon continued to roam the Empire on his own. The evidence is the traces he left in the former Emperor’s study.”

Moreover, Lexion even guided the knights to Jin’s laboratory.

“How did Lexion know that Jin was occupying the lair? This is just my guess, but I think the dragon was probably wandering around other lairs looking for the book.”

Then, by chance, he discovered Jin’s lab, went to where Arendt and his group were headed, and left a clue.

Cantares tilted his head.

“Wait a minute, you’re saying you sent your men to the lairs? Don’t the lair items that have already been discovered get thoroughly managed by each country?”

“Yes. The same goes for the Caerleon Empire. No matter how many guards they put up, they’re useless against dragons. And…”

Llewellyn paused for a moment after speaking up to that point.

Cantares felt a slight sense of foreboding.

“…Prince, what are you trying to say?”

“My subordinates are pretty capable too. Hiding in a lair that has already been excavated is nothing. Haha!”

“…”

Smack.

Cantares facepalmed.

But Llewellyn still stood his ground.

“It’s okay! They didn’t get caught.”

“…So?”

“Except for the most recent discovery of the magic stone mine and lake lair in the Caerleon Empire, most of the lairs discovered by humans were empty, right?”

Usually, only jewels and clothing remained, but there had been no cases where all kinds of materials and books were discovered like in the magic stone mine.

That’s why Count Stadler was so excited.

“Probably because the dragons cleared everything out just before they left the lairs. That means that there was a need to empty the lairs.”

As the speech grew longer, the Crown Prince frowned slightly.

“I understand.”

“There was a recent intruder in one of those lairs… oh, not my people! I’m sure of it!”

As a suspicious glint appeared in Cantares’ eyes, Llewellyn quickly added an excuse.

“Since it was an empty lair anyway, there wasn’t much of a fuss. From what I’ve guessed… I think Lexion is a dragon that woke up from his slumber very recently.”

“His slumber?”

“Yes. Dragons rest and store their magical power while sleeping, and it is said that they sleep for decades or even hundreds of years.”

Cantares frowned as Llewellyn added his explanation.

“Are you saying that Lexion may have entered a slumber during the height of the war or shortly after it ended… and may have woken up recently?”

“Yes, that’s right. That’s why he didn’t know that the lairs were empty, and that the book had already leaked into the elven kingdom eighty years ago.”

It was a reasonable inference.

Cantares nodded.

“Why did you infiltrate the empty lair with your subordinates?”

“I kept a few things inside, like old books and antiques. I went in and out every now and then to check if anything had changed.”

It was quite a risky adventure.

Richt, who had been listening quietly, asked.

“Wasn’t that reckless?”

“That’s true, but since it’s a job where you might even encounter a dragon if you’re lucky, everyone volunteered without exception.”

“…”

“I heard that some of them even fought among themselves over who would do it.”

The people who called themselves adventurers must have all been half crazy.

When Richt fell silent, Llewellyn continued.

“Then, in one place, there was a result. There was clear evidence that someone had tampered with it.”

“I don’t think the dragon would have missed that level of trickery.”

“I guess he noticed, but I don’t think he would care much.”

In the first place, it was the dragon who told a mere human to find the book and give it to him.

“Just as no adult would get seriously upset by a child’s play, we are just playing along with the dragon’s play.”

Llewellyn’s words left Cantares feeling a little strange.

“It’s child’s play… .”

“Because that’s the kind of race they are originally like.”

The prince nodded with a playful, yet somehow bitter smile.

“Anyway, we searched the houses near the lair where Lexion appeared. As a result, we obtained testimony that an outsider who looked exactly like the former Crown Prince Alois described was seen eating at the inn.”

This was the report he received upon returning from the Elf Kingdom.

“The most recent sighting was near the border between the Caerleon Empire and the Everan Kingdom… for now, we plan to keep our distance and observe a bit more. If necessary, we will also seek the help of the Neumann Group’s intelligence department.”

Llewellyn paused for a moment before adding:

“Actually, he can easily shake off my subordinates, but since traces can be seen occasionally… I think he is intentionally leaving traces.”

Everyone’s eyes naturally turned to Arendt.

Arendt raised his eyebrows.

“Why are you looking at me?”

“According to Prince Llewellyn, we seem to have figured out the dragon’s approximate location. What should we do now?”

Cantares asked.

The object Lexion was looking for was in his hands.

Now all that was left was to hand it to him.

Arendt was silent for a moment, as if thinking about it.

His golden gaze landed on the book and then fell away.

As the silence grew longer without any answer, Cantares urged him again.

“Are you going to move personally? That dragon left a message for you. He told you to come find him.”

“Yes, I am.”

Arendt nodded readily.

Then Laius frowned.

“It’s dangerous to move right now. At least you should be well prepared.”

“Of course. I just got back today…”

Just as the Crown Prince was about to respond to the captain’s words, Arendt blurted out:

“But.”

Cantares, who turned his gaze back to Arendt, flinched.

The other people’s expressions also became strange.

Arendt’s characteristically indifferent face looked somehow dull.

His hunched posture and his impudent golden eyes betrayed a discontent that he did not bother to hide.

The asymmetrically curved eyebrows meant that Arendt had a change of heart during the brief moment when he was silent.

As expected, an extremely odd phrase came out.

“Do I really have to go?”

“…”

Everyone fell silent.

A deep silence fell in the Crown Prince’s office.

After a while, Llewellyn, who had barely regained consciousness, asked stammeringly.

“Wh, what are you talking about?”

“Do I really have to go myself? I’m already very busy.”

Arendt shrugged.

Because of that sentence, they were all shocked.

The implication of those words was all too clear.

In the quiet Crown Prince’s office, only Arendt’s voice continued.

“Just think about it. The book that the dragon is searching for everywhere is right here.”

“…”

“Then isn’t it not me who feels sorry now but that reptile guy?”

“…”

They were left speechless.

Arendt shrugged his shoulders naturally.

“If he wants something, he should come to us. He shouldn’t tell busy people to come and go.”

“…Hey, you haven’t forgotten that your opponent is a dragon, have you? Don’t you know that if he wants to, he can easily blow up the Imperial Palace?”

Cantares, who was pressing his temples, barely managed to speak.

But Arendt remained confident.

“Well, if he wants to blow up all the books at once, then yes. Besides, there are dragon remains here.”

“…”

“The person who has something to do should come in person. I’m not in a hurry.”

Laius’s eyes wandered into space for a moment as he saw Arendt chuckle.

It seemed like he was looking for the god Luce in his heart for a moment.

Others felt the same way.

Be that as it may, Arendt was saying only what he had to say.

“Llewellyn.”

“…What, you punk.”

When Llewellyn answered weakly, Arendt said lightly.

“Are you still chasing the dragon?”

“That’s right. The dragon is intentionally leaving traces.”

“Then there must be a way to contact him from your side, right?”

Llewellyn nodded with an uneasy expression on his face as he asked to confirm.

“It won’t be easy, but it might be possible.”

“Then tell them to leave a message for the dragon later.”

“…?”

Llewellyn looked at Arendt with anxious eyes.

Arendt met his gaze and added indifferently.

“… I think this should be enough. Please make sure to send it under my name.”

They were once again left speechless by the blatant threats.

“…”

“By the way, this is an order from your employer. Make sure you deliver it without making a single mistake. Do you know how much money I have poured into your union?”

Arendt’s quiet voice followed.

In other words, if he didn’t want to spit out the money, he should just follow along quietly.

Llewellyn was frozen in place.

He muttered a heartfelt curse out of his mouth, forgetting that he was standing in front of the Crown Prince.

“This fucking bastard…”