Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 237

“…”Roger gave a rebuke to the dumbfounded Jin.

“…I clearly said to do it in moderation.”

But his words didn’t seem to reach Jin properly.

“Shoddy…? Shoddy…? You even called me a brat?”

The elf, muttering absentmindedly, held a jewel whose light had gone out in her small hands.

The jewel, which was originally supposed to shine red, had lost its magic and was now only showing a dull luster.

It meant that the magical connection with the other pair that fell into the hands of the Imperial Knights was severed. Thɪs chapter is updated by novelhall.com

Of course, it was the work of that apprentice knight.

Roger somehow managed to suppress the sigh that was rising to the tip of his throat.

‘What a headache.’

His head started to hurt as he watched Jin stare into space, buried in a chair that was much bigger than her body.

“Wasn’t it just an experiment anyway? It’s an unfinished work, so it’s only natural that they would defeat it. I remember you saying that, too.”

“That’s not why!”

Jin suddenly turned her head and shouted.

The sudden movement caused Jin’s long blonde hair to fly away, revealing her pure white neck.

There, the scar left by Arendt von Eckhart’s sword remained vivid.

Even though the elf’s body was resilient and did not scar easily, the fact that there was a scar meant that the scar was deep.

When the apprentice knight threatened Roger, he was truly intent on killing Jin.

‘Once again…’

He was not an easy opponent.

The eerie murderous aura that had surrounded those golden eyes with a strange light was still vividly etched into his mind.

Roger swallowed a sigh and struggled to continue speaking.

“So what’s the problem? It was a good idea to put eavesdropping magic in the core, but it’s no wonder Arendt von Eckhart noticed it. We have nothing to lose…”

“Are you an idiot Roger? Didn’t this bastard just call my work crappy?”

Once again, Jin let out a loud scream.

Her beautiful green eyes were filled with innocent anger.

‘Both the kid on this side and the kid on that side are equally out of their minds.’

Roger, who realized that point anew, felt his head hurt even more.

It seems like children know best how to provoke children.

The reckless apprentice knight knew only too well how to get under her skin.

What was even more regrettable was that Jin, who had such genius talent, was the type of person who reacted overly sensitively to that kind of provocation.

At times like this, Jin wouldn’t listen no matter what was said.

“How dare you, how dare that punk call me trash? Someday I will kill him! I will kill him!”

Roger, who was watching her screaming and pulling at her hair, let out a sigh he couldn’t hold back.

“Haa… Calm down, Jin. Before I go to Iris and tell her that you need to get some mental and physical stability.”

“…”

At that one sentence, Jin suddenly stood up and stopped moving.

Then she let go of the hair she had been holding in her hand and glanced at Roger.

“…Roger, do you know you’re being really petty?”

“There’s nothing we can do. What happened is what happened, and now we just have to plan for the future. Anyway, I’ll report this incident to Lady Iris. She won’t really scold you, but you should refrain from such mischief in the future. It’ll be a problem if we get tracked down.”

“You really can’t comfort people. You’re not sensitive.”

Jin stuck her tongue out and grumbled.

“And who can trace my magic? I’m working with an artifact given to me by Nike. They won’t be able to find out anything important.”

Roger, who had been looking at her with a complicated expression, soon shook his head.

“Then I have some good news for you.”

“What is it?”

“Nikephoros has awakened.”

“What?!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Jin jumped up from her seat.

“Really? Nike’s awake now?”

“Yes, Iris told me.”

“Then can I go visit?”

Jin’s green eyes sparkled innocently, as if she had never acted wildly before.

Roger simply nodded.

“Yeah, if you say your concerns, maybe you’ll be able to find a solution together.”

“That’s right. Unlike the stupid Roger, Nike is kind.”

Jin said with a big smile, but Roger didn’t even blink.

“But don’t be so annoying.”

“Nike doesn’t mind me like this though?”

“…I get it.”

Roger, who was about to say something more, simply gave up and nodded.

At least Jin’s mood seemed to have improved, so that was one thing that was fortunate.

When Arendt returned to the dormitory, Arthur and Richt, who had been severely scolded by Laius, had also just barely been released.

“Oh, is the scolding over?”

“You little brat…”

Arthur approached Arendt, who looked like he knew everything, gritting his teeth.

“Did you know the Captain was coming back?”

“Well, who told you to have such a bad attitude? It’s your own fault.”

“At least I don’t want to hear that from you.”

“Yes. I saw my seniors’ excellent method of passing the burden of your troublesome junior to His Highness the Crown Prince. Thanks to that, I was able to avoid nagging from the Captain and hear interesting stories from Duke Lancelot, so I have no complaints.”

Arendt, who responded sarcastically, asked the pale-faced Richt.

“Do you have any messages?”

“The report is complete, and I have informed them that the core discovered had been handed over to Count Stadler. You have three days off starting today, so do whatever you want.”

Perhaps because Laius’ nagging was so draining, Richt answered in a tired tone.

Arendt nodded dryly.

“Okay, I’ll go then.”

“Wait a minute, you have to report back to the Captain!”

“It’s okay since my seniors have already done it. I’ll show my face around mealtime later.”

Arthur tried to grab him quickly, but Arendt waved his hand away and went straight back to his room.

He closed the door tightly and immediately found the communication crystal ball and took it out.

Arendt threw himself on the sofa and immediately started calling.

The communication port began to glow faintly, and shortly afterwards the other party received the call.

“Lord Neumann, do you have a moment now?”

He skipped the greeting and spoke out of the blue, but a happy voice came back from the other end of the communication port.

– Isn’t this Lord Arendt? I heard you were sent far away on a mission. Have you returned?

“Yes, I just got back.”

– Are you okay?

Neumann asked worriedly.

He also knew about the ghoul incidents that were happening in every corner of the Empire.

“Yes, I returned without any problems. It may be a bit sudden, but I have something to ask you, Lord Neumann.”

– Yes, of course. If Sir Arendt says so, I should make time, even if I don’t have any.

A reply full of kindness came back.

Arendt got straight to the point.

“Has there been any change on Count Eckhart’s side?”

– If you’re talking about Count Eckhart’s family… you mean Lord Arendt’s family. Well, I don’t think there’s been any news yet. Should I check with the information center and contact you later?

“No, I can do that myself. What I’m curious about is not the Count’s family, but the businesses the Count runs.”

– Hmm, the Count’s businesses…

Neumann paused for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.

After a while his voice sounded again.

– The Count’s estate is located on the route to other countries, so it is convenient to use that location to make profits through trade. I understand that several merchant groups are operating under the Count’s command.

“Have you ever done business with them, Lord Neumann?”

– No, not yet. We get our supplies from other sources. But we are always looking.

Neumann, who had paused for a moment, opened his mouth again.

– There aren’t any major changes, but I understand that there was some noise when Lord Arcus, who was most closely assisting the Count, left.

“Is that so?”

– Yes, they say the confusion didn’t last long since the Count’s skills were so good. But they say some investors pulled out.

“Why?”

When Arendt asked curiously, Neumann let out a bitter laugh.

– I feel a bit awkward saying this, but… the two sons who rebelled against the Count and left the Count’s family are each taking their own places.

Neumann gave a vague and unresponsive answer.

Arendt arched his eyebrows slightly.

“Because they doubt the Count’s popularity or something like that?”

– Of course, that may be true, but all businessmen are profit-seeking people. They are just worried about losing money.

Neumann smiled bitterly across the communication port.

– Some of the investors who pulled out of Count Eckhart’s business have come to our group. Does that explain it?

“Ah.”

Only then did Arendt truly understand what he meant.

“You’re saying it’s because of me?”

– …In fact, that is not wrong. The cause was provided by Lord Arendt, and Lord Arcus’ departure was the driving force.

Neumann hesitated for a moment, then slowly continued his explanation.

– Besides, it was widely known that Lord Arendt was close to our merchant group. They were worried that it might affect their future business.

“Hmm…”

Arendt tapped his chin, lost in thought.

After a moment of silence, Arendt commented briefly:

“I feel good that it’s because of me.”

– …Ha, haha. I knew you’d say that.

Neumann laughed awkwardly and changed the subject.

– But may I ask why you’re suddenly curious about this? Did something come up?

“I guess it would be more correct to say that there were signs of development. Thanks to what the Lord just said, I was able to get a grasp on the matter to some extent.”

Arendt briefly told Neumann about the visits of those the Count had sent to the Khan Union.

Then Neumann spoke seriously.

– …So that happened. It’s definitely something to be concerned about.

Neumann was one of the people who knew that the Khan Union also served as the Crown Prince’s information and financial repository.

A serious voice continued from beyond the communication port.

– I understand why you asked me this. Since there is no particular change in the Count’s household, you thought that there might be a problem with the Count’s businesses. That could be why the Count sent spies.

“That’s right.”

It was a possibility that crossed his mind while he was talking to the Duke, but it didn’t seem like such an outrageous guess.

Neumann, who had been silent for a moment, suddenly opened his mouth.

– Did you say that Lord Arcus recognized all the people the Count sent?

“Yes, he might have missed some though.”

– Do you know what kind of people they were?

“Well, I haven’t heard anything about that. I just know that they were people who worked for the Count’s family.”

– I recommend you check that part.

Arendt blinked at Neumann’s advice.

“Of course I will, but… why?”

– I know it may be a bit rude to say this, but Count Eckhart is a man of great business spirit.

It was a statement that cut to the heart of the matter.

Arendt felt the same way the last time they met, even briefly.

– So, there is a possibility that he will use merchant’s methods to stop Lord Arcus.

“…Please explain in more detail.”

– Acting like custoners, such as drinking tea and buying things, may have been an attempt to check the condition of the products.

Neumann continued his explanation.

– Especially in the case of tea, you can guess which route it is distributed through depending on the type and condition of the tea leaves. If you mix in with customers, you can also check which merchants are coming and going from the Union.

After saying that, he paused for a moment, as if he was conflicted.

Even though they had cut off their relationship, he seemed to be contemplating whether it was okay to talk about a father to his son like this.

But that was only for a moment, as Neumann soon added in a firm voice.

– It may be an attempt to disrupt the tea business of the Khan Union.

“…”

Arendt, who had been listening quietly, twitched his eyebrows.