The Khan Union’s business was booming again today.
Recently, they installed an oven in their kitchen and started making and selling bread and pastries that went well with tea, which led to an increase in custors.
The excellent business acun of Union Leader Henry Lou Lancelot and the ticulous managent of Vice Leader Arcus combined to produce the best results.
With the support of Duke Lancelot added to the mix, the public opinion was that this was a business that could not fail.
There must have been so who did not look favorably on the two young n’s rapid growth, but they could not express their dissatisfaction with the Duke supporting them from behind.
It was a place where many people usually ca and went.
So, Frederick and Alec also ca and went a few tis without any hesitation.
But today, both of them couldn’t hide their nervousness.
Alec, who was loitering in front of the Union’s gate, accidentally poked Frederick in the ribs.
“…Don’t act awkward, idiot.”
Frederick growled with a low voice.
“Shit, I know that too, so shut up!”
The interior of the Union building visible through the window was bustling with people again today.
It was natural, since they ca at the ti when there were most custors, as instructed.
The two young knights they saw yesterday would also be inside.
Just thinking about it made their throats feel parched.
Alec gritted his teeth, unable to calm down his anger.
“That crazy knight… what on earth is his purpose?”
“I don’t know about anything else, but one thing is for sure: he’s not in his right mind.”
Unless that person was crazy, how could he suddenly threaten to accuse them of being involved with the Evil Cult without any basis?
Arthur, who seed ready to draw his sword at any mont, also did not seem to be in his right mind.
“Whew…”
They both let out a deep sigh as their minds raced with disturbing thoughts.
They realized that complaining now wouldn’t make any difference.
They stood side by side, straightening their shoulders as much as possible, feigning naturalness, and walked into the Union.
No one paid attention to the two.
They scanned the people with relief at that fact, but failed to find the familiar silver hair.
Frederick blinked blankly.
“…He’s not here?”
“Let’s wait.”
There were no specific instructions on what to do after arriving at the union.
Frederick, who had been observing, whispered softly.
“Hey, can’t we just run away?”
“You idiot, do you want to die? If the leader finds out that we made a mistake and got our identification cards stolen, it won’t end with us just getting fired.”
Alec growled fiercely.
In this situation, they had no choice but to quickly get their identification cards back, withdraw, and inform the higher-ups of the situation.
Of course, the eccentric apprentice knight wouldn’t just hand over their identification cards so easily, but they planned to wait a while and then take them back before leaving.
Frederick, who was searching for Arendt, suddenly stopped and looked at one spot.
“Hey.”
Frederick grabbed Alec’s arm as he stood beside him.
“What?”
“Isn’t that the police?”
At those words, Alec also turned his head in the direction Frederick was pointing.
As he said, two people in police uniforms were talking to soone with serious faces.
The person they were talking to was none other than Union Leader Henry.
Next to Henry were Arendt and Arthur, the two n they were looking for.
“Uh?”
The two people made a dumb sound without realizing it.
At that, Arendt turned his head and soon spotted Frederick and Alec.
“…!”
The mont they t his golden eyes, their bodies instinctively froze.
Arendt gave a slight smile and motioned for Henry and the police to co closer to him.
The conversation they were having was completely inaudible.
All they could see was Henry and Arthur stepping back slightly as if to avoid sothing unpleasant.
A mont later, the large policen’s gazes fixed on Alec and Frederick.
“Wait a minute, they’re looking at us.”
Alec, who had been blinking blankly, furrowed his brows a beat later.
“What?”
It wasn’t a mistake.
The policen were coming straight towards the two people.
People’s attention began to gather at the sound of the policen’s voices.
The mont the policen stopped in front of Frederick and Alec, who were standing there dumbfounded by the sudden situation, an unusually clear voice flowed into the ears of the guests who were drinking tea.
“That’s right, it’s those guys. They were the thieves I saw yesterday. Lock them up in prison for now. I’ll personally interrogate them later.”
This was the order Arendt gave to the policen.
Thieves.
That one word struck their dazed minds.
“…Wait, what?”
The mont they realized that the ‘thieves’ were referring to them, the policen grabbed the two n’s arms tightly.
“Yes, Sir Arendt! I will do as you command!”
“Please, don’t worry! We will deal with them according to the law, as per your command!”
“What, what? Wait, what did you say?”
As the stupid sound burst from Alec’s mouth, Frederick also scread.
“Thieves? We’re thieves? No, what do you an?”
“Just follow quietly. How dare you disturb the knights who are on their vacation? You will certainly face the consequences.”
But to the ears of the policen, who were intoxicated with the glory of having been personally encouraged by the Imperial Knights, it seed to be no more than the barking of a neighborhood dog.
“Wait, wait a minute, Sir Arendt! What kind of nonsense is this! Thieves! Wait. Let go of , you fools!”
Their minds went blank and they started screaming loudly.
“Please listen to ! Wait a minute! Sir Arendt! Why are you doing this!?”
But Arendt pretended not to hear.
Soon the two people were dragged out completely and the sounds of them cursing also faded away.
Creak.
The door closed and the noise was completely blocked.
And an unexpected silence fell over the Union.
The guests were so surprised by the sudden situation that they couldn’t even breathe deeply.
When everyone froze, Arendt was the first to move.
“…”
Naturally, the guests’ eyes were fixed on him.
He walked briskly in the midst of everyone’s gazes, then suddenly stopped in the place where the security guards had just been.
Then, he smoothly bent down, swept the floor once, and straightened up.
Arendt, who had been examining the small card he had just picked up, looked at Arthur and opened his mouth.
“Senior, it looks like they dropped their identification cards?”
His acting was natural, as if he really knew nothing.
Arendt tilted his head, checked the letters on the identification card in his hand, and read them out loud.
“East rchant Group, Alec Majes… wait, the East rchant Group?”
“…!”
A murmur ran through the custors.
The previously quiet atmosphere began to stir with unease.
After standing there as if lost in thought for a mont, Arendt clicked his tongue.
“It doesn’t seem like a simple theft case…”
Arendt, who had been mumbling so that everyone could hear, put the identification card in his pocket and returned to Arthur and Henry.
“I will deliver this identification card to the police later. Thank you for your hard work, Union Leader. Please tell my brother that the thief problem has been resolved.”
Although he seed to be speaking to Henry, his audience was none other than the guests and rchants who filled the Union.
“…”
The Union Leader and Arthur gave him a weary look, clearly disgusted.
Arendt looked at them shalessly as if asking whether there was a problem.
The identification cards were none other than the ones that Arendt had personally stolen from them the night before.
But the people there didn’t know that.
“Wait a minute, the East rchant Group?”
“Why are people from the East rchant Group stealing from this place?”
The custors, caught up in the provocative scene unfolding right before their eyes, were too busy whispering among themselves to focus on anything else.
So of them even hastily packed their bags and left the Union.
Those were the people who wanted to inform the top brass they belonged to of this situation.
Henry smiled awkwardly as he saw the atmosphere of the Union change in an instant.
“…You are truly amazing, Sir Arendt.”
At first glance, it might sound like praise for catching the thieves so quickly, but the reality was a little different.
Arthur frowned from the side.
“You can just say it. He’s a lunatic.”
“…”
Unfortunately, Henry couldn’t deny that.
He also wanted to say that Arthur, who agreed to this plan, was not much different from Arendt, but the Union Leader sohow suppressed his thoughts.
Sooner or later, word would spread that the East rchant Group had sent n to the Khan Union, and that they had been caught stealing and were taken away by the security forces.
In other words, Arendt directly provoked the leader of the East rchant Group.
And all of that was done in a way that blatantly splashed mud on the leader’s face.
“What the… what the heck is this…”
Alec muttered nervously, biting his nails.
Of course, they never thought that they would get their identification cards back easily.
However, they never expected that they would be accused of being thieves and thrown in jail for no reason.
This was the full story they heard after being dragged into the underground prison of the police force.
When Vice Leader Arcus confird that the ledger and inventory did not match, he asked his younger brother, who happened to be visiting, for help.
The police confird that there were indeed points where the ledgers and inventory did not match.
And Arendt pointed to Frederick and Alec as two n who were hanging suspiciously around the Union.
When Arendt said that these guys might co again, Henry, the Union Leader, asked the police for help.
So the police arrested the two n without asking any questions.
It was a natural thing.
It was impossible for a re police officer to disobey the words of a knight belonging to the royal family.
All of this ant that it was a trap set by Arendt von Eckhart.
“That knight is really crazy… isn’t he insane?”
Frederick muttered, clutching his head, as if he had just had the sa thought.
“How can this be? No, is this even possible? No matter how much shit we did, isn’t this a bit too much?”
At that mont, a smug voice ca back from beyond the bars.
“What can’t be done? I can do anything.”
It was a voice like sothing out of a nightmare.
The two n jumped up from their seats as if they had been pricked by thorns.
The security guard guarding the prison had gone sowhere, and Arendt von Eckhart was standing there in an arrogant posture.
“The prison is quite cozy, isn’t it? I’ve been locked up before, and it’s not as bad as you’d think.”
“…What on earth is going on here?”
Alec, standing there in a daze, barely managed to speak, and Arendt tilted his head in response.
“What am I doing? I’m making a fool out of your leader.”
“…”
As he looked at their faces as if to say, “Why are you asking such an obvious question?” they felt like a thousand fires were going to burst inside them.
However, the fact that he was part of the Imperial Knights and their own captive situation made it impossible for them to directly pour out their rising insults.
“Take these.”
Arendt took out the identification cards from his pocket and threw it to the two people who were staring at him with indescribable expressions.
Bam.
Two useless identification cards rolled around pitifully across the prison floor.
Alec just stared at them for a while, not even able to bring himself to pick them up.
After a while, he couldn’t control his anger and had no choice but to grit his teeth.
“…Of course, we have done shaful things. But does that an you have to go this far?”
“…”
This ti there was no response.
Alec raised his head again, glared at him fiercely and shouted in anger.
“Aren’t you ashad of using the title of knight? We were just following orders, but now we’re being threatened and then falsely accused…”
“Why should I be ashad?”
But before he could finish speaking, a curt reply ca back.
Alec and Frederick looked at the apprentice knight beyond the bars, dumbfounded.
Arendt accepted the gazes with dignity and spoke.
“If a knight is good at his job and fights well, that’s enough. I’m already so busy that I have to be lenient on idiots like you. My captain can be as righteous as he wants. As you can see, my work style is a bit different from his.”
“…”
“If you have any complaints, you should beco a mber of the Imperial Knights.”
With one sentence that drove the wedge in, the two people lost all their will to resist.
It was because they felt deep in their bones that their opponent was a crazy person who had no common sense.
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