Arendt, after being harassed by the servants, was so exhausted that he quietly retreated to the back for a while.
But people did not leave Arendt alone.
“Sir Arendt, would you mind talking to for a mont?”
“I heard you were seriously injured. How are you feeling?”
Among those who approached with genuine concern, there were always impure elents mixed in.
And Arendt, who had gradually regained his strength, never avoided the oncoming slander.
“What kind of person is this..!”
As a result, three Luce believers who were trying to accuse Arendt of blasphemy by any ans possible were now clutching their necks and foaming at the mouth, while two noblen who were trying to curry favor with Arendt left with their faces flushed.
“I hear you’ve grown far too arrogant! How long do you think that honor of yours will last?”
And finally, the third nobleman started spitting and going crazy.
But Arendt’s expression didn’t change at all and he just responded indifferently.
“I think it’ll take longer than you think. I’m rather gifted, you see.”
“You’d better watch yourself. I’ll be keeping an eye on you.”
“Please do. I know it’s rare to find soone as handso as .”
“What?”
The Marquis stared at him, dumbfounded. Arendt answered in the sa flat tone:
“I’m offering this advice with all seriousness, but I think you’d do well to take care of yourself a bit, Marquis. I don’t exactly feel inspired to be ‘watched’ by you.”
“…!”
The Marquis began to rage, spewing indescribable curses. Arendt, watching him, seed quite amused.
Suddenly, the look in his eyes beca lively, as if he had found a good toy.
Zakar, who was watching the situation, muttered uncomfortably.
“…Shouldn’t we stop him soon?”
“I think it will be okay since the Captain is staying still.”
Richt answered vaguely.
Although Laius had been looking like he was going to die from a stomachache, he was trying hard to avoid eye contact with the scene.
And Cantares was watching the scene with a look of sheer amusent. It seed he was venting the stress he’d been building up toward the nobles through Arendt.
“It seems that both of them are determined to give Arendt strength.”
At Richt’s addition, Zakar looked even more troubled.
“Then wouldn’t it be better to grant him a proper knighthood? I heard that Sir Arendt is still an apprentice.”
“I heard they’ll do that after the war has settled down to so extent. Arendt himself doesn’t know about it yet, though. He’s not particularly keen on that idea either…”
Richt, who had spoken up to that point, lowered his voice slightly.
“Because the position of apprentice is suitable for letting him run wild.”
“So, does that an that even Arendt’s opinion doesn’t matter?”
Zakar, who had been listening quietly, answered in a trembling voice.
“I understand your intentions, but the thod is sowhat… how should I put it? It’s peculiar.”
To thrust Arendt, who was already aggravated, into a crowd of people was tantamount to an indiscriminate attack on an unspecified number of people.
“Thank you for putting it nicely, but you can just call it unreasonable.”
Richt spoke calmly. Zakar closed his mouth, feeling uneasy at the familiarity.
‘The future of the Empire…’
It looks quite dark.
But he couldn’t bring himself to say those words, so he just drank his alcohol.
The banquet continued late into the night. Arendt, who had turned the banquet hall twice as loud as Laius and Cantares had expected, left early and returned to his room.
Plop.
Arendt lay down on the bed without even changing his clothes and let out a long sigh.
“Phew…”
Sohow, it felt like he was seeing an abridged version of the future scenario.
People trying desperately to get on his good side, and followers of the Luce faith constantly picking fights.
‘I guess they’re worried that the High Priest’s will might be shaken.’
They are anxious that the High Priest, who owed her life to Arendt, might abandon the Luce faith.
Even Arendt was uneasy about that. Even amidst the mass loss of holy power among the priests, Lumiel alone retained hers.
That ans that Lumiel’s faith has not yet wavered.
‘If we have to stand on opposite sides…’
Then so be it.
It was solely his own will that saved her, and he had no intention of holding Lumiel responsible.
While he was quietly catching his breath. Knock knock.
A polite knock was heard.
“Sir Arendt. Are you there?”
It was Lumiel. Arendt imdiately jumped to his feet.
“Co in.”
Click. The door opened and Lumiel ca inside. Lumiel, about to say hello, paused for a mont when she saw Arendt’s appearance.
“…You’ve dressed up nicely, Sir Arendt.”
“It wasn’t my will.”
Arendt grumbled, stroking his long, flowing hair. Lumiel let out a brief laugh, closed the door, and entered the room. Then she handed him a thick book she was holding in her arms.
Arendt knew imdiately what it was.
“This…”
“This is the book that Lord Lexion was looking for. The soldiers searching the Great Temple said they found it this evening, so I went and got it myself.”
Despite being in the middle of a burning temple, the book remained pristine. This once again demonstrated just how powerful dragon magic truly was.
“We should return it to Lord Lexion…”
Lumiel, who had trailed off, asked awkwardly.
“The password is… Are you serious? Couldn’t you simply give it back normally now?”
“I’m serious. I’ve suffered so much because of this, I can’t just give it back to him nicely.”
Arendt chuckled playfully.
Moonlight streaming in from outside the window illuminated his face. Lumiel, who had been staring at Arendt’s face for a mont, smiled back.
“You look much more relaxed, Sir Arendt.”
“Hmm?”
“I was very worried. I was worried that this old woman’s careless words may have placed too heavy a burden on you.”
It was a story about the past.
“It just occurred to that maybe it would have been better to just pretend I didn’t know anything. I’m sorry.”
“That may have been the case until recently. But…”
Arendt shrugged his shoulders with a feigned calmness.
“Now that I think about it, it doesn’t really matter. I still have a lot of work to do.”
“Is that so?”
Lumiel smiled bitterly.
“Then I won’t bring it up any further. As you said, nothing will change now.”
He had absolutely no intention of quitting acting right now. As Arendt, he was determined to fulfill this role to the end.
When this na finally reached its full aning, he didn’t know what would happen.
“Sir Arendt?”
When Arendt suddenly fell silent, Lumiel made a puzzled sound.
“No, nothing.”
Arendt shook his head slightly. Then he spoke at the air.
“Lord Lexion, you’re listening, so co out. Is eavesdropping your hobby?”
“Yes?”
The mont Lumiel paused in surprise, a bright light burst out right next to her, filling the room.
“I wasn’t eavesdropping. You two were just talking loud enough for everyone to hear.”
A curt voice cut in. Arendt clicked his tongue.
“Did you hear everything?”
“Unintentionally.”
Lexion chuckled.
“So of the personal doubts I had about you have been resolved.”
“Ah…!”
Only then did Lumiel realize the problem and unconsciously covered her mouth. But Arendt simply shrugged calmly.
“You really are a sinister dragon.”
“You seem more sinister than I. You seem to be naturally blending in with people, acting as if nothing happened.”
Lexion burst into laughter.
“You vicious bastard.”
A look of exasperation was clearly visible in his reptilian-like eyes.
“No wonder those people took interest in you. It’s a miracle you haven’t gone off the rails yet.”
“I’m a bit better.”
Lexion burst into laughter at the shaless response.
“I guess you doesn’t plan on telling the other guys.”
“It has nothing to do with those people.”
The flashy-looking apprentice shrugged. Lexion clicked his tongue and willingly changed the subject.
“Give that book. I’m leaving tonight.”
“Hmm.”
An ambiguous sound ca out of Arendt’s mouth.
“Take it if you want. But you didn’t forget there’s a password, did you?”
“Speak quickly. I don’t feel like wasting ti on your stupid word gas.”
Lexion held out his hand. Arendt tilted his head, pretending to be lost in thought, as he fiddled with the book Lumiel had handed him.
“The password is…”
“What kind of disease are you trying to shake off by taking so long…?”
Before he could finish speaking, Arendt struck first.
“I swear to be the loyal servant of Arendt von Eckhart.”
“…”
Fsshhh.
The air in the room suddenly grew cold. Lumiel covered her eyes and averted her gaze, as if she had seen sothing unbearable. Lexion, frozen in place, stood there for a mont, dumbfounded, before asking again.
“…What?”
“You asked for the password, didn’t you? That’s it. I swear to be the loyal servant of Arendt von Eckhart.”
Lexion’s face contorted with a level of disbelief far beyond anything he’d shown before. Pleased with the reaction, Arendt grinned smugly.
“What? I told you. Go on, take it.”
“…You really have a death wish.”
“If you can, try it.”
Despite Lexion’s growls, Arendt only responded with a disapproving retort. Lumiel, seemingly wanting to insist that this had nothing to do with her, was trying hard to avoid Lexion’s gaze.
“Hey, High Priest.”
“…At that ti, I didn’t know things would turn out like this.”
Lumiel answered as if making an excuse. She had never imagined that Arendt would actually say sothing like that in front of Lexion.
But Arendt was still Arendt.
“What are you doing? I told you the password. Of course you wouldn’t do sothing so unsightly as use force against an injured person, right?”
“…Ha ha ha.”
Lexion let out a hollow laugh, dumbfounded.
Of course, if he had taken it by force, he could have done it right now. But now that he understood the real reason Arendt was talking like this…
“If you can’t do it, then you can take it after I die. It’ll take a while, so you’ll have to wait.”
He couldn’t move recklessly.
“Are you trying to sohow create a link between and the Empire?”
“The Empire isn’t really my concern. But I don’t want to let go of a reptile that possesses both convenient transportation and healing abilities.”
Arendt chuckled playfully.
“It would be better for you, Lexion, to have a base anyway. If you promise to stay in the Empire, I’ll give it to you without a password.”
In the end, it was just another proposal of a deal. Lexion muttered in despair.
“You are truly incredibly shaless.”
“If you don’t like it, don’t bother. I’ve already given you the password. Just tell and take it.”
Lexion watched Arendt, who was shaking the book in front of his eyes in a teasing manner, with a troubled look on his face.
‘A ho base….’
He wasn’t talking about a lair. He was talking about a society where he could belong as a mber. And right now, this Empire, filled with insane knights who treated even dragons carelessly, was a perfect base for operations.
Because there were people here who did not fear a dragon like him.
‘He must have figured out exactly what I wanted.’
Arendt rely provided a pretext.
‘The title of ‘Holy Empire’, which had been oppressing humanity, would also beco aningless.’
That is to say, even if he stays in the future, there would be no problem.
Arendt, who was staring at him blankly, asked invitingly.
“The first step toward a world free from God is about to begin.”
“…”
“Don’t you want to see it up close?”
If he said it like that, Lexion had no choice but to refuse. After pressing his temples for a mont, Lexion opened his mouth.
“You sly bastard.”
It was effectively a declaration of surrender.
“You’re only figuring that out now? You’re so dull.”
Arendt grinned and handed him the book. Lexion, glancing at him with a disapproving glare, took the book with a rather rough motion.
This was the mont when the second deal between Arendt and Lexion was concluded.
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