“Who are you?”

Bethel turned the tip of his sword, which had been pointed at Arthur, towards Arendt.

Arendt sat on the wall, his mouth pursed.

“A wonderful knight who appeared at a time of crisis.”

Bethel’s brow furrowed at the sly attitude. Arthur, who was on the same side, also had a rotten expression.

Arendt glanced at Arthur and added:

“Well, to some people I might be a traitor.”

Arthur, listening to those empty words, felt even the slightest bit of joy that remained disappear.

Bethel muttered darkly, his eyebrows furrowing even more.

“Oh, that’s a misunderstanding.”

Arendt cut him off with a wave of his hand, then tilted his head nonchalantly and blurted out:

“Save him? Me? That person?”

“…”

“Why? There isn’t a single pretty corner. And there’s no reason for me to do that.”

At those words, Bethel also seemed to be speechless for a moment. The other enemies who had been aiming their swords at Arthur to prevent him from moving also didn’t know what to do, and just looked back and forth between Arendt and Bethel who had suddenly appeared.

Arendt twisted his lips as he stared blankly at them with bewildered expressions.

“But I guess there is work to be done.”

“What?”

“The moon is really bright today.”

Arendt lifted his chin and nodded toward Bethel. His golden eyes, bathed in moonlight, sparkled coldly.

“Your face is also quite visible. I should run to the palace and report your appearance. Then, who knows? I might even receive a reward.”

Bethel’s face hardened.

Arendt picked himself up, smiled, and sat up.

Arendt, standing upright and balancing steadily on the wall, looked down at Arthur.

“Senior, you can either run away or die right there. Then I’ll go first.”

And then Arendt jumped down.

Tak tak tak.

The sound of him running echoed through the quiet alley.

Arthur was the first to move.

Using this, he took advantage of the moment when his enemies let their guard down and struck down all the swords aimed at him.

Kaaaaang!

The unexpected attack caused the enemies to stagger and retreat.

Arthur kicked off the ground, leapt over the wall, and began to run in the direction where Arendt had disappeared.

Bethel’s grip on the sword tightened.

“Catch him. Make sure you catch him alive. I’ll skin him alive.”

“Yes!”

Those who suddenly came to their senses each grabbed their weapons and chased after the two.

Bethel looked with sunken eyes at the place where his men and the two knights had disappeared.

“Sleazy bastard…”

“How did you get here?”

Arthur asked, running after Arendt.

Arendt responded to him without looking back.

“I followed you.”

“You crazy bastard! You can’t just leave like that! If you leave the palace without permission, you’ll be summarily executed!”

“I wouldn’t say I’d get the death penalty. There must be merit in saving someone who was prepared to die without thinking.”

“…”

Arendt’s voice, which was usually full of whining and sullenness, was unusually unpleasant. Arthur had nothing to say about that part, so he kept his mouth shut.

Arendt glanced behind him. He could clearly feel the presence of the pursuers who had caught up with them.

He clicked his tongue in displeasure.

“Tsk, they’re faster than I thought.”

“What are you going to do?”

“That’s right. They’ve already seen our faces, so there’s no point in running away like this.”

“It seems like we have to sort things out somehow.”

“Then let’s meet a little later.”

Instead of answering, Arthur increased his running speed and ran shoulder to shoulder with Arendt; then the two of them slowed down their pace at the same time.

There were four enemies following behind them.

At the next fork in the road, the two men kicked the ground in different directions without warning.

The enemies, momentarily confused, split into two and began to pursue them separately.

Arendt glanced at Arthur, who had gone the other way, to see who was pursuing him.

“Hey, who would have thought there would be a fist fight in a place like this?”

Arendt, holding the sword hilt, stopped running.

When he suddenly stood still, the enemies also stopped in confusion.

Arendt took advantage of the gap and quickly charged toward his enemies.

It wasn’t something he had really thought about. He just had a rough idea that this was probably how Arendt originally fought.

The moment he took his first step, the half-drawn sword reflected the brilliant moonlight, and the sword smoothly slipped out of its scabbard and lightly cut through the air.

Then, the hardest part of the sword hilt struck the face of the enemy who was charging at him from the front with his fist raised.

Baaaak!

One of them fell unconscious without even being able to scream.

The next moment, a sword slashed, aiming for Arendt’s shoulder.

Arendt twisted his body hastily.

Boo-woong, the blade barely grazed his chest.

“I will cut off your arm so you will never lift a sword again.”

“Nope?”

Arendt responded lightly to the grim curse.

Kaaaaang!

The swords of two people clashed.

He tried to push Arendt back with force, but he realized that his sword would not budge.

Arendt held one hand on his sword, the other on his enemy’s blade.

“What?”

And then, in the next moment, the enemy let go of his sword without realizing it because of the cold that hit him.

Chaenggrang!

The sword fell to the hard floor and rolled around with a clanking sound.

The enemy’s face turned pale as he reflexively checked the state of the sword.

Before he knew it, it had turned into a block of pure white ice. If he hadn’t let go in time, his hand would have turned into a piece of ice as well.

“This is the Frosty…”

The voice of astonishment could not continue until the end, because Arendt’s fist slammed into his temples with a cracking sound.

Arendt quickly took care of the two men and neatly sharpened his sword.

“It’s pretty good.”

Although he was already confident in using his body, it was quite surprising that his body felt light even in a fighting situation.

It was thanks to the original Arendt’s training as a knight and that his talent for joining the Imperial Knights at a young age was not a lie.

“Okay, so next is…”

Arendt pushed the fallen people to one side with his feet and looked across the alley.

Thud, thud.

The sound of footsteps with different weights was engraved in the darkness. After waiting leisurely for a moment, a large man slowly walked out into the moonlight.

“It seems like you had no intention of running away from the beginning.”

“You’re free to interpret my actions.”

“I expected you to follow me, not the knight.”

“That’s a bit of an overstatement.”

Arendt answered absentmindedly, his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

Bethel gripped his sword tightly.

‘What a strange guy.’

Bethel thought back to when he first appeared out of nowhere.

His every gesture was filled with the nervousness and irritation typical of a sensitive and sharp person. Although, there was a glimpse of depth in his still young face.

But now that the two of them were facing each other, all he could feel from the young knight before his eyes was a calm coldness. It was a very subtle difference, but to Bethel it looked like his face had been changed.

‘Furthermore…’

Bethel scanned the area around him and glanced at the sword rolling on the floor. It was covered in pure white ice from the blade to the hilt.

“…It’s you. You told His Majesty the Emperor about us.”

There was already confidence in those words.

Arendt didn’t bother to answer.

Bethel’s brow furrowed further.

“The plan was only communicated to the central and those directly involved. And that thing.”

Bethel glanced at the sword on the floor, then turned his gaze back to Arendt.

His eyes fell on Arendt’s gloves.

A pair of leather gloves that covered the wrist and palm, revealing the white fingertips. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary piece of equipment.

“It’s the Frosty Touch. I’m sure only our people know of its existence.”

Arendt just looked at him quietly, his eyes betraying no emotion.

“Bethel said, chewing on his words.

“Are you a traitor?”

“Well… Actually, from your perspective, it’s not wrong.”

Arendt scratched his forehead and replied indifferently.

“So what are you going to do? You said earlier to me that if I told you who stole the information, you would spare my life. Are you going to do that?”

“It would be great if that were true, but… unfortunately, traitors are not spared. That’s our rule.”

Sling.

Bethel’s sword once again struck with anticipation.

Bethel’s eyes, which had been apathetic as if he was just doing his job, were now filled with blatant anger and murderous intent.

“I will take back the Frosty Touch.”

For a moment, it seemed as if Bethel’s figure had disappeared from sight, but at the next moment, he appeared right in front of Arendt.

Bethel raised his sword with both hands and brought it down straight at Arendt’s head.

Arendt twisted his body to the side.

Boohoo!

The tip of the sword cut through the air with a bloody sound.

For a split second, Bethel’s eyebrows rose.

He immediately twisted his sword and stabbed Arendt in the torso, but that attack, too, was in vain, only cutting through the night sky.

Arendt easily evaded the stab by moving lightly.

“Is that ‘The Shadow of the Strong’?”

A clear voice came into Bethel’s ears, and he froze.

Bethel slowly turned his head.

He could no longer hide his shock and bewilderment.

Arendt, standing under the moonlight, faced him with an expressionless face that could have been perceived as indifferent.

“It eliminates your presence and enhances your physical abilities. If someone encounters it without knowing, they will be helpless.”

“You…”

Bethel’s face was distorted.

He clenched his fist and lunged at Arendt, but Arendt easily dodged the sword by jumping back.

“It seems perfect for a raid. You just need to gain the upper hand with strong force and a vague presence, and then use that momentum to subdue them. But if you fail at that stage.”

Meanwhile, Arendt slowly glanced at his surroundings and examined Bethel. Bethel’s face, engulfed in anger, turned bright red and then white repeatedly.

Arendt smirked, raising the corners of his lips.

“Won’t this be a bit of a hassle, Mr. Bethel?”

It was a word clearly intended to scratch his insides.

Bethel gritted his teeth, kicked the ground, and ran towards Arendt.

“I’ll make you shut that mouth!”

This time, Arendt also drew his sword and responded.

Kwaaaaang!

The two clashed against each other, and a loud crash tore through the night sky.

Arendt, who had received Bethel’s sword with his entire body, let out a short groan. Bethel, who saw Arendt’s arm trembling, clashed even more viciously.

“It seems like you have pretty good observation skills, but that alone won’t solve anything. You will definitely die by my hand.”

Arendt twisted the corners of his lips without saying anything.

It was an obvious mockery.

Unable to bear it, Bethel used more strength to push at Arendt. Arendt did not resist but stepped back, then kicked the ground again and rushed at Bethel at high speed.

Kang! Kaang!

Arendt’s sword quickly slashed and stabbed hard several times, but Bethel held firm as if he were a large rock.

Bethel responded calmly.

“You can’t deal with me with force. You already know that.”

Unlike Bethel’s artifacts, which improved overall physical abilities, Arendt’s Frosty Touch had the disadvantage of requiring direct use, as its name suggested.

In the current situation where the difference in physical conditions was overwhelming, it was difficult for Arendt to use it efficiently.

A hazy aura enveloped Arendt’s sword as he took a step back.

Bethel responded by raising his sword. A fiery red sword energy was engraved on Bethel’s thick sword.

Bethel gave a loud shout.

“Come on! Apprentice knight!”

Arendt gripped the sword tightly with both hands and struck it down with all his might.

The two people clashed head-on.

Naturally, it was Arendt who was pushed back in the power struggle.

Knock knock. Arendt’s feet, which had been holding on with all their might, began to slowly move backwards. It was the same situation as Arthur earlier.

Bethel let out a short sigh.

“You’re so arrogant with such skills. It’s so shameful that I even wavered for a moment.”

“I’m sorry. I’m good at being cocky.”

Even though his hands were shaking from the excessive force, Arendt smiled wryly.

At that moment, Bethel felt life coming from behind him.

The back of his neck felt cool and he felt a strong sense of crisis.

He shook Arendt off. Before he could see Arendt rolling on the floor, Bethel turned around.

But it was already too late.

Phew.

Arthur’s sword dug into Bethel’s heart. Bethel’s eyes, which had opened wide in shock, instantly lost their light.

Arthur pulled out the sword that had pierced his upper body.

The lifeless body fell down with a heavy thud.

Without even looking at Bethel’s body, Arthur glanced at Arendt, who was struggling to get up.

“Hey, is your neck still attached?”

“Of course.”

Arthur clicked his tongue at the familiar, irritated voice, but that was only for a moment, and a bitter smile appeared on his lips.

“Oh, that’s too bad.”

“It was nothing.”

Arendt responded curtly and spat out the blood that had gathered in his mouth.