It was the time when the sun had completely set and the downtown area had become quiet.

Saif led the knights to the warehouse behind the bakery building, where ingredients such as flour and dried fruit were stored.

Arendt was lost in thought as he walked deep into the warehouse with Saif and his seniors walking ahead of him. Things like a bakery and a trading post were things he had never seen in the novel.

‘So I thought it wouldn’t be a big deal.’

Things got bigger than he thought.

That meant that even while the civil war was raging in ‘The Blue Knight of the Holy Sword’ and the empire was in ruins, there was information that Laius had not been able to properly grasp.

In fact, it was inevitable.

As the commander of the knights, Laius was tied to the palace. Even if he could use the knights, soldiers, and police to the best of his ability to watch over the empire, there were limits.

In order to bring the scenario to a happy ending without much damage, Arendt had to dig into the parts that Laius didn’t know about as much as possible. That way, he could avoid the death flag.

At this point, shouldn’t it be said that he’s a director rather than an actor?

While Arendt was thinking about something else, Saif stopped walking.

“That… is this way.”

He watched Arendt’s expression.

Arendt looked up and saw where Saif was pointing. There was an oak barrel there, used to store wine or old liquor. It was big enough to easily fit two or three people.

Arthur frowned.

“Is that a secret entrance?”

“Yes that’s right.”

“It’s a boring secret base. Listen carefully.”

Arendt, who had left a comment indifferently, kicked Saif with his foot. When Saif turned around with a trembling face, Arendt lowered his voice and said, “We’re a group of people. Roughly speaking… yes, a dissolute young master from a rich family. You received a few pennies to guide us here. Do you understand?”

“…Yes.”

“If someone asks where the clerk is, just tell them that we came here alone because he had to greet another customer.”

Arendt, who had finished speaking, pushed Saif’s back.

“Okay, take the lead.”

“You want me to take the lead?”

“What, then what should we do? I told you. You brought us here, mister. You have to guide us properly. Open the door. If it’s locked, break it.”

Saif stood in front of the oak barrel, muttering something about a bastard even a ghost wouldn’t haunt.

Fortunately, there was no mishap that required him to break the door himself. After Saif fiddled with the round lid of the barrel a few times, the entrance opened with a click.

A staircase plunged into pitch-black darkness appeared inside the barrel.

“Oh oh.”

Arthur burst out in admiration.

Saif took a deep breath and stepped forward. The knights followed him down the stairs.

Thud, thud.

The deeper they went down, more of the cold underground air brushed their faces.

Richt muttered.

“It looks like the ventilation system is working properly.”

“It seems that from the beginning when the bakery was built, it was intended to be used as a trading post.”

Arthur also agreed.

After walking for a while, a large door appeared in front of them. Two armed mercenaries were standing guard in front of the door. As soon as they saw the group, they thrust their weapons.

“Stop.”

“It’s me, Saif.”

Saif went to where the light was shining and showed his familiar face.

The mercenary’s face was crumpled.

“What about Jeff?”

The name of the clerk that Arendt had knocked unconscious earlier seemed to be Jeff.

Saif forced his tongue, which was about to stiffen, to move and answered.

“… I heard that he was welcoming another guest. This is my group. I brought them here to introduce them to the owner.”

The mercenary looked at the three of them suspiciously. Arthur and Richt unconsciously stiffened and clenched their mouths.

After a while, the mercenaries nodded.

“Come in.”

They stepped aside and opened the door, revealing another short passageway.

Unlike the damp and dark staircase, the sconces hanging on the wall lit up the hallway brightly. The floor was also covered with thick carpet.

Arthur opened his mouth quietly as the door slammed shut behind him again.

“They seem quite confident.”

The fact that they were able to easily let outsiders into their secret space seemed to indicate that they were confident that they could deal with a few intruders without difficulty.

Arendt pouted.

“You won’t know if they’re wolves, lions, or mutts until they fall in front of you.”

The two of them kept their mouths shut, because it wasn’t a wrong statement.

As they opened the door at the end of the passage and went inside, a bright light poured in without warning. After a while, as his eyes gradually became accustomed to the light, a luxuriously decorated hall came into view.

“Hey…”

An exclamation burst from Arendt’s mouth.

A large chandelier hung from the fairly high ceiling, shining brightly, and the walls were decorated with pure white marble. The carpets laid thickly on the floor had delicate patterns and were obviously of the highest quality.

“Isn’t this Saif? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”

While they were distracted by the suddenly expanded space, a person approached the group.

Arendt turned his head in the direction from which the voice had come.

There was a man there with his arms outstretched and a warm smile on his face.

He had a muscular body and a smile, so at first glance he seemed like a kind person, but in his narrow, curved eyes, a light called greed shone.

He was Bread, the owner of the bakery and the owner of this exchange.

“Oh, well. I brought them here especially because the young master here said he was interested in it. It won’t be bad for you either.”

“I see. You have come to the right place. My name is Bread. It is a pleasure to meet you, young lord.”

The baker, who introduced himself as Bread, immediately bowed.

The bakery owner’s name was Bread. I felt like I had heard that the owner of the pastry shop was Pastry.

“Who are the two behind?”

“Don’t worry. They are my servants.”

Arendt blurted it out naturally.

At the word “servant,” Richt and Arthur’s eyebrows twitched. However, they displayed unprecedented patience and controlled their expressions.

“I’m just going to sit back and watch today. Saif, you go do your own thing. I won’t bother you like I promised.”

“All right.”

Saif nodded his head in agreement.

Arendt looked around calmly.

The underground space, which was quite spacious, was brightly lit up like daylight with lights hanging from every corner. The guards stationed here and there each held sharp weapons and glared at the group.

“There are some wanted men. They’ve gathered in a place like this.”

Richt whispered softly enough for only Arthur and Arendt to hear.

It seemed like they hired criminals who had nowhere to go as security guards. There were an excessive number of soldiers stationed in the basement, which was the size of a large hall. Even if you counted them roughly, there were easily more than ten of them.

Arendt nodded vaguely and looked away.

A large cupboard that looked like a display case was neatly arranged with weapons of strange shapes, and on one side was a pile of suspicious medicinal herbs that gave off a peculiar smell.

Bread, who had quietly approached Arendt, spoke to him first.

“So, is there anything you’re looking for?”

“No, as I said earlier, I just came to look around. If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask you to show me around.”

Arendt glanced at him. Bread arched an eyebrow.

“A recommendation. That’s good, but I don’t know your tastes, so it’s difficult. A child of a noble family would never come to a place like this because they lack things… are you looking for stimulation?”

“Then? Surely you’re not going to start talking nonsense? Like a place like this doesn’t suit a noble.”

“Of course not. It’s a wonderful thing to pursue your interests. You only live once, so what’s wrong with seeking out excitement?”

Arthur watched Arendt and Bread’s conversation with a sense of unease.

Arendt naturally burst into laughter.

“I like that answer.”

“Oh, how about some precious medicinal herbs? They’re rare items.”

Bread picked up a handful of dried lizards from the stand next to him.

“It’s a lizard that only lives on islands in the far northern seas. It’s a very expensive medicine.”

“What’s it used for?”

“It is used to make potions and poisons. It is also used to treat internal injuries suffered by inspectors or magicians due to magical power. It is very effective. It also helps to increase magical power explosively at any given moment. It is a little dangerous, but it is a useful item if processed.”

Bread held out a dried lizard to Arendt.

Arendt held out his hand and took it, even though he looked reluctant. No, he tried to take it.

Pat.

Then Bread reached out and grabbed his wrist hard.

Richt reflexively reached for his sword.

“What…!”

“What are you doing?”

But Arendt was faster. Raising his free hand, he made Richt step back and snapped coldly.

Then Bread smiled broadly.

“Looking at how rough and hard your hands are… it seems you have mastered the sword.”

“Don’t touch it with dirty hands.”

Arendt shook his hands.

Bread stepped back obediently, his eyes whirling in confusion.

“It seems unlikely that a noble duke would have learned the art of self-defense… but for something like that, the hilt of the sword seems to have been quite used.”

“…”

Richt’s face hardened. Arendt crossed his arms and faced Bread.

“So?”

“And to make that Saif look so innocent? I have a feeling that he is not an ordinary person. He is so arrogant. He is not the kind of person to be nervous around a curious noble young master.”

As the atmosphere became strange, mercenaries began to gather around them little by little.

“Jeff has either been bought or you’ve taken advantage of him.”

Crunch.

The sound of mercenaries tinkering with their weapons reached their ears. Before they knew it, they were completely surrounded.

“Please reveal your identity.”

Bread grinned, revealing his yellow teeth.

Richt clicked his tongue inwardly and tensed his body.

‘I guess I underestimated you.’

The mercenaries, who noticed his change in momentum, also lowered their posture as if they were about to draw out their swords and axes.

“Arthur.”

“Yes.”

Arthur responded calmly as Richt muttered softly. He had already placed his hand on the hilt of his sword.

The mercenaries’ eyes became more fierce. Arthur and Richt also glared at their enemies coldly.

There was a tense atmosphere.

A tense situation where a clash could break out at any moment. Arthur and Richt’s nerves were getting increasingly tense as they exchanged blatant threats.

At that moment, a laughter-filled voice lifted everyone’s spirits.

“This is the level of skill required to be considered a businessman.”

“I…”

Arthur’s mouth fell open. Richt, too, forgot the situation and looked at Arendt in bewilderment.

The two people had the same thought at the same time.

‘What are you talking about now!’

Bread also furrowed his brow, perhaps because of the unexpected reaction.

“What does that mean?”

“If you don’t even have that much sense, you should die. You shouldn’t be sitting around taking up space like this.”

Arendt added leisurely.

Bread’s expression grew even fiercer, but before he could say anything else, Arendt blurted it out first.

“You, you know the rumors, right? You’re a businessman in your own right. Then you probably know what’s been going on in the palace recently.”

“The palace?”

“You can’t not know this. It’s a story that’s related to your livelihood.”

Arendt raised his arm.

When he suddenly moved, the mercenaries flinched and tensed up, but Arendt did nothing, only rolling up his sleeves.

A silver bracelet was revealed, fitting snugly around his white wrist. Bread could clearly see the imperial emblem engraved on the clasp of the bracelet.

“Uh?”

Bread was momentarily stunned.

Possessing imperial property meant belonging to the palace, but that bracelet had a slightly different meaning. It was an item that the emperor had used in the past to give to nobles who showed signs of treason, or their children, as a means of holding their lives hostage.

In recent times, it was used as an object to restrain criminals from noble families who were temporarily released, but its meaning has not faded.

Bread’s mouth suddenly fell open after blinking blankly several times.

“Then, surely…”

“You asked for my identity?”

Arendt smiled bitterly at him, then declared with great confidence:

“I am Arendt von Eckhart, the traitor to the Imperial Knights.”

An unusually ear-piercing voice filled the hall.

The mercenaries’ eyes widened at the sudden situation, and Bread just kept opening his mouth as if he was at a loss for words.

“Surely you know my name, do you? Even though you use ‘that mark’.”

Arendt emphasized his tone as he received the attention of his enemies. There was no one in the room who did not know what sign he was talking about.

The basement suddenly became as quiet as a mouse.

Arthur, who had been quietly watching what he was doing, muttered so that only Richt could hear.

“I don’t know anymore.”

“I do not know either.”

Richt responded quietly.