Arendt von Eckhart.

Bread could remember the name without difficulty.

As Arendt said, he had to be well informed, so he had a rough idea of ​​what had been happening in the Imperial Capital recently.

The first thing he heard was that Arendt von Eckhart, a member of the Third Imperial Knights, had been arrested and released shortly thereafter. It wasn’t a widely known fact, but it was a story that people who were in the know knew.

A more famous incident was the East Safe raid.

The story was that an unidentified armed group raided the East Safe, but the Imperial Knights, who had obtained information in advance and were lying in wait, destroyed them all.

Bread, who suddenly came to his senses, growled fiercely.

“You want me to believe that?”

“There’s no need to tell a lie that’ll be found out right away. You should know better,” Arendt responded plainly.

Bread’s face became more complicated.

As the atmosphere became strange, the mercenaries hesitantly put away their weapons.

Bread didn’t stop them either. Just pointing a sword at a knight belonging to the royal family was a serious enough crime.

Arthur and Richt also put down their swords with the mindset of letting things be. However, the two of them could not take their suspicious gazes away from Arendt.

Only then could Bread ask Arendt the most important question.

“…So, let’s say I believe it for now. What on earth does that have to do with you coming here? Why did you hide your identity?”

“Hey, you idiot. Can’t you see that I’m wearing this? I’m also tied to the Imperial Palace. I can’t go around doing whatever I want. If I get even a little bit out of favor with the captain, I’ll be summarily executed. That’s why I took on this mission and came all the way here.”

Arendt snapped at him, frowning.

“Why did I act like a young master? I don’t know what kind of place this is. Do you think I can just reveal my identity? I went on an adventure of my own, even by using such a worthless guy.”

The worthless guy was naturally referring to Saif.

Bread became even more confused.

A bracelet for immediate disposal used only by the imperial family, the story about the East Safe, an apprentice knight who was arrested and then released, and a silver-haired young man before his eyes.

It is not known exactly why Arendt von Eckhart was arrested, but it is said that he was released shortly afterwards, so it was simply considered to be another scandal that always occurred in the imperial court.

In Bread’s mind, recalling that fact, they were all mixed and recombined at once, and then a plausible scenario was completed.

Arendt von Eckhart was arrested for a crime bordering on treason, but was released in exchange for providing information.

And the reason he appeared here is.

“…Could it be that the East Safe raid is related to this?”

“Yeah, I messed things up unintentionally. It was because they were stupid. Anyway, that’s why I came all the way here. I lost contact with them in the chaos.”

When Bread asked him that question, Arendt did not hide his frustration and snapped back.

“But from the looks of it… it seems like you don’t know much either?”

“Wait, just a moment.”

Bread, who had finished calculating, hurriedly stepped forward.

“So you’re saying that you’re connected to those who supply us with supplies and escorts? That the East Safe raid was planned by them?”

“Yeah, now you finally understand what I’m saying.”

Arendt nodded slightly.

Cold sweat began to break out on Bread’s face.

“What happened to the safe? Didn’t you tell the imperial family about their plans?”

“How stupid. Between me and those rascals who dug into the imperial palace, whose head would be more precious?”

Bread looked dumbfounded.

“Surely not, the incident itself was bait… to dispel the royal family’s suspicions…”

Arthur and Richt couldn’t understand why the story was like that, but once their imaginations began to unfold, they could only expand infinitely.

Arendt didn’t bother to answer, but it was obvious how his silence would have affected Bread.

Bread’s eyes widened so much that they couldn’t get any bigger.

“Wait a minute, so… they’re enemies of the imperial family? Those people?”

Bread was completely absorbed in the overwhelming reality that was thrust upon him. That meant he had taken the bait.

Arendt frowned slightly.

“It looks like he didn’t even know who he was involved with.”

“You can’t just brush it off with words like that! Damn it, treason! If I had known I was involved in something like that, I wouldn’t have even touched this!”

Bread cursed in a fit of rage.

Arthur and Richt were dumbfounded. Saif, who had guided them here, also had a puzzled expression. It was as if he was watching a farce that wasn’t even funny.

“Doesn’t that kid look excited?”

“…”

Richt felt a little sorry that he couldn’t deny Arthur’s words.

The criminals who filled the hall could not take their eyes off Arendt, their mouths agape.

They’ve lost their mind.’

The weapons hanging down seemed to represent their psychological state. They had been given the role of the audience without even realizing it, just by a few words from Arendt.

Arendt’s role now was that of ‘the apprentice knight who betrayed the Order of the Knights.’

In his stage, those behind the exchange were portrayed as traitors, and Bread was the unfortunate villain who was used by them.

“Think calmly. You probably have a lot of money in your pockets, right? That should be enough.”

“Do I look calm right now!”

Bread screamed.

It was a natural reaction. Making money through smuggling and engaging in treason were two completely different things.

“Yes, I was the one who decided to hold hands with them! But it would have been better if I hadn’t known. If things go wrong for them…!”

“Why? But the money I was pocketing all this time was pretty sweet. It should be worth it.”

When Arendt casually blurted out a word, Bread was left speechless.

Because there was nothing wrong with what Arendt said.

Arendt, who had been staring blankly at him as he turned pale, let out a short sigh.

“…Well, that’s what I’m saying. From the looks of it, it seems like other people are in the same situation.”

“…”

The mercenaries’ faces turned pale.

As Richt had said earlier, most of them were criminals. They had been hiding in the back alleys and were accidentally hired to guard the exchange, but they still didn’t know the details.

“You guys are pathetic, but since it’s come to this, I’ll at least help you sort it out. It’s clear that you’re in trouble because of me.”

Arendt gestured toward Bread.

As Bread, who had been observing him, approached him hesitantly, Arendt began to whisper something in his ear.

Everyone was watching the two people tensely. No one was exempt, whether they were mercenaries or knights.

The conversation between the two of them became longer, and the silence in the hall became even longer, and after a while, Bread’s face brightened.

“Are you really going to do that?”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t say two things with one mouth.”

They couldn’t even figure out where the story was going. Only a few minutes had passed, but in that time, Bread’s attitude had completely changed.

“Well, if you could do that, I would be grateful.”

“Instead, you have to help me out.”

“Yes! Of course.”

Bread nodded his head vigorously.

At that moment, Arthur saw the evil smile crossing Arendt’s face.

“Okay, then let’s talk for a bit. There are things I need to discuss briefly. It might be a little difficult here.”

Arendt glanced at the mercenaries. The mercenaries who met his eyes flinched.

Bread said coolly.

“Should I get rid of those guys?”

“No, it’ll be easier if we go out. The bread was really delicious earlier.”

“Then I will guide you to the bakery.”

Bread answered quickly. Then he led Arendt towards the stairs leading out of the basement.

Arthur and Richt, who had been standing there blankly, came to their senses at Arendt’s glance and followed him.

There was no one to block the group’s path. Even the mercenaries who were trying to block the entrance quickly retreated.

In that way, they were able to safely escape from the exchange with the oak barrels they entered through.

Thud.

The door closed.

In the warehouse, only Bread, Arthur, Richt, Arendt, and Saif, who had followed them secretly, remained.

“…”

The four people looked at each other blankly.

In the strange situation where Saif was looking at Richt, Richt was looking at Arthur, and Arthur was looking at Arendt, no one spoke first.

In that situation, Bread couldn’t even step forward.

He had to encourage them to go inside the bakery, but none of them seemed willing to step forward.

In such a situation, Arendt took a chance.

“What are you doing standing still?”

“…”

Arthur’s expression became subtle and Richt let out a deep sigh.

They knew what they had to do now without even having to be told, but the reason they couldn’t come forward was because they felt an instinctive rejection at the very fact that they had read Arendt’s intentions.

But there was no other choice and they had no choice but to move.

Arthur reached out his hand towards Bread.

Bread, completely unaware of the situation, just stood there blankly.

And a few seconds later.

There was a brief commotion, with “Wham, bang, bang! Eww! What is this! Eww!”

When the surroundings became quiet again, Bread was found flailing on the floor, tied up in the same manner as when Saif had been kidnapped earlier.

Arendt then nodded to Saif.

“Block it.”

“Yes?”

“Block the entrance.”

“Oh, yes. Yes!”

Only then did Saif understand what was being said and he started to move around in a panic.

Saif, who had locked the door with a padlock he had found somewhere, did not stop there and completely blocked the entrance to the trading floor by piling up huge canteens, tables, and all kinds of food supplies.

Richt, who was watching the scene, muttered without realizing it.

“…Is this right?”

“Why? There was no fight, we dug up a lot of information, and we captured the ringleader of the smuggling operation. And most of those mercenaries are criminals, right? We did a good thing.”

Arendt blurted it out.

It was clear that the three people were simply dispatched for investigation purposes.

It’s amazing that a small number of people were able to achieve this level of harvest without shedding a single drop of blood.

There has never been a feat like this.

But Richt and Arthur couldn’t help but have questions constantly in their heads. As a knight, was it really okay to do something like this under the name of a knight?

Even inside the exchange, it seemed as if they had belatedly realized something was wrong, and a loud knock on the door was heard. However, the entrance that Saif had carefully blocked only occasionally shook and showed no sign of opening.

“Ugh! Ugh!”

Bread, tied tightly with a rope that was rolling around on the floor, was crying loudly. At first glance, it looked like he was shedding tears.

The sight was so sad that Arthur quickly turned his eyes away.

Arendt clicked his tongue and poked Bread.

“You should have lived a good life. Then this wouldn’t have happened. Right?”

“That’s right, that’s right.”

Richt became even more upset as he watched Saif nod hurriedly.

Boom! Boom!

Arendt nodded absentmindedly as the noise from underground grew louder.

“That one looks a little unstable. Try to block it well.”

“Yes!”

Saif moved hurriedly again.

The indescribably complex gaze of the two knights was fixed on Arendt.

It was true that everything worked out well. It was also true that great achievements were made.

But honestly, that guy seemed like the worst.