“That’s how it happened…”

Arthur and Richt averted their eyes at Laius’s calm words. Only Arendt, standing between them, looked confident.

Laius looked down at Arendt with eyes full of distress. Then Arendt asked curiously.

“Why are you looking like that?”

“Ha, no.”

In the end, Laius simply shook his head.

The afternoon before, after hearing the three men’s report, Laius immediately requested the crown prince for the knights to go on an expedition. He expected that if they infiltrated the enemy’s camp, there would be armed conflict, big or small.

It wasn’t that he didn’t trust their skills, but in a situation where the enemy’s strength was not certain, it was natural that it would be difficult to handle the situation with only three people.

But the result was…

Was this possible?

Besides, it was said that they didn’t even draw their swords.

The other knights who were immediately mobilized for the training also glanced at Arendt from time to time while working, as if they were dumbfounded.

Arthur opened his mouth, trying hard to avoid those gazes.

“By the way… what did you say to that store owner? Why did he suddenly lead you outside?”

“I just said that I would return to the palace as an imperial knight and report back to him. I would defend him if things went wrong later. Since trust was completely restored thanks to the safe incident, he thought that if I looked after him, Your Majesty would trust him too~ something like that?”

Arendt shrugged.

The eyes of the three people looking at Arendt became more complicated.

Arthur blurted it out.

“Can’t this kid be excommunicated? I guess they could charge him with contempt of the royal family or something like that.”

“No. In fact, he is still being punished. We should discuss this after the observation period is over and the bracelet is removed.”

“Haa…”

Following Laius’ calm response, Richt sighed, rubbing his temples.

“Anyway, it seems that it is true that these people were protected by them, but it seemed that they knew little about it.”

“Even if we take him to the palace and interrogate him, I don’t think we’ll be able to find out anything more.”

Arthur also became serious again and intervened.

Laius looked at Arendt as well. Arendt, with his hands shoved into his pockets, opened his mouth.

“It didn’t seem like he was acting when he was caught up in the rebellion. He was probably just given hard-to-find items in exchange for paying a fee and being hired as a mercenary to do the work.”

Laius nodded slowly.

Near the bakery, a crowd of onlookers gathered to watch the sudden commotion. Bread and the mercenaries made their way through the crowd and were thrown into the transport carriages one by one.

“Let’s talk about the details when we get back. It seems like things are starting to settle down, so let’s head back. You guys, get ready too.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Yes.”

Arthur and Richt’s sharp answers were followed by Arendt’s calm voice.

“But what about that guy?”

“Hmm?”

Laius asked back as if asking what was going on.

Arendt pointed behind him. There was Saif, shivering, unable to find where to look among the knights who had suddenly barged in.

Among the series of events, the person who suffered the most mental damage, aside from Bread, was Saif.

Arthur clicked his tongue as if he was sorry.

“He is a bad guy, but I don’t think he committed a crime that warrants him being sent to the Imperial Palace. However, there is no room for defense in terms of his involvement in the smuggling trade.”

Although it may not have been intentional, it was true that he was of great help in this matter, so there was some room for some consideration.

Laius nodded.

“I have a rough idea of ​​the situation. I guess I’ll have to investigate first.”

And after a while, the group that started out with just three people became a group of knights including their captain and set out on their way back.

Mobile exchanges have been discovered several times before.

This is the first time this has happened, but the exchange has opened and closed several times before.

What was unusual was that the exchange operator was different each time.

Although they had something in common in that they used similar symbols, the owners of the exchanges had no connection at all. Even Bread had no idea who his predecessor was.

The modus operandi, as deduced from the testimony of Bread and the mercenaries hired by him, was roughly as follows.

First, they contacted people who were suitable for the operation. Most of them were gangsters or thugs with criminal records. Most of them would also support the smuggling business.

For particularly hard-to-find items, they continued their business by connecting business partners through errand boys or supplying the items directly, and also by hiring illegal mercenaries who were used as escorts by paying a certain portion of the cost.

It was a system where the person who directly operated the exchange benefited by distributing the profits. Then, when problems arise at the exchange, the brokers would withdraw, and the operators would end up like a severed lizard’s tail.

When the previous exchange was liquidated, another exchange with a similar sign was created in another place, and when it was re-established, customers who heard about it would visit it again.

“It must have been a simple way to raise funds. I don’t know why they went to the trouble of using a sign though.”

Arthur, having said that, swallowed the meat he had been chewing on.

Then, Richt, who had been silent, opened his mouth.

“If we’re talking about tactical aspects, we can probably guess its purpose. For example, it could be used as a temporary gathering place for comrades spread across the country.”

“Tactics… I guess that could be the case.”

Arendt also nodded, munching on sausages.

“You said you’ve caught a few cases before. I wish we had found out sooner that there were other guys using the same markings.”

“No one would have looked closely. They wouldn’t have even noticed the store sign when they were raiding the smuggling scene.”

When Arthur added a word, Richt answered calmly.

Even as this conversation continued, the plate steadily emptied.

The knights who were eating at the restaurant glanced at the three people.

It was quite an odd combination.

Even if Arthur and Arendt were together, it was a new visual stimulus to see Richt between them with such an uncomfortable look on his face.

This was the result of Arthur forcibly dragging Richt, who had come alone to have a simple meal, and making him sit down.

The mere fact that they were together was strange enough.

In particular, it was impossible to get used to the sight of Arendt, who always said he was taking care of his health by eating little and never went to the public dining hall because it was dirty, emptying his plate of food.

The same was true for Richt and Arthur, who had recently observed Arendt from a relatively close distance.

Richt, who had been watching him closely, muttered in a trembling voice.

“You eat well. I thought you were picky about what you eat.”

“You too should try eating only soggy bread in the dungeon.”

“Hey, what is that to you, senior?”

Arthur pointed out. Then Arendt looked at him with a look that said, “What do you want me to do?”

Arthur also frowned.

“What’s with that face? Are you dissatisfied?”

“No way. What could I possibly be dissatisfied with? To my senior who is so devoted to the cause of the Greater…”

“…”

Arthur’s fist gripped the fork tightly.

Richt drew their attention with a cough.

“Stop it. Everyone is eating.”

“Yes, I should listen to what a senior who doesn’t know the big world has to say.”

This time, Richt’s hand holding the knife clenched into a fist.

Meanwhile, Arendt suddenly got up from his seat.

“Anyway, I’ll go first. Let’s meet at the training ground later or something.”

“What? You already ate everything?”

Arthur’s eyes widened.

The plate that had been filled with delicious food was soon completely emptied.

Arendt left the restaurant leisurely, leaving his two seniors behind. The knights looked at Arthur and Richt, who were left alone, with pity.

Their purpose in hanging out with Arendt these days might be to kill him without anyone knowing.

It was a fairly reasonable suspicion.

In this fucking world, after being stuck in the body of a son of a bitch, the only thing that pleased him was that his messy diet had improved by leaps and bounds.

‘It wasn’t just a few days. I’ve been eating only instant food for over 10 years.’

How long has it been since he had a triangle kimbap for dinner…?

He was getting annoyed for no reason. He had no idea how miraculous it was that these well-raised nobles could have fresh salad, meat, and soft bread prepared for them three meals a day.

Tch.

With a click of his tongue, Arendt banished the thought.

His stomach was full and he felt quite good. The weather was nice and clear, so Arendt walked leisurely towards the garden of the dormitory as if he was going for a walk.

At this time, most people were out on missions or training, so the surroundings were quiet.

Arendt unconsciously walked toward a place where there were no people.

In the end, this time too, the number of people arrested was not comparable to the number of people rescued. Bread and his group were not even affected by the memory manipulation spell.

In that respect, it was proven that they were significantly removed from the core of the rebellious forces.

After a thorough investigation, they would be released after receiving appropriate punishment for their crimes, but the high-ranking officials of the imperial palace seemed to be in an uproar, making various speculations about the beings behind them.

‘But it’s not like there was no income.’

In the novel, it took quite a while for the royal family and nobles to fully recognize the danger they were.

Because of this, Laius and the other captains were left with little support until the incident broke out, and could only conduct a half-hearted investigation, but it wasn’t all bad, since the royal family also seemed to be on alert because of this incident.

Arendt kept clenching and unclenching his fist for no reason. It was also relatively easy to secure a means of protecting one’s body. Perhaps because his body was originally overflowing with talent, with Arthur’s advice added to his ceaseless efforts, he could feel himself becoming accustomed to the sword at a very fast pace.

Accordingly, he became accustomed to the use of magical power, and he was gradually becoming accustomed to using the Frosty Touch.

Unlike the sword, it was a little disappointing that he couldn’t try it out in sparring or ask other people for advice.

He was already in a position where he barely escaped the death penalty, but if it was known that he was carrying such a dangerous item, it could be confiscated immediately or he could be taken back to the interrogation room.

Because of this, Arendt had to learn how to use the Frosty Touch by himself, struggling in his room after work.

‘There are too many restrictions.’

Arendt’s expression crumpled slightly after that thought.

Since he was wearing the instant disposal bracelet, he couldn’t even go outside the castle freely. He had to get permission from Laius every time, and it was quite annoying because he had to have someone accompany him.

‘How do I do this….’

But there was no immediate solution.

In fact, he himself was aware that what he had done so far had been precariously crossing the line that should not be crossed, and that he had been happily tap dancing on top of the line.

Arendt clenched his fists, licking his lips as if he felt regret. At that moment, a sudden voice stopped his steps.

“You seem to have a lot on your mind.”

“…?”

Arendt naturally turned his head toward the voice. A man he had never seen before was standing a little way away, staring at him.

He didn’t have to think twice about it to know that it was him who had spoken.

Arendt frowned slightly as was his habit and looked at him.

When he saw him again, he was surprised to see that he was a handsome man.

As the main character, he recognized handsome faces everywhere, starting with Laius, then Richt, and even his own face that he saw in the mirror every morning… he had recently become quite accustomed to handsome faces.

The man who suddenly appeared had a handsome face that even Arendt couldn’t help but stare at. His lips formed a gentle smile, but his clear eyes somehow had an overbearing attitude.

Furthermore.

‘He has black hair.’

It was a rare sight to see hair so pitch black. It was the first time he had seen it since he arrived in the world.

Arendt asked briefly.

“…Who are you?”

“…”

The man blinked his blue eyes several times, perhaps in an unexpected reaction.

And after a while, he burst into a light laugh.

“That’s a strange question. Let me introduce myself as Khan.”

Khan, Khan.

Arendt repeated that name several times.

“Can I call you Mister? Or should I call you Mr. Khan?”

“Do whatever you want. I was the one who suddenly called you here, so you should forgive my slight rudeness.”

Khan responded as if joking and walked closer to Arendt.

Arendt watched him quietly.

After a while, Khan reached a perfect position to shake hands and blurted out with a snicker.

“Nice to meet you, Sir Arendt von Eckhart.”