Arendt had expected that he would be one of the higher-ups, but he never thought that the Crown Prince himself would suddenly appear. Therefore, it was not strange that Arendt didn’t recognize him right away when he saw his face.

‘Does he have nothing to do?’

The Crown Prince’s full appearance was much later in the story. Naturally, he was a character with whom there was no contact at all.

Arendt briefly recalled his memories.

If the hero in “The Blue Knight of the Holy Sword” was Laius, then Cantares’ role was that of the hero’s assistant. It was the Crown Prince who personally bestowed the sword upon Laius, who was chosen by the Holy Sword.

In a grand ceremony, Laius was reborn as the true successor to the Holy Sword, and he once again pledges loyalty to the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and the Empire.

In that pivotal scene where Laius, who started out as a fallen noble, grows up and eventually becomes a hero who will save the empire, the Crown Prince is portrayed as the master of the empire who will wield the sword Laius.

That person was standing right in front of him with his mouth wide open and his eyes blinking stupidly, so he couldn’t help but look even more pathetic.

After a long time, Cantares spoke absurdly.

“It’s true that I didn’t recognize you. I realized it as we talked.”

“When?”

“It was around the time you said, ‘If you’re going for a walk, would you like to walk with me for a bit?’”

Arendt didn’t say out loud that he wouldn’t have followed him here if it weren’t for that. However, it seemed that the quick-witted Cantares had already realized that.

Cantares, whose mouth was still hanging open, soon burst into empty laughter.

Arendt asked in a sarcastic tone, “Why? Are you going to punish me for having a smart brain?”

“If I had even one bodyguard or attendant by my side, I would have made a fuss about doing that. But, yeah… I brought this on myself, so I’ll just let it go.”

Cantares waved his hand.

“Honestly, I didn’t think that deeply about it. I just wanted to have a comfortable conversation, so I threw away all my attendants and escorts, and it felt strange to visit in full uniform. I also wanted to see the look of confusion on your face, whose arrogance seemed to have reached the sky.”

It was well known that apprentice knight Arendt was a source of embarrassment to the seniors of commoner origin and to the servants working in the palace. At the same time, it was also occasionally said that he was powerless over those in higher positions than himself.

As Arendt kept talking to the leader, Laius, on such topics, his reputation naturally hit rock bottom.

“I also thought from the beginning that if I were to step forward as the Crown Prince, I might not be able to have a sincere conversation with you, but it seems that was a groundless worry.”

With just a few words from the Crown Prince, Arendt was able to learn a little more about the behavioral patterns of this man with a half-face and half-body.

He only showed his arrogance towards those he could not defeat, and when he encountered an opponent he could not defeat on his own, he only knew how to bluff and could not even say a word properly.

‘Essentially, he was a useless brat.’

Arendt, who had been sighing deeply, raised his head again when he heard the Crown Prince’s voice again.

“Even so, there’s no way that a rumor would just start. It seems like you had a change of heart in prison, right?”

Arendt responded nonchalantly, thinking that it was not a change of heart but rather a change of core.

“When I quietly watched the high-ranking officials who were just digging in the face of the enemy, I realized that social status didn’t really matter.”

“So you decided to just act, no matter what their status was?”

Cantares burst into laughter.

Arendt repeated what he had said before in a dull tone.

“I didn’t say anything like that.”

“Even if you don’t say anything, I can understand that much. How long have I been living as the Crown Prince? Anyway, it seems like I’m one of those people who are making a mess of things.”

Tsk, Cantares clicked his tongue and scratched the back of his head for no reason.

“Well, that’s understandable. We haven’t even found the informant yet, but I’ll have to make a lame excuse. The place I’m sitting in is less free than you might imagine, so everything has to follow the procedure. All I can do is move my dear knights like pieces on a chessboard.”

A slight hint of irritation passed through the Crown Prince’s blue eyes as he spoke like that.

“Do you know what the state of the Imperial Palace was like?”

“I do not know.”

“It was a situation where we couldn’t come to an agreement; starting from the time that note first reached me, until you were arrested and the East Safe incident broke out.”

Cantares frowned as he briefly recalled the past.

“It’s ridiculous to move the Imperial Knights with a single note, it must be someone’s prank, we need to find the sender and punish him… anyway, they were talking about all sorts of things.”

This was the first time Arendt had heard this story.

That would be the case, since “The Blue Knight of the Holy Sword” was mostly centered around Laius.

“We were able to move the Knights and capture the suspicious individuals, but as expected, progress was slow.”

Arendt listened to him, blinking.

“But there were definitely results. Kendrick and Diana are flawless, and Laius is capable. Needless to say, they are all loyal knights who follow me and His Majesty, so I thought that if they could just move well, we could solve this problem soon.”

After saying that, Cantares paused for a moment.

“But then, out of nowhere, a thieving cat popped out. It turned the game table upside down and came back with the gold coin that was bet… it’s only natural to want to catch it and see what it looks like.”

There was no way the thieving cat could not understand who that was about.

Arendt furrowed his brow slightly at the unpleasant metaphor.

“I don’t know if this is an insult or a compliment.”

“Both.”

Cantares responded plainly to Arendt’s mutterings of discontent.

“Back to the main topic, I agree with the statement that a hero survives and that we need to be selective about the means and methods.”

“…”

Cantares continued speaking.

“Anyway, for me, the apprentice knight’s actions were… absurd, yet convenient. If I just sat still, you would have been punished.”

Cantares smiled faintly.

“How about it? I’ll throw you a fish every now and then, so it would be nice if you flipped the board once in a while.”

“Isn’t this what you really wanted, whether it was sightseeing or a hassle?”

Arendt rolled his eyes in annoyance, crossed his arms, and looked up at Cantales with an arrogant gaze.

“Let me be more direct. Don’t you need someone who can move behind the scenes, independent of the Knights? Perhaps a troublemaker or something?”

“It’s similar but a little different. Those who only follow my orders are more than enough, but I need someone who can move more fluidly.”

“…”

Instead of answering right away, Arendt glared at the Crown Prince with a look of disapproval.

It was something that could have been criticized as being irreverent, but Cantares did not do so. Instead, he added lightly as if it were a passing remark.

“I won’t worry that the apprentice knight will betray us again or do something stupid. If you’re not careful, you could lose your life.”

“…”

Cantares, who had been watching Arendt remain silent, smiled with satisfaction.

“I hope that doesn’t happen. Of course, I won’t order you to eat. I won’t be able to praise you openly, but like I said before, I’ll throw you some fish secretly.”

The opponent was the person who would become the master of the empire.

Since Arendt’s role on this stage was that of a knight, he had no right to refuse from the start. However, following orders without question was not ‘Arendt-like’ either.

With Cantares having finished all of his prepared lines, he decided to add some light ad-lib.

“…Are there any restrictions on the type of fish?”

Arendt, who had been silent for a moment, asked sharply. The young knight’s face, which still had a childish air, was filled with coldness.

Cantares tilted his head as if trying to understand the question.

“Well, not really? As long as it doesn’t cause any major problems. After all, it’s not a relationship that I can brag about openly.”

“It’s nothing special. It’s just the conditions for forming a contract.”

Arendt blurted out the words in a nonchalant tone and raised his arm.

The silver bracelet glowed white in the sunlight. Then Cantares arched his eyebrows.

“I can’t unlock that. The apprentice knight is still on parole.”

“That’s not necessary, but I would like you to ease some of the restrictions. For example, the ban on going out alone.”

“That’s right, it might be a bit troublesome to deal with the nobles after opposing them, but it’s not that difficult. It’s because of the merits of the apprentice knight.”

Cantares nodded readily, but Arendt’s words did not end there.

“And I want you to give me information. What conversations are going on with the nobles, what conclusions were reached at the meetings, where repairs are needed, whose estate has been robbed, who broke my back fence, whose son is getting married… things like that.”

“…Why is that?”

“Do you need a reason? It’s a condition of the contract.”

When Cantares, who had been silent for a moment, asked in a trembling manner, Arendt answered shamelessly.

Now Cantares began to look at Arendt.

“Apprentice knight, I’m just asking just in case.”

“Yes.”

“You do realize that what you just said includes, in addition to the private lives of the nobles, the minutes of the imperial council, matters related to the arrangement of imperial finances, and the status of the support of the security forces?”

“Sure.”

“Are you also aware that the conversations that took place in front of His Majesty the Emperor and the information regarding certain tasks are not accessible to you as an apprentice knight who has not yet attained a title?”

“Add one more thing to that. Traitor.”

Arendt puffed out his chest and looked straight at Cantares. In those unique golden eyes, there was a clear sneer along with a sentence that he, as someone of his status, could not possibly utter: ‘What can you do about it?’

Cantares couldn’t hold it in any longer and blurted it out, “Are you having fun right now?”

“I never said that.”

“You’re not denying it. What if I refuse?”

“I guess there’s nothing I can do.”

Arendt shrugged.

As Cantares was slightly puzzled by the words of surrender that came out so easily, Arendt’s voice continued.

“I have no choice but to run to the captain and report that the Crown Prince said this.”

“…”

“I think the reaction will be quite something to see.”

Cantares’ face turned slightly pale.

Although Laius was more loyal and upright than anyone else, he was also stubborn and would never back down from something he thought was wrong.

Laius was already very attached to his members, but if he heard that the Crown Prince had personally asked Arendt to do something that might be dangerous, and that Arendt was doing such risky things, it was obvious that he would immediately storm into his office.

The maids and servants would witness the scene in its entirety… if even a rumor spread that the apprentice knight suspected of being a traitor and the Crown Prince were having a secret meeting, the nobles would be turned upside down.

If the fact were to reach His Majesty the Emperor’s ears… it was terrifying to even imagine.

Arendt continued to mutter.

“Ah~ well, maybe he’ll understand. Even the captain sometimes gives orders to senior Arthur. No, this is on a different level. It’s easy to order a subordinate to follow you or infiltrate, but this…”

“Okay, shut up.”

Cantares growled fiercely. Arendt did as he was ordered, but smiled smugly.

Cantares, who had barely managed to pull himself together, muttered in absurdity.

“Do you know that what you’re doing is extremely fatal right now? And you’re someone who is supposed to be loyal to us.”

“You knew I was that kind of guy, so you came all the way here to see for yourself, didn’t you?”

“Ugh, stop talking.”

Cantares groaned. This was a sign of consent.

“…Okay, for now, I will allow you to freely move around the Imperial Palace. However, this is only during the day, and I will not be responsible for any accidents that occur while you are out and about. That’s all I have to say; you will be allowed to leave the Imperial Palace during the day without any restrictions.”

Cantares let out a deep sigh and scratched his head.

“And I’ll organize the information myself and hand it over to you. I need to filter it at least once to prevent any confidential information from leaking out. Is this good enough?”

“It is an honor to be of help to His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“…”

Cantares couldn’t help but look at Arendt, who had a pretty smile on his pretty face, as if he had bitten a bug.