Whoosh!

Arendt stopped moving, his sword thrusting forward. His sword, tinged with a bright blue aura, extended straight out and cut through the air.

Arendt remained motionless for a while.

After a while.

“Ah…”

He let out a deep sigh and slowly lowered his sword. At the same time, the sword energy that had been attached to his sword dispersed all at once.

Arendt, who had been silently thinking, roughly wiped the sweat that had soaked his forehead with his sleeve.

He could definitely feel his body becoming stronger. The tip of his sword became sharper and there was no more awkwardness in his movements.

The area that achieved the greatest results was magic power.

‘Surprisingly, this seems to have helped a bit too.’

Arendt clenched and unclenched his hands as if by habit. His gaze now fell on the gloves that had become like skin on the back of his hands.

It was the same when he first tried moving magic.

Immediately after putting on the Frosty Touch, he was able to use his magical powers without difficulty. At the time, he hadn’t thought about it, but looking back now, it seems like it wasn’t a coincidence.

“I think it would help in some way…”

However, he had no idea what the principle was.

Arendt checked once more that no one was around, then summoned up his magic power again and activated his Frosty Touch.

In an instant, a cold chill enveloped his whole body.

Arendt slowly closed his eyes and opened them, then tapped a leaf that was fluttering nearby.

The once green leaves instantly turned into chunks of ice and fell to the ground with a thud.

“Not bad.”

Certainly, the consumption of stamina and magic power has decreased compared to before. Considering that he was sweating profusely when he first activated it, it could be said to be a great improvement.

The first time he used it, it shattered a cup, and the second time, it instantly froze an enemy’s sword. It seemed like it could be even more powerful now.

It was just a shame that there wasn’t a proper place to try it out.

‘I can’t just show it off carelessly.’

Arthur and Richt wouldn’t try to harm him now, but the other knights couldn’t be trusted yet. If they knew that Arendt had a dangerous artifact, there would be people who would be wary.

Besides, those heart-thing guys were probably frantically searching for these worn-out gloves, and he absolutely did not want to attract their attention and become a target.

“Hmm…”

Still, it would be nice if there was a space where he could properly train.

Arendt stroked the tip of his sword, lost in thought.

“Hey, Arendt… huh?”

Arthur, who had just entered the training ground, stopped when he saw Arendt standing still and looking around.

The sight of him looking around and tilting his head was so beautiful that even a stranger would exclaim in admiration. However, in Arthur’s eyes, who knew Arendt, he seemed to have an uneasy look on his face, and Arthur wondered what his intentions were.

At that moment, Arendt suddenly raised his head again. Arthur flinched reflexively.

Arendt blurted out into the air.

“Hungry.”

“…”

What on earth was that kid doing? Arthur was filled with more and more questions day by day.

It had been three months since Lee Soo-hyun had joined this story as Arendt von Eckhart. He, too, was steadily adjusting to life in this world.

“Go run an errand.”

Those were Laius’ first words.

Arendt blinked in surprise at being called out of nowhere. Laius handed Arendt a neatly organized document.

“You will give it to His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Shall I go?”

“It was originally your job as an apprentice knight. You just haven’t had the chance to do it because you’ve been constantly running away.”

“…”

If Laius said that, there was no way he could respond.

Arendt accepted the papers obediently.

“Oh, really? What are you saying? I can’t even run away now, is that it?”

“I didn’t say that. I was just telling the truth.”

Laius responded calmly.

Somehow, it felt like his ability to receive Arendt’s words was improving… Arendt grumbled to himself.

After a brief pause, Laius blurted out.

“And this is just my personal opinion.”

“…?”

“This is something that will be reported sooner or later even if we don’t have to bring it to him directly. However, His Highness the Crown Prince himself requested it.”

Arendt blinked at the unexpected words.

Laius added calmly.

“I think he called for you.”

“That…”

After a while.

Arendt, having finished assessing the situation, asked in a trembling voice.

“Did you really barge in?”

“I didn’t barge in. I just asked for a brief personal chat.”

That’s it.

Arendt felt like rubbing his forehead. He had vaguely expected this to happen, even though he was blowing the whistle at Laius.

“What did you say?”

“We are all loyal to His Majesty the Emperor and His Highness the Crown Prince, so there is absolutely no disagreement. However, if something potentially dangerous comes up, I would like you to tell me, your leader, first.”

As expected, it was an opponent he couldn’t let his guard down against.

Arendt, who had been smiling for a moment, eventually let out a short sigh and changed the subject.

“What about the ring I gave you? Did you try it?”

“Not yet. I still carry it around…”

Laius’ voice trailed off slightly.

Arendt guessed what he meant. He probably meant that there was no place to use it. He also seemed to have decided that it would be better not to show it to other knights.

As the leader of the Third Knights, Laius also had to perform his duties, so it was difficult for him to use the ring when the members were present, like Arendt.

Arendt scratched the back of his head.

“It’s not that hard to use, so there shouldn’t be any problems. I tried it out, and it was able to easily subdue someone as old as Richt.”

“That trick was…”

He recalled the time when Arendt had a duel with Richt and won. There was a huge uproar at that time, with people claiming that Arendt had cheated.

Now Laius could finally understand the full story of the incident.

Arendt stared at the captain as if asking what the problem was.

There wasn’t much Laius could say to that dapper… or shameless face.

“You shouldn’t use your seniors as test subjects.”

“It’s the fault of the person who started the fight.”

“…Go quickly.”

Laius knew from experience that there was no benefit to be gained by prolonging the conversation here.

Arendt shrugged and turned around.

Since he was given instructions, he had to go to the palace.

He left the dormitory and walked along the road, looking around leisurely.

The weather was clear.

Sunlight glided through the well-maintained garden trees, and just the right amount of breeze caressed his cheeks.

Arendt’s eyes turned and looked at the people passing by.

The servants who spotted him quickly averted their eyes. The nobles he encountered gave him curious glances, sometimes even sidelong glances as if looking at an insect.

‘Good.’

He was treated like walking trash. It was a very valuable experience.

Arendt walked with more confidence and pride.

That’s why he realized the problem only after he set foot in the palace.

“Ah…”

Arendt did not know where the Crown Prince’s office was.

He stopped walking belatedly and looked around, but all he could see was the servants he encountered running away in a hurry.

“…”

Okay, okay.

Arendt could not help but mutter once again what he had just said.

After thinking about it for a moment, he easily came to a conclusion.

There was no word on how long he would be gone, so he planned to take it easy.

In the first place, obediently running errands was a waste of time and was not something that suited a knight.

Arendt took another step forward, intending to walk on and take a leisurely look around the palace, but before he could even take a few steps:

Wow!

A loud noise erupted from the front.

“Where are you putting your eyes!”

As expected, a loud shout followed. Arendt blinked and checked the scene.

“I’m sorry! I couldn’t see ahead and…!”

“Do you know how important this document is?”

A middle-aged man with a potbelly became furious and started yelling at his servant.

Arendt could recognize the servant’s face. It was the boy who had just seen him and ran away.

Broken cups, plates, and a few pieces of paper were strewn about at the feet of the two men. The attendant was practically crawling on the floor, picking up the scattered pieces of paper.

“Sorry sorry…”

“Where is the chief chamberlain? I must speak to him myself. How can such a low-level person be working in the palace!”

The servant’s face turned pale at those words. However, the other party showed no intention of backing down.

The man started screaming loudly.

“Bring him here right now! Can’t you hear me?”

“Please forgive me just this once, Marquis! This happened because I am still not good at it…”

The attendant kept bowing his head.

Those passing by stopped walking. The sudden commotion made nobles and servants from other places appear one by one.

“It’s Marquis Grieg.”

“And that person over there seems to be a new servant. I think he’s the eldest son of a baron.”

Whispers went around among the people.

There were many people watching, but none of them seemed to be able to stop the man known as Marquis Grieg.

All eyes of the onlookers were focused on the erring attendant and the Marquis who was making a scene.

Arendt, too, had no choice but to stand still.

It would have been okay to just pass by, but the place where the two were was in the direction Arendt was walking. Since quite a few people had gathered, it was difficult to sneak out.

“Tsk, annoying.”

Arendt glanced at the attendant who was sweating profusely, clicked his tongue briefly, and then turned around to walk away.

The servant remained motionless, his back bent. His hands on his knees were trembling. The Marquis seemed even more angry at this, and he approached the servant threateningly.

“You don’t seem to be listening to me? Or what, you’re going to take responsibility for this yourself? How are you going to take responsibility for messing up this important document? How are you going to take responsibility for it!”

Finally, the Marquis’ fist rose into the air. The attendant squeezed his eyes shut. A short scream also erupted from the mouths of the onlookers who had guessed what would happen next.

At that moment, a cold voice suddenly interrupted.

“It’s so noisy. Are you the only one using the palace?”

“…”

For a moment, the surroundings became quiet as if cold water had been poured over them.

The Marquis, who was puzzled, raised his fist and looked towards the direction from which the voice had come. The attendant also opened his mouth as if he had forgotten the situation for a moment.

It was a young man who instantly captured people’s attention.

The Marquis opened his mouth slightly in astonishment, then stammered.

“…Did you just talk to me?”

“Yes, that’s right. You’re the only one who’s taking up the hallway and causing a commotion right now. You’re a Marquis, and you’re trying to beat up a servant. You’re so stupid.”

Arendt, standing arrogantly, faced the Marquis expressionlessly.