Shake shake shake.

Marquis Grieg’s legs were shaking up and down without rest under his desk. However, Marquis Grieg was not even aware of his own condition.

He glanced absentmindedly at the letter lying on the desk.

“Are you giving up on investing?”

A week after the banquet ended, several letters of this kind had already arrived. Each letter contained a long list of excuses and even included expensive gifts, but this did not appease the Marquis’ anger.

“These fucking bastards…”

Grit.

Eventually, the sound of teeth grinding came out ominously.

Those who came forward to say they would withdraw their investments all made grand excuses, but the Marquis could guess their true intentions.

His conflict with Arendt von Eckhart, who was favored by Store Manager Neumann, must have also had a great influence on their choice.

Crunch.

The letter in the Marquis’s hand was badly crumpled.

Yeah, the culprit was that damn apprentice knight. If it weren’t for that brat, things wouldn’t have gone this wrong.

It was a mistake… yes, he made a terrible mistake.

He never dreamed that the man who had been branded a traitor until just recently would be protected by Store Manager Neumann and the Imperial Knights.

Thanks to that, only his own appearance became funny.

As soon as he returned from the banquet, he reported the situation through the messenger, but he had not yet received a reply.

That made the Marquis incredibly anxious.

‘Did they abandon me?’

No, it was too early to make that judgment. Before that, he had to prove his usefulness to them somehow. If he was abandoned, the only thing left for him was death.

Marquis Grieg picked up the next letter with trembling hands and checked the sender.

The next moment.

“Uh?”

The Marquis, with wide eyes, checked the envelope several times in confusion, but that did not mean that the name written in neat handwriting had changed.

The sender was Count Rex von Stadler.

The seal used was also unique to the Stadler family.

Bang!

He suddenly sat up, causing the chair to fall backwards with a loud noise.

Marquis Grieg threw the letter carelessly and shouted.

“Prepare the carriage, the carriage. Now! And contact Count Stadler! I will be there soon!”

“Yes, yes!”

The butler who had been waiting outside hurriedly ran out.

Marquis Grieg looked at the letter again with the aforementioned expression on his face.

‘God did not abandon me.’

The escape route he had briefly forgotten was still there.

Despite the sudden visit from Marquis Grieg, Count Stadler welcomed him with a smile.

“Welcome, Marquis Grieg. I have been waiting for you.”

“No. Thank you for inviting me, Count. I am ashamed that I cannot even prepare a modest gift due to the time constraints.”

“A gift? That’s unacceptable. Just coming here is enough. Please come in.”

Count Stadler personally guided Marquis Grieg into the reception room.

Sitting across from Count Stadler at a table with tea and snacks between them, Marquis Grieg cleared his throat a few times to calm his expression.

Although he couldn’t help but feel happy and came running, he didn’t want to look ridiculous.

Count Stadler spoke first.

“First of all, I would like to apologize, Marquis. I was rude that day, unintentionally. I just got involved without knowing the situation. I have heard of Lord Arendt’s notoriety. It must have been a trick to trap you, Marquis.”

“No. I was too excited that day. It’s no exaggeration to say that I avoided trouble thanks to the Count.”

That wasn’t what mattered now.

The Marquis quickly answered and hurriedly got to the main point.

“So, is it true? You’ve made up your mind?”

“Yes, that’s right. To be honest, it wasn’t an easy decision.”

Count Stadler nodded with a wry smile on his pale face.

“Yes. If you need my limited abilities… please let me join you.”

As the Count continued to speak, a smile spread across Marquis Grieg’s lips that he could not hide.

“Okay~ It’s sweet.”

And in the Count’s mansion, a room a little off the drawing room.

Arendt, who was buried deep in the sofa as if it were his own home, burst into laughter.

The people sitting across from him and giving him bitter looks were Arthur and Richt.

Rolling around in Arendt’s pale hands was a top-of-the-line crystal ball capable of video communication, which perfectly reflected the conversation between Count Stadler and Marquis Grieg.

“I’ve felt this way before, but the Marquis is a rather simple person. I don’t know how a gentleman like that manages business.”

“You are also a knight, so there is no reason why Marquis Grieg cannot do business.”

Arthur nagged at Arendt, but he pretended not to hear him.

Arthur just sighed deeply, not expecting to hear a response in the first place. Instead, Richt opened his mouth.

“Count Stadler is a better liar than I thought. I thought he was weak-hearted.”

“He’s lying? No, that’s called acting, senior.”

Arendt took off his shoes and lay down on the sofa.

Pointing out that sight again made his head hurt.

“…Anyway, His Highness the Crown Prince left this matter completely up to you?”

“I’m just a servant. I never dreamed that my seniors would be assigned to come with me.”

The reason Arthur and Richt, who originally knew nothing, followed along here was because of Laius’ strong insistence.

Cantares had been of the opinion that it would be safer for Arendt to move alone, but he quickly agreed with what Laius said next.

“If you send him alone, you never know what might happen. You need someone there to stop him.”

…Ah.

There was no such feeling as being treated like a complete bastard.

To be honest, he was a little proud. It was proof that his performance as Arendt von Eckhart was perfect.

‘This is proper method acting.’

It was on a whole other level than Count Stadler’s clumsy acting.

Even when he was in the troupe, there were times when the members looked like they were having a hard time handling him… Well, that was a long time ago, so he’ll put it aside.

Tsk, Arthur grumbled in displeasure, clicking his tongue.

“I kept wondering where you were disappearing to… I never thought you’d be under the orders of His Highness the Crown Prince. And what’s with all this? A legendary evil spirit?”

“Senior, legends and history are only a little different. If you look at it that way, then even the hero Khan, who was loved by the god Luce, is nothing more than an old story.”

“That’s not what I’m saying. Didn’t they become extinct long ago? Why are they crawling out now?”

“I understand. If you encounter him later, just ask him directly.”

Richt looked at Arendt, who was answering dryly, without taking his eyes off the crystal ball, as if he was uncomfortable. He had something else to wonder about.

“But why you?”

“Yes?”

“I know you were the one who got the lead on this. I know it was a big deal. But that doesn’t mean you should be given full authority over this.”

Only then did Arendt turn his cold gaze toward Richt.

A serious voice continued.

“Those two people aren’t people you can treat lightly either. If things go wrong, they won’t just let it go.”

“That’s simple.”

“What?”

“Because I’m good at it.”

For a moment, Richt’s face became blank.

Arendt clicked his tongue.

“Why is your work and my work separate? Those who can do it do it.”

“No, but…”

“Or are you dissatisfied with His Highness the Crown Prince’s decision?”

Arendt drove the wedge in.

“And I have absolutely no intention of taking responsibility. If I get caught, I’ll immediately tell everyone that His Highness the Crown Prince ordered me to do this.”

“What?”

“Isn’t that obvious? What power do I have?”

Arthur looked at Richt with pity as he became speechless.

Why did he even ask?

But there was something strange about it.

Even if the Captain was originally a person who had complete trust in his subordinates, it was clearly an unusual situation for the Crown Prince to trust Arendt and entrust him with the work.

‘It’s not like I can’t guess the reason, though.’

Because he’s good at it, haa…

It was a harsh response, but he thought that it wasn’t entirely wrong. This kind of handling of affairs would be impossible for anyone but that self-willed bastard who has no sense of honor or manners.

‘He must be really convenient for His Highness the Crown Prince.’

Even if leaving aside the fact that Laius and the other knights would suffer in the process.

At that moment, Count Stadler’s voice flowed out from the crystal ball.

– I am curious about the identity of the specimen you brought.

The knights shut their mouths and listened again.

– The first one you brought was a combination of the magic of a goblin and a wyvern. The second one was the magic of canines and the magic of a hundred-year-old raccoon.

– You will find out soon enough. That is what the Count is supposed to do.

The voice of Marquis Grieg, who was babbling, was heard afterward.

– When the first study was over, the Count told me that this specimen could not exist. But as the Count confirmed with his own eyes, it definitely exists.

– Does that mean you figured out how to synthesize magic power?

The excited Count’s voice grew louder.

– That’s right. In fact, an ancient magic book has been discovered.

– An ancient magic book… you mean?

– Yes, there was not just one discovered magic book. We need someone to study them.

Arendt’s eyes, looking into the crystal ball, were filled with a strange light.

– Then that sample too…?

– It was made by referring to the magic book discovered at that time. However, that was the limit. Since there was no more progress, I decided to borrow the Count’s power.

It was certainly a harsh statement for a researcher.

A magic book that has never been published in the world before.

‘He’s going to go crazy.’

Arendt, who was watching Count Stadler through the crystal ball, clicked his tongue inwardly.

– So, where is that place?

– If you want, I can tell you tomorrow. But be careful with your words. Keeping a secret is the most important thing. Please keep this in mind first.

– Oh, oh, yes. Of course. I’ll keep that in mind.

Count Stadler nodded hastily.

Arendt hummed happily.

“You still haven’t noticed that there are three eavesdropping rats?”

“Don’t call me a rat, you punk! Who is to blame for this!”

Arthur kept his voice very low as he spoke, fearing that he might miss something important.

The subdued voice of Marquis Grieg continued.

– Ancient ruins from the era of Hero Khan have been discovered.

“What?”

For a moment, the three of them suddenly got up from their seats, forgetting that they were eavesdropping.

– The ancient magic books also all came from there. What you saw was only a small part. There is something incredible buried there. If the Count wanted it, he could become very rich.

Marquis Grieg added triumphantly.

– We call it a ‘garden’. A garden made of gold, isn’t that a really appropriate euphemism?

“…”

The three were silent for a while.

Richt wiped his face with a puzzled expression, and Arthur pressed his forehead as if trying to calm his headache.

Arendt was the first to speak, staring intently at the Marquis, who was chattering away excitedly and nonsensically, through the crystal ball.

“If it’s a relic from the Hero Khan era… then it’s before the founding of the Caerleon Empire?”

“Then what else would it be?”

“But… it is said that most of the relics from that era were lost in the war.”

Arendt was lost in thought as he listened to Richt muttering in a dazed tone.

That was the reason why the war between the hero Khan and the evil gods existed only as a story.

The only evidence of the war were the burned remains and the holy sword that had been passed down through the imperial family. The rest were history books and oral tradition.

“This, it’s a big one.”

A smile briefly crossed Arendt’s lips.