Even in the strange situation where three captains applied for leave at the same time, Cantares readily approved it.

Normally, there would have been a few complaints about how the important figures guarding the palace were carelessly leaving their posts, but this time, that didn’t happen.

The story had already shifted from the blackmailer targeting the Neumann Group to the fact that he was challenging the Imperial Knights.

Moreover, when the knights who heard the rumor volunteered to go along, the captains could not help but be astonished.

But what could they do? They had no choice but to match the rhythm.

Intruders might come.

That vague sense of anxiety became a visible threat through a threatening letter.

Since it was a foregone conclusion that something would happen, it would have been stranger for them not to take action.

It was natural that people would send their support to the knights who went on an unofficial campaign.

The day finally came.

The knights who had decided to go on this amazing vacation gathered at the stables.

Arthur and Richt followed along as if it were a given, and Kendrick and Diana each brought one subordinate with them.

“Long time no see, Sir Helen.”

“It’s been a while, Commander Kendrick and Commander Laius.”

The red-haired knight standing next to Diana saluted neatly.

Her short hair swayed around her ears, and her straight lips revealed a stubborn attitude. She was someone who seemed to have the word knight etched into her like Richt or Laius.

‘It was Helen de Lates… I think.’

A knight who was like Diana’s right-hand man. She also appeared several times in the novel.

Arendt, who had been lost in thought for a moment, suddenly realized that her gaze was on him and raised his head.

Helen’s green eyes held a clear hostility.

Arendt asked perversely.

“Why are you staring at me? Is there something on my face?”

“…?!”

“…I’m sorry. He’s always like this, so just ignore him.”

Richt apologized to Helen, who was looking at him in shock, but she wasn’t the only one who was looking at him with unfavorable eyes.

The young knight who had been standing silently beside Kendrick, seemingly having no presence, opened his mouth cautiously. His tone was calm, unusual for one of Kendrick’s subordinates.

“Please understand that we still have some difficulty accepting Arendt von Eckhart as a colleague.”

“Hahaha. That’s right, Sir Arendt. You should understand. It’s because of your own karma.”

Kendrick burst out laughing.

The knight, who appeared to be of a thinner than average build, looked even smaller next to the large Kendrick.

Arendt, searching his memory, also remembered his name.

Benjamin Parviz, the youngest knight of the First Order.

‘Somehow he looks difficult to get along with.’

He was said to be a little older than Arthur, but the age difference seemed to be only about one or two years at most.

Arendt glanced at Benjamin, then turned around to face Kendrick.

“Can we leave now?”

“…!”

After that line, Benjamin’s face distorted.

Kendrick let out a breath of pure exclamation, “You really seem to know how to piss people off.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

When Arendt responded frankly, Benjamin and Helen became even more shocked.

Kendrick grabbed both knights by the shoulders and pushed them into the stable.

“Okay, okay. It’ll be better for you guys if you don’t worry about him. Talking with him will only cause you a headache.”

“But Captain… !”

Benjamin tried to protest, but instead he was dragged helplessly by Kendrick. Diana followed them, nodding her head.

How shocking it would be for them to learn that the entire palace was being played around by that apprentice knight. It was truly regrettable that even the captains they respected were in the same situation.

Although it was a bit bumpy from the start, the journey was smooth.

Arendt rode leisurely at the back, staring blankly at the knights ahead.

Helen and Benjamin.

In the novel, the two of them had no particular connection and were not particularly important characters, but there was a reason why they were thought of as a pair.

‘They died in the same place.’

During the height of the civil war, they died while trying to save civilians who were surrounded by golems and ghouls.

‘It was a time with no dreams and hope.’

It was probably not a coincidence that the two people appeared in Vincent’s story; the novel probably arranged it.

Originally, those two were supposed to die way later, but the tide had already begun to turn, so it was unclear what would happen to the fate of those two.

‘It’s best to leave death flags alone for now.’

It was really a one in a million chance, but it seemed like something that needed to be kept an eye on.

The party left the palace and rode their horses without stopping, arriving at their destination around sunset.

As soon as they arrived at the mansion where the auction was to be held, the servants ran in unison and received the knights’ horses. Soon after, Neumann came running out from inside.

“It is a pleasure to meet you here. I apologize for your hardships in coming such a long way, as it was quite a distance. If I had known it would be like this, I would have sent a carriage to the palace.”

“It’s okay. It’s much faster to come by horseback. We can’t leave the palace for too long.”

Kendrick stepped forward and shook hands with Neumann with a friendly smile. Neumann greeted Laius and Diana with his eyes and led the group inside.

“You all can go straight to the hall. We are having a light tea party, so please enjoy it leisurely. If you show your invitation inside, you can come right in.”

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Kendrick tapped Neumann on the shoulder and entered the mansion first. Arendt, who was naturally about to follow him, suddenly turned his head as a hand grabbed his collar tightly.

Neumann smiled broadly and whispered so no one could hear.

“Lord Arendt, don’t you often hear that you have a bad temper? I thought I was going to faint.”

“Don’t you like me like that?”

Arendt responded plainly and left Neumann there, and walked inside.

He could feel Neumann’s gaze from behind him, looking in his direction with a hollow smile.

‘That was a joke.’

He reacted as if he had been waiting for this more than anyone else.

Arendt let out a secret chuckle.

After a brief identity check, the knights were guided to the second floor where a tea party was in progress.

This mansion, which the lord occasionally used on special occasions, was a building that had been renovated to be suitable for holding banquets and gatherings. The entire second floor was decorated as a banquet hall, and the first floor had several guest rooms.

This place was a different world from the imperial palace. The sparkling marble floors were so clean they looked like they were freshly made, and the carpets looked like they had been freshly laid.

As soon as he entered the hall, he heard the sound of relaxing music.

Inside, quite a few people were already enjoying champagne and refreshments.

Arendt glanced around and found a platform in the middle of the hall and a display case on top of it. Four mercenaries, neatly dressed, were guarding the display case, which was covered in red velvet.

Benjamin opened his mouth anxiously.

“Isn’t it too obvious? There’s a guy who’s really out there trying to steal it.”

“They probably thought it would be useless to hide it. It might be safer to leave it in a crowded place.”

Helen’s calm reply continued. The two looked at the people in the hall with sharp eyes.

Arendt’s blunt voice suddenly burst out, “Relax your eyes. If you don’t, you’ll end up catching the wrong person.”

“Yes?”

Helen returned her gaze. Arendt glanced at her with indifferent eyes and nodded toward the people.

“Everyone was cowering because of you guys.”

His words were not wrong. Everyone was pretending to be calm and engrossed in their conversation, but they could feel nervous glances on them.

Although they had gathered together despite the risk, they seemed to be starting to feel uneasy as the knights stood there staring at them.

Benjamin coughed briefly and lowered his voice to give serious advice.

“But we can’t relax, Lord Arendt. We’re not here to play.”

“Who told you to relax? I just told you not to show it. No amount of glaring at a bad guy will make him turn himself in.”

But Arendt responded in his usual indifferent manner.

“It looks like you two think that the person who sent the threatening letter might be hiding among those people.”

That’s you, you punk.

The three captains barely managed to hold back from blurting out those words.

“Think about it. When a hunter catches a wild animal, does he go around shouting, ‘You foolish beasts, I’ve come to hunt you!’? He holds his breath, blends in with the mountain, and waits for his chance.”

“We are not hunters.”

“Oh, yes. I suppose you aren’t. Then, like a knight, stand tall and proud and say, ‘I am here,’ and search for them with your fierce eyes.”

When Helen, who was being laughed at, glared at him in annoyance, Arendt burst into laughter and delivered the final blow.

“And then you get your head broken by the prey that sneaks up on you from behind.”

“Are you done talking now?”

“I’m done. Well, I’m going to go grab some snacks.”

Arendt waved at Benjamin and Helen and then strode into the hall.

Laius groaned.

“I’m sorry. That guy has a bit of a bad habit when talking.”

“…No, it’s okay.”

Helen, who had bit her lip, barely managed to answer politely.

Arendt stuffed his hands into his pockets, was conscious of the two men staring menacingly at the back of his head.

It seems like he’s getting more used to receiving hate from others, but he couldn’t help it because that’s what Arendt von Eckhart is like.

“Are they going to barge in from outside? Or something else?”

But he’s still better than the Arendt from the novel because there are still people who approach him and talk to him.

Arthur, who had come closer without him noticing, asked in a whisper, to which Arendt responded calmly.

“Well, it would be pointless to discuss it now.”

Since Vincent probably came alone, there was a high chance that he was disguised as someone and hiding among the crowd, but considering the golems he controlled, there was also a possibility that he would attack from outside.

Neither one could be overlooked, so it was impossible to even predict it at this stage. Arthur nodded as if he was convinced.

Richt, who had been approaching with brisk strides, also spoke as if he was just passing by.

“The outside is guarded tightly by security forces, and the identity of the people inside were personally checked by Lord Neumann. It won’t be easy to break in.”

“If he was someone who could be stopped so easily, we wouldn’t have gone through all that trouble. Besides, forging an identity isn’t that hard.”

It’s not like they could compare fingerprints one by one like in the world Lee Soo-hyun lived in.

In any case, they brought in all the manpower they could and placed them on stage.

It may not be enough to prevent a disaster, though.

‘It depends on the actor’s ability.’

If the original scenario had been followed, everyone on set would have been killed and hell would have unfolded. That’s why he had to come up with a clear story of good triumphing over evil, with only the villains being killed.

Arendt’s eyes, staring blankly into the hall where soft music was flowing, slightly darkened and then quickly returned to their original indifferent glow.