Arendt leaned back on the chair and stared blankly at Cantares, who was slumped over the desk. He was holding a pen in one hand, muttering something that sounded like a curse, and his nose was buried in his papers, which was quite a sight.

If someone else had seen it, it wouldn’t have been strange at all for them to have been fussing over whether something was wrong… unfortunately, the person the noble royal was facing right now was Arendt.

The delinquent knight opened his mouth as he placed the documents that Laius had entrusted to him on the desk.

“Quite…”

“If you’re going to say it’s something worth seeing, then just shut up.”

Before he could even finish the sentence, a vicious tone came out.

Arendt shrugged and flopped down on the sofa.

“That mess had some results.”

“You seem pretty refreshed then?”

“Damn, so do I.”

Cantares grumbled as he got up. Those who called themselves nobles seemed to be avoiding Arendt for fear of accidentally getting involved with him.

When you think about it, it’s not so strange, after all, Marquis Lanford and Count Eckhart had been treated so badly.

“Well, thanks to that, Marquis Lanford has become quite obedient. It must have been quite a shock to get hit in the back of the head by a greenhorn brat.”

The whole process went smoothly. A wanted notice for the ‘Sword of the Broken Heart’ was also delivered to each territory, and no one objected to the imperial family’s words that they would prioritize information control considering the possibility.

“So you said you were cut off by Count Eckhart? Are you okay?”

“Nothing has really changed.”

“Huh? You say that so lightly? It seemed like there was quite a bit of pride in your family.”

“You can still say that after seeing that sight?”

“I didn’t know your relationship was that bad. I had a feeling that Count Eckhart was neglecting you before, but I thought he was just being insensitive.”

It was quite unusual for Count Eckhart to come to the Imperial palace.

“So are you sure it’s okay? I asked you to help me, but I didn’t expect you to go that far.”

“It was something that had to be done at some point, and it just happened to be the right time. And…”

Arendt, who had just replied, looked at Cantares and smiled.

“I told you it wasn’t for free, right?”

“…”

Cantares’ face became distorted.

“Hey, didn’t you just say it was something you had to do anyway? Besides, you’re out of probation, so what are you complaining about?”

“That was… just one of the steps in the process of solving the problem, and I didn’t really gain anything from it. Or are you going to sentence me to death now?”

“…Ugh.”

When that point was brought up, he couldn’t bring himself to say anything in response.

As Cantares shut his mouth tightly, Arendt shrugged his shoulders as if to say, “Look at that.”

“Your Highness, you just set the mood and I did everything by myself. I worked so hard.”

“That’s right. You ate a lot of delicious food and pretended to be pitiful to buy sympathy, and then you hit the back of their heads with all your might.”

“Your Highness, who was watching, seemed to be enjoying it quite a bit. To be honest, was it fun?”

It seemed like the argument would never end.

Cantares wiped his face and sighed deeply.

“Yeah… even if I argue with you, it’ll only hurt me in the end. What do you need?”

“Actually, I don’t need anything right now, so I’ll ask you to do me a favor later.”

“Tsk, okay. I’ll do anything that’s within my reach.”

“I believe you won’t skimp on it.”

Only then did Arendt nod in satisfaction.

Cantares grumbled, resting his chin on his hand.

“Anyway, you’re a terrible guy. By the way, I got a call from Count Stadler.”

“Oh, finally?”

While the chaos was going on in the palace, Count Stadler was secretly analyzing the jewel that had been put up for auction, the ‘Unquenchable Heart’… and the results seemed to have come out.

“He said he hasn’t figured out how it works, and he can’t know how it works unless he tries to activate it himself. However, he says that he’s had some success with the analysis.”

“Hoo.”

Arendt’s eyes sparkled with interest.

“To conclude, it is an object that is at least 100 years old. The creator was probably not human.”

“Why does he think that?”

“The artifact was filled with so much dense magical power that it was almost like a magic stone. It wasn’t something that humans could create.”

Cantares crossed his arms while leaning back in his chair.

“So then it’s something made by a different race?”

“Since the Count said so, then it must be. Perhaps it was made during the war when the hero Khan was still alive?”

It was likely developed at the time for use as a weapon during the war.

Arendt agreed with that idea.

As he clenched and unclenched his fist repeatedly, he could feel the texture of the half-gloves that had become as familiar as his own skin.

“If the creator is not human… then is it something made by an elf or a dragon or something like that?”

“Yes, it would be difficult to create an artifact that powerful with human power in the first place.”

There were races other than humans in this world.

They live in separate countries or villages, and their numbers are significantly smaller than humans. Furthermore, most of them are reluctant to mingle with the human world, so you may only meet them once in your lifetime.

Arendt frowned faintly.

“During the war, were there any races that sided with the evil spirits?”

“Probably. The artifact was probably made by a foreign race affiliated with their sect.”

They fought back using artifacts, but were defeated by the hero Khan.

In the midst of the chaos, the artifacts were scattered, and the recently reactivated ‘Sword of the Broken Heart’ began to retrieve them… Up until this point, it was an easy guess.

“…You know, I just had a terrible thought.”

Arendt, who had been silent for a moment, opened his mouth again. Cantares raised his head in question at the trembling voice.

“What is it?”

“Aren’t there some that live dozens of times longer than humans?”

“Yes? But there will be few survivors. They must have suffered a lot of damage during the war.”

“What if… they’re alive?”

“…”

Cantares’ mouth snapped shut. It seemed like he hadn’t thought of that far ahead.

Races like dragons and elves boast a lifespan that is incomparable to that of humans, which means that Arendt’s words have some truth to them.

After a long while, the Crown Prince managed to calmly answer.

“…No, as I just said, the war caused a significant decline in the population of all races. Humans were able to thrive again because they had more people, but dragons are reported to be nearly extinct. Furthermore, even in the elven nations that have relations with our Empire, there are no elders over 200 years old.”

“There’s no evidence that they went extinct at that time. What if even a few survived? No. What if even just one survived?”

Arendt added, scratching his head.

“…What if they had waited for a long time, thinking of their dead compatriots and nurturing a desire for revenge? What if they had personally handed the artifact over to the sect?”

“…!”

An eerie chill ran down his spine.

The catchy voice, which suited Arendt’s pretty face well, gave him chills.

Besides elves and dragons, there were many other races that lived longer than humans. It was hard to guarantee that there would be no survivors of the war among them.

What if there was someone who somehow survived, even if it meant hiding their body?

Cantares forced the corners of his lips into an awkward smile.

“You… don’t say such unlucky things.”

“I can’t say it’s not possible. It seems like it’s something to keep in mind.”

Arendt shrugged.

Cantares pressed on his eyebrows as he felt a new headache coming on.

“Damn, this is a reality I really want to deny.”

Dragons were walking disasters.

Most of the related records about them were grim, such as a city being completely destroyed by an angry dragon, or the topography of a continent changing as a result of two dragons fighting.

It would be equally difficult for other species that lived longer than humans to meet them as enemies.

“Wait a minute. Then should I let them know about the situation? It doesn’t seem to be a problem only to humans.”

“Is this the elf country you just mentioned?”

“Uh, so far only the remnants of the Evil Cult have been captured… but I don’t know how things will turn out, so it would be better to at least give some hints.”

Cantares frowned.

“I will have to discuss that with His Majesty. His Majesty is in charge of all foreign affairs.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to bring them over to the same side if possible?”

“That’s easy to say. They don’t seem to want to come out of their own residences. It would be natural to inform them for humanitarian reasons, but I don’t expect any cooperation.”

When the decisive response came back, Arendt answered ambiguously.

“Well, that may not necessarily be the case.”

“What? How do you know?”

“Well, just a feeling.”

Arendt shrugged his shoulders and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

While the Empire was engulfed in flames in “The Blue Knight of the Holy Sword”, naturally other countries did not just sit back and watch. Small kingdoms bordering the Caerleon Empire provided support with mercenaries, and other countries also sent supplies and military support.

The other races also extended a helping hand directly and indirectly. There were elven warriors who came to support the war, and the dwarves sent weapons in large quantities.

But the same was true for the enemy camp. Vincent showed up dragging a ghoul made from a dragon’s corpse, and there was also a warrior who blocked Laius’s path with extraordinary strength.

“Again, I hear the sound of your mind thinking again.”

“Huh? Ah…”

Cantares’s voice, dripping with anger, penetrated his consciousness.

“Anyway, that’s not what’s important right now. You, make time for me tonight.”

“Why? It’s annoying.”

“If the Crown Prince asks for some time, you’re the only one who would react like that.”

The Crown Prince, who had been snapping angrily, clicked his tongue and added,

“You should try activating the artifact yourself. Since you’re probably the most familiar with handling artifacts, it would be better for you to try it yourself rather than having someone else do it.”

“That’s not the tone of a person asking for something.”

“…Please, can I hit you once?”

“If you can, please try it.”

Then and there, Cantares vowed:

He decided to resume his swordsmanship training that he had put aside for a while after being crowned Crown Prince and beat that bastard up once and for all.