After a long time, Priest Lumiel slowly asked.

“…What did you just say?”

“I told you that I would mobilize the Imperial Knights. It would be difficult to retrieve the priest with the power of the temple alone.”

“But Your Highness…”

“Of course, it’s not an official order. If we get noticed by the High Priest, it’ll be a nuisance to both of us. However, moving behind the scenes is quite possible.”

Cantares added playfully.

“Instead, I would appreciate it if you could find common ground with the High Priest. If possible, in a way that can help the imperial family.”

It was a terrifying proposal to mobilize the Imperial Knights just to rescue a single priest.

Priest Lumiel stared blankly at the Crown Prince, doubting her ears. However, Cantares seemed sincere.

“Why are you doing this…”

“I want the cooperation of the temple. If I can move the knights to win your hearts, it’s cheap.”

Cantares answered calmly.

Then, Priest Lumiel, who had been silent for a moment, burst into laughter.

“If the High Priest knew, he would be very angry. For such a huge conversation to be taking place because of a single priest…”

“I agree, but that cheeky guy seemed to think a little differently.”

Cantares smiled, the corners of his lips curling.

“It’s only natural that we search for missing people and bring down the hammer on those who make money through dirty means.”

“Is that what Lord Arendt said?”

“Yes, of course it’s not as humane as it sounds.”

Cantares grumbled, his chin raised.

“He even wrote a long letter and sent it to me with detailed information about Priest Declan, saying that, at least on the surface, it should be an exchange of goodwill rather than a transaction.”

Bam.

The documents in the Crown Prince’s hands were placed on the table.

“If you take what you get, give what you have to give, and even consider this offer as ‘good faith,’ that’s what a deal is.”

This is exactly the ‘shape’ that Arendt spoke of as important: a relationship of good hand-holding and cooperation.

It was forced into place though.

Priest Lumiel smiled bitterly as she understood the meaning of those words.

“I will show you kindness first, so you are saying that I should repay you as a human being.”

Can something this violent be called goodwill?

But it was also true that there was no other way to express it.

“I can’t raise my head when you point out this old woman’s mistake in this way.”

“He probably wouldn’t have thought that much about it. He is a guy who lives according to his mood.”

Although Cantares responded like that, Priest Lumiel just smiled quietly.

“I will try to persuade the High Priest. He is not the type of person to remain silent after the Imperial Family has shown him such kindness.”

“Of course, if the priest is involved in a crime, he must pay the price.”

“Of course, Your Highness. I am fully prepared for that. However…”

The priest, who had been silent for a moment, then slowly continued speaking.

“Declan was a child who drifted into the temple without any family or relatives. Although there were times when he was pessimistic about his situation, he always tried to live his life to the best of his ability.”

“…”

“The temple is his family and protectors. Your Highness, given your position, you must have made a rational decision, but I am a small person.”

The calm voice of Priest Lumiel filled the quiet study.

“As his family, it is my duty to check on his life and death until the end, and if possible, to rescue him from danger. Even if this is foolish, I do not want to give up.”

“Well, I certainly don’t think the High Priest and His Majesty the Emperor would agree.”

After saying that, Cantares met the gaze of Priest Lumiel and chuckled playfully.

“At least I don’t think that’s stupid.”

A faint smile appeared on the lips of Priest Lumiel at the Crown Prince’s answer.

The story went well, but that doesn’t mean it was easy. For those who had to go out into the field and work, this was the real beginning.

The mission was quite difficult:

To achieve results that were sufficient for the temple while keeping others from knowing that the royal family had intervened.

However, since the goal was to save people from the hands of criminals, Laius was more serious than ever.

“First of all, we should focus on securing the priest and other victims.”

In addition to Priest Declan, there were many other confirmed missing people.

Since they wouldn’t have dragged them all away to kill them all, the knights decided to bet everything on the possibility that they might be alive somewhere.

Richt nodded.

“First of all, it’s important to find out the whereabouts of the people who were taken away… but since we don’t know the internal situation, we’ll have to move cautiously.”

“Some of the nearby police officers may have been killed as well.”

“It’ll be difficult to get support from the police.”

When Arthur beside him also intervened, Laius nodded.

It was actually difficult to get the cooperation of the First and Second Knights, because the capital could not be completely emptied.

“Are our knights all we can mobilize?”

Power-wise, that was enough.

The Third Knights’ Order has many members who joined based solely on their skills, regardless of their status, so there are quite a few who are more skilled than the other two Knights’ Orders. Just look at Arthur for example.

As someone said, it was ‘a place where only the best swordsmen in the country gathered.’

“The problem is that we have to be invisible.”

He doesn’t think it’s possible to completely fool the High Priest’s eyes. However, they had to at least be stealthy enough that the High Priest could cover his eyes and look the other way.

Even if they were held accountable later, they should be able to make excuses and say that they never did anything like that.

If that happens, the Crown Prince will take care of the rest.

Arthur’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Honestly, I still wonder if that’s possible.”

“It’s not that difficult. If you’re going by what the Captain says, instead of pretending to die, our seniors should be carrying straw bags and jumping into the fire.”

Then, a blunt voice suddenly interrupted the conversation.

All three people’s gazes were instantly focused on Arendt.

“Since there are quite a few members of our knights, it would be better to just pick a few and go. Regardless, whether they are mercenaries or not, they will all be dealt with easily.”

“That’s true. But…”

“As long as we make a good excuse, it doesn’t matter if the entire Third Knights moves at once. No one knows the inside story of this anyway.”

Arendt cut off Arthur’s words and glanced at Laius.

Laius asked, his gaze drawn to him.

“What is that excuse?”

“What’s the big deal? Just sneak in, find out where the priest and the other missing people are, make some noise, and then come out. Then, hit them once or twice.”

“They’ll accept that?”

This time, Richt asked curiously.

“Then the rest is simple. ‘How dare you touch our children?’ and the knights will swarm in…”

“Hey, hey hey! That’s blackmail! Are you saying we should do something that only thugs and mercenaries do?”

“Whether it’s mercenaries or knights, they’re all just groups of people who are good at fighting. What’s so noble about that?”

“How is it the same, you little punk!”

Arthur, who was beginning to swear loudly, and Arendt, who was responding indifferently by covering his ears, were standing together, while Richt and Laius quietly placed their hands on their foreheads.

But Arendt was steadfast.

“Anyway, it’s definitely a valid move. In fact, it’s not that different from the duty and loyalty that you guys consider so important.”

“How did this guy become a knight?”

Arthur lamented, taking into account the feelings of the other two people as well.

The reason he was more upset was simple. He felt that what Arendt said was persuasive.

Arendt left the three bewildered people alone, crossed his arms, and continued speaking.

“We happened to go out by chance… a big fight broke out between rioters right nearby. In that case, of course the Knights should intervene, right? They were nearby.”

“…”

“Oh, but while we were rescuing the victims, we found out that the priest who had previously gone missing was among them. Priest Lumiel was very worried, so that was truly a blessing.”

The apprentice knight added blandly, tilting his head slightly.

“They say we shouldn’t be seen, but there’s no need to hide when moving. All we need is a suitable excuse for a suitable reason.”

To be more precise, it was the reason why a clean scenario needed to be directed without any unnecessary elements.

Arendt looked at the three people who were looking at him with blank expressions and drove the wedge in.

“If there’s a better way, please let me know.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

There was nothing more to say there.

Arendt, who had made the three people speechless, counted on his fingers and sorted them out.

“We’ll select an advance party to move first within the Third Knights… we’ll inform the other seniors of the operation, but we’ll have to tell them to shut up beforehand. The advance party will go and find out the locations of the kidnapped victims first, then create a fight within the organization and then escape. After that, the main body of the Knights will come and sort out the situation.”

The apprentice knight glanced at the captain.

“Well, the choice is yours, Captain. This is just my opinion.”

“How can you say that after you spoke so much?.”

Laius furrowed his brow. Richt and Arthur also had complicated expressions, but they didn’t seem to have any intention of saying anything more.

Looking at their appearance, it seemed that there were no differences of opinion.

That evening, all the knights of the Third Order gathered in the lobby of the dormitory.

The sudden call caused a stir, but it was quickly silenced when Laius appeared with Richt, Arthur, and Arendt.

Nervous eyes gathered around Laius.

The captain, facing his subordinates, opened his mouth after confirming that everyone was focused on him.

“Something happened that required us to move unofficially.”

The knights’ eyes widened as a distinct voice echoed through the dormitory.

Arendt, who had been listening quietly, muttered with absurdity.

“You’re saying it like that…?”

“They probably don’t know how to talk back. Not everyone is like you.”

Arthur snapped. Meanwhile, Laius began to calmly explain the plan to the knights.

The faces of the knights who had been listening seriously at first gradually turned into embarrassment.

Still, the captain stubbornly conveyed his intentions.

Soon, even the leader fell silent and the dormitory was enveloped in a cold silence.

After a long silence, someone asked a question.

“Captain… I have no intention of going against your wishes, but did that plan come from Arendt’s brain, no, from his head?”

“Yes.”

The knights’ faces became even more grim at the unwavering answer.

They had no intention of opposing it, as it was Laius’s will, but that didn’t mean they felt comfortable about participating in this shameless and… so to speak, un-knightly operation that Arendt had obviously envisioned.

Laius, who had been staring at his subordinates with a complicated look, sighed deeply and summarized the situation in one sentence.

“If you have a better idea, tell me. I’ll listen.”

After that, everyone fell silent.

Only Richt and Arthur rubbed their faces in confusion as they clearly read the true meaning of those words, that is, if you can’t come up with a better strategy right now, just shut up.