Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 169

Soon, Arthur reappeared with a small child tucked under his arm. Whether he had somehow managed to calm the child, the boy did not struggle and was quietly brought along with a sulky expression.“Then why did you run away in the first place?”

“Of course I would run away when someone suddenly chases me!”

Arthur asked in an incredulous voice, and the boy responded angrily, glaring at him. However, the boy’s defiance was short-lived, as when Arendt lowered his body to meet the boy’s gaze, the child flinched and stepped back.

“What, what’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I should be the one asking why you’re acting this way.”

The boy attempted to retort with defiance, but when he met Arendt’s indifferent golden eyes, his words lost their power.

“What kind of manners is that, spying on us?”

“…”

“I could feel the presence of someone other than the innkeeper inside the kitchen. Was it you?”

“Ugh…!”

The boy, seemingly caught off guard, took a step back, as if he hadn’t expected to be found out. Both Richt and Arthur responded nonchalantly, as if they already knew.

“The restaurant is rather small, so he probably overheard most of the conversation.”

“Looks like he came following us for a reason. Do you have something to say?”

“Ugh…”

The boy glanced around, appearing uncertain, still not having made up his mind.

Arendt simply stared at the boy quietly. The other two did the same. Unable to withstand the silent pressure, the boy eventually shouted in frustration.

“It’s unfair, three grown-ups bullying a kid!”

“You don’t seem to know, but adults are bullies. That’s what you learn as you get older.”

“…”

For a moment, a look of disbelief crossed the boy’s face. But at this point, they were beyond caring about the complaints of a child.

“Even so, it’s true that adults can do more than kids. Why are you chasing after outsiders who come from far away?”

Tap.

Arendt’s white finger lightly tapped the boy’s forehead.

“If you have something to say, say it quickly. We don’t have much free time here either.”

“…Are you really going to the lake?”

After glaring at Arendt with a dissatisfied expression, the boy finally spoke up.

“We’re going. Why?”

“Take me with you!”

As if he had never hesitated before, the child took a step closer and shouted, causing the apprentice knight’s brow to furrow slightly.

“You want me to take you?”

“Yes, I have to find my older brother. He disappeared. So did other people.”

The boy nodded vigorously, perhaps feeling hopeful as the question was asked again.

“What do you mean people disappeared? Did they run away?”

“No! They were taken. Some other adults picked people and sent them to the lake!”

“Stop rambling. Speak clearly.”

The child, whose voice had been raised in excitement, suddenly came to his senses at the cool tone and swallowed dry saliva.

“Tell me everything you know, starting with your name and going in order from beginning to end about what happened in the village.”

“…Will you listen if I tell you?”

“That’s up to me. Convince me.”

“…”

The boy, pouting, hesitated for a moment but then spoke calmly, as if he had thought it through.

The boy’s name was Selick.

He was a child working as an errand boy at the inn’s restaurant.

In this quiet village, where there weren’t many children his age, he had been living a peaceful life until recently, spending time with his much older brother as his only friend, and his parents who were herbalists.

Then one day, a well-dressed person came to the village.

“He was someone important working for the royal family. He said he needed help with something at the lake, and offered a lot of money to the village in exchange for workers.”

The mention of the royal family made the knights narrow their eyes slightly.

“So… did this person take several people, including your brother?”

“Yes… But after that, no one was allowed to go near the lake. Not the villagers, and especially not outsiders. I think that person told them to do that.”

“You guys are not even allowed to speak about it, or come close?”

The boy nodded earnestly at Arendt’s question.

“He gave a lot of money to the village chief. He said if this information got out, he’d take all the money back and punish everyone severely.”

“These fools… trying to impersonate the royal family…”

Arthur, who had been quietly listening, spoke with admiration, but Arendt casually added.

“So what? We’ve done the same thing with them before.”

“Shut up. It’s embarrassing.”

After Richt’s mild but slightly irritated warning, Selick continued his story.

“Now, it’s been almost a month, but no one has come back. That person never returned either.”

“No one went looking for them?”

“We haven’t heard anything. The adults are too scared to lose the money.”

Since the royal family had been mentioned, it wasn’t strange that the villagers believed the story without question.

“Still, if your story is true, they weren’t exactly taken, right? Didn’t they go willingly?”

“No! My brother didn’t want to go. But that important person chose him, and everyone around kept encouraging him to go… Even the other lady did.”

“How old was your brother?”

“He was 17.”

“How many others went with him?”

“Four. An aunt, an older sister from the village, an uncle, and my brother.”

It seemed like they mostly took young people. Arendt clicked his tongue.

“What are they trying to do, dragging even children along?”

“…At 17, he’s not much older than you.”

“Whatever. Do the people think those who went to the lake are still working?”

Ignoring Arthur’s muttering, Arendt asked Selick again.

“Yes. I told everyone several times that it doesn’t make sense they’ve been gone for so long. Something must have happened, but no one listened. So, I tried to go and look for them myself, but I got caught and was scolded badly… Then they banned me from going anywhere.”

Selick’s voice grew quieter.

“They said I was worrying like a fool and that everyone would come back soon… But I want to see my brother. So please take me with you if you’re going to the lake!”

But that was only for a moment, Selick bit his lip, then looked directly at Arendt and spoke firmly. Arendt’s golden eyes studied the boy up and down.

And after a while.

“I don’t want to.”

“…What?”

The boy was stunned by the unexpected response.

“What? Why? I told you everything! You have to take me with you!”

“I’m busy taking care of myself, and you want me to take a child with me? Why would I bother?”

“But…”

“Instead.”

As the boy’s eyes filled with tears, Arendt spoke flatly.

“I can go and check if your brother is okay, and bring him back. But only if you cooperate with a few things.”

“Re… really?”

“Yes, but you can’t come with us. You’ll stay here. If you don’t like it, I can’t help you.”

“…”

Selick paused, his face blank for a moment, but after a short time, he slowly nodded.

“…I won’t complain.”

“Good. Then we have a deal.”

Finally, Arendt smiled slightly, raising the corners of his mouth.

“What should I do?”

“Just two things. Listen carefully.”

Arendt lowered his voice as if sharing a secret, and Selick tried hard to focus and listen.

Arthur and Richt, who had been watching the two quietly, sighed in unison.

Things were starting to get more complicated.

The small village had fallen completely asleep, with only the pale moon rising and gliding over the dark roofs. Arendt and his group quietly slipped out of the inn.

Arendt offered a piece of cloth to the massive wolf. It was the handkerchief Selick’s brother had been carrying.

Sniff sniff.

After sniffing a few times, Warren paused, then started walking, making a decision.

“I told you, you don’t have to follow us.”

“You expect us to go back empty-handed after coming all this way?”

Arendt’s words made Llewellyn smile mischievously. The two others he had brought along were similarly amused.

“He said that if we move with Arendt, there would be no end to fun things to do, and it turns out it was true.”

“We can’t back off now. Our leader wouldn’t let us. Plus, we don’t know what he’ll say later if we leave him to handle everything.”

Arendt simply shook his head at Ken and Roderick’s words.

“I’m not taking responsibility for this.”

“It’s fine. Our leader provides life insurance,” Roderick chuckled. Having one more fighter was always good for them.

They had contacted Cantares for support, but they couldn’t wait for them to arrive. The safety of those who were taken was at stake, and if the enemy realized the knights had moved, they wouldn’t just sit still.

“Unless it’s absolutely unavoidable, avoid direct confrontation.”

“But there are always unavoidable situations,” Arthur added with a grimace to Richt’s calm instructions.

The group soon entered the path leading into the mountains. It was dark enough that ordinary people would have difficulty taking even a single step, but for them who were well-trained, the moonlight was enough.

The barren path continued with only a few short trees and blades of grass here and there, and soon they reached a forest path rooted in the rocky mountain.

Warren focused on the scent and walked carefully.

They climbed the mountain in silence for several hours.

“How long should it take to get from the village to the lake?”

“It shouldn’t take that long.”

Roderick responded sheepishly to Ken’s casual question.

As expected, they should have already reached the lake, but the endless mountain path showed no sign of ending.

“… It’s strange. It’s so quiet.”

Llewellyn muttered quietly.

Only the sound of their footsteps was engraved in the dark mountain, and nothing else could be heard.

Ken, who had been listening quietly, also chimed in.

“I don’t hear any animal sounds at all.”

In a mountain this deep, it would be normal to hear the sounds of birds and animals, but they couldn’t even hear any signs of them.

When Warren, who had been walking ahead, suddenly stopped walking, Llewellyn asked in a puzzled voice.

“Warren?”

“…”

The werewolf, who had stopped the group, slowly looked around the dark forest with deep eyes.

They couldn’t help but feel a little nervous, seeing the sight of a wild beast stalking its prey.

Arendt, who was walking beside Warren, also stared quietly at the thick darkness that spread out before his eyes.

Arthur approached him.

“What? Why?”

“The flow of magic is strange.”

“…For a human, you have very sensitive senses.”

Warren then shrank and took on human form, standing on two feet.

“The smell has stopped. And just like the guy said, I feel a strange magic.”

“At some point, I felt like I was caught in a barrier.”

Arendt then added:

A trap barrier that even caught werewolves and royal knights. They couldn’t help but feel the chills running down their spine.

Roderick laughed awkwardly.

“Hey… Aren’t you speaking too indifferently? Since when? I didn’t feel anything?”

“From the moment the sound of wild animals was no longer heard.”

Warren responded plainly.

Just then a cold wind passed by, caressing their cheeks.

There was no way to move forward or go back.

Anyway, the master of the barrier would have already noticed that they had arrived here.

It was Arendt’s clicking of his tongue that woke up those who were standing there stiffly as if frozen.

“Spying and swindling… If this continues, there is no other answer than a head-on collision.”

An indifferent complaint, out of place and unusually quiet, echoed through the darkness.

Sling.

Arendt, who had drawn his sword, began to slowly increase his magical power. Arthur and Richt also drew their swords silently.

“Look at this. The inevitable always happens.”

“I agree. What a shame.”

The three swords that reflected the moonlight glowed white and radiated aura. At the same time, the artifact was activated and an eerie cold air enveloped Arendt’s surroundings.

When the road is blocked, just break through it.