Chapter 4: Chapter 4

After Arendt’s declaration, there was a terrible silence in the courtroom. Frozen speechless, none of those watching the trial were in a hurry to open their mouths.

The person who took care of the situation was none other than Duke Lancelot, after realizing that it was not the time to discuss the existence or absence of sin.

“…first, place the criminal back in the dungeon. This discussion will resume later.”

“Yes!”

The knights responded loudly and rushed over to grab Arendt’s arms. Arendt obediently followed the knights, as if he had done his part.

Only after his figure had completely disappeared could short sighs be heard throughout the courtroom.

“I heard he was a bastard, but…”

“I never thought there would be so much back and forth.”

After a particularly clear sigh, the murmur slowly grew louder.

“Commander Laius, what do you think?”

“…”

Laius seemed troubled and could not easily answer.

His blue eyes were still calm, but he was unable to conceal the distress that was implicitly reflected in them.

Instead of silence, an answer came from the other side. The person was an elderly nobleman who had been particularly unable to hide his anger.

“Is there any need for further discussion about disposing of such an arrogant bastard? He should be put on death row. Handing over information from within the imperial family to an outside agent is a serious crime!”

“But it is also true that we cannot ignore what he says.”

Duke Lancelot quietly but firmly rebutted.

As if responding to the Duke’s words, another person opened his mouth. This time it was a young woman’s voice.

“I agree with you saying that Arendt’s arrogant, but… it’s just as Duke Lancelot said. Now that things are like this, we have to consider many variables.”

The eyes of everyone inside the courtroom focused on that sentence.

The person who spoke was none other than Diana de Barak, the leader of the 2nd Knights.

“Lord Diana.”

“You have to exclude this and that and only look at what is certain right now.”

Diana smiled at Duke Lancelot’s call.

“Lord Arendt von Eckhart is saying that he will speak out himself. As he said, we may have been too hasty. For now, we should be able to at least listen to what is said, after all, there is nothing for us to lose anyway.”

“I agree with that too.”

A middle-aged man sitting next to her nodded.

The man who brushed away his fashionably grown beard and gave a vaguely serious expression was none other than the First Knight Commander, Kendrick von Leandros.

“I never imagined it would turn out like this. The reason we had no choice but to move like that was because we thought we had nothing to gain from the apprentice knight… first of all, that premise has been overturned.”

“Ah, isn’t there a possibility that Arendt von Eckhart lied?”

After both knight commanders said that, someone who became impatient asked.

Kendrick shook his head heavily.

“Even though he is a fool, he is also a person who received education from a noble family. Would you spout a lie in a place like this, additionally, in such a provocative way, when it would be exposed immediately after a little verification?”

He burst out laughing and seemed very happy.

“We took a hit from that little guy.”

“What does that mean?”

“Think about it, we might have to reconsider whether that guy’s betrayal was real.”

Kendrick burst into laughter. The others were stunned by his words.

Diana added an explanation.

“There have been no problems on our side yet. Considering that… perhaps the information that Arendt von Eckhart passed on to them was not that important, or he might have passed on fake information.”

If the story got this far, others could naturally infer another possibility.

Duke Lancelot nodded slowly.

“Just in case, he tried to sneak in on purpose to find out their identity. This situation could also be interpreted this way.”

“Well, isn’t that too much of a leap?”

“Of course, it’s more likely than not that it’s not true, but it can’t be ignored either. Until now, the crime seemed to be clear, and even the Eckhart family kept quiet.”

That’s how Duke Lancelot answered someone’s question.

If Count Eckhart were to intervene in this matter, things would become even more complicated.

No parent would stand by and watch their youngest son, whom they raised so well, be dishonorably executed, no matter how much he tarnished the family’s name.

Another retort came out of nowhere.

“Even if that were the case… isn’t it a serious crime to do something you weren’t ordered to do and cause chaos in the imperial palace?”

“Well, you’re not wrong, but it’s not a crime that ends with being thrown in a dungeon and executed,” Kendrick replied, stroking his stubble.

“Of course, we could ignore all of these possibilities and throw him in prison and torture him into opening his mouth, but I don’t think he’ll be that obedient.”

There was still a hint of laughter in Kendrick’s voice.

If he recalled the look in Arendt’s eyes that was seen, Arendt might have chosen to die in such a situation.

Diana added lightly, continuing Kendrick’s words.

“And if everything he says is true… it means that we have more to gain than what we have lost.”

Arendt was the only link with the group whose identity had not yet been identified.

She glanced up and saw Laius.

“Catching and killing a child is something that can be done even if it is not now. Isn’t that right, Lord Laius?”

The two knight commanders said that, and Duke Lancelot gave off a hint of protection for Arendt. It would be safe to say that there was no room for further disagreement.

Laius still looked distraught.

After a brief pause, he slowly raised his head.

“Commander of the 3rd Knights, Laius de Winfried, requests the Duke to please temporarily release Arendt von Eckhart.”

An unusually clear voice filled the courtroom.

“The reason I couldn’t lead him well and caused him to deviate was probably because I lacked the qualities as a leader.”

Subtle cracks appeared on the faces of those who listened quietly, but Laius firmly finished his words.

“I will take responsibility if any problems arise in the future.”

Diana shrugged as if she knew that would happen.

Kendrick also burst into laughter.

The knights of the 3rd Knights guarding Laius’ side seemed quite dissatisfied, but they also did not express any disagreement.

A few hours after the trial ended, Arendt was temporarily released and allowed to return to his room in the Knights’ dormitory.

It was proof that his actions had worked. Thanks to this, he was able to sleep soundly in a proper bed for the first time in a long time.

Arendt woke up and looked blankly into space.

Instead of the yellowed wallpaper of the studio, the ornately decorated ceiling caught his eye.

“When I wake up, I am back where I used to live… I expected that to happen.”

That kind of miracle doesn’t happen.

Arendt woke up, groaned, and wiped his face.

“…I really thought I was going to die.”

If a glare could kill a person, he might have already died five more times in that courtroom.

It wasn’t strange, since he only uttered vulgar words in front of people who wanted to beat him to death right away.

‘Especially the 3rd Knights.’

Those who were seated behind Laius were unable to hide the signs that they wanted to jump out at any moment and rip off his head.

Still, it was fortunate that the results were not too bad. He was able to avoid a situation where his head was about to explode.

Arendt sighed heavily, shook himself off, and stood up.

In fact, it was safe to say that Arendt’s betrayal was nothing more than an attempt.

That organization was not stupid either. The imperial knight who blindly approached was someone to be suspicious of.

Arendt also knew this well, so instead of acting hastily, he focused on building a relationship of trust with them step by step.

It was when that stage was almost at its end that Arendt was caught. Therefore, the really important information about the imperial family had not yet been passed over.

Since nothing was given, nothing was received. Arendt also had no clues about that side.

For Arendt, there would have been no other choice but to go to the execution table. Just attempting betrayal while in the position of a knight was a serious enough crime, but Lee Soo-hyun was different. Because he re-read the novel several times, the subsequent plot remained largely in his mind.

He took a gamble by putting his own neck on the line.

“I’ll never do anything like that again.”

Even thinking about it now, it sent shivers down his spine.

Arendt, who was buttoning his shirt, shook his head to shake off his thoughts.

Even if the opposition from other nobles grew a little stronger, he was confident that he could handle it to some extent because Captain Raios was there.

To summarize Laius’ character in the novel, it is as follows.

A strong spirit and strength, and the determination to be infinitely ruthless towards enemies. Due to the trauma of losing his family at a young age, he cares more about his colleagues than necessary.

The last part was especially important since that was the idea that Arendt believed in.

Laius did not want to kill Arendt, who was his subordinate, so he thought that Laius would defend him if he had a proper basis.

The calculation worked out somewhat well. The fact that his neck was still intact was proof of that.

Arendt, dressed in uniform, looked at himself through the mirror with a frown on his face.

The appearance, which he had not been conscious of until now, was the same as Arendt von Eckhart described in the novel.

It seemed like it was worth it to get the dust off his body as soon as he came into this room yesterday. He saw that his white face was shiny and glowing.

The pure white silver hair that reached his shoulders was silky, and his golden eyes were something that Arendt, who always did his best to improve his appearance, would be proud of.

“You really screwed up.”

But that didn’t mean it would look good in his eyes right now.

After arranging his uniform, Arendt’s gaze landed on his wrist. There was a pure white silver bracelet that was not there before he was imprisoned.

It was an unpleasant gift given to him by Duke Lancelot and the knights.

“It’s not even a dog leash.”

His expression suddenly darkened.

No, he thought that a leash would have been better. This was an execution tool used on criminals with a flight risk, and Laius had the authority to operate it.

As soon as Laius lifts his finger once, the electric shock magic attached to this bracelet would be activated. Then, Arendt would have been roasted and would leave this world without even being able to utter a single word.

The magic was set to activate as soon as the bracelet showed signs of being removed or destroyed, so for the time being, he had to remain obedient as a sinful apprentice knight.

“What are you doing? It’s not like I betrayed you.”

Arendt grumbled irritably and lowered his sleeves to cover his bracelet.

For now, he had no choice but to live as Arendt von Eckhart. He had to find a way to return to his original world while staying fitfully within the Order.

‘Since we’ve come into this world, there must also be a way to go back.’

Actually, his body might not be safe since he was hit by the falling light, but he decided to think about it then. He felt like he had to swear at the leader of the troupe about the incident as soon as he got home to relieve his feelings.

He sighed and looked at himself in the mirror again.

‘He was a guy that was dreadfully hated.’

It was a face he never imagined he would see like this.

Lee Soo-hyun looked at himself with trembling eyes in the mirror, his image revealed to be Arendt, who he had been acting as just a moment ago.

Still, since it was like this, we were in a position to coexist whether we liked it or not.

“Please take care of me for the time being, you traitorous bastard.”