Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 409

“…More serious?”Victor, who had barely managed to come to his senses, pressed his temples and looked at the knights before him.

He realized that losing his temper any further here would only be a disadvantage to himself.

Llewellyn grumbled, resting his chin on his hand.

“It’s nearly impossible to shut that guy up. He’s the type who provokes even a dragon without hesitation. If someone like him was forced to speak in such a roundabout and troublesome way, then the situation must be truly serious.”

“…Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but if what you’re saying is true, doesn’t that mean they’ve effectively failed to silence him?”

Edgar, who had been listening quietly, intervened without realizing it.

He barely managed to suppress such a vulgar remark, but it seemed like his expression alone conveyed the message well enough.

After a moment of awkward silence, Laius bowed again to the Crown Prince.

“I’ll make sure to re-educate him soon.”

“Now that that’s out of the way, I’d appreciate it if you could tell me what the conversation was about. I’m not very perceptive, so I couldn’t understand a word of what was being said.”

Victor waved his hand, resting his forehead on his hand. It seemed he had given up.

Llewellyn groaned.

“First of all… Arendt encountered an unidentified figure at the ruins, and it seems that person took Sir Rider and Lord Salem hostage to silence him.”

Though it was routine to scold them as useless and incompetent, Arendt was someone who strictly upheld the boundaries he had set for himself.

The fact that someone like him went so far as to use words like ‘burden’ or ‘holding me back’ made it easy enough to infer what was going on.

“Since Sir Rider and Lord Salem fainted almost in unison, it was probably then.”

“If that’s the case, the enemy traveled with Lord Salem first, then encountered Sir Rider, Sir Arendt, and their group…”

Victor continued in an uncertain tone.

“Are you saying that in a split second, so quick that Sir Rider couldn’t even remember it, the enemy subdued the two at the same time, excluding Sir Arendt? Is that even realistically possible?”

Llewellyn nodded in response to his question filled of doubt.

“So the situation is dire, Brother. That means we’ve encountered a formidable enemy.”

Laius lowered his gaze and sighed.

“Arendt said that the dragon was also someone’s subordinate and that he must have withdrawn for a reason. This likely means that what they encountered was a being capable of giving orders to Nikephoros as well.”

Moreover, they were a person who was capable of putting Rider, Salem, and the royal knights to sleep at once.

Victor’s expression soon turned thoughtful as he pondered.

As if to prove his guess correct, Llewellyn groaned.

“They said Nikephoros was the second-in-command of the Chernion Cult… I can only think of one being higher than that.”

Then Laius drove the wedge in.

“The saintess appeared in the underground ruins.”

Contrary to his calm tone, his bright blue eyes were chillingly cold, like a frozen mountain in the dead of winter.

In an instant, the conference room became as quiet as a mouse.

“The saintess took Salem and Rider hostage and ordered Arendt to destroy the room in the ruins. After confirming the destruction, she ordered the dragon and his men to retreat.”

“The Chernion Cult’s purpose in occupying the palace was probably to destroy the underground ruins. Having achieved their goal, they withdrew without hesitation.”

Llewellyn added an explanation.

Victor couldn’t help but feel more and more astonished.

‘Surely…’

If it was the saintess, she might have been able to threaten Arendt, but somehow it didn’t feel realistic.

This was especially true because the people he was with were strangely calm.

Laius continued.

“And as for the identity of that relic, it seems to be something that shares a common thread with the things Arendt and Prince Llewellyn have been researching together recently.”

“There were a few discovered here and there outside of the Nephele Kingdom, but they were all destroyed, so there wasn’t much we could find out.”

Llewellyn mussed his hair irritably.

“It was completely left in the basement of this palace. And the fact that his life was in danger… means he’s confirmed the identity of that space, and that it’s something that shouldn’t be carelessly dug up.”

There were some parts that caught his eye.

Perhaps, this was evidence that might reveal the dark side of Luce, the god who claims to be the absolute good of this world.

But he wasn’t sure if he could say it out loud here.

Llewellyn glanced at Laius.

Arthur, who recalled something similar, anxiously examined his own attire.

As if noticing their gazes, Laius spoke first.

“It must have been a temple from before the Great War. Forgotten and buried beneath the palace walls, it was destroyed by God Chernion, who ordered his minions to destroy it.”

This was enough.

It was too dangerous a topic to report in detail to Victor right now.

Even without that, Victor would be struggling to organize the chaotic kingdom.

“By the way… I can probably guess why that kid was picking a fight with you. It seems like he destroyed what he was trying to find out with his own hands…”

Llewellyn naturally changed the subject.

“Besides, if our guess is correct, he was threatened, which was quite uncharacteristic for him. That guy’s got a temper and must be pretty upset. We should be careful; if we mess with him the wrong way, we won’t even have an intact body.”

His tone was as if he was making a light joke.

It was completely out of place in the horrific situation of an apprentice knight who faced the saintess of the Evil Cult alone.

“…I don’t think this is something you can say so lightly.”

The Crown Prince, who had been silent for a moment, let out a short sigh.

“Honestly, I’m a little taken aback. Everyone’s so calm. Am I the one who’s weird?”

“It would be better to look at the situation objectively rather than panicking.”

Llewellyn shrugged, as if imitating someone. Victor slowly lowered his gaze at the remarkably straightforward answer.

“…I see.”

He even thought that this strange sense of calm might be due to the influence of that apprentice knight.

‘I guess that means they are that close to each other.’

Arendt didn’t seem to have even the slightest thought that they might doubt him.

Due to that, he could have shamelessly acted and continued to make false reports.

‘Besides, he had no doubt that they would accurately grasp his intentions.’

It was quite contradictory, considering that he had always acted as if no one would easily believe him.

‘They also seem to accept that fact as a given.’

It was a situation where a young apprentice knight could be flustered by a major incident and make a wrong decision, or hide the parts that would be disadvantageous to himself.

But none of them, including Laius, seemed to consider such a possibility at all.

Anyone who looked at it would see that it was a relationship of trust beyond common sense.

Watching that scene, he felt both incredulous and, on the other hand…

“I’m a little jealous.”

Llewellyn tilted his head at the words Victor had said impulsively.

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“No, it’s nothing.”

But Victor just shook his head.

“It will be difficult to announce this publicly for now, but we will proceed with the recovery process, keeping in mind the possibility of the saintess reappearing.”

“I will report this to the Empire as well. The fact that she took action herself is something we cannot afford to ignore.”

Laius answered calmly.

“The captured priests will be interrogated by the Imperial Knights. There’s a high chance they’ll lose their memories upon awakening, but for now, we plan to wake them up one by one and interrogate them.”

The enemies who survived the battlefield were knocked unconscious and sedated with sleeping herbs.

It was the thought that perhaps they could delay the memory loss a little.

Ain, Roger’s henchman who was captured by Richt and Arthur, was also included in those.

“We plan to hand over those who joined the cult to a rehabilitation facility established by the Nephele Kingdom. Would that be acceptable?”

“To think you even helped with the cleanup, how can I ever repay this kindness?”

Victor smiled bitterly.

“Once again, I express my gratitude for your help. If it weren’t for you, I truly wouldn’t have been able to do anything.”

“I just did what had to be done.”

Victor smiled and said to Laius, who answered humbly.

“May Lord Luce’s blessing continue to be with you…”

But he couldn’t even finish the sentence.

It was because the short blessings that he always used to say so easily got stuck in his throat for some reason.

Suddenly, the face of his mother, who was now locked in the underground prison, came to mind.

She said that her son, her husband, and even God Luce were indifferent to her.

So she sought out a being who would grant her wish and turned to Chernion.

‘Maybe that’s not wrong.’

Victor managed to suppress his sigh and added with difficulty.

“May blessings be upon you.”

“…”

But Laius did not respond. Neither did Llewellyn.

They just gave a vague smile and a light nod.

An awkward silence fell in the conference room.

“…”

He couldn’t figure out the reason, but Victor had a gut feeling that he had made a slip of the tongue.

Even though it was natural to bestow blessings in the name of God Luce upon the hero chosen by the Holy Sword.

“…For the time being, the Imperial Knights will remain in the kingdom and assist with the recovery efforts. Please take good care of us.”

It was Laius who broke the silence. His words effectively signaled the end of the meeting.

“Oh yes, I’m the one who’s counting on you.”

Victor nodded his head in bewilderment.

Laius left again to oversee the cleanup operations, while Richt and Arthur were granted some free time.

After they were left alone, Richt suddenly spoke.

“Arthur. Is there anything you need to do now?”

“Huh?”

Arthur, who was about to naturally head towards Arendt’s room, stopped walking.

“No… we’re injured, and the captain didn’t assign us any other tasks. So we don’t really have anything to do.”

“If that’s the case, let’s talk for a moment.”

It was a rather sudden suggestion. Arthur blinked, bewildered.

“What are you talking about so suddenly?”

“I have something I want to ask.”

Richt’s face was stiff and tense.

It was only then that Arthur realized something was wrong.

And finally, the question Arthur had been worried about came out of Richt’s mouth.

“Do you know what Prince Llewellyn and Arendt were investigating?”

Arthur answered, keeping his expression steady.

“No, of course not…”

“Certainly, I lack tact and am unable to doubt others, just as you think.”

Arthur, who had been soundlessly moving his lips a few times, closed his mouth tightly.

“Still, I can definitely make judgments based on what I’ve seen and heard.”

“…”

“Both the Captain and the Prince just glossed over the identity of the relic beneath the palace.”

That was an accurate point.

Richt looked straight into Arthur’s eyes and spoke bluntly.

“What do you mean by ‘dangerous’? Is it related to Arendt’s recent severe insomnia?”

“No, that’s…”

“I know full well that this isn’t something the captain can easily discuss with us. That’s why I’ve kept quiet until now.”

Arthur tried to make an excuse, but Richt cut him off.

“But there are limits to just watching.”

Not long after narrowly escaping death, the worst-case scenario occurred: Arendt ended up facing the enemy leader alone.

It would not have been surprising if Arendt, Salem, and even Rider had lost their lives.

“I believe that I, too, have the right to know what the captain I follow and the juniors I’m responsible for are up against.”

In this situation, he could no longer just sit back and watch.

“So tell me. If any problems arise, I’ll take responsibility.”

He never wanted to experience that helpless feeling again, trembling in front of his junior, who was covered in blood and dying.