Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 364

Victor’s voice continued slowly.“I saw His Majesty’s arm sticking out from under the blanket. The skin was blackened and dead… it looked damaged, just like a corpse. And my Uncle is hiding His Majesty in that state.”

“…”

This was something he had not expected.

It was hard to decide whether to believe those words, but Victor, whose hands were trembling, didn’t seem like he was lying.

“So… are you saying that the Duke is hiding His Majesty’s body?”

After a long time, Llewellyn frowned and asked. But Victor couldn’t answer right away.

“…I certainly judged it that way, but I don’t think it’s something I can give a definitive answer to.”

Victor spoke again after a while and added with a puzzled look on his face.

“His Majesty has moved.”

“…Yes?”

Llewellyn was dumbfounded. He had no idea how to handle this situation.

“You just said… that he didn’t look like a living person.”

“Yes. He moved in that state. I saw it with my own two eyes.”

Victor’s hand tightly gripped the table.

“The arm that was lying on the bed was clearly moving. The skin was clearly black and dead, and even the fingernails had turned blue… but it was as if the body was trying to get up.”

Although he tried hard to remain calm, eventually Victor’s voice began to tremble.

“It seemed like he was definitely trying to say something, but I couldn’t see it clearly. I was dragged out by my uncle’s hand.”

“…Are you sure that it was His Majesty? And it wasn’t another body?”

Llewellyn, who had been momentarily dazed, asked again. Then Victor replied in a tormented manner.

“Yes, I am sure. No matter how damaged it may be, how could I not recognize my father’s hand?”

“…”

Llewellyn was left speechless.

Only one phrase came to mind: . After barely managing to collect his thoughts, Llewellyn spoke again.

“What did the Duke say? I don’t think you would have just stayed still.”

“Of course I confronted him. But he brushed it off, saying it was just my misunderstanding, that His Majesty’s skin was affected by the weather… something like that. I haven’t seen Uncle since.”

Victor lowered his gaze.

“How could I believe such a lie? It is clear that my uncle has harmed His Majesty. His Majesty is already dead, and it is clear that my uncle has used evil tricks.”

Victor shuddered as the memory of what he had seen came back to him.

Llewellyn could easily guess that this was probably the reason why the King’s death was announced to other countries.

Victor wanted to inform his allies that the King was in trouble.

‘It wouldn’t have been a very good idea to just tell the truth.’

The ‘evil tricks’ Victor spoke of were most likely referring to ghouls.

The Crown Prince was now saying that the King had become a ghoul. If this fact were revealed to the outside world, the entire Lucain Kingdom could be put in danger.

The fact that the King might be being manipulated ultimately suggested that the entire Lucain Kingdom might have fallen into the hands of the Evil Cult.

Of course, Crown Prince Victor could have been free from suspicion if he had informed the public of the situation, but he wanted to avoid a situation where the entire royal family, excluding himself, would be suspected.

“But the palace is already full of my uncle’s people. I don’t know who to trust…”

Victor’s voice gradually began to fade into a whisper.

“So, I shamefully asked for help from other kingdoms, but there’s been no reply yet. They’re probably pretty taken aback. It wouldn’t take much investigation to realize the official report is a lie.”

“…”

“It is only natural that they suspect that this is a trap. So, can’t you help me, Prince Llewellyn? Aren’t you close with the Caerleon Empire?”

As he watched Victor speak earnestly, a part of his heart felt heavy.

‘What should I do with this innocent and foolish Crown Prince?’

Despite everything that had happened, Victor still didn’t harbor the slightest doubt in himself. At this point, it was becoming almost heartbreaking to watch.

Llewellyn felt a little lost. Sometimes he thought he understood why Arendt had been rolling his eyes at the knights, saying he was dying of frustration.

‘Anyway, is the Crown Prince innocent…?’

Llewellyn frowned and swallowed a sigh.

If everything he heard so far was true, it would be right to take action as soon as possible.

Just then, there was a pause in the conversation.

A somewhat hasty knock broke the silence.

“Your Highness, Your Highness! Are you there? This is Knight Captain Edgar!”

A hasty shout followed. Llewellyn and Victor both looked up in surprise.

It was only then that the two realized that the outside had become somewhat noisy.

They were so engrossed in the conversation that they didn’t notice the change.

Victor, who suddenly came to his senses, answered while facing the door.

“What’s going on?”

“There has been an intruder in the palace! The situation is dangerous, so I will take you and the prince to a safe place separately!”

.

It was Llewellyn, not Crown Prince Victor, who reacted first to those words.

Even when Victor, in a panic, abruptly rose from his seat, and when the Knight Captain of the Lucain Kingdom entered the room, Llewellyn remained frozen in place, unable to move.

“Prince, I think it would be best for you to go to a safe place with me first. I will escort you.”

After a brief conversation with Knight Captain Edgar, Victor quickly turned to Llewellyn.

But Llewellyn just looked into the air with empty eyes.

Victor, puzzled, called him again.

“Prince Llewellyn?”

But the answer he got was quite different from what Victor had expected.

“…This bastard is really…”

“Yes?”

Llewellyn saw Victor’s eyes widen and barely managed to suppress the curse that was about to escape his mouth.

Fortunately, Edgar did not notice anything strange and continued his report.

“Don’t worry too much. Duke Middleton is dealing with this himself right now, so it will be resolved soon.”

“The intruder targeted my uncle?”

Victor asked in confusion. It didn’t make sense that Duke Middleton had suddenly been attacked, given that he had assumed that he was on the side of the Evil Cult.

Somehow understanding what that voice meant, Edgar reassured him.

“As Your Highness knows, Duke Middleton is a strong man. An intruder who comes alone will not be his match.”

“…That’s funny.”

Eventually, Llewellyn ended up muttering to himself in a very small voice.

There’s no way he’s going to be his match. At this point, it would be better to worry about Duke Middleton’s safety.

That intruder was probably an apprentice knight that even the Empire can’t handle.

‘As soon as I get back, I have to ask Captain Laius for some stomach medicine.’

Llewellyn unconsciously placed a hand on his aching forehead.

It felt as if a hole might tear open in his stomach at any moment.

Duke Middleton was engrossed in paperwork in his room. It was a room the King had given him to rest in, but he had unintentionally been using it almost as an office.

‘His Highness the Crown Prince… has ended up turning away.’

But the Duke couldn’t easily concentrate on his overtime work. Although he had a mountain of work to do, all sorts of distracting thoughts were bothering him.

He wanted to somehow gain the Crown Prince’s trust. But it didn’t seem like it would be easy.

Duke Middleton was also well aware that he was deeply anxious.

It was something he had fully prepared for from the moment he entered the palace. To the Crown Prince, his uncle’s power would inevitably be a thorn in his side.

‘I never thought it would turn out like this.’

Still, the Duke thought that since they were related by blood and the prince was still young, he could easily change his mind. However, the situation was not favorable.

The Crown Prince was already on guard, so he didn’t know what kind of impulsive action he would take.

‘I guess it’s time to make a decision.’

For the kingdom’s safety and the glory of the great God.

The Duke, who had taken his eyes off the documents without realizing it, slowly rubbed his face. A rough but devout prayer flowed from his mouth.

“…May God look down on our lowly selves.”

The moment the murmuring voice stopped, the Duke suddenly felt a chill run through his body.

Suddenly, the temperature in the room seemed to drop. The air changed in an instant and the lamp on the desk flickered ominously.

The moment he realized all that, the Duke noticed that there was someone standing by the window.

His blood ran cold.

Sitting on the chair, the Duke slowly reached out his hand to the sword placed beside him.

“…Who are you?”

“I had high expectations since he is a famous duke. But he seems to be quite dull.”

A mocking reply came back.

It was a rather strange voice, somewhat youthful yet tinged with a metallic edge, hardly what you’d call an ordinary man’s voice.

The Duke warned again.

“I asked who you were.”

“Before you ask who I am, show me your face first. Isn’t conversation originally something you share by making eye contact?”

It was clearly a voice laced with laughter, but there was an indescribable eerieness to it.

Somehow the air surrounding him seemed to have gotten colder.

A cold sweat ran down his back. His hand gripped the sword tightly.

‘You’re saying I’m nervous?’

The Duke’s face hardened as he suddenly realized his own condition.

But that was only for a moment, as Duke Middleton slowly took a deep breath, stood up from his chair, and looked back.

The window, which had clearly been tightly shut, was now wide open, revealing the pitch-black night sky.

“…”

The intruder, standing with his back to the window, surprisingly looked like a rather young boy.

He tried to check the face, but it was not possible because the figure was standing in an exquisite position with his back to the moonlight and the lamp’s light not reaching him.

Because he was wearing a robe and a hood pulled down low, it was impossible to see his facial features or detailed body shape.

“You say that conversation requires eye contact, but it looks like you have no intention of doing the same.”

As the Duke spoke calmly, a deep, heavy tone flowed from his frame.

“Regrettably, it seems you have little intention of engaging in conversation with me.”

He couldn’t figure out who the other person was at all.

At first glance, he looked young, but his tone and actions made him seem like a fairly old middle-aged man.

In addition, he had a sword hanging from his waist that looked rather large compared to his body size, so every single one of his actions could not help but feel strange.

The Duke tightened his grip on his sword.

“Why are you so certain?”

“Wouldn’t it be a bit difficult to have a friendly chat while both of us are armed?”

Duke Middleton growled again, his voice hoarse as the intruder let out a small laugh.

“I would have told you to reveal your identity.”

“You’re quite insolent.”

A displeased reply came from beneath the robe.

The intruder strode closer to the Duke under the dim moonlight.

“Since you asked who I am… if you’re curious, I’d be happy to answer.”

The Duke’s face crumpled at the blatant mocking voice.

Beneath the robe, a pair of eyes of indeterminate color held a sharp, mocking smile.

“I am a servant who closely serves the great Chernion, the one who has received the grace of darkness.”

As he continued to speak, the Duke’s heart began to beat faster and faster.

The Duke stared at the intruder, trying to calm his breathing.

“A warrior who guards the noble darkness with the Sword of the Broken Heart.”

The face beneath the hood seemed to be swallowed by the abyss. Under the darkness that protected him, the intruder slightly spread his arms.

The eerie voice fully revealed his full faith.

“I have come to meet you in person on behalf of the Great One.”

Of course, the person hiding under the robe was an apprentice knight of the Caerleon Empire who had no faith and only hatred for God.

Unfortunately, Duke Middleton was not capable of seeing through that.