Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 159

At that time, a heated argument broke out in the conference room located deep within the Great Temple.“How could His Majesty do this…!”

One of the old priests finally burst out in anger.

“It is clear that he does not fully understand the current situation. Otherwise…”

“I agree with you. I think it is understandable since His Majesty has been keeping a low profile lately.”

“No, I think a little differently. I can fully accept His Majesty’s decision. You need to know your enemy to be able to prepare for it.”

“I agree. Of course, it is an issue that must be approached with caution, but I don’t think the Imperial Knights and His Highness the Crown Prince would be ignorant of that level of discernment.”

“But His Highness the Crown Prince is still young!”

“He is young. Be careful with your words. His Highness the Crown Prince has done well enough so far.”

As voices grew louder, Priest Lumiel quietly listened to the conversation.

High Priest Theodore, sitting at the highest table, let out a slow sigh.

“…Stop it. Why are you making a fuss in the temple?”

“I’m sorry, Your Excellency.”

The elders quickly shut their mouths.

High Priest Theodore, who had been pressing his wrinkled brows, slowly raised his head.

“Haa… Priest Lumiel. What is your opinion?”

“Your Excellency, I believe I have already expressed my opinion several times.”

A calm, yet firm answer came back from Priest Lumiel.

“The unknown creates more anxiety than the visible threat. If you can investigate, you should investigate.”

“Priest Lumiel, I know this may be rude, but I would like to take this opportunity to ask you a question.”

The High Priest, who had been staring at her with sunken eyes, spoke.

“I understand that you have been visiting the palace frequently recently. Has that time affected your judgment?”

Although the tone was soft, Priest Lumiel could clearly sense the thorn contained within.

“Does it matter?”

“It is important. His Majesty the First Emperor had a profound meaning behind the fact that the palace and temple were located separately.”

“Are you talking about inviolability?”

“Yes. The temple serves Lord Luce with a pious heart, and the imperial family looks after the empire and benefits it even more.”

High Priest Theodore spoke with a mocking sternness.

“Of course, it is important to share wisdom and move forward together, but it is not good to interfere too much.”

“Your Excellency, I am sorry to say this, but I believe that your prohibition of the investigation is also interference.”

The High Priest’s face hardened at Priest Lumiel’s words.

“The realm of the gods is a matter for the temple to decide.”

“But right now, the ones who are actually fighting are His Highness the Crown Prince and the Imperial Knights. Is it right for us, who are not even participating in the fight, to interfere with that?”

“Your Excellency, did you say it was an interference? I think it was a necessary protection.”

“Protection from what?”

“Protection from the outstretched hand of the evil god.”

“You have to be realistic. There are limits to what the temple can do. Just hiding things isn’t the answer.”

After the words of Priest Lumiel, the two just stared at each other in silence.

The other priests swallowed dry saliva and watched the situation.

The two had been at odds with each other for a long time, but with the advent of the evil god, it became more and more frequent.

Finally, a rather sharp voice came out of the mouth of High Priest Theodore.

“There is nothing you can’t do with Luce.”

“No, there are certainly things that are impossible. God is certainly omnipotent and omniscient, but we who follow his will are mere mortals.”

But Priest Lumiel remained calm.

The High Priest, who had been staring at her for a long time, spoke.

“…Priest Lumiel, I heard that you have been visiting the palace frequently recently and have often met privately with a certain apprentice knight of the Imperial Knights.”

“Yes.”

“I heard that the young man was very capable, but had a strange personality and never prayed.”

At present, Arendt’s unconventional actions in the Empire were becoming as famous as the heroic tales of Laius.

Most people looked at Captain Laius with admiration and favor, but things were a little different for Arendt, who refused to be bound by convention.

“I know better than anyone that Priest Lumiel has a free spirit. That’s why I am somewhat concerned that you might have been adversely influenced by him.”

“Your Excellency, I understand your concerns, but… I find it somewhat embarrassing to have my private life mentioned in a place like this.”

Priest Lumiel added firmly.

“And it is natural for those with different views to exchange ideas, as Your Excellency and I have done over the years.”

“Then it would have been possible for you to lead him in a good direction.”

By good direction, he meant that she could have led Arendt, who did not believe in God, to the temple.

Priest Lumiel’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Although he doesn’t rely on Lord Luce, he is a young man with his own outlook on life. It wouldn’t be a good idea to reach out to someone who doesn’t need help just out of greed.”

“Wouldn’t it be better to lead him to Luce’s arms?”

“That young man is already in the fullness of the grace of light. Just because he does not pray does not mean that what was there will not be erased.”

“…”

“…”

As the two people who had been arguing fell silent, a cold silence fell over the conference room.

Another person who had been observing carefully spoke.

“…Since it doesn’t seem like there will be a conclusion, I think we should call it a day… It’s getting very late.”

“…That would be nice.”

As the High Priest , who had been coldly staring at Priest Lumiel for a long time, spoke thus, small sighs of relief burst out here and there.

As the High Priest left the meeting without even offering a short prayer to conclude the meeting, the others also began to leave the conference room one by one, keeping an eye on things.

Looking at the backs of the priests, Priest Lumiel could only sigh deeply.

“Wow…”

Arendt, who read the short letter, expressed his admiration.

The sender was Priest Lumiel, and the messenger from the temple had brought it in a hurry.

The content was that High Priest Theodore was wary of Arendt and urged him to be careful.

“The atmosphere is getting more and more heated.”

“You look really excited?”

“Well, it feels good.”

“You crazy bastard.”

Arendt’s indifferent response was immediately met with a curse.

The palace was literally on the verge of explosion.

There were also nobles who took the side of the High Priest in order to use this opportunity to check the authority of the Crown Prince, those who were worried that the Emperor was suddenly meddling in the Crown Prince’s affairs, and those who criticized the High Priest and took the side of the Crown Prince…

Most of the nobles and priests got involved in this discussion, and all sorts of interests became entangled and factions were divided.

Anyone who has been caught up in this mess, whether willingly or not, would have no idea that this mess was caused by a crazy apprentice knight who went to the Emperor and made a deal to keep the High Priest in check.

“Hey, I’m starting to get scared. What’s going to happen from now on?”

“You’ll know when you see it. There’s still one step left. Maybe… this evening?”

“…”

Although he was usually the type of guy who didn’t show any emotions other than irritation and nervousness, the crazy guy looked genuinely happy right now.

“I’m leaving. Don’t come looking for me.”

“Please, get out of here now.”

Arthur, who had been watching him quietly, chose to keep his distance like Richt, who had run away early, saying that one should not keep a madman close.

That evening, Arendt’s prophecy became reality.

The Emperor, who had been living quietly, called a meeting of the palace officials.

The results from the short one-hour meeting were as follows:

If this continues, it seems like the argument will never end, so let’s hold a joint meeting with the Temple.

Everyone who was trembling with excitement over the situation agreed with the Emperor’s suggestion and the Crown Prince’s suggestion.

The decision was immediately relayed to the Great Temple, and most of the priests except for the High Priest agreed, and even the High Priest could only nod in defeat after being persuaded by several senior priests.

It was the Emperor who proposed it in the first place, so it would be absurd for him, even if he were the High Priest, to reject it without a clear justification.

Instead, the High Priest set a condition that the meeting should be held in the Great Temple. The idea was that everyone would come to a conclusion that would not be shameful before the god Luce.

Of course, the emperor agreed.

The date was also set for two days later, as it was thought that time should not be delayed too long.

Meanwhile, Arendt was busy running around.

It seemed like he was going to meet someone, but they didn’t even have the courage to ask what on earth he was doing.

The knights who had been watching him with a trembling expression decided to just pretend they didn’t see him. They didn’t want to further provoke the madman since he had already been poking a hornet’s nest.

And the night before the meeting, Arendt was summoned to a conference room where the Knight Captains and the Crown Prince were gathered.

Everyone had subtle expressions on their faces.

They were feeling seriously tired of this mess, but on the other hand, they didn’t completely hate it, and their ambivalent feelings were clearly revealed.

Arendt, who had been admiring the sight for a moment, asked plainly.

“Is it fun?”

“…”

The expressions of the Crown Prince and the Knight Captains became more complicated.

“Why did you call me here?”

“…Sometimes I really don’t know you… Yeah, let’s talk about tomorrow’s meeting. There are more people who want to attend than I thought, so it’s going to be big. Not everyone will be able to speak, but there will be a lot of eyes watching.”

Cantares let out a deep sigh and furrowed his brow.

“And?”

“I, the Knight Captains, and several knights who were deeply involved in the Rebecca incident will attend. And from the temple side, High Priest Theodore and the priests recommended by the High Priest will attend.”

“If the High Priest recommended them, then everyone on the Priest Lumiel’s side will just observe?”

“Yes, but I heard that Priest Lumiel is attending the meeting.”

However, it was unclear how much influence she would be able to exert.

“His Majesty said that he would not interfere unless absolutely necessary, so we have to figure it out among ourselves.”

“Hmm. Well, it’s a bit embarrassing to get involved in a dogfight like this.”

Cantares let out another short sigh as he watched Arendt nod dryly.

“…I won’t stop you.”

After a brief pause, Diana blurted out.

When Arendt blinked at the unexpected words, Kendrick chuckled next to her.

“I’m not going to try to stop it. I’m thinking of fanning the flames too.”

“No matter how arrogant you are, it won’t be easy to open your mouth in a place like that.”

Tsk, Cantares clicked his tongue in annoyance and crossed his arms as he added.

“We’ll take care of that, so you can just step in when the time is right. I prepared what you said well, so there won’t be any problems. So…”

A sigh escaped the Crown Prince’s mouth for what may have been the umpteenth time.

Was it really okay to let that bastard loose in Luce’s temple?

The conflict that had been brewing for several days was about to resurface, but it was already too late.

“Since it’s come to this, why don’t you just open your mouth and say something? I won’t bother you.”

“Why are you making such an obvious point so tragic?”

Arendt, who had been listening quietly, tilted his head.

“Just look forward to it. You’ll be able to see things that would be hard to see anywhere else.”

“I knew you’d say that, you punk.”

At the usual arrogant tone, Cantares couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.