Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 129

Of course, Cantares had not been sitting idly during that time.The day he received word from Declan that a report had arrived, Cantares called an urgent meeting.

“Similar cases continued to occur not only in the Kingdom of Lucain, but also in other countries. We have heard of three more cases in the past week alone.”

“When did they happen?”

“The most recent one was last week. They say it’s still being suppressed, but the instigator of the riot appears to have already escaped surveillance.”

In response to Kendrick’s question, Cantares slammed a report down on the conference room table.

“They said they are tracking him, but it will be difficult to capture him. They sent a letter asking for cooperation as he may have already crossed the border.”

“They’ve expanded their area of ​​activity.”

Diana said calmly.

“The timing is really coincidental. This happened as soon as the news was spread to other countries.”

“I’d say it was appropriate rather than coincidental. They must have been preparing for this for quite some time.”

Everyone nodded at Kendrick’s words.

If the information had been released just a little later, the damage could have been greater.

“I said I’d share what I found out, so you’ll hear from them soon. And he said he had something to say, too.”

Cantares turned his gaze towards the apprentice knight occupying one side of the conference room.

Arendt met the Crown Prince’s eyes and opened his mouth.

“I received a call from Lord Neumann regarding the rioters. Let me cut to the chase and get to the point.”

“…”

“We’re in big trouble now.”

“Cough, cough!”

The apprentice knight’s nonchalant addition made Cantares choke for a moment.

The knight captains also found themselves dumbfounded for a moment.

The Crown Prince, who had been coughing for a long time, let out a loud scream.

“Hey, why do you say something like that so casually?”

It was a moment when the serious atmosphere was completely shattered.

“Lord Neumann reported this this morning. It was an urgent matter that did not even require time to prepare a formal report, so I also heard about it through the communicator.”

Arendt shrugged his shoulders naturally and continued.

“The investigator… that is, Mr. Declan. He entered the city disguised as a traveler, and saw that the statue of Luce had been destroyed.”

“What? The statue?”

“Yes, the statue in the square was damaged.”

A calm answer came back to Laius’ question, who was still doubting his ears.

“It was a large statue erected instead of a separate temple, but it was covered in graffiti and its face was broken. In any case, it was a miserable sight.”

“Ugh…”

“The security forces had already fallen into their hands. There were also people guarding the front to prevent the restoration of the body.”

Kendrick’s sighs were overshadowed by Arendt’s voice that followed. It was hard to believe that these events had taken place within the Holy Nation of Caerleon.

“When he went into the inn and took a room, the innkeeper even tried to proselytize him. He said that there was a god who is so merciful and great that he cannot be compared to someone like Luce.”

It was referring to Chernion.

“…”

A deep silence fell on the conference room.

After a long while, Cantares crumpled his face and barely managed to open his mouth.

“This is what is happening in the Caerleon Empire right now?”

“Then where else? An entire city was eaten. The god Luce was insulted.”

Cantares was once again left speechless by the cold and indifferent answer.

It wasn’t an exaggeration at all to say that it was a big deal. Rather, it was scary how that guy could talk about such things so nonchalantly.

“There was a guy who was going around telling people about a new religion. But I think he’s already left the city and gone somewhere else.”

“Are they doing the same thing somewhere else?”

“That’s right. When I asked him what he looked like, he seemed similar to the guy who showed up in the Kingdom of Lucain. He was a man covered in wounds and had many strange scars.”

Arendt, who had given Laius the answer, crossed his arms and tilted his head.

“In addition, there were also suspicious movements such as gathering weapons in the name of the police. It was said that the atmosphere was such that a riot could break out at any moment.”

“When did he leave the city?”

“They say it happened about a week ago. They don’t know where he went, but Mr. Declan said he’s investigating.”

A week would have been enough time to start planning the next task.

An awkward silence once again settled into the conference room.

It wouldn’t be surprising if they were bought with money.

But they abandoned the god they had considered their home for their entire lives. The wavering of a person’s heart was something that could not be controlled by power or force.

One part of their hearts felt creepy.

Arendt nodded his head curiously.

“I’ll tell you in advance, I hope the temple doesn’t get involved in this matter.”

Cantares frowned at the apprentice knight’s words.

“Are you saying that we should just leave alone those who joined the evil cult and blasphemed Lord Luce?” Dıscover more novels at NoveIＦire.net

“A person who is scammed by a scammer is merely a victim.”

.

If they only referred to those who did missionary work as such, then those who fell for it would also become mere victims.

“It is the role of the temple to admonish the fools who have fallen for such a foolish religion, but at least now is not the time for them to step in.”

Laius, who had been silent, opened his mouth.

“There has been no riot or rebellion yet, so they are not a target for suppression. We must minimize the shedding of blood as much as possible.”

If this had reached the ears of High Priest Theodore, it would certainly not end there. The temple would not have left alone the residents who had changed their minds and joined heresy.

But others couldn’t nod easily.

Kendrick looked down and replied with a displeased look.

“But they could turn into rebels at any time. Even if they don’t yet, who knows what could happen as we move toward them.”

The opponents were the Chernionists. It was clearly a serious crime to listen to them in a situation where a large-scale wanted notice was issued.

When the Crown Prince, lost in thought, stayed silent, no one was able to speak up.

However, that did not mean that it was desirable to point swords at civilians who were not properly armed.

At that moment, the uncomfortable silence grew longer.

Tsk, Arendt clicked his tongue, raised one hand, and then, bam, he slammed his hand on the table.

Those who raised their heads in surprise met their gazes with a pair of golden eyes filled with annoyance.

“Why are you acting so frustrated? I can’t stand seeing things get complicated just because you’re afraid of the old man interfering.”

He was probably the only person in the world who would dare call the High Priest of this empire that way.

At the moment when the Crown Prince and the captains opened their mouths in surprise at the outrageous remark, Arendt spoke.

“Whether it’s dragons or humans, the ones fighting us are the people who live on this land, and we’re the ones who are being dragged around, so why do you keep bringing in gods?”

“No…”

“Even if it’s called a statue, it’s just a decorative piece made of stone. How can it be the true incarnation of the god Luce?”

The apprentice knight didn’t give Cantares a chance to protest.

“If you feel wronged by being cursed at and having your reputation broken, then come to Luce yourself and ask him to take care of the situation. Then I will shut my mouth.”

“…”

“If not, then you should just stay still and pray quietly. Isn’t it so that the royal family and the temple can keep each other in check at times like this?”

It was a blasphemy so dizzying that it made them see stars, but it was also truly a shame that they could not refute it.

“There might be a rebellion, but nothing has happened yet. All we have to do is make the fools who were fooled by the con artists come to their senses, catch the culprits, and threaten them to tell us where their base is. Why are you taking it so seriously?”

Cantares awkwardly raised the corners of his mouth as he faced the apprentice knight who was glaring at him fiercely after spouting off an unexpectedly long speech.

“Are you… angry?”

“Your Highness, you keep annoying me.”

Tsk, Arendt clicked his tongue again and brushed back his flowing bangs.

“And, can’t you do the math? Even if they were fooled, they are still citizens of the empire. Even if we step forward and punish them, it’s only like cutting off our own flesh.”

“Okay, I got it. Stop it, my ears are bleeding! It was my fault.”

In the end, Cantares had no choice but to wave his hands and declare surrender.

Arendt, who had been looking at the Crown Prince with displeasure, added in a voice that still contained annoyance.

“Anyway, we need to get back what was taken away. Needless to say, we need to kick those fake bastards’ butts.”

“Haa… Really, that person has such a bad temper.”

Even the god who made dragons tremble seemed to have no meaning to him.

Without realizing it, all the strength left his tense body. It was because he felt like an idiot for thinking so seriously.

Cantares, who had been pressing his forehead, let out a tired sound.

“Calculation… Yes, if we calculate the profit and loss as you said, it’s right for us to handle it on our own.”

“Your Highness, are you serious?”

“That bastard’s words are harsh, but he’s not wrong. If things get any worse, it’ll only get harder to handle.”

Cantares nodded at Diana’s question.

“But if we are to eliminate the temple, we must do this perfectly on our own. Is there a way to do that?”

“We need to bring back to their senses those fools who have fallen for the evil religion.”

Arendt gave his answer, still not hiding his displeasure.

“Even if they are affected by an artifact, there may be a way to destroy it.”

The memory manipulation artifact, ‘The Breath of Mnemosyne, could only be activated if the opponent had faith in the evil god. This was a fact that both Cantares and the captains knew.

“If that faith is broken, the effects of the artifact may also disappear.”

“In theory, yes, but I don’t think it’ll be as easy as it sounds.”

“Since it turned out like this anyway, we should at least try.”

Arendt added, giving Kendrick a casual shrug.

After seeing that, they were convinced that he already had a plan in mind.

Cantares let out a short sigh and nodded.

“…Okay. I’ll trust you for now. Captain Kendrick, Captain Diana. You two, track down the guy who left the city. And Captain Laius.”

“Yes.”

Laius, whose name had been called, answered neatly.

“Take that damn guy to the scene. I’ll leave the solution up to him or now, but I can’t afford to drag it out too long. You understand?”

The temple would soon learn of this news, so they had to move as quickly as possible.

“Yes, I understand.”

“And, Arendt.”

“Yes.”

The Crown Prince glared at Arendt, who answered dryly.

“…It’s come to this, so just do whatever you want. I’ll take care of the cleanup.”

“I thought so even if you didn’t say anything.”

In response to the straightforward reply, Cantares simply shook his head as if he had a headache.