Betrayal Knight’s Joyful Faith - Chapter 459



Only Krnovel

The Cheerful God of Betrayal Chapter 459

After that, for a while, Arendt could often be seen in the dormitory, eating snacks with a very pouty face.

“… … Be honest with me. You can’t bear to chew on His Highness the Crown Prince, so you chew on a snack instead?”

Arthur, sitting on the sofa across from me, spoke in a trembling voice.

“What on earth did you say to His Majesty? Why did you suddenly change your mind?”

“It’s a secret. You’ll never know.”

Arthur asked slyly, but as usual, he only got a harsh answer. Arthur didn’t ask any more questions and just leaned back against the sofa.

“Hey, you cheeky brat.”

Despite having been so frighteningly ill, Arendt was recovering quickly.

“Are you feeling okay? You look fine today.”

“It would be strange if you slept so soundly and still feel fine.”

No matter what I said, I got a harsh response, so it seemed like I was really upset.

Even so, right now he just looks like a tantrum-throwing brat.

It was a natural thing.

I wasn’t allowed to step outside the dormitory, and I was even given strict orders not to do anything until I turned my weight around to the crown prince.

‘Just looking at his momentum, it seems like he’s about to commit treason… … .’

All I could do right now was eat every meal in the dormitory, and stuff snacks into my mouth in between.

It was enough to make Arendt’s temperament ache.

“Senior, why do you follow me around like this? Don’t you have anything to do?”

“His Highness the Crown Prince and the Commander-in-Chief have orders. They want you to be watched so you don’t do anything out of the ordinary. By the way, I’ll be switching places with Senior Licht in the afternoon. Next up is Prince Llewelyn.”

“Oh, really!”

Eventually, Arendt burst into rage.

“I’m not going anywhere! So just go do what you have to do! This is so annoying!”

“Don’t believe me, kid. You can find plenty of work to do even in the dorms.”

But it was nonsense that didn’t even make sense.

Arendt, unable to bear the irritation any longer, banged her head on the sofa cushion.

“Until your uniform fits properly again, you are not allowed to bring in any documents. I told that to Lord Neumann. If you run away, Lexion will come and catch you right away, so keep that in mind.”

Arthur’s voice was heard giggling.

“People who are going to fuck off… … .”

I was truly angry. It was like receiving full retribution for all the karma I had done.

Arthur looked at Arendt with eyes that seemed to be dying of joy and took a bite of a cookie.

Of course, even at this moment, the outside was noisy.

The war was getting more intense by the day, and shouts were heard every day in the main temple and the palace.

‘For now, His Highness the Crown Prince and the Commander-in-Chief are said to be restraining it.’

That probably won’t last long either.

But it didn’t seem to matter much.

It was pretty entertaining just watching that guy trying to die from the drugs right now.

“You eat all of those snacks. There’s also a special herbal medicine that Lord Neumann sent you. You should also take the pills made in the treatment room. I heard they’re going to bring out meat for dinner, so look forward to it. The leader made a special request to the kitchen.”

“I’m going crazy. What kind of livestock am I? Why are you feeding me that?”

When Arendt raised her head again and shouted, Arthur returned the favor in the same way he had always done to her.

“Then you should have taken care of yourself long ago. You’d be healthy if you were sick. Who would want to lie down like that?”

“… … .”

Arendt, who was about to say something in response, simply gave up and buried her head in the cushion again.

‘Who is to blame?’

It was you who made them like that.

* * *

When the dormitory was engulfed in a tiresome commotion.

There was an ominous atmosphere in the conference room.

“Is Lord Arendt still ill?”

Grand Chancellor Lumiel, who had come to the palace for a meeting, asked casually. Cantares nodded to her.

“Yes. I was seriously injured in this battle, and it seems like all the fatigue from the previous battles has just exploded.”

It seemed like he was busy running around and fighting with his seniors these days, but it wasn’t really a lie.

“I see. I’m worried because you seem to be very worn out from all the fighting.”

“Don’t worry. Sir Arendt is so strong that she will soon get up from her seat.”

When Archdeacon Lumiel raised his eyebrows in concern, Cantares spoke to him in a comforting tone.

At first glance, it seemed like they were just exchanging peaceful greetings, but that wasn’t the case.

There was a constant exchange of wary glances between the Grand Master and Cantares. The nobles and priests who sensed the uneasy atmosphere had no choice but to keep their mouths shut and watch the two men’s expressions.

“Then, I guess we have no choice but to postpone the investigation into this allegation.”

“I think we can resume the investigation only after he becomes fit to testify. I understand that the Shinto priests have already collected most of the evidence.”

The crown prince nodded leisurely in response to Lumiel’s question.

“So there’s no rush. We still have a lot of other homework to do.”

“It is important to defeat external enemies, but it is more urgent to govern internally.”

Grand Chancellor Lumiel continued speaking slowly.

“It’s something that Arendt herself once said.”

“Don’t read too much into Arendt’s words. She’s so elusive.”

It was a single word aimed at Arendt, but Cantares passed it over like a snake jumping over a wall.

In the midst of the tense atmosphere, Laius, standing right next to the crown prince, quietly exerted his presence.

In front of these two absolute beings who were clearly protecting the apprentice knights, those attending the meeting did not dare to open their mouths.

“But… … .”

In an atmosphere as cold as ice, Duke Lancelot opened his mouth.

“It is certainly a serious matter to disturb the Empire at this time. Sir Arendt has always openly expressed his antipathy toward Lady Luce, so this incident is likely not a false accusation. Furthermore, he seems to be very loyal to Captain Laius… … .”

At the word loyalty, Laius’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

It was because I was starting to feel a little sick.

Even if it was undeniable that the damned guy had favors for him, it was something to be concerned about whether that was actually loyalty.

“Whatever his intentions were, they were certainly dangerous. So you must judge him fairly, Your Majesty. It is clear that he intended to tarnish the name of God and overthrow the Empire.”

Duke Lancelot continued speaking calmly. His viewpoint was quite objective.

Cantares, who had his chin held high, answered coldly.

“To be fair… … I have some trouble saying that, Duke.”

“I apologize if I have caused you any inconvenience. However, everyone knows that Your Majesty keeps him close, so I am saying this out of concern that Your Majesty’s reputation may be damaged.”

But Duke Lancelot was unwavering.

‘He’s quite a tricky opponent at times like this.’

Cantares clicked his tongue inwardly.

The Duke also had a fondness for Arendt, but he was not the type of person to be swayed by personal feelings.

As he thought about that, Duke Lancelot looked at the crown prince and added,

“There are even voices that often question whether the already recovered Arendt is being deliberately kept hidden.”

“… …Is that so?”

A strange light flashed in Cantares’ eyes. Some of the seated nobles flinched and shook their shoulders. The priests did the same.

Duke Lancelot watched him meaningfully.

“I do not dare to doubt Your Majesty’s intentions, but would you mind lending an ear to even such a small opinion?”

Cantares smiled faintly.

“Thank you for your kind words, Duke.”

It was a moment when the brief moment of caution became meaningless.

It seemed that Duke Lancelot was quietly considering taking their side.

“But I recently went there and saw it with my own eyes, and it was really serious. As soon as you recover, I will make a place that will satisfy you… … .”

Cantares looked at Lumiel.

“Let’s put that aside. First, I would like to discuss the situation. There is some news that has just arrived from the Allies. Would you like to hear it, Your Highness?”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

The high priest nodded readily.

The death of Jiklin brought about a great change in the situation.

The damage caused by homunculi was greatly reduced.

In the Kingdom of Everan, Jiklin consumed a large number of homunculi in order to kill Arendt.

Perhaps because of this, homunculi no longer appear in the Kingdom of Nephele and the Kingdom of Lucain.

“I can’t say for sure that they’ve been completely eradicated, but they’ve started to conserve their forces. With Jiklin dead, they won’t be able to create homunculi or immortal priests.”

Cantares continued.

“The number of ghouls remains the same. There seems to be a homunculus in their base that is mass-producing ghouls. Unless we eliminate it, ghouls will continue to be deployed to the battlefield. However, that is not something to be pessimistic about either.”

As the fight dragged on, even the common soldiers were learning how to deal with the ghouls.

The illusion magic training device devised by Shekinah and Lexion and the materials produced and distributed by Count Stadler based on the reports of the knights were also of great help.

“So, are you saying that you are successfully fighting a defensive battle?”

“No. I can’t say for sure.”

Cantares answered someone’s question in an uneasy manner.

“I heard that a division in the Kingdom of Nephele was annihilated in two hours.”

The air in the conference room grew cold.

“A man named Roger from the Sword of Broken Hearts appeared. There was no time to do anything, and they couldn’t even collect the bodies of the fallen soldiers.”

The place he swept through was engulfed in fierce flames and burned for several days. The dead soldiers were reduced to a handful of ashes, not even leaving behind bones.

“It is said that immediately after that, he went to a nearby house, massacred the people, kidnapped about half of them, and suddenly disappeared. His whereabouts after that are unknown.”

“… … Couldn’t you stop it?”

The meaningless question flowed out with fear. Cantares nodded heavily this time too.

“It was impossible. The only people who could fight him were deployed on the front lines and couldn’t get out. He attacked the barracks that were waiting in the rear. This kind of thing has happened several times already.”

Roger was deliberately avoiding the presence of commanding officers when attacking.

“Probably to gather materials for the ghoul. Since Jiklin, who used to do that job, is gone.”

“… … .”

A heavy silence fell.

Because his attacks were indiscriminate, it was impossible to predict where he would appear next, and there was virtually no way to stop him from freely using teleportation.

“The reason Roger’s clutches haven’t yet reached the Empire is probably because of Commander Leos’ presence.”

People’s eyes naturally gathered on Leo.

Only the Hero of the Holy Sword, Leos de Winfrid, could stand against a monster that could devastate a city in a matter of hours.

Lyos accepted the people’s gaze calmly.

“When the time comes, I will fight to the death.”

A clear sense of relief appeared in the people’s eyes. Leo’s eyes sank slightly as he confirmed their reaction.

The only person who noticed it was Archangel Lumiel.

“… … Commander Lyos.”

Lumiel called him quietly.

“I know that the title of Hero of the Holy Sword is a heavy one. I think the only person who is worthy of that title is you, Commander.”

The soft voice continued.

“The temple will support you with all its might. So please show Luce that your choice was right.”

“of course.”

Laius answered, looking straight at her.

“I will do so on my honor.”

The hero’s blue eyes did not waver even an inch.