Betrayal Knight’s Joyful Faith - Chapter 461



Only Krnovel

The Cheerful God of Betrayal Chapter 461

Chapter 109. I realized this recently.

The day of the competition.

The palace was bustling from early in the morning. The nobles who were qualified to attend the meeting gathered without hesitation, even from far away.

The servants working in the palace had no choice but to become busy preparing to welcome them.

In a crowd of people like never before, there are only two things on people’s minds.

There was only the escalating war against the evil cult and Arendt von Eckhart.

The same was true at a small tea party held at the palace before the meeting.

“Isn’t Count Eckhart not attending?”

“I heard that you have expressed your intention not to attend. Perhaps that is natural. I understand that the Count, Prince Arx, and Lord Arendt are still at odds.”

“I heard that Prince Arks von Eckhart will be attending in the Count’s stead. He has been staying in the palace for several days.”

“Perhaps this is fortunate for the Count.”

The old nobleman who had been listening quietly shook his head.

“Isn’t Lord Arendt already accused of treason for the second time? It could be a matter of the entire family being in danger, but since he declared his severance of ties early on… … His Majesty will not hold the Count responsible either.”

“But Lord Arendt is a person who enjoys the favor of His Highness the Crown Prince.”

A relatively young nobleman came forward to refute the claim.

“The last betrayal was ultimately a plot to quickly grasp the enemy’s movements, so I think there must be another meaning this time as well. From what I’ve heard, he’s a very intelligent person.”

“He may be smart, but he’s a total rascal who doesn’t know manners.”

But the old nobleman was resolute.

“Do you know how many people have been humiliated by him?”

“But you saved the life of the hero, Captain Rios. I know he is a staunch non-believer, but I cannot deny that fact. It was thanks to the grace of Lady Luce that you saved my life… … .”

In addition, he had made a great contribution to the Kingdom of Everan by eliminating key enemy figures.

Someone who had been quietly listening to the conversation quietly chimed in.

“Is there anything to overthink? The young man just became too arrogant.”

Having gained the trust of the Crown Prince and Commander Laius at a young age, it was perhaps not surprising that he was so arrogant.

The young nobleman objected again.

“But if he had been that young and incompetent, His Highness the Crown Prince would not have trusted him. Everyone here knows how cautious His Highness is.”

“That’s true. Even His Majesty praised your achievements and offered to give you a knighthood early on, but you refused. Judging from that, it doesn’t seem like you have much of a desire for honor.”

This time another person interrupted. There was a brief pause in the conversation, and silence fell over the small reception room.

It was because everyone was lost in their own thoughts.

“… … Now that I think about it, he really is a strange person.”

Someone muttered with an uneasy expression.

“I can’t even guess what you’re going to do.”

The apprentice knight of the 3rd Division first made his name known when he was branded a traitor and driven to the brink of death.

Since then, he has been at the forefront of revealing the identity of the evil cult that was shrouded in mystery, and has also become friendly with Lumiel, who is now the high priest.

It was also Arendt who humiliated the former Archpriest Theodore and dealt a decisive blow to Lumiel’s process of becoming Archpriest.

But now, it was Arch-Chief Lumiel who took the lead in demanding his trial.

“After the traitor, the life-saving man of Captain Lyos… … is now accused of being a plotter.”

“His contributions in the war cannot be ignored either. His Majesty the Emperor seems to like him as well.”

Is Arendt von Eckhart a villain or a noble person?

It was a problem that was not easy to judge.

“If he had been an ordinary person, he would have been dismissed and imprisoned based on the charges alone.”

“I know there were voices saying that it should actually be done, but I heard that His Highness the Crown Prince declined to do so due to health reasons.”

“Perhaps it is natural. After all, there is something that Lord Arendt has been doing. It seems that his health has deteriorated due to the recent battle… … .”

Someone answered uneasily.

“Besides, it is said that there are people other than Captain Lyos who strongly support him.”

This included not only the current successful Neumann upper house, but also Marquis Lanford, who had been treated badly by Arendt.

The nobles, who remembered that fact, became even more confused.

There was another long silence, and then someone struggled to come to a conclusion.

“For now… … . I have no choice but to listen to Arendt’s explanation.”

“I wonder if this is something that can be explained. There seems to be no other way.”

The old nobleman also nodded slowly.

Anyway, in a few hours this debate will end one way or another.

Of course, they didn’t expect that this situation would go in a direction no one could have imagined.

* * *

That evening.

The largest conference room, which is rarely used, was opened.

In the midst of the large crowd, the emperor himself appeared, causing the nobles to stir once again.

And the High Priestess Lumiel and her supporting priests, Crown Prince Cantares accompanied by Jereon, Commander Raios, and key members of the 3rd Knights also entered.

Among the knights, there was also a popular apprentice knight, Arendt von Eckhart.

From the moment Arendt von Eckhart appeared, people’s attention was immediately drawn to her.

“The atmosphere is not very… … good.”

Henry frowned. Arcus, sitting next to him, nodded silently.

There were many things that brought about resentment as much as his unique actions. There must have been quite a few people who decided to take this opportunity to exclude him from politics altogether.

“Don’t worry about me. Just talk to me. I just came to observe.”

When everyone was seated, the emperor smiled and opened the discussion.

But those words could not be taken at face value. The Crown Prince answered amidst an even more uncomfortable atmosphere.

“Thank you for coming, Your Majesty. And to you too. It was difficult to come all the way here in these hectic times.”

The crown prince’s gaze slowly scanned the group.

“Everyone is busy, so let’s start the discussion now.”

While everyone was swallowing dry saliva, Cantares looked straight at the Grand Chancellor Lumiel.

“Without further explanation, let’s get straight to the point. The recent blasphemies that have been taking place throughout the Empire during the war… … Your Highness has pointed to the apprentice knight Sir Arendt von Eckhart as the mastermind behind them.”

His voice alone filled the quiet conference room.

“That’s probably what you’re most interested in today.”

“Yes. However, Your Majesty, if I may dare to say something… … .”

Lumiel answered slowly.

“I personally doubt whether this was necessary to judge Arendt’s guilt.”

“Because there are so many people interested in that.”

Cantares smiled broadly.

“Did you feel uncomfortable? Normally, it would have been right to detain him and then proceed with the trial, but it seemed unfair to do that to someone who had made great contributions on the battlefield and had just returned.”

There was an unusual war of nerves going on from the beginning.

“Don’t worry though. I have ordered you to be detained and recuperated within the Third Knights’ dormitory. I will not lift the order until your innocence is proven.”

“No. Since that is what Your Majesty intended, I have no objection.”

Grand Chancellor Lumiel, who had been listening quietly, also nodded with a kind smile.

“There has been a significant increase in recent attacks on the temple, and behind them is Lord Arendt von Eckhart… … This is what Archimandrite Lumiel has personally investigated at the temple.”

Cantares continued.

“He sent letters to an unspecified number of people, and those who read the letters developed resentment toward Luce and began to act by writing graffiti on the temple. That’s all that has been revealed so far. So, I’d like to ask you this… … .”

The Crown Prince’s blue eyes moved and looked at Arendt.

He stood among the knights, looking at the meeting participants with indifferent eyes as he always did.

Even though he was being discussed in a place where all the high-ranking officials and even the emperor were present, he appeared calm and composed.

At first glance, he seemed bored, but on the other hand, he seemed to be observing each and every person closely.

‘It looks familiar.’

One way or another, Arendt was Arendt.

“Lord Arendt. Do you admit the charges?”

“yes.”

Arendt nodded dryly.

“… … .”

It was an astonishingly simple nod.

A silence flowed through the conference room with a different meaning than before.

At that moment, Cantares, Lumiel, and even the knights who were with them all made bewildered expressions.

Laius bowed his head deeply, as if he were dying of agony.

“I’m sorry. I gave you a bad education.”

“Why? I was just answering your question. What’s the problem…?”

As Arendt began to babble, Laius quietly raised his hand and hit the back of his head.

puck!

“evil!”

Only then did Arendt shut her mouth.

In the midst of the awkward silence, someone burst into laughter.

“… … Heh, heh heh. Hahaha.”

People who raised their heads slightly were even more shocked when they saw who had started laughing.

The emperor, sitting in the highest seat, covered his mouth and his shoulders were trembling.

A nearby, expressionless aide sighed and called out to him.

“your majesty.”

“Ah, ahem. Sorry.”

Only then did the emperor stop laughing and wave his hand.

“Keep going.”

But the emperor still couldn’t hide his laughter. When everyone was shocked, Arthur glanced at Arendt and asked with a look of bewilderment.

“… …Why are you so happy?”

“Oh. Did you get teased?”

“I didn’t even intend to hide it, you punk.”

Arthur growled quietly, but Arendt pretended not to hear him.

While Cantares, who was feeling a headache, was rubbing his temples, Lumiel spoke sternly.

“I hope you take this seriously, Lord Arendt.”

“I am serious enough. Didn’t I just tell you what I did?”

Arendt met her gaze and answered crookedly.

“I had the rascals I usually knew send out the documents I wrote to various places. What… … . Why did you gather here for such a thing?”

Arendt took her eyes off Lumiel and slowly scanned the room.

“I’m sorry? Well, I’m not really sorry.”

“… … .”

The nobles’ gazes wandered into space. Duke Lancelot, who was watching, let out a small sigh.

“I knew it would turn out like this.”

Lumiel sighed without saying a word, and Cantares kept his eyes tightly shut and pressed his forehead against hers.

It was a place everyone had been waiting for.

But it seemed the same for Arendt too.

“I’m telling you this in advance just in case, but I have absolutely no intention of apologizing. I did nothing wrong.”

His tone was extremely relaxed, but his golden eyes were shining brightly.

As if declaring that he would resolve all the resentment that had built up during his imprisonment here.