Betrayal Knight’s Joyful Faith - Chapter 462



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The Cheerful God of Betrayal Chapter 462

“You admit your guilt, but you say you are not guilty. What kind of nonsense is that?”

Eventually someone lost patience and spoke up. But Arendt remained firm.

“I wish you would tell me straight. It’s true that I did it, but it’s not exactly a crime.”

“… … .”

People didn’t immediately understand what Arendt was saying. The only one who managed to keep up with the conversation was Archimandrite Lumiel.

“You want to say that insulting Luce is not a crime, Lord Arendt.”

“The temple may not like it, but I don’t think it’s something that can be taken to the extent of treason.”

Arendt nodded her head curiously.

“Well… … I guess Your Majesty could scold me a few times.”

The apprentice knight shrugged and continued.

“But I don’t know if it’s really necessary to make such a fuss about someone who is already so busy that they don’t even have time to breathe, and even more so, someone who just recently came back from the brink of death… … . I don’t know.”

“Above all else, be courteous to the High Priest, Lord Arendt.”

The priest, who could not stand to watch, warned her, but even that did not work on Arendt.

“I am being sufficiently careful. But aren’t you being several times more polite than usual?”

Arthur, who was watching, felt a little dumbfounded.

It was clear that the two people had maintained a close relationship until recently.

Lumiel loved Arendt like a child, and Arendt, who was bullied by everyone, was relatively mild toward Lumiel.

But now, Lumiel and Arendt were looking at each other with cold eyes.

A cold silence flowed, so cold that even the slightest hint of affection was palpable.

“Lord Arendt, you don’t really think this is something that can be resolved with a scolding. I know better than anyone else here how intelligent and prudent you are.”

Lumiel’s voice filled the conference room.

“The departure of believers, and the blasphemies that took place… … I am sure that this was all what Arendt intended. I know very well that she is not the type of person to deny it.”

“That’s right. That was my intention.”

This time, Arendt simply agreed.

“The charge of treason is strange in the first place. I have no intention of committing treason.”

“… … Given your nature, I don’t think you would want to evade responsibility.”

Duke Lancelot, who had been listening quietly, opened his mouth.

“Let’s discuss that in more detail, Lord Arendt.”

“By treason, you mean that I threatened His Majesty the Emperor, His Highness the Crown Prince, or this empire?”

Arendt’s relaxed voice began to become clearer.

“I may have cursed the god Luce, but nowhere in my letters did I say that I would betray the Empire.”

“What is that… … .”

There was a loud commotion in the audience. Cantares, who had been watching, raised one hand and silenced the crowd.

“Enough with the wordplay, Lord Arendt.”

“I’m not playing with words. I’m being sincere, as always.”

Arendt shrugged and looked at Lumiel again.

“You don’t seem to understand at all, so I’ll explain. I’m targeting the temple, not the royal family, Your Highness.”

“… … .”

Lumiel’s eyes grew even colder. Just as the people were about to stir again at the rather subtle words, Duke Lancelot intervened.

“In other words, what Lord Arendt wants to say is that the imperial family and the temple are strictly separate. Lord Arendt’s target is not the imperial family, but only the temple, so the term treason does not make sense in the first place.”

“That’s nonsense! The Kalion Empire has grown into an empire over many years thanks to the grace of Lady Luce.”

One of the nobles spoke up.

“How can we separate the grace of Luce and the Empire? Attempting to undermine the temple is a clear challenge to the Empire and the royal family.”

“No. The imperial family and the temple are strictly separated.”

Arendt’s rebuttal followed immediately.

“His Majesty the First Emperor designed it that way. If you have any complaints, please ask His Majesty the Emperor about it. That’s what I know.”

“… … .”

He seemed speechless at the plain argument.

“First of all, what Arendt said is not wrong.”

The emperor, who had been watching with joyful eyes, opened his mouth.

“In principle, that’s how it is. The royal family and the temple respect each other’s authority and move forward together, but they cannot be considered one body. In that case, as Lord Arendt said, treason may not be established.”

Cantares felt a little, just a little, sick at the Emperor’s words that sided with Arendt.

Whatever her intentions, Arendt, who is speaking so openly, is someone who really dreamed of something akin to rebellion.

‘That’s not important now.’

There were murmurs of agreement here and there.

“Since this is the words of Lord Arendt, who has done much on the battlefield, I can sense its sincerity. Hasn’t he been the one who has devoted himself more than anyone else to the Empire?”

“Even if you say you have no faith… … . That doesn’t mean you can ignore the work that Arendt has done.”

Not particularly for the empire.

It was a thought that occurred to the knights and the crown prince simultaneously.

Duke Lancelot muttered absentmindedly.

“It would be different if I had gotten carried away and gone wild.”

“What did you just say, Your Majesty?”

“No, nothing.”

The duke had no choice but to mumble as someone asked him from the side.

As the conference room became noisy again, Lumiel opened her mouth.

“That is certainly true. It was I who informed Lord Arendt that the realms of the Imperial and the Temple were separate.”

Lumiel’s calm gaze was quietly looking at Arendt.

“But your words now seem to be nothing more than an attempt to muddy the waters. The Empire is currently at war with the evil cult, and the Empire and the Allied Nations have gathered under the name of Lord Luce. At a time when everyone must be of one mind, blaspheming the Lord Luce and disrupting the Empire is clearly a serious crime, tantamount to treason.”

“No, I don’t think we gathered under the name of God Luce.”

Arendt answered coolly.

“We are just beggars who gathered together with the desire to live. Don’t try to represent everyone’s desire to survive in the name of God. Everyone wants to live, so we are looking for Luce, not risking our lives for Luce.”

He added briefly, tilting his head.

“Aren’t you essentially selling your faith by putting your life on the line? Are you planning to expel everyone who doesn’t follow you, Luce?”

“no…….”

The conference room became noisy again. Finally, one of the priests shouted out loud.

“Do not insult Luce! He has been caring for the Empire and all beings with compassion, so how can one who belongs to the Empire dare!”

“You’re funny. Do you know why you’re still alive?”

Arendt glanced at the priest, pretending to prick her ear.

“You probably remember the incident where the Great Temple was attacked by those guys. It was thanks to me, who knew the movements of the evil cult better than anyone else, that this blasphemous non-believer warned them in advance that they would attack the Great Temple.”

“… … .”

“If it weren’t for me, you would have been reduced to ashes along with that giant statue of Luce that day. In exchange for saving your lives, I came back from the brink of death that day. I saved you, not Luce. Are you going to say that even that was Luce’s arrangement?”

The angry priest’s face began to turn bright red, almost blue.

“It wasn’t you, dear Luce, who saved you, but me. Well, why don’t you try to deny it?”

Arendt shrugged. Henry, who had been watching, muttered uneasily.

“When someone who almost lost his life says something like that… … it’s hard to refute.”

Arcus didn’t answer and just watched Arendt with anxious eyes.

‘I expected you wouldn’t stay still.’

I thought he would either refuse to admit to his crime or deny it, but I never thought he would choose to confront him head on.

And it was still unknown how Leo, who was just watching, would react.

“Lord Arendt, of course I appreciate your contribution, but… … .”

“Arrogant? I know.”

Someone spoke in a voice that seemed to suppress anger, but Arendt cut them off.

“That’s just how he was born, so you can accept that. The life of the god Luce, whom you all believe in and follow so much, was spared, so bear with it as you please.”

“… … .”

Everyone was speechless at the logic of the miracle. It was too much to accept, but it was not wrong to openly refute it.

“If only I had just left it at that time, everything would have been fine. Wouldn’t that be right?”

The priest looked into space and sighed as Arendt shrugged her shoulders.

“Oh my god… … .”

But Arendt wasn’t finished yet.

“And you said that it was a blasphemy, a crime against the god Luce.”

He knew very well when ‘Arendt von Eckhart’ looked most unlucky.

This meant that even if the opponent was the Grand Chancellor Lumiel, he could still act as he pleased.

“I think it would be right to first check the facts before calling it blasphemy, as the suspicion was raised with extremely reasonable grounds.”

“Fact checking… … .”

Lumiel frowned slightly.

“Are you talking about the content of the letter that Lord Arendt distributed?”

“Yes.”

Arendt nodded blandly.

The tone was extremely calm, as if they were making small talk… … .

“Isn’t blasphemy something that cannot be established in the first place if the object of blasphemy is not sacred?”

That doesn’t mean the meaning it contained was blurred.

People could easily read the venom in her golden eyes. Of course, this was Arendt’s intention.

Duke Lancelot, noticing that the atmosphere in the room had become even more tense, cleared his throat and stopped him.

“Please refrain from using overly provocative language, Lord Arendt.”

“Your Highness, don’t you know? I am being very careful now.”

But Arendt responded leisurely.

“If I hadn’t been mindful of my manners, I would have spoken more directly.”

It was such a mean face that even people on the same side would want to hit him.

“There was a similar situation a while ago. The judge was a duke, and I was also accused of treason at that time.”

“It definitely was.”

Duke Lancelot nodded.

“Don’t you remember what I said to you back then?”

An unusually clear and bright voice cut through the noise and filled the conference room.

“I told you that I only moved first because I didn’t want to die. It’s the same now.”

Her golden eyes, like glass beads, met each and every person in the conference room.

Arendt had a blatant sneer on her lips.

“I thought that if I left it to you stupid and dull people, we would both die together… … .”

He lifted his chin slightly to look more arrogant.

His posture is upright as befitting a gentleman, but slightly askew, making him look a bit unskilled for a knight.

“I, a capable person, took the initiative myself to take action instead of you fools.”

“… … .”

“Actually, this is what I really think, but I am being careful with my words in front of Your Majesty.”

If you add that arrogant, cocky look to it, it would be perfect.

“I think I am quite polite, but I am sorry that I seemed rude. Of course, I am not really sorry.”

“… … Heh heh.”

Duke Lancelot burst into laughter.

“It’s truly astonishing. No matter how many times I hear it, it’s hard to get used to it.”

A silence flowed through the conference room, as if ice water had been poured over it.

The sighs that erupted from all over were the highest praise an actor could receive.

The stage called the conference room had long since been overwhelmed by Arendt.