Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 119

Instead of reacting immediately to Arendt’s impulsive remark, Cantares called a brief meeting.He summoned Arendt’s immediate superior, Laius, and Count Stadler, who was staying at the palace.

“…”

“…”

The expressions of the two people who heard the situation became hazy.

While no one was able to speak first, the one who surprisingly took Arendt’s side first was Jereon, who had been quietly listening to the conversation.

“Maybe it’s a good idea.”

“Jen, are you serious?”

When Cantares asked back, doubting his ears, Jereon nodded with an awkward smile.

“Yes. Since we can’t get any information from the prisoners we’ve captured, there are definitely limits to how far we can go in tracking them. In such cases, provoking the enemy is one way…”

The aide’s voice trailed off and he glanced at Arendt.

“Of course, it’s not something a sane person would think of.”

“I’m completely sane.”

“Be quiet.”

As Arendt grumbled, Cantares growled softly.

At that moment, Count Stadler timidly began to speak.

“But isn’t it too dangerous? They might harbor a grudge and retaliate. If something happens on National Foundation Day, it will cause a big diplomatic problem.”

“They probably won’t move easily since they’ll need time to regroup,” Cantares lightly denied it.

The series of events that followed greatly depleted their power. They lost Vincent and Blake, and even Rebecca, who was their main source of funding, was defeated, and they even lost a large number of ghouls.

Moreover, since it was a gathering of domestic and international dignitaries, other countries would also send a considerable number of troops as escorts.

No one would be stupid enough to rush into a place like that.

“By the way, dragon bones won’t be the only thing on display.”

“What?”

“We have the Captain, don’t we? You’re the knight who hunted the dragon, aren’t you?”

“What?”

A visibly flustered Laius looked at Cantares and Jereon as if he were asking for help. However, the two simply turned a blind eye, since they did not want to get involved.

“I heard everything from Senior Richt. I heard that you risked your life and jumped into the dragon’s body while struggling for a long time?”

“Wait a minute, that’s…”

“In this day and age, you are truly a model of a knight. You are the strongest knight in the Caerleon Empire, the sword of the royal family, and the guardian of the god Luce. Your actions are truly worthy of this title.”

The apprentice knight, who was mumbling with a blank expression, even clapped his hands soullessly.

Laius’ face turned bright red.

“The public likes heroes. If we put one hero forward and thoroughly drive the enemies into looking as a group of evil, then naturally public opinion toward the evil religion will become even worse.”

“So?”

“They put their God first. People might fall for them later, so let’s prevent that from happening.”

The idea was to use this opportunity to sell out Laius and brand them as heretics. It was an extension of the clowning Arendt had done in the restaurant of an inn he had happened to visit one day.

Jereon, who had been listening quietly, opened his mouth.

“There are quite a few people who are curious about Captain Laius’ current situation. I guess it’s because of this incident.”

“But, sir.”

“That’s true. It’s true that Captain Laius made a big contribution this time.”

Although Laius tried to silence Jereon, this time Cantares nodded.

“A knight who slays a dragon? Wouldn’t the guests be amazed?”

“I don’t think so.”

When Arendt asked subtly with a sly smile, Laius quickly became serious, but there was not a single person there who listened to him.

Jereon, who was more than capable of doing so, pointed out what needed to be done immediately.

“I’ll try to adjust the schedule first. I’ll also have to ask Count Stadler. There seems to be a lot of preparations that need to be made before the dragon’s remains can be revealed to the public.”

“Prepare a congratulatory speech in advance, Captain Laius. It’s an order.”

“…”

When Cantares came over and patted his shoulder, Laius ended up burying his face in his hands.

“Aide Jereon.”

“Yes?”

“Excuse me, but can I have some stomach medicine…”

His stomach started to hurt.

And a few days later.

It’s time for the Imperial Knights Captain Meeting.

Diana and Kendrick looked at the dead, blackened face of Laius with pity.

“Are you okay?”

“…Yes, I’m okay.”

He looked really bad as he answered Kendrick’s questions in a slow manner.

Diana smiled bitterly.

“Can someone please give His Highness the Crown Prince some advice that he shouldn’t get too friendly with that guy.”

“Well, how about you giving it a try? I think he’ll get upset and say that they’ve never been close.”

“His Highness the Crown Prince should start acknowledging that soon.”

As the two people chatted, Laius’ face continued to grow more gloomy.

“I don’t want to be a public figure.”

“But it’s still a good thing. Besides, it’s true that you’ve accomplished something great, so don’t be too depressed.”

“…”

Even with Kendrick’s comfort, Laius’ face did not brighten.

A dispirited Third Division Captain was a rare sight.

It’s not that Laius didn’t have that kind of tendency originally.

He had no qualms about taking responsibility and being the first to confront his enemies, but he was always uncomfortable with receiving more praise than necessary for his own accomplishments.

On top of that, he seemed to have been quite shocked by the fact that he had been teased to death by Arendt.

“This aspect really hasn’t changed since you were young.”

“That’s true. It’s not that bad.”

Laius looked at the two people who were laughing happily with longing.

That appearance reminded them of Laius during his days as a knight, so it ended up having the opposite effect.

Kendrick, who had been laughing for a while, changed the subject.

“So, the newly discovered artifact is a Dragon Bone? Count Stadler investigated it, you say?”

“Yes, and he said it seemed to have been made relatively recently.”

Laius nodded heavily.

“It is unknown when the bone was extracted, but it is said to have been polished very recently. My guess is that it was made in a hurry after several artifacts were stolen from them.”

“Ugh, so this is what happens in the end.”

It is almost certain that the dragon was the main force behind their movements.

Dragons were the ones who turned history upside down every time they appeared in the human world. If the time came to fight them head-on, no matter how many lives were sacrificed, it wouldn’t be enough.

No, it would be fortunate if it ended with the lives of the knights. In the worst case scenario, the empire could have been reduced to rubble.

“At a time like this, he’s even provoking the dragon… that’s very Arendt-like.”

Kendrick burst out laughing again. It was also surprising that the Crown Prince readily agreed to that plan.

He had been watching him for quite some time, but Arendt was still something he couldn’t figure out, because he seemed reckless, yet he was extremely calculating, and he seemed selfish, yet he ultimately aimed for the good of all.

The biggest problem was that Arendt had no way to clearly tell them what was going through his head.

Kendrick burst into a refreshing laugh as he looked at the young knight captain who couldn’t hide his displeasure.

“It’s been a while since the palace has become so lively.”

Whatever it was, since that guy had a hand in it, it seemed like something interesting was going to happen.

It didn’t matter whether it was a dragon or a god.

If they bare their teeth at the Imperial Family, there was only one thing left for him to do.

As a knight, he was willing to sacrifice his body to protect his country, his lord, and his people.

Kendrick steeled his resolve as he caressed the sword that had been with him his entire life.

Once a decision was made, it proceeded at lightning speed.

Preparations for the National Foundation Day festivities began in earnest, and it was decided to first install the remains of the dragon that had been sleeping in the palace.

One of the largest halls was completely emptied, and an unusual commotion broke out in the palace.

“Handle it with care! Be careful!”

The Count was running around, shouting louder than ever before. His eyes were bloodshot, and it was obvious that he had been up all night for several days.

The Neumann Group, which had heard the Count’s warning, also provided support to the laborers and items to decorate the reception room, and did not spare their help.

For ten days, countless craftsmen helped out and Count Stadler threw a tantrum.

Finally, the dragon was reborn into a form that spread its huge wings and howled.

The tips of its wings were grazing the ceiling of the living room, and with its jaws wide open and its head bowed down, it looked as if it would breathe out its breath at the people at any moment.

“If this place had been even a little bit narrow, we would have been in big trouble.”

Count Stadler, his eyes darkened, looked up at his work and spoke proudly. Even though the dragon skeleton was bent down and had its tail curled up, the hall was still full.

“This is truly amazing.”

When he heard the news that the installation was complete, Cantares, who was the first to arrive, let out an exclamation of pure admiration.

The fact that he was able to cut down this guy with only three subordinates made him realize once again how strong of a knight Laius de Winfried was.

“Haa… Who would have thought that the day would come when I would be able to examine the dragon’s skeleton one by one? The skeleton itself is so beautiful, so I wonder how majestic the actual dragons will be.”

“Count, that majestic race is plotting to trample upon our empire.”

“Isn’t that spine especially beautiful? Look over there! There’s a scar on the fifth cervical vertebra. It looks like a tooth mark, probably from a battle between dragons.”

Cantares spoke awkwardly, but Count Stadler, who was in a trance, seemed to not hear it at all.

Everyone in the palace was busy moving around like that.

The downtown area also began to prepare to receive the influx of tourists, and merchants from all over the country gradually flocked in, making the capital several times more crowded than usual.

A few days later, a list of guests to attend the banquet was delivered to the Imperial Knights, who were in charge of security for the event.

Arendt, who had been hanging around Laius’ side steadily and finally succeeded in receiving the list, went straight to his room and began to carefully look through several sheets of paper.

The first page was filled with people in the empire, most of whom were familiar names. Then, on the next page, Arendt found the name he was looking for.

‘Here.’

He was the third prince of the Everan Kingdom, which was in an alliance with the Empire.

In “The Blue Knight of the Holy Sword”, he only had a minor role, and in fact, he wasn’t a very likable character.

When the Caerleon Empire was surrounded by the flames of war, each of the allies sent reinforcements. It was this guy who led the forces of the Everan Kingdom.

‘He’s the guy who got kicked out after complaining to Captain Laius.’

For a direct descendant of the royal family, he was overly free-spirited, almost like a diluted version of Arendt von Eckhart.

After coming to the Empire, Prince Llewellyn became a troublemaker like Arendt, becoming obsessed with alcohol and causing trouble at gatherings with dignitaries.

But that didn’t last long.

He was not a man fit for the battlefield, and he did not share the same views as the overly upright Laius.

Eventually, Llewellyn had an argument with Laius, ended up having a duel, and was forced to leave the Caerleon Empire in disgrace.

Even though he was such a useless guy, Arendt was still confident that he could use him somehow in the current situation.

Llewellyn Charles Everan… the third prince of the kingdom.

There was another name that described him.

Explorer Llewellyn.

It was said that displaying the dragon bones was a provocation or something, but that was just the secondary purpose.

The dragon was just bait to catch this guy.

The fact that a man who hated appearing on official occasions crowded with nobles insisted on attending the National Foundation Day ceremony was probably because he was eager to see the dragon in person.

‘Come in.’

Because he was a stray dog, he needed to be treated with special affection and have his bad habits corrected.

That way, when he goes up on stage, he can move according to his role.

A wicked smile appeared on Arendt’s lips.