Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 318

.It didn’t take long for him to realize that this wasn’t a metaphor.

Arendt, who left Salem at the training ground and went straight to find Laius, was able to hear a brief explanation of the situation from the captain.

“An urgent report has arrived from the Nephele Kingdom. They say that an entire territory has been destroyed. No matter how you look at it, this is not a normal situation. They have requested our support.”

The story that Laius told was even more astonishing than expected.

The scene of the incident was a quiet estate located quite a distance from the Nephele royal palace.

Most of the people of the territory were engaged in fishing, and the Lord was also a man who lived quietly while running a small port business.

Thanks to that, the territory was able to maintain a peaceful daily life even amidst such rapidly changing circumstances… supposedly.

That’s what everyone thought.

“It’s said that the steward, who had been away for two weeks on an errand for the Lord, discovered the scene on his way back. Apparently, the territory had already been completely devastated.”

“What do you mean by ‘devastated’?”

As Arendt asked with a slight frown, Laius responded, his expression clouded with unease.

“It’s exactly as described. The castle, port, shops, and houses were all destroyed. They said they couldn’t even find any remains. According to the investigation conducted by the Nephele Kingdom Army, the entire city was blown away by a powerful blow.”

“…”

As the story continued, Arendt’s eyebrows gradually furrowed.

There was only one being on this earth who could do such a thing.

“It must have been a dragon.”

“I agree.”

Laius nodded in agreement to Arendt’s brief remark.

“Considering the circumstances, I think it might be the work of the dragon Nikephoros that Lexion mentioned before.”

The Nephele Kingdom also sensed that it was the work of a dragon and was the first to send a message to the Empire.

It was because they knew that Lexion, the dragon that once held the Nephele Kingdom in the palm of his hand, was staying in the Caerleon Empire.

“The kingdom has sent a request, hoping to receive Lord Lexion’s aid, should it be possible. What are your thoughts on the matter?”

“Why are you asking my opinion? You’ve already made up your mind.”

Arendt responded grumpily.

“The only dragons active on the continent are Lexion and that guy named Nikephoros. And Nikephoros seems to be an ardent follower of Chernion…”

Arendt added, frowning slightly.

“If Nikephoros has moved, then that means the Chernion Cult has moved.”

“That must be so. And the act of destruction without reason was clearly a provocation against the side that serves Lord Luce.”

Laius answered calmly.

“Furthermore, people are shaking with anxiety as this incident becomes known.”

“Huh? Didn’t Nephele’s side issue a ban on speaking about it?”

Laius nodded heavily as Arendt raised his eyebrows.

“It was a mistimed incident. The steward of the estate who discovered the scene ran straight to the nearby city and relayed the news to the palace… it seems that word spread along the way.”

The Captain’s brow furrowed slightly.

“Apparently, there was quite a commotion. I heard that the steward, half out of his mind, was screaming at the top of his lungs and dashed into the neighboring estate.”

There was nothing particularly strange.

It wouldn’t be easy to stay sane when the entire territory was destroyed during his brief absence.

, Arendt clicked his tongue and grumbled with a displeased expression.

“Then it would have been natural for rumors to spread that it was the work of a dragon. And that the Chernion Cult was involved as well.”

After the dragon’s remains were displayed in the Caerleon Empire’s Palace, the fact that dragons still existed became known throughout the continent.

Faced with the absurd situation of an entire territory being completely wiped out, people would naturally have associated it with dragons and the Evil Cult.

“What about the people who lived there? Did they all die?”

“I can’t say that for sure.”

Just as Arendt was about to look puzzled by those words, Laius added:

“No remains were found.”

“…Not even one?”

The captain nodded calmly in response to the apprentice knight’s doubtful question.

“They are still investigating. That is why the Nephele Kingdom is considering the possibility that they may still be alive. His Highness the Crown Prince shares the same opinion. I do as well.”

If it were a dragon, it would be possible to kidnap all the people in the territory and then wipe out the empty territory.

“To cut the long story short, I judged this to be a trap.”

“Hoo.”

Interest flickered in Arendt’s eyes at his words.

“Why?”

Laius, who had been looking at Arendt with complicated eyes for a moment, spoke.

“…Don’t look at me with those eyes saying, ‘not bad for the captain.’”

“No, I figured that under normal circumstances, the Captain wouldn’t have even spoken the word ‘trap.’”

Arendt replied, putting his hands in his pockets.

“. You usually would have said something like this.”

“…”

He had nothing to say in defense.

Laius, who was silent, finally let out a short sigh.

“As you said, even old-fashioned people have the ability to learn. Anyway, you probably know this without me having to explain it to you.”

“Well, that’s true.”

Arendt responded with a tone that clearly indicated he wasn’t pleased.

“Anyone can see that this is telling us to go find them.”

If their goal was to reignite the war, they wouldn’t have stolen everyone away and disappeared like this.

Arendt’s gaze grew cold.

“I guess those damn bastards want to start a hostage situation.”

It was a more troublesome situation than he thought.

Just like Lexion up until now, Nikephoros has been keeping his presence mostly hidden.

But it seemed that Nikephoros had no intention of remaining in hiding any longer.

The situations that Laius didn’t mention were also vivid.

The peaceful coastal lands were turned to dust, and it was discovered that the culprit was a dragon.

Since the only group on this continent capable of committing such atrocities was the Chernion Cult, people would have naturally guessed that the dragon was a member of the Evil Cult.

“I didn’t know that the dragon that had been silent until now would suddenly come to the forefront.”

“I guess there’s no reason to hide anymore since Lexion has joined us.”

Laius muttered in a complicated manner.

The reason the Chernion Cult had tried to hide themselves and move in the shadows until now was to catch the Caerleon Empire, which followed the god Luce, off guard.

However, since the name Chernion had already spread widely and the Holy Sword had been released into the world, Nikephoros no longer had to hide himself.

‘All that remains now is an all-out war.’

A hollow laugh escaped.

“So, what are we going to do, Captain?”

“Of course we should go. There might be survivors left.”

It was a question so simple that it hardly needed to be asked, and the answer came as a matter of common sense.

“And there was no other choice in the first place. That’s the weight of holding the Holy Sword.”

“…”

Arendt’s face crumpled.

It was just as the Captain said.

In the end, Laius de Winfried had no choice but to be pushed to the front lines with the name of Hero, the Master of the Holy Sword, and the cumbersome crown called Luce.

Because the whole world wanted that.

And Laius, knowing that, was the kind of man who would walk right into the jaws of danger.

‘This is truly a vicious trap.’

Arendt still didn’t know what Laius thought of Luce.

There may still be some resentment left, or perhaps the thought of having Arendt back may have strengthened his faith.

But regardless of his religious beliefs, Laius was not the kind of person who could turn a blind eye to the countless lives hanging on his shoulders.

Arendt, who was feeling uneasy for no reason, looked up at Laius with a sharp gaze.

“Well, that’s quite something. In any case, I’ll first contact Lord Lexion, who is at Count Stadler’s house. Some of the seniors are there too. I’ll inform them to return together.”

“Given the gravity of the matter, we have decided to dispatch the entire Third Knight Order. Instructor Zakar and the Fog Forest Guard will accompany us, and Prince Llewellyn has also expressed his desire to join as well. And…”

For a moment, anxiety appeared in Laius’ eyes as he looked at the apprentice knight.

Arendt, quickly catching on, spoke before the captain had a chance to say anything.

“You said the entire Third Knight Order would go? Of course I would go as well. You know best that I am overly energetic right now, Captain.”

“…That may be true, but.”

Laius gave a half-hearted reply.

The Knight Captain also knew it well.

It would be absurd to exclude Arendt from the mission now, after he had been involved in every matter related to the Evil Cult, simply because it was deemed too dangerous.

Moreover, Arendt was absolutely necessary to obtain Lexion’s active cooperation.

But Laius was not happy about having to send him out into dangerous situations again.

“As you know, the Chernion Cult is wary of you. The dragon Nikephoros is also likely to be watching you. If you enter their territory, they will surely come for your life again.”

“You’re speaking quite confidently for someone who’s the master of the Holy Sword.”

In response to the words full of concern, a blatantly sarcastic retort followed.

“Who do you think they are most wary of right now? Is the Holy Sword hanging from your waist just a decoration? Right next to me is the delicious bait of the Successor to Hero Khan, so who would be interested in a passing fish?”

“…”

The glorious title of Successor to Hero Khan was spoken alongside the word bait.

It was a fantastic choice of words that always left him amazed.

“And what are you going to do if they come after me? It’s not like I can hide away my whole life, and I don’t have the temperament to do that in the first place. I keep coming out, picking fights, and you’re telling me to just sit there and cower after getting hit once?”

The apprentice knight shot an irritated glare at the captain, who wore a troubled expression.

“If they’re picking a fight, we should beat them up at least once. That way, they won’t think about coming back again.”

What on earth did this guy eat to grow up so brave?

Since that rough experience at the banquet… no, even earlier than that, he had sensed it, but as expected, Arendt was still Arendt.

In the end, Laius had no choice but to raise both hands in surrender once again.

“Okay, I was wrong.”

“You should have done that a long time ago.”

Regardless of the captain’s intentions, Arendt spoke with his usual insouciant, unreadable expression.

“For now, let’s just see what that damn dragon wants to do. I’ve been wanting to see the face of that Nikephoros guy for a while now.”

Nikephoros, like Lexion, was a remnant of a peaceful era and a monster born of the last great war.

Seeing him suddenly reveal his presence and intervene like this, it seemed like he was finally ready to step onto the stage as a villain.

“Get ready to depart. We’re planning to leave this evening. I’ll explain it to Lord Lexion, so please come straight to my office.”

Laius, who had gathered his thoughts, gave the instructions as calmly as usual.

Only then did Arendt relax his sullen expression, responding calmly, though still with a hint of indifference.

“Yes, I’ll pass that along.”