Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 336

Lexion stepped forward slowly from within the swirling dark magic.“…”

Nikephoros, who had been staring at Lexion as if spellbound, suddenly turned his gaze to Arendt.

Even though his face was as pale as a sheet of paper due to the intense pain, Arendt was still smiling.

“Not bad… I quite like that expression.”

“…”

Nikephoros couldn’t bring himself to answer.

Those who were watching the situation were also equally bewildered.

“What the hell is going on?”

Rider muttered in bewilderment.

Clearly, Lexion was protecting the civilians within the Marquis’ castle.

He thought back and Lexion said that he would intervene only when there was real danger, and that he would not interfere until then.

So… originally, Lexion should have intervened the moment Nikephoros appeared.

Glenn also muttered, his face blank.

“When was the last time we saw Lord Lexion?”

“He was by Arendt’s side right up until the very beginning of the battle…”

Rider who had been answering absentmindedly realized something later.

In an attempt to reduce his presence, Lexion transformed into a crow and clung to Arendt.

Arthur answered the two people who were speechless.

“He must have made the switch before all this happened.”

The last place they had seen Lexion was at Count Motier’s estate.

There, Lexion transformed into a giant bird, intending to scout.

And before returning to Marquis Raytar’s estate, he returned in the form of a crow and landed on Arendt’s shoulder.

“…That’s crazy.”

Rider parted his lips slightly.

From that moment on, Lexion had been absent.

Just in case Nikephoros attacked the Marquis’ territory, he set up defensive magic before leaving.

And when Nikephoros saw that his attacks were blocked, he became convinced that Lexion was still inside the castle.

“…”

Everyone was speechless.

After that, as everyone had just experienced, Arendt caught their attention and they didn’t have time to think about Lexion’s existence.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that everyone here played into Arendt’s hand.

“Hey, you old man.”

Lexion, who had made a surprise approach, grabbed Nikephoros’ arm that was holding onto Arendt.

“Can’t you hear me telling you to let go?”

The bright red eyes that came into view clearly revealed unfiltered anger.

“If you won’t let go, I’ll cut off your whole arm.”

A grim warning was heard.

As the magical energy grew stronger, sharp scales began to emerge on Lexion’s hands, which had previously been disguised as human.

“…”

A tense atmosphere began to flow between the dragons.

“Hah…”

Nikephoros let out a hollow laugh.

“From the moment you mentioned ‘tag,’ you’ve been toying with me, Arendt von Eckhart.”

A strong scent of blood emanated from Lexion.

It was also evident that the hem of his pants was soaked in fresh blood.

Finally, Nikephoros could no longer bear it and asked fiercely.

“Tell me. What did you do?”

. The grip on Arendt tightened.

The smell of burning skin from the increased heat stung his nose.

Even in the midst of all this, Arendt frowned slightly but did not groan.

“…While you were causing a ruckus here, I robbed an empty house.”

The apprentice knight smiled faintly with a pale face.

“That’s right, it wasn’t us who were dragged out, it was you. Judging from the fact that you sent Grimson as a spy, I think your nest must not be too far away.”

It was a hypothesis inferred from the fact that a regular human had been used as bait.

Arendt took a deep breath and continued.

“…I asked Lexion to search the surrounding area.”

Grimson may have been planning to lead the knights to Count Motier’s territory, and then use another trick to lead them to the place where Nikephoros and the Chernion cultists were hiding.

Perhaps at that point, Nikephoros appeared and forcibly teleported them into a trap he had set.

If the knights had been fooled by Grimson’s scheme, the battle would have been fought there, not here.

“The smell and the aura that Grimson and the spies had in common… each and every one of them becomes a clue. If even a dog can do it, there’s no way a dragon can’t do it.”

Nikephoros’ face hardened. On the other hand, Arendt’s lips curled up as if he were about to die from joy.

“I’ll say that you won the game of tag. After having your house completely ransacked, don’t you think winning that will make you feel a little less wronged?”

“So, let him go and get out of here. You probably don’t have any more time to waste here.”

Lexion then burst into laughter.

“You have to go check what I did to your nest. Who knows? Some of them might still be alive.”

“…”

Nikephoros remained silent for a while and looked back and forth between Arendt and Lexion.

A strong conflict appeared in his eyes.

Arendt was still in his hands.

Taking his life right now wouldn’t be a difficult task.

But if he did it, Lexion would never stay still.

There were still knights and the Hero of the Holy Sword here who had plenty of power.

Even for Nikephoros, it was difficult to deal with them and Lexion.

‘So in the end, I have to trade my safety for this kid.’

It was a complete defeat.

The only one who lost something was Nikephoros.

Even a dog running away with its tail tucked between its legs would seem less funny than this.

Nikephoros released Arendt as if throwing him aside.

“…!”

For a moment, his legs weakened and he stumbled, but Arendt somehow managed to steady himself and stand firm.

Nikephoros looked down at him with cold eyes.

“Hey kid.”

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Arendt answered sarcastically.

In case Nikephoros posed a threat, Lexion stood between the two.

However, Nikephoros showed no intention of attacking any further.

“You’ve become pitiful.”

Instead, he just spoke calmy.

“Even if you live, you won’t be living, and even if you die, you won’t be able to rest. Even though you’re my enemy, I can only feel sympathy for you.”

Arendt was momentarily speechless.

Nikephoros’ voice continued slowly.

“There is no place in the world without darkness and light. Whether you roam freely or rest, it is all within their grasp.”

“…”

“Every moment, you will be looking back at yourself, unable to relax, and never able to let your guard down. You must have felt it yourself, that they are always watching over you.”

Nikephoros looked down at Arendt with pity in his eyes.

“You know what happened to the elves of the past. Are you sure you won’t follow in their footsteps? Even I have the power to kill you in one fell swoop, and you are no better than a worthless insect in front of them.”

“…”

“The elves at least found eternal rest, but as for you… it seems the greedy god of light is keeping you trapped, so who knows where your soul will end up. It’s a burden that should have been carried by a hero.”

It was like a riddle, as elusive as chasing clouds.

Nikephoros, who had been hesitating for a moment, made a calm suggestion.

“Why not come with me instead? Perhaps you can find a way to escape from the clutches of that cruel and tyrannical god. If you have the solace of the night with you, you could live more comfortably.”

“This guy is out of his mind.”

Arendt let out a small, amused chuckle.

“Where are you coming up with this nonsense? You’ve made me like this, and now you’re saying ‘let’s go together’? If you’re going to tempt me, at least offer something better. I’m still living just fine, doing whatever I want, comfortably.”

The apprentice knight shrugged his shoulders out of habit.

“Go ahead and watch all you want. With how great I am, how could you not keep looking? You can expect it. One day, I’ll shove those great faces into the muck.”

Although his complexion was pale, his golden eyes showed no sign of anxiety or fear.

Nikephoros, who had paused for a moment, muttered with a brief sigh.

“…You’re pretty crazy yourself.”

Nikephoros glanced at Lexion one last time and channeled his magic.

A bright light enveloped him, and soon Nikephoros disappeared without a trace.

He vanished from his spot with a teleportation spell.

“…”

After he disappeared, an eerie silence lingered. In the battlefield, where the ghouls had been, only the stench of rotten blood filled the air.

No one dared speak first. No one dared even move.

The cause, of course, was the curse-like words that Nikephoros had heaped upon Arendt before he disappeared.

They couldn’t understand most of what was being said, but they knew for sure that something was seriously wrong.

“…Hey.”

It was none other than Arthur who broke the frozen air.

Arendt lifted his head at his voice. Arthur walked briskly toward Arendt without saying a word.

At the moment when Arendt was about to frown at the fearsome momentum, Arthur silently grabbed his mangled hand.

“Ugh!”

Arendt’s face distorted at the sudden surge of pain. Arthur, who had examined the wound closely, also frowned.

Severe burn marks were clearly visible on his wrist, where the bone was broken and bruised black and blue.

“It hurts! Why are you grabbing me and making a fuss?”

Arendt screamed and pulled his arm out. But Arthur didn’t back down and just kept yelling.

“Oh so you know it hurts? You vicious little bastard, you endured it until it got to this point without even screaming?”

“So what do you want me to do? Should I have begged him to let go, whining and saying that I’m dying from the pain?”

“Goddamn it, that would’ve been better! Are you out of your mind? At least say something before you cause trouble! I nearly dropped dead from fright!”

“How many times do I have to tell you to take action first if you have a complaint? Why do you blame me when you are just incompetent?”

At the sound of Arthur and Arendt fighting, sighs erupted here and there, as if a solid seal had been broken.

“What should I do with that crazy bastard…”

“What the hell are you doing, what the heck…”

Anyway, the situation was over, and in the end, Nikephoros couldn’t harm anyone.

The fact that they had won was only now slowly starting to sink in.

There were no casualties, and all the ghouls had been wiped out, making it an absurdly impressive outcome for a battle against a dragon.

All of this was the result of their crazy junior’s actions.

“… Anyway, that kid really is a handful.”

Lexion swept his hair back, his face showing signs of fatigue.

Arthur’s words were not an exaggeration. If Lexion had arrived just a little later, it wouldn’t have been strange if Arendt’s wrist had been completely severed.

However, the others were just as battered and worn out.

Lexion, who looked around, muttered with a somewhat displeased tone.

“Looks like everyone’s had a pretty rough time.”

Glenn muttered in vain, looking into the empty space.

“Don’t even mention it… I thought I was going to die…”

The surrounding knights also nodded silently.

Laius pressed his temples with a face that looked like he was going to die from the headache.

“There are many things I want to ask you, Lexion, but there are more urgent things, so I will put them on hold for the moment.”

Laius looked up and looked straight at Arendt.

“Arendt.”

“…”

It was a voice dripping with coldness.

Arthur and Arendt involuntarily flinched, causing them to stop fighting.

His blue eyes, blazing with anger, locked directly onto Arendt.

“Treatment comes first. Then, prepare yourself. It won’t end in one or two hours of lectures.”

“I didn’t do anything that would get me in trouble…”

Arthur cut off his junior’s grumbling.

“Just shut up. Before you end up seeing something worse. This is sincere advice from a senior.”

It wasn’t entirely wrong, so Arendt accepted the advice and quietly kept his mouth shut.