Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 338

Exactly ten minutes later, the Marquis’ territory was thrown into chaos.It was because someone had discovered people trapped in the grain warehouse.

As if the chaos of cleaning up the battlefield weren’t enough, such an incident on top of it all was enough to make Marquis Reytar go crazy and lose his mind.

But he barely managed to pull himself together and took control of the situation.

Though they were all in a state of panic, having lost their memories, they were otherwise in good physical condition.

That evening, Marquis Raytar reported to the assembled Crown Princess, Prince Llewellyn, Laius, and Zakar.

“Count and Countess Mortier have been found safe. Neither of them remember anything, and they have become quite… violent. Still, for now, they are in good health.”

“Is anyone missing?”

Marquis Raytar wiped away his cold sweat and answered Crown Princess Isabella’s question.

“I can’t be sure because I haven’t secured the entire list of people in the territory… but it seems like quite a few people have disappeared. The children of Count Motier and his wife are also nowhere to be seen.”

“I see.”

Isabella answered with a clouded expression. Llewellyn also had a complicated expression.

“Perhaps their whereabouts will never be found…”

The missing people have either been transformed into monsters or have been moved to the cult headquarters and are working for the god Chernion.

Isabella spoke after a period of silence.

“It would be a great achievement if we could just save them. Of course, they will not be able to avoid punishment. The royal family is also responsible for not noticing this in advance.”

“What are you going to do?” Zakar asked cautiously.

Isabella hesitated for a moment.

“…For now, I plan to start with treating them so that they can live a normal life. And once they are in a state where they can take responsibility for their actions, I plan to impose an appropriate punishment.”

After a while, Isabella continued speaking slowly.

“But if possible, I would like to end it with hard labor or imprisonment so that they can contribute to the country instead of extreme punishment. Is that okay?”

Her last question was directed to Laius, who represented the Caerleon Empire.

Laius nodded.

“Do as you wish, Your Highness. Even in the Empire, those with amnesia are more likely to be sentenced to life imprisonment rather than to capital punishment.”

“Thank you.”

Isabella nodded with a small smile.

“How is their health? Are there any signs that their memories are returning?”

“Unfortunately… it is rare for a person to show improvement while they are in a state of confusion.”

Most people did not understand why they were sentenced to prison.

“It’s fortunate that there are no signs of them turning back to the Evil Cult, but I still hope you don’t let your guard down. We can’t be certain of the full extent of the artifact’s influence over their memories.”

Isabella’s face hardened at Laius’ explanation.

“You’re saying that we need to be very careful because we don’t know when it will change again. Thank you for your advice. I understand.”

“The real problem is that so-called saintess1… if there’s no direct contact with her, then it means they can’t receive what they call a ‘baptism,’ right?”

Llewellyn muttered irritably, propping up his chin with his hand.

“The moment you embrace the faith, you will be brainwashed if you receive that baptism, and if you happen to apostatize or are captured by the enemy, you will lose your memories. Captain Laius, has anything been revealed about that so-called saintess?”

“The last place she was seen was in the Shadow Tribe territory of the Elf Kingdom… but unfortunately, we haven’t learned anything more. For now, all we’ve confirmed is that there is a saintess behind the Evil Cult.”

If it weren’t for Arendt, there was a chance they wouldn’t have even known about the existence of the saintess, the artifact, or the ‘Breath of Mnemosyne’.

Llewellyn groaned.

“It’s all quite secretive. Judging by the signs, that damned dragon Nikephoros also seems to be following the saintess’ orders… could Nikephoros be the second-in-command of the cult?”

“For now, we are assuming that the saintess is either a human or an elf. Since she is always seen fully cloaked in a robe, we cannot tell her gender or appearance. Judging by her title though, we can at least confirm that she is a woman.”

At Laius’ answer, Isabella lowered her gaze seriously.

“A woman who is fully cloaked with a robe… we must issue an arrest warrant within the Nephele Kingdom.”

“I have a feeling that maybe the saintess is human.”

Zakar, who had been silent, started to speak.

“Because Captain Laius is also human.”

“What does that matter, Zakar?”

Llewellyn asked back, not understanding what he was saying. Zakar hesitated for a moment before answering.

“The great hero of the past, the first emperor of the Caerleon Empire, Khan, was also human. I don’t think that’s a coincidence. Luce and all gods value balance and harmony.”

“Since the Master of the Holy Sword, Captain Laius, is human… are you saying that the saintess of the Evil Cult should also be human to achieve balance?”

Zakar nodded in agreement.

“Yes. It’s just a guess, but I think it’s quite possible.”

“Balance and harmony.”

Llewellyn muttered.

“Did the god Chernion become an evil god because he was a being that broke harmony?”

Isabella answered the question the prince suddenly asked with a stern face.

“Don’t you think so? Ghouls and homunculi seem to be creatures that break the laws of nature. Aren’t those monsters created in a more vicious way than the ghouls and golems that existed in ancient times?”

According to investigations so far, the Evil Cult had also deployed ghouls as part of their forces during past wars.

If it was truly God Chernion who had been creating such abominations since long ago, then it wouldn’t be strange at all to say that God Luce, unable to tolerate such a violation of order any longer, finally decided to bring down divine judgment.

“…That’s hard to say.”

But Laius seemed to think a little differently.

Surprised eyes turned toward him at his words. Without meeting their gaze, Laius gave a brief reply.

“Maybe it’s not something that can be said so easily.”

“Yes?”

Isabella’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, but Laius immediately changed the subject.

“How can one fully understand the will of God? However, I agree with Instructor Zakar’s opinion. If the Saintess of the Chernion Cult was also born by God’s choice, then it is highly likely that she is also human.”

The elven race lives in a closed society, dragons are virtually extinct except for two that are still active, and werewolves and other beastmen do not follow the gods.

So, God would have no other choice.

Isabella, sensing that Laius was not pleased with this topic, changed the subject.

“In any case, Marquis Reytar, would you be able to take charge of them for the time being? We’ll arrange for their transfer to the royal palace as soon as possible.”

“Yes, of course.”

Marquis Raytar, who had been absentmindedly listening to the conversation, was startled and quickly nodded in response.

“The royal family will, of course, cover the costs of restoration and their lodging and meals. Thank you for your cooperation.”

When Isabella gave a slight bow, Marquis Reytar jumped up in place in surprise.

“Not at all! I was merely doing what was right. It was I who was truly fortunate to witness Your Highness and Captain Laius, the Hero of the Holy Sword, and his party vanquishing the enemy.”

In fact, he probably didn’t see them fighting at all because he was hiding in the temple, but no one pointed that out.

Zakar asked Laius and Llewellyn subtly.

“By the way, how is Sir Arendt? I thought he would come with you, but I don’t see him. Is he badly injured?”

“No. After causing all of that trouble, he just brushed it off saying it wasn’t his problem and just walked away.”

Llewellyn grumbled.

“He’s such a ridiculous guy. He meddles in everything everywhere, but when it comes to times like this, he just slips away quietly.”

“There’s no need to worry about his injury. They say it will take some time to recover, but I plan to let him rest for the time being.”

At Laius’ words, Zakar’s blunt face showed a hint of unease.

“It hasn’t been that long since he returned, but Sir Arendt’s life has been quite eventful.”

“It’s all his own fault. His personality is so twisted that he doesn’t even realize that other people are worried.”

Llewellyn grumbled in discontent.

“He’s not the kind of guy who can be stopped even if you tell him to. He starts a lot of trouble and then says, ‘There’s no problem because everything went well,’ leaving people speechless. He’s a shameless brat.”

“If it’s like that every time, it’ll be confusing for the onlookers.”

When Isabella said that, Laius let out a deep sigh.

“I’m always sorry. I plan on correcting his bad habit someday…”

“The hard work is done by Captain Laius and his subordinates. They always have a tough time managing that uncontrollable guy. As for me, well, he’s just my troublesome friend. It’s a task I took on myself.”

Llewellyn waved his hand and smiled bitterly.

“What the hell is wrong with that bastard?”

“It’s because I’m lacking.”

“Look, even the captain is messed up? If you say that you are lacking, Captain Laius, what am I, an idiot? Where did that fierce attitude you had when scolding that guy earlier go?”

Llewellyn’s expression crumpled as he heard Laius’ indifferent reply.

“Anyway, that guy definitely has something seriously wrong with him, so we should figure something out soon. At this rate, he wouldn’t even bat an eye if he really lost a limb or two.”

“…It probably won’t be easy, but I’ll try.”

Laius , who had been silent for a moment, nodded slowly.

Arendt, who had been lying in bed, suddenly opened his eyes.

“…”

It had already been a while since he had kicked out Llewellyn and his seniors who had been making useless noises, telling them to get out because he was going to sleep.

But there wasn’t even a hint of sleepiness left in his eyes.

Arendt finally let out a deep sigh and sat up in his bed in annoyance.

“Fuck.”

He tried to tousle his hair, but soon realized that his right hand was in a bandage, so he stopped.

‘I guess it’s fortunate that my body doesn’t complain just because I didn’t get enough sleep.’

Unfortunately, Nikephoros’ words were not wrong.

Nikephoros had pinpointed precisely what Arendt had been trying to ignore.

At some point, he started to dislike the quiet nights, and sometimes he even felt aversion to the sunlight in broad daylight.

Because he saw with his own eyes that there existed a dark and violent self in light and darkness.

Wherever he went, eyes constantly followed him.

He also occasionally thought about the real ‘Arendt’ who disappeared without a trace by the hand of God.

Just like ‘Arendt’ was swapped out, if things went even a little wrong, they could break the carefully constructed plan he made at any time.

If this were a real stage, he could take a breather backstage during the intermission, but even that wasn’t possible presently.

“Ha…”

Arendt, leaning on the headboard of the bed, stared blankly at the dark ceiling in despair. The crystal decorations of the unlit lamps sparkled palely in the moonlight streaming in through the window.

He had no regrets because it was his choice.

He had no intention of complaining because it was a role he accepted even though he vaguely knew it would be like this, and he certainly had no intention of just quietly taking it.

No matter what kind of ending those who claimed to be the masters of the world wished for, Arendt planned to lead this stage according to his own taste.

‘Still, just a little, really just a little.’

Arendt pressed his uninjured hand against his eyes.

“…I’m tired.”

A muttered soliloquy that no one could hear scattered into the air.