Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 376

Arendt burst into Victor’s office with Lexion in tow.Crown Prince Victor was left speechless by the sudden appearance of Arendt and the man in black whom he had never seen before.

“Bad morning, Your Highness. You don’t look like you slept very well.”

Arendt von Eckhart spoke shamelessly.

Victor, who had been blankly staring as if he had seen a ghost, licked his lips.

“…Sir Arendt, that appearance…”

The sunlight just beginning to rise outside the window touched Arendt’s profile.

His demeanor as a servant had always been impeccable, but only now did it feel like he was dressed in the right clothes.

Arendt responded incredulously.

“Does that matter now?”

“Huh? Huh, huh?”

Only then did Victor come to his senses and hurriedly looked around.

The windows were shut tightly, and if the door had been opened and closed, the knights guarding outside could not have missed it.

There was no knocking, of course, and it wasn’t like he opened the door and barged in.

The two of them literally appeared in the middle of the office as if they had fallen from the sky.

“…!”

!

Victor jumped up in surprise. The chair fell backwards, but he didn’t have time to pay attention to that.

“Oh, how did you get in here?”

“Ah, you’re so dull. I told you before, there’s an outstanding mage here.”

Arendt nodded to Lexion standing behind him .

“Let me introduce myself again. My name is Lexion. When I came here, I told people I was Explorer Lec.”

“…”

“Oh, I believe you will forgive my rudeness for barging in without permission. It is an urgent matter.”

Without having the courage to answer, Victor just stared blankly between Arendt and Lexion.

“He’s definitely a piece of scrap metal, just like you said.”

“That’s right. I don’t know if he will be of much use, but I guess there’s nothing we can do about it. It’s better than nothing.”

Arendt nodded with a displeased expression as Lexion frowned.

“What the hell is going on?”

Victor asked in a bewildered manner as he listened to the pouring criticism. Arendt glanced at Lexion and spoke simply.

“I’ll only say this once, so listen carefully. This person is a dragon.”

“…” Thɪs chapter is updated by N0veI.Fiɾe.net

Victor’s mouth opened wide at the unexpected remark. But Arendt was merciless.

“He’s my assistant. Let’s make this clear. He’s not on the side of the Caerleon Empire, he’s on my side.”

“But what difference does that make…”

Victor’s confused mumbling was met with a firm retort.

“There’s a big difference. I’m the kind of person who would spit in front of God Luce if I could. Anyway, just take my word for it and don’t argue. I don’t have time to explain it twice.”

“…”

Victor became confused.

It was because of the incomprehensible situation of having a dragon right beside him, the kind of treatment he had never experienced in his life, and a type of blasphemy he had never heard before.

“The reason I came to you in this form is because I’m about to discuss something important. It felt somewhat disrespectful to start such a conversation while disguised.”

Victor, who had been listening blankly, muttered.

“You’re caring about manners? Now?”

“Still, you do know how to speak properly to some extent.”

Even Lexion chimed in in agreement, but Arendt, of course, ignored it completely.

“Have you understood everything up to this point, Your Highness?”

“…Yes, for now.”

Victor, who had been staring blankly, nodded his head bewilderedly.

“Okay. Well then, since we don’t have much time, I’ll get to the point.”

Arendt continued, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

“I’ll be frank. Since this is the Lucain Kingdom, I will at least pretend to listen to Your Highness’ opinion. But in the end, I will do as I please.”

“What?”

“I mean, I’ll only offer you the bare minimum of choices. That’s the extent of my consideration. If you refuse, I’ll just do whatever I want from start to finish. So, what will it be?”

Victor just stared at Arendt with a blank expression for a while.

“I hate the sight of that damn god tempting clueless fools to play soldier. And I can’t stand seeing Luce bask in the glory of being called the ‘good guy’ just by wiping out those pathetic things.”

Locking eyes directly with him, Arendt continued speaking clearly and deliberately.

“I am the most arrogant bastard in the Caerleon Empire. I can’t stand anything that doesn’t go my way.”

“…”

“But since Your Highness is the ruler of this kingdom, I’m asking out of courtesy. What will you do from here on?”

Arendt, who said that, was, as he said, terribly arrogant. But for some reason, he did not feel like rejecting or opposing it.

‘He is not a hero, but just an apprentice knight…’

Victor looked at Lexion without realizing it.

The man Arendt called a dragon simply stood back, as if he had delegated everything to the apprentice knight.

At this point, it didn’t seem like Arendt was playing with words anymore.

Of course, Lexion’s identity was not a lie either.

“…”

After a moment of conflicted silence, Victor remained quiet. But his hesitation didn’t last long.

He had decided to trust Arendt anyway. He even asked them to judge and dispose of the crimes his beloved family might have committed.

After a short while, Victor’s calm voice broke the silence.

“…What should I do?”

The Crown Prince, who raised his head again, seemed to have made a decision.

“Okay. Then I will include Your Highness as well. First, I will explain the situation.”

Arendt raised the corners of his lips in satisfaction.

“This is information that Lord Lexion has gathered while traveling around the kingdom for the past few days… but it would be best to prepare yourself mentally before listening.”

“Why?”

“It’s more ruined than Your Highness could have imagined.”

At Arendt’s blunt words, Victor’s gaze wandered into the air again. Regardless, Arendt continued his explanation.

“The enemies will launch an attack this way. Their forces will consist of homunculi and ghouls, with some civilians mixed in as well.”

“Wait a minute, civilians?”

Victor, who had been listening blankly, suddenly came to his senses.

“Yes. Those guys who were full of complaints against Your Highness rebelled and joined the Chernion Cult. They brought homunculi and ghouls into this kingdom.”

“…”

Arendt continued speaking calmly to the Crown Prince, whose face turned pale in an instant.

“They’re hiding in various places, but fortunately, they’re not as large as I thought. Only the leaders who lead them have been baptized into the Chernion Cult, and the rest of them don’t seem to have been brainwashed at all.”

“…”

“All things considered, they did rebel of their own free will, so I can’t help but find them detestable.”

Arendt tilted his head.

“What do you want to do?”

“…What?”

“I told you, I’ll give you a choice. Will you join me in subduing the ghouls? Or will you spare their lives and rehabilitate them?”

Victor flinched at the cold voice.

“Honestly, the first one is quick and easy. The bereaved families of the traitors will not dare to express their discontent, and will bow their heads to the royal family who made the decisive decision.”

An unusually clear voice continued to whisper.

“Your Highness, you may simply observe from the comfort and safety of the palace. Duke Middleton’s men, the Royal Knights, and reinforcements from the Caerleon Empire will arrive shortly to take care of everything.”

“…”

“But the kingdom will be drenched in blood, and among the families who surrendered out of fear of the sword, some will turn back to the enemy and become fervent devotees of the Evil God. To them, the enemy won’t be the Evil God, but us, the ones who have pointed swords at them.”

Victor swallowed hard and asked.

“…What’s the second one?”

“The second option is harder, and perhaps even more arduous for you, and you will forever be responsible for the choice you make today. You will have to have blood on your hands.”

Victor’s face hardened.

“But we can at least stop the river of blood from flowing through the kingdom. The ghouls and homunculi will be dealt with by the heroes of the Caerleon Empire, and the ragtag army will all be thrown into prison and regret their choices. Maybe we can send them as guinea pigs for the rehabilitation treatment being researched in the Nephele Kingdom.”

The Crown Prince flinched.

Arendt recognized the fear on his face.

It was natural for a person who had never experienced hardship or adversity in his life.

But Arendt trusted his own vision.

‘I did persecute him because he was just a piece of scrap metal and a useless bastard…’

Even Victor had exactly one place he could truly trust.

“…Sir Arendt is very good at lying.”

The Crown Prince lowered his gaze and muttered softly.

“From the beginning, there was only one thing I could choose.”

His fingertips were trembling with fear, but Victor clenched his fists as if trying to hide it.

“If I can shoulder even a little of it, please. Let me do it. I will endure it even if I have blood on my hands. I think I will be able to save my reputation if I do the bare minimum as the Crown Prince.”

A feeble voice slipped out. But Arendt did not mock it.

“Great.”

If much blood is shed by the weak, it will inevitably become a tragedy.

If someone sheds tears of blood, that too is a tragedy.

If the enemy was thoroughly defined as pure evil and crushed, even the spilled blood could be framed as righteous justice; however, unfortunately, that too was not a viable option.

‘This isn’t a stage where everything can be settled with a single decisive battle.’

The fight repeats itself.

The hero of this story is too righteous to willingly slay the weak and claim to be the embodiment of good.

And since the one destined to become the ruler of the kingdom was so meek, there was no helping it.

The inevitable scent of blood was hidden behind the actor’s back, with the spotlight shining only on the parts they wanted to reveal.

“Shall we put on a play together, Your Highness?”

Victor muttered stupidly.

“A play?”

“They are biding their time, including the hidden mastermind within the royal family whose identity hasn’t yet been revealed. They will definitely try to strike first while we are distracted and in chaos.”

Arendt said indifferently.

“When that moment comes, the enemies will summon ghouls and homunculi and advance on the palace. So…”

But the gaze directed at Victor was no longer cold.

“Don’t let those bastards raise the curtain on this stage. Your Highness must be the one to start everything with your own hands.”

As if engraving it onto his heart, Arendt added each word clearly and deliberately.

Crown Prince Victor stared blankly at the young apprentice knight as if possessed.

His golden eyes, bathed in the morning sunlight, gleamed like fiery flames.