Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 380

Time passed swiftly, and the night designated by the Chernion Cult finally arrived.Amber, who was walking in the lead, glanced back. She saw the faces of her comrades who were following behind her, trying to keep as quiet as possible in the darkness.

Everyone was trying hard to look calm, but the anxiety they couldn’t quite hide was clearly visible under the dim moonlight.

‘That makes sense.’

Even in Amber’s own area, as many as 30% of her comrades had fled.

After their loyal servant was dragged out into the marketplace and made an example of, they lost contact with their comrades inside the palace.

And then the Crown Prince made a grand announcement about the King’s condition, and the kingdom was turned upside down.

‘I heard that the chief chamberlain was arrested for treason…’

If that was the case, then their other companions in the palace might have already been discovered, or they might have betrayed Lord Chernion.

‘You idiots.’

If they could have held out a little longer, a new world would open up. Even if there was nothing she could do about those who were caught, she absolutely could not forgive those who got scared and ran away.

‘There will come a day when you have to pay the price.’

Amber had no doubt that God would punish the traitors. As she was thinking about this, Jason’s voice suddenly broke her train of thought.

“Captain, isn’t it around here?”

“Uh?”

As Amber stopped walking, those following her also stopped one after the other.

“…It seems like no one is here?”

Someone muttered, slightly frightened.

It was just outside the castle gates, near a graveyard where not a single soul could be felt.

It was a place designated by a man who called himself Roger.

“Let’s wait a little longer. There’s still some time left before the appointed hour.”

Amber answered, trying to hide her impatience. It was a moonless night.

It was a time that should have been comfortable for those who followed the darkness. Yet, the instinctive fear inherent in being human was unavoidable.

.

At the sound of a field mouse running, Amber shivered without realizing it.

It suddenly occurred to her that no one in the castle knew they were here.

“…”

Operating under strict secrecy was only natural. Still, Amber couldn’t understand why this very fact felt so ominous.

“Uh?”

At that moment, Jason let out an exclamation.

“Oh, there is a person.”

At those words, the group’s gaze naturally turned to where Jason was pointing.

Soon enough, Amber discovered the same thing. A figure stood tall near the bushes by the graveyard.

‘Could they be that person?’

Amber, whose heart was getting impatient, took a step towards them.

Likewise, perhaps noticing their presence, the figure took a step out of the bushes.

Even in the pitch-black darkness, the dull gleam of metal armor caught her eye.

.

The sound of metal clashing echoed through the darkness.

Who she clearly thought was one person was not alone.

At that moment, Amber realized something was wrong.

She quickly looked around and took a step back. Jason, who still hadn’t figured out what was going on, asked bewilderedly.

“Captain?”

“…Damn it.”

But Amber couldn’t answer his question.

Knights clad in familiar armor slowly emerged from the bushes. Only then did the group realize the gravity of the situation, their faces turning pale with shock.

One by one, the knights multiplied until they quickly surrounded the group completely.

“A trap…”

Jason turned pale and muttered.

The symbol engraved on their chest armor was clearly the symbol of the Lucain Kingdom’s Royal Knights.

-Two people resisted and were executed on the spot. All others surrendered and were imprisoned.

-Of the seven people who remained near the summoning circle, five were arrested. Two of them did not cooperate and were summarily executed.

Victor sat quietly with his head held high as he listened to the reports flying in one after another.

-We will begin the evacuation operation. We have also confirmed the location of the reinforcements from the Caerleon Empire deployed in the surrounding area.

-We will guide people to the designated location.

-We have completed clearing out the resisting personnel. We will now begin the evacuation operation.

The communication crystals lined up on the desk blinked endlessly, relaying the knights’ reports.

The inside and outside of the palace were being cleaned up at a rapid pace.

They dug traps and led people in, and they disposed of those who resisted without asking questions.

It was harsh treatment for the civilians.

It was as if they didn’t even see their enemies as human beings…

But the truth was, this was the best way to save as many people as possible.

‘At least they were arrested before becoming rebels.’

Up to this point, it was still a stage where one could excuse themselves by saying they had no choice but to fall for the deceit of the Evil Cult.

The same was true for the dead.

Since the crime of rebellion extended collective punishment to one’s family, would be better to punish them now before they committed treason.

‘Sir Arendt must have calculated it all.’

Of course, the idea itself wasn’t difficult.

But putting it into practice was never easy.

“…”

It was almost time for the sun to rise.

It meant that there was only one day left until the fate of the palace was decided.

Now, his role as a puppet was also coming to an end.

“Ha…”

Those who met their end at the hands of the knights would be forgotten from people’s memories, as if they never existed in the first place.

Even the fact that they died wouldn’t be known.

Arendt’s intention was that their bodies should not be left behind, so that their deaths would not become ‘noble sacrifices for Lord Chernion.’

They were neither a rebel nor a nameless soldier of the holy war.

They would simply die as ordinary people and disappear from history.

“…”

Victor clasped his trembling hands together. He tried to pray to God Luce out of habit, but soon gave up.

It was because he was reminded of Arendt, who said he wanted to spit in the face of God Luce.

‘What the hell is he…’

Victor still could not properly understand Arendt as a person.

But he decided to at least believe that he had no ill intentions.

‘He said that the more scared you are, the more calmly you should accept it.’

The young knight, whose expression did not change even while stepping in a puddle of blood, was perhaps born with boldness.

‘Or was it the time spent swallowing his fear that made him the way he was?’

He didn’t know. It wasn’t an area he could interfere in in the first place.

As he sat for a long while trying to suppress his internal turmoil, the lights of the communication crystals had gone out before he even noticed.

Come to think of it, he thought he heard a report around dawn that most people had finished evacuating.

Before he knew it, dawn had broken, and the sky outside the window was starting to brighten dimly.

Just then, .

A dry knock was heard.

As Victor raised his head, the door opened without even waiting for permission.

“It’s a bad morning, Your Highness.”

And then came a voice that was still unfamiliar and indifferent.

Victor lifted his head with a start and met the eyes of the cold apprentice knight.

“Are you ready?”

He had shed his servant’s appearance and was now dressed in the uniform of an apprentice knight of the Caerleon Empire.

He was wearing an artifact that he had taken from the Evil Cult, and a gleaming sword was fastened at his waist.

He had definitely encountered him during the conference, and just recently, when he was introduced to Lord Lexion a while ago, he had seen his original face.

“…Sir Arendt.”

But for some reason, Victor felt like he was finally seeing his face for the first time.

But there was no time to indulge in sentimentality.

Victor got up from his seat.

“I’m ready.”

“Let’s go.”

Arendt stepped back to make way for him. Victor nodded nervously and left the office first.

The palace was noticeably quieter than usual, as most of the officials had left and even the servants had been sent away.

Even the remaining people were taking precautions, and even the main palace, which would normally be bustling with people starting their work, was as quiet as a mouse.

“…Is this the calm before the storm?”

Llewellyn muttered absentmindedly and fell silent.

Now was not the time to be talking carelessly.

Until they reached their destination, no one spoke a word. Fortunately or unfortunately, they didn’t encounter anyone on the way.

After what felt like eons, Victor finally stopped in front of the King’s chambers.

The ornately decorated gate looked unusually plain, as there were no attendants or guards guarding its entrance.

Victor swallowed hard and slowly opened the door.

A strong smell of rotting flesh wafted through the gap in the door.

Victor frowned, but continued opening the door.

The dark bedroom was illuminated by the light streaming in from the hallway.

The King, neither dead nor alive, sat leaning against the head of the bed with his mouth agape.

“…Father.”

Victor called out loud to him, but there was no response.

It was always like that. He had never responded to the voice that called him ‘Father’. Neither to himself nor to his two half-siblings.

“Brother… You don’t have to push yourself too hard.”

“It’s okay, Prince.”

Victor answered calmly to Llewellyn’s worried words.

“It’s something I have to handle.”

There was no longer any fear in his calm voice. Llewellyn handed him the dagger without asking any more questions.

Arendt advised.

“Aim for the neck and the heart, Your Highness.”

“Okay.”

Victor took a step towards the King.

Duke Middleton, Arendt, and Llewellyn just watched him quietly.

Victor, standing right in front of the bed, drew his dagger. The bluish blade gleamed with a chilling light.

“Father.”

Victor called out to him once more, but the King’s clouded eyes did not look at him.

But Victor said regardless.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Although he was not able to protect the kingdom as King, he was once a man who ruled the kingdom peacefully.

He was never affectionate, but he was a wise and thorough king.

Although he was now a corpse and had met a miserable death.

“From now on, I will take my father’s place.”

The Crown Prince carefully laid the King down on his bed and then raised his dagger.

He wanted to close his eyes, but he stubbornly did not take his gaze off the tip of the dagger.

.

The dagger cut through the dry flesh and bone and dug into the King’s heart without resistance. Not stopping there, Victor pulled out the dagger and plunged it into the King’s neck.

The horrible sensation of a dehydrated cervical vertebra breaking ran through his fingers.

“…”

The ghoul who had been the King no longer moved.

He was just lying quietly on the bed.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

Duke Middleton said, his voice cracking slightly.

Victor didn’t say anything, just sheathed the dagger, put it back in his pocket, and stepped back.

No emotion could be read from Victor’s face as he stared at the floor.

Arendt took a short breath and stepped forward.

As he used his magic lightly, the dried corpse instantly froze white.

And after a while, the corpse, unable to overcome the extreme cold, turned into silvery dust and scattered into the air.

When Arendt turned around, Victor was crying.

Arendt glanced at the teardrops tracing circles on the floor and spoke.

“Let me ask you one last time. Are you truly certain this is what you want?”

It was a dry voice, completely devoid of comfort or pity.

But Victor showed no resentment or reproach at all.

“I will do it.”

He simply nodded with a determined expression that showed no hint of hesitation.

If there was one thing that held warmth in the bedroom where the cold air of the Frosty Touch lingered, it was the tears of the Crown Prince filled with compassion for his father.