Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 383

After flapping his black wings a few times for the first time in a long time, his human-shaped body lightly flew up.Having gained some altitude, Lexion turned and looked down over the area surrounding the Lucain Palace.

There wasn’t even a trace of the bustling nightlife typical of a busy capital no matter how hard he looked.

The only lights that were occasionally visible were torches kept lit for battle.

“What a spectacular sight.”

A hollow laugh burst out of Lexion’s mouth. The sight he was seeing at his feet was exactly the ‘stage’ that Arendt had wanted.

All civilians had been evacuated, and most of those who needed to be killed had already been dealt with.

There was nothing to hinder the Imperial Knights’ advances. All that was left was to show off the power of the hero by dealing with the enemies before them.

‘Disgusting brat.’

In the process of identifying spies within the palace, Arendt gave those who surrendered another chance.

And given the risk that those who had joined the Chernion Cult might escape, the evacuation of civilians was given priority.

Thanks to this, no one would have been caught up in an unjust incident and killed, and those who would have been executed if they had been arrested publicly were able to save their lives.

At first glance, this may have seemed like a very merciful gesture, but…

Lexion knew better than anyone that that wasn’t all there was to it.

‘It would be a waste to use the hero’s sword on trash like them.’

A bitter smile appeared on Lexion’s lips.

Any unnecessary sacrifice was not befitting of the perfect heroic path that Laius de Winfried walks.

Arendt must have thought so.

So, he dealt with the troublemakers with his own hands in advance, and saved the ones that could be saved by wrapping them up with the mercy bestowed by the Crown Prince.

As a result, the stage that Arendt had wanted was unfolding beneath Lexion’s feet.

It was a battlefield for the hero, where only evildoers could be defeated.

“Honestly, this crazy bastard.”

A heartfelt laugh escaped him.

‘Was he born crazy, or did he go crazy for some other reason?’

Even before the great ones intervened, that brat was clearly not in his right mind.

‘That must be why he dares to bare his claws even before the gods.’

Thanks to a crazy little brat who offered to be his shield, Laius could take a different path from that of the hero Khan.

That too in a rather hopeful direction.

‘But is that really the path the hero wants?’

Lexion felt somewhat skeptical.

There was no way that Laius de Winfried could just sit by and watch the brat slowly fall apart.

Besides, madness, like faith, was contagious.

“…Well, at this point, I don’t even know which one is the crazy one.”

Perhaps Laius, who treated that kind of guy like an ordinary brat, was an extraordinary person.

‘After all, I even granted the request to bring the brat’s companions to his side.’

Now it was time for him to fulfill the role that damn bastard had assigned him.

Before the saboteurs realized that the board had been completely taken away, they would barge in.

Lexion let the tension drain from his body and glided down.

His destination was the area he was in charge of, a place where a homunculus that had just awakened was wriggling.

In the blink of an eye, Lexion moved and landed lightly in front of an old warehouse where ghouls were opening their eyes one by one.

The ghouls, noticing his presence, raised their heads one by one.

“Hmm.”

However, Lexion did not even glance at the ghouls and just stared at the homunculus that was slowly writhing.

The giant, curled up like a newborn baby, turned his head towards Lexion.

“You really are doing something dirty.”

The ‘miracle soldier’ ​​with its bright red eyes didn’t even seem to realize that what was in front of it was a dragon.

Lexion clicked his tongue and waved his hand once.

The next moment, the wings behind his shoulders disappeared and a huge spear made of pure magical power came into his grasp.

“Kruk, krururuk…”

The ghouls, who had even lost their instincts, began to slowly surround Lexion.

“I don’t want to directly touch anything that involves divine power.”

Lexion muttered absentmindedly.

“I guess it wouldn’t be a problem to just sweep away the results of dirty research.”

Lexion, who was holding the spear lightly, looked at the ghouls that were gradually closing in.

His black pupils turned red.

As Lexion swung his spear sharply, a magical power resembling darkness swept through the surroundings in an instant.

The ghouls that had been approaching threateningly suddenly stopped moving.

.

Numerous ghouls were turned into black ash all at once and scattered into the air.

The surroundings suddenly became quiet.

Only the black debris that floated in the air for a moment and then settled on the ground proved that ghouls had once been there.

Now all that remained was a single giant homunculus.

“So that’s the work of the old geezer and the young elf.”

A cold smile appeared on Lexion’s lips.

“Shall I take it apart and take a look?”

There was no time to relax since another place had to be dealt with before the main force arrived, but a brief bit of fun wouldn’t hurt.

Arthur and Richt cut down their enemies and easily joined Arendt’s side.

Arendt grumbled after easily dealing with one of the soldiers who rushed at him.

“You seem to have quite a bit of free time? Coming all the way here just to deal with small fry with me. I can handle this place on my own.”

“It seems a lot easier than dealing with those monster bastards.”

Arthur replied curtly. Then Richt spoke.

“The captain sent us and Lexion brought us here. It seems this might be too much for you to handle alone.”

“They may be old junk, but since the Royal Knights are there, I’m more than capable on my own.”

“…Honestly, I was more worried about the Royal Knights than your safety.”

Richt, who had answered reluctantly, simply cut off the neck of the enemy rushing at Arendt.

The soldier fell to the ground, bleeding profusely, without even leaving a last word behind.

“It looks like they’ve already had quite a battle. The Knight Captain’s expression doesn’t look good.”

“Of course. They may be rebels now, but the troops that were once part of the royal palace are now so weak.”

Arthur looked disgusted at Arendt’s indifferent answer.

“You provoked the captain with that again?”

“I just called incompetent what it is. What’s the problem?”

Arendt, drawing on the power of the Frosty Touch, stepped forward.

As Richt and Arthur naturally stepped aside, the soldiers who had come close froze all at once.

Before they could even realize their condition, Arthur and Richt’s swords struck the final blow, severing their breath.

Arendt chuckled with satisfaction.

“This is certainly efficient.”

“You’re probably the only apprentice knight who treats his seniors like this.”

Arendt shrugged his shoulders at Richt’s grumbling.

“If you have any complaints, you should have taken action first. I am competent, so what can I do? You are a senior who has a lot of experience and knows the world better than anyone else…”

Arendt’s sword easily cut down the enemy who was rushing at him from the side.

The frozen soldier fell and shattered into pieces.

“What’s the point of being that petty?”

“How long do you plan on pulling that trick?”

Richt let out a groan of frustration as he shook off his bloody sword.

By fighting nonstop, the three quickly thinned out the enemy’s numbers.

And Edgar, fighting not far from them, happened to overhear their conversation.

As Edgar silently dealt with his enemies, one prejudice took hold in his mind.

‘The Caerleon Empire’s Imperial Knights are all insane.’

The passage grew narrower and darker. Llewellyn turned around, shining the light further forward.

“Is everyone okay?”

“We’re okay. Don’t worry about us, Your Highness.”

Victor answered. The Duke looked back with displeased eyes and muttered quietly.

“There are no pursuers.”

“It seems the people left behind are doing well.”

Llewellyn answered without thinking much. However, Duke Middleton still looked uneasy.

“It’s fortunate if that’s the case…”

“We’re almost there. Let’s talk once we’ve reached a safe place. Princess Rieta, are you alright? Shall I hold your hand?”

Llewellyn changed the subject naturally. Fortunately, Duke Middleton didn’t say anything else.

“No, it’s okay. I can manage by myself.”

Rieta shook her head.

Llewellyn smiled at her, nodded, and then started walking again.

They were quite far from the battlefield, so the sound of weapons clashing could no longer be heard.

The gaps between the traces left by spirits on the ceiling and walls were gradually narrowing.

It meant that the exit was getting closer.

He was trying hard to control my expression, but he couldn’t help but feel his palms getting sweaty.

‘Still, surely not.’

Arendt, who was explaining, also said that the chances of this operation working were about fifty percent.

So, he added that even after reaching a safe zone, he should not let his guard down and keep watching.

That was also why he obediently followed the order to leave the battlefield with Victor.

“…”

Llewellyn swallowed dryly.

It wouldn’t be long before the outcome was decided.

About an hour had passed since they started wandering in the waterway.

In the distance, faint moonlight began to appear along with the sound of water.

“Is this the exit?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Llewellyn answered the Queen’s questions calmly.

“Nonetheless, stay close behind me until we get out completely. There might be wild beasts or monsters.”

Llewellyn, leaving a word of warning, slowly advanced.

Victor, who had been following closely behind, briefly slowed his pace before quickly closing the distance with Llewellyn again.

They finally escaped the stale air of the underground waterways and were able to breathe the fresh air of the mountains near the palace.

“Ah…”

A look of relief crossed Princess Rieta’s face as she was struck by the cold wind. The others felt the same.

Queen Liliana staggered and sank to the ground, her legs suddenly giving out as she thought she had reached safety.

“Ah…”

“Your Majesty!”

Duke Middleton quickly helped her up. Victor also approached the two with a surprised look on his face.

“Mother! Are you alright?”

“…”

But there was no answer.

“Mother, you must have had a hard time…”

Victor, who was about to reflexively take a step closer to her, suddenly stopped moving.

He felt an eerie presence behind him.

Duke Middleton’s eyes widened in shock as he noticed something behind Victor.

“Ah…”

Victor reflexively looked back.

Immediately after, he met Violetta’s eyes as she took out the dagger she had hidden in her skirt and rushed toward him.

The dagger held in her slender hand gleamed unusually white in the darkness.

The Queen, leaning against the Duke’s chest, looked at her son coldly with an expressionless face.

Her gaze was colder than the blade aimed at his heart.

“Come here!”

Llewellyn quickly pulled Rieta into his arms, who had still not comprehended the situation.

“Your Highness!”

The Duke, who had pushed the Queen away, also hurriedly ran towards the Crown Prince.

But before Duke Middleton could even take a few steps.

.

An arrow flew in and pierced Violetta’s heart.