Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 401

An unusual vibration rang out from above his head. Yet Arendt showed no reaction. He simply stared at Iris with gloomy golden eyes.“It was clearly Lord Luce who broke the rules first. Our protest was justified.”

Iris said forcefully.

“But He used the authority granted under the rules to crush us… and sent down to this world a so-called hero and Holy Sword, beings utterly unfit for the harmonious world we were meant to have.”

Arendt, who had been listening quietly, burst into hollow laughter.

“You sure like protesting. But in the end, doesn’t it mean your side started the war first?”

“Because Lord Luce broke His promise.”

The saintess answered leisurely.

“As I just said, our protest was absolutely justified.”

“Cut the bullshit..”

The golden eyes glaring at Iris grew even colder.

“You can just grab each other’s hair and bite each other, so why did you bring someone unrelated into it?”

“Because that is the most moderate way.”

But Iris was still relaxed. She spread her arms slightly, as if imitating the two statues.

“Look. A kingdom was driven to the brink of destruction just by a fight between dragons.”

It was a movement that, in a way, resembled that of an actor performing on stage.

The moment he realized that, Arendt felt even more disgusted.

Iris, gently opening her eyes, whispered.

“So this too can only be a mercy. Instead of waiting helplessly, we can fight with our own two hands and dedicate this world to the One we love.”

Standing beneath the multicolored lights emitted by the spirits, Iris looked like an otherworldly being.

“Even war and death are blessings.”

Her gently smiling face seemed to truly take pride in the fact that she had become the leader of those who would give their lives for their god.

Arendt rubbed his face and sighed slowly.

“Hah…”

His head pounded and he felt nauseous.

He couldn’t tell if it was because of the wandering lights from the spirits or because of the two statues staring at him intently.

“That’s a load of nonsense.”

Arendt spoke, pressing his hand against his forehead.

“War and death are blessings? According to whom?”

“Everything is according to Their will.”

“If that’s the case, then they can just fight to the death between themselves. We have absolutely no intention of getting involved.”

Arendt lowered his hand and looked at Iris coldly. Iris tilted her head slightly.

“Do you know what the harmony that was established in the beginning was? The weak should submit to the strong. That is the most convenient and rational way to survive.”

“So you’re saying the worms on this earth should just quietly be pecked to death by these chicken-brained gods, either worship them, or run and hide? What a joke.”

The apprentice knight let out a bitter laugh.

“I’m sorry, but that kind of old-fashioned talk has long since gone out of style.”

There was an obvious murderous intent in his golden eyes.

“Insurrection. Rebellion. Revolution. The strong brought down by the hands of the weak.”

A clear voice filled the silent temple.

“A king being beheaded by his subjects. I think that kind of thing would be more interesting.”

Another ominous noise sounded, but he paid no attention.

Arendt approached Iris and continued speaking.

“The weak have their own way of surviving. They cover themselves in thorns and carry poison within their bodies.”

Even though his vision was blurring, Arendt looked straight at Iris.

“The world isn’t that simple. If you think that gentle sheep will stay quiet in the pasture forever, you are very mistaken.”

The smile gradually disappeared from Iris’ face.

“Do you really think there won’t be a sheep that bites the shepherd’s hand instead of the grass? If the shepherd dog’s teeth tear his throat and the flock tramples him, the shepherd will eventually become nothing more than a piece of meat.”

There was no such thing as an eternal strong one.

It was as natural as the law of the jungle.

“To praise and follow a strong being and be sacrificed helplessly. That too is a blessing… That’s not fun. The audience doesn’t like that kind of thing.”

But on the other hand, Arendt started to chuckle softly, letting out a giggle.

“Isn’t the story of a ruler being toyed with and trampled by the lowliest far more thrilling?”

“…You are, how should I say it.”

Iris, who had been silent for a moment, let out a short sigh.

“You are not a very polite being.”

It was a tone that somehow gave off a sense of weariness. Her porcelain face that had previously only shown a faint smile finally showed a real expression.

That was something Arendt quite liked.

“A cocky and disobedient apprentice knight is more suitable for comedy than a well-behaved, dog-like saintess.”

Taking a step back, Arendt added in a deliberately cheerful tone.

“You see, the one who dragged me in was that great god you praise so much. If you want to blame someone, try spitting towards the sun.”

The saintess was silent for a moment.

Her face, with eyes gently closed, seemed somewhat disturbed by the blasphemy she was hearing for the first time in her long life.

But Iris quickly erased her expression.

“Whew… this is a pointless argument. No matter how well I twist my words, it seems you’re not someone easily persuaded.”

Iris turned away from Arendt and walked slowly behind the two statues.

“I told you earlier, right? I came here for a different reason.”

Arendt kept a wary eye on her movements.

“So?”

“I also agreed with Nikephoros’ words to erase the past entirely and make Lord Chernion the sole law of this world. After all, the promises of the past have lost their meaning.”

Her calm, measured tone continued.

“But there’s still something here I desperately want to reclaim.”

Iris bent down and carefully traced the altar where the statues were placed with her fingertips.

The drawer hidden under the table opened with a click. Then Iris smiled brightly.

She took out what was inside and held it carefully in her arms.

“A book?”

Arendt frowned.

The cover of the thick book was wrapped in quite luxurious leather. However, it was so old that the title was no longer visible.

“This is the sacred relic I always carried with me during the time I spent here.”

But Iris carefully ran her hands through the worn-out book as if it were a precious piece of gold.

“In the past, it was a common item, but under Lord Luce’s tyranny, it has become something no longer found in the world. Now, only this single copy remains.”

Iris, genuinely happy, spoke without hesitation when Arendt asked her a question.

“This was the one thing I wanted to reclaim. It holds so many memories… Thank you for staying with me until now.”

Iris, with a bright smile, looked back at Arendt.

“Another chance for us to share a conversation… I can only hope for a future like that.”

The spirits began to stir anxiously as a threatening noise was heard again from above.

“There isn’t much time left, so let’s each do our part now, Sir Arendt.”

There was a subtle emphasis in the way the name was spoken.

Before he knew it, her silver eyes, now visible beyond her eyelids, reflected Arendt’s figure perfectly.

Arendt smiled bitterly as he looked at himself reflected in her eyes.

“So, does that mean I should just cut you down now? Like a proper apprentice knight.”

“That may not be a bad idea, but it doesn’t seem like a very good idea.”

Iris laughed out loud.

Arendt did not refute this either.

Because just a short distance away, Salem and Rider were knocked unconscious by Chernion’s divine power.

“Giving affection ultimately means increasing your weaknesses.”

Iris narrowed her eyes and her silver pupils became crescent-shaped.

“That’s a good sign. Those of us who have lived quietly in the shadows have long lost the luxury to care about such trivial things.”

“…”

Though her voice remained calm and leisurely, there was a subtle chill hidden within it.

But before Arendt could even respond, Iris nonchalantly changed the subject as if it were nothing.

“As you know, I cannot harm you directly. And you’re just as unable to easily kill me. So then…”

Iris, pretending to hesitate for a moment, smiled gently.

“Shall we make a deal?”

Though the protective barrier was destroyed, breaking through the firmly closed fortress walls was no easy task either.

An arrow flew in and pierced the priest’s head. The priest fell to his death in an instant, followed by the ghouls, but the fire magic cast by Shekhinah swiftly chased after them.

“Keeeeeek!”

“Kyaaaaah!”

Shekhinah slowly took a deep breath as she watched the ghouls fall from the walls like fireballs. Ragnald, who had been carrying the quiver and keeping the priests in check, hurriedly approached.

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

Shekhinah politely declined his support and took a few steps back.

“More than that… the situation isn’t looking good.”

The enemies who had been pursuing the retreating elves turned around and started rushing back towards the palace as soon as the barrier was breached.

Although Laius and the Third Knights were holding out as best they could to keep them at bay, it seemed like it would only be a matter of time before they climbed over the walls.

“Is it really right for our forces to retreat?”

The enemy must already know that the royal family has fled. But seeing them desperately trying to invade the palace means that what they want is inside.

Ragnald’s face hardened as he came to the same conclusion.

“I agree with preserving our strength, but I don’t want us to look like defeated dogs retreating.”

At that moment, the two elves fell silent simultaneously.

It was because they suddenly felt a chill down their spines.

The magical whirlwind, which had briefly calmed, began to rage fiercely once again.

Shekhinah unconsciously raised her gaze and her lips parted slightly in surprise.

Lexion and Nikephoros were entangled like beasts fighting over territory.

Their forms, half-shed of polymorph magic, were indescribably bizarre yet strangely beautiful.

Their swollen limbs were covered with beautiful scales, their hands were equipped with sharp claws as they tried to tear each other’s throats, and ugly horns protruded from their foreheads.

Their wide-spread wings constantly whipped up storms, and their eyes, revealing their true reptilian nature, held no trace of reason whatsoever.

“…”

Nikephoros’ radiant golden magic scorched Lexion’s flesh, and Lexion’s magic, like a pack of black wolves, relentlessly tore at Nikephoros.

Caught up in the frenzied battle between the colossal beings, Shekhinah and Ragnald couldn’t help but lose themselves, forgetting their very duties.

Being able to see their battle with the naked eye meant only one thing.

This place would soon be devastated, caught in the midst of the dragons’ battle.