Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 442

The surroundings were immersed in a quiet silence.The silence of the barracks was only occasionally broken by the groans of the wounded, someone’s snoring, and the sounds of soldiers patrolling.

If you listened a little closer, you could hear the chirping of night insects and the sound of the wind blowing through the tree branches.

Everything surrounding the area vividly reminded him that this place was its own world, almost overwhelmingly so.

‘It’s chilly.’

Arendt was sitting on a tree stump he had discovered while walking outside the barracks.

His body felt heavy as if it weighed a ton, from the exhaustion brought on by the rough fight and the stinging wounds.

Still, his eyes wouldn’t close easily, so Arendt eventually snuck out of his assigned quarters and went for a leisurely night walk.

The pouch contained Nereid’s sacred relic, a small pearl, intact, but even that was of little use today.

Because this was a very personal matter.

“…This is driving me crazy.”

Arendt, who was looking up at the dark sky, finally muttered.

He absentmindedly ran his hand through his hair and washed his face with cold water, but the unease wouldn’t go away.

‘I have to act…’

He couldn’t concentrate at all.

The scene he encountered today was a scenario he had never imagined before.

The idea of ​​someone else taking care of him and suffering in his stead was something that could never happen on this stage, and must never happen.

‘No.’

As a human being, he never once thought he would face such a situation.

That’s why he even forgot that he was acting for a moment.

If it had been Arthur, Laius, or any of the other knights nearby instead of Richt, the outcome would not have been different.

Because he knew this fact better than anyone else, Arendt’s feelings became even more complicated.

“Haa, damn.”

Hiding his expression, Arendt buried his face in his hands and sighed.

His stomach churned.

The moment he was attacked, Chernion’s malice and Richt’s bewildered expression were mixed together in his mind.

Beyond the stage, it seemed as if the audience was laughing in silence.

Like the boos of a rude audience member hiding in the dark to a novice actor who made a grave mistake on a brightly lit stage.

“…”

How much time had passed since he started focusing on calming his mind?

“Why are you sleeping here? You’ll catch a cold.”

A familiar voice suddenly came from beside him. Arendt, who had been silent for a moment, responded curtly without even raising his head.

“I don’t catch colds. I’m not weak like some people. Are you walking around with the hole plugged?”

“You’re all tattered and worn out, yet you manage to speak so nicely. The priest has sealed the wound, so don’t worry. Shouldn’t you at least say thank you once?”

Only when an annoyed reply come did Arendt raise his head.

At some point, Richt was standing in front of him, his back to the night sky.

“If you want, I can do it, but can you handle it?”

“…I made a slip of the tongue.”

Richt answered in a trembling manner and sat down next to Arendt without asking permission.

Since the chosen spot happened to be dirt, his pants got dirty, but he didn’t seem to care at all.

Then Arendt asked angrily:

“Why are you sitting here? This is my spot. If you were out for a walk, you should just keep going.”

“I’m not out for a walk. I came out to find you.”

Arendt clicked his tongue in annoyance at the straight-forward answer.

“You’re annoying, damn.”

“I came all the way here to look for you since you didn’t seem to be sleeping, but why are you being so rude to your senior?”

“It’s not like me being disrespectful is something new.”

“That’s true.”

Richt readily agreed. Arendt glanced at him as they sat next to each other and asked bluntly.

“You seemed to have been avoiding me for a while, so why are you suddenly acting friendly? I heard you picked up a lot of information from Senior Arthur?”

“I didn’t know you would ask that so openly.”

Richt sighed briefly and sat up comfortably.

“It’s true that my feelings were complicated for a while. But in the end, it all seemed meaningless. Does that answer your question?”

“Not at all. I don’t know anything about you other than that you’re a dull, stupid, and spineless person.”

Arendt stared straight ahead and spoke bluntly.

There was a brief silence after that. Just as the stillness befitting the night was about to settle, Richt suddenly spoke.

“Don’t pretend not to know when you already know everything. It’s annoying.”

Arendt just rolled his eyes and looked at Richt.

“I can’t believe a single word you say anymore.”

Arendt arched an eyebrow at the sight of his seemingly cheerful mood, despite his blunt words.

“I’ve never met anyone whose words and actions are as inconsistent as yours. I doubt I ever will.”

Richt continued speaking slowly.

“If you’re going to be shameless in front of me, do the same behind my back. If you’re going to be so upset you can’t sleep and just wander around, at least pretend to be grateful.”

“…”

Before Arendt could respond, Richt struck.

“I know you’re not the kind of person to be particularly grateful. But this still feels a bit unfair to me.”

“What is it?”

“Who was it that recklessly rushed in front of the captain and made everyone worry?”

Richt burst into laughter at that.

“Don’t have anything to say when it becomes your own problem? Serves you right.”

“…That’s strange. Why are you so twisted? I don’t think you were always like this.”

When Arendt asked in bewilderment, Richt glanced at him for a moment.

“It’s because of an arrogant junior who’s hard to handle unless you’re equally matched.”

“A person can’t be so spineless.”

“Like you said, it’s because I’m spineless.”

In the end, the conversation focused on him. Arendt didn’t like that fact very much.

Just as he was about to mutter something sullenly, Richt spoke up first once again.

“While we’re on the subject, please don’t try to distance yourself unnecessarily. It’s annoying to have to follow you around.”

“You don’t have to follow me around. It’s actually you who’s the annoyance.”

“I tried that because it seemed like that’s what you wanted, but I just couldn’t help feeling uneasy.”

Richt glared at him with disapproving eyes.

“And above all, it’s my own feelings.”

The apprentice knight didn’t respond this time either. Without waiting for a response, Richt continued speaking in a light tone.

“As I said before, I can’t believe what you say, so I can only do whatever I want.”

“…”

“If you feel wronged, you should have turned around and run away that day instead of risking your life to save the Captain.”

Richt seemed strangely pleased as he spoke. Arendt sighed briefly and grumbled.

“That’s exactly what I’m saying. It’s just pointless to go through such hard, unnecessary suffering.”

“No. If the same situation arises, you’ll do the same thing again. I guarantee it.”

But Arendt had no choice but to stay slent.

Richt’s calm voice continued.

“You should finally admit it. Stop acting like a child. You care for those around you far more than you realize. In some ways, you’re even more reclusive than I am.”

He was growling at God, saying he would protect his territory, but he was also afraid that others might come up onto the damn stage he was standing on.

“It’s not that the person approaching you is annoying, it’s that you feel uneasy about having to stand shoulder to shoulder with them. That’s why you’re so eager to show off and hide even the captain behind your back.”

That was the Arendt that Richt had seen so far.

“It’s not that you want to die a miserable death, but rather you hate seeing someone else die miserably. Isn’t that why you were trembling all day today?”

“I’ve never been trembling.”

“It seemed like it.”

Richt responded firmly to the voice full of complaints.

Richt raised his head again and glanced at his junior. A complex light was clearly visible on Arendt’s expressionless face.

It was the first time he had seen his bare face in a long time.

“You talk too much.”

“I hit the nail on the head.”

Richt burst into laughter and sat back down comfortably.

“It’s a bit awkward, so let’s stop here. It seems like you’ve heard a lot of things from Arthur…”

He hesitated for too long.

This was something that he should have said to Arendt directly a long time ago.

“It seems like you gave me space, thinking it would help. But there was no need for that. I had already made up my mind beforehand.”

“I can probably guess what you’re going to say. If it bothers you, you can skip it.”

Arendt muttered lamentingly.

“As much as you care about the Captain and us, we care about you too. It’s not because you’re essential to this fight. It’s because we care about you as a person.”

“…”

“And while I trust Lord Luce’s justice, I also trust you. If your path is the right one, then in the end, it will lead to His justice as well. Even if things go differently than I expected.”

After a brief pause, Richt added:

“I have no regrets. If betraying Lord Luce is the path to take, then I can accept the punishment and repent along with you. If you were truly right…”

Richt’s hand, resting on his knee, moved slightly, then, as if steeling himself, he laced his fingers together tightly.

“When that time comes, it’ll truly mean the world is about to change.”

How long did it take him to say this with confidence?

A deep silence fell between them. Arendt was no longer looking at Richt.

Golden eyes stared into the night sky. Lost in his turbulent thoughts, he seemed to have forgotten Richt was beside him.

‘I have no idea what you’re thinking.’

Richt swallowed a sigh.

Perhaps what he couldn’t quite accept was that his life and Captain Laius could be of equal worth, and maybe, deep down, he was weighing them on an invisible scale.

Who would’ve thought that beneath that smooth-talking, brazen mask was a face burdened with worries far beyond his years.

But instead of asking further questions, Richt chose to remain silent.

Just getting this far was a miracle. If he rushed to reach out again, Arendt might just put that brazen mask back on.

After a long silence, Arendt spoke again.

“I’ll share everything I’ve learned so far with you soon.”

“What?”

When he asked in surprise at the unexpected remark, Arendt gave him a cold look.

“I’ll share the complete information only with His Highness the Crown Prince, the Captain, Senior Arthur, and Llewellyn. That’ll settle my debt for today.”

“…”

Richt, who had been staring blankly for a moment, let out a small chuckle.

“I really appreciate it.”

“Then… hah.”

Arendt, who was about to add something, rested his chin on his hand and sighed again.

“I don’t know anymore. Do what you want.”

It was a rare, heartfelt lament.

Although he couldn’t figure out what was going on in his mind, Richt decided to be satisfied with this for now.

“Of course, I plan to handle it myself.”

At least he knew that he wasn’t the type of person who would misinterpret his true feelings.

The conversation ended there.

However, the two sitting next to each other did not leave their seats until dawn came, and spent a long time lost in their own thoughts.