Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 459

After that, for a while, Arendt could often be seen in the dormitory, stuffing snacks into his mouth with a very displeased face.“…Be honest with me. You can’t bear to bite His Highness, so you’re chewing on a snack instead, right?”

Arthur, who was sitting on the sofa opposite, said in a wary voice.

“What on earth did you say to His Highness? Why did His Highness suddenly change his mind?”

“It’s a secret. You’ll never know.”

Arthur asked subtly, but as always, he received a harsh reply. Arthur didn’t ask any more questions, simply leaning back against the sofa.

“Hey, you cheeky brat.”

Despite being so sick that he was bedridden before, Arendt was recovering quickly.

“Are you feeling well? You look fine today.”

“It’d be weird if I wasn’t fine after sleeping that much.”

Whatever Arthur said, Arendt responded with sarcasm, so it was obvious he was in a really foul mood.

Even so, right now he just looked like a brat throwing a tantrum.

It made perfect sense.

He wasn’t allowed to step outside the dormitory, and he was even given strict orders by the Crown Prince not to do anything until he gained back his weight.

‘Just from the way he’s acting, it really looks like he might commit treason…’

All he could do right now was eat every meal in the dormitory and stuff snacks into his mouth in between.

Given Arendt’s temperament, it was more than enough to make him angry.

“Senior, why are you following me around like this? Don’t you have anything to do?”

“It’s an order from His Highness and the Captain. They said to keep an eye on you to make sure you don’t do anything out of the ordinary. By the way, I’ll be switching places with Senior Richt in the afternoon. Next up is Prince Llewellyn.”

“Oh, damn it!”

Eventually, Arendt exploded in anger.

“I’m not going anywhere! So just go do your thing! This is so annoying!”

“I don’t believe you, you brat. You’re the kind of guy who can stir up trouble even inside the dorm.”

But it was a completely unconvincing excuse.

Arendt, unable to bear the irritation any longer, buried his head in the sofa cushion.

“Until your uniform fits properly again, you’re not allowed to bring in any documents. Lord Neumann was told the same thing. If you run away, Lord Lexion will come and catch you immediately, so keep that in mind.”

He could hear Arthur snickering.

“Those damn bastards…”

He was genuinely angry. It felt like karma came to bite him.

Arthur looked at Arendt with eyes that seemed to be dying of joy and picked up a snack to eat.

Of course, even at this moment, the outside was noisy.

The war was getting more intense by the day, and shouts were heard every day in the Great Temple and the palace.

‘For now, His Highness and the Captain are keeping it under control, but…’

That probably won’t last long either.

But it didn’t seem to matter much.

It was quite amusing just to watch that guy seethe and fume right now.

“You can eat these snacks. There’s also a special herbal medicine sent by Lord Neumann. You should also take the pills prepared in the treatment room. I heard they’ll serve meat for dinner, so look forward to it. The Captain made a special request to the kitchen.”

“I’m going crazy. What kind of livestock am I? Why are you feeding me that?”

When Arendt raised his head again and shouted, Arthur returned the favor in the same way he had always done to him.

“You should have taken care of yourself long ago. You’d be healthy if you weren’t so stubborn. Who would want to lie sick like that?”

“…”

Arendt, who was about to say something in response, just gave up and buried his head back in the cushion.

It was he who made them like that.

A murderous atmosphere hung in the conference room.

“Is Sir Arendt still ill?”

High Priest Lumiel, who had come to the palace for a meeting, asked casually. Cantares nodded.

“Yes. He was seriously injured in this battle, and it seems like all the fatigue had just come crashing down

He might’ve been busily running around, all fired up and picking fights with his seniors, but it wasn’t like he was lying.

“I see. I’m worried that his body has taken a toll from the continuous fights.”

“Don’t worry. Sir Arendt is quite sturdy, he’ll be back on his feet in no time.”

Seeing High Priest Lumiel knit her brows in worry, Cantares offered her a few reassuring words.

At first glance, it seemed like they were exchanging pleasantries in a peaceful manner, but in reality, it was not like that.

A constant exchange of wary glances between Cantares and the High Priest took place. The nobles and priests, sensing the uneasy air, could only keep their mouths shut and watch the two people’s reactions.

“Then, I guess we have no choice but to postpone the investigation into this allegation.”

“I think we can only resume the investigation once he’s in a condition to testify. I understand the priests have already collected most of the evidence.”

The Crown Prince nodded leisurely in response to Lumiel’s question.

“So there’s no rush. We have plenty of other tasks left to do.”

“While defeating external enemies is important, governing internally is more urgent.”

High Priest Lumiel continued speaking slowly.

“It’s something that Arendt himself once said.”

“Don’t read too much into Sir Arendt’s words. He’s notoriously unpredictable.”

It was a remark clearly aimed at Arendt, but Cantares brushed it off as smoothly as a snake slithering over a wall.

In the midst of the tense atmosphere, Laius, standing right next to the Crown Prince, quietly made his presence known.

In front of these two absolute beings who undoubtedly protected the apprentice knight, those present at the meeting did not dare to speak.

“But…”

In the atmosphere as cold as ice, Duke Lancelot began to speak.

“Disrupting the Empire at this time is clearly a serious matter. Sir Arendt has openly expressed his antipathy toward Lord Luce, so this incident is likely not a false accusation. Moreover, he seems to be fiercely loyal to Captain Laius…”

At the word “loyal”, Laius’ eyebrows twitched slightly.

His stomach was beginning to feel a bit queasy.

While he couldn’t deny that the bastard had some affection for him, he wasn’t so sure that counted as genuine loyalty.

“Whatever his intentions, it is undoubtedly quite dangerous. Therefore, Your Highness, you must examine him fairly. It is clear that he sought to tarnish the name of God and overthrow the Empire.”

Duke Lancelot continued calmly. His perspective was quite objective.

Cantares, who had his chin resting on his hand, answered coldly.

“Fairly… That word gives me some pause me, Duke.”

“I apologize if I have offended you. However, everyone knows that Your Highness keeps him close, and I am concerned that someone might harm Your Highness’ reputation.”

But Duke Lancelot was unshaken.

‘He’s quite a tricky opponent in times like these.’

Cantares clicked his tongue inwardly.

The Duke also had a fondness for Arendt, but he was not the type of person to be swayed by personal feelings.

As he thought about that, Duke Lancelot looked at the Crown Prince and added,

“There are even voices that often question whether Arendt is already recovered and is being deliberately kept hidden.”

“…Is that so?”

A strange light flashed across Cantares’ eyes. Several of the seated nobles flinched, their shoulders shaking. The priests were no exception.

Duke Lancelot watched him meaningfully.

“I dare not doubt Your Highness’ intentions, but would it not be wise to listen to even such a small opinion?”

Cantares smiled faintly.

“Thank you for your kind words, Your Grace.”

It was a moment when the brief moment of caution became meaningless.

It seemed that Duke Lancelot was quietly taking their side.

“But I recently visited him in person and saw with my own eyes, and his condition was truly dire. As soon as he recovers, I will arrange a position that will satisfy all of you…”

Cantares looked at Lumiel.

“That aside. First, I’d like to discuss the current situation. We’ve just received news from the Allied Nations. Would you like to hear it, Your Excellency?”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

The High Priest nodded readily.

Jiklin’s death brought about a great change in the situation.

The damage caused by homunculi was greatly reduced.

Jiklin consumed a large number of homunculi in the Everan Kingdom in order to kill Arendt.

Perhaps because of this, homunculi no longer appeared in the Nephele and Lucain Kingdoms.

“I can’t say for sure they’ve been completely eradicated, but they’ve begun to conserve their forces. With Jiklin dead, they won’t be able to create homunculi, let alone immortal priests.”

Cantares continued.

“The number of ghouls remains constant. It seems there’s a homunculus in their base, mass-producing ghouls. Unless we eliminate it, ghouls will continue to be deployed to the battlefield. However, that’s not cause for pessimism.”

As the fight dragged on, even the common soldiers were learning how to deal with the ghouls.

The illusion magic training device devised by Shekhinah and Lexion, and the materials produced and distributed by Count Stadler based on the knights’ reports, were also of great help.

“So, are you saying that the defense is going well?”

“No. I can’t say for sure.”

Cantares answered someone’s question in a displeased manner.

“I heard that a division in the Nephele Kingdom was annihilated in two hours.”

The air in the conference room grew cold.

“A man named Roger, affiliated with the Sword of the Broken Heart, has appeared. There was no time to act, and the bodies of the fallen soldiers could not be recovered.”

The place he swept away was engulfed in a ferocious flame, burning for days. The fallen soldiers were reduced to a handful of ashes, leaving not even a bone behind.

“Immediately afterward, he reportedly headed to a nearby house, massacred the people, kidnapped about half of them, and then suddenly disappeared. His whereabouts after that are unknown.”

“…Couldn’t they have stopped it?”

The meaningless question flowed out, filled with fear. Cantares nodded heavily once again.

“It was impossible. The few who could fight him were stationed on the front lines, unable to retreat. He attacked the barracks waiting in the rear. This kind of thing has happened several times already.”

Roger was deliberately avoiding the presence of commander-level personnel when attacking.

“It’s probably to gather materials for the ghouls, since Jiklin, who was originally in charge of that, is gone.”

“…”

A heavy silence fell.

Because his attacks were indiscriminate, it was impossible to predict his next location, and there was virtually no way to stop him, as he could teleport freely.

“The reason Roger’s clutches haven’t yet reached the Empire is probably because of Captain Laius’ presence.”

People’s eyes naturally turned to Laius.

Only the Hero of the Holy Sword, Laius de Winfried, could face the monster that could devastate a city in a matter of hours.

Laius calmly accepted the people’s gaze.

“When the time comes, I will fight to the death.”

A blatant expression of relief appeared in the people’s eyes. Laius’ eyes softened slightly as he observed their reaction.

The only person who noticed it was High Priest Lumiel.

“…Captain Laius.”

Lumiel called out to him quietly.

“I know the title of Hero of the Holy Sword carries weight. Only you, Captain, are worthy of it.”

A soft voice continued.

“The temple will support you with all its might. So, please prove that Lord Luce’s choice was right.”

“Of course.”

Laius answered, looking straight at her.

“I will do swear on my honor.”

The hero’s blue eyes did not waver even an inch.