Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 472

As they neared the Great Temple, Seton, Rosie, and Enoch noticed that the area was unusually noisy.“You group of scammers!”

“Apologize to the dead! You pretended to be righteous, but you conspired with the Evil God to trick us!”

Rosie looked back at the two people with wide eyes.

“What does that mean?”

“Did they get into a fight?”

Enoch furrowed his brow and looked around. He saw security guards rushing toward the commotion.

Seton, who was holding the package Arendt had handed him, answered uneasily.

“These days, things are unstable one way or another… The imperial palace isn’t entirely peaceful.”

“I think I just heard the word ‘Evil God.”

Enoch muttered as he stared at the direction the security guards had run to, and held Rosie’s hand tighter.

“It seems the commotion is towards the Great Temple?”

“That’s true, but…”

Seton nodded vaguely.

“It’s common sense not to make a fuss at the entrance to the Great Temple.”

It was something they couldn’t know until they went there.

The three of them began to approach their destination with even more caution than before.

As they got closer to the Great Temple, the noise grew louder.

They had a bad feeling about this.

When entering the square leading to the Great Temple entrance…

The three people froze in place.

“How dare you insult Lord Luce, God will not tolerate it!”

“You bastards deserve to be punished! Go to hell!”

An unimaginable sight unfolded before their eyes.

People who hurled insults at God Luce, threw trash at Him, people who swung their fists and shouted at Him for blasphemy, and even people who tried to break up fights and ended up getting caught up in it themselves.

It was a sight that was completely gobsmacking.

“Huh, what…?”

Enoch muttered in a dazed voice without realizing it.

But Seton wasn’t in a position to respond. He simply reflexively pushed Rosie back, who froze between himself and Enoch.

“Stop! Calm down!”

“You can’t do that here, this is the Great Temple!”

The security forces were trying to suppress the situation somehow, but the situation had already escalated into a riot and was beyond the point where it could be resolved through words.

“Get out! You temple dogs!”

“Are you also in league with that blasphemer? Won’t you let go of this hand?”

Rather, people who had lost their minds even tried to attack the security guards.

The security forces were left with no choice but to panic. They couldn’t draw their swords against civilians.

Even the priests rushed out and tried to calm the situation somehow.

But they had to return to the temple under the pressure of the security guards.

It was because they didn’t know what would happen if they caught the eye of the people protesting at the temple right now.

“…What should we do?”

At that moment, Rosie, who had been hiding behind the two people, suddenly spoke.

Her voice was full of fear, but her eyes were filled with concern as she looked at the entrance to the Great Temple.

“If this keeps happening, we won’t be able to enter the Great Temple. We need to deliver something to the High Priest…!”

“I know.”

Enoch answered calmly and led Rosie behind him again.

Right now, it was impossible to approach the entrance. If they stayed here too long, they might get caught up in something.

But…

“I guess this is urgent business?”

Enoch’s gaze fell on the bundle Seton was clutching tightly. Seton unconsciously tightened his grip on the bundle.

“He didn’t say anything like that, but…

Since it was something Arendt had asked to be delivered to the High Priest, it didn’t seem like it was an ordinary matter.

Of course, if it had been truly urgent and important, Arendt would never have entrusted them, the servants, with an errand, but still, the three of them couldn’t shake off the slight possibility.

Seton, who had been thinking for a long time, gave a vague answer.

“Should we take a look at the situation and move forward once things calm down?”

“But there’s no time for that. I have to get back to work this evening. Wouldn’t it be better to come tomorrow morning?”

As Enoch frowned, Rosie interjected.

“Sir Arendt might not be at the palace tomorrow. He’s barely come to rest after only a few days.”

“But it’s a bit much to be acting like a guest for no reason…”

Seton looked at the people with a wary look.

If they got caught up in the violence, they might lose or damage the precious things Arendt had entrusted to them.

Moreover, it seemed that Arendt did not want them to move recklessly and get hurt. Seton, who had thought about it that far, came to a conclusion.

“Let’s leave for now. Let’s wait a bit and go in when things calm down. If it doesn’t, we’ll just come back tomorrow.”

“Is that okay? What if he’s in a hurry?”

But Enoch still looked worried.

“Hmm…”

Seton, too, was unable to give a definitive answer and looked back at the place where the commotion was taking place.

“These guys.”

A slightly cold hand pressed firmly against Seton’s shoulder.

“It’s urgent…”

Seton was startled and tried to turn around. But before he could, a flat voice was heard.

“If you see something like this happening, you should turn around and run away right away. What are you guys still doing here?”

It was a blunt, but clearly worry-filled sentence.

Seton suddenly came to his senses and his eyes widened.

“Ah, ah, Sir Arendt!”

“Go back to the palace quickly.”

Arendt, pushing Seton back, added as he passed them.

“If you do this again, I won’t send you on errands again.”

“Wait, wait, Sir Arendt!”

Seton tried to hurriedly grab him, but Arendt just kept walking briskly.

The three people watched Arendt’s back with blank eyes.

Arendt approached the scene of the riot with a leisurely pace, as if taking a stroll, and stopped a few steps behind it.

The people who were so busy fighting and pulling each other’s hair didn’t seem to notice Arendt’s appearance.

“Hmm.”

Arendt leaned forward, his hands on his hips.

His eyes that watched the chaos as if they were watching someone else’s business showed indifference.

No matter how hard he tried, it didn’t seem easy to handle a situation like this where civilians were rioting all at once on his own.

The moment when three people watched him with anxious hearts.

The apprentice knight quietly drew his sword.

“Huh?”

At the same time, a dumbfounded sound came out of their mouths.

The sword, smoothly drawn from its scabbard, gleamed in the late afternoon sunlight.

The moment the security guards belatedly realized something was wrong, they felt a chill.

“It’s pathetic.”

Arendt’s light swing shattered a nearby fountain.

“…”

A cold wind swept through the surroundings.

The pure white frost sparkled in the sunlight and scattered into the air.

The fountain, which had been beautifully decorated with a statue of Luce, was shattered to the point where its original form could not be seen.

The sight of the head of the Luce statue, half-broken at the waist, stuck upside down in the debris was particularly striking.

Arendt swung his sword once more, completely pulverizing the statue.

“If it’s blasphemy, it has to be this much.”

In an instant, silence fell upon all sides, and only Arendt’s voice resonated clearly.

“Can a mere fistfight be enough?”

Someone released the hand that was holding another by the collar.

People fighting each other, people cursing Luce, people trying to stop them, onlookers looking on with concern, and even the security guards…

They stared blankly at the apprentice knight who was wreaking havoc.

Needless to say, the commotion died down in an instant.

“Hah…”

Seton groaned involuntarily. Enoch, who had been standing there blankly, also spoke.

“Well, that’s the kind of person he originally was…”

“Awesome…”

And finally, at Rosie’s exclamation, Seton and Enoch had no choice but to make a commotion.

While the kids were doing that, Arendt leisurely sheathed his sword.

When it comes to attracting attention, nothing was as effective as making a mess.

It was also a privilege to be able to enjoy the name ‘Arendt von Eckhart’.

The Crown Prince might be feeling a little upset somewhere, but that was none of his business.

“I was about to say, ‘Everyone, stop moving… but you’re already frozen. Alright. Just stand by. Hey, captain.”

The captain of the security forces was startled when his name was suddenly called.

“Yes, yes!”

“Have your idiotic, useless subordinates take control of this area. Disperse all bystanders.”

Arendt walked briskly towards the frozen people.

“I’m talking about the guys who got arrested. The ones who had dead fish eyes.”

“Yes, yes!”

“Of course you confirmed their identities, right?”

The captain hastily answered Arendt’s question.

“Yes! I checked. They’re all residents living nearby…. They were living normal lives until yesterday.”

In that case, it would be safe to say that it was unlikely that they were swapped in that short period of time.

It was possible that they were Chernion’s hidden followers.

The cloudiness in their eyes might have been the result of Iris’ Breath of Mnemosyne.

With that thought in mind, Arendt stepped closer to the man standing closest to him.

“Eek…!”

As the distance suddenly narrowed, he tried to retreat quickly.

“Don’t move.”

But a cold voice caught him off guard.

“If you leave your spot without my permission, you will be dealt with immediately by the authority of the Imperial Knights. Please remain where you are.”

People froze in place at the voice that held no warmth whatsoever.

The young apprentice knight studied the man closely, like a hunting dog sniffing out a wild animal.

Arendt, who had finished checking, tapped the man on the shoulder.

“Go back.”

“…Yes?”

“Go away now. I won’t hold you accountable for the fight.”

The man who had been observing for a moment suddenly left the area.

Arendt stopped even looking at him and started looking at the next person.

The effects of the Frosty Touch had already worn off, but a chill of equal intensity flowed through the square.

As the same process was repeated over and over again, the people couldn’t help but become more and more nervous.

The security guards who were watching also gulped.

And finally, Arendt stopped walking in front of one person.

“…”

He was a middle-aged man with nothing special about his appearance, and his clothes were ordinary.

After Arendt just looked down for a long time, he asked anxiously.

“Oh, sir. Is there any problem…?”

“What.”

But instead of giving an answer, Arendt simply placed his hand on his chin and looked the man up and down more closely.

How much time had passed?

“I guess you could call it a problem, if it’s a problem at all.”

Finally, a cold voice came out of Arendt’s mouth.

“You guys haven’t made any progress since then. Your acting is poor.”

“Huh?”

The man asked back at the somewhat unexpected remark. Those watching were equally puzzled.

“You copied the expressions pretty well, but you should have paid more attention to your breathing and eye contact.”

The words that followed momentarily stunned the onlookers.

“Remember, when you’re acting scared, breathe more irregularly.”

.

Arendt poked the man in the chest with his finger.

“Take shallow breaths, deep in your chest. But don’t overdo it. You’ve just been in the middle of a fight, so you need to be extra careful.”

Arendt tilted his head and smiled bitterly.

“You were just a damn fake thief, but you either avoided my eyes or glared at me. Personally, I find it quite offensive.”

“…”

The surrounding temperature dropped rapidly, and frost began to form around the two.

The frost, containing extreme cold, gradually expanded its area based on where the apprentice knight had stepped.

Arendt spoke briefly.

“What are you doing? Not trying to escape?”

Those words were not directed at the man in front, but at the others surrounding him.

They instinctively realized it.

The security captain, sensing the crisis, shouted.

“Everyone, avoid it!”

Almost simultaneously, the man who had been pretending to be normal began to show changes in his appearance.

The eyes that were staring straight at Arendt turned a bright red, not even leaving the whites of his eyes.

Like a summoning stone that summoned ghouls.

“When the shadow raises its head.”

The man’s body, which was humming with power, began to swell in an instant.

“False justice, dirty light will lose its power.”

With that one word, which was like a curse…

A huge explosion swept through the surroundings.