Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 146

“…What?”It took Alois a long time to ask the question.

Even though he was trembling like an aspen tree, Matthias showed no intention of taking back what he had said.

“Brother, I would like to ask whether it was true that you were behind the attack on His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Hah!”

It was so absurd that he burst out laughing.

It was true that he prepared the assassin, but he never ordered them to attack the Crown Prince.

But to explain that, he had to reveal that he had moved the assassins himself. Now, this current situation seemed ridiculous.

“Stop talking nonsense and go to sleep. Do you even know what you’re talking about?”

“Oh, I know! I’m not stupid enough not to know that much!”

Matthias clenched his fists and barely managed to utter a word.

In the eyes of his younger brother, who usually couldn’t even talk to his older brother properly, he saw a stubbornness he had never seen before.

“You… Who told you things?”

“Regardless of what I heard, can you explain it to me, brother? What are you going to do about this…!”

As he poured out his feelings, his emotions gradually grew stronger, and Matthias could not hide his miserable expression.

“Because of you, our kingdom will end. The foundation of our country is under threat, so how can the royal family of the Caerleon Empire remain silent?”

This wasn’t acting, it was sincere.

The Crown Prince said that he would not harm the Nephele Kingdom, but the kingdom already had a huge weakness.

Once caught, the weakness would doggedly cling to the Nephele Kingdom’s ankles until the Crown Prince becomes Emperor someday, and perhaps even thereafter.

This all happened because of the foolish judgment of their Crown Prince who didn’t know how to tell right from wrong.

Crown Prince Alois, listening blankly, had a miserably distorted face.

“You must be prepared to take responsibility for it. Where did you hear that and what did you hear that made you say such things? Were they from the Caerleon Empire?”

“…”

Matthias was silent.

With that, the answer was already heard.

“Could it be that that young apprentice knight said it? That Crown Prince Alois went mad and tried to kill the Crown Prince of the Empire! Do you have any evidence? Surely you’re not just trying to disparage me without any sense of responsibility?”

“…”

“Do you really want to die?

“I’m doing this because I don’t want to die!”

But the scream that erupted the next moment made Alois hesitate instead.

“That’s right. Sir Arendt said so. My brother was incited to assassinate His Highness the Crown Prince… If things continue this way, there will definitely be war between the two countries, so we need to resolve this before that happens.”

“…”

“What are you going to do about this now?”

Matthias glared at the Crown Prince with angry eyes.

Of course, that was just a bluff. They would never find any evidence, but it was also a fact that couldn’t be ignored.

If it became known that the Caerleon Empire had been touched, it was obvious that other countries friendly to the Empire would not remain silent either.

Ugh.

A muffled sound escaped from between Alois’ lips.

‘He said that the deal wouldn’t be cancelled.’

As he watched his younger brother running wild, the back of his neck became stiff.

Since they couldn’t just push him forward without any evidence, it seemed like they were trying to stir things up through Matthias.

He knew full well that that guy didn’t truly believe in him and follow him.

It was likely that the dissatisfaction that had been suppressed for a long time exploded in this way after being stimulated by Arendt’s glib tongue.

Alois, whose thoughts had reached that point, suddenly raised his head.

‘Wait a moment.’

Yeah. There was no evidence anyway, so they must have been at a loss for what to do, bringing in Mathias and making a fuss about it.

So it was obvious that they wouldn’t let go of Matthias until they found clear evidence.

If that was the case… there was a way to use it against them.

Anyway, it didn’t matter whether this guy died or not. And if he did well, it would be possible to put the blame on him.

“Older brother?”

“…Yeah. Things aren’t going well right now, Matthias.”

Suddenly, when Alois’ voice softened, Matthias hesitated and stepped back. However, the Crown Prince smiled faintly as if to say, “Are you angry?” and took a step closer to his younger brother.

“It’s a matter of survival for the kingdom. So I need you to help me.”

“Yes…?”

“I believe you also do not want to see the Nephele Kingdom fall. You are also a descendant of the royal blood, so you understand what I am saying, right?”

Bam.

Matthias’ face turned pale as Alois placed both hands on his shoulders.

The Crown Prince, gripping Matthais’ shoulders tightly to prevent his younger brother from escaping, threatened.

“If you don’t want to die.”

Late at night, the knights were driven out of Cantares’ room and had no choice but to return to their own quarters.

It was an ambiguous situation where they couldn’t even fall asleep, but that didn’t mean they had anything to do right now.

Arendt was in the small room he had been assigned, the knights sitting blankly on a sofa or chair, killing time when Arthur suddenly spoke.

“…So in the end, Prince Matthias no longer knows the truth of the matter?”

“Yes.”

Arendt’s leisurely response returned.

Although the seniors began to pour out contemptuous looks, Arendt paid no attention and simply leisurely sipped the tea the attendant brought him.

“That’s just how the world is. As you live, you get to experience some of the bitterness of life, you know.”

“…”

The two men could not help but look at the youngest knight with disgusted looks.

Prince Matthias truly believed that the Crown Prince had been attacked, and he was prepared to betray his brother if it meant saving the kingdom.

By the time he realized he was tricked, the situation would already be irreversible.

Who would have imagined that there would be a knight who would use the Crown Prince in such a way?

Arendt raised his mouth from his teacup and looked at the two of them with pity.

“It has to be to that extent for it to be considered a threat. Otherwise, would he have listened to me?”

“…”

“And, you reap what you sow. He’s been running away because he was scared all this time, so it’s only fair that he gets pushed out and goes to the front lines at least once. If he had stopped that idiot within the kingdom, he wouldn’t have ended up in such a bad situation.”

“Arendt, not everyone can block it like you.”

“What a heartless bastard.”

Arthur’s more direct insults followed Richt’s calm words, but Arendt pretended not to hear them and just had another snack.

“I don’t expect much from that prince. It’s enough for him to do his part.”

And to do his part properly, Prince Matthias needed to be unaware of the truth of the matter.

Arendt couldn’t expect method acting from Prince Matthias when he couldn’t even control his facial expressions properly.

So Prince Matthais was simply instructed to go to Prince Alois and ask him about the truth.

He would take responsibility, so while the prince was at it, he could say whatever he wanted to say.

Of course, it wouldn’t be an easy task for the prince’s weak personality.

Richt thought for a moment and muttered skeptically.

“…But I’m not sure if Prince Matthias will stay on our side until the end. I don’t think he’ll be able to endure it if the Crown Prince threatens him with a knife.”

“That’s why we didn’t tell him everything. And, senior, think about it the other way around. Do you think Crown Prince Alois will just leave Prince Matthias, who rebelled against him, alone?”

“…?”

For a moment Richt was speechless, then he raised his head and looked at Arendt.

Arendt continued speaking with his characteristically indifferent expression, leaning back in his chair.

“I’m sure he’ll foam at the mouth like a mad dog. After a long outing, Prince Matthias came back and asked out of the blue, “Was it you who sent the assassins to the Crown Prince?” And then Crown Prince Alois would ask this question for sure.”

“…”

A deep smile appeared on Arendt’s lips as he mockingly imitated Crown Prince Alois’ angry tone.

The guy who said that in a snarky tone looked strangely pleased.

“Just the fact that there is a connection between me and Prince Matthias makes the Crown Prince filled with rage, doesn’t it?”

He was speaking lightly even as they were plotting a grand conspiracy to sink the successor of a nation.

But Arendt, the real instigator, was as relaxed as a cat left outside by the fireplace, so cognitive dissonance was inevitable.

“Prince Matthias is a great fishing line.”

After the prince did his part, he was told to just stay by Alois’ side. No matter what happened, he was told not to rebel against him, and just follow him obediently.

Everything was already rolling along in Arendt’s palm, as thoroughly intended.

Arthur laughed soulessly.

“I’d rather jump off a cliff than fight with you. If I’m going to die, I’d rather die gracefully.”

“If you have any plans to do that, please let me know in advance. I’ll send you off neatly.”

“…”

Arendt leaned back in his chair, repeating a joke he had once shared with the Crown Prince.

Richt, who had been looking at the two people in disbelief, changed the subject.

No, he felt like if he didn’t, his identity as a knight would be shaken.

“By the way, do we have nothing to do? It seems like you had a long conversation with His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Yes, seniors, just stay with me and do what you do best when the time comes.”

“What do we do best?”

Arendt waved his hand in response to Arthur’s question, which seemed odd.

“What else are you good at besides sword fighting? Until then, just be quiet. So go wash up and get some sleep.”

“…”

“…”

The two swordsmen looked at Arendt with eyes full of discontent, but that was also meaningless.

The fact that he said that really meant that he wasn’t going to say anything until that time came.

In the end, the two knights shook their heads and gave up.

Arendt, who was yawning and adjusting his clothes, raised his head at the sound of a knock on the door.

“Who is it?”

Sorry for disturbing you in this early morning. Is Arendt von Eckhart here?”

As he opened the door, buttoning up his uniform all the way to his neck, a servant from the Lucain Kingdom bowed and greeted him.

“Good morning. Are you having a nice stay?”

“Not really. What’s going on so early in the morning?”

“Prince Matthias of the Nephele Kingdom has asked me to deliver this.”

Arendt, who received the note, glanced at the servant’s face.

“Thank you. What is your name?”

“It’s Stellar, sir.” For origınal chapters go to novelhall.com

Arendt glanced at him, unfolded the note, and checked its contents.

A pleasant smile appeared on Arendt’s lips.

“As expected.”

It turns out that Matthias had more talent than he thought, as he helped things run so smoothly.

“Just wait a moment.”

Arendt left the servant outside for a moment and found a piece of paper to write a short reply.

“Give it to Prince Matthias.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The servant who received the carefully folded note bowed his head slightly in greeting before stepping away.

Click.

The door closed again, and the room became quiet again.

“Stellar…”

When he recited the name he had just heard, he burst out laughing.

Thankfully, it seemed like they were going to make the move first without him having to do anything more troublesome.