Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 202

Zakar told Sylvian the whole story.As Sylvian listened quietly to the story, the soul gradually disappeared from her eyes.

By the time his explanation finally finished, an awkward silence had settled between them.

“…”

“…That’s what happened.”

Zakar added awkwardly to Sylvian, who was staring blankly into space.

Sylvian had a look on her face that said she didn’t even know what to say.

After a long silence, she finally opened her mouth.

“…Sorry.”

Sylvian was speaking to Zakar just like she had when she was a child.

Zakar asked in confusion.

“What are you talking about?”

“It’s a private setting. Please speak freely.”

Sylvian gave an odd answer.

Zakar, who had been silent for a moment at that firm tone, soon let out a short sigh.

“Why is it your fault?”

“If I had paid more attention, that wouldn’t have happened. Jiklin…”

“No.”

Before Sylvian could finish speaking, Zakar cut her off.

Sylvian raised her head.

“Instructor?”

“You don’t need to feel guilty. It’s just unnecessary self-torture and makes work less efficient.”

Sylvian’s expression darkened again at the cold answer.

“…Sorry.”

“…”

Zakar’s face darkened as he stared at her.

Sometimes, when he talked to Sylvian, he felt uncomfortable.

It was exactly at times like this.

As he quietly watched Sylvian with her shoulders hunched, for some reason the words of the arrogant apprentice knight came to mind.

‘I think that it is not shameful to open one’s heart.’

The nuance was a little different, but maybe that was the point.

Sylvian felt burdened and guilty.

He wondered if his position and speech patterns might have been having a negative impact on her.

Zakar, swallowing dryly so that it wouldn’t be heard, spoke carefully, but briefly.

“I don’t think it’s your fault.”

“Yes?”

Sylvian’s eyes widened.

Zakar continued speaking slowly, avoiding her gaze.

“It’s inevitable that we missed the traitor while pursuing her. I, too, failed to respond properly to the sudden situation. It’s not your fault that your subordinates were harmed.”

“…”

“Traitor Jiklin’s impulsive behavior is not your fault either. Jiklin followed you well, but this is the responsibility of all elves. It is the fault of all the adults who failed to properly care for the child.”

As Zakar spoke for a rare length of time, Sylvian stared blankly at him.

After hesitating for a long time, choosing his words, Zakar finally said his last sentences.

“The reason I keep interfering is not because I don’t trust you, but because I’m worried. So if you feel I’m being presumptuous, you can always…”

Zakar, who noticed Sylvian’s blank face too late, trailed off.

An awkward silence flowed.

Sylvian stood there, transfixed, unable to say anything.

In the end, this time too, it was Zakar who struck first.

“…Is there something wrong?

“Huh? Oh, no. It’s nothing.”

At that voice, Sylvian shook off her daze and she flinched in surprise and threw up both her hands.

“Just, I never thought you would say something like that, Instructor… thank you. I will keep that in mind.”

Because she spoke with a blank expression on her face, it was completely unconvincing.

Zakar sighed deeply and rubbed his face.

“And I’m not your instructor. Don’t call me instructor when you’ve never properly learned from me.”

“No. I have been taught a lot by you since I was young. So you are an instructor.”

Even in the midst of her confusion, Sylvian answered.

“Actually… I thought that Lord Zakar resented me.”

“What? No, that can’t be true. Why would I resent you?”

Zakar asked in surprise at the unexpected words.

Sylvian paused for a moment and then opened her mouth again.

“…As I mentioned earlier, Jiklin always followed me well. Recently, however, it seems like you’ve been keeping your distance and not speaking to me in private… And given that I failed the mission, I thought it only natural that you would look down on me.”

Zakar was taken aback by Sylvian’s rambling.

After a while, Zakar opened his mouth blankly.

“…I was just worried about you…”

He never thought that Sylvian would think so highly of him.

Sylvian smiled faintly as she saw Zakar’s shocked face.

“But I know it’s not true, so it’s okay. It’s not strange for you to hate me, but I appreciate you worrying about me.”

“…”

Zakar was silent for a while.

Instead, Sylvian quickly changed the subject, leaving him speechless.

“So… what are you going to do from now on? If Lord Zakar moves with them, I will of course cooperate as well.”

“Are you sure that’s okay? If something goes wrong, you could be severely punished.”

When Zakar, who had suddenly come to his senses, asked seriously, Sylvian nodded with a bitter smile.

“It can’t be helped. I don’t want to become unemployed right now.”

After a long conversation, Sylvian’s expression was noticeably lighter than before.

Zakar felt a little relieved.

But as soon as he remembered what Arendt had instructed him to do, he began to feel complicated again.

“…?”

Sylvian tilted her head toward Zakar, who suddenly fell silent.

She was at a loss for words, but in a slightly different way than before.

Richt, who was walking behind Laius, spoke first.

“What do you think about that story?”

Although it was a word without a subject, the meaning was understandable.

It was a story about Elder Polaris and Grand Elder Altair.

Before answering, Laius habitually checked to make sure no one was eavesdropping.

Fortunately, there was no one within earshot of their conversation.

“Well, still, we have to consider several possibilities.”

“I think… it’s true that something happened that we don’t know about, but I don’t think we can be certain that those two are spies.”

“I agree with that.”

It was almost certain that something had happened between Elder Polaris and the Grand Elder.

But that wasn’t enough to prove that the two were spies of the evil cult.

Laius, who had been silent for a moment, added in a lowered voice.

“…Of course, Instructor Zakar’s thoughts seemed a little different.”

It might have felt differently to Zakar, an insider.

The elders took a passive stance in dealing with the evil cult, unilaterally blocking the ports and sending only a small number of people, including Sylvian, outside.

That demeanor could have easily given the impression that he was a spy unwilling to confront the cult of the Evil God.

However, to the knights, who were outsiders, the Grand Elder’s defensive attitude seemed to stem from a genuine fear of the cult of the Evil God.

‘Then Elder Altair was simply scared and made a wrong decision.’

If the Grand Elder was innocent, then there was no reason to suspect Elder Polaris, who was believed to have offered him the evil cult items.

Of course, they would have to investigate further to find out what that object was and why the Grand Elder had hidden the information about the evil cult until now.

That was the knights’ guess.

Richt, who had been silent for a while, opened his mouth again.

“Sir, I have something to ask you.”

“What?”

“If you had at least given Instructor Zakar a word of warning, I think we could have returned with a little more peace of mind.”

“…”

“Is there a reason you kept quiet?”

Laius remained silent.

Richt’s gaze, staring at his back, grew subtle.

Laius felt that and retorted back.

“You, on the other hand, could have given a warning at any time as well.”

“…”

If put it that way, Richt had no response.

In fact, the reason was clear.

There was only one reason why someone as high up as Zakar was manipulated by Arendt.

It was because he was consumed by the anxiety of not being able to trust his father.

If that suspicion was dispelled, the effect of the threat would also be reduced…

Both Laius and Richt thought that far.

There was still a slight regret towards the elves who had brought strong alcohol and fed it to him until he passed out.

After a long silence, Richt muttered in a trembling voice.

“…It may be strange to say this, but I’m not sure if it’s okay.”

Their way of thinking was overly influenced by Arendt.

Even the captain.

Laius did not respond.

He didn’t feel good about readily agreeing, but his conscience pricked him when he tried to deny it.

At the sound of the Grand Elder’s escort and secretary approaching from afar, the two stopped their conversation.

“The Grand Elder is waiting.”

The elf spoke briefly and immediately turned around to lead the way.

The two followed quietly.

As they entered the office, the Grand Elder greeted them.

“Welcome, Captain Laius. And Sir Richt. Where are the others?”

“They are all resting. Prince Llewellyn said he was going to visit an acquaintance.”

When Laius nodded slightly, the Grand Elder smiled his characteristically good-natured smile.

“I’m glad to hear that. I was worried that, after traveling such a long distance, you wouldn’t be able to rest properly.”

“Thank you for your concern.”

As he answered, Laius observed the Grand Elder’s complexion.

There was a slight shadow on his beautiful face, which gave off the experience of an elf who had lived for a long time.

“What’s going on today? If there’s anything that’s bothering you, please let me know.”

“There is nothing inconvenient. We are resting comfortably thanks to your hospitality. However, we did not come here to rest.”

Laius said quietly.

Altair nodded coolly as if he understood.

“…That’s right.”

“I have had enough rest, so now I would like to talk about the main topic. I ask for your understanding that I have no choice but to hurry, as it is difficult to leave the Empire for a long time.”

Laius recalled the instructions the apprentice knight had given him the day before.

“You can do as you normally would. Bring up the topic that he wants to avoid first, and if he tries to evade it vaguely, point it out clearly and protest. Easy, right? Oh, and Senior Richt, please go with him as well.”

Even though he dared to speak to the captain in a commanding tone, he could sense a clear sense of conviction from him.

The others also each received their own missions and dispersed.

Arthur and Llewellyn grumbled a little, but seemed to have no objections.

If even one person made a mistake, the situation could be ruined.

But Arendt’s calculations didn’t seem to include anything like that.

So, Laius decided to fully live up to the expectations, or rather the trust, of the insolent apprentice knight.

Although the suspicions had been somewhat cleared, it was still not certain that the Grand Elder and Elder Polaris were innocent.

So, their innocence had to be proven right here and now. Google seaʀᴄh N0veI.Fiɾe.net

“I would like to discuss the traitor among the elves, Jiklin. And I would also like to talk to you about how you would deal with her.”

“…”

Even with these blunt words, Elder Altair’s expression did not change at all.

He paused for a moment and then nodded coolly.

“Of course we should. It seems like it’s going to be a long story, so I’ll have the tea ready.”

Elder Altair still looked calm.

But Laius and Richt had been facing the greatest genius in facial expression management every day.

So the two people could sense it intuitively.

Elder Altair’s calm face was an elaborately crafted mask.

The moment he took it off, it was clear that another face would be revealed.