Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 424

After Arendt’s story ended.After a long silence, Ain finally managed to speak.

“You bastard… are you serious?”

Unlike Ain, who was deeply shaken, Arendt simply shrugged calmly.

“If you don’t believe me, should I show you some proof? My comrades will figure it out soon enough anyway. I don’t mind speeding things up a little.”

“Why on earth would you…?”

Ain, who had been murmuring dazedly, suddenly fell silent. He realized that the question he had just asked was meaningless.

Arendt von Eckhart had already stated his purpose several times.

“Why on earth would you do such a thing? Do you wish to wrest this world from their grasp? Do you have some grand sense of duty, to offer freedom in exchange for protection and grace?”

“A grand sense of duty? That’s a funny thing to say.”

Arendt let out a short, dry laugh and rested his chin on his hand.

“On another note, you’ve lived a long time, haven’t you? Being half-elf, you’re probably older than you look.”

“…’

“Have you ever looked at this world objectively?”

His words still made no sense. Instead of responding, Ain simply stared at him in silence.

Arendt continued speaking slowly.

“Think of this place as a carefully arranged chessboard. The two gods are competing over this world, using the saintess, the hero, and their own followers as their pawns. The stakes are probably their very existence.”

An unusually clear voice resonated within the narrow barrier.

“Chosen, no. The chosen ones, each with their own mission and role, fight diligently in their assigned positions. Even then, their areas of activity are limited. Nikephoros and the Saintess can’t kill me, but…”

Arendt tapped his chest with his finger.

“Roger, who exists as Chernion’s strongest weapon, can stab me with his sword without hesitation.”

This battlefield had its own rules.

And as an outsider to the world, Arendt, who grasped this faster than anyone else, made full use of it in the ongoing struggle.

“The ones who swing weapons at the enemy, those who command them, the hero, and the hero’s companions… everyone struggles within these confined squares. It’s a ridiculous sight.”

Arendt smiled slyly as he counted off each point on his fingers one by one.

“You’re a consumable weapon. Then what am I?”

“…”

“It seems like Luce wanted me to be the hero’s assistant.”

Facing the apprentice knight, he somehow felt his throat burning with dryness.

It wasn’t true thirst. His body, hardened by divine power, was insensitive to physical pain.

So it must be due to psychological factors.

‘Even I…’

He had no choice but to admit it.

He was intimidated by the momentum of that young apprentice knight.

“Unfortunately, being a meek pawn on a chessboard doesn’t suit my personality.”

A calm voice and golden eyes that seemed to be carved from ice.

And a subtle smile graced his delicate face.

“It doesn’t seem like it would be particularly fun. There are things more enjoyable than that, so why would I do that?”

An indescribable madness seemed to emanate from him.

“Do you know what’s the most fun thing in the world?”

“…”

“Overturning a well-made plan and causing trouble.”

Arendt, chuckling softly in front of the speechless Ain, leaned back leisurely in his chair.

“Isn’t this enough to convince you of my sincerity?”

“…”

“Leave the rest to your trustworthy superiors, and you just have to make one last desperate attempt against Luce before you die.”

The sound of Ain gritting his teeth loudly was heard.

It was an effort to calm his boiling anger inside, but facing that expressionless face right in front of him made it impossible to calm down.

Blood oozed from his burst gums and soon trickled down Ain’s chin.

“I see you’ve made up your mind.”

Arendt, watching the scene, said indifferently.

“I’ll come back in exactly one hour. Until then, think carefully about how you can effectively screw Luce over.”

“…”

Arendt, who had gotten up without a second thought, gagged Ain again and escaped from the barrier.

The door closed with a dull thud and the locks clicked firmly into place.

Ain, who was left alone again, stared at the spot where Arendt had left for a long time.

There was a fear that even Ain himself was unaware of in his slightly shaking amber eyes.

Cantares looked surprised at Laius’ report.

“The prisoner spoke? This quickly?”

“Yes, that’s correct. The prisoner showed willingness to cooperate, so we interrogated them and recorded the statements, which have been delivered.”

Laius nodded and answered firmly.

“It is said that after Arendt personally persuaded him, he was interrogated in the presence of Arthur and Count Stadler.”

“Persuaded?”

Laius changed his words at the Crown Prince’s doubtful tone.

“…Perhaps it would be more correct to call it a threat.”

“That’s probably it. Or maybe there was a deal.”

Cantares groaned.

They were doing everything they could to extract information from the prisoners from the Lucain Kingdom, but so far, they hadn’t had any significant breakthroughs.

“I heard that he made a condition: that he be allowed to die in peace, without any further imprisonment or torture.”

Laius trailed off with a displeased expression.

He couldn’t believe that Arendt had convinced Ain with that alone.

“Make sure to keep a close eye on him and not doing anything reckless. He’s so unpredictable, it’s nerve-wracking.”

“…Understood.”

Laius hesitated briefly before replying calmly.

Cantares let out a short sigh and changed the subject.

“Let’s get to the point. Have you finished reviewing the records yet?”

“Yes, that’s right. Captain Diana, Captain Kendrick, and I confirmed it together.”

Laius, standing upright, continued his report slowly.

“The reason for the attack on the Lucain Kingdom was, as expected, to destroy the underground temple. Although it was completely forgotten after the war… as anticipated, it had been continuously passed down within the Chernion Cult. The Chernion Church refers to that place as the hometown the saintess abandoned.”

“Hometown?”

Cantares repeated, doubting his ears.

“If it was her hometown, then what do you mean by ‘abandoned’?”

“They say the saintess has existed since the ruins functioned as a temple.”

Laius, who was choosing his words for a moment, frowned slightly.

“She has lived through countless cycles of life and death… though her body changes, she carries the memories of every life she’s lived. Even within the cult, no one knows exactly how long she has existed.”

Cantares looked visibly shaken.

“That’s truly absurd. Could it be that she was a saintess even when that ruin was a temple?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Despite his skeptical voice, Laius nodded.

“That ruin was a joint temple for all the gods. The ruins of the Nephele Kingdom, destroyed by Nikephoros, and the various ruins discovered by Prince Llewellyn afterwards were all similar structures. Of these, the temple built on the site where the Lucain Palace now stands was said to be the largest.”

So far, things had gone roughly as expected. But as Laius continued speaking, the Crown Prince’s expression grew increasingly strange.

“After the war began, the temple was sealed off, and the saintess left that place. That’s likely why the ruins came to be called the hometown the saint abandoned.”

But Laius remained indifferent throughout.

“The place Arendt destroyed was the central part of the temple, and originally it was…”

The hero’s blue eyes looked straight at the Crown Prince.

“I believe Your Highness would have suspected it even without me saying it directly.”

“…”

Cantares slowly closed his eyes and pressed his temples, trying to soothe the headache that suddenly surged.

“Keep going.”

Laius continued.

“It is said that it was a space where Chernion and Luce were worshiped together.”

“Haaah…”

Finally, a loud sigh escaped the Crown Prince’s lips.

“They destroyed the traces of the past to prepare for the day when Chernion would become the sole god. And then…”

After a brief pause, Laius added:

“that’s what the prisoner claimed.”

“…”

Normally, he would have accepted the claims of a captured enemy as lies and pretended not to hear it.

But now he couldn’t turn away like that.

“According to the captive Ain, before they planned to do anything, they told the people of the Lucain Kingdom the ‘truth.’”

There was a strange emphasis on the word ‘truth’.

“The enemies began their assault targeting the poorest, the peasants and the destitute. They spread rumors that although there was once a prosperous era, the world’s balance was shattered due to Luce’s greed.”

“…”

“Luce, who unjustly seized power, oppressed even the other gods… and now, in order to set the world right, God Chernion has stepped forward once again.”

It was enough to incite the people who were not in a position to immediately seek help from the Luce Temples.

“They had been infiltrating for a very long time and with great precision, and it was said that in this way, the former queen and the consort also came to listen to the Chernion Cult.”

“It must have been the same in the Nephele Kingdom.”

“Yes. And it seems that most of those who weren’t arrested during the recent Lucain Kingdom incident have now joined the main group.”

They had crossed a river from which they could not return.

Cantares rubbed his face in a complicated manner.

“…Even if those who originally served Chernion were like that, what on earth do those who are now throwing themselves into it want? Do they want to create a utopia where everyone is happy?”

“His Majesty the First Emperor must have also desired such a utopia.”

At the cold answer, Cantares paused.

After a while, the Crown Prince raised his head and looked at Laius again.

“What did you just say?”

“A world where no one sheds tears, where everyone is simply happy… Even His Majesty the First Emperor must have taken up the Holy Sword for that very purpose.”

Meeting Cantares’ gaze, Laius spoke again.

Cantares, looking dumbfounded for a moment, let out a bitter laugh.

“That’s right. But what you said now sounds like you’re implying that the First Emperor failed, since there are those who still throw themselves at the Evil God and struggle.”

“I apologize if I offended you.”

Laius bowed his head.

Although his tone was extremely polite, he didn’t seem to be denying what Cantares had just said.

A heavy silence settled between the descendant of the hero and the one who inherited the hero’s title.

The first to break the silence was Cantares.

“I don’t believe in utopia. But if we pursue it, we can create a better future.”

“…There was a time when I believed in it. But not anymore.”

After a while of silence, Laius spoke once more.

“And I agree with Your Highness as well. Luce also urged us to strive to save as many people as possible. I took up the sword for that very teaching. I have no regrets about my choice.”

It was something a righteous hero would say.

At the same time, it was also a remark typical of Laius, who always pursued justice.

‘What?’

The knight captain, standing with an expressionless face, was the same Laius he always knew.

But at this moment, Cantares felt a strange sense of discomfort from Laius.

Accepting the Crown Prince’s subtle gaze, Laius shifted the topic.

“That’s all the contents for the record. We haven’t been able to uncover any information about the cult’s main headquarters or where its core power resides. They say they’ll continue the interrogation, but it’s probably best not to get your hopes up.”

“…I understand.”

Still feeling uneasy, Cantares nodded.

“Please tell Sir Arendt and Sir Arthur that they’ve done well. And for now, don’t let anyone speak of the prisoner’s testimony.”

“Yes. I’ve already asked Arendt, Arthur, and Count Stadler to remain silent. I’ll keep the record stone myself, and it’s probably best not to make any separate written records.”

“Yes. Good job. I think it’d be best to keep it top secret until I give the approval.”

They couldn’t keep trying to hide it like this forever, but it was too dangerous now.

They could not allow their forces to be divided before the battle with the Chernion Cult.

“…Let’s handle it that way for now. Actually, there’s another matter I need to discuss with you.”

Rubbing his eyelids, Cantares spoke again.

“Today, High Priest Lumiel sent a letter to His Majesty and me. Starting next week, the temple forces will officially begin full-scale operations.”