Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 479

After sending the knights away, Kendrick’s first destination was the Emperor’s office.The fighting within the palace had already intensified, to the point where the commotion from outside could be heard even in the deepest part of the palace where the Emperor was.

Kendrick, standing in front of the office, knocked urgently on the door.

“Your Majesty, this is Kendrick von Leandros. We have an emergency. Are you present?”

After a while, a leisurely reply sounded, completely out of place in the situation.

“Come in.”

It was as if he was welcoming someone who had come to make a routine report.

As he opened the door and went in, the Emperor, sitting in his usual relaxed posture, greeted him.

Boris, the aide who stood by his side like a shadow, was also there.

“Your Majesty…”

“Well, this is something.”

Just as Kendrick was about to approach with hurried steps, the Emperor spoke first.

“All sorts of things happen in life, don’t they?”

“…”

The Emperor met the Knight Captain’s eyes and smiled broadly. With such a commotion, it was obvious he was aware of the situation outside.

Yet the Emperor remained aloof.

“Your Majesty, a homunculus has been summoned within the palace. Captain Laius has responded, but we must consider the contingency plan, so you must evacuate.”

The palace and castle were no longer safe places.

But as someone who holds the throne, it would not be easy to leave the palace.

Kendrick was ready to persuade the Emperor, but surprisingly, he nodded without hesitation.

“I guess so. What about the Crown Prince?”

“…”

Kendrick was momentarily speechless at the question. The Emperor seemed to have fully anticipated the answer.

“That child will remain in the palace.”

“Yes. Now that we have determined the enemy’s intentions, it is dangerous to completely empty the palace.”

The Emperor smiled softly as Kendrick answered heavily.

“I see. Khan is an adult now.”

“Are you sure it’s okay?”

Kendrick finally asked. He knew it was wrong to bring personal feelings into a relationship, but he knew how much he cherished his only son.

But the Emperor nodded again this time.

“What can I do if it’s not okay? The world is changing… and I’ve already done my part. So it’s time to step aside.”

Now, the Emperor, as the supreme ruler of the Caerleon Empire, had only one duty: to survive.

“I’m not sure whether this is the heart of a cruel winter, or the harsh cold snap that comes even after winter has passed.”

He couldn’t tell now which of the two was winter.

Will they endure the war and blossom into a new flower, or will they pay the price for abandoning the greenhouse called Luce?

It would now be up to future generations, including Cantares, to decide.

“That’s something we should leave to the young. I’m too old to face a new era.”

In these turbulent times, escaping the palace meant handing over all remaining authority to Cantares.

“Khan will do well.”

Kendrick smiled bitterly at the Emperor’s affectionate voice.

“Nonsense, Your Majesty. You still have much left to do.”

“Oh, well, now that we’ve preserved the roots, let the stems and flowers bloom on their own. You should go as well. I’m ready to leave.”

The Emperor joked and took out a magic stone artifact with a bright light from his pocket.

It was an emergency escape artifact that Arendt had given him.

“Boris and I will try to escape with this, so you can go now. You must be itching to fight, aren’t you? Aren’t you still in active service? It’s ten years too soon to quietly slip away just to protect a has-been like me.”

“…With all due respect, Your Majesty.”

In the end, Kendrick couldn’t help but give a weary smile.

“Your Majesty, you should remain active for a while longer. His Highness is far too spirited, if you don’t rein him in from time to time, things could get out of hand.”

“Hahaha. That’s true. Ever since he started keeping company with that rascal, he’s only gotten worse.”

The Emperor let out a hearty laugh and gave Kendrick a warm, knowing look.

“May fortune be with you, Captain Kendrick. Please pass this on to the others as well. And do take good care of Khan.”

“Don’t worry.”

Kendrick nodded with a wry smile. As the conversation concluded, Boris, who had been waiting, approached the Emperor.

“Your Majesty, it is time to move.”

“Okay. See you later, Kendrick.”

The Emperor nodded slightly and greeted Kendrick.

“I don’t know if it will be a peaceful world or a much noisier world.”

“I think it’s probably the latter.”

Kendrick, who had answered playfully, quickly changed his expression and spoke seriously.

“I hope for your safety.”

The Emperor also put aside his playfulness for a moment and offered a genuine smile.

“You as well.”

Diana, who was pursuing the ghouls who had escaped the battlefield, discovered Llewellyn and Salem who were engaging with the enemy.

“Prince! Lord Salem!”

Hearing that voice, the two raised their heads in delight. Diana slashed the ghouls, blocking their path with a single stroke of her sword, and quickly joined them.

“Are you okay?”

“Captain Diana!”

Llewellyn greeted her with a smile. The members of the Second Knights she had brought with her began to deal with the ghouls that were targeting the two one by one.

“What is the situation?”

“I think we’ve found a way to get the people inside out. Salem and I will do whatever it takes, so just cover us!”

At Llewellyn’s words, Diana nodded without a moment’s hesitation.

“Leave it to us. Knights! Protecting the Prince and Lord Salem is our top priority.”

“Yes!”

The knights who received the order moved in unison.

Thanks to this, Salem and Llewellyn were able to refocus on attacking the barrier that covered the dormitory.

An arrow, imbued with the power of the spirit, flew towards the barrier.

The arrowhead struck directly, unleashing a golden wave of spirit energy that spread throughout the barrier. Only then did Llewellyn discover a human collapsed within the barrier.

“Well, well… So it that bastard?”

Llewellyn, with a bitter smile, fired arrows one after another from the bow.

The magic stone in his hand was losing its power, and beads of sweat were running down his chin and dripping onto the floor.

But Llewellyn didn’t think about what would happen next.

He simply poured out his full strength and attacked with all his might, along with every ounce of resentment he had stored.

The quiet plain was suddenly engulfed in a typhoon.

Occasionally, aggressive thunder and lightning would flash, and swirling magical storms would shake the ground.

Wild beasts and monsters fled in all directions to escape the disaster, and the whirlwind not only uprooted thick trees but also shattered solid rocks.

The roads where people and carriages used to travel had long since disappeared without a trace.

All that remained from the battle between the two dragons were ruins.

A black lightning bolt struck down, creating a large crack in the ground.

However, Lexion did not look back at the disaster he had created and used his magic again.

His human appearance was no longer to be found.

The pupils of his blood-red eyes were sharply slit vertically, as if soaked in blood, and the backs of his hands and arms were covered in sharp scales.

Behind his back, wings darker than pitch black stretched out, creating a fierce gust of wind.

“If you had lost, you should have just tucked your tail between your legs and quietly hidden away.”

A black vortex began to form in one of Lexion’s hands.

“You are asking for death in your old age, Nikephoros.”

The same was true of Nikephoros, who was engulfed in thunder that threatened to split the heavens.

“Lexi. You’re still too young.”

His elegant elven features had already begun to fade, and Nikephoros was now in a half-polymorph state, willingly accepting Lexion’s provocation.

“So there’s bound to be a lot you still don’t know.”

A golden bolt of lightning cleaved through the black storm clouds.

“As your elder, it would be only right for me to pass this on to you. Yet alas, it appears you lack the will to receive it.”

Nikephoros let out a wild laugh.

“Even if it means severing the breath of the last remaining member of my kin.”

A sudden bolt of lightning struck exactly where Lexion had stood.

But the next moment, Lexion appeared one step behind Nikephoros.

A sword formed from black magic flew towards Nikephoros’ head. However, Nikephoros easily blocked it with one hand.

“We must cleanse this land for Lord Chernion.”

Nikephoros’ green eyes curved.

A hand clad in golden scales easily shattered Lexion’s sword. Just as Lexion’s eyes widened, Nikephoros’ spun around and landed a powerful blow straight into his solar plexus.

“…!”

In an instant, a shock so strong that it sent ripples through the surrounding area hit Lexion.

“Cough!”

Blood poured out of his mouth. For a moment, he almost lost consciousness, but he held on.

He reached out with clawed fingers and grabbed the arm still lodged in his solar plexus, pulling it sharply.

Nikephoros’ arm, caught in his grip, made an ugly noise as the bones were crushed.

Without giving him a chance to move, Lexion immediately swung his fist and struck Nikephoros in the face.

“…!”

With just one blow, half of his beautiful face was completely crushed.

Beneath the torn skin and muscle, the shattered bones of his face were revealed in an ugly way.

Nikephoros, who had quickly distanced himself, covered his face.

His golden wings stretched out even wider, and magical power enveloped Nikephoros’ body.

When he withdrew his hand a moment later, the wound on his face had completely healed.

“Hey, old man.”

Lexion also recovered within a short period of time.

“If you’re going to go crazy, at least do it with some style. If you keep bluffing like that, you’ll end up getting slapped in the face by the young ones.”

Lexion sneered, and Nikephoros responded with a bitter smile.

“Insolent brat.”

Nikephoros’ physique swelled once more.

A thick horn sprouted from his once-smooth forehead, and his massive, now reptilian hands grew even thicker and sharper talons.

“For a dragon to be so easily fooled by the sweet talk of a human child is truly a sight to behold. At least you used to at least know your place before.”

In response, Lexion also stretched out his wings even wider.

“Oh really?”

“Well, who was it that got screwed over by that human bastard so many times?”

In his hand, a jet-black sword formed from his magical power.

“In the end, you will taste defeat once again. But that doesn’t mean Luce can achieve victory either.”

His blood-red eyes, with barely any white showing, twisted into an open sneer.

“Do you know who the most ill-tempered person in the world is?”

Nikephoros’ face hardened at Lexion’s words.

“A god who wants everything beneath His feet like piglets, a god who barks like a defeated dog and wants to bite the other, none of them can hold a candle to that damned brat.”

The fact that Nikephoros was standing in his way meant that there was some kind of commotion going on in the palace as well.

“I realized something recently. Gods, rules… none of it matters.”

And Arendt von Eckhart was not the type of person to sit idly by and watch his realm be trampled underfoot.

“In the end, some absurd fool wins.”

Lexion was certain of it.

There was no point in trying to overturn the world by coming up with all sorts of grandiose reasons.

No matter what they did, they couldn’t do anything about that crazy clown who kept going wild and saying he hated both light and darkness and simply hurled them away at will.