Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 495

The prayer room, where the priests had personally covered the windows, was filled with darkness. In the darkness, where it was difficult to see even an inch ahead, Iris prayed silently.After having her head lowered for a long time, she muttered briefly.

“…Please accept his soul with joy.”

Iris slowly opened her eyes.

Silver eyes resembling the moon emerged from the darkness.

It would have been understandable to be upset after learning that the cult’s senior leaders had died one after another, but she was not shaken at all.

In the end, all deaths are for God Chernion, so Roger must have closed his eyes happily.

She had no doubts about it.

When she first sent Roger out, she didn’t expect the chances of him returning alive to be very high.

‘But…’

It was a painful blunder not to be able to eliminate either the hero or Arendt von Eckhart.

‘I didn’t think it would be that easy.’

Even though Roger gave his life, this was the result.

Moreover, since even the Blessing of Karma fell into the hands of the enemy, it was essentially no different from only strengthening the enemy’s power.

Iris sat still, drumming her fingers, lost in thought.

‘It’s not a big problem.’

The most important temple was seized. Although some priests strongly opposed High Priest Lumiel’s announcement of surrender, the resistance was quickly quelled after a few were killed as an example.

Even if all the members of the ‘Sword of the Broken Heart’ were destroyed, if that was also the arrangement of God Chernion, then it couldn’t be helped.

‘It can’t be helped…’

Iris repeated the words to herself once more.

‘There will be no second failure in His plan.’

Iris had no choice but to admit it.

That she was becoming a little bit anxious.

200 years. It was a whopping 200 years.

The years of avoiding the gaze of God Luce, waiting for an opportunity, had been long enough. And now, it was finally about to bear fruit.

They waited until their enemies were weakened by the long peace, and quietly grew in power in the darkness, hidden from the eyes of the gods.

She had no doubt that it would succeed, and it had to be that way.

If everything had gone according to plan, the Era of Darkness would have surely arrived by now.

If only God Luce, who had grown powerful by devouring faith, had not turned the world back.

‘No.’

It wasn’t because of Luce’s interference that things turned out this way.

It must be because the one who was summoned by God Luce was Arendt von Eckhart.

‘As a result, even God Luce was left helpless and at his mercy.’

God Luce may be regretting bringing in such an outsider.

However, Iris wasn’t overly worried. Thanks to the sacrifices of many priests, including Roger, who had risked their lives to hold back the enemy, she was able to take the Great Temple without a hitch.

Iris closed her eyes again and bowed her head quietly.

‘It is such a difficult task to restore the glory of God…’

If she could pave the way to God herself, that would be a blessing.

Iris believed that without a shadow of doubt.

“…Is there anyone out there?”

“Yes, Saintess.”

A respectful voice came from outside the door.

Iris gave her orders in a leisurely voice.

“It seems like the time has come, so begin the preparations.”

“Yes, understood.”

Iris smiled softly at the firm reply.

“And could you bring me some paper and a pen? I’d like to send them a little gift.”

“Yes, Saintess.”

The sound of the priest’s footsteps faded down the corridor. Listening to it, Iris hummed softly to herself, almost cheerfully.

“The person who was close to Sir Arendt was… a boy named Benno.”

Most of the priests of light were against surrendering, but some of the terrified priests were already beginning to speak.

Thanks to this, Iris was able to obtain a lot of information.

‘This is reality.”

The priests of light, dulled by peace, no longer had the resolve to throw away their lives like dust.

Could something like that really be called true faith?

Will Arendt von Eckhart and the hero declare that they will embrace and save even the temple that had abandoned them?

How would they move on the stage that will unfold in the future?

Iris decided to wait and see.

The Caerleon Empire Allied Forces noticed that something was beginning to be erected beside the giant statue of God Luce.

“What is that supposed to be?”

A security guard asked curiously, but no one could immediately give an answer.

“What are those bastards doing now?”

The haphazard stacking of wood they had found nearby seemed to be for creating a platform.

The lookouts stared in confusion, and then someone muttered:

“It’s a stage.”

A voice suddenly came from behind them.

“Whoa!”

“Whoa, that surprised me!”

When the two soldiers turned around in surprise, the sullen face of the apprentice knight came into full view.

“You’re losing focus. Have you come to your senses?”

“Oh, Sir Arendt… I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

The security guard answered in a bewildered manner.

“What do you mean, it’s a stage?”

“It looks like one. Its purpose is a bit different though.”

“What do you…”

The security captain, who had been casually asking, paused. He noticed the young, pale-blue eyes of the apprentice knight were terrifyingly cold.

The security guard, who had been observing him, cautiously called to him again.

“Sir Arendt?”

“…It seems they intend to propose a deal.”

Arendt, who had been silent for a moment, answered.

“Pardon?”

Both men simultaneously uttered a questioning sound, but Arendt said nothing more. After staring at the unidentifiable structure for a moment, he turned around and left the scene.

Only in the evening did they understand what Arendt had foreseen.

At the hour when the sun had set, a priest of the Luce Church, covered in blood, entered the Allied camp.

It was Priest Benno.

“…”

Everyone who encountered him was left speechless.

Benno’s upper body, now stripped of its clothes, was writhing with what looked like a lump of bright red muscle.

It was tissue just on the verge of turning into a ghoul.

“These… crazy bastards….” The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the novel_fіre.net

Someone let out a groan. The writhing flesh was digging deeper into Benno’s chest.

The terrified priest hung his head low.

“…This is a message from the Saintess.”

As a deep silence flowed, people’s gazes naturally gathered in one place.

It was because they had a strong intuition that this cruel act was revenge against someone.

“Unless Sir Arendt appears… I will turn all the priests of the Great Temple into ghouls. In three days, I will become a monsteг.”

Priest Benno, who had been trembling, finally began to shed large tears.

“The gallows being built next to the statue… was said to be for Sir Arendt.”

Arendt didn’t respond. He simply stared blankly at Priest Benno and the ghoul fragments writhing around his torso.

Benno continued speaking, tears streaming down his face.

“If this thing is removed from me, I’ll die instantly, and all the priests within the Great Temple will become hosts for ghouls and be sacrificed. And on the gallows, instead of Sir Arendt, High Priest Lumiel will be raised… To prevent that, Sir Arendt himself will have no choice but to kneel before the Saintess…”

Arendt still didn’t answer. He simply stared at the priest Benno with a blank expression.

“I hate you, Sir Arendt. High Priest Lumiel told me not to, but I couldn’t help but hate Sir Arendt.”

Benno, with tearful eyes, sobbed.

“In a situation where everyone should have joined forces, you turned people against Lord Luce. Captain Laius is no exception. Because you sided with that evil man… the Empire was shaken.”

The priest’s sobs grew louder and louder until they turned into shrill, broken cries.

“But… I know you fought harder than anyone else. I know you risked your life countless times to protect the people from the enemy…”

“…”

“I hate myself for saying such things to Sir Arendt. How could Lord Luce be so cruel? I have no way of saving my brothers and sisters on my own. Ultimately, all I can do is vent my resentment to Sir Arendt.”

And at last, the priest broke down completely, wailing like a child.

“I don’t want Sir Arendt to be sacrificed. I never wanted to bring you this message. But I can’t tolerate my brothers and the High Priest dying a shameful death! Three days, in three days… In three days…”

The faces of those watching were distorted with misery.

Except for one person, Arendt.

“I will become a monster, and High Priest Lumiel will be executed. Unless… you’re the one who stands on that gallows, Sir Arendt.”

Arendt stared at the priest for a long time, expressionless, his thoughts unclear.

A moment later, with a slight limp, Arendt approached Benno.

“For now.”

Benno flinched as a hand suddenly reached out and seized his arm, pulling him upright.

“Get up. You’re an eyesore.”

“H–huh…”

The voice was so cold it bordered on cruel. Benno stumbled to his feet, leaning on his arm.

“I’m scared, Sir Arendt. What will become of us now? Even if we die, we won’t lose this war, will we? We have Captain Laius and Sir Arendt here… Thinking of that, I’d gladly give up my life…”

“Enough. Stop crying first. It’s hard to talk over all that noise.”

“Ugh…”

Benno repeatedly wiped away tears with the back of his hand. But his sobs showed no sign of stopping.

Finally, Arendt sighed deeply and took extraordinary measures.

“Eek!”

Benno suddenly lifted his head in surprise as hands suddenly grabbed his shoulders. He caught sight of golden eyes, far too close for comfort.

“Can’t you hear me telling you to calm down?”

“…Ugh.”

“Stop it. Let’s talk.”

“…”

As if by magic, the tears stopped. Only then, satisfied, did Arendt let Benno go.

“First, bring this person some clothes.”

The security guards who had been standing there blankly nodded in surprise.

“Yes, yes!”

The security guards rushed in to get some clothes. The knights’ disapproving gazes were fixed on Arendt.

“That vicious bastard…”

“Do you get it now? He’s a heartless bastard.”

As Arthur muttered a curse, Richt chimed in.

Arendt was the only one under heaven who could treat someone terrified of death in that way.

Especially if a large number of people were being held hostage and their lives were in danger.

“Hey, Priest Benno.”

“Yes, yes!”

The priest, who had been wiping away tears as he stepped back, answered in surprise. Arendt put his hands in his pockets and met his gaze.

“You’re not dead yet. And I have no intention of dying either.”

“…”

It was a voice that was indifferent, but as always, every word landed with weight. It was a voice that was oddly compelling, impossible to ignore once it reached your ears.

“So, it’s still too early to be crying. It’s not too late to shed tears when things go wrong. Of course, there won’t be that opportunity.”

“…”

“Do you know why?”

Benno forgot his tears and stared blankly at Arendt.

And then some words popped out after a while.

“Because I’m better than them.”

“Cough, cough! Cough!”

A dry cough came out and he started coughing like crazy.

Arthur, who had been waiting nearby, ran over and patted Benno on the back as if he had known this would happen.

“Cough, cough, cough! Sir Arendt, what on earth do you mean…?”

“Exactly what I said. They probably thought they were being clever, trying to play a little game.”

Arendt shrugged shamelessly.

“But I’m not stupid enough to fall for something like that.”

“…”

Benno, his face still streaked with tears, looked up at him in stunned disbelief.

“This side specializes in tricks and schemes. Since they’re offering to lay the groundwork themselves, there’s absolutely no reason to refuse.”

“…”

“It will never work out the way they want.”

Arendt met his gaze.

“In the end, it’ll all move according to my will. Do you understand?”

It was an incredibly arrogant statement.

Benno, who had been staring at him blankly, eventually nodded as if he had been possessed by something.