Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 490

Arthur woke up in the middle of the night.The familiar room was filled with thick darkness. It felt terribly uncomfortable somehow and he abruptly sat up.

“…Oh man.”

He felt a little better after messing up his hair.

Lately, he’d been waking up with a start more and more often. There was no need to think deeply about the cause.

‘Lord Luce’s protection is gone.’

It must have triggered the same kind of anxiety that haunted Arendt in his nightmares.

Judging by the mood, it seemed like the other knights of the Third Knights were feeling the same way.

Still, showing signs of fatigue was out of the question, especially because there was a guy right next to them who was really suffering…

‘I can’t complain over something this small.’

He was the one who chose to force himself to close his eyes, embracing anxiety to relieve his fatigue. Latest content publıshed on NovєlFіre.net

Because that was the responsibility he had to fully shoulder.

But today, he didn’t even feel like doing that.

‘What about that guy?’

Arthur, suddenly distracted by his thoughts, pricked up his ears, turning to face the outside and listened. He wondered if that damned junior was wandering the dormitory alone again today.

But today, he felt no sign of anything.

‘What’s going on?’

Was he finally getting some proper sleep for once?

It would be a relief if it were true, but considering his recent condition, it didn’t seem likely.

Arthur, unable to shake off the feeling of unease, abruptly sprang from his bed.

At that moment, he caught sight of a figure rushing outside the window.

Arthur, who had been dazed for a moment, felt his sleep suddenly disappear.

“Lord Salem?”

Salem was running towards them in a panic. Arthur hastily dressed, opened the door and went down to the first floor.

The door opened with an urgent hand.

“Lord Salem, what’s the matter?”

Salem, out of breath from running so hard, practically shouted:

“Oh no, there’s a huge problem! Where’s Captain Laius? Is he inside?”

“Wait, hold on… First, catch your breath and then explain. Would you like some water?”

Arthur reached out to calm him down, but Salem slapped his hand away.

“There’s no time for that! I said it’s an emergency!”

“What in the world is going on—”

Before Arthur could even finish his question, Salem, who had barely managed to pull himself together, shouted.

“Sir Arendt has been attacked! One of the enemy’s key figures has infiltrated the palace!”

Arthur froze at the unexpected words.

At that moment, a sudden presence suddenly appeared and grabbed Arthur’s shoulder, pushing him aside.

“What did you just say?”

“…”

Salem paused.

The man who suddenly appeared was none other than Laius. He had clearly gone to rest, but he was in full armor.

It was as if he could face the enemy at any time.

Laius pressed for an answer again, calm, yet with a voice sharp as a blade.

“Did you say Arendt was attacked?”

“…Yes, yes! Luna told me.”

Salem, suddenly coming to his senses, hastily nodded. The other knights, attention already drawn by the commotion, began to gather one by one.

“What’s going on?”

“I think I just heard an ‘attack’…”

It went without saying that everyone was prepared to move out at any moment.

Laius asked briefly.

“Where is the location?”

Thanks to this, Salem also regained his composure and was able to answer much more calmly.

“Towards the training ground where Lord Lexion is.”

..

A loud explosion shook the air. The startled knights raised their heads.

“What?”

“It’s inside the palace! But not near the prince’s quarters, it’s toward the outer section of the palace…”

Rider quickly answered Richt’s question. But the next moment…

Several loud explosions shook the air. This time, they seemed to originate from within the palace.

Then the knights on guard were heard shouting.

“It’s the enemy!”

“Damn it, it’s the enemy priests!”

At the same time that Arendt was attacked, enemy attacks began both inside and outside the palace.

After making a quick decision, Laius gave his orders.

“Richt. Begin the suppression operation immediately. Everyone, follow Richt. Secure the area around His Highness’ residence first!”

“Yes!”

As soon as he heard the knights’ loud reply, Laius looked at Salem.

“Lord Salem, please move with Prince Llewellyn. Inform him of the situation and request reinforcements.”

“Yes, yes! I understand.”

Salem nodded vigorously.

Laius looked at Arthur.

“And, Arthur.”

Arthur straightened his back.

“Yes, sir.”

“You come with me.”

“…!”

Arthur’s eyes lit up as if he had been waiting for those words.

“Yes!”

Roger would surely be wherever Arendt was. He was certain of that. Laius murmured, his voice laced with murderous intent.

“This time I’ll kill him.”

Roger’s flames burned fiercely, as if they would burn the whole world.

But even the flames that looked impossible to extinguish could not immediately overcome the absolute cold.

The flames could not get any closer because of the frost that surrounded Arendt.

“Hey. Let me ask you something.”

Arendt’s sword, covered in soot, froze white again.

“Do you really hate me that much? With a great undertaking ahead of you, you’re going to come kill me first?”

A loud explosion erupted from somewhere within the palace. Screams, shouts, and cries of shock were also faintly heard.

The interior of the palace was raided again.

But Arendt did not take his eyes off Roger.

“This damn bastard.”

A blatant murderous intent glinted in his golden eyes.

It was the first time he showed any change in his emotions in front of Roger.

He hadn’t expected to see fear or panic at this point, but he couldn’t help but feel astonishment.

‘It’s disgusting how consistent they are.’

Clearly, thanks to Chernion’s protection, he was able to completely eliminate useless emotions.

But whenever he encountered that little brat, his mood kept souring. But Roger soon pulled himself together.

“It’s not just you who’s the target.”

Roger replied bluntly.

“If I keep you here, a hero will surely appear.”

It was Roger’s role to hold him in place.

As if he had expected it, Arendt let out a bitter laugh.

“It feels a bit nasty when people are treated like bait.”

The next moment, Arendt’s form vanished from sight. Roger swung his sword sideways without any emotion.

A sharp clang of metal accompanied a sudden chill. With only a slight shift of his eyes, beyond the clashing swords, he saw a young, expressionless face.

Arendt immediately parried the strike and swiftly stepped back.

A blanket of pure white frost settled on the spot where he landed, and the fiercely burning flames died down.

Without hesitation, Arendt kicked off the ground again.

A storm of white frost surged, engulfing Roger.

Roger easily shattered the veil of frost with a single swing of his sword.

As the silver frost cleared, Arendt suddenly lunged forward, swinging his blade. But the attack was entirely expected.

Roger and Arendt’s swords clashed head-on.

“…!”

In the next moment, Arendt’s face hardened.

A massive flame exploded before his eyes. He managed to avoid it by creating some distance, but he couldn’t avoid tumbling to the ground.

The strong flames that even the frost could not stop left burn marks on his hands.

But before he could even regain his footing, the next attack followed.

“Ugh, !”

He must have suffered considerable internal injuries from the explosion, as blood poured out of his mouth as he coughed.

Arendt barely managed to lift his upper body.

Roger, having brushed his sword clean, strode forward through Arendt’s blurred vision.

“This is your last chance. If you kneel before Lord Chernion, I will spare your insignificant life.”

“Spare me the bullshit. I’m not going to die, and I’ll never kneel before those petty, cowardly so‑called gods.”

Arendt burst into a bitter laugh.

“Go to hell with your God, you fanatic bastard.”

The way he swore so nonchalantly while spitting out blood was madness.

Roger’s expression crumpled slightly behind his mask.

“There’s no point in talking. Not that it’s surprising.”

If that was so, there was no reason to show mercy.

“Then you must come with me. It is the Saintess’ will.”

The next moment, Roger’s figure vanished. Before Arendt could react, he suddenly appeared behind him.

“…!”

Just as he was about to turn around and defend himself with his sword…

A huge explosion occurred, and an incomparable shock struck his entire body.

When the raging flames died down and visibility returned, Roger could see Arendt, who had been thrown back by the impact of the explosion.

After just a few exchanges, he was covered in wounds and it seemed there was no part of him left unscathed.

With his body mangled by burns and soot, he staggered to his feet, clearly nearing his limit.

Roger moved again, aiming to finish him off.

But even at this moment, Arendt von Eckhart was not flustered.

He simply followed Roger’s movements with emotionless eyes.

Not as the prey, but as if he were a hunter or a beast of prey.

“…!”

The face behind the mask distorted.

There was nothing he could do.

Even if he managed to stop this attack, it wouldn’t be a meaningful resistance. He was going to be dead soon anyway.

Despite knowing this well, a sudden instinct told him something was wrong.

But it was already too late to withdraw his sword.

Roger’s flaming blade slammed into the ground.

“…!”

The ground shattered, debris flew everywhere, and flames rose. But Arendt was nowhere to be seen.

Roger quickly searched for Arendt’s location. Just as he raised his head, his gaze met the apprentice knight’s golden eyes.

Suddenly, a strong light burst out, and his vision turned white.

And when the light faded and his vision finally returned to normal, the flames around him had all subsided.

Moreover, Arendt von Eckhart had already disappeared.

“This…!”

Footsteps were heard from behind. Roger quickly turned around, operating the artifact.

But he couldn’t help but pause once again.

The Blessing of Karma did not respond.

“…!”

Before he could even panic, .

A dull sensation came from behind. Lowering his head, Roger discovered a sword piercing through his torso.

“Hah.”

Bright red blood dripped down the tip of the sword that pierced his body.

A bitter laugh escaped him. The next moment, both artifacts activated simultaneously.

At the same time, the sword soaked in Roger’s blood froze.

A huge flame swept through the surrounding area.