Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 474

After finishing the report, Arendt left the conference room first, leaving Cantares and Laius behind.As he was walking towards the dormitory, he felt someone following him.

It was Llewellyn.

Llewellyn, who had slid up beside him, began to walk at Arendt’s pace.

“Why is it that you never seem to catch a break? Didn’t you come back at dawn?”

Arendt answered him indifferently without even looking at him.

“The world recognizes the talented.”

“…I won’t deny that, but it’s really incredibly shameless no matter when I hear it.”

“I don’t know why it’s shameless to tell the truth.”

As they exchanged useless words, the two soon arrived at a place where there were hardly any people.

“Your residence is in the main palace. Why are you following me?”

“For a walk.”

Llewellyn, who had responded briefly, fell silent.

“Mom and Dad told me to come back. I guess they heard about what happened today.”

It was an overly comfortable title for a prince to use when addressing his king and queen. However, it didn’t feel awkward at all.

“And?”

“I told them I wouldn’t go back.”

His voice sounded quite light. But Arendt could easily tell that Llewellyn was forcing himself to appear carefree.

There was still a bit of hesitation left in his heart that he hadn’t been able to get rid of.

“…Up until now, the Imperial Palace has never been attacked. The fact that they’re suddenly making such bold moves means they’ve almost finished preparing.”

Arendt answered nonchalantly.

“Do as you wish. Personally, I wish you’d stop bothering me and just go back.”

“You’re really talking nonsense.”

Arendt added briefly, glancing at Llewellyn, who was glaring fiercely.

“It’s true that you’re quite a useful force. So, do as you wish.”

“…”

Llewellyn blinked a few times, dumbfounded by the unexpected words. Arendt looked ahead.

“You know how to fight now. You’re much better than the clumsy soldiers or security guards. You do what you’re told, and your connections with Salem aren’t bad.”

Llewellyn’s eyes grew wider as Arendt nonchalantly continued to compliment him.

“But even so, I can’t just throw you into the battlefield. You’re not from the Caerleon Empire, and you have a perfectly good place to return to. So, you decide.”

But Arendt’s tone was consistently flat.

“By the way, I’m not saying I’d rather you go back. But if you decide to stay, I’ll put you to good use. I have no intention of encouraging or coercing you either way.”

“I am…”

Llewellyn, who was about to say something, closed his mouth again.

Silence settled again for a while. Only the sound of two people’s parallel footsteps echoed through the quiet garden.

“…I’ll have to go back, someday. But not now.”

A lighter tone was heard. Arendt glanced at Llewellyn.

“Aren’t you also really stubborn?”

“I know, you brat. But I at least don’t want to hear it from you.”

Llewellyn also looked at him with a displeased look, then quickly chuckled.

“I feel a little bad for repeating myself. But there’s nothing I can do. I’m human, after all.”

“You’d think that hearing it enough times might make you change your mind at least once. And it doesn’t seem like the Everan Kingdom is in great shape, either.”

The Everan Kingdom also suffered considerable damage from this indiscriminate attack.

Besides, the kingdom didn’t have many people skilled in dealing with ghouls.

Arendt shrugged.

“There’s no small amount of criticism from within the kingdom. You’re sticking with the Empire, ignoring your own kingdom.”

It was a story he heard through Neumann’s informants.

Llewellyn nodded in agreement.

“Well, yeah, it did seem that way. Especially now that there are even rumors about the Empire stepping onto the battlefield.”

“What about your explorers? You were hiding the fact that you were a prince.”

“I’m sure they noticed. But it doesn’t really matter. They might have been a little surprised, but they’re not the type of people who would dwell on it.”

Although he said it casually, Llewellyn was also quite concerned about that part.

As they were free spirited people, they could have expressed their dissatisfaction towards Llewellyn, who was at the top of the aristocratic society.

But so far, they have silently followed Llewellyn’s opinion without even raising the slightest dissatisfaction.

“That’s good. Those guys follow you, not the Union.”

Arendt spoke briefly. Only then did Llewellyn smile again.

“What’s this? Why are you being so generous today?”

“I don’t say empty words.”

“I suppose so. Sir Arendt, a truly remarkable apprentice knight.”

Llewellyn, who answered deliberately in a blunt manner, put his hands deep in his pockets.

“Captain Kendrick also decided to clear the other front line as quickly as possible and return. In this situation, the enemy won’t suddenly attack somewhere else.”

“They’re probably running out of steam, too, so they won’t have the luxury of that. But that doesn’t mean we should let our guards down.”

Looking at Arendt speaking like that in such a tattered state, Llewellyn felt a strange taste in his mouth.

“By the way, are you serious? Regarding what you said at the meeting earlier.”

“I said so much that I don’t know which part you’re talking about.”

Llewellyn hesitated for a moment, then spoke again.

“That the saintess must not be killed.”

Towards the end of the meeting, Arendt brought up a rather unexpected topic.

It was about Saintess Iris, who had only appeared a few times and whose identity was still largely shrouded in mystery.

“Is it even possible to continue living while changing bodies in the first place?”

“It wasn’t me who revealed the information about the saintess. It was Ain.”

Arendt answered blandly.

“And I judged Ain’s testimony to be credible.”

“It seems the order was reversed. You first obtained the information from the underground temple of the Lucain Palace, and then had Ain reveal it. I’m not doubting that now. She’s a saintess who’s lived her life while witnessing all sorts of things.”

Llewellyn, lowering his gaze slightly, continued speaking.

“That’s why I find it absurd that we should keep the saintess alive. It’s not that I’m against it, but…”

He didn’t even know what to say.

Arendt glanced at him.

“It’s easier to kill someone than capture them. Besides, it’s questionable whether a saintess possessing Chernion’s divine powers can be detained. Isn’t that what you’re trying to say?”

“Oh, yeah.”

Llewellyn nodded sheepishly.

Iris was the one being that even dragons could not do anything about.

‘Because dragons cannot defy God.’

Iris possessed even greater power than the High Priest of the Luce Temple, who, though chosen by humans, had been personally selected by Chernion.

“There must be a way. If there isn’t, we can make one. Sealing her alive would be the best option, but…”

Arendt paused for a moment and added:

“If that’s impossible, then we’ll just kill her first, then find her again and kill her again.”

Llewellyn paused.

It was an ominous sentence.

At some point, Arendt’s golden eyes took on a cold glow, as if they were sharpened with ice.

But Arendt seemed unaware that he was emitting murderous intent.

“Well, so… for now, it’s best to focus on capturing her alive, right? Count Stadler will begin researching that from now on.”

Llewellyn, who had been frozen for a long time, barely managed to speak.

“Yes.”

Arendt spoke indifferently, his hands stuffed deep into his pockets.

“He seems quite excited. It’s like challenging the will of God with human technology.”

“…You are you, but the Count is also a really strange person.”

Arendt was lost in thought as he listened to Llewellyn’s tired reply.

The night air was unusually cool.

At the sound of a cautious knock, Lumiel, who had been lost in thought while quietly touching the statue, raised her head.

“Come in.”

“Excuse me, Your Excellency.”

The door opened and Priest Benno came in quietly.

“I apologize for the inconvenience. The palace servants have come to see you. They said they have something they absolutely must deliver to the High Priest, so I’ve accepted it and sent them back. It’s too late.”

“Good job. By the way, what business did the children have?”

When Lumiel asked curiously, Priest Benno hesitated for a moment and then answered.

“They said it was sent by Sir Arendt. Judging by their insistence that only Your Excellency and I must know about it, it seems they weren’t lying.”

“…”

For a moment, something strange appeared in Lumiel’s eyes.

“Thank you for delivering it, Priest Benno. You brought the item? Could you give it to me?”

“Are you sure it’s alright? It might be dangerous….”

As he continued speaking in confusion, Lumiel called out firmly.

“Priest Benno.”

“Yes, yes, Your Excellency.”

“You must have seen clearly how Arendt fought today.”

Benno was momentarily speechless. Lumiel stared at him and continued speaking.

“I can never say that our current superficial relationship is good, but I am sure that Arendt has no ill intentions.”

“…Yes, Your Excellency.”

After a long while, Priest Benno nodded and handed her a smaIl package.

Lumiel accepted the item without a moment’s hesitation and opened it.

“…”

Inside was a magic stone that held a subtle light.

Lumiel could easily tell that it was an artifact after seeing the clearly engraved magic circle.

Enclosed with the artifact was also a short letter.

“…Is it okay if I ask what that is?”

Priest Benno asked cautiously while Lumiel silently took out the letter and began to read it.

The letter’s contents were simple.

This item was an artifact that allows for teleportation, and there was a short description of how to use the artifact along with the fact that it was created with the power of the dragon Lexion.

The handwriting was, of course, Arendt’s, and at the very bottom was engraved his signature.

Lumiel carefully folded the letter and held it in her hands, gently stroking it with her wrinkled hands.

“This is a gift from Sir Arendt.”

Lumiel’s eyes, as she answered, were filled with gentle affection.

Like an ordinary old woman who received a flower ring clumsily woven by a child.

“Your Excellency… always treats Sir Arendt like a child.”

Benno hesitated for a moment and then spoke.

“I’m a very oblivious and dull person, but even so, I can’t treat Sir Arendt the way I used to. He’s just too..”

. He couldn’t explain it to that extent.

Honest words flowed from the priest’s mouth, who had been hesitating.

“…So alien. Honestly, I’m starting to fear him now.”

If it weren’t for Arendt, the Great Temple would have been completely devastated.

However, rather than supporting him, the Great Temple closed its gates and locked them just before the battle began.

They didn’t even treat him when he was injured while guarding the Great Temple.

Even in the midst of all this, the face that had calmly accepted his greeting could not leave his mind.

As he lowered his gaze, Priest Benno heard Lumiel’s voice in his ear.

“It seems so. I’ve often felt that way too.”

The priest raised his head again and found Lumiel staring out the window, as if looking into the distance.

“But often I think…”

Lumiel, who had been silent for a while, added:

“Maybe the smallest things are more important than anything else.”

On this earth, humans were infinitely weak beings.

There was a vast, inherent gap between them and the dragons, who were the closest to God, and even to the elves, who were a similar race.

The same was true for the werewolves and other minority races.

Compared to them, humans had an overwhelmingly small amount of magical power, and their physical limitations were also clear.

‘Even so, since the time of Hero Khan, humans have always been at the forefront…’

Perhaps it was because humans were beings who could do so much for such trivial things.

This letter was the same.

The essence of Arendt’s gift was not the teleportation artifact itself, but this letter, which was written with a blunt yet meticulous explanation.

“Sir Arendt is unusual, a bit of an eccentric, and does things no one can predict. At times, he can even seem downright eerie.”

There were many grand words used to describe Arendt von Eckhart.

But Lumiel wanted to place a title before Arendt’s name, one that had long been pushed aside and was now barely even visible.

Lumiel met Benno’s gaze and smiled gently.

“But in the end, he’s just a very affectionate young man.”

Lumiel was certain that even if the world were turned upside down, that one fact would never change.