Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 428

As if Arendt’s words were a curse, less than two days later, devastating news arrived.This time it came from the Everan Kingdom.

“…Annihilation?”

Cantares muttered in disbelief.

The three knight captains and Llewellyn, who were present during the meeting, were equally shocked.

Jereon, who had brought the urgent news, continued speaking quickly.

“The lord and the knights and soldiers guarding the place were annihilated. Other nearby lords rushed to provide assistance, but it was already…”

The aide’s report was simply horrific.

All who entered the fray were killed. No one was able to respond properly to the attacks spearheaded by the homunculi and ghouls.

The victorious cultists beheaded the lord, his family, and the knights, hung their heads on the castle gates, and painted red letters on the castle walls with the blood of the victims.

They were left speechless by the cruelty. Jereon added with a pained expression.

“The territory is currently occupied by enemy forces. The residents who failed to escape have been taken hostage, and the enemy has declared that they will not engage in any negotiations.”

“Negotiations… Of course, they wouldn’t agree to that.”

Cantares groaned.

“Their goal is quite literally to wipe us out.”

“…”

No one could deny the Crown Prince’s words.

“Currently, the reinforcements have surrounded the enemy-occupied territory and are in a constant standoff. It appears that another skirmish will break out soon, so the royal palace plans to dispatch troops and knights.”

While everyone was frozen, Arendt, standing behind Laius, spoke briefly.

“Hey.”

“…!”

Llewellyn, who had been frozen, flinched and reacted.

“Oh, yes. I’m listening.”

“Why are you spacing out? Is there anyone else from the Everan Kingdom here besides you?”

Llewellyn, who had been momentarily stunned by Arendt’s harsh words, nodded.

“Uh, yeah… Sorry. That’s right.”

“Aide, that’s the situation, but what’s the real point? You didn’t just contact us to tell us something big happened, did you?”

This time, an arrow flew at Jereon.

Jereon, who had been dazed for a moment, suddenly came to his senses and nodded.

“Yes, that’s right. The Everan Kingdom has also prepared for the enemy, but they say it’s difficult to face them head-on right now. That’s why His Majesty has requested assistance.”

Before sending troops there, they first urgently contacted the Caerleon Empire.

“And…”

Jereon, who hesitated, spoke again.

“There was a message saying that they would like Prince Llewellyn to remain in the Empire as long as possible.”

“…”

Llewellyn seemed not to fully understand what he was saying for a while, and just stared blankly at the aide.

But Jereon lowered his head with a troubled expression, as if to prove that he had not misheard.

Only then did Llewellyn stammer back.

“Wait a minute, Aide. What? What did my father say?”

“It is exactly as I just said. His Majesty said he would entrust the care of the prince to His Highness.”

Jereon continued speaking in a soothing tone.

“The prince is currently doing plenty of work in the Caerleon Empire…”

“Telling me to stay here!”

Before he could finish speaking, Llewellyn slammed the table and jumped to his feet.

“What kind of nonsense is that? Among the people of the Everan Kingdom, where else is there someone who knows those bastards as well as I do?”

“He said he wants you to stay here and help ensure smooth communication with the Empire.”

Jereon tried to calm him down by adding an explanation, but his words only made Llewellyn even more angry.

“What kind of excuse is that? What does communication have to do with anything! Father… Are you saying someone like me is just a nuisance? A person who always wanders around has no right to interfere in state affairs?”

“Perhaps His Majesty…”

Kendrick, who had been silent, quietly intervened.

“I’m sure he was simply concerned about the prince’s safety. Your Highenss is a man who often does reckless things.”

Only then did Llewellyn fall silent.

As the surroundings became quiet, Diana spoke slowly.

“If the defenses were breached, the entire kingdom would be under attack in an instant. Besides, the battle took place not far from the royal palace.”

The Everan Kingdom was not a very large kingdom.

If they were pushed back even slightly, the entire kingdom would have been swallowed up in an instant.

Therefore, the king and the two princes have no choice but to consider the possibility, however unlikely.

While protecting the royal bloodline, they also want to keep the youngest, who lives freely, from being caught up in the war.

Llewellyn, who had been opening his mouth several times, muttered in vain.

“No, even if that’s true…”

“But I can understand His Majesty’s feelings.”

Kendrick said emphatically.

“How can I not understand His Majesty’s concern for his children? If I had children, I would have made the same decision.”

“…”

Llewellyn, about to protest further, clenched his jaw and dropped his gaze. His eyes, which were always innocent and bright, were now trembling.

Cantares pressed his temples to relieve his headache and added.

“I agree. I don’t think the prince needs to return to the kingdom.”

Silence fell in the conference room.

Llewellyn was still biting his lips, unable to make up his mind.

It was obvious that he wanted to protest, but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

“No, but.”

A neutral voice, unsuited to the situation, flowed out. Everyone in the conference room instinctively raised their heads.

“He is certainly not wrong to be worried, but isn’t it a bit funny? We’ve been dragging that guy into all kinds of dangerous places.”

Arendt was standing behind Laius as if it were the most natural place in the world.

If we’re being exact, I’m the one who dragged him around. But they haven’t exactly been strongly opposed until now, have they? And who was the first to infiltrate the Everan Kingdom this time?”

“…”

“It was dangerous enough back then. And he was the one who went all the way to the Nephele Kingdom and even faced a dragon.”

Everyone, including the Crown Prince, naturally ended up wearing weary expressions.

At this very moment, there was only one person who was unmoved. It was Laius.

Arendt continued.

“He’s not a brat. Do you need to argue among yourselves? He’s the one making the decisions anyway.”

“That brat’s mouth is really…”

Cantares, who had been silent for a moment, let out a sigh.

Arendt completely ignored the Crown Prince’s reaction and turned his gaze to Llewellyn.

At some point, Llewellyn, who had been staring blankly at Arendt, met his eyes and flinched.

“Do whatever you want. Do it in a way you can take responsibility for and won’t regret.”

Arendt looked straight at him and continued speaking bluntly.

“Since when did you become so obedient? Aren’t you tired of being a well-bred prince?”

“…”

Llewellyn, who had been opening and closing his mouth several times, bit his lip. Arendt simply watched him without adding anything else.

Llewellyn slowly closed his eyes and opened them again, no longer agitated.

Diana sighed briefly at the sight.

She instinctively realized that the prince had made up his mind just from the few words the apprentice knight had uttered.

Cantares also smiled bitterly.

“There’s no way the mischievous prince would go anywhere.”

“If my choice causes any trouble for Your Highness, I apologize in advance.”

Llewellyn nodded.

“But that guy is right. I have no intention of letting our kingdom’s affairs slide. If something were to happen to my brother, mother, or father, I would live the rest of my life regretting it. I apologize for being so stubborn.”

“No. You don’t have to worry about that at all. You’ve been so helpful so far, and it’s not something I can dare interfere with. Besides…”

Cantares glanced at Arendt.

“It’s a tough situation, but I’ve been through a lot thanks to that guy, so I’m used to it, so it’s okay.”

“What did I do?”

“Just keep your mouth shut.”

Following Arendt’s chattering, Laius issued a quiet warning. The others also burst into laughter at the natural flow of the conversation.

As the tense atmosphere began to thaw, Cantares spoke again.

“…Captain Laius.”

“Please give your order.”

Laius immediately lowered his head.

“Can you lead the Third Knights and Prince Llewellyn to the Everan Kingdom?”

“Of course.”

“Discuss with Instructor Zakar and determine the appropriate use of the elf troops. I’ll leave that matter to Captain Laius’ discretion.”

Cantares then turned his head towards Diana and Kendrick.

“Captain Kendrick and Captain Diana, stay here and stand guard. We never know when or where something could break out.”

“I obey your orders.”

“Yes. As you commanded.”

As Kendrick and Diana also bowed politely, Cantares gave an order to Jereon.

“Jen. While they prepare for their expedition, contact the Everlan Kingdom again and find out the scale of the enemy presence and whether any suspects have been sighted. Our response will vary accordingly.”

“Yes, I will do so.”

Jereon bowed and quickly left the conference room.

The door closed and the interior fell into silence again.

“…The most urgent task is to rescue the remaining prisoners within the territory.”

The first to speak was Laius. Arendt nodded as well.

“I guess so. They won’t listen to negotiations or anything, but if they’re taken hostage, we’ll be in a pretty difficult position.”

“They probably captured the prisoners to use as a defensive barrier.”

Arendt pointed out as Cantares frowned.

“They might just be using them as test subjects. They probably don’t have infinite materials, after all.”

Diana, who had been listening quietly, answered in a weary voice.

“…Material. What a creepy word.”

The artificial spirit stone that serves as the core of the homunculus was created by grinding out countless lives.

In addition, there were ghouls made up of all kinds of monsters, animals, and humans, and even humanoid ghouls with full intelligence.

The Chernion Cult must have also lost a considerable amount of strength due to the continuous fighting.

In that case, sacrificing the humans and beasts of the occupied territory would be the best option for them.

The Crown Prince remained silent for a moment with an uneasy expression on his face, then sighed.

“Let’s disband for now. Captain Laius, I’m sorry for always burdening you.”

“No. It’s something I should do.”

But Laius simply answered firmly.

“I will wipe out the enemy and come back to prevent further damage.”

It was the moment when the next destination of the Third Knights, led by the hero, was decided.