Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 421

“Is this already the third incident in the Empire alone?”Cantares groaned as he read the report.

Someone had scrawled graffiti on a secluded temple and fled. With no resident priest, even identifying the culprit was impossible.

“You’re saying public sentiment has suddenly become this unsettled? Is that even possible?”

“Well, given the circumstances…”

Jereon also answered with a troubled expression.

“But it seems that such indiscriminate destruction doesn’t necessarily lead to defecting to the Chernion Cult. Similar incidents also occurred in Everan and Nephele…”

There were also several criminals arrested there.

“Most of them didn’t seem to have any intention of joining the rebels. They simply complained that they were being deceived by Lord Luce and the current royal family.”

“How is it being dealt with?”

“No one was injured, and there wasn’t any permanent damage to the temples either… They say the punishment was three days of detention and a fine, followed by cleaning up the mess they made and performing community service at the temples in question. This was done in both Nephele and Everan.”

“That’s a reasonable solution.”

Cantares groaned and scratched his head.

“For now, it’s fortunate that no further incidents have occurred in the Lucain Kingdom. They’re probably still fully occupied with the aftermath over there.”

“Yes. And according to a report submitted by Sir Warren through the Union, there’s been an increase in the number of outsiders entering Duke Middleton’s territory.”

Jereon continued speaking.

“Crown Prince Victor… no, now His Majesty the King. His Majesty had reportedly dispatched reinforcements there in secret.”

“And besides, there are experienced explorers, and a werewolf there as well.”

For the time being, there was no need to worry.

But…

“If we’re not careful, Duke Middleton’s territory might end up in ruins.”

They didn’t know how hidden the Chernion Cult was.

Besides, they had the ability to infiltrate covertly.

If a head-on clash were to break out in that remote territory, it would certainly not end there.

“Prince Llewellyn has already asked for advice. He’s considering sending more people from the Explorers’ Union over there. However…”

“You’re saying that the prince is hesitant, fearing he might make matters worse?”

Jereon nodded. Cantares, after thinking for a moment, spoke.

“For now, let’s ask for reinforcements. I’ll personally make the request to the prince later.”

“Yes, I understand. And now for the next matter.”

Jereon answered neatly and changed the subject.

“The illusion magic training device designed by Shekhinah has been manufactured and distributed. It has been delivered to the temple, and we plan to send it to our allies as quickly as possible.”

“How’s the effect?”

“Instructor Zakar tested it out during training at the Great Temple. He said it was more effective than expected.”

Jereon smiled knowingly.

“I heard that at first, they were in a complete panic. Now, they’re gradually getting used to it.”

Based on the data Count Stadler had compiled so far, Shekhinah was able to create realistic illusions.

With the help of Lexion, the effect was truly remarkable.

“Since Captain Laius and the elf captains have field experience and are directly guiding them… they will be able to be deployed in actual combat soon.”

“Can we assume that everything is going smoothly for now?”

Cantares said, his eyes lowered silently.

“Is there anything unusual about Captain Laius?”

“No. He doesn’t seem much different from usual. He seems lost in thought, though…”

It was almost impossible to read what he was thinking, as he rarely showed any emotion.

The Crown Prince sighed briefly and rested his chin on his hand.

“And Sir Richt didn’t look well either. Is that still the case?”

“Haha. Sir Richt is also someone who rarely reveals his true feelings.”

Jereon let out an awkward laugh.

Before leaving, Arendt said that he would avoid the place because there was someone who felt awkward around him.

It wasn’t long before Cantares realized that he was referring to Richt.

“It seems like Sir Richt has caught on to something… I can’t figure out what he’s thinking.”

Frankly, in a situation like this, it was absurd that he, who was working on the front lines, knew nothing.

Moreover, Richt was a man of even deeper faith than Laius.

Therefore, the closer he got to the truth, the more unsettled he was bound to feel.

“Jen. How about you?”

Cantares, who had been silent for a moment, suddenly asked.

“Yes?”

“You know exactly what’s going on. What do you think?”

Jereon seemed speechless for a moment.

Cantares, looking away from his aide, continued speaking.

“Someday, I’ll have to make a decision too. For now, I’m just turning a blind eye, using the excuse that there are more urgent matters.”

“…”

“You’re quite devout, aren’t you? Haven’t you been visiting the temple regularly to pray?”

Jereon remained silent for a moment, seemingly unsure of what to say.

But before long, Jereon smiled quietly.

“My answer is always set. Your Highness, the path you take is my path.”

“…Don’t say such disgusting things.”

“But it is true. I find it even more puzzling that Your Highness is asking this again.”

Jereon smiled and waved his hand dismissively.

“From the moment Your Highness considered me a friend, I was ready to be with you until the end.”

“Ugh, just sweet-talking won’t get you anywhere.”

Even though he pretended to be disgusted, Cantares didn’t show any sign of displeasure.

There was a brief pause in the conversation, and a natural silence was about to settle in.

The communication port on the desk began to vibrate and blink slightly.

At the same time, the expressions on both their faces became strange.

It was a communication channel that wouldn’t normally connect unless it was an extremely urgent matter.

Besides, since he had already received reports from the three knight captains early in the morning, there likely wasn’t an issue urgent enough to warrant a direct connection to the Crown Prince..

That meant…

“I’ll bet you ten gold pieces that it’s Sir Arendt.”

“Isn’t that too obvious?”

Cantares grumbled at Jereon’s calm words.

“Twenty gold for what he will say as soon as I answer it.”

“Then I bet you twenty gold that he’ll say in a calm tone, ‘We’re in big trouble.’”

After the agreement was reached, Cantares answered the call. Then, from the communication port, came the expected, curt voice.

-Why are you only answering it now?

It was a single sentence that instantly made the bet meaningless.

“…This consistently shameless bastard.”

-I know. I’m consistently amazing. Anyway, without further ado, let’s get to the point.

Arendt, who had answered shamelessly, changed the subject.

-It was a success.

“What?”

-Count Stadler’s experiment was a success. We’re planning to awaken one of the priests and place him within the barrier. Please tell anyone who wishes to question him to come here.

“It’s nice to hear that, but the way you speak is….”

-Lexion will be the one to meet them. If everyone’s tied up, I’ll gladly handle it myself.

Arendt finished speaking and then ended the call.

Cantares’ hand, which was holding the unlit communication port, tightened.

Jereon smiled awkwardly.

“Sir Arendt, how should I put it… always transcends imagination. In many ways.”

“Haaah… it’s pointless to say more. What a cheeky bastard.”

Cantares sighed deeply and rubbed his face.

“Relay what you heard to the Knights. Report to this Prince Llewellyn as well. I’ll contact the allies.”

“Yes, understood.”

Count Stadler looked inside the barrier with great tension.

Preparing for any unforeseen situation, Arthur stood armed by his side, while Arendt was inside the barrier together with the priest firmly bound to a chair.

“You damned bastards! Chernion’s curse will fall upon your heads!”

“Oh, yeah. Keep talking. You’re doing great. Oh, right. You know what? Your god is really ugly.”

“This fucking bastard, I’ll kill you!”

The priest, who was completely provoked by Arendt, was foaming at the mouth and running wild.

Although he was in a state of confusion due to the shock of being captured, he showed no signs of losing his memory.

“Isn’t it safe to say that this is a success?”

Arthur, who had been watching quietly, started speaking.

The 32nd barrier created by Count Stadler successfully prevented Arendt from using the Frosty Touch.

Having achieved his first objective, the Count immediately moved on to his next experiment: placing one of the priests in the barrier and awakening him.

It had already been three hours since then.

“His memories seem intact, but it seems he’s losing his senses and becoming violent. I heard it’s God Chernion’s divine power that’s causing this.”

“Well, that might be true, but…”

Arthur, who was watching the inside of the barrier, spoke reluctantly.

“Maybe he’s just pissed off because of Arendt. Not many people can keep their composure in front of that guy.”

“Haha…”

The Count gave a weak laugh at the words he could not deny.

The apprentice knight, unaware of such conversations taking place, simply remained faithful to his duties.

“Yeah, yeah. If you have something to say, say it. If not, just bite your tongue and drop dead. You’re already useless, and I’m too lazy to even draw my sword myself.”

The priest’s face turned bright red as if it were about to explode at any moment.

He started to scream and swear in a way that was hard to understand, but Arendt just picked at his ear as if annoyed, paying him no mind.

In the end, the Count also ended up sounding a little tired.

“He sure has a knack for tormenting people… He seems to be enjoying it, though.”

“Don’t you know? It’s precisely at times like this that he shows more liveliness than anyone else.”

While Arthur was shaking his head, Arendt casually knocked the priest out with a single blow.

Arendt came out of the barrier, leaving the drooping priest behind, and shook his hands.

“Excellent work, Count. With a little more reinforcement, I think it will soon be possible to interrogate Ain.”

Now, if the priest were to wake up again and retain his memories, then the experiment could be considered a complete success.

“Thank you. This is all thanks to Lord Lexion’s help. And the original idea was from Sir Arendt.”

The Count gave a pleasant smile.

“For now, I will work with my assistants to strengthen the barrier.”

“Yes. Please take care of it. Oh, and how’s the mobile barrier coming along?”

“Of course it’s going well.”

Count Stadler pounded his chest with a confident expression.

“Now that we’ve laid the groundwork, it’s only a matter of time before we have the mobile barrier and the combat-assisting artifact.”

For just a moment, he glanced at Arendt’s expression and timidly shrank back.

“As you know, the relics of the Chernion Cult are powerful. So…”

“You’re saying that you can only stop the holy relic for a split second?”

Arthur, who had been listening quietly, intervened.

“Yes, that’s right. It was the same when Sir Arendt conducted his experiment earlier.”

Count Stadler nodded reluctantly.

“If you had used your magic power as vigorously as you did during the battle, the barrier would have definitely been destroyed.”

The only reason the priest’s memories could be preserved was because of the limitations of the Breath of Mnemosyne.

In addition to the caster being far away, the memory destruction spell was designed to be activated by utilizing the divine and magical power held within the priest’s body.

So, the link between the priest and the saintness was severed through a barrier that completely suppressed the priest’s magic power and even blocked the magic power in the surrounding air.

“It’s nothing more than trying to stop water pouring out by plugging a hole in a broken barrel with your hand. With a barrier of this level, Sir Arendt or Sir Arthur could easily destroy it.”

However, there was a limit to completely blocking the artifact’s unique magic power.

“It’s difficult to suppress Captain Laius’ rival.”

“Still, it is possible to create a momentary gap.”

The Count spoke glumly, but Arendt shrugged.

“That’s enough. I don’t think we can put a leash on that monstrous bastard from the Evil Cult. Even just creating a brief opening would change a lot. That’s the battlefield, after all. And…”

Arendt’s gaze fell on the priest who was drooping inside the barrier.

“Because we can achieve our original goal of interrogating them.”

Maybe he could hear more stories he had never heard before.

Arendt’s golden eyes sparkled with a subtle glow.