Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 418

“…The saintess has appeared?”After a moment of silence, Kendrick groaned.

“Then why the saintess appeared there would be unknown. Sir Arendt, the only one who had contact with her, was reportedly silenced.”

“Yes. Arendt seems to be proceeding cautiously, as he doesn’t know what will happen if he breaks his contract with the saintess.”

As Laius nodded, Diana answered with a complicated expression.

“I can’t blame Sir Arendt… The saintess’ withdrawal of troops was also thanks to Sir Arendt’s decision. What are your thoughts, Your Highness?”

“I think the same. If he made that choice, even after everything, it means he wouldn’t suffer any loss. There must have been no other way.”

Noticing a hint of sharpness in the Crown Prince’s tone, Laius, who had been silent for a moment, cautiously asked.

“Could it be that guy again…?”

“It’s always the little things that get you. This time, he really took a big bite out of me.”

The Crown Prince, arms crossed, answered bluntly. Laius, who had been silent for a long time, nodded.

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I’ve already given up.”

Cantares waved his hand dismissively with a resigned tone.

He truly was nothing if not consistent.

Laius squeezed his eyes shut and gently placed his hand over his aching chest, while the other two captains could only manage awkward smiles.

“The conversation has gone off on a tangent. What I’m curious about is this. It might be a somewhat extreme topic, but I feel we need to address it at least once.”

Cantares frowned and changed the subject again.

“Why did the saintess spare Arendt?”

“…”

“If she neutralized Sir Rider and Lord Salem in one fell swoop, eliminating Arendt wouldn’t have been difficult. Was there some other reason?”

All three captains fell silent at the same time.

“If it were me, I would’ve chosen to kill him and destroy the ruins, rather than bothering with silencing him or making troublesome deals. Arendt is clearly a risk to their cult, so wouldn’t that be far more profitable?”

In the quiet conference room, only Cantares’s displeased voice echoed.

“Is it for the same reason the dragon can’t kill Arendt? Because Arendt survived thanks to Luce’s grace? But I doubt a saintess would be subject to such restrictions.”

Moreover, rather than being grateful for having survived, Arendt began to show even more aversion to God Luce.

Their gazes naturally fell on Laius.

Laius spoke calmly in response to their looks demanding answers.

“I don’t know either.”

“You’ve been lying more often lately, Captain Laius.”

Cantares, resting his chin on his hand, let out a faint chuckle, but Laius gave no reply.

The Crown Prince, who had been quietly watching him, changed the topic.

“Let’s set that aside for now. That’s not what’s important at the moment.”

Laius nodded his head slightly in gratitude. Sensing the meaning behind it, Diana also chose not to press further and brought up a different topic instead.

“Missing person reports have finally started coming in to the city guard. Most are from areas far from the palace, or outside the jurisdiction of nobles’ territories.”

“I also wanted to discuss that. The number of missing people reported by the Khan Union is also increasing.”

Cantares nodded.

The Khan Union had been steadily gathering and compiling information on missing person reports from the Neumann Information Centre and reporting it to Cantares.

“It’s certain. The number surged around the time of the Lucain Kingdom incident.”

“The defenses we’ve taken so far have clearly been effective. So why has this suddenly happened? There must be a reason.”

Kendrick crossed his arms and frowned.

“There must be a reason why the public sentiment of the Lucain Kingdom suddenly changed, and why even the former queen and consort switched sides.”

“The royal family is actively investigating, but so far, no significant results have been found.”

Laius, who had returned to his expressionless face, reported.

“ Most people testified like this, but I don’t think the probability of it being true is very high.”

They wouldn’t be so stupid as to dare to conspire against the royal family for something like that.

That didn’t mean the Lucain royal family did anything to deserve the backlash from the people.

Diana nodded with a sullen expression.

“It seems reasonable to assume that the Chernion Cult did something.”

“There are some parts that make sense.”

After a while of silence, Laius began to speak.

“I think it might be related to the reason they invaded the Lucain Kingdom.”

“If there’s a cause, it’s the underground ruins. Arendt destroyed them.”

Cantares frowned, his chin resting on his hand.

“You said it’s likely the same thing that Prince Llewellyn was investigating. And that was…”

His voice naturally trailed off.

.

Perhaps in the past, Chernion and Luce were on equal footing, and it might not have been meaningful to distinguish between good and evil.

Arendt had consistently made such dangerous claims since the past.

‘Now, evidence is gradually appearing that proves what he said was right.’

The Crown Prince had an uneasy expression.

“…Did the enemies spread rumors defaming Lord Luce? No, that wouldn’t be right.”

Swallowing the bitter taste in his mouth, Cantares finally voiced the words he had been holding back until now.

“Rather than defaming Him, I’d say it’s better to say they’ve exposed His true colors. At least that’s how they see it.”

“Your Highness?”

Diana sounded somewhat surprised.

But Cantares did not retract his words.

“I know it’s blasphemous. But when you combine the evidence presented before us, that’s the only conclusion we can come to.”

“…”

Silence fell in the conference room.

“Let me say again, I’m only able to say this because I trust you all. This isn’t something to be spoken lightly anywhere. And at this point, to deny this hypothesis would be…”

The Crown Prince, who had been mumbling to himself, smiled bitterly.

“That guy has done far too much up to now. Or maybe my judgment’s been clouded by his silver tongue? If you feel that way, I’d sincerely appreciate your honest advice. I’m willing to listen.”

“…”

But there was no answer. Kendrick and Diana remained silent, their faces revealing their complex emotions.

Among them, Laius, the only one who knew something, simply remained silent.

After a while, Kendrick slowly started speaking.

“If that is true, what choice does Your Highness intend to make?”

“What?”

Cantares asked in bewilderment at the unexpected question.

“Truth and reality are distinctly different. Regardless of Lord Luce’s hidden nature, the fact remains that the current Caerleon Empire prospered under His grace. And Your Highness, you are the sole heir to the Caerleon Holy Empire.”

Kendrick continued, looking at the young prince.

“Whatever your decision, we will forever be the sword and shield of the Caerleon Empire, His Majesty, and His Highness. However, please do not forget your current position.”

“…Yes.”

Cantares, who had been silent for a moment, frowned slightly.

His every word carried the weight of the lives of all the empire’s citizens.

Though sometimes, while joking around with someone, he tended to forget that fact.

Kendrick gave a wry smile.

“I apologize for my presumptuous remark. You may dismiss it as merely an old man’s concern. However, I feel I may not have the opportunity to offer advice if not now.”

“No. I understand completely. And it’s an issue we’ll have to address at some point.”

Cantares answered slowly.

Diana also started speaking with a displeased expression.

“No matter what Lord Luce’s intentions are, the fact remains that we were ultimately saved by Him. Under Lord Luce’s protection, we have long enjoyed peace and prosperity.”

She paused for a moment before adding:

“Even just right now, there are countless lives being saved thanks to Lord Luce and the temple.”

The belief in God Luce was so deeply rooted among the people.

Even the Empire’s power was essentially gained because of its close ties to God Luce.

‘The current Caerleon Empire and God Luce are inseparable.’

Cantares was also one of those who took pride in that fact.

“…In the end, I must make decisions that prioritize the Empire’s security above all else. Thank you for your counsel.”

The Crown Prince paused for a moment, then slowly nodded. However, Kendrick and Diana’s expressions still weren’t very bright.

“For now, crushing the enemy before us takes priority.”

At that moment, Laius’ clear voice pierced through the three people.

They naturally raised their heads and looked at the hero.

“With the ruins in the Lucain Kingdom being the last one, they’ve succeeded in erasing all traces of the past. And if the hypothesis just mentioned is correct, it means that public sentiment is also being significantly shaken.”

Accepting their gazes calmly, Laius continued speaking.

“The civil war in the Lucain Kingdom is only just the beginning. Now, the enemies seek revenge for the humiliation their god suffered…”

Even as he spoke chilling words, Laius remained calm.

“And they will launch an offensive to punish the descendants of those who survived under Lord Luce.”

Kendrick, who had been silent for a long time, groaned.

“Captain Laius is right. They seem to have given up on destroying us from within…”

As the knight captain trailed off, Cantares added coldly.

“Then the only option left is an all-out war.”

It wouldn’t be long before the entire continent is engulfed in the flames of war.

“Hah…”

Cantares slowly rubbed his face and sighed deeply.

“I received word that there will be a public execution of criminals in the Lucain Kingdom tomorrow. Two days later, Crown Prince Victor will hold a brief coronation.”

Cantares, leaning back in his chair, spoke with a dark face.

“They asked for understanding as an ally, saying the official ceremony will be held after all the wars have ended.”

It was a decision made to prepare for war as quickly as possible.

“So we too must prepare to face the enemy.”

Cantares murmured to himself.

“Use everything at our disposal so we don’t just get beaten like fools.”

It was something the impudent apprentice knight often said.

He used to think it was an incredibly arrogant remark, but now he thought he understand its true meaning.

‘Even if the god is unreliable…’

In the end, in order to fight against evil, they have no choice but to use what currently exists as “good”.

And perhaps that was what God Luce truly desired.

The longer the war lasted and the more difficult it became, the more the powerless would turn to God.

As the Crown Prince, Cantares had a duty to protect them.

To do so, they would need to carry the name of a god on their back, just like the hero Khan did in the distant past.

‘What a headache.’

Cantares slowly closed his eyes and pressed his temples.

Kendrick and Diana were also lost in their own thoughts and did not speak.

In the conference room, everyone was lost in thought.

The hero chosen by God Luce quietly watched them with blue eyes that betrayed no emotion.