Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 406

After finishing their conversation, Arendt kicked Salem out, saying he was going to rest.Left alone in the room again, Arendt pulled the blanket up even higher and let out a short curse.

“Ugh, damn. It’s freaking cold.”

Despite the firewood crackling in the fireplace, a chill strong enough to make his body tremble ran through him.

‘Is this the side effect the damn dragon warned about?’

Although he no longer suffered risks of internal injuries due to the lack of magical power, his body had absorbed too much of the energy from the Frosty Touch, and as a result, his body heat was drained.

Arendt inwardly clicked his tongue and pulled the blanket closer.

‘More than that…’

Leaving that aside for now.

‘Why am I okay?’

Of course, his physical condition was terrible, but his head was strangely clear. This update ıs available on novel_fіre.net

He was prepared to suffer even more severely than before when he broke the statue.

Moreover, before leaving, the saintess even cursed him in Chernion’s name.

‘In most cases, there is some kind of aftershock…’

Not only was he not suffering, but he was also sleeping soundly.

Of course, it was a pleasant thing, but there was a part of him that felt uneasy.

‘There is something that comes to mind.’

It didn’t seem like a coincidence.

It might have been related to why he was able to get a good night’s sleep for the first time in a while.

‘It seems like She’s interfering whenever She gets the chance.’

It was the same in the Nereid temple in the Elf Kingdom, and this time as well.

It seemed that Nereid also had business with him.

‘It’s fortunate that I feel no hostility.’

Chernion was grinding his teeth trying to get rid of him, and Luce was at a loss for what to do with him, enjoying watching the show.

And in the midst of all this, another being was following him.

It was not something he could be very happy about unless he knew Her exact purpose.

Arendt burrowed deeper into the blanket, but did not lose his train of thought.

‘If the script had fallen into the hands of the saintess…’

Since Chernion handed over the fragment he was holding to Iris, Iris must have realized why they had failed so far.

Her refined bearing, voice, and every gesture betrayed no emotion.

But Arendt could clearly sense the hatred she felt towards him in the last curse she uttered.

‘It was malicious.’

Iris, who gently smiled while pushing him toward the truth, felt far more threatening than Nikephoros, who declared he’d bury everything beneath history and build a world for Chernion alone.

Since he was the one who made the promise with Luce, Iris could not harm him directly.

So it was clear that she would continue to pressure him until he gave up on his own.

‘Life might get a little more difficult.’

Still, there was definitely hope.

The hint was in the words the saintess recited while praising God.

Iris said that the reason the gods did not intervene directly was to protect the world.

She said that they were worried that if they used their power recklessly, the weaker beings would be destroyed without a trace, so they waged war with their followers at the forefront.

Maybe Iris truly believed that.

But Arendt didn’t think so.

‘There must be limits to their authority.’

Unlike Luce, Chernion who he encountered at the temple was in a considerably damaged state.

If that was the price of losing the war and losing a lot of faith…

Perhaps they were the ones who could not survive without faith.

‘The myth Iris spoke of probably isn’t entirely trustworthy from beginning to end, either.’

In the end, she too would just believe and follow the story she was told by God.

Arendt, whose thoughts had reached that point, suddenly remembered a phrase Iris had whispered in passing.

‘The more affection you give, the more weaknesses you have, ah…’

His eyelids were getting heavier and heavier.

‘That’s funny.’

He had no intention of considering those monstrous guys as weaknesses.

But one problem that had arisen recently was…

‘It wasn’t me who gave them affection…’

But Arendt could not continue his thoughts.

It was because his eyes kept closing.

A while later, when Laius and Llewellyn entered the room, Arendt was completely asleep, buried in the blanket.

He somehow felt a light, buoyant sensation, like he was floating.

Arendt blinked slowly and realized he was sinking into deep water.

‘The ocean?’

The light that shattered as it hit the surface of the water was rippling and dyeing the sea blue.

He felt refreshed in the spotless, clear water.

It felt a little cold, but the gentle waves rippled and caressed his body, bringing a comforting warmth.

How long has it been since he’d had a break?

His body was sinking lower and lower, but he didn’t feel like struggling.

He just gave in to this languor and waited to fall asleep again.

“…”

Without resisting the drowsiness that was creeping in, he closed his eyes again.

Then, someone’s gentle hand gently stroked his forehead.

‘Huh?’

He suddenly came to his senses.

All the oxygen that had been gathered in his lungs escaped at once due to the surprise.

Arendt instinctively pushed away the presence he felt at his bedside and quickly got up.

No, he tried to get up.

But it wasn’t easy to regain his balance in the water.

After struggling briefly and barely regaining his balance, he soon spotted an elf child not far away.

‘What is going on?’

He felt a bit stunned.

The elf child stared at him with a surprised expression.

Arendt struggled for a moment to grasp the situation.

The child in front of him was only about ten years old in human years, and she looked much younger than Salem.

Like Luce and Chernion, she had an androgynous appearance, but she looked to be closer to a girl.

Her wavy blue hair shimmered with the waves, almost blending with the sunlit seawater.

The white cloth covering her small body moved like fins, and the skin exposed underneath was covered in scales.

It was a familiar sight.

‘Nereid?’

Arendt, about to speak, paused. It was because he realized he was underwater.

But that seemed to be enough for Nereid.

Nereid nodded vigorously. Then she began gesturing vigorously with her webbed, scaled hands.

‘Can’t she make a sound?’

Arendt somehow straightened his posture and faced Nereid.

Nereid still stared at him without saying anything.

Arendt, who was briefly facing Nereid, suddenly realized that Nereid was a sea god, a water god.

Most things that live in water do not make sounds.

And even if they were to make sounds, it would be sounds similar to sound waves, so the human body would not be able to hear it.

‘What do you want?’

Although he was feeling increasingly suffocated, Arendt tried to concentrate on the god in front of him.

Nereid, who had been blankly looking at Arendt, suddenly looked startled and quickly waved her hand.

‘Leave quickly?’

Nereid nodded again and began to rub his back with her small hands.

A look of worry was evident on her young face.

Arendt, too, felt that he was slowly reaching his limit.

‘I can’t breathe.’

But Arendt persisted stubbornly.

He couldn’t miss this rare opportunity.

Arendt, who had been struggling for a moment, suddenly reached out and grabbed Nereid’s shoulder.

‘State your business.’

Nereid, who had read Arendt’s meaning, made a tired expression.

But realizing that she couldn’t delay any longer, she moved away from him and began to hurriedly search her arms.

After a while, Nereid took something out from between her flowing clothes and put it in his hand.

It was a small pearl, nothing special.

“…?”

Arendt accepted the pearl without thinking.

Then, as if her business was now over, Nereid began to push him back to the surface.

Arendt, too, didn’t bother to hold out any longer. He felt like he’d drown if he stayed any longer.

But even that didn’t work out.

He tried to swim upwards, but the distance to the surface did not decrease at all.

It seemed that this was not a real sea, but a space created by the combination of Arendt’s dreams and Nereid’s power.

“…!”

Nereid made a face of regret.

Arendt was dumbfounded.

‘What kind of stupid god is this?’

The way she acted was similar to that of some elf kid somewhere.

Oh, were all children originally the same?

Even as he was thinking about such useless things, his breathing was reaching its limit.

‘I’m going crazy.’

Arendt covered his mouth and nose with his hands.

It seemed like a buzzing sound was coming from somewhere.

“…Float!”

It was a familiar voice.

Not wanting to miss that moment, Nereid began shoving Arendt again. Arendt simply simply squeezed his eyes shut.

And the next moment.

“Open your eyes, you bastard!”

A thunderous scream pierced his dazed mind. At the same time, his breathing, which had been blocked, suddenly cleared and his vision brightened.

“…!”

Arendt took a deep breath and he jerked upright. Arthur, belatedly sensing the danger, widened his eyes, but there was no time to dodge.

Two heads collided head-on, and a loud noise erupted.

“…”

Richt, who had squeezed his eyes shut and opened them again, looked at the scene of the accident in shock.

Arthur and Arendt were shaking, each holding their foreheads.

“Ugh… You crazy bastard… why are you suddenly jumping up like that?”

“Ugh, damn it… Who told you to shove your head in like that? No wonder I’m in pain, guess you’re not called a blockhead for nothing.”

Arthur, caught off guard, suddenly snapped in irritation.

“You were sleeping soundly when suddenly you stopped breathing, that’s why! I did my best to wake you from a nightmare, and what do I get? You blockhead?”

“I’m just calling a blockhead a blockhead? What else should I say? Be honest. You came here to assassinate me, didn’t you?”

“If I was going to assassinate you, why didn’t I bring a knife instead of just hitting you in the head? And I can’t exactly punch you either!”

“If you can hit me, then try it. If you’re confident, let’s have a match in the training grounds.”

“Alright, you bastard. We’ll settle this when we get back to the palace.”

Both of their foreheads were bright red as they bickered, and it wasn’t funny at all.

Richt sighed deeply as he looked at the pitiful sight.

With a familiar tug on Arthur’s collar, Richt separated the two and addressed Arendt.

“I’m glad you look okay.”

“Senior, aren’t your eyes swollen? Do you think things are okay now?”

Arendt rubbed his forehead several times and replied irritably.

He absentmindedly checked his hand, but of course, there was nothing like a pearl in it.

‘What the hell?’

The image of Nereid moving her lips with great effort was still vivid.

But it became clear that what She had shown him was pure kindness.

Even after the uproar, he was able to sleep quite soundly thanks to Nereid briefly hiding him from Luce and Chernion’s gaze.

“You slept for two full days. I was worried because you’d been asleep for so long. How’s your condition?”

“It’s not too bad.”

Arendt responded curtly to Richt’s question.

Perhaps thanks to the rest, the severe chill had subsided. A hint of color had returned to his face, and Richt felt a small sense of relief.

“Well then, I have a question for you. The Crown Prince and the Captain have been furious since this morning. What on earth did you do?”

“Oh. Already?”

Arendt yawned and chuckled.

“As expected of Lord Neumann. He’s fast.”

“…I don’t know when exactly it happened, but anyway, that was quick.”

Richt spoke with some reluctance, and Arendt just shrugged.

“I’m a bit smart, you guys. Unlike you dullards.”

“…”

Richt’s eyes wandered off into space for a moment.

Arendt woke up looking a bit smug, despite having some sleep paralysis, and that made him even more irritating than usual.

“Tell them to bring my clothes. I can’t stay like this forever. I’ve been lying around too long, and my skin is starting to ache.”

“Is it okay?”

Arthur frowned and sat up, asking.

“Everyone is just waiting for you to open your mouth.”

The moment he returns, Arendt would be the center of attention, for he holds the key to unlocking the mystery.

The apprentice knight lifted his chin and spoke bluntly.

“You don’t know who I am?”

Because of this, Arthur and Richt were left speechless for a moment.

Richt, who was silent for a while, let out a deep sigh.

“I can’t return it to you since the Captain has it, but your uniform has already been repaired, so we’ll have it brought over here. But before that…”

He looked straight at Arendt, his voice trailing off, and added firmly.

“Meal.”

“…”

“Eat first.”