Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 315

It was already the time when the moon had risen.As the door slowly opened, a cool breeze could be felt.

At the same time, the image of God Chernion, engraved with light, came into view.

“…So that’s why there were still some spirits left.”

It was a beautiful sight that would have amazed anyone the moment they saw it, but Lexion simply frowned slightly.

Arendt, visiting for the second time, couldn’t help but have a slightly different impression compared to his first visit.

“So this is how it turned out.”

Around the line of light, there were fragments of spirits that had often been encountered in the mine earlier floating around.

It looked like a colony of fireflies.

Even Count Stadler did not know how this holy image appeared and disappeared.

But the secret was simpler than was thought.

The picture was created by the gathering of lights that had not yet become spirits reacting to the moonlight.

Arendt muttered as if talking to himself. Updates are released by novel-fire.ɴet

“What should I say…”

If it was a proper spirit, there was no way Count Stadler would not notice.

However, since it was a spectacle created by beings who had not yet reached that level, the human Count could only see the result, the sacred image of Chernion.

“It’s a trick that only a real dragon can do. It doesn’t look bad, though.”

“What an artistic choice of words.”

Lexion muttered in disbelief.

“This too will disappear in a few years.”

If all of those spirits with weak power were to disappear, the image the dragon left behind would also disappear without a trace.

“It seems that both humans and dragons are being washed away by time.”

Lexion muttered absentmindedly.

“Anyway, it’ll just gather dust, so why bother struggling so much over it?”

“I didn’t expect you to say something like that, Lexion.”

Arendt said indifferently, putting his hands in his pockets.

“The one struggling the most right now is you, isn’t it? Who was it that cursed at your kin who hid away because they didn’t want to see this and that?”

“I won’t deny it, but at least I don’t want to hear that from you.”

Stellar, who had come in a step ahead, sat quietly in the corner of the room, in front of the urn.

From the black dog’s back, nothing could be read, but his gently wagging tail seemed to speak of many words.

Arendt suddenly asked.

“What is that guy’s identity?”

“What do you mean identity, he’s just one of my subordinates.”

A half-hearted reply came back.

“Now there’s only that one left. Most of them died during the war, and the rest were all sent out before going into hibernation. But that guy stayed until the very end, waiting for me.”

Lexion looked at Stellar’s back.

“Dragons don’t get along very well with each other, but there was a strange camaraderie between the subordinates who served their selfish masters… maybe it’s because of that strange camaraderie.”

In the old urn were buried some of Stellar’s old friends.

That was the very reason Lexion called him out.

“They lived their lives to the fullest extent and couldn’t go with him, so I should at least let him see them off, even if it’s late.”

“You’re really soft-hearted, Lexion.”

At the spiteful remark that came back indifferently, Lexion shot back irritably.

“Shut up.”

“It seems they weren’t on bad terms with you after all. I’m talking about the owner of this cave.”

But Arendt pretended not to hear and just continued to say what he wanted to say.

“I guess the relationship between the two gods wasn’t bad from the beginning? It seems like there was some interaction between the believers.”

It was unlikely that the loyal Stellar would be friendly with the minions of a dragon who was hostile to his master.

“Is it because of the war that they really started to fall out?”

Arendt continued, staring at the holy image with emotionless eyes.

“…No, maybe the situation was reversed. Maybe the relationship between the two gods gradually grew apart, and as a result, a war broke out.”

“…”

Lexion didn’t give a clear answer, but his silence expressed an implicit agreement.

“Wait a minute, that’s not it either.”

Arendt, who had been thinking quietly for a while, suddenly furrowed his brow.

“You said that you didn’t particularly follow God Luce. You probably didn’t belong to any faction before meeting Hero Khan. So…”

As the puzzle came together, one conclusion was naturally drawn.

“There was a time when people just lived like that.”

A quiet voice echoed through the cave.

“Whether serving the God of Light or the God of Darkness, it was an era where they didn’t exalt each other.”

Stellar, who had been wagging his tail in front of the urn, looked back at Arendt.

Arendt was still gazing at the holy image on the wall.

“At that time, neither Evil Gods nor heroes would have meant anything.”

Arendt recounted in his head the stories of Hero Khan and the dragon.

Lexion was a companion of Hero Khan.

Since he was disguised as an archmage, it was highly likely that even Hero Khan did not know that Lexion was a dragon until the very end.

“I have a question.”

“Speak.”

Permission was granted immediately.

Arendt spoke without hesitation.

“I heard that there was a dragon that fought Hero Khan for days and nights, but in the end, they couldn’t reach a conclusion. Was that you, Lexion?”

While researching stories about dragons, he stumbled upon a fairy tale.

The story ended with the dragon, impressed after a long fight, gifting Hero Khan a dragon bone made from his own.

Lexion clicked his tongue.

“That happened too.”

“That was before the first emperor was chosen by Luce?”

“That’s right.”

Arendt frowned slightly as he heard the dry answer.

“If there was a war going on, there would be no reason for Hero Khan to leisurely fight the dragon for days on end… then, that would mean it was before the war even started.”

Hero Khan was a knight from a fallen kingdom.

When Lexion and Khan first met, it must have been when the kingdom still existed.

Before all the drama began, when everything was still peaceful.

Lexion and Stellar were remnants of that era.

Arendt, who had been quiet for a while, spoke.

“I understand why Lord Lexion made a condition that God Luce should not be prayed to.”

Lexion wanted the world to return to the way it was in those days.

To a hometown that was thoroughly erased by the two gods, and now even reminiscing about it was forbidden.

“As long as Luce is revered as righteous and Chernion exists as an evil god, it is clear that eternal peace will never come to this land… is that what you think, Lexion?”

The moment he opened his eyes to a world filled with light, Lexion realized it painfully.

“I never intended to bring up such an old story. You’re really good at talking.”

Lexion responded with a little annoyance.

“But, yes. If you understand it roughly, that’s fine. My circumstances aren’t much different from what you guessed…”

Lexion, trailed off, moved his eyes and glanced at Arendt.

“I find your side strange. Why do you hate the gods so much? It seems too extreme to just be a natural resentment.”

“Figure it out for yourself. You didn’t say anything either.”

“If you don’t want to talk, just say so. You’re such a shameless brat regardless.”

Even though he was irritated, Lexion changed the subject, seemingly not wanting to dig any deeper.

“You said before that you have no intention of leaving the Holy Empire. Is that still the case?”

“Yes.”

The response came back simple and concise, as if there was no need for further thought.

Lexion asked again.

“Why?”

“Do you really have to ask that? I need to get rid of those bastards who create weird monsters.”

“Actually, that part might be the easy part.”

At the grumpy reply, Lexion coldly said, “What about after that? You said you wouldn’t let the hero’s victory become Luce’s glory.”

It was a topic that could never be brought up in the palace.

The reason Lexion came all the way here was to ask this.

“Well, I’m not sure about that part yet. But you know, I don’t make empty promises.”

Lexion’s eyebrows furrowed slightly at the remark that seemed to be talking about someone else’s business.

“After finally ending the war, we might end up turning the entire Empire into our enemy.”

“Well, the dragon’s on my side. What are they going to do about it?”

Arendt shrugged.

“And I don’t really have any such intentions. I’m the type of person who can’t live with losses.”

“Losses?”

Lexion, who did not quite understand what he was saying, asked back in bewilderment.

Arendt continued, his eyes fixed on the figure of Chernion, who resembled God Luce.

“Even if I take everything he has, it won’t be enough, so there’s no reason for me to give up what I have.”

“Therefore…”

Lexion, who had been thinking about his words for a moment, frowned.

“…Are you trying to take the entire camp you’re in now? From the hands of the god Luce?”

“Yes.”

The apprentice knight nodded nonchalantly while speaking about such a grand story.

“I thought about it a bit while I had some free time, and I think that’s the best way to properly screw him over.”

“Wow, what an absurdly grand ambition.”

Eventually, a hollow laugh burst out of Lexion’s mouth.

“Are you sure they will listen to you? They who have served only Luce their entire lives?”

“It’s nothing new. When has my life ever been easy? If I think about it slowly, anything will work out.”

Arendt smiled faintly as he faced him.

“Since you’ve decided to side with me, I believe you will naturally cooperate.”

“…”

Lexion didn’t answer right away.

It was an idealism that could only be described as unrealistic, and it was a great undertaking that could not possibly be accomplished with a mere human body.

So it was a path Lexion didn’t even consider to be an option…

“There’s no choice. Since I’ve decided to go along, I might as well see it through to the end.”

Since he had sworn not to do anything against Arendt’s wishes, Lexion had no other path from the beginning.

“Still, you’d better be careful. Laius de Winfried has already experienced a miracle.”

Arendt’s expression turned somewhat displeased at Lexion’s warning.

“I know that as well.”

The tense atmosphere was somehow patched up after a commotion, but that didn’t mean everything was truly over.

Suddenly, Arendt thought of Laius, who had poured out his resentment in front of Luce.

Although Laius had been banging his head on the floor like a madman, after Arendt escaped the life-threatening situation, he accepted the Holy Sword with a humble attitude.

Perhaps Laius attributed Arendt’s life to God Luce’s divine grace.

Since Arendt showed extreme rejection, such thoughts wouldn’t be expressed openly.

“Tsk.”

The apprentice knight clicked his tongue in annoyance and scratched his head for no reason.

And there were more people to worry about.

‘I don’t know what he’s thinking these days.’

Arthur acted as if nothing had happened even after witnessing Arendt’s disgraceful display with his own eyes.

But that doesn’t mean there was no change.

Arthur had been secretly paying more attention to Arendt’s every move recently.

‘Was he being cautious, or was there another reason?’

Compared to other knights, Arthur wasn’t particularly devout, but he too had lived believing that light was synonymous with justice.

Unlike the others, Ihe personally witnessed Arendt destroying the statue.

Arendt, who rarely thought about the past, still considered that day a mistake because of that.

When Arendt suddenly got quiet, Lexion asked slyly.

“Is there something bothering you?”

“It’s not like there isn’t any, but I guess it’ll work out somehow.”

It was an unexpected response that left a bitter aftertaste.

Lexion noticed it and said something in passing.

“You’re really stupid in a weird way.”

“Yes?”

Arendt looked at him, his voice puzzled.

Lexion met his gaze and smirked, as if teasing him.

“I told the captain to be careful, but I think he misunderstood what I meant.”

“Misunderstood? Huh?”

Arendt asked back, but Lexion simply added briefly.

“No. You will realize it sooner or later as you experience it.”

With that, Lexion said nothing more.