Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 137

Arendt added, pushing the juice towards the priest who seemed to be having trouble digesting the information.“As I said before, it’s just speculation. You can just dismiss it as the nonsense of a brat who doesn’t know how to bow his head to God.”

No matter what god was worshipped, the foundation of most temples was the proposition that ‘God benevolently cares for all beings in the world.’

God is a being who exists for the intelligent beings living on this earth, and the priests are beings who strive to repay that grace.

But what Arendt had just said was a complete denial of that ideology.

It could also be interpreted that God simply lent his power to the priests to achieve his purpose, but the priests simply mistook it for love and benevolence.

Even after saying such outrageous things, the apprentice knight seemed unfazed.

“But even if my hypothesis is true, I don’t think it is wrong in itself.”

Regardless of the intention behind the powers given by God, they were certainly useful to humans. The number of lives saved by the divine powers of God Luce would be countless.

But from the priest’s point of view, she could not nod her head and say that was true.

“Is it okay if I ask for the basis for that thought?”

“It’s almost like it’s been proven that you need faith for artifacts that manipulate memories to be effective.”

However, since the mind was not something that can be seen with the eyes, the criteria for judging its presence or absence could not but be extremely subjective.

“Even if I were to suddenly recite a prayer here, it wouldn’t mean that I had a new heart. Even if I were to declare that I would diligently visit the temple from now on, even Priest Lumiel wouldn’t believe me.”

“I guess so.”

She’ll probably think he was up to something else.

“Isn’t divine power a power that cannot be accepted without faith? If the black divine power over there has power over memory and the mind, and those with faith are qualified to accept divine power by having strong faith…”

“Is what you want to say that they are skipping the training process and forcibly injecting divine power into ordinary believers?”

As Priest Lumiel finished speaking, Arendt nodded.

“Yes.”

Of course, divine power could not be obtained through faith alone. Like magic, one must have the aptitude for it, and through constant training, one can properly possess divine power.

But it was clear that the first gateway was faith.

“To summarize, the divine power of the evil cult has the ability to interfere with the mind, and the artifact is a tool that can erase memories and amplify the power of the divine power and inject it into others.”

“…”

Lumiel, who met the golden eyes demanding an answer, slowly let out a deep sigh.

“In theory, yes. It makes sense in theory, as far as the artifact is concerned. However, I cannot agree with the part about the will of the gods. Only Luce knows that, and it would be presumptuous for a mere human to guess.”

It was a polite warning and advice not to speak any further. Arendt had no intention of going any further, so he kept his mouth shut.

‘Surely, if I bring this up in front of another priest, I’ll get slapped right away.’

In this empire that blindly followed the god Luce, it was a more rude and sensitive topic than insulting the imperial family.

That’s why he chose Priest Lumiel to discuss this with.

Because she was the most flexible of the priests.

‘Even if Breath of Mnemosyne was like that.’

One thing that bothered him was that they called other artifacts relics too.

Arendt absentmindedly touched the back of his gloved hand.

‘Perhaps…’

No, it wasn’t time to think any further. There was still so much shrouded in mystery.

While Arendt was lost in thought for a moment, Priest Lumiel also calmed down and picked up her utensils. However, the food had already become cold.

Arendt noticed this and raised his hand toward Lawrence.

“Sir, please change the dish for the priest here. Please put the money on my tab.”

“I’m fine, Lord Arendt.”

“It’s not good for your health to eat cold food at that age.”

The old woman tried to decline, but Arendt stood firm.

In the end, Lumiel could only smile bitterly and nod her head.

“Thank you for your consideration. And… I will leave this matter alone, Lord Arendt. I am sure you have come to me because you have been frustrated.”

“Thank you.”

This time, it was a few words with some sincerity.

As if she felt it, Priest Lumiel smiled faintly.

“Wouldn’t just one meal be okay?”

“I’ll treat you again next time. I got a good recommendation from Lord Neumann.”

“I hope there won’t be any topics that might be bothersome at that time.”

Tap.

After neatly finishing off the newly served dish, Priest Lumiel put down her utensils, took a sip of the warm tea that was served as dessert, and then looked at the young knight in front of her.

“Is it okay if an old woman nags you?”

“Yeah, whatever.”

“Do you remember when you said that if it seemed like things were really going to be dangerous, you would be the first to run away?”

Arendt blinked.

That’s what he said when he first met Priest Lumiel.

“I hope you will put those words into practice.”

“I would do that even if you didn’t say anything.”

“If that’s the case, then that’s good.”

Although she didn’t seem to believe it, the priest gave a bitter smile and changed the subject.

“Take it easy. Perfectionism can quickly become an obsession. I’m a little worried because it seems like Arendt is trying to cram every possible scenario into his head.”

“Knowing is better than not knowing.”

Arendt waved his hand indifferently.

“And I feel better only when everything goes my way. As you know, Priest, I have a bad temper.”

“…I really can’t stand it, Lord Arendt.”

In the end, Priest Lumiel ended up shaking her head.

The sight was like that of a son brimming with energy and his old mother worrying about him.

When Arendt returned to the palace in the evening, Arthur greeted him with a serious look on his face.

Arendt asked curiously, noticing that the atmosphere in the dormitory had also become quite serious.

“What? What’s going on?”

“Haa… That’s.”

Arthur scratched the back of his head in annoyance.

“The ghoul’s body was lost.”

“It was lost? Did someone steal it?”

“Hey, that’s not it!”

When he asked him the question dubiously because he didn’t understand what he meant, Arthur explained to Arendt step by step what had happened just a few hours ago.

Crow’s body was to be transported directly from the place where it was disposed of to Count Stadler’s laboratory.

After completing various procedures and a slight delay, the incident occurred when the body was loaded onto the carriage and already set off.

“…A bad smell?”

“Yes, while we were moving, the carriage suddenly started to smell.”

At the very moment when the group stopped their journey and tried to check on the body, the body exploded.

“They said the carriage’s cargo area was completely blown away. It’s fortunate that they sensed something strange and immediately secured some distance. If it had been even a little bit later, they would have been seriously injured.”

They had planned this in advance to prevent their research results from reaching the royal family.

Arendt frowned.

“They’re using a cheap trick.”

“Perhaps it was intended for Count Stadler. If he had arrived a little earlier, the Count would have been in serious trouble.”

Arthur clicked his tongue.

“So, what did the Count say?”

“I heard he was sad that he missed his chance to see the new ghoul in person. He said he would send his assistants to the explosion site. If there were any fragments left, they would collect them.”

“…”

Judging from the fact that he didn’t even consider the fact that he almost died, it was clear that he wasn’t normal.

Arendt scratched his head.

“I guess there’s nothing we can do. But you’re making a fuss just because of that?”

Although it was unfortunate that they couldn’t dig any further, it was fortunate that the body didn’t explode in the city or in a residential area while it was moving.

Arthur asked in an absurd tone.

“Is that all?”

“That’s all. No one was hurt, and all that’s left is a dead body. To put it bluntly, what did my seniors do that they feel sorry about? I was the one who went through all that trouble so I should be the one feeling regretful.”

“…”

Arthur’s expression gradually rotted away at the hateful words that flew in without fail.

Besides, it was a shame that he couldn’t say, ‘I helped steal.’

Uncaring of Arthur’s reaction, Arendt turned away without even saying a goodbye.

Arthur, glaring at the back of his head, added sullenly.

“By the way, I heard that Sir Arcus entered the palace.”

“What do you want me to do? I don’t care.”

But all he got in return was the same cold response as usual.

“If you have free time, why don’t we go to the training ground together?”

“What a sassy guy you are.”

Even though he grumbled, Arthur did not refuse.

Arcus felt like he was sitting on a bed of thorns.

He entered the palace, startled by the sudden call, and was guided to a small reception room that was not normally used.

Up until that point, there had been no problem at all, but what really made him uncomfortable were the harsh stares of the servants waiting quietly in the corner of the reception room.

The young servants who brought Arcus there continued to glare at him with fierce eyes even as they served him tea and snacks.

‘Their names… were Seton and Enoch, I think.’

Why did they keep glaring at a noble like that when they were just a servant? There must be a reason…

However, since it was awkward for a nobleman to ask directly for the reason, Arcus stubbornly pretended not to know.

After a while of being uncomfortable, the living room door opened and Henry came in.

He opened his eyes wide when he saw Arcus, who had arrived first.

“What? You were here too?”

“Henry.”

Arcus was surprised as well, but he felt relieved. At least this uncomfortable atmosphere would be relieved a little.

Henry, who had been looking at his friend who seemed to be welcoming him for the first time in a while, smiled bitterly when he soon noticed Seton and Enoch standing in the corner.

“Aha, so that’s what it was?”

“…It doesn’t seem like I’ve committed any particular crime.”

As Seton stepped aside, placing a cup of warm tea in front of Henry, he whispered softly in a low voice.

“What do you mean you haven’t committed any sins? Who has committed as many sins as you?”

“What did I do?”

“Those two are the servants who often hang out with Lord Arendt. I heard that they are indebted to Lord Arendt.”

“…”

With those words, Arcus was left at a loss for an answer.

Even at this moment, Enoch and Seton were glaring at Arcus as if they were going to eat him.

Henry smiled teasingly.

“I guess you have to tolerate this much?”

“…Ha.”

Arcus simply chose to keep his mouth shut.

The Crown Prince, who had called the two people there, showed up only after some more uncomfortable time had passed.

The moment the heir to the empire stepped into the reception room, the two young men jumped to their feet.

“Henry Lou Lancelot of the House of Lancelot, greets His Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Arcus von Eckhart of the House of Eckhart presents himself to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince.”

“Thank you for coming to see me even though I called you two out of the blue. Please sit comfortably. I don’t really like formal atmospheres either.”

When the Crown Prince sat down at the head table, only then did the two people sit down as well.

“Sorry, I’m a little busy. Can we skip the greetings and small talk and get straight to the point?”

“Yes, of course, Your Highness.”

Henry answered readily, and Arcus also stared at the Crown Prince with a little nervousness. As if he was telling him to just give orders whenever he wanted.

‘Yes, this is normal.’

They weren’t going to stand in front of the Crown Prince, act arrogant, and make a fuss.

It was a sight that was in stark contrast to someone else.

Cantares shook his head to shake off his thoughts and began to speak seriously.

“Hey you two, could you help me with something?”