Betrayal Knight’s Joyful Faith - Chapter 374



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The Cheerful God of Betrayal Chapter 374

Chapter 88. Rather than a uselessly grand name

“… … How on earth did it turn out like this?”

Victor, who had been silent for a long time, opened his mouth.

“I don’t doubt it. But I just don’t understand it. How on earth did things get to this point… .”

Victor muttered in confusion.

“It must have been peaceful. I thought I was doing well. I worked hard with His Majesty, and my mother and concubine always encouraged me, saying I was doing well. But why on earth… … .”

“Your Majesty. Calm down.”

The Duke of Middleton placed a hand on Victor’s shoulder. When Victor raised his head at the rough touch, the Duke spoke forcefully.

“I could not protect your Majesty, but I will definitely protect your Majesty. That would be the least I can do to atone for my brother. I will sacrifice my life to protect your Majesty and the kingdom.”

“Uncle… … .”

Victor muttered blankly.

Meanwhile, Llewelyn glanced at Arendt, who was standing behind him, with a prickly look.

As expected of a genius at controlling facial expressions, he kept his head bowed in a quiet manner the whole time.

But he couldn’t hide the look of displeasure in his two fiercely glaring eyes, no, he didn’t hide it.

Maybe it was fortunate that it was in disguise.

If it had been its original form, that snout would have already burst.

The back of my head felt a tingle because of the staring gaze.

“Oh, anyway. Well, let’s not risk our lives. The Duke will have to support His Majesty for a long time.”

“… … Yes. I will. Especially in a situation like this. But if the time comes, I will not spare my life.”

A look of determination came over the scarred face of the old duke. Llewelyn found himself speaking frankly.

“I’m sorry, but weren’t we suspicious of each other just a few days ago?”

“… … .”

Victor and the Duke suddenly looked taken aback.

Only then did Arendt loosen her murderous gaze, while Llewelyn, on the other hand, felt like hitting himself in the mouth.

Even if Arendt had moved, it was certain that she had moved firmly.

Llewelyn quickly turned his horse’s head.

“Ah, anyway, first, the two of you should assess the force. It’s still a situation where we don’t know what will happen, so it would be better to prepare in advance. And I’m sorry to say this to you two, but the 3rd Imperial Knights of the Kalion Empire and the 2nd Elf Kingdom’s Royal Guard are already on their way to the Kingdom of Lucain.”

“Oh, come to think of it, wasn’t there another person in your group?”

Victor suddenly came to his senses and asked.

“Where is he now? I heard he’s a wizard.”

“I sent out a reconnaissance mission. The mood throughout the kingdom seems ominous.”

Llewelyn, who gave a brief overview, also gave a brief account of the frequent disappearances that occurred across the continent.

“If you add up the total number of missing people, it becomes a fairly threatening force. There are certainly cases of missing people that we haven’t identified yet. Since you haven’t found any solid evidence yet, it’s only at the speculative stage. However, since this was discovered inside the palace… … .”

Llewelyn nodded to the piece of paper on the table.

“You two can’t just let it go.”

The Duke and Victor swallowed dryly at the same time. For a while, silence fell over the Crown Prince’s office.

Victor, who had been keeping his mouth shut, glanced at Arendt, who was standing behind Llewelyn.

“… … I will do as you advised. Since the Kalyon Empire is actively helping, I am grateful as well. And shameless though it may be.”

Victor opened his mouth stubbornly, even though his throat was burning again.

“There’s one thing I’d like to ask you.”

Llewelyn realized that Victor’s words were directed at Arendt, not at himself.

“I will listen, brother.”

“I love my family more than anyone else. So it is impossible for me to fairly judge whether they are guilty or not.”

Victor continued speaking slowly.

“I know that the most likely suspects are my mother, my aunt, and my two younger siblings. So I would like to ask you a favor.”

“lowering!”

The Duke of Middleton called him in surprise, but Victor’s resolve was firm.

He looked straight into Llewelyn’s eyes and, beyond that, Arendt.

“I won’t interfere. If necessary, I’ll leave it up to you to decide. That’s the best I can do for someone as incompetent as me. I’m truly sorry for passing on the work I should be doing.”

Llewelyn could well imagine how long it had taken the prince, so generous, to speak like that.

Llewelyn nodded with a stern face.

“I understand what you are saying.”

“I will prepare the meal for you shortly.”

The request was to determine on the spot whether there was guilt or not.

Just as Llewelyn was about to readily agree… … .

“Big, hmmm.”

A faint cough, as if giving a hint, was heard from behind.

It was Arendt.

Llewelyn and Victor both paused at the same time. Then, as if they had made a promise, they turned their eyes slightly to check the servant standing behind Llewelyn… …not Arendt.

Arendt looked at the two men with an extremely indifferent expression.

I couldn’t tell the details, but I was sure that he wasn’t very happy with the conversation going on.

Llewelyn turned his horse’s head slowly.

“… … Shall we talk about that later, brother?”

“Yes, yes. That would be good.”

Victor also nodded his head sheepishly.

* * *

“Why, again? What are you dissatisfied with?”

As soon as we got back to the room, Llewelyn asked in a tired voice.

It was because I was sweating profusely while watching Arendt’s expression throughout the conversation.

Arendt responded grumpily.

“I don’t like it from beginning to end. I’m prepared, but the Crown Prince must personally take responsibility for it. That way, he can take full responsibility for his bloodline.”

“No, but… … .”

“Even if you are a traitor, can you have the blood of a member of another country’s royal family on your hands?”

Llewelyn, who was about to refute, shut his mouth tightly at the cold voice that followed. Arendt clicked her tongue.

“Yes, it could be buried. Even if they are members of the royal family, they are all just the same people. But even if the crown prince gave them that kind of authority, there is no guarantee that it won’t become a problem later.”

“… … .”

“Even if the situation calms down, do you think that person will be able to firmly hold onto the throne and push forward as he wishes? Either way, this guy or that guy will have to back down.”

Arendt, who was nervously trying to brush her hair back, realized her situation belatedly and stopped herself.

Llewelyn said in a complicated tone.

“But I can understand. It seems like my brother considers you as his family.”

The fact that he naturally called her “little mother” was proof.

“I honestly think that just by deciding to put your loved ones on trial, you have shown the true face of a crown prince. I don’t think you will say anything different later.”

“No, for the Crown Prince’s own sake, we must not do that.”

But Arendt was resolute.

“Just imagine leaving your beloved family in the hands of others to be executed. Are you really sure you won’t regret it? Wouldn’t it be better to condemn yourself?”

“… … .”

Llewelyn couldn’t bring himself to refute that.

Arendt glanced at him and sighed deeply.

Either way, I didn’t like it.

Whether you leave it in someone else’s hands or cut it yourself, it’s just an unpleasant tragedy in itself.

There was a brief pause in the conversation, and Arendt’s communication port began to glow. Arendt frowned as she answered the call.

“why.”

-… … The captain called, so why are you saying that? What would you do if it was the crown prince who called and not me?

From beyond the communication port, Leo’s calm reply came back.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, I wouldn’t give you a much different answer.”

-… … .

Lyos was silent. Llewelyn couldn’t help but feel a moment of sympathy for Lyos, forgetting the situation for a moment.

After a while, Lyos changed the subject, seemingly giving up on everything.

-What’s the situation over there?

“We’re in big trouble now.”

Laius had to remain silent for a while after hearing the sudden remark. During this time, Arendt briefly reported the situation inside the palace of King Lucaine.

In a situation where it was not an exaggeration to say that something big was happening, Leo spoke in a trembling voice.

-I understand that, but can’t you show a little bit of urgency?

“What do you want me to do? You know that’s just how he is.”

“Honestly, I think it’s not normal for a manager to be asking questions like that in this situation.”

Llewelyn, who had been listening to the conversation between the two, couldn’t hold it in any longer and said something.

But Laius pretended not to hear and continued talking.

-It went well since the prince is here. I am currently moving towards the Kingdom of Lucain, but I contacted you urgently due to an unexpected situation.

“What is it?”

Laius gave a short answer to Arendt’s question.

– I was attacked while passing through the village.

“what?”

Llewelyn let out a surprised voice without realizing it.

Arendt frowned slightly and urged him to continue the story.

“Are you the Chernionites?”

-That’s right. We were moving along the road with as few people as possible in order to move quickly, but we were pursued in the middle.

This was another unexpected development.

Leo’s explanation continued.

-They weren’t modified humans or homunculi. Most of them didn’t even have magical powers, let alone divine powers.

“… … This is really crazy. Are you saying they were all civilians?”

-That’s what it seemed like. They seemed to have had some training, but it was still a bit awkward. Judging from the fact that they were imitating tactics similar to those of the police force, they seemed to have trained together. I’m guessing that no high-ranking figures were involved. And there were no signs of them being affected by artifacts.

The fact that there was no trace of Mnemosyne’s breath at work meant that she had thrust her sword into the Imperial Knights and the Elven Guards solely of her own free will, without being controlled.

-We’ve captured them all and handed them over to the police, and we’re moving on. It’ll probably take a few more days… … . I guess we’ll have to hurry.

“Those people, check their identities with Lord Neumann and the Khan Union. They might be missing persons reported to the Information Bureau.”

-I already reported this to His Highness the Crown Prince. I heard that Director Diana will be in charge of it.

Leo answered as if he knew that he would say that.

– Nothing is certain yet, but I think they are trying to stop us from heading to the Kingdom of Lucain.

“Ha, really.”

Arendt scratched her head nervously.

“Since Llewelyn is here… … . It must have been obvious where the knights who set out from the palace were headed. That means there must be people watching near the palace.”

-That’s right. It seems like there’s an organization that has connections with the people inside the Lucain Palace. Their headquarters is probably inside the Lucain Kingdom… … .

Lyos, who had been paused for a moment, added:

-If this situation continues, there is a high possibility that it will develop into a civil war.

What was even more eerie was that there was still no sign of interference from the Chernionist sect.

Even if the Sword of the Broken Heart did not come out directly, it meant that the Cernyon Cult had begun to exert influence sufficiently among the civilians.

-Be careful, it’s dangerous. Move with the safety of the prince and yourself as your top priority, and focus on protecting His Highness the Crown Prince.

“I will do so even if you don’t say anything. I will take good care of the life of the Crown Prince, who is like a lump of scrap metal. I think even the most noble Duke will fully cooperate.”

“A lump of scrap metal… … .”

Llewelyn muttered vaguely. Lyos was also silent for a moment before calmly pointing out.

-You shouldn’t call His Highness the Crown Prince a piece of scrap metal.

“If you don’t call scrap metal scrap metal… … .”

Just as Arendt was about to complain, Laius changed the subject.

-Oh right, and one more thing.

Unlike before, the voice sounded somewhat regretful.

-Arthur asked me to tell him he was sorry.

“yes?”

-There was something that could have happened.