Betrayal Knight’s Joyful Faith - Chapter 375



Only Noblemtl

The 375th episode of The Merry God of Betrayal

“What are you thinking about?”

“I think Captain Leos must be having a really hard time.”

It was Arendt who asked the question, and it was Llewelyn who answered.

This was not an answer that Arendt particularly liked.

“Don’t you think I’m the victim now?”

“No, you brought this upon yourself. It was your usual behavior that was the problem.”

Llewelyn pointed out calmly.

Since she had no excuses to make, Arendt decided to just go about her work.

In front of him, who was sitting on the floor, was a map of the entire Kingdom of Lucain. Llewelyn was sitting on the sofa, just staring blankly at Arendt.

As Llewelyn said, the Kingdom of Lucain was a spiderweb-like structure centered around the royal castle.

Of course, since the terrain was not a perfect circle, there were also small cities and towns in remote areas or outside of the territory.

But even that was easier to access than the remote areas of other countries.

“What do you see?”

Llewelyn asked, leaning back on the sofa. Normally he would be there to meddle in things, but he seemed quite tired over the past few days.

Arendt responded curtly.

“What can you know from just a map? Don’t sleep and get some sleep.”

He had been staying up all night with Arendt for several days already.

I thought he would at least complain, but there was no answer from Llewelyn.

Arendt looked away from the map and turned around.

Llewelyn was leaning back on the sofa, blinking slowly, as if he hadn’t heard the blow.

“… … .”

I’m going to sleep soon.

Arendt, who had felt this way, did not say anything more and just left it alone.

After a while, a ragged breath could be heard from behind.

‘He’s a guy who’s been through a lot of adventures, so he must have confidence in his stamina… … .’

It must have been difficult to stay up all night for several days in a situation where psychological pressure was high.

Arendt hesitated for a moment, then clicked her tongue and sat up.

Then she took the blanket off the bed and roughly threw it over him, covering him with it.

It was starting to get dimly light outside the window.

After a while.

Suddenly, an unusual flow of magic was felt. Almost as soon as Arendt noticed it, a man dressed entirely in black suddenly appeared in the middle of the room.

It was Lexion.

“What are you doing that keeps you so late?”

Lexion frowned at Arendt’s remark.

“What kind of nerve do you have to say something like that when you know the situation so well?”

“What do you know? I’m just stuck in the palace right now, digging through other people’s family history.”

Arendt retorted irritably. Lexion clicked his tongue and cast his spell again.

Magic lightly swept through the surroundings, and he transformed back into the form of Explorer Rack.

“Since you said it was a family feud, I guess you’ve concluded that one of the royals is the culprit.”

“I guess so. The king has become a ghoul.”

Arendt shrugged.

He briefly explained the situation to Lexion. Lexion’s previously expressionless brow furrowed slightly.

“You must be going crazy. And judging by the way you’re looking at the map… … .”

Lexion added, glancing at the map spread out on the floor.

“I guess you noticed?”

“I just kept it in mind as one of the possibilities.”

Arendt responded calmly.

“It’s particularly prevalent among the servants, and there hasn’t been any particular changes among the royal knights or nobles.”

There is no sign of a transfer of power, nor is there any movement by the upper echelons to undermine the authority of the royal family, despite the virtual assassination of the king.

“I thought it might have infiltrated from the bottom up rather than from the top down… … .”

Arendt, who had spoken up to that point, looked at Lexion.

“I guess my guess was right?”

Although the exact route is unknown, the belief in evil spirits spread among commoners, merchants, and servants, eventually reaching the royal family.

As a result, a royal figure who had opened his eyes to the new faith contacted a key figure in the cult and turned the king into a ghoul.

This was the hypothesis that Arendt re-established.

“I don’t know what on earth is happening in this country… … .”

Lexion nodded slightly in agreement.

“While the chaos was going on inside and outside, it seems like they have infiltrated the people deeply. Unlike inside the palace, outside, there are quite a few who have been baptized by them, that is, by the breath of Mnemosyne. They are currently the mainstay of the religious order within the Kingdom of Lucain.”

“Have you checked to see who the baptized people are?”

“Of course. The captain of the territory’s guard, the oldest person in the village, and the young man who plays the role of the neighborhood boss… … They come in all shapes and sizes.”

Lexion clicked his tongue.

“They’re moving by forming a secret group with those guys as the main focus. The speed at which it’s spreading is extraordinary, and it’s definitely not something that happened in a day or two.”

It was a fairly systematic movement, and there were even movements that actively interacted with organizations in other regions. There were even young people who gathered voluntarily and trained in the military.

“I’m going crazy, really.”

Arendt, who had been listening quietly, muttered as if groaning.

It was something I had guessed after hearing the news that there were idiots attacking Leo.

“Then of course they would have placed surveillance around the Kalion Empire as well… … Those idiots who attacked Commander Raios and his party must be them.”

It meant that it wasn’t just a problem for the Kingdom of Lucain.

“And the most important thing.”

Lexion strode over and sat down next to the map Arendt had spread out on the floor.

His hands began to mark the cities near the palace, one by one.

“Here, and here.”

A black mark was left where Lexion’s finger had touched.

Arendt just watched him quietly. Lexion, who had left traces on five cities, let go again.

“A large spell is being installed here.”

“… …Magic?”

“It must have been supported by the church. I guess it was probably a summoning circle.”

When it came to summoning circles, there was only one thing that came to mind. Arendt’s face hardened.

“It must be a homunculus.”

“yes.”

Lexion crumpled his face.

“It looks like the religious order handed over the magic stone with the summoning circle engraved on it to the civilians.”

“You couldn’t get rid of it?”

“It seems to be the work of that Nikepor guy. The moment I approach, the city will blow away.”

When Arendt fell silent, Lexion added briefly:

“You, your captain, and the other knights will be the same. Anyone with magical powers who approaches will immediately activate the self-destruct spell and release the homunculus. Of course, the humans who installed it won’t know about it.”

Lexion glanced at the map again.

“And as you can see from the location… … .”

The black mark he left behind seemed to surround the palace from a certain distance.

“The goal, of course, will be to trample on the palace. We will crush everything that gets in our way along the way. Those who joined the cult… … .”

“I will join the ghouls and march together to the palace.”

Arendt responded dryly.

“Honestly, they would be a more difficult opponent. Especially against commanders with the temperament of Commander Lyos or Crown Prince Victor.”

Since the breath of Mnemosyne did not work, their loyalty would be less than that of the fanatics.

but…….

“… … Those impudent guys, they’re not just people who gathered for religious reasons, right?”

“That’s correct.”

Lexion nodded.

“Faith is merely a connecting link, and most of the members are dissatisfied with their current situation. It seems that they believe that if they follow Chernion instead of Luce, they can achieve their wishes.”

The expressionless apprentice knight’s eyebrows furrowed slightly.

“Because they are like idiots.”

If things had gone as planned in ‘The Blue Knight of the Holy Sword’, this would have happened in the original Carrion Empire.

The Cult of Chernion has attempted several rebellions within the Empire so far, but has failed each time at the hands of Arendt and Laius.

So, they took their failure in the Kalion Empire as a lesson and started attacking other countries.

If things continued like this, it would only be a matter of time before the palace was reduced to rubble.

“… … .”

Arendt’s complicated gaze turned to Llewelyn.

He was completely unconscious, his mouth wide open.

Lexion read the gaze and asked.

“Why? Are you trying to sneak that little prince out first?”

“Fine. It’s probably not what you want.”

But Arendt refused with a displeased look on her face.

Lexion asked again, as if he didn’t understand.

“Does that matter?”

“I guess it’s important. I guess human opinions aren’t that important to the great reptile.”

“Are you being sarcastic? What is the great reptile?”

As Arendt shrugged her shoulders, Lexion responded incredulously.

“Anyway, I guess I have to figure out what to do from now on.”

“under…….”

Arendt tousled her hair with a look of anguish on her face.

“No matter what, we must first ask Crown Prince Victor what he thinks. The King is currently unable to think normally, and from now on, the country will be ruled by that human being.”

“… … You really don’t know.”

Lexion frowned.

“It seems like he’s extremely self-righteous, but I don’t know why he backs down at times like this.”

“It’s not my role to go that far.”

“This is a bit off topic, but do you know something?”

Lexion let out a short sigh at the indifferent answer.

“Rather than taking on all the burdens on your own, pushing other people around is the most annoying and difficult thing. And it seems like you have a hobby that makes you suffer.”

“That way, my workload will be reduced even a little.”

“You’re funny. He’s the kind of guy who creates trouble when he has nothing to do.”

Before he could finish his words, Lexion burst out laughing.

“Anyway, what are we going to do now? If things continue this way, a civil war will surely break out. Ghouls, homunculi, and a group of disgruntled civilians will flock to the palace.”

Lexion paused for a moment before adding:

“In a few days, we will become a holy army bearing the name of Chernion.”

“… … .”

Arendt was silent for a while.

It was not on a scale that could be passed off as a mere theatrical stunt, as had been done in the Kalyon Empire up until now.

After a while, Arendt wiped her face once and said coldly.

“Holy Army, that title doesn’t suit them. Rather than calling them something so grandiose, it’s better to call them a ragtag bunch of clowns.”

“But those rabble are probably the most difficult enemies for you to deal with. Didn’t you say that earlier?”

“That’s right. So we have to find a way. One that will cause less bloodshed.”

Whether they are all defeated or the Kingdom of Lucain is turned upside down, it will be a satisfactory result for the two gods.

Luce could use the hero’s hand to do justice, and if a catastrophic war were to break out, Chernion would be able to show his influence to the world through that alone.

After a brief pause, Arendt spoke again.

“Lord Lexion.”

“what.”

When Lexion answered curtly, Arendt asked again.

“You remember roughly where those ragtag bunch of kids live and who they are, right?”

“of course.”

“Okay. Then… … .”

Now that Lexion had his eye on them, it was safe to say that the lives of those poor disciples were in their hands.

“Now, all that remains is the Crown Prince’s choice.”