Betrayal Knight's Joyful Faith

Chapter 410

As expected, Arendt didn’t return to his room after leaving the conference room.He quietly left his living quarters and began to loiter around the area where the cleanup work was in full swing.

The Third Knights, who would have gotten in the way, were far too busy being overwhelmed with work in and around the palace.

Now was the perfect moment to veer off course.

‘The most important people will be unable to leave the conference room for a while.’

In the meantime, rumors had spread that Arendt was a close associate of the Crown Prince of the Caerleon Empire, and no one had dared to stop him from meddling here and there as an apprentice knight.

Thanks to this, he was able to stroll around the palace without much disturbance.

“You captured Ain?”

“Yes. Sir Richt and Sir Arthur subdued him, and he was taken away after the battle.”

The soldier guarding the dungeon kindly answered him.

Arthur and Richt, despite suffering serious injuries, subdued him instead of killing him and brought him here.

“Somehow those two people also looked tattered.”

“Haha…”

The soldier laughed awkwardly at the thoughtless words.

Sobbing was heard among many of those imprisoned under strict guard.

Still, the ones who were crying now would be in a better situation.

They were not brainwashed, and they dreamed of rebellion entirely of their own free will, but they were barely able to save their lives thanks to a change of heart at the last moment.

‘All those who didn’t change their minds were disposed of.’

They were reported missing after joining the Chernion Cult.

Therefore, instead of searching for their deceased relatives, the bereaved were bowing to the royal palace in gratitude for not being punished under guilt-by-association.

‘I heard they were paid a generous amount of compensation.’

The palace was completely destroyed, so the severity of their crimes must have been fully conveyed.

And since they were even given condolence money, there likely wouldn’t be any complaints from the families of those declared missing.

Being the soft-hearted Crown Prince that he was, he seemed to feel pity even for those who had sinned and died.

‘It’s not a bad thing.’

It might be a bit of a hindrance during war, but it was important to have at least one person like that so humanity wasn’t lost.

Since the public sentiment seemed to be going smoothly, it seemed okay to let Victor take care of it.

“I’m leaving.”

“Yes, take care on your way!”

As Arendt turned around, the soldier bowed at a 90-degree angle.

The captured enemies were kept in a separate space and put to sleep with sleeping herbs.

It was something Llewellyn came up with while thinking about what to do with the prisoners immediately after the battle.

‘It’s not a bad idea. You never know when they’ll run wild.’

The Breath of Mnemosyne was an artifact that directly interfered with the mind.

“So it was a method chosen with the possibility in mind that it might have no effect on someone who was unconscious.

The odds were slim, but it was worth a try.

‘If we build a sturdy barrier to confine them and wake them up inside it, maybe it’ll work somehow.’

Arendt walked along the corridor, lost in thought.

The idea was to create a space where magic is almost nonexistent, preventing the artifact’s power from reaching them.

In that space, it might be possible to interrogate them while they retain their memories.

‘Of course it won’t be easy.’

If Count Stadler and Lexion join forces, something might be possible.

First, he needed to contact the research lab and arrange for the necessary items to be prepared in advance through the Neumann Merchant Group.

‘Regardless, it will only be possible if that dragon returns.’

There were many things he wanted to ask Lexion.

But he was said to have been injured quite badly, so it would take some time for him to recover.

Until then, he probably wouldn’t even show his face around here.

Arendt clicked his tongue as he recalled Nikephoros, who had revealed his murderous intent toward him.

“Ugh, that damn dragon…”

An elf warrior who happened to pass by and heard those words flinched.

Arendt paused for a moment and gave him a quizzical look.

“What are you looking at? Is this your first time seeing such a handsome person?”

“…Excuse me.”

The elf warrior, avoiding eye contact, quickly left the spot.

It seemed like he had been neglecting his acting recently, but judging by the warrior’s reaction of slowly avoiding him as if seeing something unsightly, it seemed like that wasn’t the case.

Arendt shrugged and started walking again.

‘I think I just took a quick look around…’

Now it was time to attend to the business behind the scenes, which couldn’t be shared with anyone.

Arendt, having confirmed that no one was watching him, quickly set course for his destination.

He began to follow the same path Salem had taken to the underground ruin.

He was concerned about Nereid, who appeared in his dream.

‘She didn’t seem to expect me to open my eyes.’

When he suddenly woke up, she was very confused.

Come to think of it, it seems like she was just planning to help him get a good night’s sleep and then send him back.

He couldn’t figure out why Nereid was so kind.

But given the circumstances, he decided to believe that it was in good faith.

Arendt avoided people’s eyes and reached the underground storage room that Salem had told him about.

‘It reminds me of the old days.’

The place looked like the prop room of an old theater, with its piles of worn-out furniture such as mirrors and sofas, plush wardrobes and carpets.

‘It can’t even compare to the junk that was there.’

Because each and every one of these was real.

Gorgeous costumes and props were piled high in a cramped room.

Most of the clothes were worn out and faded, patched up, and repaired, and the furniture and props were either made by hand or purchased cheaply used and repaired.

They looked pretty rough up close, but on stage it was all pretty usable.

‘For the faded or worn-out parts, cover them by patching with cloth…’

If fake gems were attached or they were polished to shine so that they would look splendid when illuminated, they could easily become luxurious items that would adorn a palace on stage.

Most of the work fixing those fell to Lee Soo-hyun and the director.

“Ah.”

He let out a short sigh and rubbed his forehead as if reproaching himself.

It wasn’t really a good idea to dwell on that time now.

Besides, it was as if he was still on the stage.

‘Focus on your role.’

The young face’s expression briefly tightened.

‘That damned saintess is talking nonsense.’

It occurred to him that perhaps he, too, was not so different from the junk in that prop room.

He was just an unknown actor, but he was wearing the mask of a traitor and acting as a hero’s confidant.

Even the fact that the real Arendt von Eckhardt ever existed became something that never happened.

‘That guy might be a victim too.’

Although he did something foolish, it was too much karma for a child to pay for a momentary mistake.

Of course, he had no intention of sympathizing with him at all.

Because of that, he was even deprived of the right to return to the old prop room.

‘It’s a useless thought now.’

Arendt, having forced himself to shake off those thoughts, returned to his search. Soon, he discovered the place where the floor had broken.

“…Have they already taken care of it?”

New plywood had been added to the floor where it should have been gaping.

Arendt, with just a hint of anger toward the world, stomped firmly on the tightly sealed plywood.

The plywood shattered into pieces, revealing a gaping hole underneath.

After a few more kicks, a hole big enough for him to pass through was created.

Arendt didn’t hesitate and jumped down the hole where the pieces of wood were falling.

Arendt landed lightly on the floor and frowned.

“Oh, shit.”

Perhaps because of the sudden, drastic movement, the wounds and frostbite that had not yet healed began to sting.

“This is really annoying.”

But he soon straightened up and began to stride into the temple.

‘After all, she came looking for me.’

He was willing to show the initiative by acting first at least once.

Above all, it was because he was concerned about the pearl that Nereid had hurriedly handed him before he woke up.

The inside of the ruins wasn’t as dark as he thought.

It was thanks to Llewellyn lighting torches here and there while he was exploring.

It was also the moment when the lantern he had brought with him became useless.

“It looks like it’s already been poked around everywhere…”

The corridor, which had been dusty and covered with cobwebs, was now clean.

Well, he could easily imagine how excited Llewellyn would be.

‘The discovery of an ancient temple would have been no ordinary event for an explorer.’

As he continued to walk, he felt the air getting colder.

He arrived at the site of the temple of the twin gods.

The temple where the statues of Luce and Chernion were kept was still covered in pure white frost.

The door that had the symbols of the gods Luce and Chernion engraved side by side was also covered in ice and badly damaged, so its original form could not be seen.

“…It’s understandable to be scared.”

A tired voice naturally flowed out.

Since he was kneeling alone in a place like this, it was not at all surprising if Salem and Rider thought for a moment that he had died.

Arendt, turning his back on the temple, diligently moved towards his destination again.

Before long, he was able to reach where he wanted to be.

“Wow…”

An exclamation naturally escaped his mouth.

A spectacular sight that he had not been able to see because of the darkness unfolded before his eyes.

In the fairly wide hallway, a thick carpet of a style he had never seen before was laid out, and on both sides, statues of new gods he had never seen before stood guard like guardian knights.

Arendt walked slowly, examining each statue one by one.

There were a total of 20 statues, but most of them were new to him.

‘I think I saw some familiar ones in the Elf Kingdom.’

These were all probably lower-level gods whose names are now unknown.

The statues carved from black rock were mostly well preserved, except for a little dust.

Arendt, who was looking at them one by one, soon arrived in front of Nereid.

“…”

His footsteps stopped.

It looked a little different from the statue he had encountered in the Elf Kingdom, but it was very similar to the god he had seen in his dream.

“It seems like all the other gods have left. Why are you holding on?”

Arendt spoke.

“If there’s anything you want, just say it before the others arrive. As you know, I’m not the type to pray.”

Arendt plopped down carelessly in a spot facing the Nereid statue.

“Even if you may not be able to interfere as much as those bastards, Luce and Chernion, you should be able to communicate to some extent.”

But even so, there was no way to get an answer from a statue.

Was he wrong?

Just as he was about to frown slightly, something suddenly caught his eye.

“…?”

A small jewel, bathed in the flickering light of the torches, sparkled between Nereid’s fingers.

It was a small pearl set in the ring.

Most of the other jewels that adorned the statue had lost their luster due to the thick dust, but that one pearl was as clean as if it had just been polished.

“…What an utterly insignificant relic.”

Muttering in disbelief, Arendt took the ring from Nereid’s hand.

Then the ring shattered instantly, leaving only the round pearl resting on his palm.

“I don’t know what to do with this.”

Arendt rolled the pearl around in his palm for a moment, then carefully placed it in his pocket.

“If I sleep well today, I’ll think of it as thanks to you.”

A faint smile appeared on his lips as he looked down at Nereid.

A small but genuine kindness was felt in the worn-out pearl.

For now, that alone was enough.