Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1665 1637. Redemption
"What's happening here?"

A cloaked man walked out from the small commotion and stood in front of Father Goodwin and the two human soldiers who brought him in and asked.

Judging from the voice, it's Stuart.

The dark shadow under the hood looked at the two human soldiers. They immediately straightened their backs and stood seriously, no longer relaxed as they had when they teased the priest just now.

"Sir, this man claims to be a priest named Goodwin. He said he came all the way to Vergen looking for someone!"

The two of them were busy explaining to each other.

"He came to us when we were patrolling outside, saying that he was looking for someone no matter what, and asked us to take him into the city."

"He was like a drunken scoundrel, saying that he would not be brought into the city, and he kept following us. We had no choice but to file a report and bring him in."

It sounds a bit outrageous, but if you think about it carefully, it makes sense.

Although Vergen's current status is basically equivalent to a military secret area that has been covered up by the rebels using various means.

However, when the other party is heading into the military confidential area alone, he must be detained and interrogated.

How did he know about this place? Who assigned him to do so? Who else knew about this?
Getting this information is much more valuable than killing someone mindlessly.

Moreover, this man was alone, what kind of trouble could he cause after entering the city? Detention, life and death, weren't they just a matter of a word?
Do you really think he is some mythical powerful warrior who can kill his way through an entire city by himself?

And even if he is, isn't there another one in this city?
And this man called himself a "priest", which means he was a clergyman. Soldiers were generally reluctant to attack clergymen when it was not necessary.

After all, faith is a powerful force that works imperceptibly.

So when this person kept pestering them, the patrolling human soldiers brought him in, which should be the result of their careful consideration.

"You said you were a priest?" Stuart asked with some interest, "Which god do you serve? That god actually asked you to wear a sword and a dagger on your waist?"

As he spoke, he waved his hand, indicating that the two human soldiers could return to their posts and that he had taken over the situation here.

Goodwin now realized that he had met someone who, although he didn't know his status, was at least someone in charge.

"I come from Nasir in the south, and I worship Cliff, the father of the sky."

"A priest of the Cliff Church?" Stuart looked him up and down. Under his cloak, his nostrils twitched and his pupils contracted. "Your sword and dagger are still stained with the smell of human blood, Father. There is more than one person, and some are new and some are old."

"You wore a cotton coat but no armor. You passed through the chaotic and dangerous Aedirn with just a sword and a dagger and came here? Are all the priests of the Clifford Church capable of this?"

"And Nasir," Stuart pointed out sharply, "is a province of Nilfgaard, not even a vassal state. According to the rules, shouldn't they believe in the Great Sun?"

"Policies are policies, and life is life, sir." Goodwin responded slowly, showing no guilt at all.

"It has only been thirty years since Nasir was incorporated into Nilfgaard, but the ancient beliefs of the prophets Meliteli, Cliff, and Lebioda have lasted for hundreds of years."

“We can’t preach openly, but we still exist.”

With two "snap" sounds, Goodwin patted the half-sword scabbard hanging on his waist.

"The great Sky Father Cliff hates evil and explodes with anger. Of course, many of the Cliff brothers are not good at wielding swords and guns. But in my humble opinion, using swords is one of the ways to serve Cliff."

Stuart nodded without comment: "It seems that you are really good at preaching, Father."

This is equivalent to recognizing the other party's identity as a priest.

Preaching and preaching is a serious and advanced science in this era when many people have difficulty reading and writing.

Stuart looked around and spotted Lan and the others, so he waved to the small group of people who had come over to watch the fun.

"Alright everyone, I will take over this outsider now."

The onlookers gradually dispersed at Stuart's signal, and he turned sideways and waved to Father Goodwin, indicating that he should follow him.

In someone else's territory, although I don't know what kind of person Father Goodwin was in the past, he is quite honest now.

Then Stuart walked in front of Lan En and the others.

"Goodwin from Nasser, serving Cliff, greets you, sirs." A priest like Goodwin, who is well versed in etiquette and rules, had already introduced himself without the need for Stuart as an intermediary.

But Iorveth lost his temper first. He took a step forward and stared at Goodwin in a threatening manner.

"Father Goodwin, huh? How did you find yourself here in Vergen? Answer me."

As one of the commanders of the rebel army, Iorveth was very nervous about this hard-won base.

Logically speaking, the Nilfgaardian troops that had rashly advanced have been annihilated by now. Since we are deep behind enemy lines here, we should not have received the news.

As for Kaedwen, they were so confused by the attacks planned by Lann that they were too busy with their headquarters to care about Vergen. They didn't even know that the town had changed hands twice.

How did this person find his way here? !

Goodwin's arrival somewhat stimulated his sense of crisis.

"May Cliff bless you, sir." Goodwin did not answer Iorveth immediately. Instead, he looked at the city with doubt. "I think you are the commander of the army in this city? The current owner of this city?"

"Not really, but answer my question, Father."

"You should at least tell me your name, Master Elf? It's a bit awkward to talk to someone whose name you don't know."

"I don't have a name. You can just call me elf. I'm used to it."

Iorveth's single eye narrowed slightly, his hand rested on the dagger at his waist, and his voice became lower: "I'll say it again, answer the question, Father. Otherwise, I will open another 'mouth' on your neck."

"Wow, alright elf." Seeing this, Goodwin immediately raised his hands to his head, pretending that he was not a threat. "I was asked to find Sir Hans Capone and his bodyguard Henry."

"I came from the south and found out about the Nilfgaardian army's movements in their camp. I asked along the way and found this place. Then I came here alone. That's all!"

Iorveth stared at Goodwin with his single eye for a while, but then relaxed a little.

Goodwin was brought in with a clear and precise goal, namely Hans and Henry.

Therefore, it was with this firm and clear sense of purpose that I came to find Fu Jian.

But on a larger scale, the Nilfgaardians, whose lower-level officers were becoming increasingly disorganized, still had no time to care about this place, and they didn't even know that the previous troops had been annihilated.

Not to mention the Kaedweni.

Therefore, the city of Vergen is still in an ideal state of being a little transparent at the battlefield level.

"Now, I want to ask: Sir Hans Capone and Henry, are they both your prisoners? Injured or intact? Or the worst case scenario?"

"They are fine, without even a scratch on their bodies." Iorveth's expression eased a little, and he withdrew his hand from the dagger, but he still had his habitual sneer on his face, "They are the most stubborn of the group of Nilfgaardian black dogs."

"That's undeniable. I've always been optimistic about them, whether it's swordsmanship or drinking capacity." Goodwin nodded first, but still didn't let go of the topic, "But can I confirm their situation? Confirm it with my own eyes."

"I told you, they're fine. I promise you."

"Promise?" Goodwin seemed to be angry now. He had been interrogated like a criminal for a long time. "A one-eyed elf who refused to tell his name? An army that didn't even raise its flag? Two 'big guys' wearing fashionable magic cloaks and a noble lady in a cloak? You want me to believe your promise?"

Lan and Stuart were indifferent, but Margarita bowed to Goodwin in a playful manner, as if she had been praised.

"Of course. Just like we believe you," Iorveth sneered, "a guy with bloody hands and a sword and dagger who has killed people is Cliff's priest."

"Okay, okay!" Goodwin nodded desperately, "Then let me put it another way: I'm just here to find these two young men! I don't know who you are or what you want to do. But these two little people can't hinder you at all!"

"Let me take them away, and then Lord Hans of Lepe will owe you a favor. It's that simple, isn't it?"

This really looks like paying money to redeem someone.

Iorveth turned around and looked at Lan in surprise.

Lan En said before that maybe some ransom could be scraped out of those two guys, so it wouldn't be a big deal to release them then. I didn't expect that someone would actually come to pay the ransom now.

(End of this chapter)